The last letter! Ahhhh!!!! I can’t believe it’s here. And of
course, no rest for the wicked, this week has been absolutely crazy! Complete
with toe surgery, a mid-transfer-adjustment, a mission-wide conference, and
many more things. Way to go out with a bang, right?
We had an all-mission conference with Elder Zwick and Elder
Hemmingway. We all got to shake their hands and talk to them for a minute. It
took forever, but it was awesome! There are a lot of changes being implemented
in the mission. We now have to turn in all our key indicators via online area
book. I’m not going to lie, I’m glad I’ll be missing that because it is very,
very inaccurate and it’s going to be a pain!
It was really cool that the whole mission got to get
together though. It’s fun to see everyone you haven’t seen in forever because
they’re at opposite ends of the mission. I bet it was really nice for everyone
down in Wyoming
who never get to see the other missionaries.
We learned a lot about the importance of companions, not
only mission companions, but the companions we will have throughout life:
spouses, councils in calling, etc. It’s true that the mission is the best
training for life! I learned a lot at the conference. We are so blessed to have
had this visit!
We volunteered at the Community Café again this week. It was
nice to be back after all of these months, but too many people showed up to
volunteer (a great problem to have!) and we weren’t very busy, so it wasn’t too
exciting.
I had my departure interview this week. It was a great
experience and very spiritual. I will admit that I was worried because Sister
Thackeray came out of her interview bawling, so I was like, “oh goodness, maybe
he is calling everyone to repentance…” But it was a very pleasant, affirming
experience.
We went on exchanges this week and President decided to make
it permanent! My first and last mid-transfer-adjustment. Thank goodness too,
because it’s rough! So I will serve my last 6 days here in Bozeman 2nd ward with Sister
Cutler. She’s really sweet and it’s a pleasure to work with her, though I
really miss Sister Thackeray.
I got to meet a lot of people in 2nd ward and we
had a lot of awesome lessons. One of their investigators speaks only Spanish,
so we had to teach the whole thing with an interpreter. It was really cool and
he is so prepared! His baptism date is the 21st!
I got to have my last lesson in sign language. We went out
to see the D--- family and let them know that there are 4 interpreters in Belgrade 1st
ward and to invite them to attend, but they don’t want to go now because their
testimonies have wavered. So I committed them to reading and praying about the
Book of Mormon one more time and they said that they would! So, fingers
crossed. They are so sweet, they just started going to the only other church
that had an interpreter and they are comfortable there now. So sad.
One of the other missionaries that served in Bozeman got in contact
with them, but couldn’t sign, so she just typed a message into her iPad and the
D--- did not like that at all! She told me that she likes to be talked to,
face to face like we were doing. So it was a definite blessing that I got to go
see them one more time, even though I have forgotten a lot of my ASL vocabulary
over the past few years.
I got foot surgery on Thursday for 4 ingrown toenails.
That’s what you get for walking too much in church shoes! ;) I was very blessed
and my old branch President offered to do it for free, so I seized the
opportunity. It was quite painful I’m not going to lie, and I still am hobbling
around in quite a bit of pain, but it was totally worth it! I’ll save you all
the rest of the details though, for any of you who are squeamish.
We went tracting which was rough because of my foot surgery
but we had such success! Two people invited us back. One was really funny. We
felt that we should knock on one last door before turning in for the night, so
Sister Cutler pointed out a door and we went and knocked on it. This little old
lady answered, clutching her cane like she was going to hit us with it. She
said sharply, “what do you want? Why are you here?” So we started talking to her,
though she intimidated both of us pretty bad. We started talking about families
and she just broke down in tears. It turns out that she lost her husband and
her two best friends all within the same year and has been having other
hardships.
We both hugged her and she ended up letting us in and
talking to us for almost 40 minutes. She thanked us profusely for listening and
admitted that she was planning on hitting the person at the door with the cane
because someone had been sitting outside her house for a long time that day and
she thought it might be the same creeper.
She is so sweet and we are going to introduce her to a lot
of people in the church and we will visit her again. Her life is so hard right
now! The only thing P--- (that’s her name) has to live for is her dog, B--- (who got her hair all over me…). It was an amazing experience.
The other lady that invited us back is pregnant and has two
other kids. When we knocked on her door, we were planning to use the same
tracting approach we had been using successfully for most of the night, but to
my surprise I started talking about family home evening and strengthening the
family! It turned out to be perfect because she invited us back!
This Sunday I got to see P---, one of the people I
taught many times with another set of sister who ended up being baptized. I was
so happy to see that he’s still attending church. He was homeless since he was
10 but now he has an apartment and a calling in the elders quorum! He looks so
much different! It’s really a pleasure to see people’s lives change.
It’s been such a blessing to serve a mission and to get to
see the Lord’s hand in people’s lives and to be able to see how involved He is
in every single person’s life! He truly loves us and cares about us. I am so
grateful for the privilege I have had to serve the Lord full-time for the past
year and a half. Though it hasn’t been easy by a long shot, it has been worth
it. I know that the mission is the best thing I could have ever done for my
life and I’m grateful to everyone who encouraged me to go.
I know that the doctrine that the church teaches is true. I
know that it is the only way to return to live with our Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ again. I’m so grateful that I have the gospel in my life and I’m
so excited to come home and be a full-time member missionary!
Thank you to all of you who have been such good writers and
emailers over the past year and a half. It has meant the world to me, you have
lifted me up and encouraged me. You all mean so much to me!
Well, that’s all I can think of for now. I’m excited to see
a lot of you later this week! Stay strong and be an example of the believers!
Lots of love and hugs,
Sister Draney
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