Saturday, January 31, 2015

Words from Sister Hailey Overson in the MTC (Brazil)



"Well, I finally got my reassignment last night. Many of you might have already heard, since word travels so fast in a small town. But I've been temporarily reassigned to the Arizona Scottsdale Mission. No, this is not a joke or a silly prank. Although, my first reaction was to accuse the elder who handed it to me of that very thing.

All last night, I threw a little bit of a fit. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not going to lie... I was pretty ticked. "Of course this is happening to me. I'm supposed to go to Brasil. And then,not only does my visa take forever, but now I'm going back to my home state. And not just my home state, my home mission! What is everyone going to say when they find out? They'll all think I'm being punished or something. Why would God do this to me?" These were just a few of the thoughts that raced through my head. I spent the rest of the night staring at that sheet of paper and wishing it would just disappear. But it didn't. It wasn't until later that night that I realized how ridiculous I was being. Here's just a few of the things I have learned in the short time I've had to think.

1. God has a sense of humor. 
I have said multiple times that wherever I go, I will be happy and serve the Lord, because that's where He wants me and it's where I need to be. Now- as my awesome dad put it- it's time to put my money where my mouth is. And that's exactly what I plan to do. I have also said multiple times that I would not be quite as happy somewhere cold- and neither would my wonderful mama cita. Arizona it is! I bet God giggled a tiny bit when He gave me this call.

2. Prayer changes everything. 
As I said my prayers last night, I really pled with God for me to be able to have faith and strength and know that this is His plan for me. It's not like He just went "Whoops! Oh well, I guess that's where she's going now!" I kept telling myself that- and so did everyone else- but it wasn't until I prayed that I really felt that it was true. I can't say that anything truly miraculous happened. But I can say that I feel loads better. And I know I didn't do that on my own. 

3. I need to better understand what it means to trust God. 
God knows the end from the beginning. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. Our weaknesses, our strengths, our fears, our desires, our thoughts and feelings and futures! So why on earth was I questioning Him and His plan for me? We're all human, so we do that stuff. But I need to remember who is in charge. 

Sorry this was so long, but for those of you who have read the entire email, I hope it helped you. Or at least made you think about life. We are all so blessed to live the lives we do! I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that God loves me and has a plan for me. He wants the very best for each one of us. I love you all! And might see you around sometime;)"

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