Wednesday, December 28, 2011 8:24 AM
Mamma mia, what a boatload of adventures this new year has to offer...I'm sure of it!
Honest to goodness, it was such a wonderful thing to see my family, and yet, these past few weeks have been the most difficult of my whole mission. It seems that everything has come to a standstill, but now...things are looking up. I think the majority of it all is that I FEEL so much better. There is a possibility that I am now gluten intolerant. I have been off of bread, pasta, cookies, anything with wheat for the past 4 days and I feel better than I have in a LONG TIME. Here's hoping that it works. Believe me, you can gasp all you want...it is difficult, but I KNOW the Lord is blessing me to not have cravings for breads (my FAVORITE) I just don't desire it right now...He's helping me out :)
Christmas was an adventure, we actually ate with an Ecuadorian Famiy and an Indonesian/Filipino family...and the food was delicious. It really made me appreciate Christmas Time at home, and yet, I still felt extremely loved by these families...giving all they had to feed us and help us enjoy their traditions of Christmas. It's just festa time around here, Christmas last week and New Year's this week...which we have to stay inside the 31st ALL DAY LONG because people find a little too much wine and alcohol to their liking. Oh well, should be fun cleaning all day! :)
I'm trying to think of things to say and write...honestly it's been a difficult week, and I need to do better at looking at all the miracles we really do see. Okay, okay, first of all KERLY is the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!! We are SO excited for her...she has such a calm spirit about her, that the turnaround is completely amazing!! I remember first seeing her, wild and lost..but now, she seems to feel more confident in who she is and where she is going. It is SUCH a beautiful thing to see. She was late coming to receive the Holy Ghost, and almost didn't have a chance to receive it, but Heavenly Father stepped in and she got there in time...that was definitely a miracle. I'm getting better at finding...better at talking with people on the streets and testifying. There was a family on the bus that we just started talking to, having a real conversation. Things were awkward at times, but I didn't feel it. All I could do was testify and leave them with a copy of the Book of Mormon and my testimony. They wouldn't accept it at first, but I felt the Spirt so strongly, because I was so happy inside to be talking with them, at they, well they just seemed drawn, almost confused as to why they were willingly taking the Book..and then they had to get off the bus. But it really boosted my spirits in reminding me, that although tough times come, I still need to open my mouth and things will get better.
When you are HAPPY in life, it makes all the difference. If you aren't happy, they always say to serve. "Forget yourself and go to work" and yes, it's a little difficult to forget your aches and pains and the burning sensation in your eyes...but when you see someone's heart become lighter and the Spirit working through you...you DO forget all the troubles and you DO become a little more refined...the diamond that the Lord is preparing you to be. We received a referral from Cate (an South African woman in the church who we go and visit every week) and her name is Jackie. Jackie is 31 from South African, and just wonderful. She's spunky, and LOVES to tell stories, and loves to cook! They invited us over for lunch, Christmas lunch on the 26th, because that is another Italian Holiday and Jackie made us a genuine South African meal...it was delicious!! At the end of the meal, the Anziani started with the spiritual thought, which led us into teaching too because Jackie is more comfortable with English. But, the Spirit was so strong as we testified, and it helped me realize even MORE what a blessing the gospel is. Here we have a beautiful,married, 31 year old woman...STILL searching for SOMETHING in her life. She feels that something needs to change, but she doesn't know what...ha ha ha, ringadingding, have you seen our tags? Yes darling, it's your ticket to the waters of baptism...your ticket to eternal life...a COMPLETE change from the life you are living now.... Needless to say, we should be meeting with her tomorrow.
Okay okay, shame on me, the Lord has blessed me with so many miracles, and I was just too down to notice them this week. Some weeks are more filled than others, but they really are there. I am so grateful to be serving as a missionary, and I get a little anxious to know that I am on the downslope. It's crazy when you start seeing the missionaries you " grew up with", start preparng to go home!! That'll be me sooner than I know it. The time is far spent, and it flies by so fast...If you ever feel a prompting to talk to someone...do it! It takes practice, and I am no expert, but by golly, I'm going to be working my best to keep improving. Don't loose yourself in your memories, but look forward to the future. Don't loose yourself in what COULD be in the future either, but work NOW to be your best self and you'll come to realize that what was once the future, will actually become your yesterday. I hope that made sense...just remember to be your best NOW and the future will come sooner than you know it, your future self that you see...could be the actual YOU sooner than you think!! I love this gospel and I am SO grateful for it! I hope all is well and I hope to hear from all of you in some form or other...*wink wink, nudge nudge*
bacci e abracci, buon anno and buone feste,
Sorella bowman
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