Keep Sending Me

FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 

The rain and the winds came this week, but we were all for it! Hahaha we are back to bikes and walking which honestly isn't that bad, we just layer up. 

We had exchanges this week and I had a great time!! I love getting to spend time with all the sisters and learning from them! I feel super lucky!! 

We've been able to spend lots of time with our abuela, Olga!!! We got to help her make some bread and teach her lessons. It was the coolest thing at the end of our lesson, she got very emotional and said that she has no idea how this has been working, but normally because she mostly speaks Spanish, she cannot understand and communicate well in English at all. But every time she is with us, she understands everything we say, and we understand everything she says. She was like, "hermanas, you don't understand, this never happens." I LOVE HER SO MUCH. It was soooooo tender and so cool to hear. The gift of tongues can come in so many different ways!! Her testimony of the goodness of God is growing and growing every time meet with her. What a blessing! 

One night I was on my knees, and I was asking Heavenly Father to help me see why I am here in Columbus. There were a lot of reasons why, but I was feeling the weight of the day, and just wanted reassurance so that I can do what He has sent me here to do.  The very next morning we had a ward mission committee meeting and we said the opening prayer and then immediately our ward mission leader says, "Now I would usually do this in private, but I've had a distinct impression to say this to you now.  I don't know why this came to me, but I need you to know that YOU ARE MEANT TO BE HERE. Whatever happens in this area is meant to happen. Who you are and what you're doing matters. The Lord has sent us all here to do this work and look it what we've been able to accomplish together. Don't you forget, you are meant to be here. I know it. God knows it. And I think your mission president knows it too."  I was just speechless. Tears rolled down both our faces. It was very humbling and very needed. It meant a lot to me.  Then at church. He came up to me again and said, "Did you need to hear what I said this morning?" I said, "Yes- I really did." And he said, "The Lord told me you did. And you better know I meant EVERY SINGLE WORD." And then he just turned around and walked away. I was touched that Heavenly Father would answer my prayer so quickly. I may not be able to quite see all that we have done, but I know that the Lord is aware of us, our needs, and is proud of our efforts. I'm grateful for that. I will keep going and keep looking and keep praying. I know this is His work. That was too crazy of timing to be more coincidence. I know He hears our cries.  President Ballard shared a special thought to us missionaries in a fireside for the North America Northeast Missions this week, and it's left me with lots to ponder. He talked so tenderly about His testimony of Jesus!! Which is something I have been focusing on so much these last few months. I felt the sincerity and authenticity of His words. I knew they were true.  He left us with a blessing, and a reminder to "have courage to see this all the way through, until you fall in your mother's arms on that day when you have done all that you could do."  I feel within me the capacity to keep reaching and keep giving and keep loving and keep serving and keep trying until the day that will eventually come when I fall into my own mother's arm after doing ALL that I can do.  What a tender day that will be.  What a work I have left to do!  Here I am, Lord.  Keep sending me.  ALL MY LOVE,  ox sister rich