Hospital Na Naman!

 Hello friends! This week was a bit of a crazy week! But it was great still!

Last P-day was Christmas for me! Christmas on the mission is a bit tricky, but it was so special to be able to talk to my family and spend time thinking about the Savior. Plus, my kabahays and I made cinnamon rolls to celebrate and that was sooooo fun! It was a highlight for sure.

 

The work this week was good. We had a lot of unplanned circumstances that took us away from our work a little bit, but we were still able to find a lot of people!

 

Some of the crazy “unplanned” portions of my week started with a visit to the hospital. Not once, not twice, but THREE times!! Don’t you fret, none of them were for me. One of the other missionaries got sick and we had to bring them some things in the hospital a few times and then Sister Nacar needed a quick checkup, but all is well now. I have decided after seeing the inside of the hospital here, I will FOR SURE pass on a visit for myself. The hospital here is not quite like the hospital in America… It is dirty. It is stinky. I think if I had to go to the hospital, I may not make it out, so I think I am going to try and steer clear.

 

Of course, we experienced miracles this week!

 

One of the miracles from this week was that we were able to invite Sister Nicolle to be baptized! We had already invited her parents last week, but she was still praying to decide. This week when we went to visit them, we talked about the importance of baptism and why we do it. When we invited her to be baptized, she eagerly accepted! We are so excited to help their whole family come unto Christ!

 

We have also had a lot of success focusing on families. We love families and it is so special to help them come closer to Christ!

 

Something exciting that we are looking forward to is our district made a goal this week in DCM to find 90 people as a district next week! It is going to be a challenge, for sure. Each companionship has to find 15 people—which is a lot, but Sister Nacar and I are so excited for the challenge! It will be so fun to work together as a district on a goal AND help people come closer to Christ!

 

This week also had a lot of challenges. Some of our friends who have baptism dates are really struggling. I can tell that Satan is working really hard to discourage them from baptism. If you all could pray for Sister Mary Ann and Brother Larry this week, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I now truly understand the pains of being a missionary. We give our whole soul to help people come closer to Christ. The love that I feel for each of these people we teach is unreal. Every day, I pray to feel that love, for each person. Sister Nacar and I love them. We plan for them, pray for them, and constantly think about them. So, when they struggle, we struggle.

 

After one particularly hard lesson, Sister Nacar and I came back to the apartment, and I just cried. We love them so much and we want them to keep their commitments and come closer to Christ, but Satan wants the exact opposite. We can see him working and twisting. It is completely heartbreaking. But I also know that God has a plan. He has a plan for us and for each person that we teach. As we rely on Him and continue to ask for His help, He will help us and help our people.

 

I am so blessed to be working in Tumauini right now. I truly, truly love the people here. I have grown so much as a missionary and as a disciple of Christ. 

 

For my spiritual thought this week, I wanted to share something from Elder Holland.

 

Elder Holland is absolutely amazing. I would recommend listening to ALL of his talks. In my favorite talk, “Be Ye Therefore Perfect–Eventually,” he shares something that is beautiful:

 

“My brothers and sisters, except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call “toxic perfectionism.”

 

If any of you know me, you may also know that I struggle with being a perfectionist at times. And on a mission, there are lots of ways to feel inadequate. Some days, I am not very good at talking to people. Some days, I get a little distracted during my studies. Sometimes my Tagalog isn’t very good. It is easy to feel discouraged at times and think that I am just not good enough and not measuring up.

 

BUT, Elder Holland reminds us here that no one is perfect. We get to steadily improve every day. Every day as we strive to be a little better, a little more Christlike, serve a little more, and be a friend, we become who God wants us to become. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we do not have to be perfect right now, we just have to strive to be a little better. That is enough for now.

 

I testify that God loves each and every one of us. He does not want us to be discouraged here. He wants us to learn and grow and become a little better. He wants us to accept the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.

 

I know that as we strive to become like the Savior, we will become happier, and our lives will become more meaningful.

 

I love this gospel with all my heart! 

 

I hope you all have a great week!

The Church is true, God loves you,

Be happy, Be brave, Be smart,

Love,

Sister Miller