Once upon a time we were tracting a little bit before FHE and ended up
knocking on a door where they were watching the best show of all time.
Oh heeeey Seinfeld. Tender mercy? Miracle? Distraction? I don't know,
but it was awesome. Don't worry, I only saw it long enough to know it
was Seinfeld but not long enough to know which episode.
Best news of my life... no more tights in the VC! It's been a rule
that we must wear tights when we're at the VC for shift, even in the
summer, but they finalllly got rid of that. Yay! A positive change
amongst all these not so easy ones. Isn't it crazy how something like
tights makes the biggest difference in the life of a sister
missionary. We would've thrown a party to celebrate if we could've.
I still have those random moments where it's mind blowing that I'm on
a mission. I'll be sitting there, listening in church or even in the
middle of a lesson and I just can't believe that I'm really here. I'm
living something I never even imagined. Proof that with god, nothing
is impossible, because hellloooo Kylee Rowley is on a mission!
You know you're a missionary LIVING IN THE CITY when you're poor by
week three. For reals though. Between metro (thank goodness they
reimburse us) and all the good restaurants, I'm living the let's eat
cereal for every meal dream. Good thing I never spent that Costco card
mom sent me... We're heading that way today so I can actually have
some food for the remainder of the transfer.
With the new schedules at the VC, we no longer have sisters cleaning
the lounge after shift and guess what? It's disgusting. I cleaned and
scrubbed 2 days in a row because after you clean it once, it gets
dirty in a matter of minutes. Now i regret all those many times back
home that I put my dishes in the sink instead of this dishwasher that
was RIGHT THERE! It's not that hard to clean up after yourself. But I
suppose I'm not only learning that lesson but also learning about
tolerance, patience, and service.
President Cooke was super sad the past little while (he's back to
"livin the dream" though so we're all grateful for that). Majority of
the missionaries were late coming back from fireworks on the fourth
and it really took a toll on him. We had lost his trust - the whole
situation was very much like a bunch of disobedient kids and a very
disappointed father. He called all those who were late and uninvited
them to the nationals baseball game we all go to as a mission, somehow
we were skipped on the calling tree even though we too were late.
Instead of hearing his devastation over the phone, I had to un-invite
ourselves in person. At that time though he had been thinking about it
more and even reached a point of fasting and prayer so I was left with
a "stay tuned..." In the end, president decided that it was a slight
set up. That he knew we would all struggle to make if back in time and
that going to the nats game without the whole family would be
pointless and just downright sad. So he's taken the situation and used
it as a lesson of redemption and mercy. All those who were late have
been invited to participate in a service project on an upcoming p-day
to earn back our seat to the nats game. This whole situation has been
a humbling and thought provoking one for me, I think for president
too. I've been thinking about it lately and been able to learn a lot
more about the atonement, nature of Christ, and even myself.
I learned the importance of moving on and looking forward. As awful as
I felt for disappointing president Cooke, I was able to see that there
was nothing I could do about it, so I had to just keep smiling and
keep striving for improvement. Everyday is an opportunity to be
better. I might not have another experience where I can make it home
on time from fireworks, but I can be more obedient in other aspects of
my life and be better in other ways. The atonement was sort of brought
to life for me though this experience. Seeing how sad president was
really helped me picture just how sad Christ and Heavenly Father are
when we disobey them. It's heartbreaking and it's real. It leads to a
spiritual halt and a temporarily altered relationship. The love is
always there, which is why I think the disappointment is that much
harder. But redemption is always a part of the plan, and deep down I
knew that it would also be a part of president Cooke's plan. I knew he
loved us too much to go to the game without ALL of us. Likewise,
Heavenly Father loves us all too much to leave us in our sins unable
to progress towards that which will make not only us happiest, but Him
as well. He wants all of his children to return to him, in this life
and in the next. I see how important it is for us, the ones who made
the mistake, to step up and act. We were extended great mercy, but the
mercy alone doesn't get us to the game, we must act and earn that
trust back. Heavenly Father is the same way. We must not sit on the
sidelines and thank God for his mercy, we must use it! We must rely on
the atonement of Jesus Christ. We cannot become better or truly change
without the action part. I'm so grateful for this learning experience
and for the love that president Cooke has for us as missionaries.
There's nothing better than hearing president return to his statement,
"livin the dream!" Redemptive power is real and the atonement is
necessary. Someday I hope we can all return home to our loving
Heavenly Father and hear him say "Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew
25:21)
LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOOO MUCH!
- sister rowley
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