November 20, 2013

Family! If any of you would like to be added to the email list so you dont have to read it from my blog and want it straight away...let me know - id be happy to add you on.

Guess who i got to meet? Elder Nielson of the 70! The "Exclamation Point" guy from conference. Im pretty sure his smile is super glued on his face its almost scary. We got to have the best zone conference with him. The most spiritual experiences of my life. We got to hear further into his study about how "exclamation points" came to be and the process of preparing a talk for general conference. He's so humble and so real. He's also been with Elder Cook of the 12 and explained the miraculous process of joining him for choosing where missionaries are assigned to. What a spiritual and confirming process that we are called where we are for a reason.

 

This week was transfer week. Saturday night of transfer week we have what's called t-txt (transfer text) and we get together as a zone at the stake center and sit around our phones and wait for a million texts to come in at the same time which has the list of where people are getting moved to. It's a hilarious sight to see all these missionaries.

 

IM GETTING TRANSFERED. Bittersweet. I see in the text S. Bell: Belmont. Wait a second here.....i read it over like 5 times. BELMONT, MASS? That's where sister crane is serving....that means im replacing her..or her companion?....

Then I see the phone RING: President Packard. Oh Great. I answer it and he called me to be a Sister Training Leader. Then he asked if I saw where im going yet. I said yes, to Belmont, but im confused - who will be my companion? He laughed and said: Sister Crane. Does that make up for having to leave Ellington?

WHAT? WITH SISTER CRANE AGAIN??? MY RUGBY BUDDY FOR LIFE????? yes that kind of makes up for it. In Belmont!!! We just did special 4 day exchanges there! Does the Lord prepare you or what??

Belmont covers 2 wards which will be a lot of information to pick up all at once. I serve in the area of the temple. SPECIAL! They have few investigators right now and there's like 2 less actives on their record so itll be the complete opposite type of work that ive been doing in Ellington. I love sister crane so much and ive always wanted to be her companion again. It's a car area but everything is so close together that a lot of times we'll walk. I get to be in the same ward as our counselors to the mission presidency President Haight and President Christensen (smartest business man in the world....literally.)

 

As sad as I am to leave Ellington, it's hard not to look back and see all the little stepping stones that have lead me to this point as clear signs that I know I am supposed to go there. I know itll be a good opportunity for me to be a Sister Trainer. I have no idea what the heak ill be doing but it means i get to go to the best leadership meetings and i get to do exchanges across a lot of the mission. Such an exciting time. Its such a testimony to me that Heavenly Father simply just loves us. He wants to make us happy and help meet our righteous desires. He blesses us in unexpected ways because he knows what will make us happy more than what WE think will make us happy. 

 

It's so sad to hear about all the natural disasters that have occured. We received wind gusts and a little rain from the tornados in the midwest and it is devistating to hear about the Phillipines. Im not sure if its as a missionary or just me but its weird, the Lord numbs you of experiences like that....either that or im an inconsiderate person. you feel sorrow but ok. That it's all going to be ok, and everything erases from your memory. Sister Barney's family lives in the area of the tornados so that was a scary time for her - but we got news that all her family is safe so that's good. It's so hard to leave ellington, my new home and its even harder to leave your investigators and members that youre closest to because they feel like literal family. I got to have one last lesson with Gary and he is praying about Dec 28th as his bapitsm date. Im hoping that with the perks of doing exchanges I can come down for his baptism.

 

I love you all and I love the Lord. I could probably be a missionary forever - - but for some reason i dont think my mission president will let me do that :)  A lot of days are rough and thinking of days like tomorrow where ill be stepping into a whole new world where i dont know what the heak the Lord wants me to accomplish there. But somehow, we just wake up and start moving and something happens. Im sad to think that i probably wont get freshly killed chickens from peoples backyards or walk into nasty hoarders homes...but im sure the classy people of Belmong have something fun to add :)

 

MUCH LOVE,

Sister Bell

 

Be ready at all times - you never know what the Lord's going to call you to next!