Sister Neel 6/7/21

 

Hey guys!!

The work of the Lord is going great out here in Washington! Haven't found a whole lot of new people yet but we are making a good impression on this small town by getting out and talking with and serving literally everyone. We meet the most people on the waterfront. Our name tags don't scare people away but cause them to want to know more about us which is awesome! Definitely a change of pace from Hillsborough. It was so funny though. We were walking the waterfront last night and a lady passed us who seemed a little drunk but we waved anyway and said hello. Once we passed her she shouted really loudly and walked up speaking to us in Spanish. She grabbed my name tag and looked really closely at it, then at sister Crocketts and the only thing I understood from her mumbled sentence was Jesu Cristo. We assumed she was asking something relative to us being members of Christ's church so we said si! XD immediately her face lit up and she began clapping her hands and kept saying Gracias over and over. She high fived us both and walked away with the biggest smile and hands in the air praising God. You meet the coolest people out here let me tell ya ;))

This week was fantastic and crazy as always! A lady in our branch asked us to come help move storage boxes into her shed since she had her leg amputated and is now in a wheelchair. She happened to get stuck in a deep hole outside her house and even though we had managed to push her halfway out she insisted and wanted 911 to be called. The ambulance ended up rushing past her house so we had to run down the dirt road and flag them down. Thankfully they got her out and the paramedics told us they knew it was a job we could have handled and applauded us for doing our best despite her persistent efforts to get them there XD That was an interesting day! We also went and helped move in a new couple that moved into the branch! Lately we've had 30 people move into our branch and we are so excited to see our numbers growing! A whole bunch of members showed up and we had the entire moving truck unloaded in two hours. Such a fun time to get to know people better and enjoy lots of company! It was an extremely humid day and being used to dry weather back home, I was completely soaked XD gotta love humidity. We also had a lesson with Charles and we had originally planned to go over the restoration but we ended up answering his questions regarding church. He asked about the role of bishop's, law of tithing, how we view adultery and same sex marriage. Deep topics but great to cover and testify over! He compared teachings from the Bible to our beliefs and we were able to help him understand more of Christ's teachings and the beautiful opportunity we have to repent each and every day. It led us back to our conversation regarding church and he came on Sunday!! Such a beautiful day!! 

We had interviews with our mission president and since we are so far away we did ours over zoom. I love President Maurer! His heart is completely devoted to his missionaries and when you talk with him, you can feel the immense love he has for each of us individually. He asked me what kind of missionary I wanted to be and later asked what kind of missionary the Lord wants me to be. It caused great reflection as I pondered on how I could better improve my ways to align more with Christs. He encouraged me to always remember why I put in my mission papers and how the Lord called me as an imperfect 19 year old, to go spread His gospel to the world. He was shook to find out the day we had our interview was my 4 month mark and recalled how it felt like I had just come into the mission yesterday! He reminded me when I had told him on our very first interview, day one on the mission, that I knew this was where I needed to be and I was ecstatic to be the disciple the Lord saw fit for this area. President reminded me of this strong drive I had and told me he was a witness of the proof of what the gospel can do to missionaries who give their heart to the Lord. Just hearing how proud he is and the excitement he has to spend the next 14 months with me means the world!

I've had quite a few of you guys reach out asking for an update with my mental health. Which first and foremost I appreciate so much:)) the update is...everyday's a battle with working through anxiety. Some days are easier than others, some are pretty challenging. It's hard to not become discouraged and there are days where it becomes really really hard. Especially since I didn't deal with any of this back home. I take comfort in the scripture Moroni 8: 2-3: "My beloved (daughter, Sister Neel) I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you and hath called you to His ministry and to His holy work. I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of His holy child, Jesus, that He through His infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on His name to the end." The faith that is spoken in this scripture helps me obtain similar strength so that I might be able to reach out and believe that the Lord will sustain me. Serving a mission is hard. Adjusting to new things is hard. Working through health challenges is hard. And yet I still feel like a mission is what is right for me. The Lord's call remains clear, "Proclaim my gospel from land to land, and from city to city...bear testimony in every place unto every people." (D&C 66: 5, 7) And as promised by the Lord, He prepares a way for us to accomplish this work. That's where I take my comfort in knowing that the Lord has a plan for me and recognizes my challenges but promises hope through Him. When I hit really discouraging points, I imagine kneeling down at His feet while I pray and pleading for strength. The amazing thing is He provides that strength and gives me the faith necessary to take that next step. I know Christ can do the same for you. Your burdens will be made light through His grace and Christ WILL sustain you. Never forget your worth for it is great in the eyes of God ♡ I appreciate so many of you guys providing feedback and giving me the love and support I need during this time. I still love my mission. I'm still happy to be here. I still serve with all my heart. Because the Lord deserves it all. Just another mountain I have to climb but I'm not alone and that's the best part:))  

I love you all!! 

♡♡♡

Sister Neel