Kendall Michelle: { I'm a Trainer! } #37

June 23, 2014 Week 37

HI FAMILY!!!

Meet... Hermana Simmons. From Alberta Canada! 22, smiley girl…super excited to work lots here in the mission and the only problem is… she probably speaks a good 10 words of Spanish. It's been interesting and I really am struggling with English. Haha Not that I don't remember it but when I'm so used to hearing Spanish all the time and then I have to find a balance of now speaking Spanish and English. It's been a weird week. But… a weird week full of tons of miracles!!!

First of all...Tuesday we went to meetings and then we all went to the mission home where we marched in singing “Called to Serve” and I just started scanning over the 6 Hermanas... trying to guess which one I would be with! Well...Hermana Simmons and I were put together and I couldn't have been happier! We took tons of pictures and then we headed off to La Plata... and then reality set in... She doesn't speak Spanish! We were in for a great week! haha I remember how hard it was to try to listen to everyone talking SO fast and trying to testify of something you didn't even understand and trying to even figure out what they are saying when they say hi! I've learned that pretty much all of my ward speaks English..... She'll start struggling for words in Spanish and they're just like, "You can just speak in English"... Whaaaaat?!.... Lucky!

This week I learned to rely on prayer lots and honestly… it was one of the best weeks of my mission. My testimony is growing stronger and stronger through my experiences, and studies. We are taking the whole ward list and visiting everyone! More than half of the people are just hanging out there and we have no idea who they are... adding to that we are visiting old investigators. Every day, although it seemed like we were going in every direction trying to find these people, we were blessed with finding them, or if not them, then new people. One of these families that we went to is the Barbez family. We shared a lesson with them and after a few years of not going to church they came yesterday!! Micaela and Miguel are old investigators that just recently got married and they are working towards their baptism and we found them through their old registers in the Area book. They said they have been waiting... and the Lord really did put us in their path. :) Also... Marcelo came to church!! It's amazing to see the outcomes of our weekly work when we arrive at church. We were amazed at all of the people that came and almost in tears to see miracles.

The training program of 12 weeks is flawless and every day Hermana Simmons is up for doing another thing to improve her Spanish. It's going to be a good transfer but I'm not going to lie... it's taken me a while to get used to being with an English speaker 24/7! Because I just realize that Spanish grammer is super important... and I can't remember Spanish or English.... whoops.

This week we start reading Lesson 1 in PMG and I'm super excited because it's exactly what Hna Simmons will be starting to teach.

A great story that my dear friend shared with me this week :) (Thanks Kar)

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the mistress's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to her master's house.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your mistress's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in her compassion she said, "As we return to the mistress's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?

“That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my mistress's table. Without you being just the way you are, she would not have this beauty to grace her house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.

But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

I have realized that though I am so imperfect, my flaws make me better each and every day as I try to make them better... I wouldn't be who I am without them!

I have been studying in Nephi 17 and I am always so amazed at the courage that Nephi had to build a ship. The Lord commanded him, so he did it. 1 Nephi 17:50 and Moroni 7:33. KEEP THE FAITH.

With faith we can do all things!! I believe, and I know that all can be done just starting with a little belief. One of my favorite talks of all time :) Take a look.

Lord, I Believe

<3 XOXO Hermana Barrett

More fun stories to come next week!! Love you all so much!