Conditioning

I had a love/hate relationship with the days in dance we would do ab workouts. I loved them in retrospect because they did a lot of good, but like most workouts, they were exhausting. Like no joke. There was this one we did called scoop sit ups... I have never hated sit ups more. But it was good, because as we worked our abs, though it wasn't technically a dance move, it strengthened our dancing. With stronger abs, different aspects of dance become stronger as well. 

I wasn't necessarily working out abs this week, but I did get to focus on some different aspects of missionary work.

First off: TEMPLE

Seriously, I love the temple. You come out of there feeling so refreshed. Stresses melt away, new understanding comes and you feel so loved. Ah. Plus it's always fun to take pictures at the temple too :)

Houston Temple selfie

Secondly: Exchanges.

I am not a smart missionary. Back to back exchanges suck, and somehow, I thought doing them would be a good idea. Never again. I loved being with the Sisters though - areas can be so close together and yet so different. What was the biggest adventure for me during exchanges? Biking. For the first time ever in a skirt. It actually went fairly well. I only crashed once, landing in an ant hill :) Yay for Texas bugs.

So yeah, it was a good week. Next week will be adventuresome. For now though, here are some pictures to tide you over.

biking for the first time in 9 1/2 months!

Off Balance

There are some days when you are just off balance. Normally, it just means tripping a little bit, maybe falling a few times. It's frustrating. It's worse as a dancer, because turns depend so much on your center of balance. So being off balance as a dancer is really, really hard. It's limiting, so it's frustrating. Usually on those days, I have to walk it off, and then jump right back into it.

So as you can tell, this week has felt a little off balance. The majority of our normal activities didn't happen, and the whole week culminated in my birthday. That still feels weird.

Surprise balloons upon awakening on her birthday!

Birthday Girl!

We taught a lot of members and less-active members this week. It was awesome, since we got to see some people that we haven't seen in a while. It's always nice being able to hear stories and experiences of others - I always learn so much from the members.

We also had (essentially) three back to back exchanges this weekend. After weekly planning on Thursday, we had to make a run to Missouri City to help a set of Sisters. I ended up staying with one Sister talking through some things while Sister Schumacher and her companion went and worked. It helped the one Sister a ton, so I'm glad we were able to do that.

FHE wars!

That night we exchanged with Sugar Land 1. I went up to Sugar Land and we experienced the worst rainstorm while I was there. It's probably pretty normal on Houston terms, but it was super bad from my experience. We were with the ward mission leader in the Sugar Land 1 ward, and while we were there, their power went out. Then the flood warnings started. The lightning was hitting the field across from their house and their yard started growing a river. Thankfully the Montalvo family is amazing and came in their truck to pick me up. We needed that. The street we had to take back (Lexington Blvd.) was FLOODED. I've never seen a road become a river, but that's what happened. Now I can officially say I've experienced a Texas flash flood. That same night we exchanged with Brazos, who thankfully are the Spanish equivalent of the Rosenberg area.

Anyway, C, L, and J+P are all doing really well. We haven't been able to see B this week because he's been celebrating/mourning the birthday of his first wife. We still haven't been able to see G-ma G. but apparently her grandsons started testifying of Christ during Passover dinner, so that was really cool.

So even things feel a little off-kilter right now, all is well in missionary land. I'm happy and a little stressed, so all is normal. The Lord is in the work, and he won't let things get too crazy. Before too long, things will be spinning smoothly.

Tear Jerker

Rarely in dance do I ever expect to cry. Most dance related things usually make me exceptionally happy, even when it is painful (i.e. stretching or tough exercises). However, there have been a few times that what I'm watching strikes a chord with me, stirs something deep. Again, it doesn't happen often, but I have special memories of those times that have brought me to tears.

I guess this week can count as another one of those memories, though not all tears shed this week count as crying. I guess I had no idea how bad allergies are here in Houston. Seriously, if you have bad allergies already, DO NOT come to Texas during hay fever season. Just...don't. I've finally managed to clear my sinuses thanks to unwanted Jalapeno potato chips, but I can't seem to get past my itchy eyes. So those have caused many a tear this week.

But we have other reasons to cry happy tears. We have seen miracles this week. It never stops being hard, oh, but the miracles with week have been incredible.

To start, our investigator L that we've been teaching for a while has the greatest desire I've seen to have us be there teaching her. I don't think she even realizes that it's because of the Spirit that comes with us, but she called us on Sunday, and when we mentioned that we were thinking of dropping by, she said "Do it!" Yeah, it's super cool. 

Other investigators (J+P) came to church for the first time and they loved it! It was ward conference this past week, so it was a little different, but that didn't stop them from loving it. When a member mentioned how great it would be to have them come back, J said that they were planning on it! Man, they are so awesome.

We've also been able to talk to C about getting baptized some more. (She can't right now because she is on an exchange program.) We also retaught the Restoration and that made a huge difference for her. She really wants to work with her parents so she can investigate the church in Germany.

These are just three of the miracles from this week. There are tons more, but I don't have time to share them all. Just know that the Lord is blessing the work and I love being part of it!

Point your toes !!

Being told to point your toes is, in my opinion, one of the most annoying corrections to receive, mostly because of how stupid it is. Not that the correction is stupid, but it means that you aren't paying attention to one of the most basic parts of ballet. When it happens, you feel a little chastised, but it's easy to fix and takes just a little focus to maintain. Pointed toes are so basic, but they make such a difference to the quality of the dance, which is what makes them so important.

Hooray for Conference Weekend. Especially Easter Sunday/Conference Weekend. This is the missionary version of Christmas I swear. Everyone is So Excited for Conference. There is nothing better than hearing the prophet talk. I love how Conference focused so much on the basics of the gospel: Christ, family, the Atonement. We can never get too much of the basics :)

Wasn't conference so good? It was so powerful. I especially loved Elder Holland's talk. I'm temped to read it to investigators, because that is exactly what we want everyone to understand. Adam and Eve fell, and that put the whole human race in free fall. But Christ reached out and grabbed us through the Atonement. He redeemed us from Physical Death through the Resurrection and he atoned for our sins, giving us the chance to repent. That is why we celebrate Easter. Not just because he lives again, but because he has given us each the chance to live again, physically and spiritually. How glorious and precious is His gift??

So yeah, this weekend was amazing. The week proceeding it was a bit harder. I had MLC on Tuesday and Sister Schumacher ended up staying for it because she didn't have an exchange companion. This ended up being a blessing later on, since on Thursday, we were in the minute clinic having her tested for Strep throat. So we spent most of the rest of the week inside resting. But that was also a blessing in disguise. We also had zone meeting on Friday, which Sister Schumacher missed.

But missionary life is good, and I have nothing to complain about. I love the work, and I even love the challenges. I'm so grateful to be a Representative of my Savior and to share the message of His Atonement with Rosenberg Texas.