Charity Endureth All Things

Elder Fife and Funk with Sister Clark, Memmot, Ford and me

First of all. I deleted the first one I wrote. I was so upset. So sorry it was sent out so late. Second of all, sorry for the novel. I never write this much. But push through. Or just skip to the end :p because it gets better! :)

Tuesday I got my new Australian companion Sister Young! And yes. She does sound a lot like Rebel Wilson. :) she is so cool and I know we are going to love this transfer! We drove from Chico to Redding, unpacked her bags, talked to a bethel student, and scidaddled away from a dumpster diving homeless man outside our apartment. What a first couple hours in Redding! :)

Wednesday we had the worldwide mission broadcast. I learned that a good missionary is repenting daily and praying constantly. I have applied this this past week and oh my goodness. It's awesome! There a lot of changes in the schedule and other things. It's weird, but it will be great!

Redding Zone after conference

It's crazy, I still wonder if I even know how to missionary at times. Other missionaries have told me this feeling never goes away.

I have spent a lot of time studying about pride this week. I learned from a talk called "In Praise of Those Who Save" by Elder Uchtdorf near the end it says that pride is the opposite of love. In the addictions recovery manual, it says that pride is the opposite of honesty. I realized that pride is the opposite of any Christlike attribute. As I have worked on having more humility, it has made it so much easier to have a more Christlike character!

Filipino dessert called Halo-halo

I gave Gabe some scripture markers and pens. He was very grateful and taken back and wanted to study with them right away. He received the priesthood on Sunday! He was so excited! He has been so immersed in his studies in the scriptures lately and came to us with questions from the reading we assigned.
Ok. Sunday night text from Gabe.
"K. Today was a day to remember. I can't tell you how different my life is for me compare to before. Thanks again for helping me with the hymns too. I understand it better now."

We taught Tracy and her brother Davy and I just love them both so very much. Getting to hear their story. Their trials. And how they are handling it. I see how much faith that they have and how much they desire to follow Christ and I just love them. They are amazing. Tracy and Davy are both coming to church this Sunday. Davy commit to church this Sunday. This is huge and awesome! Tracy is coming to Book of Mormon class Tuesday. This is so huge!
Ok. Sunday night texts from Tracy.
"What time does the Book of Mormon class start so I can go to?"
"Ok I'm going to be there"
"I'm excited about the Book of Mormon, after reading it lately and the blessing I got yesterday I'm feeling very happy which is good because I haven't in a long time"

Sunday night our neighbor Yvonne was talking to me and telling me how I have so much light and she just really wants to know. She wants to know how we place Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. She wants to know about how our faith in Jesus Christ gives us so much light. This is so exciting. Yvonne has been taught by missionaries before, but not too much. She wasn't actually ever really interested. This is a miracle!

The Predator out in Igo

Sister Ford, Elder Funk and Fife and me

This week was sooo hard but sooo good at the same time. I've cried a lot. I've cried so much. It's kind of like in Alma chapter 36, verses 17-20. He felt racked with torment, until he knew His savior and was changed and save by Him. Then he felt so much joy - A joy as exquisite as his pain. This week was hard. I was about ready to throw in the towel. But instead I turned to the scriptures and my Father in Heaven at this hard time. I received a blessing. I prayed so intently. I just poured my heart out. Sunday was the game changer. I have been so close to the spirit and so reliant on Heavenly Father this week. I saw yesterday the change that I have made and can make in these people's lives. It was the most amazing heart filling feeling. I wish I could just keep that feeling inside all the time. That's when I knew I had to fight for this area. I had to fight through whatever necessary to be able to help and love these people. Because holy cow I just saw the growth in the people I teach and it all came at the same time at a perfect time that I could just rejoice and be happy. It was amazing and overwhelming and I know that it all came at the same time because I needed it. I needed it so much. This sounds cheesy, but Heavenly Father wants me to have to fight for this area and for these people. He's set me up in a tough situation and dangled the reward in front of me. He knows that I can do this and it's exactly how he wants me to do it. It's just so very hard. But I can do it. I know I can. It's like Nephi building the ship. I'm sure he could have built the ship like Moses parted the Red Sea. With one sweep movement of the hand, but he probably grew a lot in character being instructed and enduring the mocking of his faithless, rude and prideful brothers. And that was the purpose of Him actually building the ship himself. God still worked just as much through Nephi as He did through Moses, but Nephi needed the faith building experience. And so do I. Again it's hard. So don't forget me. Know that I am not comfortable, but that Heavenly Father knows exactly where I am at and what I am doing. And he has control of that.

I love and miss my family and friends back home. I also love and miss my mission friends who are either home now or just so far south in the mission that I can't see or talk to you. I think about and pray for you often. I love hearing from you!

Love, Sister Crowther