I Love My Mission

My Sweet Loved Ones,

Oh how much I really do love all of you! I wish you could know! Thank you for all that you do for me, I so appreciate all of you.

Can you believe I have been here for 50 days.... Isn't that crazy?! I seriously feel like I just got here! My mission is flying by way too fast! Everything needs to slow down! Before I know it, my mission will be over and that will be such a sad day because I LOVE MY MISSION! I always think, "No way can it get better than this." But duh it's going to! When I get out and teach my people, my joy will be unheard of! Like you think you know happy Mariel... But you haven't even seen how happy I am coming out of my lessons! Oh that is a sight to see! Happy Sister Lee, is probably the happiest person you will ever meet in you whole entire life! And I haven't even begun teaching MY PEOPLE yet! I'm scared my heart is going to explode, when I get there, because I already love them so much, when I meet them I know my love will increase magnificently!

Speaking of my people.. guess what... I GET TRAVEL PLANS THIS WEEK!!!! I'M GOING TO UKRAINE IN 13 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is this real life?? Oh I have so many butterflies right now! Haha I just squealed in the computer lab and everyone asked me what was wrong, I then said in my high pitched happy Mariel voice, (you all know that voice) "I'M GOING TO UKRAINE IN 13 DAYS!!!!!!"  How exciting?!?! Alright, sorry for my little girl excitement, I'll now try to get down to the nitty gritty.

Okay I can't stop being excited! This week was just filled with amazing things. On Sunday in Relief Socitey (Relief Society is so awesome here, they always have the best speakers come!) and this week, was definitely no exception. Sister Janice Kapp Perry came! My hero! I feel as though she is such a huge reason as to why I have my testimony. Singing her songs as a child helped me gain my testimony at a very young age and singing them now still helps my testimony grow! It was so wonderful to have her there right in front of me and to feel her sweet spirit. She had created a medley for us to sing, the spirit was so overwhelming I could not even begin to sing. The tears did not cease the whole time she was there. She also had written new words to the song "As Sisters In Zion" she changed the title to "The Sisters of Zion" and it was written special for us sister missionaries. We were the first group to sing it, and let me tell you, Wow! To be with the army of these sisters was such a neat experience. I don't know if you could find the lyrics yet, but please try to find them, they are amazing. I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to hear her testimony and meet her, yes I did meet her after the meeting! I let her know how grateful I was for her and her sweet songs that mean so much to me.

Last night we had another amazing devotional. Well of course they are all amazing, but last night we heard from someone special... We were honored to hear from Elder Russell M. Nelson. Incredible. The second he walked in the door the spirit felt was so peaceful, so amazing. You could tell that he was a true disciple of Christ. The words that him and his wife shared with us were truly inspired. His wife let us know that we are receiving help from the other side of the veil and I know that to be true! I remember in my sweet father's blessing that I received just prior to entering the MTC how Dad promised me that I would receive help from the other side of the veil from Grandpa Ted, and I have felt his help and I know that he truly is helping me in this work. Miracles have already happened, and I know many more will occur when I get in the field and I am so grateful for the help I am receiving from my sweet angel Grandpa, I truly am lucky and blessed to have him on my team.

Elder Nelson, talked a lot to us about the basic fundamentals of missionary work. Oh he was amazing! I so appreciated his words. He told us that as missionaries we are like doctors. Everyone that we will teach will probably have a pain of some kind. And just as a doctor's job is to heal people physically our job is to heal people spiritually. We can do this. I can do this, because I have been called by the Lord to Ukraine to help my investigators. There are specific people in Ukraine that Heavenly Father needs ME to heal. Oh how special! Brother Egget, our choir director, told us something so cool as we were practicing for our choir number. He let us know that sometimes missionaries have the attitude of "You are so lucky I'm here." when in reality we should ALWAYS have the attitude "I am so lucky to be here!" He then put it into perspective for us.

Picture yourself in heaven with a group of at least 2,000 people all gathered around Jesus. You don't really know what is going on so you ask the person next to you "Hey, what's going on here?" they then reply with anxiousness "He's getting ready to chose! He's going to chose only one of us to be His missionary! Oh I hope it's me!" As you look around the group you see that everyone else has this desire of "oh please, oh please, oh please pick me!" I was one of those people "Oh please pick me!" And He did! Of 2,000 people I was the only one that He chose! I am so lucky! And I know that!

I have been beyond blessed to have the knowledge of the gospel in my life so now in return I must share this joy with my sweet Ukrainians! I get more excited everyday about the wonderful opportunity I have to be in the service of my Lord. There is nothing else in the world  I would rather be doing. I cannot wait to fill the lives of those I teach with this wonderful joy that I have. Elder Nelson really stressed being kind and loving, and you best believe I will be kind and loving to them! I encourage you to all be kind and loving to everyone you meet!

I love you all. I know this church is true with all my heart. My testimony of the truthfulness of it grows stronger and stronger everyday. I love my Savior, best friend, brother Jesus Christ with all my heart, I know through Him I am able to do the impossible. I love my Heavenly Father and the opportunity I have to share His Plan of Happiness. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! My district continues to get sick, so please pray for them! We are leaving soon and it would be so stinky to get held back due to sickness, so please pray for us!  You all are the best, I pray for you everyday and am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you, thank you!

Love,
Your Sister Lee

our roommates left this week.. so bitter sweet! We were so excited for them, but life at home is a little lonely now

my cute best friends :)