13 August 2017

This month I felt like I hit the ground running because I started a part-time job with CutCo. Yes, I prayed about it. Yes, I am still a missionary. Yes, I can do both, and that is why I believe I needed to take this job. For a long time, I had decided not to work during my mission, but God had a different plan for me, so I'm following what He tells me to do.

Anyway while I was starting training, we had a new elder join QRS. His name is Elder Stradling and he is very bright and talented with computers and problem solving. He will be learning to program in a few weeks and he will help Sister Aversa until she is released in October (which I'm very sad about by the way). Elder Stradling also took four years of Spanish and since he just graduated, he still has a lot of his Spanish, and he intends to use it more and more. QRS is helping him to practice reading and writing in Spanish!

Gary and I also split the Intake process into 3 parts to help with training, since it is a long and difficult process. Intake now includes Information Processing, Communication, and Research. Information Processing brings the issue from FogBugz into WorkFront. Research checks channels and figures out more in depth details about the problem. Communication emails a receipt to the user, and also sends emails to translators to figure out the severity and the corrections for the problem.

Sister Wheeler started Thursday and she is our guinea pig with the new training system. She picked up Information Processing really quickly, and I'm very glad for that! She only knows English and she did not take another language in school, but she is already getting more comfortable with looking at pages in multiple languages. I'm very very proud of her and I feel a Christlike love for her so soon already.

Also, I'd like to talk about Christlike love that comes with serving the Lord. It feels like when you meet a person and you just "click" and become friends, but it so much deeper than that. It is my favorite thing about being a missionary because I already have a very deep love for humanity and people. I like most people, but sometimes it takes me a while to learn to like a person and appreciate their talents and actions and being.
As a missionary, even if someone and I don't get along too well, I still feel an instant spiritual love as if it was like a "click" with a new friend.

Anyway, God's great. Life is great, I'm getting busier and busier, but it's also making me so much stronger.