Well.....I'm leaving Silverdale. I kinda pretty much knew it was coming, but now it's official. We got the call around 9:45 on Saturday night. I will be headed to Steilacoom (good luck pronouncing that. It's like still-a-come) and my new companion will be Sister Baylon. I've seen her around before and heard lots of good things so it should be great. She and her companion got their transfer call before us, and I am trading places with her companion, Sister Jensen. They called and asked if we had our call yet...and pretty much figured out Jensen was coming here with Balmforth, but then the phone cut out, so I just had to wait for the official call to find out where I was going. Not the way I wanted to find out I was leaving, but it's all good. Right after we hung up from the phone though, I basically had a break down. I couldn't even talk to the Finnegans to tell them what happened. It's been weird saying goodbye to people, but I know that this will be a good thing. I felt it as soon as I heard where I was going that it was the place that I needed to be. I have loved Silverdale so so much, it will always mean so much to me, but I also know that it's time for me to go somewhere else and continue working there. I am going to miss my companion, Sister Balmforth, so much. Over the last 3 transfers we have gone through so much together, seen a lot of challenges and a lot of miracles, and she has become my best friend. I was a little deer in the headlights when I first got to Washington, but she understood exactly how I was feeling and knew when I needed help, even if I never said anything. I could not have asked for a better first companion and a better example of what kind of missionary I want to be. So yeah, it's always hard leaving your best friend. But, she is going to finish her mission here in Silverdale and it will be great. As sad as it is, I really do know that everything is going to work out and this is where the Lord needs us.
Ok, so here's what happened the rest of the week. Monday night I got really sick and couldn't go anywhere. Tuesday I woke up and thought I was ok, til I tried to get off the couch to study. It didn't work. I was down and out for the day, but thanks to an oh-so-compassionate companion and the Finnegans getting me whatever food I needed, I was just dandy the next day. It was a pretty slow week after that, just not really sure what to do. You know, it's rally hard when you and your companion have been in the same area together for 4 1/2 months. I mean, it's not hard to have a companion you love to death, but it's hard when there's nothing left to do. We tried everything, tracted everywhere (twice), visited everybody, and I was 95% sure for about 2 weeks that I was leaving, so we spent a lot of our time making sure we saw everyone and that we were visiting the essentials. Dang, that makes me sound like such a crap missionary. I promise I've been working hard, and I am going to work my butt off in Steilacoom. Really. For reals. Promise.
The other day we were praying before bed and I asked Balmforth if there was anything she needed me to pray for and she asked that she could be good at tracting for the next 48 days of her mission. I decided that would be a good thing, and I also decided to give myself a little boost while I was at it. So I did some very incorrect math in my head (ok, 10 transfers left, 6 weeks in a transfer so....60, then 42 days in a transfer, so obviously multiply 60x42 and that's how many days I have left on my mission. WRONG) and I said, "Heavenly Father, please bless Sister Balmforth that she will be able to tract the last 48 days of her mission and please bless me that I will be able to tract the next 2,520 days of my mission." I said amen and Balmforth goes, "Dude, how long is your mission?" Ooops. So I said a mini prayer to correct it, because you really should always be careful what you pray for. So that was my blonde moment for the week.
Easter was pretty great. I did something I have never done before. I played a piano song in sacrament meeting. I was terrified and my hands were shaking so bad when I got up there, but when I got into it and just ignored everything else around me, I think it turned out pretty good. Balmforth and Sis. Finnegan cried, so I guess that's a good thing haha. It's a really good song called "Redeemer" by Paul Cardall if you wanna check it out on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Or anytime during the week, or even if it's cloudy, it's good either way. We had dinner with a family from the 6th ward, visited some people, said bye to a lot of people, and now I need to go home and start packing. Lame. Ok, the first part wasn't lame, but the packing part is.
Yesterday at church I was looking around and feeling all sad, and I looked at Balmforth and said, "I didn't sign up for this." She said, "Yes you did, you just didn't know it." It's so true. You can't stay in one place forever and you will love more and more people and places as long as you allow yourself to. I have yet to experience that, but I have heard it from so many people and I know if I give it a shot, it will work. I guess I'll share my favorite scripture from Silverdale. It's in 1 Nephi 15:5-6. Nephi has just seen a vision of what is going to happen to his people, our day, etc. and his brothers are arguing and life kinda sucks, so Nephi has a breakdown. Then, in verse 6, he asks his brothers what's up. He gets up and goes to work. Those two verses have meant so much to me. I have learned to love people, I have learned that it's ok to have bad days, it's ok to need to cry a little bit, and that you always get back up and go to work. Always.
That's about all I got this week. Love you so so much. Letters are coming....PROMISE. You should write me too :) Have a great week, talk to you next week from Steilacoom!!
Love,
Sister Chronister
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