It's been an. Interesting week. And I'm sure most people already know why, but I'll recap it anyway to fill in the blanks.
Monday and Tuesday we spent the day scrambling to update all of our records, get addresses to places I had just driven to on auto-pilot for 4.5 months, say goodbye to everybody and their dog (literally), and then try to teach some lessons in there as well. It was interesting. By Wednesday morning at 5:45 AM, we were all packed up and ready for the trek to OKC. We exchanged and drove to Enid where I now get to be with Hermana Chugg!
I love Enid. Everything is so green and the city is adorable. There's water! The people are so sweet. I am so ecstatic about this transfer. Anybody who knows me knows that I am partial to exaggerations, but I don't feel like I'm exaggerating when I say this is seriously the happiest I have ever been ever. Ever. On my mission. It's so nice to be put together again with Hna. Chugg, where we already know each others weaknesses and fears so we can help each other and hit the ground running. It has been such a blessing. And we have been able to recognize the progress the the other has made. It has been amazing. She is amazing. She has such a positive outlook on everything. She finds the good in everyone. Whenever she wants to say something negative, she just suppresses that desire and it is so admirable. She's helping me be more genuine, more sincere, more aware of others' feelings. She is also helping me regain my desire to be obedient. I feel like before I was just forcing myself to get on track every morning. But I have been able to see how when we are willing to align our will to obedience to the Lord's, we find more joy in the work, more satisfaction in service. I believe in miracles this transfer. We both have our greenie fire back. We're still green though..so...
We only teach Spanish. Which is SO fun for me. I'm loving it and learning so much. The Hispanic cultures are so different. Everybody is loving and helpful. We've been able to quickly get in to teach lessons with a bunch of people in the short time I've been here. It's a little tricky because to get investigators you have to basically chase them down the aisles of Walmart at 8 at night, but it's worth it. We also got invited to a birthday party of a family we barely know and when we got there, we found out it really was just one 10-year-old girl and her [huge] family. I seriously hope we're all like Mexicans in heaven. They all live together and are so close and they have fiestas that last for days. It's amazing. But we were able to stop by for a couple of hours and get a ton of potential investigators from it. All in the same family. Their family alone could start a Spanish branch here in Enid. While we were there, we played on this make-shift rope swing they had (in skirts, super classy) and then they asked us to be in their family photo.
It was all fun and games until the Mission President called us. Initially we thought, "Hmm.. It probably looks bad that we're at a birthday party on Sunday night" but then he let us know over speaker phone that my Grandpa Bert had died and I was in shock. At the time, a girl named Aracely had my camera and was able to take a few pictures of me receiving the news from behind. She didn't really know what she was documenting, but for some reason it's special to me that she caught my reaction. Because it shows how grateful I am that I get to be here. With a companion that I already love and that already loves me. And I get to have my grandpa here on my mission with me. Being an angel on the other side to assist me in this work. He will be dearly missed, but I am happy to have a clear assurance that I know where he is. I know who he's with. And I do not doubt that it will not be long before I get to see him again. We all will. A few people expressed concern that I wasn't going to be okay. I'm okay. One of the first things that came to mind when I received the news was the scripture in the bible, "Let the dead bury their dead". It sounds harsh, but it makes sense. I'm here helping other people have this same peace about life after death. That truly is a blessing.
I love you all. You are all amazing and helpful. If you need anything from me, let me know.
God loves you! I can feel it from here!
Sister Best
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