Jun 2, 2014 - Courage

Hello family. I thank you for writing me letters. You really don't know how much that means for me. I always feel so much better after reading my emails and seeing that you are all well.  Sometimes it just gets me through the week.  This week has been really hard. I really thought I was going to die...Why?  Because I got two new companions who I thought wanted to kill me.  Apparently I told someone that I wanted my new Tahitian companions to suffer and so they thought I had mean intentions in the first place so the first few days were pretty rough because we were playing 2 Tahitians against the american.  But I have never prayed and prayed so fervently. I prayed to soften the hearts of my companions so that they could feel the perfect love of their Savior. I prayed and stressed and prayed and now I don't know what happened but I think my companions figured out that I never wanted to torture them and so things are better.  

I think almost all of the companionships are in threes now because there are so many sister missionaries here.  

This week with lessons we hit a low point too. We are at the point where we have to put our priorities straight and that means leaving some investigators for a while. It is hard but it is the right thing to do as well. 

I have been really trying to be corageous this week because I read a talk about courage that the prophet gave in the Priesthood session.  It takes the most courage for me to do things I know that will annoy my companions but I have to do anyway. For example, this week, like I said, we had a reference in this super ghetto building by a school, so my companions don't know the sector yet so we play follow the leader.  I tell my companions we are going to go try to teach this reference and so they follow me behind this really old basketball court into these poor apartements.  I yell really loud to see if marereva is there (the reference).  I wait five minutes awkwardly surrounded by other people that are ignoring me. Marereva came out and then went back in her house mumbling to herself after she saw us. At this point my companions want to go because they could see that marereva didn't want to see us. They were getting annoyed with me because I was taking too long but two apartments down I saw a family and I wanted to go and talk to them. My companions wouldn't follow me so they just watch me as I went and talked to this family.  Turns out the mom Bea was waiting for us.  She has already assisted at the church a few times and has member friends. She said when she saw us she knew she wanted to accept us in her neighborhood. She was so prepared for us with her daughter. I was so touched by her and her family and how prepared they were.  We felt the spirit as we sang I am a Child of God and as we talked about our Heavenly Father. Even with the surrounding techno music in the background. 

What did I learn that day? Courage.  It takes courage to be a good disciple of the Lord and it takes courage to even do things that you know will annoy  your hungry friends.  I'm not saying that I am courageous all the time like that.  I feel like for me it comes in bursts and then goes.  But I know the Lord is with us.  Our courage is a mesure of our faith and willingness.  

The Lord is truly with us. 

soeur Kimball