Have you ever been so excited about something you cant stop smiling and it literally feels like you have bubbles of joy bouncing around in your chest? Not sure what that actually feels like… but that’s how I imagine it hahaha. Well there were a few moments this week where I felt this way.

The week started really chill… had a fantastic p-day with the Zone with hamburgers and football and it was sick.

Tuesday started out chill but got a whole lot more exciting very quick after I got an unexpected phone call from the Zone Leaders. They called us saying some Elders were looking for our number… they mentioned a last name of one of the Elders and that’s when I just about lost it. One of my favorite Elders back in Denton and one of my best friends on the mish!! He gave me a call and told me they were swinging by for me to sign a pair of shoes they were giving to a member back in Denton.. That’s a long story, but we met up at a church building and it made my whole week. Especially because one of my other favorite Elders, was there too! We chatted for a long time and caught up. Boy it was nice. I didn’t know how much I needed it until it happened, but it was truly a tender mercy.

We went on exchanges this week and it was quite legit. I went with one of our STLs. The day we spent together was probably the busiest day I’ve had in the last several months, which is a sad truth. haha😂 We started the day nice and early at 6 with pickleball at a local park. The MSTLs (Mission Sister Training Leaders), two others sets of Elders and some other Senior missionaries joined us. It was super fun and I discovered I’m no good at pickleball but it was a lovely morning.

Then we went and did service at a lady’s house for a few hours and I painted a bathroom. Then we ran to the church and changed fast before our lesson with our friend in Serbia. Turns out she is now engaged to her boyfriend!❤❤❤ This was some amazing news and our lesson with her was also super amazing! We talked about baptism and we are hopeful for the next time we meet❤😁

After our lesson, we ran to the other church building and had a very successful Facebook blitz with the Zone! We had been so busy that day, after the blitz, it was around 4pm and we hadn’t even eaten lunch yet. We went home, had dinner and the exchange was soon over. It was such a good, fulfilling day.

We had district council this week too and we did an awesome training. We discussed how to have effective studies and then we played a game I got from my last District Leader (Thanks Tenney😁🤟). It’s basically a competition to see who can guess the correct scripture reference and throw it into a trash can the fastest. It was a blast and a really great opportunity for me to bond with my district. I was very grateful.

Yesterday we went to church and it was amazing. Taking the sacrament is such a blessing I didn’t appreciate as much as I should’ve. Being able to sit there and remember the promises I made not only at baptism but in the temple was a refreshing experience for me. Sometimes it’s hard to remember those things I promised to do, but having that moment with just me and my Heavenly Father to re-center myself and have a new start for the week was truly incredible. I also recognized several families at church who we had met with over videocall and they were all very nice and talked to us for a bit. It feels like I’ve already served here for such a long time with how welcoming and loving they all are! I love this ward.

I was severely humbled this week. Thankfully. Sometimes I have a hard time with certain situations in life that unfortunately cause me to close myself off from people. These situations usually revolve around new changes, particularly new people in my life. I really struggle with new people. I also sometimes struggle with some people in leadership positions. Because of this, I tend to develop negative opinions about people I barely even know and don’t care to put forth the effort to get to know. I haven’t really realized this until now, but this makes me sad. Like, pretty darn sad😂. Especially considering that very rarely in my life have I ever really gotten to know someone and have disliked them. The issue for me is getting to the point of really knowing them.

But I want to be different and I plan to change. I want to be the first to say hello. I want to be okay with hugs from new strangers😂. I want to be excited for others’ successes and not compare them to my failures. I want to smile when someone else is excited about something, even if I don’t really care about what it is. I want to be the first to compliment someone. I want to forget about myself, step outside the barrier I’ve put up. I think I honestly just want to be myself, but the best version of myself. My pride has held the best part of me back and that has been a weakness I’ve been too blind to see and too stubborn and afraid to overcome. But not anymore!

I know that each and every one of us is a child of God. I know that we each have divine worth and potential. I know that each person is fighting their own battles and you or I have no right to assume anything about or judge anyone. Our job is to love. My job is to love! That’s really all it is. That’s why I’m here, to love. If I can truly love everyone around me, the rest of who I want to be and the things I want to be better at will just fall into place. May we all love a little more❤🤟

I hope yall have a great week and keep saying your prayers and reading those scriptures! I love y’all!

Scripture of the week! Moses 1:13

Get Busy, Get Lost!
-Sister Oldham