One thing I love about missionary work is that it always keeps you on your toes. Things change faster than Italians can blow through stop lights, and there is never enough time to get everything done in the day. This week, in particular, was a great example of that.
It started out with my birthday! Which was great, I love birthdays. (Thanks for all the cute birthday wishes, I really appreciated them!) My cute comp hung up a poster and even had a confetti cannon that she fired off that morning. Then later that day, she got sick. Super sick. So sick that we were quarantined in our house for two days, leaving me frantically cleaning, planning, studying, making a lot calls, baking cinnamon rolls, and trying to feel like I was still being productive with my day. See, here's the weird thing about mission brain: the fear of wasting time is always rolling in the back of your mind. To the point where, even when you know your need to stay inside to heal, you start thinking things like "Is studying really the best thing I could be doing with my time?? Or should I be trying to call out to the people on the street and teach them through the window??"
Our first day out of quarantine was the day of zone conference. Which would have been great, had it not been for the fact that it was 1) my first time giving the training as the STL and I didn't have time to practice the Zone Leaders and 2) I was accompanying two musical numbers for which not only had we never practiced, but I hadn't even seen the music yet. It was the most stressed I've been since my physics teacher told me we'd be taking a practice AP E&M test that would determine our grade. Despite all the stress and hair loss, zone conference was great. Thanks to a lot of prayer, things ran smoothly and we were able to get through the musical numbers and our training, without any big problems.
We took the hype of zone conference right into the weekend, and we had a great lesson with the cute 9 year old we're teaching and ended it by inviting her to be baptised. AND SHE SAID YES. It was so awesome. It was strange for me teaching someone so young, but it really stretched me to just focus on the plain and simple truths of the gospel.
1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God
2. He paid the price for our sins
3. We can repent and because of Him, our past sins will literally be forgotten.
How amazing is that. This idea of purification was actually the theme of our Zone Conference. Here's my favorite quote from what we shared.
"When prophets come crying repentance, it “throws cold water on the party.” But in reality the prophetic call should be received with joy. Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. . . . Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration."
We are so blessed to have the gift of repentance through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.
I love you all so much!
Sorella Maxfield
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