Lunch Box :)

July 1, 2013

As a mother of a missionary, I find myself asking the same questions over and over and not getting the adequate response. I must not be alone in this… My sweet friend Penny thought of an analogy that I love. I shared it with Megan in hopes that this week, I might get some of my concerns addressed… This is Penny’s analogy and Meg’s reply;

I thought of an analogy that might help---pouring our hearts into emails to our missionary children and not having them responded to is like sending our kids to school or activities with a lunch we have packed for them---they eat it (hopefully all of it), they appreciate it (on some level when they are very young and more than we know when they are older), and it nourishes them (that's what we pray for), but how often do we hear anything about the lunch we packed? (Maybe sometimes they will mention something that really stood out or let us know if we forgot to pack something essential or something less than gourmet) If we forget to send the lunch they notice!  

To my sweet mother who has been spending 9 months of her life packing me a lunch each week.

I do believe I deserve awful daughter award for not doing this sooner. I am so sorry that I do not express in this email how grateful I am for your emails. But I promise, I write about them in my journal every night. Or in my prayers. Each prayer I offer, I let my Eternal Father know just how grateful I am to have this Earthly Mother. With tears in my eyes mom, I want you to know you mean the world to me. I will never be able to adequately express how much I truly need each thing you pack me. There are seriously moments when I´m like this is the end. But I get a letter from you and it´s like keep going. Keep going.

I love you! ~ Meg

The spiciest salsa I’ve ever tried. I think you all would´ve cried! It was deceiving… it was just jellied looking strawberries. I was so innocent. I thought it was jelly… For 3 seconds. Then I died when the chili kicked in. wow, wow, wow. 

us chilin. waiting for our apt. long story. i´ll tell you when i get back. but it was our last night together and I said, hey don´t worry. This is a tender mercy. Look where we are. Our favorite chairs. Under the costa Rican sky. pura vida mi amor. I know Heavenly Father sent me here to be more pura vida. LOVE IT. 

 Hello Family & Friends,

I officially am still in Ciudad Colòn. I have a new companion. Her name is Rebecca Hernandez from El Salvador. Remember my last comp had 29 years? Hermana Hernandez is the first missionary here who has 19 years. What a change! I really like Hermana Hernandez. She´s such a good missionary, and just the spark I need here. She inspires me to be better, to work harder, to love the people more. She´s great. Loves loves, LOVES movies, wooo hoo! I told her all about Better Off Dead yesterday. She loved that! And she wants to learn English so badly! What a blessing to have her. Your prayers are answered always.

Okay so there´s always a lot of pressure when someone new enters your life. It´s weird for a bit, but you just gotta keep moving forward. It´s weird how someone can enter into your life, leave a lasting mark, and just leave. I´ll miss Hermana Lopez, we´ve been through a lot together. But this week, I showed Hna. H. the area and the members. We spent 5 hours under the pouring rain Saturday touching fences (knocking doors) and yelling UPE (yes upe is like hello. Like hey someone´s out here and want to talk to you. Legend is that it´s short for Guadalupe.)
trying to enter into someone´s house. Nobody let us in. Could it be that we were strangers and soaking wet? Please pray for this area. We need to be sharing the gospel with someone.

I´d like to tell you about my newest friend here in Ciudad Colon. His name is M. He´s also 19. He was baptized about a year ago, fell away from the church, but is now returning and preparing for a mission. I think he´ll be leaving the same time as Bray. To work, talk and to know M is a tender mercy because it's like having Brayden here. He just makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. We had planned for M to meet us at the church at 4 to be with us in a lesson. The investigator never showed up. Poor M. But we had Plans ABC and D. Nobody was home. So we decided to contact. He told us; 

 “Hermana´s, my mom´s out partying. (Doesn’t live with his dad.) My dad´s with my stepmom. (Doesn´t have siblings.) I don´t have any friends. I´m on vacations from school this week, let´s go!” He was with us all day, in a white shirt and tie, in the downpour. This member is SO inspiring. He reminds me of Alma 24 and the anti'nephi'lehits. He used to have like 15 piercings on his face. Nose. Eye brows. Lips. Ears. everywhere. He took them all off and hasn´t looked back. He is someone who has truly buried his weapons (distractions from getting to the temple) DEEP into the earth. He showed us where his friend, D lives. He is also a member. And the two of them bore such powerful testimony of the gospel. I´m just in shock at the youth here.  I am SO blessed to be able to work with them. I truly truly truly love this ward and these members and YOUTH. I know that Heavenly Father has a lot of confidence in His youth. To my brothers and friends preparing for a mission: Do EVERYTHING you can to burry your weapons. Bad friends, bad language, bad music (that has a really good beat, but awful message) that girl who is a distraction, and get to mission prep. More importantly, be in the church each Sunday.

 Anyways, this week I had an amazing experience in my personal study that taught me that Heavenly Father truly is with me.

From my study journal: Today I´m studying about the Plan of Salvation. I´m encouraged to do so in my Patriarchal Blessing also, today we plan to teach Damaris. Damaris is such a good woman with so much hunger to know the truth. I was studying in the Spanish guide to the scriptures and came across a scripture in Acts 17:28.

Paul is serving a mission in the moment called Mars´Hill (cool name, right?) He´s in a very idolatrous city, which causes his spirit to ¨be stirred.¨ (vs.16.) Which I think means he was a little uncomfortable. But he preaches on, true love of Christ. I really like this chapter; it has a lot of imagery. The people ask him, what do you believe? They literally ask him if he´s just a ¨blabbering¨idiot (vs. 18) Blunt, like the Ticos. And he teaches the importance of worshiping God, and not just a graven image (or a virgin Maria.) Then he shares a message about the resurrection and judgment. When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, ¨some mocked.¨ (vs.32) which can be so discouraging. But there is a miracle here! Others said, we will hear thee again of this matter. To me, the word ¨mocked¨ can mean that they refused to listen, they ignored the invitation, they said ¨come back another day¨ but what they really mean is not this day. Yesterday, I was talking with some women. One said she loved to read the Bible-me too! God loves us so much He calls prophets to teach His commandments and will. There were prophets in the American Continent too! And I introduced the Book of Mormon. She wasn´t listening and I felt like I was being rude-but more like what Moroni calls bold, full of the pure love of Christ. I didn´t want to get up to heaven and be accountable for her not having the opportunity. We left. I was upset. My companion said, (and I don´t think she realized how much I needed to hear) ¨this is part of planting the seed. ¨Like Paul, I departed from them.¨ (vs. 33) now here´s the part I love. ¨Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Aeropagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.¨  (vs. 34) It is my hope that what I say to these people will help them believe and to come unto Christ. (I hope those of you reading these words RIGHT NOW will recognize the importance of putting Christ at the center of your life. I promise that it is the MOST important thing you can choose to do, today.) Obviously not everyone I talk to will believe, but certain others will. Also, I love that one of these woman is named Damaris. My testimony grew that this woman is a believer. I can help her come unto Christ and receive the restored gospel! How excited, yet naturally nervous I am. Great study today!

My testimony grew, when we study for our investigators (our children, our ward members we visit teach-home teach, our self) we receive a lot of revelation. Heavenly Father is so much closer to us.

After this happened, I felt the spirit so strongly tell me that I needed to share this with Damaris. I knelt down and prayed to confirm this feeling. I asked, ¨Father, never before have I shared anything like this before. Should I? ¨And I heard ¨I showed it to you for a reason.¨

We shared this message with her. Family and friends, the Spirit was SO strong! It was incredible. She touched her heart when she read her own name here and said wow. I feel something really grand. Something really big, but I can´t explain it. We invited her to come to church with us. But she has to work. Today she had an interview for a job and a different place. If she gets it, she´ll have Sunday´s free. I´ve been praying and fasting for her. I truly hope that it works out. I know that Heavenly Father is providing the way for her to continue to progress and I truly truly truly hope that she takes a leap of faith and acts on the impressions she´s receiving.

I´m really happy and SO grateful to be a missionary. Family, thank you for all of your sacrifices on my behalf. Wow. I am so blessed. I love Costa Rica. I love being a missionary. I love talking with people I´ve never met and try to share part of my joy. I love my eternal family. I really really really love each of you. I'm grateful for Spanish. I don´t understand everything, but I know that Heavenly Father has something grand in store for me. How blessed I am to know English. Truly truly blessed. I can hear the voice of the prophet. How blessed I am to be born in Utah. Where the church is headquartered. How blessed I am to be surrounded by people who share my same beliefs and values. How blessed I am to be tall and strong. I´m grateful for my last name. I´m grateful for my parents who taught me how to truly work. I´m grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love my scriptures. I love the New Testament. I´m finding flecks of gold here. I love love reading about His ministry here on the Earth. I know He was here, especially amongst the Ticos. And I know He will come again. I love my Heavenly Father and know He is with me always. Something that has really helped me this week talk with strangers is the scripture that says, I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left. What a promise. And it´s true. I know He is here. I haven´t any fear when I remember this. Our faith can kill our fear. For those of you too scared to return to church, just put that foot forward. I know you can. Your Heavenly Father knows you can. If you´re too scared to talk to your Bishop, just trust. Have faith. I know that it´s so worth it. If you feel like you can´t possibly keep going, do the small things. Because I know that small things are great miracles in the long run. Have Family Home evening each week. Say your prayers, OFTEN. Serve someone who is weaker than you.

I love Costa Rica. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. He sent me here after all. I know I am literally a Daughter of God. Imagine that. God who created the stars and universes. Yet I am his crowing creation. I am she that He wants to talk to. I know He listens to our prayers. I know He loves each of you.

Thank you all for the impression you´ve left on my heart and made me a better person. Keep being great. Keep moving forward. Never forget that I love you. More importantly that Heavenly Father loves you.

Smile. Each of you.

Please each of you that are reading this, send me a photo of you smiling. I really want to see your happy faces. Make sure and look like a dork. It´s the best way to make it through this life. And I’ll do the same. Haha.

I love you!

Sincerely,

Hermana Megan Diane Workman

Connor, special shout out. I heard how awesome your Eagle Court of Honor was. Congrats again!! On your birthday, my comp and I sang to you. Did you hear it from miles away! haha. 

LOVE YA
Meg