Oh hey you really attractive and intelligent individuals!
Thank you bunches for all the updates on family and world events. I haven't heard a word about any revolts around here....I guess that's what happens when you don't watch the news, listen to the radio, or even really have time to discuss happenings around the water cooler. That's crazy cool about the excerpt from the Mishna (ha! look that one up!), though. It's kinda funny, this little bit on my mission has gotten me so excited to read and study all ancient religions and know at least half as much as you and dad do about the early Christian church. I love your brains. They are beautiful.
Oh also, HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY Mom and Dad!!!! I love you. I'm so proud of what you have both chosen to do with your lives and the love and dedication you have put into your marriage and the family you have made together. I'm sure happy in it and I like to think you've raised us to be pretty well-adjusted folks. Aside from the weird traditions involving used socks (to scare away the imaginary Bad Things), stomping grapes for wine, twisting words for greater confusing enjoyment, etc. I like it.
Have you gotten my new address letter yet? We moved back to the apartment in our area because Sister Gerhartz's greenie came a few weeks early. We were all feeling the strain of not having enough time or resources to cover both areas and it was taking a toll on us emotionally. Hermana Strong talked to President about it and 2 days later, the APs (Assistants to the President) called Hermana G to say "Congratulations! You're training! and she'll be here tomorrow. Come pick her up from the office tomorrow at 4." It was the answer to so many prayers, even those that hadn't been realized yet. You know how I wrote last week about Heavenly Father taking care of things for me before they become major problems? I was having a really hard time staying self-motivated and working hard, my companions were feeling discouraged as well, and I almost stopped trying just because I figured they could handle things on their own. Wrong. But Hermana Busch's arrival gave Hermanas Strong and Gerhartz the time, resources, and opportunities to attend to their respective areas with greater dedication and it's offered me the chance to have the confidence in my own abilities and the things I've learned thus far on my mission to forge ahead and be and do better than before. This is the second missionary that President has brought out early from the MTC (which as I understand it, is a pretty privileged request), so his conversation with Hermana Strong went something like this:
Hermana Strong: Why didn't you send the hermana from the other trio down to be with Hermana Gerhartz?
President: Hermana Strong, where did the Doctrine and Covenants come from?
HS: .....Joseph Smith....
P: Why?
HS: He prayed....?
P: Yes but why did he pray about those specific things?
HS: ....Because people asked him questions....
P: Yes. You had a question, I asked the Lord what to do about it. I looked at the transfer board, didn't see any good inter-mission transfer solutions, so I looked at the list of incoming missionaries and thought " Hermana Busch is going to be Hermana Gerhartz's companion next transfer and she's going to learn Spanish out here anyway. That feels right."
Boy, but I do love modern revelation.
It's been such a cool thing to follow the Spirit more closely and begin to better differentiate between my own thoughts and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I think I told you this before, but I started being able to better identify the thoughts, impressions, and feelings that came from the Spirit starting in October after I had gone through the temple, and that had always been a huge worry of mine: how to differentiate between my own thoughts and obsessive worries that I had missed something important and the whisperings from the Divine. In the MTC, we watched a devotional from Elder Bednar and in it he said "Quit worrying about it. If you are being a good boy or a good girl, keeping the commandments, and doing your best to follow Christ's example, you can feel confident that His thoughts will become your thoughts and His desires will become your desires. Do what you already know to be right and then go live life."
Or something to that effect. That was absolutely wonderful for me to hear and it has alleviated so much anxiety. Hermana Strong, I think I said last week, is incredible at following impressions and I'm trying every day to be obedient and then let go and just be an instrument in the Lord's hands.
Anyway, if you could pray for us this week that we can catch up on all of our goals for our investigators and lessons, it would be most appreciated. I guess one of the main things is to be punctual in our appointments. If they go over, we suddenly don't have time for anything else in the day. Also for health because we just don't have time to be sick.
One last little bit of fun info for this week: our area has gotten buckets full of rain this week...it rained pretty much all day for two days and there were puddles in the road that I'm sure were at least 7 inches deep. Yay monsoon season!
Oh also, I heard that one of my friends who was in the MTC with me was proposed to a few days before she left for the mission field. She said yes and then shook his hand. Baha!!. That's excellent. So I hear they are getting married in April. Hooray!!! Anyway, if anyone (from 55th ward who may be reading this) can send me her address so I can congratulate her, it would be most appreciated.
Also, I'm not receiving any letters via DearElder ( not sure why) but just so you know that it's not a super reliable mode of communication anymore. And if you email me, please be sure to send me your street address so I can write you back, since I can only write to family with my official email account. I love you all and I want to hear from you!
I hope you're doing beautifully!
Love you more than all the chihuahuas in North Hollywood
Hermana Beauchamp
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