Hey y'all,
Tudo bem? So this week has been a week of much change. I had to say goodbye to Loomis which ended up being much harder than I thought it would be. Who knew I could fall in love with such a small Northern California town. I miss it a lot....thank goodness for Facebook though! I've already gotten messages from the people I worked with there. What a blessing to be able to keep in touch and help me even though I'm not there anymore. The LPs drove me down here and took me and Sis Soliai out for lunch and gelato. They spoiled us :) I love them! Also I got to see one of my other fav families because sis Giani got to go back to Rocklin for a baptism and they found out I was going so they came to this random person's baptism just to see me. It made me feel pretty loved.
So my new companion Is from an Italian family just like me, but her dad was born here, so they're more New Yorker Italians than real Italians. But she is hilarious and we get along great!! We might have too much fun together, but that's okay:)
Citrus Heights is much more city than the colony and Loomis. I was getting too used to country life. I love being in a city though because there are people EVERYWHERE! And one of my favorite things to do is talk to strangers and teach them about the gospel. It's way better than tracting. Also, we do not have a car here, so I'm on a bike!! I love it so much! It's such a great stress reliever and gives me time to think without having any music or anything else in my head. Don't worry ma, I always wear my helmet. Me and Sis Giani are doing what they call "pink washing" we replaced elders, which is really hard because our apartment was filthy and they kept terrible records so we have nothing to work from, but the ward loves us already!
Being sisters in a ward that has only had elders for many many years is kinda like being a celebrity. Everyone wants to feed us. It's awesome. Oh! There are also elders in our ward. We double cover the area. Elder Champagne and Elder Johnston, elder Johnston is from Amarillo, waiting for his visa to Brazil, and studying to be a doctor. He's basically me in guy form....it's super weird.
The ward had a talent show this week and we were in it. We pretended to be elders and the elders pretended to be sisters, it was HILARIOUS! I wish y'all coulda seen it. Also people make fun of me for saying y'all a lot more here....it's a bummer.
The work has been pretty slow the past week as we've been trying to get set up and figuring out our new area, but we made lots of contacts and met a potential family. We're gonna go teach them this week. I'm super excited. Also this lady the elders passed off to us, M, came to church, she quit smoking cold turkey two weeks ago and got up to bear her testimony about it at church. It was so humbling! She has such great faith. We're going to try to set a baptismal date with her this week.
So with all was changes going on in my little life I've been thinking a lot about the question, is it better to have loved band lost or never loved at all? Y'all know that I'm a helpless romantic, so I always said loved and lost. Well during my studies I've decided that that's what Christ would probably choose too.
"Partaking of a bitter cup without becoming bitter is likewise part of the emulation of Jesus." -Elder Neal A Maxwell
We all have different bitter cups we have to drink. Mine this week was leaving behind a place and people I had come to leave so dearly. Open your heart and love those around you, heart break is a bitter cup, but it's worth it to have made a difference in someone's life.
President Kimball said "All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God."
It's about enduring those bitter cups we have to drink with patience. When the tough times come our way it's not about thinking about why it's happened to you, but rather thinking how can I react to this in a way that Would make God proud? However we act to difficult situations has to make things better not worse. That's what heroes do. They make things better.
Anyway, I gotta go, but I love y'all with all my heart. Be good. Remember who you are. I pray for y'all every night. I miss you.
Love,
Sister Byrne
Sou dicípulo de Jesus Cristo
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