Can you believe it's already been a full transfer for me here!? I feel like we've not done a whole lot... but at the same time... SO MUCH!
This week was definitely better than last week. I told you how we lost Jack [editor note: name change for privacy] right? Well apparently he moved. To Bristol. Which isn't even in our area... but hopefully we can get his contact details for the missionaries in his area. We haven't heard from Jim [editor note: name change for privacy] in 2 weeks :( and Joe [editor note: name change] is struggling with some personal problems., but Bishop is helping him work through those.
Sarah [editor note; name change] She's a new investigator (sorry Mum and family... i wrote all this in my 'journal' home so you'll get to hear it all twice :P) She referred herself. she looked up the address for the chapel and went last week on her own. to the Rhiwbina Chapel though. So the elders gave her a B.o.M and a restoration leaflet, but when they learned that she was in our area, they referred her to us. She is so sweet! so curious. her boyfriend is a member in Switzerland ('temple status' she calls him) and she became curious through that. she's ready for this i feel it! Her Christian background isn't strong; she needed us to define terms like 'prophets' and 'gospel' but she believes in christ. the hardest part will be to convince her to come to our ward meeting instead of at the chapel in Rhiwbina. she's already making friends there (she told us that she is going out to lunch with a sister in that ward this week... which is great. fellowshipping... but she should technically come to our ward) We were going to have a YSA come teach with us tonight. She's from finland, and just got back from her mission to Croatia, so she was excited for the chance. plus their personalities are similar. But she is sick :(
Anyway.... i always explain the week so out of order.... you love me though. :D
i'm sending one of the only pics i got from the castle last monday (then my battery died. bother) Casnwydd Caerdydd (translated to 'castle cardiff'... pronounced... caz-new-ith Cai-er-deeeth) welsh. gotta love that, huh? haven't had much of an opportunity to learn much of it (obviously) but we're trying to learn the sounds of the letters at least. the double L is the hardest. it's pronounced by placing the tongue at the tip of the teeth (like for a normal 'L') and blowing air across both sides of the tongue. or something like that. it's kinda strange. a hard language. a double 'D' is pronounced 'th' and i think a 'U' is pronounced like a long e. Fun fun.
We had a D.A on tuesday (it's been a while since we had one of those... but this week we have one every night from tues-friday! :) ) with the East family. they're a young married couple. he just got off his mission to london south a few years ago. she's from germany. on our way home from there, somewhere, i think right in their parking lot... i lost my watch. and nearly broke down crying in the street when i discovered it. it didn't mean a lot to me before my mission - we're not supposed to bring items with personal and financial value - but it became important to me. it was beautiful, and my mum gave it to me. it was unique. yeah. i'm still upset about that. plus now i don't have a watch, and sis. M never did have one. only our phone now. on friday (our D.A with Jaz and the elders, zone leaders and their investigator (who just got baptized!)) somehow the topic cam up about time, and my watch and i told them i always go to my wrist to check the time and discover it's 'just a hair past a freckle'... Jaz had never heard that before. we laughed. gotta laugh at the little things right?
Wednesday was one of those days that felt super unproductive. our first appt. with Sarah got rescheduled so we ended up GQ'ing.. but it was raining so no one was out and about. meh. happens... well it happens a lot here. i don't know if it's poor planning on our part, or if that's just the way it is.
Thursday we went to Barry. I like being in Barry. and now that we take the train, it's not so stressfull. We saw Linda and Lucy [editor note: name change].
we also saw carol [editor note; name change] on thursday. i love her. she's sweet and thinks of other a lot. We just need to get her to come to church... it'd be hard to be the only YSA ( young single adult) from Barry.. and the YSA here is tiny as it is... .so if a couple people don't get a lon, it causes drama for everyone. We're going to try to help her get ready for her patriarchal blessing and to get a temple reccomend. that'll be a transfer goal.
oh yeah. it's transfer day today (well normally it's on a wednesday, but it changed for just this once). nothing super big changed with our area. our zone split in half but that didn't really affect us. and one of the elders from our districe is being transferred. other than that it all stayed the same. i knew sis. M and i wouldn't move cuz we're training (and whitewashing...) that would've been quite hard. but my intuition tells me that sis. M will only be here for this and next transfer and then i'll be teaching someone this area... even though i'm still practically a baby. i feel like i've been here for ages now... yet at the same time... sometmes it feels like just a week or so ago that i was on that dreadfully long flight. i hope the ward members and other missionaries don't think of my as a greenie... not knowing what to do. i feel like i definitely contribute to the companionship at least. i bring things that she's not as good at. so, while she is the more natural missionary, i'm good at reading the map, and not gettin lost, making and planning for goals, schedualing
Friday was planning... it's kinda relaxing. well at least at first. to have 3 hours in the flat just to plan... it gets a bit overwhelming though. thinking about the week and everything we want to accomplish... and everything we didn't accomplish the week previous. but it's a good time to set goals... and i'm starting to realize that i have a lot of pride. shame on me. i didn't think i would need to change much. i thought i'd be good. no. i have a long ways to go. Now i'm not bashing on myself, so don't write back that i'm crazy. i honestly am coming to the conclusion that i could be better... it's frustrating. this realization. because i quickly lose patience with myself. but i'm working on it. i wish i could be more open with my companion... with anyone really... but you know me. Intraverted.
anyways. out of time. and more pics
love you tons and tons!!!
Sister Ashley
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