Family Dinners

This is Sister Kolo and I. 

I got to go on several exchanges with her in my last area. 

She's from Tonga :)

I love you so much. This week I was reminded of how amazing family dinners are. Every night we have dinner with a family, but last night was really memorable. We were sitting around the table, getting the usual questions: where are you from? what did you do before your mission? what do you want to do after? The kids were making jokes about one another, the parents were calming them down. They then told us about their son who is serving in the Philippines. He was in the huge storm that happened last year. As they told us their feelings through the disaster, I thought "how wonderful is it that no matter where we go on our mission, there are always people praying and pleading for our safety and success?" I had a moment where I pictured you all sitting at the dinner table with the missionaries, talking about me, and though I have not been through a natural disaster here in Idaho, I am still loved and thought of often.

The family was brought to tears when we related our spiritual thought to them. We connected the stake theme of "embarking in the service of God" to their son who had to evacuate the island. He watched the people he so dearly loved fade away as he floated off on the boat. We each have moments in life that we have to leave something behind that we love so dearly. Maybe it's a bad habit, maybe it's someone who influences us in a negative way, maybe it's a grudge we hold. Whatever it be, we need to leave it behind. In the end, their son was able to go back and teach hearts that were softened from the disaster. There are disasters in our life that will come, but we don't have to stay in the middle of it. We can leave, gain strength, and then come back and lift those around us. Hardships come, not to punish us, but to make us stronger, if we chose to learn from it. It's all about the attitude a midst the trial.

This week was one of strengthening those who are in the midst of trial. Each of our investigators are going through their own hardships. Each of our sisters are struggling. It's my job to be on higher ground so I can lift from where I stand. You have to be higher yourself to help someone up.

I love you and am grateful for the packages, letters, and words of love.

Keep being amazing and looking up :)
Sister Fredrick