June 11, 2019

Bonjour tout le monde! My first couple of days in Ottawa have been a dream! The people here are sooo kind! I can't say enough about this place! The city is absolutely beautiful and so quaint! I feel so lucky to be here. We have been doing a lot of bus contacting. It's the first time i have done contacting on the bus and I thought it would be scary, but I actually really really enjoy it! Also I am serving in a YSA ward which is kind of the best thing ever! We have already gone to a lot of activities. It's fun and invigorating to be talking to so many people my age! We are working with some super cute people! But we will be doing a lot of finding these next couple of weeks because the sisters dropped a lot of people before I came. My new companion, sister Johnson, is the absolute cutest! This is her last transfer so I will be "killing her" lol I've always wanted to do that haha. But it's really the best because she is so full of wisdom! We get along really well and she is so funny! District council was great too. My district leader is elder Hsu, who came out with me. He does a great job. We also have a senior couple that.apparently always does object lessons with food Haha. This last time they made us a fruit salad and compared every ingredient to something we need to do in order to become a successful missionary. On Sunday we went to visit a sweet lady who goes to another ward but loves sisters. Her name is sister Cloud and she is the coolest lady of all time. She used to be a biker and has been to every state except like 3. She had some super great stories! Last night we got to go to FHE. The young adults were super kind and patient with my limited basketball skills. We had a very fun time and i got to know the members better. Sister Johnson and I have been discussing a lot of deep things during comp study and we had a cool conversation about desires that I wanted to share. Were were studying the living Christ and there was a spot where it talks about how Jesus Christ was able to be the savior because he had developed his desires to be exactly aligned with God's. I have been thinking a lot about that. Often times I do things because I have to or because I know I should, even when I really dont want to do them. But I know that I want be like him until my real desires line up with his. And so how do we train our desires to be in line with God's? I think that it is something that only the spirit can teach and guide us to do. We know the spirit sanctifies us. We know that we came here to earth to learn and prepare for godhood. We know also that we can't get there without Christ. I have made it a goal especially for this transfer to make Christ the focus. He is the bridge between us and God there is no other way back but by him. I know that his grace is sufficient. I know he has the power to help every person become like our father in heaven. But it is up to us to allow him to help us, because he will not force anyone to be saved. I am grateful for my savior. Everyone always asks me why I decided to come on a mission and my answers have varied. But as I have really thought about it, the real answer, is him. I could think of no better way to show my gratitude for the numbness things he has done and continues to do for me, than to serve his people the way he would serve them if he were here. That is why I came on a mission. Because of him. I love him. I will proudly be his defender and his servant. He gave me his entire life. I am proud to give him 18 months. I want to invite you to have a Christ focused moment every day this week. Whether that's reading about him, studying his life, or just talking a moment to think about him. It brings everything into perspective. I love you all and hope you are well! Thanks for your love and support! Love Sister Bates!