welcome to joysee ...

This has been the week of communication. I never realized how much I suffered in that attribute in my pre-mission life. I am still very much me.. and still have to work on it but I think it's funny how the Lord will put us in situations where we are backed into a corner and the only way out is to work on our Christlike attributes. Especially with goal setting. I have found that as I set my goal every night for the next day, that next day I am put into a situation where I have to practice that goal. Funny how that happens. Our goal in life is to become like Christ.. perfect. So in our lovely instruction manuel.. or rather known as the scriptures, and it's "easy to use guide" (preach my gospel), I have been making a list of Christlike attributes and putting my focus on on a day. At first it made me a little nervous, because they say that once you start praying for patience (or anything else) the Lord is just going to put you into a situation where you are going to REALLY need to apply it. And that is just what has happened. I am learning to just take the bull by the horns, bite the bullet, and change! Because any change that we are making towards becoming like Christ.. will never be a bad change!

OH remember that talk that I was giving yesterday? The one on D&C 133:3? Well I sat down in sacrament meeting and opened the.. (the word in english isn't coming to me but white paper that says the schedule of the meeting.. that!) and the scripture right inside was D&C 33:3. See the difference? 133:3, 33:3? Oops.. That was another point where the lack of the spanish language helped me grow. The Edlers and my comp were cracking up becuase the other funny part was that the other speaker spoke 400 words per minute and my 10 minute talk on D&C133;3 became a 20 minute talk on D&C 33:3! Well luckily I don't have a problem talking.. I'm really glad this branch had just taken me and sister Millward under their wings as theird little children. For that reason and when Sister Millward was playing the organ for sacrament meeting from the english hymn book and we were all singing from spanish (me still fulfilling my calling as the director). The only difference is that the spanish hymn book had an extra verse. Organ stopped.. but the few strong voices left in the congregation awkwardly sang the next few words.. nobody could compose themselves for that final verse. Even after Sister Millward started again on half of the wrong notes. Oh it was bad.. ha ha but NIna gave the closing prayer! Last week too! She is just awesome. We couldn't get her membership record in time last week for her to find names and go with us.. but she said that she doesn't want to go without us her first time. So this week is finding the name and next week is the temple!! So we get to go back! Yes go back..

I, Hermana Schwendiman, went to New York!! Every six months or so the mission gets to go the the temple and this was our month to do it. First of all I love New York!! Second of all.. I love the temple!! It was so incredible. We went with three other companionships and the best part was.. there were so many other missionaries there for the session! It was a little miracle because some of our good friends out here were there. Next closest thing to family that we have out here! I can't tell you have great that was. Just felt like home. Ok I hate to admit this but Sister Millward and I got a little lost. We had an appointment to get back to and the other Sisters we were with were going to be a while longer. So we went with ALL of the other missionaries back to the station. Harmless, right? Walked through time square, which was awesome, and got to the station. The bus station. Not the metro station. Here we are just following these missionaries with googly eyes on the city and we went all the way to the bus station. Well at least we got to see the city! It took us a little bit longer to get back to the metro station to take the train back to New Jersey... but we made it!! I am really anxious to go back with Nina. There's no place like home!

This is the week we also had to break into our apartment.. We both had assumed that the others had grabbed the keys and when we got to the car, we found out quickly that we didn't have them. So I got to apply a little bit of my rock climbing skills and climb up to our window and snatch the keys.. Oh the adventures of a missionary. Those adventures do not even compare to teaching though. To be able to stand back and watch someones life change. We are still working really hard with our investigators.. It's amazing that if you allow the spirit to guide you completely, in everything you say, that sometimes you can be just as shocked at the person you are teaching. I aboslutely love when we don't realize what in the world we are saying until we've said it and then all of a sudden something clicks in their head. You can see in in their face. Their eyebrows raise and their mouth drops. It's because it's true. All of it. Every single little peice. Its all part of His plan. This work is amazing. I love it!! I wish I had more time to write but I love all of you!

 

Hermana Schwendiman

I LOVE NY!!