Dearest Family and wonderful
friends!
am i ever so grateful for all
of those that sent me emails this week! Unfortunately i dont have time to reply
to everyone, but just know that i love them so much! i am so grateful for all
of the great stories and especially the words of encouragement and advice! it
is so wonderful! thank you thank you. know that if i wasnt a missionary, id
spend all the time i could on here replying to your wonderful words :)
This week has been very wonderful. I feel that i can say it has been a turning
point in my mission, as i adjust from being simply on a mission to truly
becoming a Missionary. i am becoming friends with my investigators, friends
with the branch members and very close with my recent converts! I have learned
how to laugh and joke with the Liberians and understand how to interact with
them! it really has made all the difference, and i am very happy here in the
mission field! The language is coming! small small... haha :)
I must say i have also learned that young men, as a whole, are not exactly naturally patient. Haha :) myself very much included!! I have discovered that i simply need to be patient with myself, with my companion, with investigators and with the branch members. I just needed to give myself a little time to figure things out- to adjust to Liberia and the mission. Now i can truly say that i am happy here. of course, there are discomforts and the work is hard, but i also know that the blessings that accompany all of it are worth every sacrifice! but dont be confused into expecting to be adjusted and swell in the first week in Liberia! haha that has been my lesson. i've been out now for... a MONTH! in Liberia at least. just be patient, elder fairwell, you will learn to like it with time. haha
My relationship with my companion has improved so very much this week. We had sat down, maybe a week and a half ago, and talked about our families. He told me his conversion story. It was wonderful when we could sit down and could really talk, heart to heart, and discuss our testimonies. Although challenges continued to remain, at least i have a much better understanding of his thinking and whatnot. this week, we have really grown closer. i have learned how to make him laugh. haha oh that is so important! I have also been striving to gain his trust and i believe i have done that, to some degree this week. i feel that is what has made the difference in our relationship, as we become true friends. :)
By no means is our relationship perfect! we still have our struggles for sure. haha it comes from both sides! but at the end of the day, we can say goodnight to each other with smiles on our faces. PMG is so great if we really apply what it teaches us. I am working on finding only the good in my companion. I know if he were to look for my weaknesses, he would find many!
I must say i have also learned that young men, as a whole, are not exactly naturally patient. Haha :) myself very much included!! I have discovered that i simply need to be patient with myself, with my companion, with investigators and with the branch members. I just needed to give myself a little time to figure things out- to adjust to Liberia and the mission. Now i can truly say that i am happy here. of course, there are discomforts and the work is hard, but i also know that the blessings that accompany all of it are worth every sacrifice! but dont be confused into expecting to be adjusted and swell in the first week in Liberia! haha that has been my lesson. i've been out now for... a MONTH! in Liberia at least. just be patient, elder fairwell, you will learn to like it with time. haha
My relationship with my companion has improved so very much this week. We had sat down, maybe a week and a half ago, and talked about our families. He told me his conversion story. It was wonderful when we could sit down and could really talk, heart to heart, and discuss our testimonies. Although challenges continued to remain, at least i have a much better understanding of his thinking and whatnot. this week, we have really grown closer. i have learned how to make him laugh. haha oh that is so important! I have also been striving to gain his trust and i believe i have done that, to some degree this week. i feel that is what has made the difference in our relationship, as we become true friends. :)
By no means is our relationship perfect! we still have our struggles for sure. haha it comes from both sides! but at the end of the day, we can say goodnight to each other with smiles on our faces. PMG is so great if we really apply what it teaches us. I am working on finding only the good in my companion. I know if he were to look for my weaknesses, he would find many!
My time is short, so let me
just say a few of the things i think ya'll would be jealous of :) This week, i
ate monkey (i think), fish head, ebba, pig skin, and ah who knows what else :)
its great! hmm, i also killed a small mouse with a recent convert, it was quite
the adventure. finished the lesson and then grabbed a broom and whacked it
good. got a good pic of us holding our mice by their tails. :) lets see, we got
four men on a motorbike this week. broke a toilet last week, stunk so bad as
the sewer fumes seeped into the apartment. haha i also saw plenty "poo
streams" this week mom :)
k gotta run. but the work here
in Liberia is so sweet! :) it rains here pretty often, only for a few hours
most days and then sunny the rest of the day. causes some pretty neat flooding
in our proselyting areas sometimes. i love the Hotter shoes! dad, i just march
through the water and chant "Gortex" haha :) I also love to look at
the beautiful african sky. they say its bigger over here ya know. not sure if
its true, but it is wonderful to see the beauty. It reminds me of home on a
beautiful saturday morning :)
My thoughts this week are
Choose to be happy! and eventually the happiness will come on its
own! im confident that is whats happened to me :)
love,
elder fairwell
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