Mission Report
Final Mission Report to President
I feel so
privileged for the opportunity that I have had these last eighteen months to
represent my Savior, Jesus Christ. As I have invited others to come unto Him, I
have found that it is more often myself that is the one being changed to come
unto Him. My relationship with the Savior has grown so much on my mission and
through His grace I have truly been changed.
Experiences that Have Caused Me To
Change: I have loved sitting in lessons and feeling how strongly the spirit
testifies during moments of silence. I went from being a greenie that taught
everything way too fast, to a missionary that thrived off short and powerful
statements, followed by moments of silence. Throughout my mission I have also
witnessed many answered prayers. This has led me to completely trust the Lord
because I know He will not fail me. I also have been changed as I have feasted
daily upon the words of Christ. Words cannot express my love for the Book of
Mormon. I know without a doubt that it is the word of God and another
testament of Jesus Christ. I also know that its young translator, Joseph Smith,
is a true prophet that was called in these latter days to restore His
church. As I recently completed reading the standard works, my testimony
has been strengthened that the fullness of the gospel has been restored. I have
also been able to meet so many amazing people with diverse lives that have
changed me for the better. From members, investigators, less actives and street
contacts to my companions, flat mates and other sisters I was privileged to
serve with. Through all of this, there has been one experience in particular
that caused me to stretch myself and exercise more faith. After a special
meeting we had with an area seventy, he approached my companion and I and told
us specifically, "No more just planting seeds. You both are
harvesters." I felt like he was looking into my soul, especially with
those last four words. My whole mission up until this point was focused on the
small miracles, the tender mercies, and the seeds I was planting. In my eyes, I
felt very competent and successful with the label I had given myself as
"just" a seed planter. Yet that day, I learned I was limiting my
vision and lacked the faith to harvest. Shortly after, I was able to witness a
precious soul enter the waters of baptism.
Memorable Spiritual Experiences: I feel
so blessed to have had so many spiritual experiences on my mission that I will
always treasure, even if they are difficult to put down in words. The first
time an investigator told me she got an answer that the Book of Mormon was
true. Meeting a less active for the first time and instantly seeing him as he
could become. Watching a stubborn part-member atheist have their heart
softened. The results of my first real and sincere fast, that my progressing
investigator's less active husband, would be worthy to baptize her on the date
she had prayerfully selected. Setting weekly goals in faith, fasting to achieve
them, and all the miracles placed in our path as we worked extra hard on our
"Sunday Sprints." Teaching someone that spoke less than 10 words of
English and then finding out, once we had a translator, that she understood
everything. Seeing the overflow opened in a sacrament meeting in a ward I had
served in for nearly 8 months. This included less-active members that hadn't
come to church in decades, recently ordained Melchizedek priesthood holders, and
a former less active with his call to serve a full-time mission. Inviting
someone to read the Book of Mormon, who was then brought to tears because it
had been the "Bible" she had found comfort in since her Nan's
funeral. Reinstating hope to one who thought it was too late to see the
promises of her patriarchal blessing fulfilled, when she randomly opened to
Alma 55:28 and read that she could again become victorious and reclaim her
rights and privileges.
The Impact of My Mission on the Rest of
My Life: I never knew such a short period of time could have such a
profound impact on my eternal progression, but it has. Before my mission I had
a lot of good priorities, and I felt like God was a part of each of them, but
He himself was not my first priority. As I have done my best to serve the Lord
with all my heart, might, mind and strength, He has now become my first
priority, and the umbrella over every part of my life. I am determined that as
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland states, my mission will be forever. I can't wait to
continue to reach out to less actives as a visiting teacher, to share the
gospel through social media, and to be a friend, and help find people for the
missionaries to teach. I have loved the precious time I have been given to
study. I know the love I have for the scriptures, and the knowledge I've
gained, will continue to grow throughout the years. All of the experiences of
my mission have come from the most valuable lesson I have learned, the ability
to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I will also return home with the
conviction that God lives and answers my prayers, that Jesus Christ is my
Savior, that His church and the fullness of the gospel have been restored to
this earth today.
Letter to companions and mission friends
Dear Companions/Flat mates/Sisters/Friends!
Before I finish this
wonderful experience, otherwise known as a mission, I just wanted to let each
of you know how grateful I am for you and thank each of you for being an
influential part of my life. Whether I got to bug you 24/7 as your companion,
or just in the flat, or those 24 hours on an exchange, thank you for putting up
with me!
I literally cannot imagine
my life without my mission. I once heard someone say serving a mission is like
running a marathon (not like I can relate to running or anything... but I
really like the idea of this, so bear with me!) You get really tired and
sometimes you just want the race to end already. Yet when you finish, you feel
like you are on top of the world (unless you are Sis. Rushing who is currently
in denial that she is finishing in just a few days!).
Before the mission
everyone always told me that missions are the hardest and best thing you could
ever do. I really struggled to see how it could be both, until I arrived in the
mission field. I soon realized that missions are hard. 6:30 everyday for 18
months?! That is HARD. Talking to random people that think you are crazy?! That
is HARD. Giving up yourself and a lot of who you are to serve the Lord with all
your heart, might, mind and strength?! That is HARD. Not fitting into any of
your skirts because of the ridiculous amount of weight you put on in a
relatively short amount of time?! That is HARD. Each of us struggle more with
different aspects than others, but no matter how strong or near to being
translated we may be, missions are HARD.
Yet at the same time
missions are GREAT! Seeing the spirit in someone’s eyes?! That is GREAT. Slowly
but surely becoming more of a scriptorian?! That is GREAT. Finding a golden new
investigator?! That is GREAT. Someone coming to church on Sunday?! That is
GREAT. Surviving 3 huge feeds in one day?! That is GREAT. Seeing a less active
come back into the fold?! That is GREAT. Finding friends from the pre-mortal
existence?! That is GREAT. Seeing someone enter the waters of baptism?! That is
GREAT. Becoming your own biggest convert?! That is GREAT. No matter how hard
times may be, no one can deny that missions are GREAT. And now as I look back
on my mission, I only see the tops of the roses, not all the thorns of trials
that lie underneath.
By no means am I trying to
say that I am perfect, and have learned all the ropes of missionary life. Nor
am I saying I have always done all of the following 100%. But I thought I would
share some of the so-called "pearls of wisdom" that I have learned
throughout my mission.
You might also notice that
most, if not all, of these pearls came from each of you :) Especially my
companions. Lucky for me though, I got to be "companions" with many
of you, even if it was just for 24 hours! I always learned something from each
of you that I could then apply to myself and also share with others. I cannot
thank each of you enough for each of the lessons you have taught me, the
examples you have been, and for the spirit I have felt when you testify. You
have each helped me feel like I have finished on top!
I hope that in this
impossible attempt of a comprehensive list, I included something that can help
each of you in your work. It is my biggest hope for each of you to have the
best 18 months and finish running each of your marathons feeling on top of the
world.
Love you all heaps! Ofa
Atu!
Sister Kennedy Rushing xx
Down Under Denial
Hey yous!
We set up a Christmas tree
last p-day but Christmas is still months away... right? I should be eating
healthy and losing weight but I have a few months before I need to worry about
that too... right? It will be good seeing my family again but that is still
months away... right? It is going to kill me to leave my family in Australia
but luckily that is still months away... right?
Unfortunately though, that
is all just a week away. It really hasn't hit me. Even if it rained all week to
prepare me for the northwest (before the quick shift to the Provo cold, that I
am SO not ready for) I AM NOT READY TO GO! :( Some moments I do think it hits
me and then I feel like I did when I went to get a shot when I was younger...
you know the pain is coming and you just wanna hurry and get it over with? haha
Rip off the band aid per say. Then of course there is the whole Tangled analogy
of skipping- excited to leave the tower and then nec minute, sitting on a rock
crying wishing you never left the tower. So with all the different possible
emotions I can experience, I just chose denial. It isn't happening... right? :)
I guess the only way I can
describe it is in these lyrics of a song from the Brown Hymn Book (in dedicated
to my love of the Polynesian cultures):
Lord, I can't believe It's
finally happening to me
The day is come and now
I'm coming home so soon.
Have I done all that I
could along the way?
And acted just as He
would?
Months gone by so fast
Will these feelings last
throughout my life?
Please keep me near to
thee
Time is on my side (Oh, I)
Help me to make it through
somehow
I need thee now
Help me to walk thy ways
and live to show them how
These two years have been
the best of my life
Now its time to move on in
this journey of mine
But we had a wonderful,
wonderful week. We went tracting a whole day with our new senior couple. How
great are they?! And we had a lot of success!! We found a whopping 2 new
investigators! Angelica, who turns out has a brother that joined the church and
is now a Bishop and she can tell the change in his countenance! And then Trish
Mackenzie. Very grandmotherly and very nice. We love the small country towns
south of Narooma! We have our return appointments with both of them tomorrow :)
We had a great lesson with
Daphne who came to the Relief Society activity this Saturday and loved it! She
stayed an hour and a half longer than planned. Didn't come to church the next
day BUT is helping the young women make cards tomorrow night.
Said goodbye to Maxine. My
90 year old poetry friend :) We had a great lesson with a lot of inspired
questions and read the poems Pres Monson quotes in his talks together. She is
the only member of the church in her family and has never been to the temple. I
have never felt such an urge to do the work for the other side of the veil
before as I did that day with her.
Kathy, the less active
recent convert who I just adore, is still very sensitive to the gospel. But we
had a wonderful lesson with her and now are to the point where we can slowly go
through all the lessons again with her to help resolve the true concerns.
The Pickups had us over
for dinner. More second hand smoke and got to eat in a castle. Literally. Stone
walls, glass windows, and spiderwebs everywhere. haha Oh and waiting like an
hour for the very upset Lexy to pick us out the perfect outfit for us from her
closest haha (They are the couple where she has brain damage and her husband
has cared for her over the last 30 years since).
Lets see what else? We got
to phone in to my last Zone Training to save us 8 hours from traveling. We have
been having to drive to Nowra like every week for something we feel like,
including District Conference this weekend! Oh and then I have been diving back
into Jesus the Christ, which I started at the beginning of my mission. I was
feeling super optimistic about finishing it before I went home but I think I
will be more realistic and say Christmas or New Years haha AND I packed already
so I don't have to worry about anything this week and just work and be a
missionary. :)
I feel like my life has
been full of change. Yet this change is so different. I am now asking myself my
own Plan of Salvation questions (who was I before? who am I now? who do I want
to be?) and keep reminding myself to trust in the Lord. You know, just the two
main things I have taught the last 18 months!!! But easily summed up, I am
still me (I think haha) but now with the right priorities and perspective.
Before my mission, I felt like I had a lot of good priorities and God was part
of all of them. BUT He himself was not the first. Now, He is. He is the
umbrella over any other priority I could possibly have. As we are promised in 3
Nephi 13, when we first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first,
everything else will be added unto us.
I am so grateful to have
been set apart and trusted to not only wear His name but to represent my Savior
and my best friend. I am so happy that along this journey I was also able to
find many more of my friends and as I helped them on the covenant path back
home, I in turn was strengthened. I really do believe that I won't go a day
without thinking about my mission. It has been the greatest decision I have
ever made. I have no regrets. I only have a heart full of gratitude.
I can't wait to continue
to apply everything I have learned and gained to the rest of my life. I hope I
can load up this springboard as much as possible this next week and then spring
forward. Thank you everyone for being a part of this journey with me. I love my
Father in Heaven. I know he answers prayers. I know it is only through His son,
Jesus Christ that we can return to live with Him again. I also know that it is
His grace that picks us up, not at the very end of the race, but it is what
carries us day to day. The Holy Ghost is indeed real, it comforts us and
testifies of truth. It is my guide. I also know that the day of revelation and
miracles is not over. His gospel has been restored, in its entirety. Faith
leads to action. And I know that as we act and do the things necessary to come unto
Christ, we truly can be perfected in Him.
Lots of love and a full
heart from Down Unda,
Sister Rushing
P.S. I do promise I am
excited to see you all too :) to some extent... haha just kidding! maybe....
you'll never know!
Finding Phoebe
Hey yous!
God is so great. Can I
just say that? Having to recover all of last week was so worth some AMAZING
experiences I got to be a part of this week. So lets just name a few....
Sis Carter. I just adore
her. A sweet older lady that doesn't come to church because of her back, but
through later visits, we discovered her true concern. She is just
genuinely afraid of people and has kept pushing back getting a new temple
recommend because of her fear of having a calling in the Branch. On our visit
this week, we were really trying to think what was the best thing to share
with her. And shortly after I said a silent prayer that my companion would know
where to take the lesson, she asked her how her reading in Ezekiel has been,
in hope that then I would actually start taking the lesson where it needed to
go (as I have been reading and as of my studies this morning, now FINISHED the
Old Testament... greatest thing ever!). Yet, when Sis. Carter said
she skipped ahead to Daniel, Sis. Krzymowski was then able to share one of her
favorite stories from Daniel that naturally led us to sharing the
Bible Dictionary entry on prayer and trusting in the Lord. It wasn't
any huge miracle per say, but it was just a wonderful simple lesson guided by
the spirit. Then a couple of days later we found out that she had asked
the Branch President to interview her for a new recommend this weekend, but
ending up having a heart attack early Thursday morning. She is in the hospital,
and is stable and doing pretty well. We are just grateful that we could help to
strengthen her right before this next big trial in her life.
Now for this big, massive,
multi-part miracle. We went to the local nursing home to visit a
sweet, less-active sister in her 80s, Joan Waite, who was recently admitted
into the high care unit because of her bowel cancer. She was not responsive at
all, sleeping with her eyes wide open and taking big gasps of air. High on
morphine to help with the pain. Two of her neighbors Gary and Glenda, were also
there, and through talking with them, found out that Gary had met with
missionaries in the past for several years. We talked with them, and they asked
us to offer a prayer for Joan as Glenda said that she had been praying that
someone from Joan's church would come to prayer for her. As we left the nursing
home that day, the spirit was so strong. We left with goose bumps and literally
felt the presence of angels around us. I have never before felt the veil so
thin.
So here we are on fire
with the spirit, and then neither of us could find our planners let
alone remember who we planned to see next so we pulled over and said a
prayer. As soon as I started praying, Sis. Krzymowski had the
name Phoebe come to mind. And it felt so right. The only problem
is neither of us knew who a Phoebe was! haha She
wasn't in our phone, area book, or ward list. We couldn't even find
a Phoebe street on the GPS to tract. But she felt close.
We passed a purple house that we just felt like we had to go back
to. We knocked on that door, which was part way open, and as soon as the
lady saw us, she said, "not interested" without giving us a chance to
say a word. We walked back to our car, but both knew there was something we
still needed to do on that street. So we knocked some neighbors, then
walked back to the car, still feeling not entirely complete. Then a lady across
the street came out of her house, and we said Hi to her as she walked to her
car and we walked to ours. I then felt the strongest impression that we could
just not let her go! And can I just say what a great thing it is when your
companion has the same impressions you do? Because as soon as I grabbed a card
out of my bag, I head my companion ask " Excuse me? Do you by chance know
a Phoebe?" Now cue in Sis. Rushing's horrible lying skills when
this lady walked towards us, sincerely trying to think if she knew anyone
by that name, and asking us questions about who Phoebe might be. How do you
explain to someone that the Spirit just told your companion a name and it felt
right?! haha She was super friendly though and introduced herself as Fran. She
even asked what we do and what message we share as well as
an invitation for lunch on Christmas! It was a miracle! Let
alone the fact she was on her way to work... at the nursing home we were just at
to visit Joan! So we might not of found a Phoebe, but we did find a Fran! There
names do sound close enough wouldn't you say?! haha
Then as soon as we could
on Sunday, we were back at the nursing home. Nurses kept coming in
asking what church we were from, and telling us how lovely we were, and
making sure we felt comfortable if she was to pass away while we sat with her.
She was so close to going. We sat there with her, read scriptures, sang
hymns, and then it was time to head to an appointment but I just COULD NOT leave
her. So I offered a prayer asking Heavenly Father to not keep her here longer
than she is needed but to please not let her pass away alone and then we headed
out. On the way out though, we ran into Fran again who asked if Phoebe could be
in Moruya, because she was telling her husband about it and he is a school
teacher there with a student very interested in religion. How crazy is that? We
might just find Phoebe after all!
Then as soon as our
appointment was over, we were back by Joan's side. Within the next hour she
passed away very peacefully. I felt such a rush of the spirit as she softly
took her last breath. One of the nurses, who actually opened up the door for us
earlier that day, was in the room as well. My prayer was answered and I was so
happy to know she had people by her side as she left this mortal world and I
feel so blessed to be one of the them. It was an amazing spiritual experience
that I will never forget. Sis. Krzymowski and I were talking as well
yesterday about what a great missionary Joan was as she perfectly
managed to hold out just long enough for us to talk with this nurse
about volunteering opportunities at the nursing home so that we could
continue to help others. I really can't meet you one day Joan Waite.
So that had to be the big
highlight of this week, without a doubt. But we had many other amazing
miracles, lessons, trainings and studies. As I finished the Old Testament, I
can now say that I not only have read all the standard works but how I know
that this gospel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is a fullness
of doctrine. I agree with President Uchtdorf who wholeheartedly told us
this last conference that a testimony is the thing of most worth we can gain
in this life. And I feel like that is what I have gained as I continue to
feast upon the words of Christ. I love the scriptures!!!!!!!!
We had an amazing zone
conference this week as well. It was special in that we had a little mini
testimony meeting as a zone. Testifying of truth always invites the spirit. I
know without a doubt that what I get to testify of each day is true,
and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I am so excited for Christmas. And
part of me really wishes I could have one more as a missionary and I feel like
this year I have grown so much closer to him and appreciate His life so much
more. I really hope that feeling will continue to repeat itself, year
after year. I love being a missionary :)
Love You!
Sister Rushing :)
P.S. We now have a senior
couple in Narooma. So we both kind of feel like trainers :) They are so
awesome, so green, SO American haha we love them! :) I will have to get a
picture with them this week to add as well! Only scenic pics this week. Enjoy
the beauty of the earth! oh wait... just kidding. I don't have a memory card reader.
Next time! :)
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