HI
WOW it's been an interesting week. First of all I made it to Baltimore. We
actually live in the city of Towson, but spend 100% of our time downtown west
Baltimore. WOW haha. That's all. I don't know where to start.. or what to share
haha maybe I'll save details for in five weeks.
From the very first hour I arrived here I was already devastated my
time is so short here. Honestly the biggest struggle has been struggling with
being content with the short time I have been given here. Every day ideas run
through my head how I could manage to extend another transfer, but I know plans
have already been made.
Me and my companion had an interesting experience this week. By the
way, her name is Hermana Hart, and she's the greatest person ever. From our
first lesson together our "comp unity" has been through the roof, haha. I
was definitely blessed to be given a companion like her, that not only works
hard, but does things a lot like me. She cares a lot about being genuine with
people, creating real relationships. Something I haven't always had. So anyway,
we are both really looking forward to this transfer. Saturday night we sat and
talked about everything we wanted to accomplish this transfer, everything we
wanted to change, and made goals. Overall, we just decided to lose ourselves
this transfer. Something that missionaries often do, but things don't change and
it just becomes talk. So the next day, we put it into action. From the train,
the metro, the bus, and chasing down families on the streets talking to
EVERYONE, we were literally seeing miracles all day, it was amazing. So we have
an early curfew here, we have to be out of the city before dark. So after
visiting a member we're teaching, (and eating everything in her fridge- we each
had three tamales, 5 taquitos, tomatillo chicken, and flan, but that's another
story, ((you eat what they put in front of you))) we head to the bus stop. We're
waiting.... and waiting... and waiting.. the bus wasn't showing up. The sun went
down, and we both found out exactly why the curfew exists. We were stranded in
the city. I started praying, and praying, and praying, and finally it decided to
show up haha. We were saved. After watching some horrendous things happen on the
bus, we got on the lightrail to head back, thinking we made it. Then an
announcement comes on and announces that due to construction the last stop would
be North Ave, still 45 minutes from home, STILL in the city. We had to call some
sisters to come get us out. Anyway, we were pretty frustrated with the whole
situation obviously. When we got home we were talking about it and and both
realized what was happening. Basically we came to the conclusion that the harder
we work, the more opposition we're going to have. It was like Satan saw we were
really carrying out our goals, and was trying to distract us.
One of my biggest worries here is that six weeks wouldn't be enough to
make a difference in the lives of the members here, or have a relationship with
them. But this week we had a couple experiences, and with those few members I
already feel like family. The people here beyond humble me. One day we decided
to go see a sister we are teaching, and it turned out she was being evicted from
the room she was renting in a house, and had one day to get out, with no help.
She has three young boys, ages 1-7, and her husband left her a few months ago,
forcing her to work for the first time in her life. We came back the next day
and helped her get everything into the new place- a tiny dark room in the
basement of a house, with ceilings no taller than 6 feet for all four of them.
But she was thrilled to have it, and beyond grateful for the help. We got to
talk to her for a long time as we helped her unpack. Everyone has their own time
to return, and this is hers.
Side note- the roaches here are nuts. When we took a mirror off her
wall in the old room, not kidding at least 200+ cockroaches that had been
huddling in one big mass behind it immediately scattered to every side and
corner of the room, and the ceiling surround us, hahaha. The worst part was when
we came back no more than 60 seconds later there was not one in sight.
After we finished the job, you could tell she felt so relieved that
everything was going to be okay. She took us out to get tacos after, and treated
us to tacos de pescado, cordero, cabeza, carne, nopales, and carne de piel.
Fish, lamb, cabeza (picking parts of the brain out of that one,) salted beef,
cactus, and pickled pork skins. (Those ones are so chewy you just have to try
and swallow them whole, hahaha.) I'm back to eating like a Mexicana, it takes a
minute to re-adjust to habanero peppers a chile in everything haha.
The branch is amazing. It's a lot bigger than the Columbia branch in
Lancaster, which had no families or young people. Little kids speaking spanish
is my favorite thing ever, they're all my friends already. There are three sets
of missionaries in this one branch.
It has been really interesting adjusting to the mission culture in the
Maryland Baltimore mission. I didn't realize how different things would be. It
was really hard the first few days. I was still waiting on a confirmation that
this is really where I'm meant to be, but I didn't wait long. It came the very
first time we sat down in our first lesson here, as I was reminded that it
really doesn't matter how much the mission culture around me changes, or how
different the missionaries are, my purpose has not changed. Every reason I
decided to be out here is still the same, and it's the people sitting across
from me as I teach. I have never had a hard time loving the people I serve on my
mission, but here it has been immediate and overwhelming. There are days it will
just hit me how short my time is, and that I can't do this forever.. and I just
cry. haha. I can't tell you how grateful I am for a missionary like Hermana
Hart, she has already helped me personally so much. She is also the only
companion I have been able to speak spanish with all the time, which will mean
huge things for my spanish, only having served a total of six months in spanish
work. We are going to do a lot of good together. The best companions are the
ones who are willing to work with you until you're so tired at night you're
falling asleep in nightly planning. The longer you're out the more you're just
drained, everyday. I read a talk this week that talked about how fast general
authorities age, because of how much they are filled with the spirit, and their
physical bodies can't keep up. That is honestly how it is as a missionary to a
degree.
Anyway, things are very different. But I definitely got exactly what I
had been praying for for the end of my mission- to be forced out of my comfort
zone so I would continue to grow til the end. So much more has happened, but not
enough time. I love you all, Baltimore is a serious adventure everyday, I love
the city, and the people even more. Don't worry mom, the blue light districts
aren't so bad when the lights aren't flashing. Hahaha
chao chao,
hermana sears
ps. the church is true.
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