Comfort Zone

[*Note: Just ONE more letter after this one and she'll be home—FRIDAY, December 16th @9:56PM. Homecoming talk in Sacrament Meeting, @Highland 4th Ward LDS Avonmore Chapel, 5848 West 11000 North, Highland, Utah, on SUNDAY, December 18th @1:00pm.  Please feel free to munch & mingle with her at our house afterwards.]

Dear Aiga,
Guess what! I think I've FINALLY found my comfort zone in Missionary Work..... haaaa!

There's no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone.

TRUTH.

Aiga (aka: Samoan for "family"), there's literally 11 days until I leave. And it's weird. Ha. And pretty much everyone in the ward knows now. I bore my testimony yesterday in church. I was the last to get up, so as a result, Bishop got up before me to say I'd be the last to bear my testimony for the meeting... and that it was my LAST testimony meeting. And then afterwards and throughout the day everyone started coming up to me asking, "Wait, you're leaving? What DAY do you leave?" Even the kids that I didn't think really paid attention to us.  Hahahaha.

It's weird.

BUT! It's been a GREAT week. Ending in the BEAUTIFUL BAPTISM of our dearest Jasmine :)

MONDAY: All the partying with the Johnstone Sisters. :)  Love it.

TUESDAY: We had a brilliant lesson with our dear Skye and John, her partner, and MANY others throughout the day.  It was my first MIRACLE DAY on the mission of literally just going from appointment to appointment, TEACHING, TEACHING, TEACHING! ...Even though they weren't all investigators, it was a brilliant and exciting day of just sharing testimony and things we've learnt in order to help our brothers and sisters (and, of course, to be strengthened ourselves). Skye—the brilliant one—even helped us IMPROVE our object lesson as we shared it with her. Hahahaha. And this is why she should be a member. ;)

WEDNESDAY: New investigator! His name is Cody. And he's great. We're excited to keep teaching him :) We met him a while back, and then he went and referred himself online!

THURSDAY: Zone "Training" aka: Service! We made meals. It was actually really exciting. A bunch of missionaries cooking together is pretty hilarious though. Mostly because it became super stereotypical of the elders all around the grill, making the meat, and the sisters together all baking the brownies and cookies for dessert.  And then the potato salad and veggies were a combined effort. Loved it.

FRIDAY: A last lesson with Jasmine before her big day :)  Love her. Love her mum too. Just love everything. Allllll the Aroha, Alofa, and Ofa [Love]!

SATURDAY: Baptism day :) Ha. And a day of runnning around like chickens with our heads cut off. We LITERALLY ran from the chapel (where we were finishing up the last touches on the baptism programme) to Jasmine's house, to make sure she and CJ were on their way, and then ran back to the chapel, to finish, and copy the programme, and to make sure the water in the font was turned off..... Hahahaha. All the excitement!! Everything with the baptism went smoothly though.  Jasmine was so excited to be with friends for her baptism, and to be in the flash new white dress her mum found for her :)

SUNDAY: Confirmation :)   Jasmine. The cute little thing. She was suddenly scared before, so I walked her up to the stand to be confirmed, and she was all good. All the happy, all the bouncy and excited after receiving the Holy Ghost :) A brand new member!

And TODAY. Today is Zone P-day. 'Cause.... both Elder Ruth and I leave next week. Crazy. Sauce. What are we doing?  Playing BUBBLE SOCCER. Haaa... Should be an adventure :) I'm actually kind of excited. I'm sure there will be pictures.

I can't believe it's been as long as it has. A year and a half of my life has never gone so fast!
I've never been so happy, and I've also never been so sad.
I've never seen so many miracles, and I've also never been given so many examples of WHY we have to CONSTANTLY work to keep our faith and our Saviour a PART of our lives.

I also never realised how much you can learn, without truly realising it. Little by little, that's what it's all about. Basically.... I don't want it to end.
And I know it won't. I know it's just a new beginning. It's just... weird. Everything is werid lately. Ha. And I'm pretty sure my dear Sister Tauiliili just laughs at everything I say now as I freak out at the idea of leaving this home.

The gospel is TRUE, my friends. It always has been, and it always will be. It helps us in learning new things each and every day, and it always WILL.... IF YOU LET IT.

I hope you all have a beautiful week—lighting the world everywhere you go!  Because, that's really what should be our goal in life—to be that example, help, serve, and love everyone in our path. #LighttheWorld

https://www.mormon.org.nz/

....LOL. I just realised the link goes to "NZ" here. Haaaa. Obvi you can just go to the normal one back home.

Okay. I must be off now. But I love you heaps. And I hope you have a brilliant week :) You're the best of best. Talk to you next week — and SEE YOU after that!!!! :D

Alofa tele atu!!!!
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley