Be Still My Soul

Hey Y'all!

I know this probably sounds like a typical missionary phrase, but this has been a CRAZY week! To start off, on Wednesday we found out that we would be getting a wonderful sister Missionary to add to our companionship. Her name is Sister Leyba, and she came to stay with us until transfer day because her companion was going home. When we found out the day before I was pretty excited, I have served with sister Leyba before, in fact, she was in my first three districts and was my STL once. That was such a fun time, she is an amazing missionary who loves to serve the Lord. :) However, that meant that we have been covering two areas, Flatcreek and her ward which is right next door, Fayetteville. I thought that alone would be crazy enough!

However, as I have mentioned before, it's transfer week! :D And yes, I got a call on Saturday, telling me to pack my bags, they are kicking me out of Flatcreek and having Sister Clark take over! Now on top of double covering, I am leaving and wish to see all those members and investigators who have touched my heart. :) It will be bittersweet to leave my first area  after being here for over 7 months, but I'm excited to explore more of the mission. :)

But the Lord just wasn't done with us yet. The cherry on top came this morning when we got a call from our mission president, who had decided to change his mind a little. I'm still leaving, Sister Leyba is still going back to Fayetteville, but he decided to close down Flatcreek for Sister Missionaries. Sister Clark will now be transferred to the Peachtree City Ward where they will be double covering for a little while. So now, instead of me  and sister Leyba packing our bags, it's all of us packing bags and boxes and moving stuff out of our apartment. :P This came as a surprise to me, and I honestly am not sure why he chose to close down our area. There are several people, both members and investigators, who sisters have been working with. They just like us better or can usually only have sisters over. It seams odd to me, but I'll do my best and trust in the Lord. He know's what is best for this area. And if that means what's best is closing it down for a time, then so be it I guess. :)

So as you can tell, we have had a less than normal week to say the least. :P However, there have been such cool miracles and tender mercies of the Lord. I would especially like to talk about one. As I have mentioned every week this transfer, Sister Clark and I have been drawing at a park in Tyrone every week. I'll be honest, I thought that we would have gotten one investigator from this new finding effort, but we weren't seeing any progress. To dampen our spirits more, it has rained the day of or the day after several of our chalk-art sessions, ruining our art before people could really see it. A particularly depressing one came this past week when we drew the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an Iron rod with the tree of life from Lehi's dream in 2 Nephi. It looked BEAUTIFUL! and it was big and noticeable. The next day at around 2 or 3 we had a rainstorm like never before. It rained so hard I couldn't see the road in front of me! This is perhaps the only time I have ever hated a rain storm. -.- Our chalk-art was ruined and it felt as if all our work had gone to waste. I was wondering why we even did it, or why the Lord let our efforts go to waste like that. 

But the Lord always keeps His promises, just not in the way we may think. That night, we were sitting in our apartment when we got a call from one of the Elders serving in our area. We answered the phone and they told us about a crazy miracle from a man who had seen our chalk-art every week. He had passed us by every week as we drew, and even commented on our work. The elders found him later, and he commented on the art. The man had missionaries teach him the discussions before but never got subjected to some anti information and dropped them. But when he saw us doing the art, he got curious again. He wanted to know about what we drew and what our church teaches. They set up a return appointment and will be teaching that man the 5 PMG lessons. :) When I heard that I was so happy. Sure, Sister Clark and I haven't gotten any investigators, and it took the whole transfer for us to finally know. I know now that if we hadn't been doing that every week, that man probably wouldn't be prepared to receive the Gospel. I'm sad I won't be here to see him progress or to even see how it ends up, but I'm glad to know that our work did a little to hope in his progression. :)

This week has definitely been a Hurricane of events. And I mean a Hurricane. I have had so many reminders that God is in control. As I was thinking of what I should title my next letter, a hymn popped into my head. "Be Still My Soul." I looked it up on lds.org and read the 
lyrics. The last verse I think really applies to this week, and to our lives in general. I'd like to dissect it a little.

" Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as he has the past."

I don't know about y'all, but sometimes-well, more like many times I feel as though my soul is caught up in a storm. As a missionary, when we have a crazy week I often wonder what is going to happen next? How on earth will anything work out? When will the storm end and the waters finally calm. However, we need to remember to let our souls be still. Anchor them with the gospel, and let the lord guide our souls through the stormy seas.We will eventually see calm waters, but only when we trust in Him. 

"Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;"

In life, there are so many things to shake our hope and confidence. So many trials enter our lives and different twists and turns take us on roads perhaps we never even thought we would travel. And then, that bright eyed confidence in our savior and in Heavenly Father shakes. As with Peter when he walked on the sea, he was confident, until he looked at the storm around him and began to sink. Then he reached out to the savior, who immediately saved him. Although my confidence in finding and working as hard as I can, wavered, the Lord reached out his hand of mercy. Whenever we experience moments of weak hope or confidence, we can look to the savior and ask for his arm of mercy to be extended. He will be ready and waiting. :)

"All now mysterious shall be bright at last."

Although we may not know why some things happen in life, we do know that one day we will understand. Weather that is in this life, or when we come to live with Heavenly Father again, we will know. There are so many things that happen to me and have happened this week that I just don't understand why the Lord is doing it. But I have the faith to know that whatever will happen will be exactly what needed to happen. Perhaps I'll never know, why it needed to be that way, but I do know that it did. And one day it will all be made "bright at last."

"Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below."

Finally, we can have our souls stilled with the knowledge that Heavenly Father controls the waves and winds of our lives. He has simply asked us to trust in Him. To trust in the Atonement. To trust in the Eternal Plan that He has set out for each and every one of us. That seams simple, right? Just trust Him, believe that He knows what to do. But that is hard for us to do sometimes. While reading this hymn, I looked up a scripture that was linked to in D&C 101:16 "Be still and know that I am God." He is God, and we can let our souls rest in his presence, even when the storms of tribulation threaten to tip us over. 

I love my mission. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than out here serving the people. :) And although there are so many crazy twists and turns, I know that the Lords will is going to be done, no matter what.

Y'all's Southern Bell,

Sister Welch

Okay, first off, look at this GINORMOUS SPIDER!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was in the front of one of our investigators houses!!!!!!! :O We were terrified of it.