Sister Stevenson and I have done zero real missionary work this week.
none.
We wore jeans all week.
We did alot of math for this week. This is what we figured out.
Your average LBR training missionary (aka us) in a single week has a total of
56 sleeping hours
112 awake hours
20 hours of studying
7 hours of planning
14 hours of lunch and dinner breaks (minimum) - we try really really hard to make it an hour but, lets be honest, in the south where we eat and talk ALOT, no matter how hard you try, most of them go over
42 working hours (aka going out having appointments, finding, teaching, traveling time... everything a missionary has to do)
So if you take in the lost minutes (repentance is real), the travel time (especially in our area - lots of traffic and far away places. It takes 30 minutes to drive to Mandeville), meetings with missionaries and the ward, and the accidental extra time on dinners with members... I would say our total working hours would be about... 34 hours. give or take.
So that's a lot of math.
But all of those things are extremely important to a missionary.
Sleeping hours: of course is important because you are so done every day at 10:30 you just pass out. Need that 8 hours.
Awake hours: When we should be constantly doing something with the Lords time, every second of everyday. (I'm still working on this one. Its the hardest.)
Studying hours: personal study- where we study and make plans for our investigators. Companion study- where we sing, read from the handbook and PMG and recite scriptures, then make lesson plans together for our investigators or do an activity from PMG.
& for Training missionaries we have 12 Week! - Additional Comp study where we watch The District and have more mission training and role playing to be better missionaries faster.
Planning hours: half hour at the end of each day where we prayerfully plan for the next day. What we will do, who we will see, what we will teach, as well as update our records for the people we saw and taught today. Also we Weekly Plan on Thursdays for several hours and plan what we will do for the next week.
Eating hours: OH GOSH SO GOOD. Where we will for lunch make something quick and take a nap or talk or literally chill out or we go out to eat if its a Mandville day. and for dinner hopefully someone signed up to feed us and we will have a huge, delicious, giant, good conversating, largest meal ever. Then before we leave we share a too-short message because we took too long on dinner and we are over an hour.
Working hours: the 34 hours of pure missionary-ness.
Talking to people, tracting, doing service in thrift stores or food banks, calling, teaching the lessons you planned and prepared for, getting cancelled on, using back up plans, having the funny moments and stressful moments, disappointing and exciting moments.
the essence of a missionary.
How does this relate to us this week?
Sleeping hours: normal we have about 45 minutes to ourselves from 9:45-10:30 to do what we want... We would usually talk, write letters, play ukulele, write in journal, etc..
This week we were in bed an asleep by 10. every. day. We were so exhausted. (doesn't seem like a big deal. but its a big deal when you have no free time and you spend it sleeping)
Awake hours: we were busy every second of the day serving others.
Studying hours: We were able to study for a message that would bring one of hope and peace and comfort to those we met and #hallelujah Easter initiative works great. Also since we weren't teaching lessons we were actually able to study for ourselves.
Planning hours: Our plans were almost the same everyday. wake up. study. service. eat. find people. service. eat. study. sleep.
And it hasn't gotten boring.
Eating hours: I think I ate so much this week and was still always hungry because we worked so much this week.
Working hours: We had 23 hours of service this week.
The other 10 hours we spent knocking on doors of the neighborhoods that were devastatingly affected by the floods. We wore our yellow shirts and jeans and were representatives of Jesus Christ and the Mormon Helping Hands. It was a great responsibility.
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Setting up for the crews.
the necessities:
gloves
crowbars
hammers
shovels
brooms
wheelbarrows
sleds
box cutter/razor things
Cleaning supply buckets
waters
food boxes
and........
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LOTS OF HELPING HANDS!!
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| Proud to Wear Yellow |
23 hours of tossing furniture/carpet/belongings onto an ever growing pile of trash accumulating on the sides of the road, hammering apart sheet rock and drywall, taking out doors and cabinets, taking a crowbar to lament and wood floors, helping pack away decorations and belongings, helping go through things to decide what was salvageable or trash, comforting those without flood insurance and praising God with those who did, crying with people, praying with people, and being a support to those who lost so much.
This flood was pretty devastating and traumatizing for people not because of the damage but because it was unheard of in this area. It is a straight flashback to Katrina! Many were not in a flood zone and didn't have insurance. One lady is sleeping in her shed in her backyard. Another just finished her first round of chemotherapy for breast cancer and cant even cook for herself right now. The devastation is real.
But our message, especially an Easter message of #hallelujah and the Atonement is also very real.
He knows what we are going through! He's done it.
He knows what this feels like! He's felt it.
He can help us! He can lift us!
If we let Him. If we love Him.
I'm so grateful to wear the yellow shirt this week and to just straight up serve.
I'm so grateful to have the blessings that I have.
I'm so grateful for the protection and missionary promises.
I'm so grateful to be able to help others in a way I never have before. both physically and spiritually.
I'm eternally grateful for my Savior and for how He can lift the hurt that we feel if we give it up to Him. #hallelujah
Live life and see good days :)
Happy Easter. #hallelujah
xoxoxoxoxox
Sister Sades
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