Chapter 10: Hope is...

There's a few different things I want to talk about, and I guess I should start with a couple things from my week. On Monday, one of Sister Harris' converts from another area was in town and took us to lunch, we went to a pmf's (Part Member Family) house and Sister Harris got her nails done. It was a really good opportunity for us to build some trust and love with them! Even on p-day we be gettin down to that pmf grind! We also went to a new members' house and did some painting with her. It was so fun!! I'm basically a pro now. 

Thursday was.... insane. It was transfer day. I'm still in Summerville! And still comps with Sister Jones! And it was actually the end of Sister Harris' mission. So she went home, which is bitter sweet. I definitely miss her tons! But I'm grateful for Sister Jones! I'm also still in a trio! Sister Allred joined us! She's fabulous. We actually did STL exchanges with her. Me, her and Sister Jones were in our area during that exchange; so it's kinda funny we're for realzies a companionship now. 

Sis Ray, Sis Harris, Sis Jones.  All in "Sis Harris dresses"

Last few Pictures w/ Sister Harris😭❤️

Sis Allred, Sis Jones, Sis Ray

I'm the DD (Designated Driver) this transfer! I'm kinda hyped and nervous to be driving. So far I can make it to Walmart and the Church without Google maps. The scariest thing happened first time I drove though! It was dark and we were driving down this one lane each way road and I come around this slight bend and there's a car in our lane COMING RIGHT AT US. I had to like hit the brakes a bit and honk at them. They were going around some dude walking on the side of the road with a shopping cart. Really hate that there are no sidewalks. Someone come fix this please, lol. It's all good though. I've only had two "check your speed" violations, and that's because there are LITERALLY NO SPEED LIMIT SIGNS. I'm constantly guessing what speed is an okay speed. 

We had ZCM this week and our Zone vision this transfer is "Hope is...." So in our Zone chat when missionaries share their miracles throughout the day we'll use #hopeis... and then however they saw hope. Some are "hope is knocking five times", "hope is patience", "hope is hype", "hope is prayer", "hope is one God one team". And I've been doing a lot of studying on hope. Here are some of my thoughts I wanted to share with y'all.

Hope is a positive guarantee. It is independent of circumstance; it's the belief that things can change and the confidence to change. Hope is always striving; continuing on through those moments of darkness. Just like it says in Hebrews 6: 19, hope is the anchor of the soul. It runs deep inside of us and points us towards Christ. Because it is through Him and Sacred Covenants that we make, we can receive peace and and hope. Someone pointed this out at ZCM and I love it. One of my favorite hymns is 134- "I believe in Christ". And they pointed out in the last verse it says, " I believe in Christ, so come what may." I love the hope and the trust that comes from that statement. 

I know I've mostly talked about the highlights of my mission so far, but I've had some really difficult moments. Especially this past week. Transfers honestly really sucked. I love my area, and I LOVE my companions. But I was struggling with a lot of anxiety and fear and sadness. But as I've been thinking about hope and reading the Book of Mormon, I've been able to focus on the work and find joy in it. 

I know that the Book of Mormon was written for us. The words contained in it are the words of God, meant to teach and guide us. I am grateful for the relationship I've been able to build with Christ as I study it. I urge you to read it. Specifically to look for the mentions of Christ. Your relationship with Him will strengthen. The promised blessings of the Book of Mormon are real, and they will come to you. 

I'm praying for y'all, and I hope you can find the Light of Christ in your life. Invite Him in. Feel of His hope and His love. And I would absolutely love to hear about your "hope is...." moments! Send them to me if you're okay with sharing. 

Psalms 131:3

"Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever."

Love, Sister Ray

Pictures:

Beautiful railroad

Cool twisty twig

Pink sky

Frosted window from a few weeks ago.