“FINDING
THE JOY IN THE JOURNEY”
Transfer week. We didn´t get a call from President this week
so that means it´s still my hija and I here in Elche. I´m really happy about
that! I’m not quite ready to leave Elche yet. I LOVE ELCHE! We got some other
news though that made me scream.....dum dum dum......ELCHE IS GETTING MORE
HERMANAS!!!! Another companionship of hermanas are coming to serve in the other
ward here. AH! That was such a tender mercy for me! After 3 months of isolation
I’m finally going to have more hermanas!!!! They´ll come on Wednesday and even
better news. Guess who´s coming? One of my MTC hermanas, I love
love love this hermana! She´s rock solid and we were tight in the MTC. She´s
one of the 3 other sisters who had to train after 6 weeks in the field. We have actually talked about how awesome it´d be to be companions and
now look! We may not be companions but now we live within 15 minutes of each
other! So that made my week!
A few cool things. I´m learning Spanish sign language! There
are a few deaf people here in Elche that we want to communicate with so a
member in Alicante is teaching us Spanish sign language! It´s pretty simple
next to learning Spanish so we´re picking it up very quickly! I can teach a
mini lesson in sign language now! It´s so tight! I think sign language is so
smooth!
Another thing. In the past 3 months I’ve been trying to figure
out why I can´t understand some people out here in Elche and then I figured it
out this week. It´s because they´re speaking Valenciano not Castillano (what I’m
speaking).Hhaha! I feel so much better knowing that the only reason I can´t
completely understand them is because it´s a different dialect! Valenciano is
hard and doesn´t really make any sense to me. Maybe after another 6 weeks here in Elche I’ll be able to pick it up a
little. Who knows?
Well, this week was pretty crazy. My companion had to
go to Malaga to get her residency card so I went on exchanges with a hermana in
Alicante for the weekend. My companion missed her train back so she
had to wait another day to come back to Elche which meant that I had to stay
another day in Alicante. That means that we didn´t get to teach a single lesson
in Elche for 4 entire days!!! Wow, it´s good to be back and teaching again!
I really do love Elche. Elche has truly become my home! I
absolutely love love love Elche. I love the people, the area, the palm trees,
the missionaries, the members, and about every other thing about Elche but none
of those are the reasons why Elche will always have a special place in my
heart. Elche will always hold my heart because it was here that I truly found
God. Elche has truly been my refiner´s fire. The past 3 months have been the
hardest three months in my life but I wouldn´t trade them for anything in the
entire world. It was here that I learned to completely and fully rely on the
Lord and let him carry me. It was here that I learned for myself that I could
do hard things. It was here that I learned to truly love people from all different backgrounds. Most importantly, it was here that I
started to become the person that the Lord has always wanted me to be.
I have
never before felt so close to my Savior nor understood the magnitude of the
Atonement. I have an unwavering testimony of 1 Nephi 3:7. "I
know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he
shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he
commandeth them."
The Lord WILL always
provide a way if we but let him guide us. The Lord has provided a way for me to
do something that to me seemed absolutely impossible. Sometimes we have to walk
in the dark for a time but I promise you that there is always light at the end
of the tunnel. I have experienced that for myself. I am so incredibly grateful
for everything the Lord has put me through these past 4 1/2 months. I can now
look back and see how important each and every one of those trials were for my
development and testimony.
I absolutely love what I´m doing right now. It´s ridiculously
difficult but I love it none the less. Not a day goes by that I don´t feel
overwhelmed with gratitude for all the Lord has done for me. I´m stronger than
ever thanks to the Lord and I´m looking forward to the next 6 weeks here in Elche.
I can already feel that we´re going to see miracles! Thanks for all of the
love, prayers, and support!
Sometimes life is about finding joy in the journey. Go out and look for it. It´s there
I LOVE THIS WORK!!!
Love,
Hermana Israelsen
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