Letter: Jan. 24, 2022

Dear Friends and Family,

I have had such a wonderful week! I am so excited to tell you about it.

You likely remember Anna from my last letter. Well, I am happy to say that she is progressing quite well and I am very hopeful about her future, primarily because she is so willing to act. On our first real lesson, we came to address her questions. When we arrived, she had the Book of Mormon we gave her sitting on the coffee table. As we sat to begin the lesson, Anna pulled out another Book of Mormon. Anna had previously told us how at one time she was helping her friend from the Redlands ward clean house, when she found a stack of 9 or 10 copies of the Book of Mormon and asked if she could have one. Naturally, her friend was more than happy to let her keep it. However, when Anna couldn't find it, we gave her another copy for good measure. 

But now we had come, and she had found her copy from her friend. She had also discovered that it was a slightly older print with bigger font, which made it easier to read. I thought that it was altogether a good sign that she looked for her first copy until she found it. A first indication of her care, and willingness to act, if you will. 

As we began the lesson, we addressed her questions of the Godhead and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She was eagerly engaged the whole time. Sister Campa and I had already determined to invite her to read 3 Nephi 11 this week. But seeing her willingness, I began to ask her about her background with prayer to see if she might be willing to try that. Anna openly told us she did not know how to pray. She felt there must be a proper way of doing that sort of thing, and didn't know what it was. We taught her to pray in 30 seconds and asked if she would be willing to say the closing prayer. She said YES! And it was all I could do to stay in my seat. When she prayed, she said a few things that touched my heart. First she expressed her desire and intent to learn from us, and then she said, "I want to see in you what they see in you."

At that moment I thought, "Anna, be it now or later, you WILL get baptized."

In other news, I've been making significant progress in following Jordan Peterson's rule "Treat yourself as someone you are responsible for taking care of." I have actually managed to start doing a full 30 minutes of challenging, strengthening, aerobic exercise every day! (As I am supposed to as a missionary.) But, I don't want to stop there. I've been reading Jordan Peterson's second book "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life" in which it says, "Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that." I could be (though am not naturally inclined to be) a disciplined master of myself, withstanding, like my pioneer ancestors, great physical and mental challenges. So, to heap a little more discipline on top of exercising, one day I decided to take a cold shower. When I stepped under that cold water, hot and sweaty from exercising, I kid you not, I burst out laughing. Immediately, the image of my cousins, parents, siblings and I jumping into the cold water of Bear Lake, coming up to the surface, and laughing and exclaiming, "OOH! It's cold!" So as the cold shock flooded my system with adrenaline and serotonin, I also relived a childhood memory.

But the growth came when the initial thrill passed, and, determined not to turn on the warm water, I said out loud (in as soldier like a voice as I could muster), "GRIT! STRENGTH! DISCIPLINE! GRIT! STRENGTH! DISCIPLINE!" Over and over I chanted my mantra until I was laughing again for the silliness of it. I walked out of the shower beaming. 

And on top of all that, I solved the issue of running out of hot water when both Campa and I want to shower! So you can imagine how these cold showers stuck. I have come to so appreciate the sweaty exercise+cold shower combo, that I even chose to do it today, despite it being P-day and exercise not being required. And in all this, I look back and marvel a little. For all my life I have LOATHED sweaty exercise except for the sake of musicals or Disneyland. And a cold shower would NEVER be my first choice. Now every morning I choose the opposite (agere contra) of what I am first inclined to do, and I am as happy as I've ever been in my life! Without a musical, Disneyland, fluff ball named Beary, or even a hug anywhere in sight. 

Finally, I have a few positive updates about my apartment. One of the rules in Beyond Order says, "Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible." I have not gotten to that part in the book yet, but I don't need to read the chapter to try and live the rule. So I recently cut up my 2021 calendar which was paintings of the Savior by Yongsung Kim, and placed them on my walls with the leaf cards my mother gave me for Christmas. I'll send pictures. The room I choose was my office, because it's the place that's just mine. I exercise, study, and meditate in there. It's where I start my day.

Now in my personal book of rules for life, there is a rule that says, "surround yourself with as many living things as possible, and multiply them." A sweet friend of mine gave me his large overgrown bowl of succulents when he was transferred. This last week I have finally had time to repot them and propagate the offshoots accordingly. I will also send pictures of these. 

So now with a beautiful office, a growing collection of plants, and a wonderful woman to teach, I can honestly say, I am as happy as I've ever been.

Wishing that same happiness to each of you! May you take care of yourself like someone you are responsible for, may you find beauty and connection in life, and above all, may you have meaning today, tomorrow, and forever.

Love,

Sister Emily Elise Shill