I Believe in Miracles

I love miracles! That's all I can say, I thought I had had my share of miracles as a missionary and now I just need to pay the price for them, but they keep falling into our laps. We've been praying for a miracle and even though we dont' have anyone set for baptism for next week, we knew that we could have a baptism in July. And then last night we got a call from a member who said that the adoption of their daughter was now legal. We had dinner with them a month ago and said they're just waiting for the papers back so she could get baptized, and so we've patiently been waiting and they called us last night and said it's legal and they want her to be baptized next Monday! Yay! It was the best news we could hear after we found out that we're getting taken out of the Tongan Ward. I've been asked a lot of questions by different people, our Zone Leaders in particular about our area, and so I knew they were going to change up the areas at transfers. And then our ward mission leader in the Tongan ward told us yesterday, "I have bad news," but I had NO idea what it could be, and then he said, "they're bringing in elders." Noooooo! Ahh, miss em already. We were both going through withdrawals already. But it'll be good becuase I'm sure the elders will be Tongan speaking. I am so thankful I had my time in that ward, they're the best!

 

So this past week and a half we've been teaching the elders investigator because she decided she wanted to be taught by sisters, and it was so fun teaching her! She was so prepared! As a zone, we're also studying a Christlike attribute each week for 6 weeks, and last week was charity, and in this evaluation in PMG it says, "I find joy in others' success." And I remembered how there have definitely been times where I wasn't so happy for other missionaries because we're struggling severely in our area and didn't know what we were doing wrong, but with Clare, I didn't care that it didn't count for us as a baptism, but it was just exciting to see how they had found someone so prepared and I am so thankful we were able to be involved teaching her because she was just a delight. It was great. I can definitely see how much I was able to learn from that experience and being able to teach her.

 

So at different times in my mission, I've been asked what my favorite thing is about being a missionary, and I would say, "seeing people get baptized," but realized how generic that answer was and how I didn't really feel that was my favorite thing. And as I've been thinking about it, I decided my favorite thing about being a missionary is knowing that Heavenly Father is able to use me as an instrument to help others. It just feels so good at the end of the day to be able to look back and see that we were in the right place at the right time or said the right thing and that the Spirit was present and that we were able to help someone increase their faith. It really is the little day to day things that make it so rewarding.

 

 As I've been able to train Sister Chan, it's been cool to see where I was in the MTC and where I was at the beginning of my mission and how I was absolutely terrified of having to take the lead in everything and to have to take the lead in the lessons and how much I've grown from that point. I was going through my journal from the beginning of my mission (reading through journals is still one of my favorite things to do) and it was just cool to see how much I've grown and how my life will never be the same. I feel like my mission has been a whole new life within a life: starting out feeling like I have no idea what I'm doing and then growing so much to where I am now. I don't know how people make it through life without having the gospel, I can't even list or name the ways it has helped me in ways that I didn't even expect.  I love the Mormon Church. I love the Mormon Book. I love New Zealand. No place else I'd rather be!

 

Never know how my letters get so long.

 

Ofa atu!

      Sister Mullen