The Best Christmas Church Service Ever

 

Hey y’all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has time or the attention span to read this.]

This last Sunday day was THE Christmas church service. Sister Job and have been hyping this Sunday up, a lot. I've been inviting people to this specific church service the entire time I've been here. I've mentioned it in at least 100 text messages inviting people and telling them how awesome, wonderful, cool, fantastic it was going to be.

It was awesome, wonderful, cool, and fantastic. But not in, like, the usual awesome, wonderful, cool, fantastic way(s). 

It was a beautiful mess. Ladies, you know how you do a messy bun to wash your face and it's actually the most gorgeous hairdo you've ever done in your life, but then you can never recreate it? That was this Sunday. 

There was a choir. I was in it. We did something that some generous souls, might consider singing. Some might consider it simply, making noise along with a piano. It was… a song for people with acquired taste, like people who eat snails and stuff on purpose. I'm being harsh but I don't know that anyone would describe it as a choir of angels singing.

Also during the church service a toddler threw a hymnbook at the row behind him. A girl behind me tripped over someone's purse and all of the contents of said purse spilled all over th isle, and the girl almost fell over. A family sang a Christmas song and they were using YouTube for the music with and an ad came up during their singing and they had to like skip it really fast. Someone behind me blew their nose really loud. A few primary kids were practicing their song for primary, while others were performing their music numbers.

We are a congregation of real people. We're awkward and some of us laugh too loud and we are definitely people. I really love that. When I see other people being silly or awkward or whatever I feel so validated. I feel like I belong because I too am awkward sometimes. The environment was lighthearted and I felt so welcome and I think everyone else felt comfortable too. We are not a church with professional priests or bishops or leaders, the most sacred event of the week, the Sacrament, is brought to us by 11 year olds, little tweens. All of these little things help remind me that our church is for everyone. All these little things help me see everyone as children of God. 

As I saw everyone be so human at church I felt love for everyone there. I felt like Heavenly Father was so proud of us all for waking up and coming to church and celebrating together. Jesus was and is perfect and full of grace but that doesn’t mean He was always graceful, I bet he tripped over the roots of a tree or something at some point in his life. We're imperfectly perfect, it's beautiful. I love people being people. 

I love you all so much! Merry Christmas!

Still holding to the rod, 

Sister Owens 

Summary: Church this last Sunday contained a lot of distraction but it was silly and uplifting and validating and beautiful because of those distractions.

Here's the link to my mission pictures album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZMqcVg4i6kAMWJVH9

 

Funny Business

 Hey y’all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has time or the attention span to read this.]

Well it's been a crazy week. Here's some funny things from the last little while.

On the way to the airport from the missionary training center I fell out of the bus, like flat on my butt, highly unfortunate. The bus was stopped, I think I should make that clear.

While door knocking (my fifth house or so) Sister Job (my awesome trainer) and I interrupted a party, they yelled at us to come in, but we just like stood there and then someone came to the door and Sister Job started sharing about the Book of Mormon and he was like, this isn't my house and we're having a party right now. Awwwkwarrrd. 

I'm learning that we're just supposed to ignore social cues, a lot. Like we read the room and then ignore it. All the time.

We accidentally left our area like 3 times, because I forget I'm navigating… I'll work on that.

There actually is an obsession with biscuits. Like there's so many advertisements for biscuits. I think it's really funny all the restaurants brag about their biscuits. 

I was asked to give the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting yesterday. I thought I smiled and put on a brave face but then we had dinner with some members and they said I looked like I did not want to be up there. And I didn't. But I didn't want them to know that.

Also at that same meal, I thought I was talking so much. I felt like I was not exactly dominating the conversation but like, being an active participant and then the members said, that soon I won't be so quiet, I'll be an extrovert by the end of this…. I thought I was doing so good but companion also confirmed I should talk more.

We got a cute little bash text and she told us she loves and that we are going to burn in h-e double barbie legs.  I thought it was a little funny. 

Anyways today I just wanted to focus on the funny. I think when we choose to let things be funny instead of just focusing on how cringey life gets we can be happier. Also, Brother Limatua (one of my seminary teachers) said “silliness is next to Godliness” or maybe he said “silliness is next to holiness” something like that. My point is: choose to laugh! I love and miss y'all. God is good. Put the Christ in Christmas. Read your Book of Mormon. 

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: Basically in this email I just shared some silly stuff that happened lately. The funniest ones are paragraph 3 and 4, in my humble opinion. Let awkward stuff be funny, send me an email of something funny and awkward that happened. Or don't. Put the Christ in Christmas. Love ya!

Mary & Martha

 

Hey y’all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has time or the attention span to read this.]

I leave the mtc tomorrow. There's been so much. So much growth. So much joy. So much learning. So many tears. So many cups of the famous chocolate milk. I don't know how else to describe it. I have so much love for my district. There's been so many invitations extended and there's so much we are supposed to fit into our preplanned schedules. 

I want to talk about that. The so much that we're supposed to do each day. 

I've been so worried that I'm like, failing as a missionary and not following the mission standards because companion study hasn't happened everyday. Or because I've only had an actual work out twice in my two weeks here. Sometimes I feel bad because my companion and I are late to a devotional. There's a lot of things I can't control and I'm learning to let that be okay.

The first week here we were invited to choose a Christlike attribute to work on and the one that stuck out the most to me was diligence. Diligence is, “Consistent, valiant effort, especially in serving the Lord and obeying His word.” That's what it says in the guide to the scriptures but Preach my Gospel provides the insight that diligence is using our energy on the most productive things. Knowing what is and what isn't a priority.

I think of Mary and Martha. Martha is worried and stressed, “troubled” about many things. Mary takes time to sit and listen to and be with Christ.

I think I've been more like Martha rather than Mary. It's hard to receive personal revelation when you're worried about what you're doing and what you're doing next. I've noticed that in the moments I slow down, the Holy Ghost has an easier time getting messages to me.

Luke 10

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Before bed we have what's called miracle time. I thought it was… stupid at first, a brand thing, a way to make it so we actually go to bed at bed time. But as I take time to slow down and as I have consecrated miracle time I become more like Mary. I feel like I'm sitting right there at Jesus’ feet. I know what to say to Heavenly Father in my prayers. I'm able to think of what went right that day, all of the miracles. The best part about miracle time is that my prayers feel more like a conversation, I pause and open my book of Mormon and the verse I read is a confirmation that my prayers are heard. 

I want to be like Mary and choose that good part all the time, I want miracle time all the time.

Life is so much. So much hard. So much beautiful. So much so much. But Christ's Atonement is infinite, more than so much. He covered all of that so much so we get to cast away the worry and take time to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen.

Still holding to the rod, 

Sister Owens 

Summary: No matter how busy life gets there is time for Jesus. There's time to read one verse of The Book of Mormon. There's time to say a prayer. If you don't think you have time it's because you won't make time. 

Here's the link to my mission pictures album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZMqcVg4i6kAMWJVH9

 

Purple Donuts

 Hey y’all!

[Summary at the very bottom cuz I know not everyone has time or the attention span to read this.]

I'm here at the Provo mtc. From a very young age I have been taught that if you can't say anything nice you shouldn't say anything at all. 

Just kidding. 

Mostly.

I knew being a missionary wasn't easy. But I never realized how hard becoming a missionary is. Lately, I've been thinking about President Eyring's talk Tested, Proved, and Polished, there's this one part where he describes pulling weeds with his mom and his brother. The soil was like clay and the weeds would break off in his hands while the roots stayed firmly in the mud. His mom and his brother were rows ahead of him and the harder he tried the further behind he got. He cried out, “This is too hard!” and then his mom instead of offering sympathy smiled at him and said, “Oh Hal, of course it's hard. It's supposed to be. Life is a test.” 

This is hard. It's supposed to be. I feel like I'm pulling out weeds of old habits that no longer align with the disciple of Christ I want to become. A lot of the roots of unrighteous desires are still there. I'm selfish or lazy or blah blah blah. I'm learning though. I'm becoming a more devoted disciple of Christ. I'm gaining confidence in myself. I'm learning how to connect with people and how to see others the way Christ sees them. I'm learning to enjoy being a beginner. 

I love my district. My companion is cool. Sharing a room with five other girls is more fun than I expected. Our room is filled with laughter. Occasionally we cry with each other. The Spirit is present when everyone in the room is doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Classes are cool. Devotionals are good. The food here is edible. I really like blueberry donuts, they're a very definitive purple. 

Love & miss you all.

Still holding to the rod,

Sister Owens

Summary: This is hard but I know it's gonna be so so worth it. There's purple donuts here in the mtc.