November 4, 2013

Holidays can really bring out the best in people. I remember my first question to my trainers in the field... "What do missionaries do on Halloween?" Can you imagine doorknocking people as a missionary... "Trick or Go to Mormon.org!" hahaha. Turns out we're not allowed to proselyte past 5:00pm, so there's the answer!

We have to set up appointments instead. On Halloween night. What. Luckily Thursday is also weekly planning, so we didn't leave the apartment until 2:00. The street we prayed about knocking ended up being where a member of the ward lived, so we got to have an impromptu lesson with her! Her neighbors were so, so kind to us as well. Not only was it Halloween (candy puts people in festive spirits), but it was raining from morning to night! It was. an absolute. blast. I love being a missionary in the rain haha. Maybe not when it's freezing rain... but it's always great to break out my intended-for-Brazil rain jacket! :)  

I felt so blessed to not have a car this week as it meant we got to walk between less active members' homes and partake in the holiday spirit. Seeing all the kids dressed up was so so precious. I also so quite a few Harry Potters as well... always happy to see that costume still semi-popular! :) Funny moment: at a trunk-or-treat earlier that week, the daughter of one of our investigators saw us and told her mom, "the holy girls are here!!" Hahaha. No idea where that came from, but sweet!

This week I've accidentally collected a variety of quotes, so I'm going to share those super fast as there wasn't too much excitement this week (other than the holiday). From my mission president here: "Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch it's a cinch." So. So. True. Take life bit by bit... when you chew off too big a bite, it can be overwhelming. But when we focus on one thing at a time, we're able to get through it all much more easily!

"We're not obedient because we're blind. We're obedient because we can see." Learned a lot about the importance of obedience and the commandments this week. I created a little cycle involving the commandments, agency (our freedom to choose), blessings, and an increased desire to follow the commandments... but I left it at home. But it's really neat to see how each part of that circle builds upon the next, until we realize how blessed we are to have the guidance of the scriptures and prophets!

I wrote on the back of my planner the quote from Star Wars (apologies if incorrect): "Do or do not, there is no try." Sometimes people tell missionaries that they'll "try" to pray, or read, or come to church... but trying is no good if they're not doing! So I've been politely implimenting this in my own life as a missionary so that I can better invite people to impliment it into their own. :) Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, or don't feel comfortable doing, or are too tired to do... by eliminating the "try" and implimenting the greatest motto ever, "Just Do It," we can get sooo much more done! And grow along the way. It's really a win-win here.

I accidentally made my own quote in response to a companion's question... what is your life motto? "Don't look too far back or too far forward, you might just trip up in the present." This. Is. So. Applicable. To. Life. We have to enjoy what we have now, and focus on what we're doing now, or we might just miss the opportunity of getting what we're looking forward to! Not sure if that makes sense, but yeah. I've been thinking about that recently -- I really can't think too much about going to Brazil right now, because I've also been called here. This is where the Lord needs me right now, and this is where I'm serving. Brazil will be fun, when it comes. But that's a big question mark I don't need to waste time worrying about!

Have a great week this week! Do something outside of your comfort zone. Strive to learn something new every day, every hour. It's so possible, I promise!

Muito amor,

Sister Kaegi