Don't Cry Because it is Over, Smile Because it Happened.

Teary Good-byes

Family!

Thanks so much for your email! I loved hearing about what you learned.
Great insights! Thanks for sharing.

So today is the last day with my trainer. She's getting ready to head
out here in the next hour or so. Right now we are just waiting for her
ride.

So basically the spirit is super cool, Heavenly Father is good, and
everything is going to be okay 

On Friday I got super sick. Really bad flu-like symptoms and I was
tanking fast. There's been a super nasty bug whisking through this
part of the mission right now, and I was so afraid I My trainer sent
me straight to bed for an hour and let me sleep. After that we went
out and worked. I put some deliverance on my feet and it was gone the
next day! Thanks for the oils Mom!

Okay her ride came. My trainer has left and now everyone is coming
over to give me love. Ah man. So hard. But so good.

An Hermana just came up to me just now, and she showed me a picture of
her saying goodbye to her first companion. She started to cry. She
can't speak English, but she shared a story while her companion
translated. She said that was her first companion. She knows that it's
hard. The first one is so special because they teach you so much and
help you adapt to the mission. She said it's hard to say goodbye. She
said she knew what I was feeling.

Elder Julander came and shared his story too and gave me a handful of
Reese's. It's a Julander thing. Bet you didn't think you would get to
experience this real time.

Anyways. On Saturday the transfer call came. I was in the other room
and my companion answered the phone (on speaker as per missionary
conduct) and I heard the district leader say that I was going to be
staying in Davis (kind of a given) and that I would be working with
Sister Haefeli. As soon as I heard her name I felt peace wash over me.
The spirit has been working inside me ever since, soothing my worries
and helping me to relax my mind. I know this is going to be a good
transfer. 

Sorry family, my emotions are a bit everywhere, and we are actually
quite busy today. I'll be spent the night in Winters with the
Hermanas, and today we are taking everything out of their apartment
because it's goi to be empty for a while. No more missionaries are
going to live there for a while. So it's definitely a working pday. We
are going to get up super early tomorrow to drive to Santa Rosa to
pick up Sister Haefeli (Hay-Flee) and drop off both Hermanas. They are
getting transferred. Everyone tells me how sweet Sister Haefeli is.
One sister said, "They are going to be the cutest companionship ever!"
I can't wait to meet her. I guess she has wavy hair like me  which
by the way, I have found how to make it so that it dries into these
sweet beach waves. I'm so vain, but I love it.

Family, I think I found my family here in Davis. Remember that woman I
told you about last week? She has two kids. One is nine and not
baptized, and the other one is 11 and is baptized. Her name is Yolanda
and she and her family have completely stolen my heart. She wants so
badly for them to have the gospel in their lives and serve missions.
She has us over and she listens and soaks up everything we give her.
She is also a stellar cook. Oh my goodness. She make us this fish dish
called saveeche or something like that and it was SO good! Also, that
Mexican corn with the cheese and chili powder. She made us some. My
new favorite thing. I literally can't even.

The work is good, I'm feeling a lot of peace right now. I know
everything is going to be okay and that there are so many adventures
ahead. Thanks for your prayers. I feel them. Also, thanks for knowing
your baby, mom. You knew this would be hard for me.

I'm glad to hear the weather is shaping up there. It is HOT here. This
last week changed from the nice spring weather to the start of the
Davis heat. It's been in the 90s all week. What is this? I keep
thinking its August. It's tripping me out.

Here's my spiritual thought for the week:

It goes like this.

Heavenly Father trusts us with a new day every morning. Each day we
have a chance to progress. There is something to be learned every day.
I think back on all of the times that I had the chance to do something
new, but instead I fell back on what I knew and missed out on a
learning experience. Here is what I have learned.

The time will pass anyway. There is no use stressing about what's
going on at home while you are a missionary. The eighteen months and
two years will pass by anyway, whether you are happy or stressed.
Whether you throw yourself into what you are doing or you are dragging
your feet, the time will pass. I've realized this applies to life back
home. You want to start a project, or learn something new, but afraid
to start? Maybe it's too much effort or will take too much time.
Unless you try, you I'll never know. Plus by taking every opportunity
to learn, new doors open and you find passions you didn't realize you
had. Plus the spirit has more room to work with. When you are out and
growing and experiencing, the spirit is right there with you guiding
your footsteps, showing you new ways, new ideas, and new perspectives.

Time here on earth is precious. Use every minute.

Alma 34:32 - For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to
meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to
perform their labors.

This is more than just getting baptized and living the Gospel. Think
of all of the amazing things God can do. Think of all of His
creations, all the of the beautiful things, all of His
characteristics. That doesn't happen overnight. He wasn't created with
those things. His journey was the same as ours. This time that we have
on earth is to learn and develop in more than just spiritual things.
We must continually look forward and see what there is to learn. I'm
confident that at the end of this life, when we meet Heavenly Father,
He is going to ask what we learned. He is going to ask us about our
experiences and how we used our time. This time here on earth is a
time to prepare to meet God, which means learn to become like Him in
ALL ways.

Think about something you've been wanting to learn for a while, or
wanting to try. This can be a new recipe, a food at the grocery store,
a restaurant you've always driven passed, talking to someone who is
doing something totally sweet and asking them how they did it. Start
small.

My invitation to you is to take a leap of faith and do the thing
you've been meaning to try.

Example. At Broulims I always wanted to try the Cookie Dough Balance
Bars because they always came through my line. How hard is it to go
buy one? Not hard. Not expensive. Not risky. Have I done it? Not until
my mission. How many opportunities did I have to do it before? A
thousand and one. What did I do instead? Bought the snack I was
comfortable with. I had a thousand and one opportunities to try a
thousand and one new things.

I'll be checking in with you next week. This challenge itself is an
example of the principle.

Love you!

Sister Julander

P.S.

Second spiritual thought for the week:

Heavenly Father loves us so so much. His love is tangible. There are
so many ways we can see and feel it every day. It is always there.
I've noticed that in my life as well as the investigators lives. I
love watching them come to see the hand of the Lord in their life and
to see the gospel light them up.

Always stay close to the spirit, stay humble, and learn always. There
is so much and when you think you know it all is the very moment you
need to pull out a pen and take notes. Love you!!!

This is my companion and a video showing you just how cool she is. Yeah. She's legit. 

Sister N. Saying good-bye to Sophia