5 Month Mark- Tomorrow! Why??‏ November 23, 2015

My friends!

Tomorrow is my 5 month mark! My mission is going by much to fast! AH!!! Haha but I'm still learning to enjoy every moment! Speaking of which, Hermana Gubler and I had a lesson with our investigators, Eily (13) and Katzumy (10) this past week and we had a recently returned missionary, Xavier, come out with us. Oh, and there also happened to be the uncle of the kids, Reymundo, who lives there with them who actually served in this mission, but moved back to work who was at the lesson. Super confusing, I know. But after this lesson, Xavier mentioned to Reymundo how much he misses this- being a missionary and teaching. And that comment really struck me because I've been having some rough moments and at times I just don't want to do anything and wonder why I am even out here. I had many friends before my mission and other returned missionaries tell me how much they miss their mission and being able to be a missionary and I think of the difficult moments and wonder why.

Only picture this week! But funny story! Last night Hermana
 Gubler was painting her nails during companionship study
 after lunch and she has two different bottles of silver paint
 and so she mentioned how she could give one away and then
 said something about how she could paint earrings (since
 she never pierced her ears) with the polish, so I gladly
 volunteered to do so for her. Haha. If you look really closely,
 you can see the silver dot where I painted a silver dot
 for earrings on her one ear. We had to document the moment.

But after this lesson Thursday, I've been really pondering on that comment and thinking about the past few months and how I'm so grateful for each of the difficult times and for what I've learned though them. If there was anything I could change, it would have been my attitude. Therefore, I'm now working on my attitude! My companions will annoy me at times, people are going to feel the Spirit and reject us at times, doors will be slammed in my face at times (actually that hasn't happened yet besides by this little 2 year old who didn't know what he was doing. haha), my Spanish isn't going to be perfect, I'm going to have days where I'm just down, whatever it is, I can control my attitude. But I can choose to keep a smile on my face, choose to let the atonement work in my life, choose to not get discouraged, choose to just go to work and enjoy because I don't want to leave my mission with regrets. This isn't my time, but the Lord's. People are ready to be taught and I don't want to be the reason they don't find the gospel now! These past few days when I've been working on improving my attitude have been AMAZING! They still aren't perfect, and at times I'm perfectly failing, but at least I'm learning (: But all in all, I know one day I'll be in the same position as those returned missionaries who comment about how much they loved their mission and miss being able to teach the gospel full-time, and I don't want to look back and have that tinge of regret because I had a dumb attitude and things would have been so much better if I would have just humbled myself and accepted the atonement more fully in my life.

Really though, wow, attitude really does change how well you do things and how things work out! This week I've noticed that I let myself get annoyed with certain people all of the time. I decided to continue praying for charity and the strength to not let myself get annoyed and it works! I was reminded several times about the phrase in Adjusting to Missionary Life about how people's actions make sense to them even if it doesn't make sense to you and I realized I hadn't even given much thought to thinking about how these certain peoples view the situations that bug me. I found that I was just being really critical and unfair. These past few days have gone leaps and bounds better for myself as I have started thinking this way.

Also, after a week that really was just a struggle, last Sunday I told Hermana Gubler that this past week was going to be amazing and was it? Oh yes! So many miracles were seen! We had two of our investigators, Eily and Katzumy, come to church as well as all but one of our recent converts and 3 families with less-active members! We actually exceeded our member out goal for this past week and our member present lesson goal too! We also set a solid baptismal date with our investigator, Marcela, who we learned at our branch Thanksgiving fiesta was actually the Aunt of Elder Quinonez and Elder Schwartz's investigators, Carlos and Adriana, who are being baptized after they get married! And she said she would be coming to church with them for sure next week! There are just miracles happening right and left here in this area! Have I mentioned how much I love this area?! There is no way that it isn't the best area! I love it!

We also had been given a referral for a family (Ray and Yessika) who the wife speaks Spanish and we have to explain in Spanish some things but the husband doesn't know any Spanish so we mostly teach in English. We transferred them over to Elder Nevez and Elder Brisk though, but they are so golden! I was so sad we had to turn them over, out of pride of course, but as long as they are being able to learn and receive the gospel- that's what's important! They came to church yesterday and their daughter, Mila (2), loved nursery!

This week I've had some awesome studies on several different topics, but one of the goals I was trying to accomplish was to find scriptures for all of the 50 questions of the soul page that is in the mission pamphlet. What I learned in doing so is how much information and how many questions to Book of Mormon answers! It's incredible! It's so key to our investigators becoming converted- it's no wonder that President Walkenhorst asks us to carry a Book of Mormon everywhere! We also had a new investigator, Alfredo, who said he knew there was something different- something peaceful, good, and happy- that he could feel when talking to us and reading the Restoration and Book of Mormon. He knows it's the Holy Ghost and I'm excited to be able to see the change he allows to happen in his life as he continues to read and progress in his commitments to become closer to our Savior. There is just some much work here in the OKC 6th Branch and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here with Hermana Gubler doing the Lord's work!

It's a good day to be able to be a missionary in the Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission!

Oh! Funny story- we had dinner with a certain family in the ward (a VERY active family even) whose wife offered us coffee for dinner. Ha- que en el mundo? It was the Barley tea or whatever it was, but it was disgusting! Haha I'm kidding- I just had some water. But I was SUPER confused. They thought they were so funny though!

Thank you Mom for not letting me quit piano by the way! My less than good piano skills have been used to the max here! Wow! Insane! So in my last area I played piano almost every Sunday for the Spanish group sacrament. I came here and again, every week, I'm playing for the Spanish branch in sacrament. Then there was a baptism in the English ward and they had no pianist so they called us the day before and we happened to be able to have time to go. AND THEN Hno. Figueroa asked me to play piano for the branch choir that they are putting together to be able to have a Christmas program and then also to go caroling to our less-active families sometime during the Christmas season (hopefully I don't get transferred... that would be awkward. Trainers calls are Saturday and Transfer calls are the following Sunday, but I think we'll stay the same and I'll send Hna. Gubler home the following transfer). Oh, did I mention that no one ever tells me what I'm playing beforehand either? Haha oh, it's a joy and I've learned to not stress about it. Even if it's a song that I don't really know that I get to play! I just pray hard-core and God has blessed me with loud singers, the ability to not take away from the Spirit when I mess up, and helping my right hand to somehow continue playing the top-hand to keep in time with the song! Like I said, I've learned not how to stress about it though! (well, too much at least) (:

If you are thinking of serving a mission- just DO IT! (think of the "motivational" speech by Shilo Buff- okay just laugh at that bad spelling of his name and then find the video and watch it. It's pretty great. Haha) It's the hardest but the best experience ever! There is no other way I could have learned what I've learned without my mission in the rest of my lifetime. It's just explainable!

Oh! Also, when we were talking to our investigator, Alfredo, I went to ask him if he would read the Title Page and Introduction to the Book of Mormon before we came by next (he had said he only had read the Restoration pamphlet) and he said he had already read it! Wow, my day was made! I was SUPER excited and my reaction was priceless. Haha I my Spanish started sounding super fresa (means strawberry but it's also slang for preppy or American- more or less...) because I was a bit shocked and just super stoked! It was one of the best moments ever! Haha but like I said, this week was incredible and I'm so grateful to be a missionary right now with the support of all of you many wonderful family and friends! I love you all! Have an amazing Thanksgiving! 

Con amor,

Hermana Nachelle Sharon Hunt (: