We have to climb a big long hill twice a day to get back to
our house; once in the afternoon on our way to lunch and then in the night when
we have finished our work for the day. Lately, when we are on our way back for
lunch we have been running into an elderly man pushing a big cart up the hill.
This man collects bottles and other things and puts them in his homemade wooden
cart. It is heavy. We have begun helping him push his cart up the hill on the
days we run into him on our way home for lunch. People cheer us on. Some cars
even pull over to watch. We help him until the incline ends which also happens
to be the edge of our area. I don't know where he goes once he makes it over
the hill - but we love helping him on that little stretch. He smiles at us with
his toothless smile and says, "adios mis hijas." It’s something so
simple but so rewarding. It makes me
feel happy and super sweaty.
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| My Favorite Dominican Dish |
This past week my comp and I had to give a talk for our zone
on having a positive attitude. A negative attitude can be destructive in any
situation and a mission is no exception. We asked our zone what things make
them feel discouraged. Everyone started shouting things at the same time. Apparently
they had a lot of things that discourage them. The list included the heat,
their ward, companion, bishop, ward mission leader, exhaustion, investigators,
when all their appointments fall, illness, etc. We talked about how there are
things out of our control and we shouldn't focus on these things that we can’t
change. A few months back I told you about a book that the church produced to
help missionaries adapt to mission life. It is really useful. Below are some of
the tips:
o
Accept the reality of some boring routines. Not
everything in life is deeply meaninful and exciting.
o
Don't procrastinate. Learn to break down big
tasks into smaller pieces; putting things off can lead to depression
o
Avoid comparing yourself to others
o
Let go of what you can’t control
o
Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself with kind
encouraging words.
o
Take care of yourself by eating well, exercising,
and plenty of sleep.
o
List your strengths and gifts and cultivate them
o
Give yourself credit for doing something you don’t
enjoy or don’t do well. Don’t tell yourself it only counts if you are happy
about it or did it perfectly.
o
Envision success - worrying can be a way of
mentally practicing failure.
o
Give yourself permission to sound confident,
even if you don't feel it.
o
Focus on gratitude
o
Take it one step at a time. Remind yourself,
"All I have to do right now is..."
o
Break up your day. Don't do one type of activity
for too long at a time.
o
When you live with someone 24/7 you will notice
some things that annoy you. You come from different backgrounds and have
different ideas of what is appropriate or normal. Your companion's behavior
makes perfect sense to him, even if it doesn't to you (this one makes me laugh).o
o
Be humble. Humility is the fountain of all
virtues.
Someone shared an analogy with me that I enjoyed. She said
life is like a train. Some passengers may be scared of the speed; others think
it’s moving too slowly. Some people are looking out the window and are awed by
the beauty of the view; others don’t notice and are missing the stunning
scenery that is passing by. Some passengers are enjoying the ride; others are
not. They are all going to the same destination but their perspective of the
ride varies.
This past week I did an exchange with my friend who is a Hermana
from Hondurus. When the day was finished, we got ready for bed and started to
talk - which ended up being a three hour conversation. She told me about when
her brother was shot and killed; she talked about how difficult it was for her
family. She told me about how much she loves her country but how sad it is to
see all the challenges people face there. We talked about experiences we have
had in the mission field and all the heart breaking things we have seen here.
The poverty has been one of the hardest parts of my mission. I am in a
wealthier area right now but still, I have seen and can't forget the way many people
live in the world. Sometimes we just have to remember that many things are out
of our control.
I got a letter (DearElder) from Aunt Sara. Tell her thank
you! It was so fun to hear from Sara. I am glad to hear you all had a good
week.
Our artist investigator is getting baptized on Saturday! Pretty exciting!!
:) I will update you next week. This has been so rewarding because initially he was just curious to learn more about the Mormon's and we have gradually been able to observe the steady growth of his testimony. He is intelligent, educated, speaks perfect Spanish, and has really studied the doctrine and knows it well.
The papaya season is at its prime so we are
eating lots of papaya. I love you and am praying for you.
Con mucho amor,
Meg
"You cannot control the length of your life, but you
can control its breadth, depth and height."
"Life is not a rigid business of being but a lively
process of becoming."
- Ford
Lewis
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