Week 5??!

Hey, everyone.

It's blowing my mind that we're already starting the 5th week of this transfer. That means only 3 weeks left of the transfer...??? (There are 7 weeks in this transfer instead of the normal 6) It went so fast, yet so slow. I dunno, like I said, time is weird in the mission. My teacher in the MTC told me, "Don't try to figure out time in the mission...just...don't." Hahaha. I see what he means. 

Well, the work is slow in Maple Valley, yet progressing. We have found a few new potential investigators. One of them is named Dale and he is sooo prepared. We knocked on his door and he was happy to talk with us. He is struggling with overcoming an addiction and is very lonely and looking for GOOD people to be in his life. Well, hey, we're good people! We hope to be able to teach a lesson to him soon, as he was super receptive to everything. We called him Saturday night and felt impressed to invite him to church and he was so super excited to come and he expressed how he never really knows what to pray for, but knows he needs to pray. We ended up praying with him on the phone (I said the prayer) and I think it really helped him! He is so excited to start a new chapter in his life. Yet, sadly, he didn't come to church yesterday! I think he is feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, and he also canceled our lesson for Monday, but I don't think that's the end. He just needs time. But, I just feel so strongly that he needs the gospel right now! So, we will keep trying. Working with the agency of others is what sometimes makes missionary work tough.. But, we all have our agency, a gift from God, to know good from evil and truly choose to follow Jesus Christ. 

So about a week ago we met Joan and Gene and I don't remember if I mentioned them, but they are the nicest people, yet not super interested in the gospel. We visited them last night and chatted about their lives and stories they had. She has so many great grand children, it's amazing! I liked listening to them and we actually invited them to the ward's upcoming Easter event. Even though we don't get to really fit in anything about the gospel, I felt that it was important and worth getting to know these people. It was crazy, the last time we met them was the FIRST time we'd ever met them by knocking on their door by change. Now, they welcome us in and say we can stop by at any time (and even use the bathroom, haha, if we're in the neighborhood.. :)). I never would have thought I'd get to know people so well so quickly by just knocking on their door. Perhaps one day their hearts will be softened for a message. But, if anything, they are great people and we enjoy their hospitality. 

You meet so many people you never thought you would on a mission. You learn of so many peoples' stories and experiences. It's like opening a new book every time you knock on a door that is fruitful. My problem is never quite being sure what door to knock on! I want to badly to find those the Lord wants me to find, but sometimes aren't sure if I'm going the right places to find them. I guess I need to continue to learn the voice and language of the Spirit. 

Even if we aren't teaching a whole lot of people right now, I know I must be doing some sort of good. I know I must be leaving some sort of mark in all places I go and with all I interact with. Or, at least, I hope! We may never know the true, full extent of our effect on things and people. We may never know what touches peoples' hearts and minds. It may just be a smile, honestly. Who knows? All I know is I'm trying to remember that even if I don't see tangible progress, I still must be doing some sort of good.

Randy is slowly progressing, though there are still road blocks. Haha, the other day we wanted to share a lesson with him, but we didn't have another sister to come with us, so we literally taught him in the door way with the door open. We had chairs and everything! Albeit, it was cold and raining. But we got to teach him! We taught him about having Faith in Christ because we realized that none of this is going to go anywhere unless he understands truly what Christ did and can do in his life. We all need to have this relationship with Christ. He knows who Christ is, but hasn't truly developed a relationship. We think he wants to, though. Yet, he didn't believe me when I told him that we will be resurrected. Sometimes I forget that some of our most basic beliefs seem impossible to other people that didn't grow up in the gospel. Most people understand Easter, that Christ rose again, but do they really, truly comprehend that because of that, we will also rise again? Literally. We will be resurrected. Our bodies and our spirits will be reunited and in our bodies, we shall see God. And we will be perfected. Think of it! Everything that's wrong, all illness, any lost limb, will be restored. What an incredible gift! That's one of the things the Savior did for us (incredible to think that it's only one of the things, seeing as it's SO AMAZING ALREADY). Well, hopefully Randy's heart will be softened and he will come to truly believe and know all these things. Again, everyone has agency. We just help. We are guides. It is ultimately them that decides in the end. In other news, Randy came with us to serve in the Food Bank on Friday! That's what the pictures are from. So, yeah, that's Randy! 

Hope everyone is well at home! Spring is coming here so things are beginning to bloom. Apparently spring in Maple Valley is AMAAAZINNGGG. Like, everyone I talk to is so pumped for spring. Washington is pretty beautiful, it's true. It's starting to rain less, too. 

I gotta say, though, a mission is humbling in its difficulty. Being on a mission post-college degree has been hard for me because I've already learned SO MUCH and a lot of the things missionaries are learning all around me seem "obvious" to me. This makes me seem so proud and like I know everything, but I honestly don't want it to seem that way. I really don't. It's actually a struggle for me to figure out what mission life is for me because I am different than other missionaries I've met. I already understand a lot of the things that are revelatory events for other people. Yet, what's been interesting for me is not that I'm learning all these new things that I'd never considered, but that I'm adding to the things I've already learned. It's a different way of looking at the things I've already learned. Being "mature" is helpful for a mission, because, yeah, maturity and stuff (to put it  eloquently), but at the same time I see it as hindering because I am a firm believer in "ignorance is bliss". Haha. I can gauge what is going to happen in situations based on past experience, and because of that, I assume a lot of things I shouldn't. I assume I know how things are going to turn out because I have so many past experiences to draw from. That leads me to being a tad cynical and have a "know it all" attitude. I can't just be. I want to just be and let this experience happen and not hinder it by my "wisdom". Does any of that make sense?! I don't even know! More of the story: Sister Eldridge over-thinks everything. :) 

I guess what I'm wondering is, what will my mission be for me? I met a sister at choir a few weeks ago that said, "Everyone's mission is different and for them." I am curious to see what my mission will mean for me. What will I learn? What will change my life? I need to stop assuming I've learned it all, ahah! I'm ridiculous sometimes! It's ohh sooo humbling. 

 5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

This is a great reminder. For all of us! 

Never assume we know the outcome. The Lord's ways are not our ways. Not even close! 

May we all more fully trust the Lord's ways, for they are best.

Til next week!

Love,

Sister Eldridge

PS: If there's anything I really need prayers for, it's knowing how to talk to people in tracting/finding! Gah! Still a struggle! 

PSS: I got a violin to use from a member!!! It's legit! We took it to the park the other day to try to find investigators hahahah... I played on a trail under a tunnel where it echoed and we had pamphlets set out. Didn't yield any fruit, but hey, we tried!!! :) And now I have a violin! Yay! Okay, bye.

 

Food Bank!