March 13, 2012 letter

Usually the mass email is the first email I write each week and I have been putting it off this week because I dont really know what to say or what stories to tell. I try not to make them too dry or like a travel log and I try and say something that will be of benifit to someone that is reading, but I am at a loss this week, so I will share some of my recent thought/studies:

We have had a slow couple weeks which is not unheard of when it comes to missionary work. When you go on a mission (if no one has told you the reality of it all) you expect to be teaching people 24/7 and baptizing like crazy. You hear alot of really incredible stories about miracles that happen to find someone or being in the right place at the right time or getting answers to prayers and when you hear enough of them, you think it is a daily occurrence and that a mission will be cake. But now, after being on a mission now for 7 months my perspective has changed. I have a whole list of  those experiences (and I am SO grateful for them), but the reality is that a lot of the time on a mission (and in life) we are just trying to keep our heads up and not get discouraged. Each day my companion and I go out with the faith to find, to do good, to work hard, and to help someone in need. We hope that the spirit will tell us where to go and what to do and what to say to the strangers we meet. but we have to be listening.  If we allow the discouragement that often comes with life situations to control our thoughts we will miss the voice of the spirit. However, if we change our attitudes and allow the spirit to direct us in all we do we will see many little miracles each day, we will see the lords hand in our lives and we will become grateful and happy, even through the hard times. It all comes down to our attitude and perspective, we have to listen to the correct voice.

I was also thinking about the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5 earlier (which I am sorry to admit that sometimes I just read through as fast as possible because more often that not it goes over my head) but there is one part where the servant is confused why the lord wants to go plant the tree in the poorest part of the soil, and the lord tells him that he knew what he was doing when he put the tree there and that if the servant watches, he will see that the tree will bring forth good fruit. I think often times we as members (or me as a missionary) feel like the servant, asking the lord why he put us in hard situations, but his response is the same to us as it was to the servant... he knows why he puts us where he puts us and if we do our best and nourish the area and have a positive attitude, we are going to bring forth the best fruit, and in hind sight i have found that to be true. I know that I am not the perfect missionary and I have a long way to go, but I am learning more and more about loving every minute, smiling and being happy when we havent taught very many people and no one is answering their doors, pushing through the hard time, looking for the tender mercies everyday, and at the end of the day looking back and seeing that the lord knows what he is doing when he puts us through certain things, and that I am gathering more fruit than I ever thought was possible.

I am SOOO grateful to be on a mission and I would not trade my experiences for the world. There is nothing like being here and being a servant of the lord full time. I know that everyone goes through tough times but lucky for us we have a loving heavenly father to answer our prayers and a loving brother who payed the price for us to return to live with them again. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary!!

NOW, if you made it this far in the email without deleting it because of the lack of upbeat funny stories let me just tell you about a couple things I have observed and come to love about the south:

#1- You can find anything with scriptures on it. I have found an awesome nightgown at goodwill that says "I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me". (one size fits all... its a little big on me, but i HAD to buy it). we found some folders at walmart that say "God recycles... he made you from the dust" and "love the earth, love the creator". Also, there were some sweet Jesus stickers with found the other day amongst the disney princesses and smiley face stickers. It is everywhere and it is awesome!

#2- People walk with sticks in their hands to beat off the dogs, and there are big old beat up grandpa cars with massive lifts and huge tires and really nice rims on them.

#3- When filling up gas, they removed the holder on the pump so you have to stand there and hold it for the gas to go.

#4- Phrases that dont make sense to northerner, especially when mumbled. "Everything casual?" (is everything good?), "look at them groceries on that plate" (thats alot of food on that plate), "fixin' " (preparing to) or you hear people say things like: "now that snoop-- he was crazy! the other day I came outside and he was wrestlin' an armidilla... no wait! It was a possum" or they do crazy activities such as squirrel fishing.

I will save the rest for the next boring email I write! :)

Love you all!

Sister Webb