What Did YOU Learn Today?

 I don't have pictures this week :( other than our pic we
took just now in the computer lab haha! Going on a hike now
with the zone. 

This week was quite and odd one. Slow but eventful. I don't have much time to write so I'll go from my journal to help illustrate the latest learnings. If you didn't already know, I write at last one thing everyday that I learn as it is a tradition in my family. So even when I have no time to write, I'll at least jot one thing down. To save time, I'll record what I learned on some days this week and explain the reason for my new found knowledge. Fair warning; this week held quite the wide variety of experiences...

Monday:

"Maybe you have to be more negligent of the world in order to be more spiritually in tune. Maybe though, what makes one wise is when they recognize the world and deliberately choose the way of the Spirit"

When you spend so much time with a person who you think you know completely, sometimes it can surprise you what you learn. My companion may not realize that she teaches me, but just by her example I can observe things to apply in my own life. Just by being spiritually open and willing to let the Lord change you, others become the Lord's teaching tools. Pretty cool how this companion thing works. 

Tuesday:

"When you work as a team, it's often more motivating to reach high goals"

This past week my district has tried yet again to increase our faith in Christ by setting high standards. We've been striving to increase member involvement in our missionary work. As Preach My Gospel says, "the ideal situation is when members invite other to be taught and are present for the teaching." When members refer us their friends for us to teach, we call them referrals. As a district we made the goal to attain at least 10 referrals this week. Well. We went out in faith that very day. Though we had never before received more than 3 in a week, to our astonishment, we found 10 referrals that DAY. It's amazing how when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, nothing's impossible. It's what we expect of ourselves that makes the difference.

Wednesday:

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light" --Plato 

Tyler, our recent convert, moved to Utah this very day. It was bittersweet to see him go, but so much is in store for him out there. Before he left, I gave him a drawing of this quote to always remind him of the correct perspective. To me, it's never ok to be afraid of the light-and why would you want to be? The light of the Gospel is like a fragment of the light from heaven. When you let it surround you, you not only see the path before you, but you can help brighten the path of others along the way. 

Thursday:

"Stressed backwards is desserts"

My life was changed at this realization! I learned this by walking into a bakery and gazing upon the quaint interior. My eyes then fell upon a small chalkboard that beheld this wonderful knowledge. Never know what you're gonna learn in a day. 

Friday:

"Fasting really works, even if what you specifically fast for isn't what is answered at the moment you hoped for. Faith is never wasted, it is just sometimes used unexpectedly"

We fasted for specific things all day long and though we didn't see the result of those things, we still saw a miracle. Even though the day was slow and we were disappointed with the progress of the work, we ended the day with news that a whole family wants to be baptized!! He works in mysterious ways! Only He knows what's ahead.

Saturday:

"The adversary works harder when we do, especially when we're close to something he really doesn't want to have happen"

This day was pretty lame. We tried to do what our leaders had encouraged us to do. to our dismay, we hardly saw anyone we needed to see but spent 60 miles attempting to. What better way to hinder the work of the Lord by discouraging the missionaries in their failed attempts. In a way, this discouragement seeped into the tone of the day and as a result the rest of that day took after this pattern. To top it off, there isn't anything worse than being hit on by creepy men. Satan really knows how to push my buttons.

Sunday:

"I'm emotional when I'm helplessly uncomfortable. And because getting emotional is rare for me, when I do get emotional, I'm much more uncomfortable"

So. Again with the adversary and his dumb tactics. You know what tops the worst day of the week? When said "creepy man" (who we invited to church before realizing his intentions) shows up to church only to come looking for me. Which then left me feeling completely and utterly embarrassed and uncomfortable. Thankfully, with a little help from my ward family, creepy man had a wonderful day at church in the absence of my presence. Maybe not what he expected but that's what you get for being creepy. Rude. But not even that couldn't distract me from the Spirit I felt as I listened to an investigator testify in class of the importance of missionary work. Like I learned the other day, when you're on to something good, you better be prepared for a few fiery darts. I just sometimes don't understand why some of his darts are really weird and annoying. But it could have been worse. That's all I'm sayin'. 

As you can see, the variety of what we learn as missionaries is so vast. From companions to creepy men, the Lord has catered to my strengths and weaknesses the things I need to learn- not only to be a better missionary but also person. Some things I'd rather not have to learn, but like I've said before, we don't grow unless we're somewhat uncomfortable. The Lord knows that. I'm only just beginning to grasp it. 

Love 

Sister Hawkins

Note from the Mom: Yes, as you can imagine I was ready to hop on the next flight to Atlanta and take out that creeper! But I am comforted in knowing that she is surrounded by a good ward family who is taking care of her. And also, that girl knows self-defense and promises to channel her inner Mulan if it ever comes to that. Meanwhile, she promises to live up to this quote I sent her by Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, because I thought it sounded so much like her: