Now for all of those who know the classic black and white Three Stooges, you'll know what im talking about. If you don't, repent and watch. Do you remember the episode when the three stooges are working in a drycleaning shop busilly ironing away, wearing holes into into pants rubbing away at "sun spots", or trying to flatten a pair of pants that rolls up like a fruit roll up because it got stuck in the pull down window shade. This is really all beside the point, what I'm focusing on is the socks. There was a scene when a pair of socks were so stiff with starch that they thudded to the ground like a pair of cement blocks still holding the shape of a foot. This is the 1 second scene that pops into my head every time i put on or take off my own crunchy socks. It's gotten to the point that i can't even wash my socks because by the time i would need them they wouldn't be dry (i suppose the consequence of having only one pair of socks left) and every evening, when we come home is filled with that same stiff "THUD" sound.
Call me a broken record, but goodness I'm tired. But it's OK, "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (D&C 64:33) Sister Robertson and I just have to laugh when all our bodies want is a nap and we have to tell ourselves we will get that needed nap in 4 or 5 days, depending on how soon Monday is. In 4 days time i will be on my 15 month mark on the mission, how time flies! Seriously these past 2 or 3 weeks have been some of the fastest! Oh, and how do you know that you companion is on her last transfer of her mission? When she tries jumping across you to get a pen on the other side of the room and it sounds a warehouse of bubble wrap exploding. Never in my life have i heard so many "pops" and "cracks" coming from one body frame.
So starting last Monday i was going through a serious "Growing Up" crisis! Email after email of updates and people moving on and growing up in life seriously popped my bubble of "life is just as i left it." Which meant that certain people weren't married, certain people didn't have mission calls, certain people were still living in the same homes, had the same jobs, certain best friends weren't getting sun friend and in every bike disaster possible serving a misson in Argentina, certain people weren't in hospitals, certain little sisters didn't have boyfriends they were adorably in love with, certain people weren't going to college, or getting pregnant, or a certain little brother to me was still walking shirtless around the house eating smoothies with protein powder, not serving the Lord for two years in Tonga!
To be honest i still feel like an 18 year old Senior in high school! Waiting to go home and go break the frozen yogurt record with a night on the town with my best friends. It was one of those moments i just wanted to pick up my life and put it all in Never land, so that life would stop growing up without me. So all you people who are a part of my life. Stop it. You're freaking me out.
You know, it also has been a blessing to have been almost literally ripped out of your life and placed into another. It's an opportunity to actually look onto your life and see the fixes you want to make. Things you wished you would have done, things you wished you hadn't, and now the things you will do, and the things you wont. It's a time to readjust, and really come to appreciate the blessings you took for granted in what was just everyday normal life, because...well, we didn't know anything different!
INTERMISSION: A man selling a hammock on the side of the highway. |
So the word "CHANGE" was on my mind, and i went searching for help and answers, and i came across "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character" by Richard G. Scott. It wasn't the word "CHANGE" but seeing how Transformers were pretty professional changing from a pimped semi truck into a massive, ammo loaded, 4 limbed, talking machine filled with fire to save the Earth from death and destruction, it seemed like the next best thing.
I was worried that i would go home to a life that wasn't even my own anymore and go home with nothing but better intentions and desires. I was wanting help in forming actions from desires, and habits from action. I realized that i was defining the meaning of building CHARACTER.
FAITH and CHARACTER are intimately related, and they work to strengthen one another. The more character you have, the more faith you have. The more faith you have, the more character you have. We already know that faith is hope in action. As Joseph Smith said, "Faith is the principle of action and power." So what is CHARACTER? From my studies this is my personal definition. CHARACTER is you "inner" personality woven by countless consistent decisions (be they bad or good) that create who you are. It is when things become "natural" to you that they are woven into your character. So how do you build character? I liked this quote, "We BECOME what we want to BE by consistently BEING what we want to BECOME each day." In other words, "You fake it till you make it." Another great way of forging CHARACTER is to simply, LOSE YOURSELF. This is struggled with for a little bit, being so worried about myself, but there is such truth to, "You find yourself by losing yourself."And to be perfectly honest, it's refreshing!
OK, one more little rant and then I'm done on this subject. "Noble CHARACTER is like a treasured PORCELAIN made of select raw materials, formed with FAITH, carefully crafted by consistent righteous ACTS and fired in the furnace of uplifting EXPERIENCE. It is an object of great BEAUTY and PRICELESS worth." I just loved that because it captured the heart of the ceramicist inside of me.
OK, so what has this week been like for Sister Roe?
This week was exchange week and i was back with Sister Hardy! It was a fast one, but that didn't stop us from having a great lesson with an inactive member who just doesn't see that to love God is more than just saying it but showing it through daily actions, or stopping us from seeing someone walking their pet ferret which gave us an excuse to stop a woman asking simple, "Umm how do you say THAT in Russian?" which turned into one of the most pleasant friendly on the street conversations I've ever had. It also didn't stop us from buying delicious peaches on the way home from a street vendor starting up friendly "fruit" conversation. Seriously if you want to talk fruit or weather with anyone in Russian, i am your girl. Also, a large leap was made on my athletic scale that night as i, for the first time ever, HULA HOOPED! And this wasn't some wimpy hallowed plastic circle, this was a fellow sisters workout hoop which she likes to call The Hoop of Hell Death" which is seriously the most deathly intense hoop Ive ever seen. I still to this day don't understand the point of it being lined with hard bumps but my entire upper torso is still bruised.
Our English class has been completely transformed and I'm happy to announce that ever companionship in our district, as a result, had a new investigator at church on Sunday! And to think all it took was plate full of brownies and juice. The power of food. It's almost disgusting how well it works.
Sister Robertson and I joined the Elders for a service trip out to the cellos for some service! The Elders chopped at a tree with good ol' fashioned axes while we sweated under the blaze of the sun weeding out the pumpkin patch. Now how it usually happens is that you just barely get started into the knitty gritty of service when you are being called in to eat, and you usually end up eating double the amount of food that you actually worked for. SO, with that in mind, i didn't give myself warm up time and dug right down into that pumpkin patch full throttle. By george i was going to earn that бутерброд (booterbrod= open faced sandwiches)! Now something you should know...Sister Lukach, the member who "hired" us is a professional photographer so after our feast of cucumbers, tomatoes and slices of meat on bread we had a.....photo shoot!
The most adorable couple in Ukraine. Can you believe they only married 20 years ago?! She was lying out on the beach when we walked up to her saying, "What a woman!" Now that's true love right there. |
We put a new meaning to the phrase, "Thrust in your sickle" |
American PUNCH! |
#compstudy after service |
A classic walk to the metro past the street vendors. Boxes of fruit, veggies, or raw meat, they got it |
Had a cool moment yesterday when we were going on the hunt to track a building and "accidentally" track into a couple from our English class. We realized we really didn't have time, turned the corner...and ran strait into our couple! The creepiness didn't end when Sister Robertson and i would sit on opposite ends of the bus, but facing each other, so that we could broaden the range of victims. You even want to be a stalker spy...go on a mission.
I had the most pleasant surprise and Alex and Kingsly from Brovary came and joined our sports night! It was a little blast from the past and so nice to see them again! Speaking of Brovary, Sister Anderson, my companion from Brovary called and told me that she will be on a plane home on Wednesday. For the past few months her symptoms of dizziness have been getting worst and they have yet to pinpoint the problem. I am so sad to see such an amazing missionary go. Seriously, she was a better example of a missionary in her short time serving than it takes for a full time missionary to reach by the end of their mission. She was born a missionary, probably came out with a name tag. And as her trainer, i was honored to be trained by her.
A crisp morning view from our back window |
So as I'm still on the hunt of building character, can you do me a favor? I once asked for your help in pointing out my strengths, but can you help a sister out and direct me to my WEAKNESSES? Don't worry, this sister can handle it. I know I'm a lot harder on myself than needs be, and would like to get your opinion.
Oh and here's a new Mormon Message for you about THE HOPE OF GOD'S LIGHT. Every day more and more hearts are hummbled and prepared, so let's let that light shine bright, and yes, even bless the hot dogs.
The church is true people, it's a pretty awesome thing that there is NOTHING in your life, no concern, doubt, question, or trial in your life that this gospel can't help you with.
Enjoy your week and SHOUT OUT TO TALLSKI AND HER 17TH BIRTHDAY!!!
XOXOXOXO
-Сестра Ро
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