Once again, not too much unusual or exciting has happened,
so I’ll just start writing and see what comes out.
Last week during general conference I was writing down
comparisons the general authorities used to teach gospel principles, and there
were many. I had told my Sunday
School class of 12-18 year olds during the last lesson on “How Can I Use
Comparisons to Teach Others About the Atonement?”, that I would give a prize to
anyone who could tell the class a comparison used during General Conference. (Unfortunately, the prize went unclaimed --
teenagers’ memories being much like senior citizens on that kind of assignments…) Anyway, I shared Elder Valeri Cordon’s comparison
on foreign language-loss with each generation, comparing it to gospel knowledge-loss
by generation if there is no scripture study at home. I thought it was a great comparison and
lesson, but what really struck me when I asked the students how many of them
have a parent or grandparent that came to the US from another country, was that
every single one of them raised their hand! Eleven students, all of whom are 1st
or 2nd or 3rd generation Americans!! (9 from various Latin countries, 2 from Japan.)
Within the class, about a third speak English perfectly, a third understand English
very well but are uncomfortable speaking it, and the other third
understand only the barest fundamentals of English. (Michiko has been here from
Japan less than a year and spoke no English at home, so she’s probably the
furthest from being fluent. Luckily, May is 3rd generation from
Japan, and speaks a little Japanese!) The challenge for me as a teacher is to
teach at so many different levels, and to tell what is getting through to
whom!! I really love them, though, and
work as hard as I’ve ever worked as a teacher to get through! There’s usually a good feeling in the class,
and I know the Spirit will touch each when they are ready, and when they allow
it!
Yesterday, we were at a primary activity waiting around for
people to get there. As often happens, the
two leaders got there 30 and 60 minutes late, but everything turned out great
in the end! During the wait, I taught Nicole (15, in my SS class) and her
younger brother Joel (9) how to play ‘PIG’ (the basketball game), and it was
fun. I found I was so horrible at
shooting that I didn’t even have to take it easy on them…! Then, after the primary kids were in the
other room, I had a great talk with Nicole for 30 minutes or so. She is an absolutely gorgeous girl, but she
thinks she’s dumb and is afraid to speak up because of fear that any answer she
gives will be wrong. I encouraged her
and focused on what she can do to be a good older sister to her brother Keller
(13, also in SS class). As often
happens, he has the opposite personality.
These are good kids and I love them!!
This coming week is transfer week again, so it will be fun,
busy and exhausting. Only 7 new
missionaries coming and 5 going home, so it should be easier than it is with
the big groups of 24! One car was
totaled a couple of weeks ago and no new cars are here, so one set of
missionaries will lose their car to another area that needs it more. I hate to tell them when they just got a car
a transfer ago and are so thankful!
Monday we will do last minute preparations, work on lessons and food (Diane) for upcoming MegaZone
conferences, then pick up the new missionaries from LaGuardia in the afternoon
(usually during rush hour, so the 5 mile trip to the airport takes an hour each
way). Tuesday, transfers are made, so
there are missionaries coming and going all day (and Diane feeds them).
Wednesday, we drop off the outgoing missionaries at JFK between 6 and 7 AM,
then the assistants huddle most of the day in the office to get all the changes
into the system. Thursday we make all the changes in the downstream systems
(phones, addresses, vehicles, areas). (Oh, and we also have an all-day MegaZone
conference.) Friday, there is another MegaZone conference, then again the next
Tuesday and Wednesday. I have driving
tests set up before each MagaZone conference, just to make sure the days are
full… The days seem to fly by!!!!!!!!!!!
On this Easter Day, let me close by bearing my testimony of
the Savior of mankind. Anyone who knows
me knows that I’m more of a worker than a spiritual person, but if there’s
anything this mission has done for me, it’s helped me see the hand of the Lord
in all things! I know He is aware of the
missionary work in the NY NY South Mission!
I know that He knows me, loves me and died for me! I know that through His atonement I can be
saved and live with Him again! I know
that through His resurrection, I will be resurrected with a perfected body
(thank goodness!). Since I have been
lucky enough to have already received the saving ordinances of the gospel, all
I have to do is keep trying to be a good person, follow the commandments,
repent of my sins (not one of my strengths, but I’m improving…), and endure to
the end. I’m so thankful for this
missionary experience! Like anything confining
or hard, there are times I wish it was over, but most times I want it to go on
forever!! I’m so thankful for good parents who showed me (and continue to show
me) the way to be happy, and I’m so happy to be married for the eternities to
someone I love more each week! What more
could I ask?!!!
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