Back to Basics

 

Well guys. 

 

 President Hintze has it in for me. 

 

He sent me to the desert. But not just any old desert, the same desert. 

The same desert where I was 14 months ago. 

 

WELCOME BACK TO SENSUNAPAN SISTER HIRSCHI!!! 

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

This. is. unREAL. 

SO. It was wild ride this week so I hope yall are ready.
Monday night Mago and I were desperately hoping to be left together. I had a feeling about a month ago that this would not be the case, but at any rate, she is my hija and I love her and I wanted to finish up with her in my second love, Mejicanos. (My first love being san Ignacio, Belize). 

 

Unfortunately, the Lord knows when we are comfortable. And when we have been comfortable for too long. And He knows when we need a stretch. 

 

Monday my good friend and AP Elder R gave me a jingle. 

Sister Hirschi.

Yes. 

You’re training. 

 

 

I kinda saw that one coming. But we still didn’t know if I’d be in the area or if I would leave. Tuesday night, 10pm, the dreaded call came. 

 

Sister Hirschi?

Yes. 

You are the only one leaving in your house. 

Vaya. 

 

 

Sooooo. I packed my bags folks. I called all my friends in Mejicanos; I let them know, I cried, and I threw all my JUNK into my suitcases, and got ready to move. 

 

One. 

last. 

time. 

 

Changes meeting was a riot. Largely because for the first time ever in our mission, an AP, 3 zone leaders, and I left our former posts of leadership to train the newbies. And guess who is taking my place as the sister training leader in cusca?

 

None other than MAGDAWG. Wow I seldom have felt such pride. She is still a baby but she’s leading the pack! I know she'll be AWESOME. 

 

Then the announcements came. The pictures rolled. Zone by zone went by. Then, the zone where I was born, 14 looong months ago popped up. 

 

And I just knew it. 

Sure enough, I am being thrust back into my first area!! With the heat, the dust, the pueblo, and the glory. My baby is not actually my baby right now. I’m with a mini missionary from a neighboring town named Sister Pz. My true hija should be arriving tomorrow, and I’ll start her training then. Sis Pz is a champ, but she is a convert of less than a year, so sometimes I teach her the doctrine in the morning, and then together we teach it in the afternoon. 

 

Have I said that there’s always something new in the mission?

So the low down is that I’m reopening the area. I’ve never opened an area before, and I have always kind of wanted to and kind of not. 

 

It’s a little tough. 

The days are a little long. 

But, I’m figuring it out. The good news is that, I remember a lot of this town. So I can get around pretty well, and we’ve been able to defend ourselves. The majority of the members remember me, so that has been a tender mercy. Its super fun to catch up with them all again and see how they’re doing. 

 

I’m not sure if y'all will remember, but the house I first arrived to was something less than a celestial mansion. The good news is that since I was here, president determined our last house was a health hazard, and they have since secured other living quarters. Our new house is really nice! The only catch--no light in the bathroom. It makes using the restroom and showering...difficult. 

 

On the bright side?

AIR CONDITIONINGGGGGGGG. It’s been too long! 

So yeah. Basically I’m going around and finding all the people I knew so long ago, and it’s strange to see how the town has changed and how it hasn’t changed. Its muuuch hotter here and there’s a lot of dirt, and I sweat. I feel like I’m in Belize again. 

 

But I guess I owe some sort of ode to Mejicanos. I used to say that my heart was buried in a chest under the chapel of san Ignacio, but I wanted to leave a vital organ in Mejicanos. Because. 

 

I really love it. And I don’t want to go home at this point; I just want to go to Mejicanos. Man. It’s painful leaving people and places you love. This has got to be my least favorite part of the mission. But I did learn from my experience in leaving SI, and I did manage to get a little better grip when I left the area. 

 

But when you love people, its gonna sting. So, my lungs are buried in a chest under the chapel in Mejicanos.

 

But one day I think I’ll go back to live there, and to reclaim my lungs.  Mom and Dad do not crush this dream right now. 

 

But ultimately, I’m here to serve the Lord. I’m here to do His will, not my own. And I know that He has a purpose. I know there are people here I need to find and serve. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that...but then I read this scripture and I got matcheted by the word of God. 

 

 

 12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.

 13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.

So what did I learn from this scripture?? Unless we CHOOSE to be humbled by our trials, we cannot learn. The Lord will never force us to learn. Unless we accept with faith the will of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we talk about trials as automatic growth, but this week I learned that it always depends on us. 

 

Agency. What a cool thing. 

 

Guys. I love you. I love my cousin Kylie. I love the gospel. I love Mejicanos. I love all the amazing people I met there. They really did change me. And I really did see miracles. I’m a better person because I lived in Mejicanos for 6 months. 

My heart hurts for these dear, dear people. I miss them all. Mom find them in Facebook please.

 

Welp. I love you all. Be good. Read the scriptures. Be faithful. and...Pray for me. Please 

 

Love, always

Hermana Hirschi