Little Moments

June 29, 2015

My lovely Christmas card.

Sister Quaye and me.

1 Year!

Sister Quaye and me.

Darling Family,

Heavenly Father has blessed me so much this week. Not even in our investigators or in the area but just in my perspective and in noticing the little things that He blesses me with--perfect orchestrations.

Tiny things from this week that made me really, really happy:

1. Two new sisters from the US came into the mission from Utah and Idaho but also from BYU and it was fun to hear about BYU (I love that place too much) but standing there in the mission home with these two freshly-from-the-MTC sisters and feeling their excitement reminded me of when I arrived in the mission home all by myself and how fresh I felt, too. They kept asking all of these questions and wanting to hear my wisdom and it was strange to think they look at my as an "old missionary". When did that happen?

2. President Erickson took Sister Frimpong and I into his office and after some things that happened he just wanted to express his love for us. He told us how much he loves us and appreciates what we add to the mission. He doesn't do that very often so it was just a sweet moment.

3. I literally felt your prayers this week. I don't know who all is praying for me but I really, really felt them. I never understood when people said they, "felt other people's prayers" but this week I get it. Even as I learn manual driving in this crazy city I felt prayers ascending to heaven on my behalf. Thank you, whoever you are.

4. Something I've been praying to know what to do about was made clear as I read the Book of Mormon this week. Prayers are answered. The Book of Mormon leads to revelation. And I also just love looking down at these scriptures I got on my baptism day and to think how far they've come. They have traveled around the world with me and it all started when I was a tiny little thing and I got into that freezing water at the Fairfax chapel. Now my scriptures are worn, and the pages are filled with writing and dirty finger prints and I love them so much.

5. With Sister Quaye from my old branch in Lilongwe and Sister Falco from my old branch in Blantyre in the same house as me I have gotten updates on all my recent converts and it's the happiest thing. Some are definitely struggling but then multiple of my converts in Lilongwe are preparing to serve missions and I could just cry! Many are coming up on their year marks in the Church. And after month and month in Blantyre with pretty much no fruit Sister Falco told me that this lady we taught a lesson to and then seemed hard to get a hold of is now getting baptized with her husband and son! WHAT IS LIFE? I'm so happy! I remember I had been praying to have a reaffirmation of my testimony of the Restoration and then in that lesson the Spirit was so strong and I felt it so much and now she's getting baptized with her family. Miracles!!!

6. In one of my personal studies this week I was reading President Erying's talk from General Conference about fast offerings and the Spirit taught me something I've never realized about the Atonement. Sometimes we think that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and our pains simply because of the fall and the natural way mortals tend to sin and feel pain, but I realized that 

Christ suffered to uphold the Father's plan that there HAD to be sin and pain in order for us to learn and become better and refined. He suffered knowing that that was an essential part of the plan and not just a natural effect of the fall. I love my Savior and His submissiveness to God's will. I want to be more submissive.

7. We were teaching one of our sweet investigators called Ammon (perfect name, eh?) and as we talked about faith then he gave an example of a full, unopened can of soda and an empty can of soda and compared it to faith and I laughed because I knew he had been reading the conference Liahona. He's solid. I'm excited about him.

8. On my year mark (26th) we were going about knocking and contacting and suddenly I found myself on the exact same road I contacted on my very first day in the field when I had a day in Lusaka. This is a road I've been looking for for a long time because I haven't been able to get this old man we taught that day out of my mind. It was sort of poignant to finally find myself on that road on that particular day. I found the old man's house and when we knocked and walked in he was sitting in the same exact chair he was sitting in one year ago. It was as if he had been waiting for us all that time. I sat down on the same exact couch but what was interesting was how different I felt a year ago and right then. I remember my heart was beating out of my chest and I barely said a word as we taught him but sitting there once again I felt so comfortable and free and it was like Heavenly Father put a mirror up to me and showed me just how much I've grown and changed. He is so incredibly aware.

9. That night, the power was out (it's been out like every day this week) so Sister Falco and I sat with one candle in our living room and talked for a long time. This sounds silly but I noticed a tiny ant walking around on the floor and as I watched it, it just kept making big circles around and around the candle. We sat there for hours and it just kept circling. I think it was a funny way of Heavenly Father teaching me that my problems are pretty small. This ant thought the candle was the only thing in the whole world but it was missing out on a whole house of adventure. I guess I learn through simple, small things but it was important at the same time. I look at my problems as mountains sometimes but really they are grains of sand.

10. I came into coordination with the Elders and bishop to find a letter on my chair from someone I didn't know. I opened the envelope to find a big Christmas card from this Polar Express place in Lindon, UT I've never heard of. I didn't know any of the many people that signed this Christmas card and though it was 6 months late it made me super teary that somewhere out there a bunch of strangers made little me a card. It was tiny but it made me so happy. Also, that is how long mail can take in Zambia so it looks like I'll never be getting mail again. Actually it arrives in Zambia quickly but it sits at the post office for months.

These things are so small but they made me happy this week. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that is so aware. 

Notice the little things this week!

Love you!

Sister Proctor