Week 42 (June 6th-12th)
Buckle in because this week was a crazy ride. In what I can confidently deem the most difficult week of my mission, I was emergency transferred out of Lake Crescent and away from my beloved Sister Evans and Sister Hill. Allow me to back track and elaborate a little.
At the start, this week was exceedingly normal. We had a great P-Day and Tuesday was Zone Conference. We received great training and instruction and were told about a recent visit that our mission leaders had with Elder Juan A. Uceda of the Seventy. He advised us as missionaries to try to talk less and do more as we serve others in our work. Meaning we are not just called to teach, we are called to serve as we do so. So that was neat.
Wednesday we had temple grounds service and Second Harvest back to back. As I've said in previous letters I love being able to serve on the temple grounds and help beautify the House of the Lord. We planted new flowers into flower beds and it was really fun, I felt like I was on a Mormon message or something. I wish we had a picture of all the work we did and us covered in dirt, but it started pouring rain before we got the chance. Just know that it looked lovely.
It was at this time we received a call from President Clark, and when we saw his name on our caller ID fear struck into our hearts. As a trio, there is a possibility that any one of you could be emergency transferred at any moment. Trios are kind of like a security blanket in case a missionary has to go home but they can't leave their companion alone and they don't want to close the area. Instead they just send one of the spare missionaries from a trio over.
Ever since we came together Sister Evans, Sister Hill and I knew this was a possibility. However we were really hoping and praying that we would all stay together for the entirety of the six week transfer at least. I don't think I have really explained how much I love those sisters and being with them adequately in my last few letters. For a lot of missionaries, trios are difficult to be in and can cause a lot of hardship for the missionaries in them. That was not the case with us at all. Everyday was a blast and every night was a slumber party and surely there could not be a happier companionship among all the missionaries in the land of the Florida Orlando Mission.
So when we saw an incoming call from President Clark, we feared exceedingly. We answered and the conversation literally opened with this:
"Hello Sisters, do any of you speak Spanish?"
After a pause I hesitantly answered, "I do?" and Sister Evans punched me to be quiet.
"Who is I do?"
"...Sister Petty"
"Sister Petty, you speak Spanish?"
"Well not really actually, I just took it in high school and I actually really wanted to go Spanish speaking on my mission"
President paused and said, "Okay, I may call you in the future."
When the call ended we all started screaming. What had I done? Why did I say that? What does this mean?
Apparently the future was not far off. Two hours later while serving at Second Harvest we got another call. I was in a small conference room with about ten missionaries from my zone and they wanted to hear what happened, so we put it on speaker phone and they were silent.
"Sister Petty, will you go down to the Buena Ventura Spanish branch with Hermana Klein?" I was frozen.
"...Do I have a choice?"
"Of course you have a choice, you always have a choice." I felt a half second of relief. "The choice is wether not you will be an obedient missionary."
The silence was broken by each of us. "OOOOOOOHHH." and then everyone remembered they were being quiet. And that was that. I told him I accept the call and he told me to be at the mission home by 6am the next day. Out of all the Sister Missionaries in a trio throughout the mission, I was deemed the most qualified with 3.5 years of high school Spanish under my belt.
So now I am back in Kissimmee, but in the Buena Ventura branch this time around. My companion is Hermana Klein from Centerville, Utah. She was actually in my district when I was here in the Pleasant Hill Ward, and she's an absolute rockstar missionary. She's been out for about a year and she is handling everything exceptionally well. Her previous companion, Hermana Hatch, was sent home due to illness. She went to the Mexico MTC and contracted some sort of virus or parasite there and hasn't been well since. Recently she'd been light headed and passing out so President thought it'd be best for her to go home and get well and come back. So here I am.
Honestly the hardest part has been being separated from my two companions. Not the fact that I don't speak the language, not that I got food poisoning from the dia de padre branch party on Saturday night (not kidding), but that I miss my trio. Those 2.5 weeks I was with Sister Evans and Sister Hill were some of the very best of my mission.
I'm excited to be here (I don't know if excited is the word, but apprehensive doesn't quite fit either...), and am super honored and humbled to be thrown into Spanish work halfway through my mission. (Literally half, today is my nine month mark in the field, I don't wanna talk about it) I can't speak very much Spanish at all, but I have been amazed at how much I understand; I understand a majority of what is going on and what is being said most of the time. I have complete and total faith that that is not just because I have learned some before, but because of the blessings I have received from being a full time missionary. I know that if the Lord needs me here He will provide a way. Just like with Nephi of old (1 Nephi 3:7).
Remember how Elder Uceda said to talk less do more? I think I'm winning because no habla mucho espanol.
Te tenga una buena semana,
-Hermana Olivia Petty 💃🏽
P.S. My new address is 2263 Casa Verano Way #201, Kissimmee, FL 34744 (even the address is Spanish hahaha)
 |
| Twistee Treat after Second Harvest with the Orlando South Zone 6.7.17 |
 |
| The best trio in the Florida Orlando Mission 6.6.17 |
 |
| The things I wanted to take a picture in front of before I left Windermere 6.7.17 |
 |
| The things I wanted to take a picture in front of before I left Windermere 6.7.17 |
 |
| Saying goodbye to my favorite family, the Athays 6.7.17 |
 |
| Saying goodbye to my favorite people at 6 in the morning 6.8.17 |
No comments:
Post a Comment