Toes, Noels, and never alone

Toes- important walking instruments.
Noels- a song we sang as a District for the conference. It went well.
Never Alone- as a missionary, you always have a companion, but that's not quite what I mean.

What even IS a Monday preparation day?

Ok, just to get it out of the way, I would like to inform you all that my toe is fine. A couple days of wearing sandals (no fun. Don't break your toe during winter. Though you can walk and ice it at the same time and it's so numb that it doesn't hurt, so that's a bonus) and icing/ elevating it at night, and I'm good. So good in fact, that we went ice skating today. :) (but... Now I'll never live it down in the district. I'll forever be the missionary who can quote the entire "Incredibles" and who broke her toe doing wall sits.)

Today is her Dad's birthday

But while we're on that subject, I'd like to talk about a blessing. So I'm still super prideful and never want to ask for a blessing, thinking I can handle it and all. Silly. But since Hermana Ingram needed one too, we caved in and asked the Elders. We met up at the church, had the usual little jokes and silliness and then got down to business. Hermana Ingram received her blessing first. And it was incredible; so specific, addressing needs and worries that Élder Johnson never could have known. At one point it said "you have a companion who loves you, and prays for you daily." I almost choked on an intake of air. It's true, I do. And now I know, I KNOW that God heard those prayers. And when Hermana Ingram needed to know, needed to feel that extra love, He let her know that I pray for her. Such an incredible little thing. She was told that her health problems will help her understand the atonement better (something that never comes painlessly, because it didn't in the first place). My blessing couldn't have been more different. I was promised a complete healing, that my foot would not hinder the work. I was also given some vague and cryptic advice and invitations that I'll be puzzling out for the next little while.

The Dayton's came up on Sunday and as we saw them walking on their way to the church we decided to contact them. (Excuse me, Have you seen missionaries like us before?) it was great. After church we went- the missionaries and the mission president and his wife- to eat at the home of a member. She broke down within three seconds of us entering. It was as if Christ had walked into her home (or 8 of His representatives).

Isabel and her family

We had our Specialized Training (a LONG meeting with all the missionaries) and it was incredible. Every topic was beautiful, informative, intriguing, and applicable to our work. Loving people, the atonement, setting goals and achieving them, and wrapping it up with a Christmas program. My arm was sore from conducting by the time we'd sung almost ALL the Christmas hymns, but I couldn't have been happier. A Christmas on the mission is a true gift.  And then they showed the video.  The Christmas video is legendary. It's a compilation of baptism photos from all around the mission all throughout the year. It's a way to remember, commemorate, honor, and feel the awe of such a great work.  But I was wary. It hadn't even started yet and I got anxious and uncomfortable and shed some preparatory tears...because I knew that I would see a photo of Eduardo standing in white next to a beaming Hermana Wiseman and myself. And I knew I would feel the reality of his death hit me again. And it did. My perceptive companion held my hand. The moment passed, and was lost amid the happy faces (of the Paces and other great –now veteran- missionaries) and memories took a center stage. I know that baptism is necessary and that repentance is possible, beautiful, and crucial.

Harkening back to my prideful state at the beginning of this email, I've taken the time lately to write down a couple of what I call "Hermana Een theories." And one of them is as follows. That no one, even God the greatest of all, can go about it alone. In a perfect plan, we all need someone else.

I'm including it in photo form because I'm running out of time.

“God is perfect and all powerful.  But alone even He was powerless to save His children.  God needed Christ to be our Savior.”
“Christ needed Simon to carry His cross the rest of the way, and we all need Christ to save us from our otherwise overwhelming sins and afflictions.”  #h.eentheories