December 22, 2014

Ok ok ok best/hardest week ever. Best because I get to see your faces via skype in 3 days and also the big football game here that BYU is playing the Dolphins or someone in Miami... YEAH WE GET TO GO! So long as we go with gators, so we are going with Robert and his kids. Oh my, I get to see my Cougs!!!! And I have a friend who is a Cougarette so I hope she is there that would be fun to see her from afar. I am obsessed with BYU and basically my heart has been hurting missing their football season so I am convinced that this is Heavenly Father's tender mercy for me.

We are making amazing progress with a beautiful family we have been teaching. We went and taught the father and his sons twice this week. The first visit, I had a pit in my stomach. I had a feeling that our lesson would either result in a drop or a baptism. It truly could have gone either way. We taught the Plan of Salvation and explained that this baptism is necessary to be sealed to his family. Involving his children was so awesome because we explained how pure children are and how we can learn from them, and he did exactly that. He finally admitted that us teaching and visiting him was only blessing him and making his family happier and closer, so he is ready to be baptized. His children were sad that they could not be baptized with their dad yesterday, but he has committed to a date next week so that they can all be baptized together. He is owning his date! We got him to stay for the baptism that the elders had yesterday (maybe we had to pack some snacks because they always leave right after because they're starving... and it worked!) and they loved it. This dad was telling all of his member friends that it is his family's turn next. He was smiling so big and was so proud to tell them that they are entering into that covenant next week. I know that the Lord worked a miracle here. My heart is so full. I have so much joy looking forward to next Sunday.

We have another investigator who is progressing well. After only two lessons, he told us that he knows without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true. That was amazing!! Prayer changes things. His testimony is strong and he accepts everything. He is golden. For me, fasting is especially hard. When we fast, Heavenly Father knows that we mean business. And he never lets us down. Never ever. As missionaries, I feel like we are spoiled and we have our prayers answered very frequently. Also, we took a member to teach him and it was so interesting how much they look and act alike. It was like looking at a mirror. They could be distant relatives! And they love each other. I have SUCH a testimony of working with the members. They make the lessons and learning so much more meaningful for our investigators.

I started the Book of Alma this week and I just love the story of Alma and Amulek. As a missionary, I have so much to learn from them. They are amazing examples of persistence, unity, charity, diligence, and following the spirit. They put their whole trust in the Lord and I am working to have a companionship like theirs.

Sister Morrow is an incredible missionary! I’ve loved getting to know her as my new companion. She is a new missionary, has a little homesickness and exhaustion, but she pushes through!! She read the 4th Missionary this week and is not only learning from that talk, but is anxiously engaged in applying it. She is an inspiration and all that I could ask for in a companion. Oddly enough, we are like the same person. I tell people that and then I wonder if it is totally vain to tell them how much I love her. But really, we are the same person and she is already so aware of balancing the work and being exactly obedient. I really feel so blessed to keep getting the best companions. 

I am convinced that this ward is the best to exist, second only to Eastbluff because the seminary kids threw us a surprise Christmas dinner to make us less homesick. So kind of them. Weird because you all know how homesick I usually get, but I am actually doing just fine. I miss you all, but I am thoroughly enjoying purely focusing on the Savior this Christmas. Sorry if that was a dagger to the heart m & d. What I mean is that it is nice to not have to worry about the stressful traditions and getting gifts and spending money and cleaning the house for Christmas day or whatevs. I do miss you all, but this is my time to focus on the Lord. Because He is the reason that we can live together forever. It is a blessing to be able to give my time and my will, although I will never be able to pay Him back... this is a start: to live each day as He would and to truly glorify Him.

Before I forget, Skype will be around 3:30-5:30 or 6 my time. We don't know for sure because 4 missionaries are going and we don't know if we will all Skype at once on their 4 different comps or what. Also they have a son serving in Brasil so he will skype too so it's up in the air. Don't stress. Worst case scenario, you aren't on and the Navarrette family will call you. And mom will get to show them her espanol yay.

So back to training... it is so hard because my sweet Sister Morrow is a SISTER. Yeah. So 2 hermanas came in, and it was me and one other hermana who were in staright spanish areas. So we knew that we each would get one. So I didn't pay as much attention to the Sisters. But then they assigned me to be with Sister Morrow... which I was stoked because she is adorable, from Utah, super fun and hard working, but she came from 2 weeks in the Provo MTC. So I am teaching her spanish and turning her into an hermana. Stressful, right? Stressful on both of us because she feels like she is in a foreign country and I just pray that I am teaching her well. Whenever she gets stressed, I just remind her that people go to the Philippines and are just fine. But like mother, like daughter... she is a stress case so I am working on controlling my stress for both of us. Funny how Heavenly Father works to refine us. But anyway, she is awesome and can introduce herself and say a prayer and some doctrine so she is getting the hang of it quickly.

Also, KK I don't know if I told you how grateful I was for the money you sent me. Money is literally a gold mine for missionaries.... and that allowed me to get some fun stuff like a food scale and a steamer thing to steam veggies, and I will go shopping too for a couple of tops. YOU AND JAKE ARE THE BEST.

Well, family.... I will see your faces and hear your voices THURSDAY at 12:30-2:30ish your time. Enjoy Christmas together and send everyone my love. And if gpa can come to Skype too, that would melt my heart.

I love you all more than you know!

xoxo

Hermana McCormick

My good friend Elder Levy went home!

I low key got the 2 best packages of life this week. That quicksilver shirt and oats and other fun things that I desperately needed and a FLAMINGO PARTY! Stayed tuned next week for photos of the crazy party we are having tomorrow.