email of 02 January 2010

2010 - - What in the world!?!?!?!?!?

Oh, dear family of mine, how are you doing?!

From the sounds of it, your week and your New Year has been pretty good; thankfully the world didn't come to an end or anything...not that we were expecting it to -- that's 2012, right? We actually get that question all the time: "So, what do you think about 2012?", or "So do you believe that the world is going to end in 2012?", or "How about 2012? Do you think that THAT'S when Jesus is coming?" etc. Gimme a break.

Remember that part in the scriptures where JESUS says that not even the angels in Heaven will know the time of His coming? If they don't even know, then I seriously doubt the probability that the ancient Mayans knew. They probably just got tired of making their calendar and figured, "2012 years...yeah, that seems like long enough." Or maybe some punk Mayan kid thought it'd be funny to see what would happen if he wrote something about "the end of the world" happening in 2000-some-odd years.
So yeah, that's kind of my take on 2012.

Anyways.

Sorry for the totally random tangent there...the week was really great for me! I just love being a missionary! I love just about everything about it. I love being in L.A., I love serving in Marina del Rey, I love the people we see and meet everyday, I love being able to study the scriptures for almost 3 hours on a daily basis, I love my companion, I love our investigators, I love waking up and seeing the beautiful LA temple every day, I love the Marina with all the boats and the ocean, I LOVE the Projects, I love seeing the sunrise coming up over Santa Monica Blvd each morning, I love wearing a tag with the name of Jesus Christ on it every day, I love teaching, and yes, I even love tracting. Who knew that this day would ever come. :) That doesn't mean that tracting is my favorite thing to do, and that I don't still on occasion have to fight back a little bit of fear and trepidation before walking up to someone on the street, or knocking that first door, but I have indeed grown to truly enjoy and love tracting. It's fascinating to get a little peek at the lives behind each door (though sometimes that comes in the form of a voice behind a closed door telling us to go away), and to really see and understand how much every single person in this world needs the gospel! It's funny how sometimes it still just kind of dawns on me: I'm a missionary! I'm actually ON A MISSION, living and serving in California, speaking spanish, for goodness' sake! It reminds me a little bit of how Joseph was right after Aaron was born. I remember that he had picked me up from my little apartment in Provo to go to his house for dinner a couple of days after Aaron was born, and as we were driving he just stared out the windshield in amazement and said, "I have a son. I have a red-headed son!!!" I still have those moments about being a missionary. How in the world did all this come to be?! We had a big mission-wide devotional on New Year's day, and President Blackburn pointed out that this isn't just the start of a new year, but of a new decade as well; one in which we will be making some of the most eternity-altering decisions of our lives (no pressure). One of the other speakers told us "as you look forward to a new year and a new decade, think back on the past decade, where you've come from and the decisions you've already made that got you here!" So, while I really just take it one step at a time, one day at a time, even sometimes one hour at a time, I'm also trying to look forward and do all that I can now to prepare myself for what's ahead...whatever that is.

Dad, before I forget, who was your mission president? I ran into someone here who served in (I think) the same mission as you, around the same time, and I'm just wondering if you would have served together! His name is Bro. Beasley, and his Miss. Pres. was Pres. Crandall. Also, could you send me your PH line of authority? I'd really like to have it to use as a visual aid in teaching.

Time's almost up, but I want you to know that I've had a wonderful week, with lots of teaching and tracting and learning and growing! I know that the Savior lives, and that He loves us. I know that He truly is the only way back to the Father, and that the Father's plan is perfectly made so that ALL of His children CAN return!

The Church is true.

I Love you all more than you know!!!

I LOVE being a missionary!!!

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!!

Hermana Sallie