week 24

Thanks for your advice about how to write leters.  I took your advice when I was writing the president, and it worked really well (because I normally overstress and take a long time to write him as well : )  So the whole writing without overthinking thing works well.  Thankfully, the mission has a new tradition about when they tell us who is having changes.  The tranfer meeting is always on wednesday, and it used to be that we would get the call about who is leaving and who is staying on monday or on tuesday.  But now the rule is that we get the call on Sunday night.  So now the big news......I'm headed out of Junin.  So next week I'll be able to tell you where I'm at and who my new companion is.  But as you guys can probably tell from the tone of my last email, it wasn't that big of a surprise that I'm headed out.  I've felt like I've been here a while and its time for a change.  However it was a bit of a shock.  Hna Andersen and I became really great friends really quickly.  And I'm honestly more sad to leave her than I am to leave Junin (I know it really shouldn't be that way but yeah...)  Kinda cool, Idaho Falls is an hour away from her hometown, and she lived in Idaho Falls for a short bit.  I asked her if she ever met Anna, cause she's the same age and everything, but she lived in Idaho Falls at a later point in her life, so she never met her.  But still kinda cool.  As far as Kevin goes, things are going good.  He's been more sincere with us lately, and we've learned that he wants the gospel, and he wants to make changes in his life, but we're pretty sure he doesn't have that much confidence in himself and his ability to change.  He told us that he struggles with some "habits".  So that's hard.  But he can make the changes.  Also for his sake I am super glad that Hna Andersen is staying in Junin, because she can help him.  She's is someone who doesn't have fear of really getting to know a person, while I recognize that I'm someone that kinda likes to skirt around a problem, and I'd often rather not know.  But its been good.  That being said, its been good having us both.  I think I've been the missionary that has gained his confidence and helped him get started, and Hna Andersen is going to be the one that helps him make the changes.  And we're definately trying to involve members in the conversion process with him, cause the last thing we want is for him to become spiritually dependent on the missionaries.  But anyway I'm excited for what the future holds.  Love you all and have an awesome week!

-Alyssa

Also a little part from my leter to the presient:

 I read something else in my personal study that helped me a ton, and that was the chapter about keeping commitments. I've always had some fear about extending commitments, and sometimes I ignore that fear and move forward with faith, and other times I let that fear hinder me. But today when I was reading that chapter I felt strongly that I was doing everyone and exteme disservice to let fear keep me from extending comitments, because its basically impossible for us as humans to improve our lives and have more of the peace of God in our lives if no one or nothing invites us to improve. Just thinking about today, my strengthened desire to repent and improve came because I was reading the Book of Mormon and the verses invited me to improve, it didn't come out of thin air. So that is definately going to be one of my focuses, having the faith to commit other people. It's interesting because when I met Hna Andersen, we agreed that our theme for our transfer (2 weeks : ) together was going to be Moroni 8:16 "perfect love casteth out all fear". So I'm definately keeping that theme for this next transfer.