We Really Can Do Hard Things

At the beginning of our mission we found ourselves saying, many times a day, "I can do hard things." Now I actually find myself saying, "I'm doing hard things!"  

The things that we thought were hard at first are some of our favorite things now.  Last Sunday when I got to Church (teaching Primary was hardest for me) I found that I had a shadow.  One little 8-yr-old met me at the door and followed me from room to room, upstairs and down even helping me carry scriptures from the library.  I have grown to love teaching these kids.

Yesterday was eventful.  Sometimes on P-day we like to just get on the subway, deciding where to get off while on the way.  Yesterday we got off at 4th Street near Greenwich Village.  We walked around Washington Square Park, took a few pics, ate lunch and headed home.  Elder Williams is so great at humoring my every whim.  And he takes me out to eat a lot (too much maybe).

Washington Square

In the afternoon I went with the Flushing Sisters to teach Patricia, one of their investigators.  I went 2 other times with them and have wondered if they really needed me there.  But when they called me they said Patricia had asked for me to come.  Then as she was saying the closing prayer she thanked Heavenly Father that the Sisters could come, "especially Sister Williams!"  It was a confidence booster.  It was such fun to teach with these sweet young sisters. It is not nearly as stressful as I thought it would be.  The Sisters teach and ask me at appropriate times for my experiences with whatever principle they are teaching.  I have seen that I actually do have something to contribute and there is something to be said for "years of experience."  The Sisters are sweet,  they told me we are a "trio" now.  Haha.  They said they wanted to introduce one sister's non-member husband to Elder Williams because the husband is from Ireland.  Their last name is Darcy (just like the book--and almost like my daughter.)

Marc has been trying to get the Elders' Quorum President to assign him as a Home Teacher.  We just want to do more!  This morning he came home from church (I was sick and didn't attend) and said he was finally assigned 2 families.  He said one of them is the Darcys!  We see the Lord's hand in so many things.

We can feel Heavenly Father guiding his work and strongly feel His support.  I feel it when I help teach an investigator for the first time and the words just come to me.  I feel it whenever I have trouble reading a baptism record in a foreign language and look up and missionaries who speak that language walk in.  I feel it when a record just won't submit and I realize I had made a mistake on it.  We feel it when we go to see missionaries' cars that have been in accidents and are amazed that the missionaries walked away from it unhurt. I felt it when I called the Referral Secretary in the North mission to warn her about a dangerous guy trying to be referred to Sisters and she said she had tried to submit that referral and it wouldn't go in so she figured there must be something wrong with it.   I feel it when I am able to drive places that would have terrified me several months ago.  

Yesterday I found myself driving back from Flushing after teaching our lesson thinking, "I'm doing hard things--and I love it!!"  

Elder Peters went home to the Netherlands last week
He was an office elder twice.

 

Went to a diner and found they had Strawberry
Ice Cream Sodas!  Took me back to my childhood!
There is way too much food in NYC!