My mission is a success!

Friends, family, and strangers.

According to our ward mission leader, it doesn't matter what else happens throughout the duration of my mission - I should consider my mission a success. Why? Well, because we got my favorite old lady, the darling and grumpy Betty, to agree to help someone. She gave a less active, Sister Constantine, a ride to church yesterday! And she agreed to do it again this week! And she also came and taught with us again yesterday! Miracles really do happen!

This week was a long one. The sun has finally started to arrive in New England. We've helped 2 people do yard work so far. We decided it'd be a good idea to start keeping a pair of jeans in the car, because it's a little more difficult to garden in a skirt.
I feel like we aren't teaching quite as much as we used to. We've been visiting a lot of former investigators, trying to rekindle that desire to learn. Most haven't responded in the most positive of ways. But we're keeping on.
I'm doing another exchange with Sister Aeschbacher tomorrow. Hopefully we won't get lost again this time - I'm pretty sure I know the area pretty well now. Transfers are also next week. There's a really good chance that Sister Buxton will be leaving - she's been in Bedford for 4 transfers already. So the question is whether or not I'll be staying here as junior companion, senior companion, or if I might even be training someone. But then again, Pres. Willkey isn't really known for following the norm, so there's also a good chance that I could be leaving and Sister Buxton could stay here and train again. Or that we could both be leaving. Or staying. So essentially, what I'm saying is that we have no idea what's going to happen next week.

One of the harder things from this week - so we're teaching this one lady. Carolina. Oscany's mom. Carolina has been an investigator for months. She has a baptismal date of June 14th. But it's really frustrating, because she isn't keeping any commitments. She doesn't come to church, she doesn't read, we're lucky if she keeps her appointments. We had a lesson with her this last week and we didn't even teach her. We started talking to her and found out that she hadn't read at all. She wasn't really focused on the lesson either, she was doing something on her computer while we were talking to her. So we had to just tell her that we couldn't teach her if she didn't follow through on the commitments, and we would just leave and give her a few more days to do the reading. It's really hard because I want to teach people and I want to help people, but they won't do anything to help themselves! I feel kind of hypocritical telling people they need to read their scriptures for even just 5 minutes a day, because I rarely did before my mission, but already I've noticed a huge difference in my life. I just don't know how to make other people see that difference as well!

You guys. Missions are hard.

But, like I said, we're keeping on. As long as we're trying our best, the Lord will take care of all the rest of it, right? That's what I keep telling myself.

Anyway, I love you all. Choose the right. Read your scriptures, it really does impact your life!

Love,
Sister Lindsey Berg