What a greeeeeat week! Oh my, I LOVE being a missionary! And I LOVE being a missionary on the island of Pohnpei.
So on Thursday we had district meeting in Kolonia! I walked into the room to hand one of the Sisters something and I look up and see a FAMILIAR FACE. I about died! I haven't seen someone I know since I said goodbye to my family at the airport 3 months ago!! RYAN CRAWFORD is on Pohnpei and he's in my zone!!!! He's a friend from back home and when I saw him tears were coming. BIG TIME. I was SO happy. And then he goes "Sister Roloff says hi! I saw her right before I left the MTC" Oh myyyyy it was the best thing I've heard since getting here on Pohnpei! What a tender mercy!
And then to make Thursday even better Welsit got married!!! Wahoooo! And lemme tell ya, Sister G. and I planned a dang good wedding! Call us up if you need a wedding planner anytime soon! But on the reals. It was the BEST! But also it made me so so grateful for the temple and our knowledge that families can be together forever!!! Even though the marriage was so so special and so sweet to be at I couldn't help but feel something was missing! I'm SO grateful to have temples close to home and to have the opportunity to be sealed to my family for eternity!
So as good as Thursday was, Friday was rough.. SO rough. So before this Welsit asked if we could move his baptismal date back to this Thursday so that he could get baptized on his birthday so he was scheduled for baptism on Sept. 1!! And I was SO happy. Well on Friday we went to go see him and I immediately could tell something was wrong. For about a week he had been off of beetlenut and was going strong! We started the lesson and he wouldn't look at us! So I just asked him if something was bothering him and he went on to explain to us that he had started chewing again and was back up to chewing 20 a day!! That's where he was when I met him! NOOOO. oh my I was so mad. I didn't understand WHY. He had come so so far and yet was right back where he started. However, this situation taught me a lot of patience! No one is perfect and everyone is striving to be better! And it's our job as missionaries to guide those people, not force them! But WOWZA it'd be a lot easier if I could just force him to quit beetlenut HAHAH.
So yesterday the missionaries on Pohnpei had the opportunity to hear from Elder Yamashita of the seventy!! What a blessing! Also our sweet mission President and his wife came from Guam which is always so great to see them!
Elder Yamashita told a story of when he first was called to the seventy that stuck with me and was exactly what I needed to hear. He had just been called to the seventy and was having a meeting with President Packer. As he left President Packers office President Packer could tell that something was very very wrong. Elder Yamashita then went on to explain to him that he was nervous that his english skills wouldn't be good enough and that he felt inadequate. President Packer gave him the advice "Heavenly Father has already brought you to this point, He's not going to leave you now. Have faith in Him and have faith in yourself".
I can't even tell you how badly I needed that!! The Pohnpeian language has been so difficult for me. SO difficult. However, I KNOW that Heavenly Father sent me here for a reason and He's not going to leave me now! What a sweet blessing.
Love you alllllll! Have the best week!
XO/ Sister Russell
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