Sheffield's do hard things

At the Winoto's. My first time eating the whole fish in Indonesia a.k.a. Pecel

July 28 2013

Mi Familia, (espanol anyone?)

FIRST! Biggest surprise of the week. My trainer is getting transferred!!!! That doesn't happen. The few times that the trainer gets transferred, the trainee has gone with and they are white washed. Unless there was a problem in their relationship, they stay together. So that was a big shocker. Sister Suryani is excited since Jogja was her first area and she is still here 7 months later. You know our motto: "The Sheffield's do hard things" and I think that this week I am going to do a hard thing. Having my trainer leave feels a little (ok a lot) scary. I am still so new here (or at least I feel new) not knowing the way to our investigators' houses or people's names in our ward. But the Lord, and President Donald, must know something I don't know. I am now just more anxious than anything for a new trainer; excited too but a little nervous. I have loved working with Sister Suryani so much and have learned so many lessons from her and her example. I know I will love my new companion, Sister Manalu, too, I just hope she will be able love me!

Well, about our golden investigator Alexcia. She has had a tremendous change of heart. I think deep down she still feels very young and alone but that has humbled her to turn to the Lord. And has expressed her desire to get married in the temple. We haven't even taught about temples yet! She LOVED the principle of repentance and said she truly feels that the Lord has forgiven her self and now her guilt is gone. I am always so inspired by her willingness to change and her growth. Her baptism is probably going to be on August 18th now since she is in Magelang the week before. We have another investigator who has a baptismal date, but is not doing well at all and no longer progressing. I hope that she will not stop meeting with us once Sister Suryani leaves.

Now for the weekly update:

P-day Elder Wood got checked into the hospital. The hospital is very clean, a little spooky, but good.

Elder Wood admitted to hospital with companion Elder Wiradi

Hospital bonding time with district

Tuesday we had a pretty relaxed day and just tried to find an address (no luck) then visited Elder Wood at the hospital. He was SO spoiled (that’s what you get for being in a district with all other sisters and a mission couple) so he had cakes and fruit and cookies and chips and pecel lele and rice bundles and snacks and... ya! I almost wished I was the one sick. But it was so boring for him and his poor comp had to sleep on the floor (we brought him a sleeping pad). We taught Alexcia that night and I don't know if it is possible to love her any more but each time we teach her she melts my heart.

Wednesday the 24th we had an early morning address search and then we went to visit one of my favorite members whose husband is sick and bed ridden. They live so far that we got back late and just visited Elder Wood. I played an hour long game of that dot game-- we always play in sacrament meeting-- with him and won by a landslide.

Funny story! That night we were all ready for bed and the lights were off and everything when I feel something wet hit my face. All four sisters sleep in one room (because it has an AC unit) and so I didn’t want to wake them up but something was dripping on my head. Thinking it was rain I fumbled for my flashlight and tried to be all quiet but was like falling off my bed. Turns out the AC is broken and was leaking! So I had to turn it off and just use a fan for the room. Kasihan! (pity) But it took a while for it to stop dripping that night so I kept singing "raindrops keep falling on my head" haha good thing I am a talented sleeper.

Me in my rain gear after emailing on my p-day

Thursday: I don't remember if I have said this before but I am not a morning person here. I have really bad morning grumps for some reason and always have so many doubts/fears as I am getting ready before study. Then as I do personal study I feel so humbled and uplifted and then we go out for the day and as soon as we start riding, I get so excited. Working is the cure! But my morning studies are a refuge and I hate that we only have an hour of personal study. The scriptures are my escape but we have to spend so much time preparing to teach that I don't get to just read very often. This day though, I decided was just for me; it had been a deep thinking day. Each week I seem to have a different concern that gets stuck in my head. One week it is homesickness, the next it is that "indonesia is different" and this week I had been pondering "serve Him with ALL your heart, might, mind, and strength. Thoughts are so hard... its not something you can really measure or see. I find myself lost in memories or ideas or songs or future plans or quotes or "worldly" things or what I want to do after my mission or curiosity about home life. I am obviously spending a lot of time thinking about the work but ALL of your mind means ALL of your mind. But all=perfection and mortals are imperfect. So how can I be better? For some reason, I felt like I was trying to hold on to something from my "past life". Here I don't really have my old personality or talents. People don't know that I like to sing or like to pull pranks or that I am good at this/that. My whole life I have been building on my talents but here it feels like I have to be stripped of all of that and it has been bugging me. Well I happened to find the Self-Sacrifice section of the Topical Guide and found Matt. 16:25. Usually I read that as meaning losing your life= dying for Christ. But this time I read it as losing my life = getting lost in the work. That is when He promises I will find myself. My real self. Whoever that is. I am not perfect. Boy I am far from it. But we learn line upon line; so I am going to get better. I am going to let go of whatever part of "me" I am still holding on to and just let the Lord mold me.

After this discovery, SIs Suryani and I were studying and the AP's called to deliver the crazy news and then I was crying again. But you know... this is nothing new. It feels exactly like when they told us we were leaving the MTC 3 weeks early. Shock, worry that I'm not prepared, then determination to do whatever is asked. We went out with the sisters to an investigator that we are giving them and it was so crazy! We were teaching one family who lives at a park since their house is too far from work and they invited allllll of their homeless friends to come listen! We taught a huge group about the plan of salvation (more than 25 since I gave away that many pass-along cards to them and some didn't get one). Feels like what they did in the early days standing on a soapbox haha. Then my bike brakes stopped working and you all would have died laughing at me. I know I entertained all of Jogja that day and so many people were laughing out loud when I would come past screaming or laughing and then my skirt kept blowing up and... I am just the entertainment in Jogja if you haven't figured that out yet. Also, every time I have worn my turquoise skirt, it has rained so I wore that skirt and yup, it is officially my rain skirt!

Friday the 26: had to double up on Sis Suryani's bike while mine was getting fixed and again I think everyone loved seeing this crazy bule driving an Indonesian while laughing and screaming around town. One of our investigators is really going down hill though so that has been sad.

Saturday the 27th: Full day so it was a good day. We taught Alexcia, then a family who has a 7 year old son about to be baptized (we practiced how you get baptized with him since I remember loving that when I was 7 and preparing for baptism). JACOB I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU! ANDREW YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO GET TO BAPTIZE YOUR ADIK KECIL! (lil bro) Then we taught an investigator at a member's house and that was fun. Also some guys showed up that day that served in Jogja a few years ago with Bro Meek and actually lived in the house that we sisters live in now! Gila!

Eating Dragon Fruit. Enak Sekali (really delicious!)

Sunday: highlights- tried to eat an apple while biking to church and lost half of it to the road (funny highlight), taught Alexcia with that guy who served here a while ago since he knows 9 languages and Alexcia loved to speak Portugese with him. (Sis. suryani likes to play matchmaker haha) Then I got to talk to sister Jibson! We have a Zone meeting on this Thursday and we are so excited to see each other. Sidenote: that guy who served with Bro Meek is named Jordan. He was comps with Bro meek in the MTC and said that Bro Meek was his guardian angel his whole mission; whenever he was having a hard time, Bro Meek would happen to call or get transferred to that area. That's how Sis Jibson and I are. I think a lot of MTC companionships are that way. Another highlight- we were sitting around eating left over potatoes from Sisters 2 and just chatting... just like a normal Sunday afternoon at the Sheffield's and I loved it. We visited a member and got to wash her dishes from a well.

Sugar cane harvesting at Keluarga Winoto. You like my ninja face?

Today we went out FAR to the new members' house and they spoiled us (PS I am trying to memorize everywhere... wish me luck). We taught them how to have FHE and then they cut us some sugar cane (way yummy by the way). We went to Malioboro after that (the really touristy part of Jogja) and I bought a really Indonesian night gown I am so excited about. Then for dinner... :'( guess what. I tried dog. I couldn't take more than 2 bites though because I felt so guilty. SO now I just have some leftover and I don't know what I am going to do with it but tell our pet dog Lucy I am so sorry and I will never eat it again!

The restaurant that sells dog is called Scooby Doo...creepy!

THATS MY WEEK!

To answer your email.

Yes I think I have enough bug spray but It really hasn’t been a problem for me. Don't worry too much :)

I KNOW that your experience was an answer to my prayer. This is very dear to my heart but I have very specifically prayed for our family that you would all be protected from danger and I know that the Lord has heard my pleas and will look out for you. What a blessing! President Donald today said in his email, "God bless you sister, I know he has already and will continue to do so." That so touched me and I think it is true of you too.

I sent a letter today and let me know when you get my letters! I still don’t have your package.

My favorite place to eat. The workers are so funny and nice to the missionaries

OH! I wanted to explain a cool Indo holiday! This is the biggest holiday of the year right now for Muslims. It is fasting month so they fast every day for an entire month, only eating early morning and late night when the sun is down. No traffic at night because everything is closed but also all the food places are closed during the day and it is really rude to eat or drink in public during the day. That's just a little bit but I think it is pretty cool. When fasting month ends then everyone throws parties and lights of tons of fireworks, have parades and goes home (last year 700 people died in Indo in one weekend because of traffic-related deaths). It will be fun to see that too. I'm going to miss seeing it with Sister Suryani though.

PS did you get to pay my tithing yet?

I have "come on Frank" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and that song we sing in the car "it's a web like a spider web, made of silver light and shadow" stuck in my head right now. Just thought I would let you know :)

I love you all. Be safe! Have fun in your many travels/adventures. Keep up the smiles and good memories! Don't grow up though ok? Ok sep! (cool)

Love you all! Email next week will be different with a new comp so I have no clue when I will be on.

Until then, Sis Em Sheffield :)