I honestly am losing all concept of time. I blink and then a whole week is gone and suddenly I'm sitting back at the library getting to hear from all my people. I'm starting to get worried because even though I should be receiving mail and packages, that doesn't appear to be the case. Hopefully Sister Hibbert will let us go to the Post Office after we finish here so we can see what's going on. Please keep trying though. Maybe a miracle will happen and something will get through.
This last week was an interesting and good one. Our Zone Activity was actually pretty fun (mostly just minute to win it games, and a game of dodge ball that I'm certain was not "white handbook"). I'm glad that we went even if it did mean having things happen a little differently on P-day than we had anticipated.
I went on my first exchange with Sister Austin, one of the sister training leaders, on Tuesday. It was actually pretty awesome. I'm grateful that I had the chance to see how another missionary approaches the work and how she approaches teaching. It was just cool to have another perspective. Sister Austin is absolutely a kindred spirit and we were fast friends. I've been so grateful for all the times that I've made fast friends as a missionary. It's funny how Heavenly Father works because I really did need to be in Marion with Sister Austin that day. We went to visit a part-member family whose 16 year old son hasn't been baptized because he's terrified of water. It was only when we started visiting with the mom that she explained that he's autistic. I'm going to e-mail Shandra after I'm done e-mailing here and hopefully she'll have an idea about how we can help him. I also got to teach my first restoration lesson while in Marion. It's true that reciting the first vision verbatim really can bring the spirit unlike anything else. It was such a remarkable experience to be able to share the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with two people who had obviously been prepared to hear it.
The rest of this week has also been really good. In our coordination meeting with the ward mission leader, he mentioned that he thought there were still sisters in Delaware to help a particular inactive family. It was funny because as we were sitting there I felt very much impressed that I was going to be able to be of particular help to this family, even though I really knew nothing about them. When we stopped by to see them on Friday night it became clear that I had in fact been blessed with skills that would make me particularly effective in helping their family. As we talked with the parents, their son came downstairs. Initially it was apparent that he had special needs, but I wasn't sure how I could ask and see if he was autistic without potentially offending the family. Luckily I didn't have to ask and the Dad told us that he is autistic. It was in that moment that I had an even bigger push from the spirit telling me that this obviously was why I was going to be able to help this family.
I had hoped that I would be able to use my therapist skills as a missionary. The special needs, and particularly the autistic community have such a special place in my heart and it's been really weird not coloring and playing with trains several times a week. I knew it was a miracle when I got the job working for ABS. I knew that Heavenly Father had softened Jeff's heart so he would consider hiring me despite my lack of on paper qualifications. I had never fully understood that getting me out of the call center was not only about helping me be at a place in my life where I could consider going on a mission, but was also about preparing me to be the instrument that the Lord would need in Ohio. Heavenly Father knows exactly what he's doing, and I take great comfort in that as I often have no idea what I'm doing.
I finished the Book of Mormon this morning. My challenge to all of you is to go and read Mormon 7. It might be my new favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon. I love how Mormon tells us those things that we need to know and what we'll do as we come to know them.
Well my dears, the church is true, life is good, God's in charge, and Satan hates you!
Love,
Jessica
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