Here are some happy quotes:
--"We
become more substantive as we serve others--indeed, it is easier to
find ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!" - SWK
Missionary work is all about becoming! Becoming is
conversion. I am becoming something bigger and better--someone more like
Christ. At the same time, I'm helping others do the same! It's the
best. I love being a missionary:)
President Wilson implemented a program a few weeks
before I got here to help us focus on our covenants. He gave each month a
theme:
-Sacrifice September
-Obedience October
-"No No" November (chastity)
-Consecrated Christmas
Missionaries
are endowed before serving to give us extra protection from the
adversary and to help us help others make covenants. But in addition,
serving a mission is one way to learn how to keep your covenants. The
day of my endowment is really sacred to me. And every day is still
sacred because I am learning how to better keep my covenants through
sacrifice, obedience, keeping the law of chastity, and consecrating my
time and talents to the building up of the Kingdom of God!
So the Van Buskirks are AWESOME. It's like living
with grandparents. Sister Olsen and I come home to goodies, candy,
puppies, a loving family, etc. It's the best. Right now they're on
vacation in Utah and we're not sure when they'll be coming home. And
we're about 99% sure they took the mail key with them. We're calling
this period of time "The Great and Last Letter Fast." I received Dad's
conference notes/tweets in the mail (thanks!!! My comp thinks you're a
weirdo;) but I might not get anything for the next week or so. We
believe that this sacrifice of contact with the outside world will bring
great blessings. We're also praying desperately that this famine ends
quickly.
You should all know that missionary work is the most
awkward thing I have ever been a part of in my entire life. We'll be
knocking doors and people will peek at us through the window and then
NOT ANSWER. It's like....WE SAW YOU. And then they still won't answer.
Most people here have screen doors. Sometimes they won't even open those
and they'll just tell us to leave. Once we had an appointment with a
woman named Kimberly. We could hear laughter, etc. from inside. When we
knocked on the door, it went absolutely silent. No one answered. Sooooo
awkward.
Sister Olsen and I have a giant map of the area and
we were examining it on the floor. Penny the dog ran downstairs and
started towards the map. Sister Olsen and I freaked out and started
yelling at the dog and trying to move the map away. (If you missed it, I
sent a letter home about how Penny pees all the time and on anything
and everything.) We then started laughing SO hard. The thought came to
my mind -- I cannot believe I'm 2500 miles away from home, I haven't
seen my family in weeks, I'm here to teach people about Jesus, and this
dog is about to pee on my precious map of a place I hardly know.
Missionary work can be so awkward and so crazy...but I love it more than
anything else I've ever done.
We've had a really successful week here! We started
with absolutely nothing, and now we're up to 13 investigators! Is this
really happening??? That kind of success in this area is unreal. We've
committed 3 of them to baptism. (If they come to know that this is the
true church...which it is. They don't have dates yet.) My favorite is
probably Kayla. She's 18 years old, an only child, and a high school
senior. She knows a little bit about the Bible, but wasn't raised very
religious. (A novelty in the South.) Kayla really wants to find a place
where she belongs. She liked the things that we taught and said that
she's been a lot happier. We have high hopes for her!
Jason is an investigator who came to church with us!
We were actually surprised he showed up. Our only lesson with him was
just bearing our testimonies on his porch. Because we haven't taught any
real lessons yet, I think he was confused. Most churches have paid
clergy, or they pass a money tray around, or they don't invite kids to
sacrament/communion services. He said it's a lot different than other
churches he's attended, and he's not sure if it's the right thing for
him yet. I hope he at least lets us teach a lesson or two! Jason stayed
for the first two hours, which was pretty good.
Darci asked about the weather. It's been very warm
so far. It rained the first four or five days, but has been sunny since.
When I was in the MTC, it was getting into the 40's and 50's in Utah.
In Virginia, we've been as high as 75, but it's usually closer to 65.
The cold here is very different. It just sticks to me. If I have
something covering me, I'll be just fine. For example, the basement can
be cold in the morning during personal/companion study. As long as I
wear a jacket and have a blanket on my legs, I'll be warm! Sister Olsen
and I are going to Target/Ross today to try and find sock/cable knit
tights to keep our legs warm when it's starts to get colder.
Clarissa asked about my hair. I wrote about it a bit
(a lot) in the letter I sent home. Mommy, if there's something
important/interesting in a written letter, will you please add it to my
blog? Thank you! To answer the question, my hair looks like Hermione's
did in the first few Harry Potter movies. It is BIG. Like, REALLY BIG.
So much frizz. Sister Olsen loves it. (She has straight hair...so she
has no idea.) It's big, but not unmanageable. I think I'll like it more
when it gets a couple inches longer. (10 inches longer.)
Anyway...Many of you well know that my major at BYU
is business strategy. My interests and skills in organizational behavior
have been super helpful! I said that we have a giant map of the
area...well we've broken the Accokeek Ward down into 9 smaller areas. On
our ward list, we have each family separated into the 9 areas. We color
coded the list for active/less-active/converts/
Also, because I love business, here are two cool thoughts. The first is to have a daily "accounting" session with God. Every night, spend 15 minutes thinking about your day and considering how you can improve. Use that time to write in your journal and set goals for the next day. When we report our improvement to God, our improvement accelerates! Use this time to set everything in your life in order with God.
The second is "earnest." I'd explain it to you, but
the Bible Dictionary does a much better job. So your assignment for
today is to look up "EARNEST" in the BD!
No pictures this week. I know, I'm failing;) I just don't take my
camera with me every day. Maybe during my free time this afternoon
Sister Olsen and I will go on a walk. I have no words for how beautiful
it is here.
I love you all so so so much. I love you more than I did a month ago when I entered the MTC.
Love, Sister Crandall
*GENESIS 21:6 (see footnote)
*PS- I am SO HAPPY. Happier than I've ever been before:) Thank you for your love and prayers and letters and emails and support!!!!!!!! Choosing to serve a mission is the only hard decision I've ever had to make in my life. Choosing to go to BYU was easy. Choosing my major was easy. Choosing to be a member of this church was easy. BUT, choosing to go on a mission was not an easy decision for me. (Nor was it an easy process.) However, I've never been more sure about a decision. I am supposed to be here. I know it! I'm so grateful and happy and blessed:) and I love my Mom so much!
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