Shout out to THE Church……Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

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I’ve never been one of those people to get up in testimony meeting and bare my testimony about my love for the ward and how I love everyone and its such a great family, blah blah blah, shut up, you don’t mean it.  ( Side note: I’ve never been one to get up and bare my testimony often at all, fear based reasons.)

Anywho, I’m starting to understand why people say that. Last year I made a choice on how active I wanted to be in church.  Did I just want to go to sacrament when it was convenient and I wasn’t too tired? Or did I want to really try and embrace the whole shebang?  I also had to make a decision on where I found my happiness, living a more party on lifestyle? or an FHE lifestyle?  I was content with my friends, we did fun things, I didn’t need anymore  friends.  But if I chose the FHE lifestyle I was going to have to really make friends with the Peter Priesthoods and Molly Mormons and I wasn’t ready for that.  One day, a girl from my ward, who I happened to know from my mission, reached out and invited me and another fellow missionary to dinner.  I knew it was a way of fellowshipping, but it didn’t seem to fake seeing as I knew these girls from the mission and we were already “ friends”.  We had a great dinner, and it really came at a great time for me because I was really in need of some girl time and to vent about the usual girl problems, so I was grateful for that. 

It made going to church easier being able to have a couple of girl I was comfortable with being awkward and following around church until I could get on my own two fit and stand alone.  It made all the difference.  I made a scary decision....GULP…to try out the FHE lifestyle…BIG GULP.  It started off getting to know my missionary sisters better and built up from there, as we shared each others lives and friends.  I was trying to immerse myself fully in church activities, pushing the barriers of my comfort zone.

I had the introductory Bishops interview….I didn’t hold anything back, if I was going to be all in then the Bishop needed to be aware of all my issues and my fear to pray in public, and give talks etc. ( But you were a missionary?  Yeah, I know, its still hard, I can’t help it, panic attacks ensue).  Then I was called in to the Bishops office again and given a calling!  A real  big girl calling, to be a Relief Society teacher…another BIG GULP.  I accepted hesitantly with the idea that I would only be teaching once like every other month ( NOT TRUE, that did not happen, it was all the time.)

I continued to hang out with “my girls” and getting to know them, going to activities and being awkward or even bored together.  Then we started incorporating hanging out with other people from our ward with trying out little game nights and what not.  Before long we had good group of friends from the ward who we would hang out with on a regular basis.  We had almost weekly bon fires and were just chill and silly together.  I started going to other little activities that people would host through out the week like girls movie night, or crepe night, FHE etc.  Slowly integrating myself into the ward. Then it happened.

Oh no, what happened you asked.  I became a wardie, BIG HUGE GARGANTUAN GULP.  I was a regular at ward and stake choir, I went to ward prayer most Sundays, I texted random members from my ward throughout the week, checked  the ward facebook page to see what was going on or who need help.  It happened, I became a part of the ward.  I found myself genuinely loving everyone, and happy to see them on Sunday, if we didn’t get to hangout during the week.  I found myself looking forward to game nights and movie nights and wanting to make them happen whenever they could.  Being around these awesome people and having fun and knowing that we all have the Gospel in common and that we can go from talking and doing the most ridiculous things to talking and teaching each other about the Gospel at the same time.  It was so comforting. 

I found myself loving my Relief Society sisters and wanting them to be happy.  Although teaching was hard and I usually cried or did something irreverent during one of my lessons, I truly wanted these sisters to be able to take away something that help them realize their worth in this world and in the ward.  Seeing the  Relief Society President, have so much  love and concern for all the sisters was inspiring, and it was completely genuine love, I know this cause she one of my besties and she told me so.

I found myself understanding why people get up and bare their testimonies about their wards being like families and how they love “ each and every one of you” in their wards.  When I was getting ready to leave for my adventure in NYC, I found that I was having these very same thoughts.  I was going to miss my ward family.

THEN

I moved.

I was nervous that I was going to have to do all the awkward ward immersion stuff all over again to try and have a new ward family while I was in NYC.  Not looking forward to starting the process over, and throwing myself into it.  But now I knew I was at least capable of making it work.  I was just hoping that my new ward would make it easy.  My first Sunday I went to the wrong ward but didn’t know it until later.  I wasn’t feeling it in this ward and that made me even more nervous, so when I found out I was in the wrong one I was relieved. 

I finally made it to the right one, almost an hour away from my Lower East Side dwelling all the way to 87^th street.  I soon as I was there I felt immediate comfort.  I met a senior couple who was also brand new to their mission and took me under their wing.  The Sisters were so friendly and not fake (Phew), not a whole lot of guys, but they seem nice.  I immediately started receiving leads for work from the sisters, that would later result in a well-paying 2-week temp job ( hopefully more to come).  Everyone is either in the same boat or has been in the same boat and is so willing and wanted to help you navigate NYC living. 

Even though I have to get up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to make it to 9am church (I don’t know why they do that to the YSA ward, there are only 2 other wards in the building, but whatever).  I always leave feeling uplifted and loved.  I know that this is hard, but I also know that Heavenly Father is blessing me as I reach out of my comfort zone to be who he knows I can be.  I’m so thankful that I have finally begun to understand the effect of Ward Families and that they are real.  These two wards have ruined me for the rest of my life, because I am going to expect every ward I’m in to be this great, which probably won’t happen, and that’s ok.  For now I am thankful that Heavenly Father is watching over me through his earthly angels in the form of ward families.  I hope to stay strong, and remember the blessings that I have received when I do the right things and have my eye single to the glory of God.  It makes the trials a lot easier to bare.  I love this Gospel and the knowledge and hope it brings even though it can be difficult sometimes. I love my friends who have been good examples to me and helped me when I almost wandered too far.  I love my Savior and know that he knows ME and what I NEED. 

I love YOU.

-Lolo

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