Something New

Dear Friends and Family,

Although compared to most weeks in the mission this was a short week, it was still pretty exciting. Nothing too eventful happened in flying back west--though because I was wearing my tag a member from the Amarillo 3rd ward stopped me in the Dallas Forth Worth airport and I also discovered that my flight to Sacramento was piloted by a member in the Loomis 3rd ward (which is in the Stake I'm currently serving in). My second plane was late, however, so Sister Perry couldn't pick me up after all, but the Biglers, one of the couples in the office, were kind enough to fill in. I quickly discovered exactly how serious they were about my travelling though. As the Biglers helped me put my luggage into the car they had to move a camping cot which they then told me was to be my bed for the next 12 weeks! Then we went to the Mission Office to pick up Sister Mauga's bike and a 72-hour-kit which also gets to travel with me. Then it was back to Lincoln! Sister Mauga and Sister Curtis seemed happy enough to get me back, and after I had bought some groceries and unpacked a little we sat down to brainstorm some finding ideas. I discovered that these sweet, industrious sisters have been tracting almost 4 hours every day! In fact they have nearly tracted out the whole area again. Tracting is all well and good, but there are other things we can do too. We didn't really get too much done Thursday because I was quite tired (I had to get up at 1:00 am California time) and so after unpacking, rearranging and setting up furniture, and picking my stuff up from the Evans family we just had time to plan and get to bed.

Friday was mostly missionary work as usual. We did our Friday Morning planning and then Sister Perry came and took us out to lunch. I think this was as my welcome back into the mission (President Perry was doing interviews in Redding so he couldn't come). Then we walked, tracted, and NNCed. You see while I was gone the mission did away with OYMs and replaced them with New Nonmember Contacts. It was interesting to meet with members from the ward again because some of them didn't even realize I'd been gone (or thought I was just new), some thought I'd only been gone a couple weeks, some thought I'd been transferred away, and then some were just completely surprised to see me back. Saturday was the first day of my mission that my companions and I walked the whole day just because we chose to. I have to say I was very impressed by how well my feet held up because usually the first few days of summer they give me problems. I could tell by the end of the day, however, that I definitely had spent 7 weeks at home!

What I was looking forward to the most was seeing what reactions I would get from all the different ward members on Sunday. I am happy to report that I received very warm greetings especially from the Ward Council. It was tricky to explain that I would only be here for a few weeks. I was very impressed, as well, when a ward member came up to us and told us that they had a non-member friend they wanted to bring on a Chapel tour; finally all my talk about chapel tours is paying off! We also had dinner last night with the Clark family who had fellowshipped Sister Kawasaki and my Miracle Investigator/Convert of last October. I was so happy to find out that they'd invited him to come. It was great to talk to him and know that he is still so excited about the church and is still doing very well. He gave his first talk and goes out with the Elders in his ward as a ward missionary almost every week.

As for my new "calling" as a Travelling Sister I'm still trying to work that out. I think it is especially hard for me here in Lincoln because I am so used to being the Senior Companion here (after all I was Senior Companion here for 6 months). It is also a little tricky since I have also been Senior to both of the Sisters I'm with here. So I try to bite my tongue and make sure I'm letting Sister Mauga lead out during planning, study, and the decisions we are making during the day. I am also trying to figure out how to help them in the work without making them feel like I am constantly analyzing and evaluating them. They have done some good work here even if they are both really quiet and neither of them have been sleeping well for the past 6 weeks! I am working with them on the quiet thing, but I don't know how to help them about not being able to sleep. That is probably another one of their big problems in being louder and more creative in their finding; they can't think clearly since they don't get enough sleep!

I also realized exactly how much the Spirit really does affect and help you with missionary work. Tuesday night I was lying in bed trying to remember the phone number here in Lincoln and it took me ages. But as soon as I got back here all of a sudden I could remember everyone's names--and their kids' names--and all the streets, and everything else a missionary needs to know about their area. Actually when I got back it really felt like I had never left (except of course that Sister Mauga was here now). I also discovered that I have this wonderful new ease in talking with everybody. My door approaches and NNCs are so much more natural and fluid than they ever were before I went home. It is amazing and I guess it is to help me in my new role here in the mission, but I certainly appreciate it!

I hope everything is going well with all of you!

Love,
Sister L. Sorensen