3-3-2020
Presidente,
My companion and I are doing very well together, every week gets better and better, and as we work together in the obra and in the living together parts of it, we´ve had a lot of fun and learned so much from each other. Hermana Maldonado is so Christlike in her humility and love and patience with me and everyone we know and teach. She´s been a blessing for me.
Our investigators are struggling to keep commitments so we´ve been focusing our study on that and keeping our expectations high. Although our fechas have fallen through, they are continuing to progress and hopefully very soon we can reset some dates. I´ve come to really love the people I am teaching here and my heart yearns to see them in that white baptismal jumpsuit!!
I only marked this email as urgent because yesterday we had a sitdown with the zone leaders in our District Council and I wanted you to be able to have this information quickly. I´ve felt the need to address with you here some issues we´ve had as a district especially now that the zone leaders have been involved.
As a missionary, and as a person I am not one who seeks out drama and so my heart is heavy as I've tried to be prayerful about how to move forward. I have not talked with you about this concern before now because I felt that since it was not initiated by me, I could just ignore, downplay, redirect attention and it would go away. I didn't want to bother you with anything that was unimportant or something that was becoming increasingly awkward at no fault of my own.
I have made my sister leaders aware and my companion and we've been prayerful in the past several weeks. I understand that my sole focus should be my missionary errand and that's my hearts desire and so it hurts that there has been any implication that I have thought, said or done anything contrary to that-- I have tried to not make an issue out of unwanted attention from any elders specifically my district leader.
It began months ago and I felt uncomfortable with the joking and teasing- the familiarity in general. As I shared my concern with my companion, we decided that I should just try to distance myself, as to not encourage any unwanted attention and have less contact as to not create a more casual interaction. My companion started answering phone calls so I wouldn't have to.
I am honestly mortified to have drawn any negative attention. That is not representative of my heart, my efforts, my obedience, my intention, or me. My district leader has chosen to speak to zone leaders who did not speak to me or my companion or our sister leaders to find out a little more information and see things from all sides, before responding.
I have been thinking about transfers coming up and just have tried to wait it out and distance myself. I am grateful for my associations with fellow missionaries. We are in this great work together. I want nothing more than to work along side each other and serve.
Please know that my heart is all in. I am striving to be exactly the kind of missionary the Savior needs me to be. I have been obedient but have become somewhat of a target for unwanted attention. That is completely unfamiliar territory to me and I want to run from it-- that's not my focus as a missionary. I realize this is complicated and I dislike that it even needs to be addressed in an email, but my approach of trying to not let it escalate, or back away from it has not been as effective as I'd hoped. I just want to be the Lord's hermana and move forward.
And you should also know that I am just fine. Really you don´t need to worry about me, I just wanted you to have it come straight from me, because I don´t know what´s been said. Please feel free to call me if there is anything I can help clarify. I think the dust should all settle and luckily transfers are coming up at the end of the week. But I´ve already put it behind me and hope that everyone else can do the same. I love the work and I love being here in Ecuador! Thanks for everything,
Hermana Miller
My companion and I are doing very well together, every week gets better and better, and as we work together in the obra and in the living together parts of it, we´ve had a lot of fun and learned so much from each other. Hermana Maldonado is so Christlike in her humility and love and patience with me and everyone we know and teach. She´s been a blessing for me.
Our investigators are struggling to keep commitments so we´ve been focusing our study on that and keeping our expectations high. Although our fechas have fallen through, they are continuing to progress and hopefully very soon we can reset some dates. I´ve come to really love the people I am teaching here and my heart yearns to see them in that white baptismal jumpsuit!!
I only marked this email as urgent because yesterday we had a sitdown with the zone leaders in our District Council and I wanted you to be able to have this information quickly. I´ve felt the need to address with you here some issues we´ve had as a district especially now that the zone leaders have been involved.
As a missionary, and as a person I am not one who seeks out drama and so my heart is heavy as I've tried to be prayerful about how to move forward. I have not talked with you about this concern before now because I felt that since it was not initiated by me, I could just ignore, downplay, redirect attention and it would go away. I didn't want to bother you with anything that was unimportant or something that was becoming increasingly awkward at no fault of my own.
I have made my sister leaders aware and my companion and we've been prayerful in the past several weeks. I understand that my sole focus should be my missionary errand and that's my hearts desire and so it hurts that there has been any implication that I have thought, said or done anything contrary to that-- I have tried to not make an issue out of unwanted attention from any elders specifically my district leader.
It began months ago and I felt uncomfortable with the joking and teasing- the familiarity in general. As I shared my concern with my companion, we decided that I should just try to distance myself, as to not encourage any unwanted attention and have less contact as to not create a more casual interaction. My companion started answering phone calls so I wouldn't have to.
I am honestly mortified to have drawn any negative attention. That is not representative of my heart, my efforts, my obedience, my intention, or me. My district leader has chosen to speak to zone leaders who did not speak to me or my companion or our sister leaders to find out a little more information and see things from all sides, before responding.
I have been thinking about transfers coming up and just have tried to wait it out and distance myself. I am grateful for my associations with fellow missionaries. We are in this great work together. I want nothing more than to work along side each other and serve.
Please know that my heart is all in. I am striving to be exactly the kind of missionary the Savior needs me to be. I have been obedient but have become somewhat of a target for unwanted attention. That is completely unfamiliar territory to me and I want to run from it-- that's not my focus as a missionary. I realize this is complicated and I dislike that it even needs to be addressed in an email, but my approach of trying to not let it escalate, or back away from it has not been as effective as I'd hoped. I just want to be the Lord's hermana and move forward.
And you should also know that I am just fine. Really you don´t need to worry about me, I just wanted you to have it come straight from me, because I don´t know what´s been said. Please feel free to call me if there is anything I can help clarify. I think the dust should all settle and luckily transfers are coming up at the end of the week. But I´ve already put it behind me and hope that everyone else can do the same. I love the work and I love being here in Ecuador! Thanks for everything,
Hermana Miller
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