Gooood morning! This morning I made German apple pancakes! With my precious new companion, Sister Christensen from Draper, Utah! I took it out of the oven when the recipe said to and was so excited, but I cut into it and it definitely wasn't cooked all the way. I was kinda heartbroken and felt a bit betrayed by Mollie_Cole from AllRecipes, but figured I might as well pop it back into the oven and try to fix it. I repeated this pattern about 5 more times, and finally after scrubbing the kitchen top to bottom, taking apart the vacuum, sorting the recycling, and getting ready for the day it was finally DONE and WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!! HOWEVER, as I sat cross legged on the floor watching my German pancake cook (as you do, with all your extra time in the world as a missionary) I was pondering Albert Einstein's statement about how time is the only thing keeping everything from happening at once and the relativity of it all and about how sometimes we expect things to happen when the timer we set goes off but in reality, more time might be needed. Allow me to share an example from this week with you! Once upon a time there was a lady named Amanda that was taught over the summer but dropped off the face of the planet well before I got here. She was progressing rapidly, loved the missionaries, and everyone thought the time was ripe for her to be baptized! Until she just... disappeared. (That happens a lot in Scotland with how windy it spontaneously gets.) As we walked to church yesterday, I got a call from her saying that her partner passed away this week and she needed help and felt like she should call the missionaries! She said she felt like she needed to go to church "for some strange reason" so she showed up just as the testimonies were beginning. She whispered that she wanted to go up, and since I wasn't about to stop her she went to the stand with tears in her eyes and a firmness in her voice and said, "There is always someone in the church that will answer your phone call even if your friends and family won't. This is my first time here, but I'm bearing my testimony because I hope it's the first of many times. I can get through this with you and Jesus Christ." You probably saw this next part coming, but we're going over to her home tonight to do some service and talk about the plan of salvation! The ward loves her and she loves the ward and yesterday I saw fellowshipping at its finest! I saw ministering at its finest! I saw the solitary elderly ladies that sit in the back that I have never spoken with come forward to welcome her into the fold of Christ with open arms and bring out their finest! This, my friends, is the plan of salvation in action. This is the atonement of Jesus Christ in action. There is healing in his hands. There is tenderness in his touch. There is relief from every burden of the world when we give it to him. Bailee Allen doesn't know how to teach and comfort a brand new missionary who misses home and Cafe Rio, but Jesus Christ does. And he can help you through your challenges, it just takes time! Sometimes we set timers for ourselves and say, "Ok! I want to be perfect by (insert date). I want to be over this trial by (insert date)." Stick it back in the oven. Hand it over to the Lord for just a little longer! NEVER SETTLE FOR SOGGY PANCAKES. You're too good for that! You deserve peace and happiness and all sorts of other "fluffy" things like light n' airy German apple pancakes and all the blessings of heaven. Just take it one day at a time. You're going to be ok. I love you all! Sister Allen PS. A quick note about the relativity of time: I thought this week passed by in a flash but Sister Christensen thought it was the longest week of her life hahaha...ha...hahahaha...so there you have it PPS. Chicken curry pizza is SO GOOD! And now we're friends with the tandoori pizza guy and are gonna teach him!!
