Ah!!! Things are
changing! It's so weird to know I'm going to be with someone else this time tomorrow.
So transfer news: I get the awesome blessing of staying here in the Los Robles
ward of Newbury Park! I'm very excited to be here. There is so much work going
on and there have been so many miracles. I'm so excited to be here to continue
to do what I can for these people and to help them progress. Sister Cusick has
been called as one of the mission's Sister Training Leaders! They're basically
like the traveling sisters. They do exchanges and train at conferences and
stuff. She is going to do so well. She is an amazing missionary and such a good
trainer. I will miss her so much. We have had such a great time together and we
have learned to work so much. My new senior companion is a Sister Dixon whom I
shall meet tomorrow morning at transfer meeting. I'm really nervous
about having a new companion, so please keep me in your prayers tomorrow.
I'm also really excited to get to know someone else and to see how we work
together. I'm going to be the one who knows the people here. I will have to
take the lead a lot this week. I can do this! :)
So there is a lot of work that has been going on this week! There are so
many miracles that we've seen in this ward and this area lately. We feel so
humbled and so blessed. We were pretty much booked all week with scheduled lessons
and appointments. It was awesome! President Castro told us that our ward
mission leader called him this week to tell him how impressed he was with all
the work that we've been doing. That felt good. :) We are really working hard.
And I will continue to work as hard as I can to help the work progress here. I
am learning to love the people so much. I love the ward members, I love the
missionaries, I love the people we teach. And I've learned that when we focus
on helping others to feel loved, we feel loved. :) So M. and G.
are doing really well. I love them and their family. They are so sweet. We're
excited for them as we continue to work with them towards their baptism coming
up on March 8th. We also have been having a wonderful experience with S.
He is such a good person and I am so happy that we have been able to meet with
him so much. This week in our lesson, I invited him to be baptized. I was
SOOOOO terrified before that lesson. I was so nervous to do it, but in the
moment, all of my fear disappeared. I was just focused on how much I wanted to
help him. When we have Christlike love towards those we serve, all fear
vanishes. As I invited him I felt the Spirit so strongly within me. I felt so
warm inside. I felt so happy and at peace. I knew that I was being an
instrument in the Lord's hands. Sam is going to be baptized on March 15th.
:) I am SO excited for him. He is wonderful.
Guess what, Dad! I dug a hole this week! With a real shovel. ;) We did
service for a man who was digging a four foot deep hole in his front yard to
get to the pipes. He was very nice. He said he works for Raytheon? I think. He
said that you might know what that is if you work for Boeing. After digging a
hole for an hour, we went to prune roses and weed for S. Yeah, I was sore for
a few days after the digging. It was awesome though.
This week I have been studying a Christlike Attribute each day from
Preach My Gospel. I would strongly suggest this to everyone! It has helped me
to be so much happier. I study the section in PMG and then write the attribute
at the top of my planner for that day. I then focus on the attribute throughout
the day, doing my best to be more Christlike in all I do. The 2 that had the
most profound impact on me were the days that I focused on having Christlike
Patience, and then the day I focused on Christlike Charity. And today,
Christlike Hope. (That one's my favorite.) Every time I have a negative thought
or I would start to get down or be sad or hurt by something, I would turn my
thoughts to trying to have that attribute in the moment. And it has helped me
so much. Any of the Christlike attributes will help with any problem you are
faced with. I felt so much better on a daily basis. I'm becoming a lot happier
as I focus on others and on being more like the Savior. I am going to continue
to focus on His attributes.
Mom, I loved your email. It made me really happy. I'm glad you like my
pictures. And yeah, I really do have a lot of things that you've sent me that
make me very happy. It sounds like there's been a lot of fun things going on
this week at home. I hope all of you are doing well. I think about you often.
Dad, keep working hard. I'm proud of you and the work you do. I love that you
are all so close to me when you're in California. Emma, good luck on your
try-out! You'll do awesome! I'm proud of you. Tell Mr. Wilcock I say hi and
that I miss him and choir and class. I'll be singing that song this week. I'm
so excited for the shirts! Keep working on that! Yes! Oh, also, Mom, I'm almost
out of my Fruits/Veggie Vitamins. I have 6 left. I have a lot of the other two
still though.
Becca and Sam, thank you so much for your letters this week! I loved them
and will write back soon. Thank you all of you that sent me emails and pictures
this week. Susan, I love your pictures. Jana, I'm so happy you're doing well. I
will keep praying for you and Baby. Does James really remember me and mention
me? :) That makes me so happy. They lift me so much. I love you all very, very,
very much. Write to me! ;) Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Melanie
(Sister
Hardman)
3 Month Mission Birthday! Ah!
I'm doing it! (See all of the wonderful pictures of you!)
A sweet woman gave us
balloons when we visited her.
This is Sam. He's great!
