November 3, 2014

Hey Fam and Friends!

Transfer calls are this Sunday night! Usually on Monday, and then we have P day on Tuesday, but this week will be normal because for the first time ever transfers will be on a Tuesday because President has a meeting in Salt Lake (I believe) on Wednesday. Wonder where I will go. I pray to stay here... I love Hollywood!

This week was almost a week of standards. We missed it by 1 I@S, which was really sad. Okay straight up devastating to be honest. It is SO hard to hit standards. Probably 1-3 companionships do it a week (mission wide) I bet. We did almost everything we could, but obviously there is more to be done. We will find out what that is so that we can hit standards next week. We have to!

We are teaching a miracle family. Truly, we are blessed to have run right into them. They are progressing so well. This family teaching situation is going exactly how teaching is supposed to go. They were fellowshipped at Stake Conference, two days after we met them. We are able to bring members to almost every lesson. At first, they asked a lot of questions, but now they recognize that those outlandish, difficult-to-answer questions are not as important as that peace one can find through prayer and reading the scriptures. They understand that answers will come. They arrived late to Sacrament Meeting, but we explained that they could go to another sacrament meeting (Nova YSA in Plantation) at 2:00p.m. You did not have to ask twice. They were on their way! We taught them last night (the restoration) and they are preparing for their baptism. Nothing will stop them. I am so thrilled to be able to see them enter into the baptismal covenant next Sunday. 

Hollywood North is probably the best area in the mission. I do not understand how we are having so much success. This area is so special to me because we are able to see the fruits of our labor so quickly. Sister Gardner and I are so unified, we are literally always thinking the same thing. We can trust each other in lessons (switching off every 2-3 sentences) to pick up where the other left off. It never, ever fails. I feel like our time could be coming to a close because teaching with her is pure joy.

I got to read my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon today: Moroni 7. Oh my goodness I could underline and highlight this whole chapter. I love how if we are charitable, we cannot fail. Charity is success, therefore, when we are built upon charity, we cannot fail. I am learning on my mission that serving with a withholding heart is the same as not even serving at all. Serving a mission but thinking about what is going on back home and telling yourself that you will just be happy when you return home is serving in vain. Heavenly Father does not count that as service, nor can He have you to change while you are in that mindset. He will never take our agency, and that is why it is so important to hand ourselves over to him to change. Like the Fourth Missionary, we can make "a stroke, but He can make a masterpiece." And that is done through trials, prayer, humility, etc. I just love how much I am learning each week, and each day, on my mission. This time is such a blessing. I am having a hard time comprehending why I am so blessed.

We also had a RC (recent convert) lesson in President Hoopes' home. He is a member of our mission presidency. We taught the Plan of Salvation to a woman who joined the church almost a year ago. He and his family were there around the dinner table. He served in Barcelona and was comps with Jeff Matsen Jr. Small world.

The ward had an adorable Trunk-or-Treat on Tuesday and one of our investigator families was able to meet a lot of people. They loved it. 

Mom how was your birthday?! I thought of you all day. Did you have Susie Cakes or go to the beach? ALSO I GOT TWO LETTERS FROM YOU THIS WEEK. Those were the best. Loved your Spanish! I only could not understand one word. Everything else I got. That was a first! I remember when I could not understand your Spanish. 

Also, ALLYCAT oh my thank you so much for taking the time to write me. It meant so much to me. I love you.

I hope that you all enjoy this week. I know we will. The temps are dropping to the 70s and we are actually chilly! My blood is so used to hot weather. You should ask Denise Baker or Sis Livingston about a thankful tree and make one :) Sis L. has the Hollywood House covered, and Denise got us one at BYU last year. You should make one for home!

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Can you believe I am nearing my 7 month mark? Nuts. Time needs to slow down.

Love,

Hermana McCormick

A Two Package Week

October 21

Hey hey family and friends! How has it been another week already? I hope that fall at home and in Utah is treating everyone well. When Sister Jackson and I run in the morning, we do a little dance when it is "brisk" out. Aka 80 degrees, and yes it actually feels amazing to us. I guess that means I have finally acclimated. 

ALSO Dad and Sister Livingston coming in so clutch. My gosh I was spoiled rotten this week with two Trader Joe's care packages! I got the healthy food from dad and some more semi healthy treats from Sister L. They were all pumpkin and now I finally feel like I am celebrating fall. I just love it. I love the support from you all! I am so blessed. 

Sister Gardner has been so sick, poor girl. She has been unable to work all week, and I have learned a valuable lesson. I have learned how much I lean on my companions. I thought that I was Miss Independent who pulled more of the companionship, but I find joy in going out of my way to serve her. I realized how much I need my companion in decision making, planning, etc. I am so grateful for this lesson! She has been so sick, so we took her to Urgent Care. Turns out, they caught the beginning of pneumonia. Crazy, right? But she is on a Z pack and thankfully is doing way better already. Our members are amazing and we got two members each day! I love this ward. One to stay with her, and one to work with me. We only got 1 investigator at church and we were short 3 baptismal dates.... but other than that the Lord blessed us and we were able to almost hit standards. The West sisters and the STLs have been so amazing in helping us with exchanges. Sisters Bird and Amoilameh helped us so that I could go to sacrament meeting yesterday.

I have been studying the Book of 3rd Nephi. The spirit that I feel as I read those chapters of the Savior's coming reminds me of a conference talk. The love that we feel for the prophet is a gift from God, as is the spirit that we feel as we read the scriptures. I know that as I feel calm and peaceful and full of love as I read about Christ appearing to those in the Americas, it is the spirit telling me that this is true. Our Savior really did die for our sins. He is so perfect and so loving and he never thinks of Himself. He completed the atonement, and then went to the spirit world to minister to them. I know that as I utilize the atonement more fully, I will be able to be carried beyond my own capacity as I serve others. I have felt it. 

I really do love this work. It is easy to feel like I am not doing enough, but that is part of the process. I love the level of spirituality that missionaries are able to feel. On top of that, we have "ah-ha" moments daily. I think that is why missions change people so much. However, my mission has been the means by which the atonement has changed me. I am so incredibly grateful for this time that I have to serve the Lord full-time. Missions are HUGE blessings. I am blessed each day that I have here to wake up and serve the Lord.

I love you all so much. Crazy to think that I will be home in less than a year. Hope the time is flying for you like it is flying for me. It definitely motivates me to give my 100%, my absolute all each day.

Love,

Hermana McCormick

Latest Pics from Hollywood

October 10

Hi family!! Hope that your week has been amazing. I cannot believe that I am almost half way through my 4th transfer in the field... time is flying. 

First of all, m I will send you my christmas list in the mail today... is that alright?

This week in Hollywood North has been a bit challenging. My poor companion has been very sick with the flu. Being home for 5 days (with the exception of daily 1-2 hour exchanges), has reminded me of how much I love missionary work. As soon as I got out and taught I felt so invigorated and renewed. I felt so happy and joyous and focused as I taught and harvested. Sister Gardner being sick has proved to be a blessing in disguise as I long to go back out for a full day. Luckily she is getting better.

We were so blessed to be a part of 3 baptisms this weekend. N.'s family was baptized on Sunday!! It was such a special day. N., S., and J. were so ready to be baptized. They loved the service and our amazing elders. After the baptism, they all came up to us and kind of begged us to come over Sunday night. That was so awesome! Only N. had ever asked us to come over. The kids were so humble and kind.. they wanted us to come teach them. We were so grateful for the ward's help with the baptism. The longer I serve, the more I realize how important and integral members are in this church. They are everything! I will definitely be a hard working member when I get back... you just have to be.

I was thoroughly impressed this morning as I studied the end of the Book of Helaman. I feel excited as I read about the 4 years before the Savior's birth. I love reading about the signs and the wicked people. Samuel explains that these wicked people say that had they lived in the times of their fathers, they would not reject the prophets. Little do they know, that is exactly what they are doing. We can relate this to people nowadays. They are so quick to reject spiritual truth for logic, but that is why we are here. 

My testimony continues to grow that I really was called to be in this mission at this time. I love reactivation! Elder B. offered to harvest in our area. He asked where we thought we should go, so we prayed and felt best about a street in Dania Beach. He ended up running into a less active recent convert! Elder C. had baptized our new friend, in Cypress Creek. A wonderful member brought him to church on Sunday and it was so amazing to see him open up and light up with each passing hour. He was so grateful to find his new church building and ward. We were so thrilled to see him return to church. He loved Sunday school and was participating a whole lot. We are grateful for our inspired leaders.

Just a little week at a glance...

Monday: P day then we went a had a wonderful harvest. I love walking around, knocking doors, and meeting all of the different people in FL.

Tuesday: We taught our friend A. Have I told you about him? He is so incredibly knowledgeable about the gospel/Bible. We like working with him, and we are looking forward to seeing him progress. 

Wednesday: good busy day. A newlywed couple, recently graduated from Nova... LOVE THEM, took us out to lunch at Pollo Tropical. I got a delicious veggie salad with some grilled chicken. J. served in Tampa and got home last December. She is only 23 and if she were at BYU/not married... she would be a gooooood friend. Love her.

Thursday: Sister G's fever hit like 102 so we stayed in for half the day.

Friday: I got to go on exchanges with a member as her fever was 103.

Saturday: exchanged with the west sisters (Jackson and Coates) SO FUN. I love working with Sis. Coates. I love meeting and working with all these new people here in FL.

Sunday: the most amazing baptism... Sister G insisted that we go and told me her fever was lower... I should have just taken her temp because she was not well, so we went right back home. 

Monday: the west sisters say that I was going a little crazy so I got to work ALL DAY with Sis Jackson!!! Aka we took care of our area AND theirs. Aka I SPOKE SPANISH LOTS. I felt so at home. I love teaching with Sister J. She is so fun and we have a similar style and she was just a joy to work with. I just feel such a connection with the Spanish-speaking people. I haven't felt so amazing teaching in a while. I just love teaching in Spanish because you can't fluff it up. I have to keep it simple because that's all I know! It automatically makes it easy to teach and get straight to the point.

I cannot believe that I am 2 days away from my 6 month mark. It definitely makes me want to improve and change each day. I am so incredibly grateful for my call. The timing, the mission, the areas, the sisters I serve around, the investigators, the members. Goodness I just realize more and more how truly inspired my call was. I need to be here, right now. No other time. I am learning so much and I just hope and pray that I am able to put it into practice. That is the trick with the gospel. It is perfect and simple. It is us mortals who make it so difficult. 

I love you all so much. Study the end of Helaman. I love it... it gets me so excited as it leads up to Christ's birth. We are so blessed to have a Savior. We cannot even comprehend it. I know that He died for each of us so that we can live with our families and our Father in Heaven. The gospel is just as true for those who believe it as it is for those who reject it.

I love you all more than you know

xo

Hermana McCormick

Wonderful Companions and Zone Conference

September 30

It has been another amazing week in Hollywood North. We absolutely loved the Mission Training that we had last Wednesday. I loved seeing some friends from down south who had been transferred up north with me! I love how inspired this work is, and how inspired our direction and counsel is. I was reading in Alma 46 this morning and had an epiphany as to why we continually read the scriptures, pray, and learn in the gospel. As I read about Amalickiah plotting to kill King Lehonti and then marrying the queen, I am reminded of how quickly us as mortals are to forget our God and turn to sin. I love the line in "Come Thou Fount" where it says, "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, Lord, take and seal it..." We truly are so quick to forget our testimonies and pieces of our conversion. 

Our area in Hollywood is progressing well. Sister Gardner and I have been meeting and teaching many people and we have truly been blessed. One woman is very eager to change her life and keeps her commitments and reads the scriptures we leave with her. We took the elders and a member over yesterday to strip her floor and clean her home. She was so touched by our being there to help. She gave us coconuts and walked us to her car. She could not thank us enough. I feel such a connection to her when I look her in the eyes. I really feel like Heavenly Father has great things in store for her.

A miracle that I saw this week has to do with the effect prayer has on one of our investigators. She cries each time we pray. I have not seen the spirit bring such an effect in a while, and she loves the feeling of peace that prayer brings to her life. 

We did exchanges last week and I got to spend a day with Sister Amolameh. She is such a Christlike and uplifting person - I learned so much from harvesting with her. She is so kind to everyone, especially those that reject us. Sister Amolameh is an amazing sister trainer leader and I am thrilled to have another transfer to learn from her.

I am excited for another transfer and General Conference. If we do not prepare spiritually, we will hear a wonderful talk. However, when we prayerfully take a question to the Lord as we watch GC, we receive personal revelation. I really hope that each of you do this with me. I know that this GC will be the best! I see the gospel more clearly each day and I am so blessed to be in the FFLM mission.

OKAY PACKAGES. My goodness. Dad sent the most needed package ever. Whey powder, ThinkThin bars, trail mix, etc. A Trader Joe's heaven-sent package and I was so excited. Friday (the day that we exchanged, I left HWD and worked in Nova YSA), I got a letter from mom, then at the baptismal interview with a YSA, the Zone Leaders brought me not one, but TWO packages. I was thrilled and felt totally undeserving. Well, dad killed it with a TJ package, and then, what was the second... a NORDSTROM box. Anyone who knows me knows that this may or may not have brought tears to my eyes. I forgot Nordie's still exists. I open it up and see the same shoes that I had complimented Sister Matherian on at Mission Training! No joke, two days before, I told her I was obsessed and was going to add them to my Christmas list. But no, they came to me 3 months early!!!!! I could not figure out who did that. At first, I thought mom and I was like gosh dang family stop spending so much on me I feel bad! But then I saw the packing slip.... my fave Brandi Murray. I cannot even express my gratitude. Brandi!!! You kill me. I was so happy, and needless to say I am wearing them right now and have been each day. I felt lots of love from Newport on Friday and that was really special and much needed.

I love this work. I love working harder and harder and feeling exhausted because going to bed tired is my favorite. I love passing out and knowing that I did all that I could that day. I gave it all to the Lord. I can't believe that I have almost been out 6 months. Time needs to slow down because there is so much work to do and I do not want my mission to pass me by! I love this quote: "Do not let your mission pass you by. Taste the bitter and the sweet." I would like to think that I am doing just that! I enjoy lunch, and harvesting, and teaching, and driving around and getting to know my comp better each day. The gospel and my mission are helping me to live in the moment. It is such an overused phrase, but so hard to master. Good thing I have another year left.

I love each of you more than you know. You are in my prayers and I am grateful for you.

Happy Birthday (tomorrow) dad!!! Enjoy YOUR day.

And enjoy General Conference. Make some waffles and have a nice family weekend and watch each session. We will watch it together :) Love you

xoxo

Hermana McCormick