Fastest week of my life.

Heyyyy,

So this week literally was the fastest week of my entire life. They go faster and faster. I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. It's a whole big mixture of emotions, that's for sure, but I think the principal feeling is depression. For real. I think I cried every day this week because of how quickly this year and a half has gone. Just pray for me.

This week was REALLY cold. Granted, it's nothing like my winters in Logan, but it's still dang cold here. Haha. And the worst part about it all... our hot water went out. LAST Monday. We were forced to take ice cold showers all week long. It was honestly the worst thing that has ever happened to me. While washing my hair, I got some killer headaches and spent my mornings and nights drinking hot chocolate, almost in tears because of how cold it was. Life was great this week (;

So this week was a little... difficult. Things were falling through like crazy and we spent most of our days making contacts, knocking on doors, and with members to get referrals. I don't think we have ever worked so hard before. So here I was, with all my lack of faith and all, wondering why in the world things weren't going right. And as I was studying and working and trying to figure out what else we needed to do so that we could find some success, I figured it out.

I always imagined that the end of my mission would be easy. I figured that I would know exactly what I needed to do and be exactly who I needed to be. And for a while, actually, things were going that way. I was seeing miracles and people were just put into our paths. I was loving my life, but I didn't feel as if I was growing. So I began to pray that I would be able to prepare myself for that tough transition home.

It wasn't until this week that I realized that Heavenly Father was answering my prayers. Because of these things that were falling through, I was able to grow in patience, reliance on Him, diligence, charity, knowledge, and faith. There were many other things that I was able to learn this week, but those are just a few. Sometimes we pray for the ability to develop these characteristics, expecting Heavenly Father to just pour out some miraculous change in our hearts. But that's not how it works. When we want to learn and grow and pray for those opportunities, be ready to receive those opportunities. As I prayed for patience, things got tougher so that I would be able to use more patience. That's how it has to be.

So instead of ending this week with feelings of negativity or heartache, I'm ending this week absolutely filled with gratitude. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father answers my prayers. He loves me so much and is always giving me opportunities to learn and grow. I'm so beyond thankful that I am in the process of becoming the woman that He wants me to be. I'm grateful for the challenges that I receive each and every day, because they help me to get just a little bit better.

I love you all so much and am so grateful for each one of you and your examples to me. Thank you for everything. I love you all so much and can't wait to see you all again soon. Loves.

Sister Card
xoxo