Well Hello Family and Friends!!!
This week has been busy! I want to tell you a little about the area I'm living in now. We live off of a highway- except it kind of feels like a main road in the city. It stretches a long way through Winnipeg- I wouldn't be surprised if it ran through the whole thing to be honest. Behind our apartment there is a train track and every morning and night the train goes though. I LOVE the noise it makes. I will miss this when it comes time for me to leave. There are also a billion Canadian Geese here!!! You think they would realize it is time to leave but yet they stick around. I also adore the noises they make. Those two things make me oddly happy. The squirrels here are also ginormous! They could pass for a small dog. I have seen a few normal sized ones running around but mostly the huge ones run around.
It has been chilly and we have had to scrape the windshield once but no snow yet. I was able to borrow a winter coat from the mission office so I won't freeze while I'm in Winnipeg! So thankful for that! I hope to find boots today!
Sister Alder (my trainer) was able to learn sign language from her trainer when she came out. Both of her parents are deaf and therefore she is fluent in ASL. It has been fun learning it from Sister Alder- I have always wanted to learn! Our stake (multiple wards/ congregations) met together this weekends for a conference. In one of the wards there are two men that are deaf so we made sure to sit up by the front so that we could pay attention to the translator. It was a wonderful experience because I was able to learn so many new words. I can sign the missionary purpose and am leaning how to pray in ASL. This proves to me that the Heavenly Father knows his children because I have always had the desire to learn ASL but for some reason I felt it would be too hard to pick up/ I wasn't sure how to start. I am so thankful for the tender mercies he gifts us with so that we can grow.
It was during stake conference that I had a paradigm shift of sorts. My thought and feelings about Winnipeg are changing as I'm here longer. I am so thankful for my mission so far. WOW what an experience it has been so far! It was a struggle the first week because we basically re opened an area that was a combined two areas in the past. Also the stress to Sister Alder of training two new missionaries along with not even being sure of the area herself added to the frustration we all faced.
The area used to take on two wards (Dalhousie and Waverley) but the one set of sisters couldn't work fully in one or the other so it seemed that for a long while both got about half of the efforts. Now there is a set of missionaries for each of the wards and the work is moving along well. I love the people in the Waverley ward and their desire to do missionary work. We are meeting new people ach day and our teaching pool is getting bigger too.
My challenges with my health or my companions have not fully gone away but through prayer and faith they have been relieved to a certain extent. Mosiah 24:15 from the Book Of Mormon says it well " And now it came to pass that the burdens that were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."
I really have had to rely on God through this week and even though things are not easy and I feel beat down , worn out and sad at times I know all will be okay. I just have to be patient. I have been seeing a nucca (sp?) chiropractor to see if that helps the dizziness but it hasn't been as effective as I hoped. I think it helps a bit but things still feel off. I have another appointment with a different specialist (who works with vestibular issues) for the vertigo on Friday this week so I'm feeling hopeful this issue can be resolved. I can feel that my burdens are being lifted so that I can still continue.
Last week I realized I shared the wrong scripture references- I was rushed and trying to go from memory. It was in 1 Nephi that Nephi was commanded to build a ship and then in 2 Nephi 4:20 it says "My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep." I love how we can apply the scriptures to our life!
We have been able to meet with some wonderful people this week. Karen is a sweet less active lady we saw on Wednesday. She has troubles getting out to church because of her heart problems. We love her kindness and her happy energy. She really reminds me of a patient from the smilezone I used to work with. It's neat the connections you make between people out here and back home.
As a missionary you end up going to lots of meetings and appointments but my favourites this week were the chance encounters. We went to go visit a lady who was investigating the church a while ago. She was so welcoming and excited to hear more about the message we share. We were about 15 minutes into the visit when a man came in. He said he had just gotten off of work before he joined us. As we continues on I could see his heart soften and he became engaged and excited as we discussed the Book of Mormon. We gave him a copy and he handled it with such care. The questions Abuel asked were well thought out and from his heart. When we paused I could tell his wheels were turning and by the end of the lesson he told us that this makes sense. He said we were able to answer questions he didn't even ask but had always wondered. A huge smile crossed his face and he accepted the invitation to follow Jesus Christ and prepare for baptism. Before leaving for my mission I thought it would be crazy to invite someone to be baptized before more material was covered but in the MTC I learned that content covered has never been a qualification for baptism. His desires are pure and he wants to know God. It was the boost we all needed this week to keep going! I am so very excited to see Abuel and Elizabeth progress.
Not everyone wants to or is ready to hear the message of the gospel because it involves change. At times people are unwilling to make the changes that will benefit their life. We had one appointment this week that was an example of this. Each time we tried to share a thought she would change the topic - so in fitting with what she wanted to discuss (auto detailing) I told her that Jesus is like a car detailer- he works to clean our interiors and though it takes a lot of time and effort we can be made as new..... haha!!! Long shot I know! But it caught her interest for about 5 seconds.
Lots of people are ready to come closer to Christ and I have seen how God prepares his children long before we as missionaries show up.
We also hosted our ward Halloween party this Friday - the turnout was great and we had about 8 investigators show up for it. The kids all had fun and the costumes were creative and original. It was a wonderful event.
The mission is really the highest highs and the lowest lows! I love it!
Have a great Week!!!
Sister Taylor
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