Highs, Lows, & Trampolines (w/ Pictures!!)

Hey y'all!

To say it as the Southerns would...I was a hot mess this week. Two trade offs, getting sick all over again, a swarm of new elect and not-so-elect investigators, throw in the summer heat hitting and more service projects than you could imagine...hot mess describes me perfectly this lovely week of the mission.

BUT anyway....I've got to take you back to the Lake Butler Team Sunday Night Pow Wow conversations that I absolutely LOVE. They seem to review the week nicely. Last night we went around and shared our pit and peak of the week. The pit of the week was simply put-being sick while on a trade off. Not a good combo-BUT the peak....was two fold and OH so good.

PEAK: We started the week off giving a training at District meeting all about "The Best Day Ever." Missionary life, and probably true for life in general, is ALL about our attitude. If we decide to love it and love every aspect of it...every day can really be the best day ever. While giving this training, I told the story about my MTC companion changing my entire perspective of my mission in a matter of 12 days....and in the midst of that story, it hit me that though I LOVE my mission with all my heart, it's become normal. I've become so used to missionary life-that I've started taking it for granted. We get so used to the many blessings in our lives, that we stop appreciating them. Like the blessing that I get to go to district meeting every week-I absolutely love it. And with a limited about of district meetings left-I need to be better at appreciating them in the moment.

So long story short, I've began praying that I'll be able to appreciate each aspect of my mission, while I'm here. Instead of looking back on my mission and thinking how great it was...I want both. Now and future appreciation.

And naturally because God is so good - my prayer is beginning to be answered all over the place. While on a trade off, we began teaching a woman and her daughter the first lesson. To paint the picture for you, we were in a pretty run down home. My "companion" and the family sat in the few chairs they had, I took the floor. I was more than distracted the first half of the lesson by the cockroaches roaming the ground around me and started praying I'd actually be able to focus. Before long, I was reading Moroni 10:3-5. I could feel the mother intently listening, and as I read it, everything else melted away and this scripture I've read hundreds of times....hit me so powerfully, I almost couldn't keep reading.

I have the best life in the world. I get to read the Book of Mormon with complete strangers and invite them to find answers to their prayers. And the longer I'm out here, the more I love opening my mouth to testify of the best truths there are. I'm finding myself not just sharing my testimony now, but feeling my testimony. Not just saying what I know needs to be said as a missionary, but sharing a bit of my heart and letting the Spirit take it to the heart of those I'm teaching. Goodness me....I love it. So my challenge for y'all this week...is to re-evaluate your life for minute. What have you been taking for granted? Love it a little extra instead.

Love you all more than you'll ever know.

p.s. Enjoy the service pics...

1. Party prep for the world's coolest 12 year old (We heart Kelsey Starling)....okay in that exact moment we were taking pictures...but when Sister Tsai hasn't even seen a trampoline before-you HAVE to jump for just a minute =) She was so terrified-we died laughing. 

2. Writing out a tombstone....you think we're kidding. We're not. The elders carved it. I can't even believe that happened. 

3. Roofing. Yes. I'm determined to convince the ward/community we can do more service than they are letting us do at this current moment. Oh the skills one learns on the mission =)