Dear family and friends,
First off, I'm sorry I don't have much time to write today. We came by the library earlier and they are filming a movie around here so we couldn't go in and had to come back later. Apparently they shoot lots of movies around here. It's not the first time I've seen camera crews around here. Word has it that cheaper by the dozen was filmed in my area. I also found out that Beverly Hills annual income is only $5,000 greater per household than the city of Pasadena where I serve. I didn't realize this area was so incredibly affluent. This is probably because the people that we've been teaching that receive our message are not wealthy. In fact the only investigator we have with a baptismal date is currently homeless. We eat in members homes who are very wealthy but I still don't always realize the wealth of the area because we spend most of our days with the more humble less wealthy side of Pasadena/ Altadina.
Not much has happened since I last wrote on Wednesday. Transfers are coming up this week so we'll see what happens. Our district will at least be different though. One Elder went home during this transfer so we only had a trio of three Elders then Sister Baum and I which is quite small for a district. Also, our district leader, Elder Cooper, will be going home this transfer. I'll miss our district a lot but I'm here for the people I serve rather than I serve with and it has just been a wonderful extra blessing to have had such an amazing district. And who knows, I may see them again after my mission. I really hope Sister Baum and I are still together. I'll miss her a lot if not but the Lord is in charge so what ever happens is for the best and I know without a doubt President Becerra (our mission President) is inspired of the Lord.
This week I had dinner with a family, the Demmings. Both the mother and father served in Tokyo on their missions! The dad was actually there in 1996 when we were. Funny huh? There was also a couple in my ward that knew Paul and Courtney Fjeldsted but I can't recall their names anymore...
On a sad note. Alexzandria is without a home still. She sleeps in the park bless her heart. We have done everything to find her a home but we don't really have the time to devote all to her nor the resources seeing as we can't even access the internet besides email. We have been praying and fasting though and I know something will work out in due time. The Lord often steps in after we think we can't take another step and we see what we're really made of and learn important things we couldn't any other way. Alexzandria is truly amazing and I have learned so much from her great faith and amazing attitude. I loved her the day I met her and have continued to love her more and more all the time.
I've also learned and seen applied in my life more the keys to happiness. There are many but here are two big ones: service/ thinking of others before yourself and hard work. Think about it. That's what missionaries do all the time. All day everyday they work hard at serving others and are the happiest people you've ever met. That's what Christ did His whole life. He turned outward to others rather than turning in. He served and loved everyone. We should follow his example and when things get hard for us we need to turn outward in acts of love and quite service rather than turning inward in frustration, self-pity, etc. If you truly love others and give to them your attention, time, love, help, everything, than you have no time to be sad or upset. Hard work also brings joy. We get up every day at 6:30 to exercise and from that moment on we are working all day. We don't sleep in on the weekends or take vacations or even get holidays off. We don't go to movies or surf the internet or take work breaks. We don't quit. Ever. And it's not always easy. Hard work will still be hard work, but it's rewarding. How can people hear about Christ and His church restored to the earth today if we aren't out serving them and finding them? It just won't work!
Oh, here's my crazy story for the week. We actually have lots but I can't exactly tell them all until I come back. Don't worry though, I'm not in danger, I just encounter many strange people. This week we went to visit a family from the ward but we had the wrong address. We ended up in a sober living center... We knock on this woman's door and she's a recovering addict from crack cocaine. She was nice and loved God and made that known. She was still a little off her kilter though. As we were talking to her she began to "speak in tongues". My first thought as she is doing this is- what if she doesn't stop?! Haha. I'm not quite sure what we would have done. It was interesting to say the least. Bless her heart. I don't think she was completely all there yet. I hope not to offend anyone reading this that believes in speaking of tongues or is recovering from any kind of drug. I am not trying to bash. It was just a specific experience I had this week that was a little out of the ordinary.
Also this week Sister Baum got a tick and freaked out and thought she was going to die in the night. I told her not to worry that only like 1% of people actually get Lyme's disease and that's she's on a mission so she's fine. Well, her last companion's dad got it and almost died from it so my argument didn't stand very well against her. We called a nurse for the mission, said some prayers, went to a member's home to do some research, said some more prayers and as I thought she is just fine. No Lyme disease. Also the bed bugs came back, or rather won't die off so it looks like we'll be fumigating again. It's a little frustrating because the preparation it requires takes away from missionary work but in all things there are lessons to be learned and in the end I'm grateful to have a bed to have bed bugs!
I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week. The Lord lives and loves us all. Work hard, pray hard, play hard.
Love Sister Fjeldsted
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