I arrived in Hendricks Avenue on Wednesday and discovered that we had five (5!) Thanksgiving dinners scheduled for the next day. So my first full day in this new area was spent driving all over (we sort of went in a star formation between our five areas), meeting tons of ward members, and eating enough food to make a Hungry Hippo weep. Yes, I used my missionary skills and ate a plate in every house. Sister Zanella enjoyed her first Thanksgiving ever, though she's looking forward to a break from them next November. I'm actually the designated driver, since Sister Zanella's licence expired after a year in the US, so I'm still totally lost whenever we drive anywhere. We have a beautiful silver Chevy Malibu that is just begging for me to do something stupid to it, so please please pray that I don't crash.
So the ward here is just a regular ward, but it has four sets of missionaries! They just got their third set of sisters this transfer. And the San Jose Ward in the same area has three sets of Spanish-speaking elders. Missionaries are thick on the ground wherever you go here. No one really knows why there are so many of us here, but every decision President Craig has made in his short time here has been unbelievably inspired, so I can't wait to see what comes of this.
We have a lot of investigators here that Sister Spencer and Sister Zanella have been working with and one in particular, Mark, is progressing amazingly towards his baptism date of Dec 21st. I haven't been fortunate enough to see this myself, but everyone in his apartment complex (we're teaching half of them now) keeps telling us how much he's changed. He really really wanted a suit to wear to church, so he went to a local charity in order to get a free one. However, in order to really prove that they couldn't afford it any other way, everyone there had to eat a meal and spend the night to get the clothes. Since most of the people were homeless, they were all surprised when Mark said "Nah, I've got a place and food and all; I just want the suit!" But it turns out that the charity's bedding had all gotten bedbugs and had to be burned, so Mark slept with two sheets on a concrete floor with 80 other people. The guy next to him was shouting at nothing all night and Mark almost took off right then, but he wanted that suit so badly that he stuck it out, all so he could look his best at church! He's changed his life so much and he's so excited to get baptized. It's just incredible for me to see someone with so much real intent. We meet so many people who use lack of a suit as an excuse not to come to church (not that it even matters what you wear) and I love to see someone really taking things into their own hands instead of waiting for missionaries or members to do it for them. Mark has already kicked cigarettes and alcohol for good in the past few weeks and he's giving up coffee today. It's just amazing to see how happy he is.
Partly because of Brazilian culture and partly because she's Sister Zanella, my companion will very bluntly tell people what is on her mind. For instance, she will always remind people of commitments they're not keeping in a teasing and loving way, but also make it very clear that she doesn't for a second think it's all right that they won't come to church or quit smoking. It's really great because she gets so much farther with investigators than I would have ever thought possible and they always remember exactly why she's there. But no matter who it is, she always connects with them and everyone loves her much, whether or not they accept her invitations to follow Christ. I'm learning so much about being bold in the Spirit of the Lord, though I still fear that I will end up offending someone. But I've already said things to people that I never would have imagined I would be courageous enough to say. Sister Zanella is really good at telling when people won't progress or when they have incredible potential but will just take a lot of time and work, so she is very patient but persistent. I have so much to learn from her but I'm really excited for this chance to work hard and grow.
In personal study today, I studied an awful lot about humility and pride. I've decided that pride is the root of pretty much every and any sin, because it starts with you deciding that your ways are higher than God's ways. So I really don't want to have it, but I seem to have it all the time anyway. In Alma 32:15-16, I noticed that he was discussing the gospel of Jesus Christ (you know, faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, endure to the end) but instead of saying faith, he actually said humility. I wondered for a second why he would switch those two out, until I realized that this entire cycle of repentance can't start unless you are humble. Why would you ever have faith that Jesus Christ's Atonement could take away sin if you're prideful enough to think you're better than that? Faith and humility go hand-in-hand: only the humble can be faithful, and only those who have faith can receive the blessings of the Lord. So it's all about that humility. Whether I can apply this adequately is another story, but self-perfection is a gradual process. We'll see how I can change. Anyway, love y'all and take care this holiday season!
Love,
Sister Anna Nielsen
My new address:
6650 Corporate Center Parkway Apt 1410 Mailbox 69
Jacksonville FL 32216
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