Dance Studio

Time spent in a dance studio is among the most precious for a dancer. It isn't a performance where every move must be exact and crucial. It is a place of learning and practice. The space is built for the purpose of learning. The barre allows for practice of new or unfamiliar technique with added balance. You lightly rest your hand on it as you work. The mirror allows you to see yourself, to reflect on the form and skill you possess. You see things as they really are and have the opportunity to correct them as necessary.

The crowning feature of this week was our temple trip. Yes, temple trip. We went to the Houston Temple this past Saturday. If there is any place on this earth that is a place of eternal learning, a place to reflect and consider, it is the Temple. There is no better place to receive instructions and to practice eternal principles. 

Other good things happened this week. L,N &A - a single mother and her daughters - have finally started progressing! They have been doing so super well this week and they even came to church. I'm so excited for them. 

N is also doing so amazingly well. He is progressing towards his baptismal date. He may even be ready before then. 

Yeah, this week has been very busy, and so much has happened. I love being a missionary. I especially love helping people make goals that help them get to the Temple. Go to the temple. Go as much as you can. The temple is such a sacred place. There is a line that I love from a Scripture Scouts song. "Where Heaven and Earth are blended together, the promises made can last forever, in the Place of Promises."

The temple is not a dance studio. They are not equivalent. But both are a place of learning. And both are places that I feel happy and at home. 

Blisters

Note from Mom: Her word choices aren't always mission appropriate, but the church is still true!  I would have hoped for pics of her blisters but instead these are the mosquito bites on her calves!

Blisters suck. No seriously, they do. They always come up right at the worst time and are in the worst places. They are the result of hard work, trying your best to do your best and achieve your goals. But blisters are a natural thing. They set you back and make you try harder.

Sometimes the worst blisters make you stop and reevaluate. Are you wearing your shoes properly? Are you wearing enough padding? Did you do something stupid. They are the warning signs that we may be in danger.

But sometimes they happen for no good reason and you don't understand. Ugh. Those are the ones that suck. But you just have to put a band-aid on and work through them. Apply ice and medication when you get home. But push through. Blisters can't stop you.

This week had one amazing goal at the end of it. "I" was getting baptized! YAY. Oops. but there was somebody who didn't like that ... DUHN DUHN DUHN SATAN. Yeah. It's been an interesting week, to say the least. There have been trials, but there have been miracles.

Here's one trial. Mosquito bites. Yes, those are mosquito bites. We were OYMing in our apartment complex one night because our appointment fell through and we had an awkward 20 minutes before we could go in. I counted. 23 bites. In 20 minutes. I have definitely learned my lesson about always wearing OFF. 

But this week's miracles are leaps and bounds in comparison. Seriously, they can't even compare. Here are just a few as examples: We finally made the trip out to Needville that we've been planning, and not only was our investigator home, but wants to be baptized. Miracle! Our HQ referral set a return appointment and wants us to speak at the youth program she volunteers at. Miracle! Our investigator in a part member, inactive family came to church. Miracle! I got the chiropractic adjustment I needed, free of charge and members drove us. Miracle! We get to go to the temple this week. Miracle! The ward is learning how to be member missionaries. Miracle!

This is the best miracle of all. Say Hello to one of the newest members of the church. This is " I". He was baptized on Saturday. He is awesome and I'm so happy for him. It's been a long struggle getting him here, and it probably won't start being easy, but he's ready. 

Miracles are everywhere if we know where to look for them. But we can't be focusing on the blisters we have, otherwise we won't find the value in our dancing. Rather, we have to push through the pain, irritation and heat and go to work, put all our energy in and dance. That's where we'll find joy.

Black Swan

Black Swan in the character in Swan Lake that is the darker, fake form of Odette, the princess cursed to be a swan. In some ballets she is known as Odile, but her purpose is to deceive the Prince. As part of her dance, she does 32 fouettes. That is basically the apex of dancing. That is the mark of an incredible dancer. Fouettes en pointe are extremely hard. It is a constant transition on and off my pointe shoes, coupled by turns facilitated by the movement of the other leg. Youtube them, they are amazing. But basically, they take a lot of hard work to be able to do, as well as plenty of falling down. 

President Ashton wrote in his weekly letter that "when we exercise great faith, that we often have the greatest trials." He was right. Just as when we work to do the hardest dance moves, that is when we fall down the most, when we rely on the Lord to accomplish miracles, Satan will do his utmost to drag us back down. My companionship has a goal of 9 baptisms in 9 weeks. My zone aims for 36 in the same time frame. One week of that time has passed. The devil does not want us to achieve this goal, but we know we can.

This week was interesting to start with. I am part of the mission choir, and this past week was Zone Conferences. Basically a few zones gather at the mission office and we receive training from President Ashton and others.  The start of each day is the choir singing. So that took time out of our schedules. We also had our Zone Conference on Thursday and we basically lost the whole day. That was worth it though.

Lots has happened this week. Many miracles, and many trials. Two investigators have basically stopped progressing. One is out of town, and that's fine, but another doesn't seem to have real intent and doesn't keep their commitments. But we have been busy with so many amazing things. First off, let me tell you about I. I may have mentioned him last week, but he is a literal gift from God. He is going to be baptized this Saturday. In order to get him ready for that, we met with him four times last week and taught lessons of probably 4-5 different principles each time.. I'm amazed that he has been able to grasp it all. 

I've been meeting more and more of the members of the ward. They are doing amazing things to be missionaries. One family has an exchange student from Germany staying with them. Another consistently wants book of Mormons to give out. Members are so vital to missionary work. They strengthen us so much. 

Currently our mission is able to do two of the 32 fouettes. Two were baptized last week. We just keep working, turning and trying. This is something we can do. 

Faith is so powerful. I've spent a lot of this week reading about Joseph Smith and Christ, their lives and their works. I'm so grateful for all that each of them did. They lived and died that I might have the gospel and that I can one day live again. They are my examples, they are wearing the proverbial tutu, completing the 32 turns I can only dream of. How I wish I could, but all I can do is strive to do my very best. It might only be a single turn. But that one turn is mine to complete, and as I have faith, I know I can.  Because next week, I will be able to do two. And as I work to reach my goals, one day I will find that I can do all 32 fouettes consistently. 

Rosin

Rosin is a solid form of resin. It is applied to the bottom and point of dancing shoes and increases the friction that a dancer needs while performing onstage.  A dancer does not want to slip out of position on an unfamiliar stage.

This week has been so crazy. Seriously, it just seems like so much has happened. And what's interesting is that everything feels like it happened all at once, but I know that it really hasn't. And it's been hard. When people tell you that a mission isn't easy, they are not kidding. Being a missionary is challenging, exhausting work. I have never slept faster or deeper. I've even managed to take naps, which I used to never be able to do before.

But most of all, in the craziness of this week, I've gained an even deeper testimony of the power or prayer. President Ashton has a standing challenge for us as a mission to have at least one prayer a day that lasts 15 minutes or more. As I've been participating in this challenge, I've seen my prayers changing. I've felt the change too, in that I am understanding the song A Child's Prayer better:

"Some say that Heaven is far away, but I feel it close around me as I pray." I really do. I am starting to understand things as Heavenly Father does. I have relied on prayer so much this week. I won't go through everything that has happened, but know that prayer has been my Rosin this week. I've just had to depend on it to get me through the day. 

Investigators primarily have been the cause of Rosin prayers.. I have some that accepted a baptismal date earlier this week and now seem to be backtracking because they won't keep any of their commitments. Grr. But I'm still going to be super busy. We had zone meeting last week, in which we set the goal of 36 baptisms by the end of next transfer, with district goals in addition to that. As a companionship, we have decided to get 9 of those 36 baptisms. It's going to require a lot of help, but I know the Lord is on board with this goal, and will help us achieve it.

I've seen a tender mercy from the Lord this week. I've been teaching this one investigator, Felipe. He has a baptismal date for the 16th. We found out on Thursday that he was moving this weekend. But the exact same day, some Elders in our zone texted to tell us that their investigator with a baptismal date for the 16th is moving to my area. What?? It was absolutely a miracle. For me at least.

There is also a part member family that I'm struggling with. This family is huge: parents, 9 kids, all but four kids have moved out and all but two have been baptized (the youngest two). Out of all 11 family members, only one is even semi-active. It all started because the Mom got offended by the Bishop. I'm sure that wasn't the only thing, but it is their excuse. I just don't know how to help them... That's been really hard for me. I can see what the Lord wants for them, but I have no idea how to help them achieve it.  

But I've also seen the power of your prayers. I'm keeping a journal of all the miracles that I have seen in my experiences, and I know that they are influenced by your prayers for me and my investigators. So thank you. I guess all I have left to say for this week is let the Lord be your Rosin. Depend on him, not your own willpower, to avoid slipping and falling. You still have to do your part, but he will always help you to be able to stand and balance everything. Even if your room to balance is no more than the box of a pointe shoe, you can do it, through the Lord.