APRIL 21

Title:

I've learned a lot, as a missionary, about why it is important that we have weaknesses. I've understood that having weaknesses helps us to gain empathy. 

For example-- my companion and I tried to help one of our investigators learn how to read. She's from Africa and it's really hard for her to learn because it's not something that she is used to. She feels like learning how to read is something that she could never be able to do--and even after just teaching her the alphabet sounds, she became frustrated and discouraged. Well, the next day, because we're teaching some chinese people, our ward mission leader thinks that it would be important for us to learn chinese (even though we should probably learn dutch first...) and so Sara tried to help me learn the sounds that all the letters make in Chinese. I would make the sound after her and try to imitate her, and she would correct me. Even after I was pretty certain that I had made exactly the same sound as her, she would still tell me I wasn't doing it right. I didn't understand how on earch I could change what I was doing to match her example--afterall, she is the Chinese one. And even now I don't really have a lot of faith that I wil ever learn Chinese (I don't know if I'm really that dedicated.) But I think these small moments are the moments that I can take a step back and understand--yes. People are full of shortcomings and weaknesses, but so am I. And the Lord still loves me.  

So being a Sister Training Leader's companion for about half my mission, I have realized that working with different people is a privilege--to be able to learn from them and understand them and be able to help them and have them help you because we're all, everybody on this earth, in the learning process. And you cant really do a lot of good and help other people if you don't understand where they're coming from--if you don't put yourself in their shoes and try to walk with them. 

It was a beautiful easter sunday and I hope you all were able to contemplate the easter story and what it means to know that Christ is risen!

I love you all and hope that you have a fijne week. 

xoxo

Zuster Hoff