^^Nothing to do with my email....just always wanted to use that in a sentence.
WHOA EASTER!
LITERALLY whirlwind week.
#BECAUSEOFHIM took over our LIVES. We made this HUUUUGE push throughout the mission to advertise it so it was like task after task getting it all done since the AP's were out traveling the mission so we were like their little SLAVES. For real. We made t-shirts.
Summed up? They had unrealistic expectations for our mid-sized office copy machine asking it to print 4,000 fliers.....burnt the thing out....ran out of ink like 4 different times....financial clerk Elder halted all production after rackin up the bill and the entire state of KANSAS was out of Magenta ink................lots of runs to Office Depot later....2,000 more fliers cut later........5 trips around the earth delivering/tagging mission cars with #becauseofHim/chalking up sidewalks later.......we did it! I have watched that vid PROBABLY like 45 times.......not exaggerating...CHILLS every time. can someone please find me that soundtrack to the music?? for real. I think we are going to fall asleep to it every night now.
easter.mormon.org .....just in case you missed it.
We sang in the Ward Choir? Director is a lady who converted from the Baptist Church a few years ago and has like a whole different level of Church choir.
I'm like LADY the only people who want to be here are in the Primary, the other half are feeling obligated because they actually are keeping their baptismal covenants and rendering service to others, and the other half are missionaries that got asked to be here because of the dwindling numbers. No, we do not know how to add dynamics in to a song, nor do we know how to read the music for that matter. Most of us only sing in the shower, and the other few who are singing loud...are the ones who should not be. We don't even get to wear cool ROBES when we're singing. So deal wid it.
So yes, picking This is the Christ that Mo-Tab basically has on copyright will sound really good. We've all heard it a million times so we will now just make up our own parts that are not even written in the music that we think we've heard before on the Consider the Lilies album and pretend like we are following along to your conducting. Yes, those two songs you picked that have like 5 different parts that switches keys 3 times and the time signature from 3/4 to 4/4 twelve different times in one song was probably a great choice for our Ward Choir consisting of 12 people, and yes, we will come in at the wrong time all 4 times because it's just the nature of Ward Choirs. it's part of the description actually in the red Church Handbook, you know, the one everyone refers to that NO one has read but acknowledges references to it? Can I get a Hallelujah? Amen.
Ok but for real. DOWN 2 DA GOODS.
CAROL
where to begin.
The time that was not spent marketing academy award winning church videos was spent with Carol.
Liker every.single.day.
Every HOUR was a different emotion from her. "I want to get baptized.....no I don't....spend 1 hour with me letting the Spirit testify the socks off of me and commit me to be baptized Saturday and then I will call you 20 min after you leave and tell you never mind........and then you'll set up an appointment for the next day and start the whole cycle over..."
ALL of this while everyone in the Ward is texting us about setting up stuff for her baptism Saturday... we're like COOL YOUR JETS SHE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE THERE.
Stressful.
Friday rolls around we have a full on STAKE OUT at her house. District Leader comes to interview her about baptism, LUCKILY has like a spiritual experience that she needs to be baptized and is ready despite that fact that in her interview she is asking what would happen if she postponed until Christmas....or maybe the 4th of July......
Crazy adversity down to pushing back her interview 1.5 hours because she randomly decides to call her hair dresser WHILE we are sitting there prepping her for the interview to come and cut her hair....who did I mention does NOT like Mormons....and then her evil friend from her old Church calls....all within 20 min......hair dresser would NOT leave...Sis Runia prays she will stop chatting and go.....out of NOWHERE "Well, I'm going to go take a nap at home...bye"
INSTANT.
We take her to dinner down the street and have a great time...start planning baptismal program....take her home everything is good....Spirit of Contention just settles in out of NOWHERE. I try and read some scriptures and you can tell there is just a literal WALL around her, like Spirit was not even there it was so crazy. She is crying saying why don't you believe me I am in pain and I can't be baptized tomorrow, we are like dumbfounded like HOW did this happen...tell her to go to bed and think about it.....
Go to print the baptismal programs at the office....call from our member fellowshippers (Carol called....not going to do it...told her to sleep on it)
I just laid down in the middle of the floor with office people stepping over me and had a miniature mental break down. Like I think that's what it would feel like to lose all sort of brain processing. Just no emotion, staring at a piece of carpet. Nothing left in me to even try and coax her. All that was left to do was to pray. Literally felt so helpless like done ALL I could to help her, and felt like Satan was still winning. Offered up the most heartfelt prayer in the WORLD when we got home and just PRAYED that there were others out there that would remember to pray for her too (so if you did THANK YOU!!!!!)
Called in the morning.
"I'm going to do it."
All sorts of crazy at the Church, hardly anyone there because we didn't even know it was for sure until 20 min before. But it didn't matter. One of the most spiritual moments of my life seeing her baptized. Like a FULL trust in God down to the fact that she physically could not even bring herself down in to the font. Asked one of the Elders, Elder Hulse, to carry her down in to the font while and EMT and Doctor from our ward that were fellowshippers to her were in the font with her too (deeeeeeply afraid of water).
It was so amazing, to see her FULLY give herself up to the Lord, full faith that He would take care of her, knowing full well that EVERY friend she had for the past 60 years from her old Church were going to anti her the second she got home. Knowing that if for any other reason, she was doing this because her Heavenly Father had asker her to. It was total submission to God's will, and the Spirit that accompanied that was so overpowering, coolest ever!
THAT is true faith.
What has the Lord asked us to do that we have put off? Are we willing to be brave and allow God's will to take the place of ours? I couldn't believe sweet little Carol could show so much courage in doing something, that for her, was so life changing. But from that I knew that any little thing God had been asking me to do that I hadn't because it was "too hard"-- instantly became that much more obtainable.
LONGEST EVER.
You can tell I'm hitting the mid-mission slug where my friends have forgotten me because my emails are getting like infinitely longer/ border-line autobiographies. But hey, I may or may not be also typing obnoxiously loud to get back at evil Crotchety pants Pink shirt who got mad at all 6 of us Sisters who are "snickering" over our emails. I'm like yeah AUTO-BIOGRAPHY THIS LADY!
weak come back...but it's all you can do when you representin da Lord........
*already smashed her computer in my mind like 40 times*
MUCH LOVE
Sista MuRrAy
SHOUTOUTS:
SMASH PACK! you are insane. I SWEAR if I get transferred this next week, a 3 million page long letter will be comin yo way.
MI MADRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EASTER PACKAGE!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH literally loved it all!!!!!! we have listened to that cd on REPEAT since Saturday night (Sunday morning was a lil cray so I cheated) actually just one song....."Brave" we were like WHOA UM HOW PERFECT IS THIS RIGHT AFTER CAROLS BAPTISM!?!?! Literally didn't know it existed 48 hours ago.......have the whole thing memorized. LOVE YOU
PICS:
1&2. Carol #typical
3. Judy's easter outfit. CLASSIC
4. Matching shirts with Sis. Bell. OBVS. (thanks Madre)
5. CAROLS BAPTISM <3 Elder Hulse is on the very right ((who reminds me SO much of lil Buddha!!!! Like legit. TWINS. Played football at Mt. Crest so hates Timpview but I think Bud's same age but graduated this past year! CRAY)
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