Sister Jamie Szabo

FAMILY! I can't believe that we're emailing again! This week feels like it was ten billion years long and that I was just writing yesterday at the same time (I know how you feel Dad.) I feel like that's how it is with mission time though. I feel like I was in the MTC last week and at the same time I feel like I've been in VA for years and that I'm never going to make it home. This week I really tried to work my hardest in everything that we did. Sister Anderson is really teaching me that as we take it one step at a time, in every action or decision that we do I can bring myself closer to or further away from Christ. It's stinkin HARD! and lots of times I feel like I'm failing as a missionary but in my Institute class at SNOW Brother Fife taught me that it's Satan that will make me feel down in the dumps and that it's the Lord who will give me a "kick with a lift." Basically I feel bipolar because one second I have this awesome perspective and I'm so grateful that I still have 15 months to improve and become better as a missionary and the next minute I'm feeling like 15 months is an eternity away. Mols is awesome though and always reminds me that some day this mission is just going to be a memory and that it's right now that I'm going to be talking about for the rest of my life. Sorry, I'm rambling (as always. poor Sister Anderson gets this every day). 

I LOVE Sister Anderson sooooooo much! I feel bad that she has to live with me because I am not nearly as kind or as forgiving or patient or understanding or anything as her, but she's amazing and is teaching me to "work hard all day, everyday." This makes me sound prideful but I love being the one who's more obedient or the one who has a desire to work harder and she definitely exceeds me in both so she's keeping me going and she's teaching me so much at the same time. She's already mapped out my future for me and has decided that I'll go to Utah State with her and we'll be best friends forever. She's a lot of fun. It's fun to think that no matter where we get transferred we'll end up back at the mission home in 15 months together, riding the plane home and we'll be able to talk about how far we've come from this time we're spending together now.

We stay busy busy busy all the time. Wednesday we had to eat lunch and dinner in 15 minutes because we just didn't have enough hours in the day. We're still working with less actives and doing member lessons and trying to contact out investigators (they're killing us right now. I wish they could see how much the gospel can bless their life!). We basically forced the C*** to watch the Restoration DVD with us on Saturday night. They have a hard time staying focused and on topic but we had a really good discussion with them about Joseph Smith when we went in and immediately made our purpose clear. 

We also started teaching an 11 year old boy in our ward. His name is T***. His mom has been less active for a long time and I'm learning that it's stinkin hard to teach little kids! I have no idea what I'm doing. Sister Anderson is great though and has lots of creative ideas to do. She knows the Mormon Messages backwards and forwards which has been soo awesome because we've started using them a lot more in our lessons. I love it. I cry every time I watch them and it's cool to use the resources that the Church has.

We were "trained" in the Family History Center this week. Not really but Sister Zondler had us come in and we just pulled up our family trees and she taught us some stuff. She's awesome and is trying to get more people in the family history center and at the same time getting more people for us to teach. She has a son that's on a mission right now and he comes home in November. I want to be here to meet him because I feel like I already know him (I'm a creeper) but I doubt they'll let me stay in Kempsville for that long.

Last night we watched the CES Fireside. They decided that we (missionaries) could go and then at the last minute decided that we couldn't but we had invited a less active girl in our ward to come with us (her name is Sarah and I love her so much! She's amazing. Her dad is in the Bishopric and asked us to work on her so we ask her to come out with us all the time and she's come to church once.) so they let Sister Anderson and I still go. I loved when Elder Nelson said, "There is no shortcut to excellence and competence." He was talking about school but I think it's the same for a mission. I want to bad to be this awesome missionary but there's no shortcut to getting there. I have to work hard and got through these hard experiences to be able to be that person. This morning I read Elder Utchdorf's message in the Ensign "Saints through all Seasons" and he basically talked about the same thing, that it's these hard times that make us grow the most. Now it makes sense to me why people grow so much on their missions..because they're so stinkin hard! I love it though. I love being a missionary and I love that it's pushing me to be outside of myself so that I can learn these lessons that the Lord needs me to.

I love you all SOO much! Thank you for the package! It was such a fun surprise and Sister Anderson got one from her family the same day so that was lots of fun. I am so grateful for all of you. Every single day I find strength in the fact that I know I have a cheering section back home. I hope y'all have the best week and that you're praying for missionary experiences!! (yay for being a missionary hahaha!) LOVE YOU! 

Love, Sister Szabo

 The YW had a spa day for their activity Wednesday night and on our way out from our Book of Mormon class we stopped in to say hello and they let us do some wax stuff on our hands. It felt amazing! Basically as missionaries we're entertained by the little things in life :)

Sister Anderson and I both got a package on the same day! Yay for packages and for being out the same amount of time and for awesome families!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!