Humbling week 7-21-14

Hello all,

What a humbling week this has been. I feel as if all of my flaws and imperfections have been made very clear. I have never felt so much responsibility or motivation in my entire life. It feels as if a million things are weighing down on me, and yet I feel as if I am flying at times. God literally can and does expand our abilities and talents in order to fulfill His purposes.   I have been able to remember more information and names and appointments and topics and concerns and questions and commitments and on and on than ever before. It is like my mind has become sharper and more able to retain information. I know that it is a temporary thing but it is amazing to experience.

My little Greenie is super cute and awesome. She is actually almost 22 and from West Virginia. Her name is Sister Vincent and I love her. She graduated from BYU in Speech Pathology (I don’t believe in coincidences) and has a brother serving in Ogden Utah. She is super sweet and learning fast. I feel super lucky to train because it is forcing me to be my very best. I am not slacking at anything. But it is also very hard sometimes because you really do have to kinda run the show. I have to facilitate the lessons in such a way that she feels important and useful and the investigators feels important and listened to and the member feels worthwhile. STRESSFUL. I am trying so hard to let go of my ideas and use hers. I am trying so hard to trust that everything will work out ok. I am actually getting decently good at it… but not perfect so I must push ahead. I wanted her to have responsibility and worth from the get-go so I assigned her a lot to do and set her free. She is the one that has to invite people to be baptized and she has to lead in certain situations. I have been so touched to see her fear but also her determination to be her best. We actually had miracles all week as we set two new baptismal dates and had awesome lessons. God is so aware of our efforts and always makes them enough if we give Him everything we have.

Being an STL is also a lot to deal with. I have to pretty much be on top of everything and be able to help everyone. It is like all of the sudden I am supposed to have all of the answers to everything. I want to have all of the answers but I just don’t! Instead I have been praying a ton and trying to find anything I can to help. I have been making notes and handouts and papers for my Sisters. I have been studying for them and their needs. It is making me such a better person/missionary. I have lots of exchanges this week so pray for me to be able to do all I need to do.

Our mission is pretty far behind in baptisms for the quarter right now. And my Zone is the farthest behind of them all. That is putting a ton of pressure on the zone but mostly the leadership, so me and the Zone Leaders. We have to figure out how to flip this around and baptize. They called me last night and said that if the zone was going to be able to make it to the goal it was pretty much up to my area. The weight of the Del Mar zone is literally resting on our shoulders….me and my brand new sister. Oh my. I was feeling quite overwhelmed with everything. Training, STL and area. It is so much to think about. I finally started to realize the power of the Atonement to lift burdens as I took all these very real concerns and needs to the Savior. I thought of all He was called upon to do and how He still had agency to choose to do it. He didn’t have to actually complete His calling in life. He could have called it quits at any time. That knowledge empowers me for some reason. It makes Him so much more real to me. I have a choice before me- I can call it quits because the thing I have been called upon to do just seems too heavy and too big, or I can use my agency and give it my best effort and complete all that I have been sent here to do. All God asks of us is our hearts and our free will to follow Him. I choose to do that. I choose to do that every day even when it seems impossibly hard. I choose to train a new missionary in the way my Savior would. I choose to help my Sisters and guide them in the way my Savior would. I choose to pour my heart and soul into my area just like my Savior would. And I know without a doubt that He will make me enough. I have already seen it happen. Miracles have happened every day this week. Revelation has come every day to me as I have sought for it. Comfort and strength and energy that is not my own has been poured into my body. I really love Sister Vincent; she is one of those lifelong friends I was promised at the beginning of all of this. I really really really love Del Mar. I get to spend 50% of my mission here-what a blessing that is. I really love the sacrament. You should all study it for next week.

I got to study about repentance this week. I was giving a training on how we can help people repent. I studied the Savior’s life and how He helped people repent. So many beautiful accounts are found in the New Testament as Christ so elegantly shows us the better way. That is what repentance is- choosing to take a higher better way from now on out. Christ helped people see what they did was wrong simply by showing them a better way of life and exhorting them to follow it and then taking their hand and going with them. So beautiful. Let us all try and live a better way so that we can take others with us.

Ricki is an investigator that we set a baptismal date with. His dad is a super less active in prison. One day he found a Book of Mormon and began to love the church again. He now teaches gospel principles in prison. Ricki wants to be sealed to him one day.  We taught him the restoration and committed him to baptism on the first lesson. Just like we are supposed too! YAY! Hopefully we can keep teaching him and showing him that better way.

We also set a date with Obed. I will tell you more next week about that one J

LOVE YOU ALL!

Sis Huber

Sister Training Leader 7-14-14

Hello!!!

Well my goodness….where to begin…..

On Wednesday I got to go to the San Diego Temple. I love that place so much. I can’t really even describe the feelings and thoughts I have when I am at the temple. It is such a renewing experience for me to go. It was sunny and beautiful and just a perfect day.

Oh Thursday morning I got a phone call from my mission president. He asked me if I would be willing to train a new sister coming into the mission tomorrow. After I had accepted that assignment he asked me if I would also accept the call to be a Sister Training Leader (STL). STL’s are the sister leadership in the mission. They are equal with the Zone leaders and oversee the entire zone. I will be in charge of going on exchanges with all my sisters and I will be teaching and training at all the zone trainings and zone conferences. I will also sit on the mission leadership council that happens every month with the mission president. Ya…..I was a little overwhelmed to say the least. When someone takes over a stake area like I am they usually get two transfers with the old companion because it is so much information and area to learn quickly. Not only am I losing my companion but I am also getting a brand new sister and going to be very busy with other sister’s needs. I went up to Vista to the mission office to receive training on how to do everything and every other sister getting called as an STL had been out at least a year.  And none of them were also training. I just sat there taking it all in and trying to decide what I could bring to the table. I thought of my area, which was in shambles a few months ago and needs a lot of attention, I thought of how much time and attention a new missionary needs, and I thought of all the emotional support I will need to give to the sisters serving in Del Mar. Then I thought of all the time and days I will need to spend on exchanges. I will not be able to be with my companion a few days out of the week and she will not be able to be in the area. It is a lot to think about so I went to my zone leader and asked for a blessing. It was such a humbling perfect moment for me. He spoke to every concern and desire I had. He spoke of how this would be a stretch for me but that I was more than ready. He blessed me to be able to gain trust with my sisters quickly and immediately.   He said I would be able to quickly discern my companion’s needs and act to fulfill them. And he said that not one person in my area would fall through the cracks. He said God was aware of what I was being asked to do so every person He placed in my path would be there for a reason. He said that people were being prepared and would be put places that I would find them this transfer. I felt such peace. I am thrilled for this opportunity to grow. I am grateful that I choose to make myself ready for whatever God needs me to do. We all have the power to be great. In fact, greatness literally runs through our veins. We are children of a Heavenly Father. We are divine beings who have unlimited potential. As long as we believe that we will always be reaching higher and farther than before. We will always look up because we know that we belong with Him. We can empower ourselves to allow the greatness shine through. We can accept our Savior Jesus Christ into our life so that we can be made whole. We can embrace the second chances that God wants to give us. I have never spoken with my Heavenly Father in such a deep way as I have this week. I truly have laid my fears, my despair, and my burdens at His feet. I have knelt at my bedside for 30 minutes at a time as I have talked it all out. He listens to every word. He answers every prayer. I have taken to going to bed with a pencil and notepad because of all the thoughts and ideas that flow into my mind after I pray. I will jump up and write them down for the morning. I feel the responsibility and weight of my assignments but I also feel the strengthen power of Christ’s atonement that allows me to bear the weight. What a good week it has been.

We had a musical fireside for the whole stake this week. I played the piano for Savior Redeemer of my Soul.  It was awesome! We did the Restoration through music. Each point of the lesson was a song and had a quick testimony in-between. It was so powerful! It was completely missionary run and it turned out very well. These are some talented people I am serving with. I saw Michelle and Margot at the fireside. I about cried when I saw them, you forget how emotional attached to these people you are. To see them at church with smiles and the spirit in their eyes was just so joyous for me. Robert also came and Amy!

I am so glad the world cup is over. Seriously. I met someone that served in your mission Seth! They loved it. Kate and Mom- Happy Birthday!!! Love ya all. I guess I have officially served 1/3 of my missionL I don’t want to think about that. I am going to be a train wreck when I come home. Sister Grover goes home in 5 weeks……I will be sad to lose her in the mission.

I don’t know what to say! I have so much going on now so I probably will just shorten all my emails. I have to study numbers and things with the mission during computer time. I am feeling better mom! So no worries there. Enjoy this summer! It is a good one.

LOVE YOU

Sis Huber

HAPPY LATE 4th!‏ 7-7-14

Hello,

Ah man, I have like no time this week……quickie coming your way.

First off, I am so grateful to be serving a mission in this country. I felt very thankful about that this week. It is a huge honor and blessing in my life. I know God is protecting this land and the rights found here.

Did you know that Ether would have been the king?!! That is big news. He would have been king if the people didn’t war and overthrow and all that jazz so often. Just some insight I received while continuing to diagram Ether with Felix this week.  I am turning into a Book of Mormon genealogy whizJ

Amy is still adorable and great. We taught commandments and had great discussion on why certain commandments are so important. It is so easy to understand them once you understand that God only gives us direction to help us move forward. All he wants to do is bless us. He really does love us so much!

Robert has been taught every single lesson now. So now we take him to lessons with us. He helps us teach our other investigators or less actives. Kind of a brilliant idea huh?! He really knows his stuff and always offers great insight. He loves church and says he feel like every time he steps on the church grounds he enters a bubble where the world doesn’t exists. He doesn’t want it to stop ever. I have come to peace with the knowledge that one day he will be ready to get baptized. Maybe there is someone else that he needs to meet before it can happen. Regardless, I know for a fact I needed to play a part in his conversion and I am happy I have been able to do soJ

We are teaching Lucas, the one from China, and he is awesome! Really! He is so sincere and calm. He really seeks to understand. I love teaching him because it is very intelligent talk. I helped him create a formula to gain his desired result last visit. I just felt like nothing else would work and then the spirit helped me to be able to take secular knowledge and fit it into the gospel. All truth is from God! We talked about desires and how we can come to know if there is a God. I love that even though it is very hard for him he prayed three times last week! He said each time he could get farther in his prayer.

Isabella got baptized! I taught her in Encinitas. She is 8 but her parents aren’t active/members and divorced. It was so good to see her smiling face.

Happy late 4^th!!!! It was a great day! I got to see about 3 minutes of fireworks as I walked in that night. I walked really really slow. So transfers are next week….jeesh that was fast. I also hit my 6 month mark. What is happening!  

Guess what!!!! I ate that nasty raw fish stuff called sushi!!! I can’t even believe I did that. I was kinda forced into it. It was tuna or something like that. I put the entire thing in my mouth and swallowed. It was a successful week. Now I can relate to my investigators having to do scary hard thingsJ

Everyone is so scared of forever. That is a huge problem. I never even thought about it before but now I think about it a lot. Any insights? So many people are so scared of being married forever that they can’t move forward. It terrifies them. I guess what is the biggest blessing to some people is the scariest part of the church to others. How do you deal with forever?

We had some nice conversations about how we are the devil this week. Always good times. Summer is in the air here and so is a lot more drinking and drugs. I love Moroni 7 because it tells us so clearly how we can tell good from evil. All men are given the ability to do so and it is up to us to lay hold upon those good things. God had granted me a very clear understanding of certain things while here on my mission. I am grateful for that and for the chance to try and bring people to the same clarity. I love you all!

Sister Huber

Ether!! 6-30-14

Hola!

It is July! How on earth did that happen? It seems crazy to me.

I am just going to try and get lots of stories and people down today. Bear with me.

C is a recent convert of about two years. He was found and taught by elders. The first lesson he was taught they talked about aliens and how the plan of salvation proves their existence. Yes, that is what they taught him. Needless to say, the ward now has sisters and we have very special lessons with C.  He is very deep thinker and brilliant. He tells us what he wants to learn about. This week it is the book of Luke. Last week it was Zion. He is awesome though and it is always an enjoyable time.

We had a miracle story. We were heading to dinner and had an extra 30 mins or so. We decided to go walking and talk to people along the way. One of my old investigators was us and called out to us. We walked up a path to get to her and talked for a few moments. As we were walking back down I saw a man sitting on a park bench. He had not been there just a few minutes before when we first walked by. I walked over to him and started talking. He told me how he had just got out of the hospital after being beaten up protecting a teenage girl. We talked about God and shared the Book of Mormon with him. He started crying as he read the passage we shared. He felt the spirit so strongly just from reading one verse. He kept saying how we were angles and it was a miracle we found him. We left him with the Book of Mormon and set up a time for the elders to go teach him. It was amazing to see how we were right where we needed to be. It was also touching to see how the spirit affected him so strongly just from holding/reading a portion of the Book of Mormon.

Robert is doing well. He is getting pressure from a lot of people and doesn’t like that. It is kind of a hard situation because he was so close to being baptized and then a conversation he had with someone deterred and frightened him. We are working on helping him get back on track. He is praying about a date again. He got really sick this week when he was supposed to go to his family reunion. He was really worried about this because there was lots of drinking going on there.   Because he was sick he didn’t drink at all, I don’t think he would have either way but this helped him out. He got a priesthood blessing from some people in the ward and that was really cool to see. He really enjoyed the singles ward this week and hopefully will start progressing towards being confident in his decision to join the church.

I went on exchanges and went biking!!!! Yes mom, I biked in a skirt on my mission. I always said I would hate doing that. It wasn’t even that bad just hard to balance all my stuff and bike up the hills. I enjoyed it though.

We picked up the most amazing investigator! He is from China! He was raised atheist in China and moved here a few years ago. He started reading the bible and wants to know if there is a God. He is so respectful and kind. We taught him about God and invited him to pray to find out if He was real. He was happy to do so. I can’t wait to keep teaching him. I believe that the way we will get to China is through people like this. Seth-on your mission I am sure you will run into a lot of Chinese people who want to learn. It is amazing!

I had the funniest lesson of my entire life this week. I can’t even describe how hard I was laughing about this situation. His name is Felix and I actually found him back when I was serving in Encinitas. We taught him the first lesson on the restoration of the gospel and then passed him off to the YSA sisters. Well fancy that, I got transferred to the YSA ward so now I teach him again. We show up and he tells us he has been studying Ether…..apparently he googled short synopsis of each book in the Book of Mormon and decided that Ether looked good to him because it talked about boats. He is a painter and wants to have a greater understanding and appreciation of baroque art. He decided that because many of the painters used the bible to help with their painting, a study of the Book of Mormon would help him gain this. Can you see how this is already super funny? He grew up in Argentina and is not like anyone else you would ever meet. He also thinks we live in a convent and are nuns. So funny. He will text us and say-  to the Mormon sisters, can two of you please be available to meet with me this coming Thursday to discuss the book of Ether. And I would also like more information on the book of Noah which I can’t seem to find in the book.   Hahahahaha. We just about die every time. So we go and meet him and he starts asking about kings and who killed who and what not. The book of Ether is genealogy and overthrowing’s… not really something we would EVER assign to be read. I don’t even know what the heck is happening in that book. Well we got talking and next thing I know we have paper out and are diagraming and creating a family chart for the book of Ether. We chronologically wrote out what king was in power and who killed who. We then would circle the names of the righteous verse the unrighteous. I was trying not to laugh the entire time! He was so serious about it.  I think that Felix has a deeper and more complex knowledge of the book of Ether then any Mormon I know. It was a testimony to me though because at the end he said, “This has already helped me so much. Knowing that kings can be righteous and unrighteous helps me see the emotion and point of view in the art. It is so much more real and alive to me since I have studied the Book of Mormon” People, the spirit is in the Book of Mormon. It literally is in every page and verse……don’t ever doubt that! You can gain something from all of it. I have seen it happen this week.  Since we are missionaries though, we had to tell him that we must start learning the lessons for our meetings to continue. So the plan of salvation next week! That will be a hoot. Stay tuned folks. Also please enjoy the pictures that I took of our charts and findings on the book of Ether.

Ok I saved the best for last!!!! AMY!!!!! We got a call that someone in the stake had a girl that was ready to meet with us and be baptized. Their son has been friends with her for a long time and just got home from his mission. We went over Monday night and started teaching her. We have now taught her the first three lessons and she is getting baptized on July 12^th. It is truly a miracle. Members have so much influence and power in conversion. She is also very prepared and has been living the church standards her whole life. She is very earnest in her searching and gets so much out of her reading. That really makes me want to be better. I am grateful to be serving YSA because the people are now going to be my friends forever. I will always be Amy’s friend. The first time I saw her she looked so familiar to me. I just knew that I knew her from before. The member that we took said it was because I was her missionary. I like to think that is true. I know that I needed to meet and know Amy. I also know that I already knew her, or at least my spirit did.

Well I best be going. Happy 4^th people. Go light something on fire in my name.

Sister Huber 

I'm Back!‏ 6-23-2014

Hello to all,

I am back. It must be Monday. This week was wonderful as usual.

We had some amazing lessons with investigators. I can't actually remember what I have told you in the past so if I repeat forgive me.  I went on exchanges and that is always a change. I am still working really hard to actually enjoy those. It is a struggle. But I am sure they are great and we learn a lot from them. I have to do it again this week.

One thing that has been a blessing is to see how the ward and the less actives have been responding to missionaries lately. They are much more open to visits and meeting with us. We are making strong friendships and being able to help them out better. It is always amazing to see how God places us in the right place at the right time. Some days we end up in an area and meet just one person that really needed us or was open to our message. That to me is a miracle considering that we cover a stake and have lots of places we could be. I believe in planning with my whole heart.

We met this kid named Slater on the street last night. We ended up teaching him a lesson and picking him up as an investigator. He was super nice- he just has a few language issues and a drinking problem. The gospel is going to change his life!!! It is always fun to see them at the start and then to see the change happen. You can literally see a light come into people’s eyes when they start to live the gospel.

We taught another guy we found in a parking lot at Vons. He was super into his church and was telling us tons about it. We shared the book of Mormon and he looked at it with a yearning that was apparent. He picked it up and flipped through it for a moment before handing it back to us and declining.  He said his church preached against the Mormons and that he was told he would go to a bad place if he even talked with us. He said we seemed nice enough to him and that he would love to read, but that he just couldn’t. It was so sad to think that some preacher is telling their congregation false things so that they would be scared to even talk with us. I am glad we were able to at least make an impact on him.

We went to a baptism with some people from the ward and it was incredible. It was a 14 year old boy and his father. I have never seen someone look so happy in my entire life. The boy was grinning and glowing. It made me remember why I was here.

We had a lesson with some people this week on Hope. It was amazing to better understand the concept as I studied and taught it. Hope is an abiding trust in God. It is optimistic and enthusiastic. It requires patient perseverance. It is how we gain greater faith. The scriptures tell us we can have a perfect brightness of hope. I guess that means we can have an optimistic attitude and perfect trust in God. I want to have that.

I am reading the New Testament every day and I love it so much. It is beautiful to read the words of Paul and Peter and John. If you have any extra time you should pick it up and read 2 Corinthians.

I am grateful for my mission. I am grateful for my time to come to know myself and God better. I guess we need 18 months because there is so much to learn and improve upon. May we all keep learning and growing.

Sis Huber

p.s. Mom- that talk was Excellent.

Its a Party in the YSA!!!‏ 6-16-2014

HEY HEY HEY!!!!

Life is pumping down here on the coast. It is beautiful and the air is fresh. People are happy to be free from school and busy because of some crazy thing to do with soccer....might be the world cup or something like that :) All I know is that soccer should not be a higher priority than the gospel....oh well.

Well that is it, the Huber's are taking over America. Seth I am so proud of you and I can only imagine how awesome of a mission Washington D.C. is going to be. Does it get better than that? (Only if you are in southern California) Leah I hate to break it to you but your mission is still last on the list of places we want to revisit someday. You can always meet up with us on the beach or in D.C. after your visit with the dusty plains of New Mexico :) Seth, between the two of us we are now owners to the two most beautiful temples in the world. How lucky is that? You really are going to love being a missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are going to be so good at it.

My 5 month birthday was yesterday so we made chocolate cake, gluten free of course, and ate it at 10:30 at night. That is the life of a busy missionary. YSA is different because it is really hard to get meals. I ate 4 different dinners in church kitchens out of cans this week :( Not quite as glamorous as what I am used to. Mom- please feed the singles ward sisters in our stake. Tell them it’s from me. Make sure to give them a treat because if we do get dinner we rarely ever get a dessert. It will make them so happy. I am trying to figure out how to stay on a tight budget in an expensive part of southern California and still eat decent food. Any creative ideas? I am open to anything.

I love my YSA ward! It is a huge adjustment because nothing is organized, nobody holds appointments, they have crazy work schedules and so on. But they are good people and they are so real. It is kinda nice to be talking and just have someone start telling about the time they drank or what not. It makes it so much easier for investigators to understand and feel accepted because it is so apparent that we are all on the same journey together. I love having people in lessons also because they are all RM and just so on their game. Like half the time I feel like I should just sit back and watch. They don't even scare me anymore. I have just decided to be me and work hard and let everything fall where it will. Working out so far. It is interesting though because the ward has campouts and activities that we can’t attend. This makes it hard because any active member that would feed us or come to lessons with us are gone. It makes finding people a lot harder. Next week we don't even have church due to some big conference in San Diego. How does one get investigators to church that isn’t happening? Hmmmmm we shall see. I guess I will go back to Encinitas this week. That is also strange.

So we got this referral from media. It just had a name and address and a request for a Book of Mormon. We went over and knocked on the door. He opened the door and saw we were missionaries. Immediately he goes, "Do you have the book?" I held the up Book of Mormon in my hands and he got so excited. He kept saying, "I can't believe you actually have the book right now" "I get one right now!" I proceeded to hand him all 4 of my copies because he was just so excited. I told him he could have as many as he wanted :) Haha anyway he told us how he talked with a missionary in the Czech Republic and heard about the church. He told us he was atheist but wanted to now serve a mission. I asked if he believed in God and he said yes. I told him he wasn’t atheist and he again got excited and said, "I guess I'm not atheist!" We think the person he talked to in Europe was a general authority, so that is kinda crazy. We don't know how his information got on Moromon.org because he didn't put it in. Somehow we got the referral though. It was an around neat experience. I can't wait to teach him!

We have such cool investigators. I can't really tell you about them all right now but just trust me. It is interesting to see a theme with people. So many of them have lost a parent or loved one. Lots of word of wisdom troubles. I am getting good at teaching these principles. I am also coming to understand them better for myself. I am grateful for that. One boy we picked up last night has a father in prison. He drove ten hours to see him on father’s day. His dad found the church in prison and now teaches gospel principles every week to the people in there. How cool is that?! We get to teach his son and he wants to get sealed to his dad when he gets out. Amazing stuff...the gospel heals and fixes lives. The gospel blesses families. Another boy lost his dad and his mom is dying. He is the most upbeat person I have ever met. He bore his testimony on fast Sunday. It was his first time at church. I wish I had the faith of some of these people. They inspire me. Unfortunately he is out of town for two weeks so that is slowing his progression. But he is getting baptized on July 12th when he gets home. I got to set that with him! I love asking people to get baptized.

Robert. That is a story for a whole book. It is one huge reason I needed to stay in the Del Mar stake. He is now transitioned and is being taught YSA. So I am now teaching him again. I know without a doubt I have to be the one to teach him. I don't know how to describe it but I just know it. When I left Encinitas I felt like I tied up all the loose ends expect Robert. It never felt like it was over with him. I continued to think about him and receive revelation for him. This week the choice was made to move him out of the family ward and into YSA. I am now the missionary who has stewardship over him again. I guess that is why I didn't feel finished. He already loves YSA and has friends. Soon he will actually be ready to be baptized. The process of conversion is lifelong. Sometimes faith means stepping when it seems very dark. He will get there soon.

AHHHH it is so crazy to be a missionary!!! Sometimes you want to cry and most times you want to curl up and sleep. BUT all times you are happy and glad to be alive. I will keep trying to figure everything out and let you know what I learn.

LoVe,

Sis Huber

Would you believe what happened.... ‏ 6-9-2014

Get ready for the craziest story of your life.

You ready?

 You sure?

I got IN ZONED to the Young Single Adult ward that meets directly after the Encinitas ward in the same building. That means I see Sister Grover and my entire ward still. Brutal! It also means my area is huge! I cover the entire stake instead of being confined to a very small space. I honestly don’t even know what to say. When they announced it in transfer meeting I starting laughing. It was laugh or cry so I opted to laugh. Reasons it is really hard- I see my old ward but they aren’t my ward anymore, I have to watch the new sister and remind myself that it’s not my place anymore, I see sister Grover and that is super hard because I can’t talk with her and it just makes me want to be with her again, I miss the elders and my old district and I can’t forget about them because I still see them around, I hear about everything happening in Encinitas and sometimes I get sad because its seems like I should be there. Really it is pretty tough. But like in everything there are so many things to love and be grateful for. Reasons I love what happened- I get to be by the coast and ocean in the summer!!!, I get to be close and still hear about my old investigators, I get to be in a YSA ward!!! (party), I get to cover a stake and go all over, I get to teach people I already know or have heard about (this one is huge), and I have a great companion!

Well now on to things about being in a singles ward….heavens so much drama. You wouldn’t believe it. There is an entire booklet of rules and guidelines for YSA missionaries. It starts by talking about how very few missionaries can handle the stress and unique problems that are associated with a singles ward. It says YSA missionaries should be bold, socially adept, focused, and should easily connect to people. I guess I fit that? Who knows but I will try and work it out. It also talks about how trust is a HUGE issue in YSA. This is the problem; you have a ward full of return missionaries that know EXACTLY what you should be doing. They know the rules and they know how to be a good missionary. These people can be great assets in teaching but they also can be hard to earn the trust of because if you aren’t on your game 100% of the time they become wary. The way you conduct yourself and act around the members is noted and judged. Trust can be lost in a day if a missionary decides to not act like a missionary.  Anyway this particular ward is awesome, awesome people awesome leadership. However in the not so far away past, some great issues arose with the missionaries. Trust was lost due to the conduct and behavior of some. That trust in now being rebuilt and we are under tight inspection. The last set of sisters was awesome and they started building it up but now we must maintain and they continue to increase.

This means that YSA is not all fun and games. In fact it is the most stressful thing ever. I have never felt so burdened. I love it but I know I have a lot of people counting on me to be the best missionary possible. I have to find the incredibly fine line between being friends and being friendly and what they would consider to be flirting.  I have to create strong bonds with the ward but the instant they think I have some other motive everything is ruined due to what happened in the past. Fun right? To top it all off there is an incredibly large set of problems with pass offs from other missionaries. The instant you met an YSA aged person they are to be sent to us. This rarely happens. So we now have to transition people who have been taught home ward that weren’t supposed to be.  I have spent lots of time on my knees this week. Lots and lots of emotions to deal with, I have had at least two different missionaries in tears because of investigators they shouldn’t be teaching this week. I think God put me here because I will make it happen. I will work hard and show the ward that I am here to be a missionary and I will make sure that the zone is following procedures about pass off. I will say the hard things to other missionaries when others maybe wouldn’t. I am learning how to love but still make it clear that something is not right.  I now understand so clearly my own faults and weaknesses and also my ability to just do what is right regardless of what others think. If all the missionaries in my zone hate me I guess at least God loves me.  It has been insane!!! I can’t really describe the things on my mind. So many people I am worried about. I have had multiple bad nosebleeds, probably due to my high blood pressure. Mom, don’t fret. I need this to learn and grow. I am breathing and figuring it out. I am feeling fine.

We set two baptismal dates this week. And found two new investigators. So God is blessing us. My companion is a hard worker and very obedient. She is super cute and happens to be diabetic. We have our highs and lows together (meaning blood sugars of course). I am grateful for her.

I love this gospel. I know it is true. If I didn’t I would never be here. I believe in prayer. I believe in a God who can wrap us up in his arms with the spirit and tell us everything is going to be all right.  I asked for a hug last night in my prayer and He gave me one. I believe without pain, heartache and stress we cannot grow. I believe that God can take us and shape us into an entirely new person. It’s a process but in the end you will be more then you ever could be alone. I have felt countless times this week confirmations that I need to be in the Torrey Pines YSA ward right now. I have been given a portion of the needed skill set and the rest God is willing to grant me as I try really hard. I love these people so much. Return missionaries are scary but man they are also fun! Even though I don’t get to go to FHE (we go out and work so people will take us seriously and not think we are hanging out) I know that this summer will be a blast!!!

Seth- Get pumped. Let me know asap. I can’t wait to hear. I want you to come here so bad!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL,

Sister Huber