Where did January go?

This week went by a lot faster than last week did.

Sometimes, funny things just happen to you as a missionary. This week we were visiting a less active couple in the ward, and they came out on their front porch to talk to us. The guy had a small dog in his hands, who started barking at me. Well, the man told his dog that she should stop, that I was a nice person who didn't need to be barked at, and to prove this to the dog he hands the dog to me. Well, the dog I guess decided that I was indeed a nice person so she stopped barking. So here I am, holding this dog, who now likes me. We talk about their dog for a little while, and then the conversation moves on to something else. I am still holding the dog. The dog starts to get really heavy. The members seem to have forgotten that I am holding their dog. My arms start to hurt. I keep switching the way I'm holding the dog, so that my muscles don't cramp up. The members don't notice. (My companion did though, and she told me later that she had to stop herself from laughing out loud.) Finally, after almost 45 minutes, the members remembers that I am holding their dog and take her back from me. Well, I guess that's just part of doing the Lord's work.....I guess.

Well, I honestly don't have much to say about anything else. The Lord's work is still pressing forward. We have been struggling to find people to teach recently, but we know that we cannot get discouraged—there are people out there who are being prepared. Right now, even though nobody seems interested, we are still planting seeds, and sometime in the future, other missionaries will again run into the people that we are talking to now, and be able to harvest those seeds that we have planted.

Also, here are some picture of me and Sister Larsen - I realized I haven't sent any pictures of us since we've been companions! We're both goofs, but whatever :)

Sister Daelemans

Loooong Week

This has been the longest week of my mission so far. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. As far as I can tell we didn't do anything different than we usually do, but for some reason it just went on and on and on......

Sister Larsen is a lot better. The flu definitely took it's toll, and wore her out a lot, but she is finally feeling better and we were able to go out and work a lot this week.

Sometimes you meet people and it's just amazing how prepared they are for the Gospel. We met this one guy by knocking on his door. We taught him the Restoration, and he was just so excited about it. He practically grabbed the Book of Mormon out of Sister Larsen's hands and asked if he could have it. We are so excited to be able to teach him more this week!

As missionaries, the people we work with often unload a lot of their troubles on us. Sometimes, we are the only ones who they will talk to about the trials and challenges they are facing. I feel like the Lord has definitely placed me in their path to be that listening ear. But sometimes it weighs you down. You want to just focus all your efforts on helping these people, but at the same time you know that there isn't always much you can do—they have to turn to the Lord for that help themselves, which is definitely not something you can do for them. So we listen, and we pray, and we encourage them to take their burdens to the Lord, and then we pray for them some more.

Favorite scripture of the week:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

~John 16:33

Love you all!

Sister Daelemans

Week of the Flu

This week my poor sweet companion Sister Larsen has been sick with the flu. We got home to our apartment Tuesday evening after the transfer meeting and she wasn't feeling very well, and then all that night she was up sick. She had a fever, and aches and pains, and has been exhausted. We tried to go out for a few hours on Saturday to work, but she pushed herself too hard and by the time we got home she was completely worn out. She is doing a lot better than she has been, but still not 100%.

As a result, I have had a lot of time this week to read. I have been reading the Old Testament. That book is crazy. It makes me wonder how so many people refuse to believe the Book of Mormon, but they still believe all the crazy weird things that happened in the Bible. (Probably because most of them have never actually read the Old Testament and have no idea what's in it.) I also read "Our Search for Happiness" by Elder M. Russell Ballard. This is a fantastic little book! In it, he basically lays out all the basic doctrines of the church, where they come from, and why members of the church are so enthusiastic about and devoted to our faith.

Anyway, not much else to say about this week. I love you all! The gospel is true and is the only thing that brings true happiness!

Sister Daelemans

New Year!

My dear sweet companion Sister Khumaryan is going home to Armenia in two days :( I have learned so many things from her—most especially how to have greater faith in and love for people. I will miss her dearly.

I will be staying in Lancaster 1st area for the next transfer. My new companion will be Sister Larsen. This will be her last transfer, which means I will be "killing" two companions in a row (killing is mission slang for being someone's last companion on the mission before sending them home.) It also means that I will probably be staying anther transfer after that, since they don't usually take both missionaries our of an area at the same time (unless the area is getting closed.) We will see what happens!

On New Year's Eve we were told to go home early (probably to stay safe from crazy drunk people). It was weird being in the apartment for several hours and having nothing to do. And then in the morning, I forgot that it was a new year! Being a missionary just makes me feel so separated from everything going on in the world, even the passing of time. For instance, during the time that I've been on the mission so far, I would have completed a whole semester at school, but it doesn't feel like it's been that long. It's super weird.

Love you all, have a fantastic new year!

Sister Daelemans

Picture: Lancaster 1st missionaries and ward mission leader Brother Burdick - I love all these people!!