Entering the Missionary Training Center

Jacob's Mission Call

Getting ready to open his mission call.

Montana Billings Mission!!

We meant well

To my children:

I'm sorry.  We have failed you.

We knew better than our parents did.  They we so old-fashioned.  They saw the world as black and white - like their TVs when they were young.  They couldn't relate to a technicolor reality the way we could.  Our world was in full color since the day we were born.  We were smarter than them.  They couldn't program a VCR, we created Netflix.  They invented swivel adaptors for their extra long telephone cords to keep them from getting tangled, allowing them to travel a full eight and a half feet outside their kitchen while still remaining on their phone.  We invented smart phones, and email, and texting, so that we could remain connected at all times and in all places, whether it was during dinner at a restaurant, taking a dump in the bathroom, in the middle of Church on Sunday or even while flying at thirty-thousand feet over South Dakota.  Talk about progress!

Although our parents scolded and punished us when we did something wrong, we were more loving with you.  We didn't raise our voices and tell you that you were wrong.  We instead praised your self-expression and unique perspective.  When we did something bad at school, our cruel, old-fashioned parents would give us a serious ear-chewing when we got home.  But if any teacher of yours dared to suggest you had done something wrong, we called for that teacher's removal.  If they gave you a bad grade for sub-standard work, we demanded that they change their standards to be more "fair".  If you sat on the bench in your sporting events because you weren't as good as the others, we were outraged at the coaches and demanded that they give you more playing time.  How dare they suggest one child was better at something than another?!  That's racism, or favoritism, or something-ism, isn't it?!  Above all else, we wanted you to know that you were important.  So we gave you trophies for participating.  We made your teachers grade with purple or blue pens because red markings suggested that your mistakes were wrong.  We compassionately silenced the voices of the majority so that those who were in a minority, would never have to feel like they were in a minority.

Because we loved you.

We sought to give you every advantage we never had.  Our parents were so backward, they would save for years before buying something expensive.  We had to do without so many things that we wanted because our horrible parents "didn't have it in the budget".  We swore that that that wouldn't happen to you.  We gave you everything you wanted, right when you wanted it.  After all, why wait?  You don't have to be able to afford to pay the whole price of something - as long as you can afford the payments.

Because we loved you, we sacrificed our time with you to climb higher up our corporate ladders.  We became a "two-income" family to better afford all the payments.  Our parents would never have done that for us.  Sure, we weren't there when you got home from school, but you knew that what we were doing was for your benefit.  Besides, the school and the TV were doing such a good job of raising you, you didn't really miss out on anything by our being absent.

And with all our efforts to teach you how important you are, you learned.

You learned that truth doesn't matter.  Character doesn't matter.  Results don't matter.

Only winning matters.

...And no matter the character of your results, the truth is you are a winner.

You learned that you deserve to have what you want, and somebody else should give it to you.

You learned that if it can't be said in a 15 second sound bite, it can't possibly be worth listening to.

You learned to value career over care-giving, ease over effort, entertainment over enlightenment, fantasy over faith, handouts over hard work, popularity over principle, security over self-sufficiency, and success without sacrifice.

Wealth is obscene, pornography is not.  You vigorously defend the "rights" of those who exploit women for profit.  You call it art.  You condemn those who speak in favor of chastity and family values.  You call it bigotry.

Morality is obsolete.  Gender is an opinion.  You install urinals in your Ladies' rooms, and sanitary napkin baskets in your Men's rooms.  You celebrate "choice", unless someone chooses to believe in Christ or adhere to the time-tested values of the past.  You worship at the altar of tolerance, while calling intolerant any who pray at the feet of God.

Yes, we failed you because we loved you, and you are now reaping the bitter harvest that we have sown.  The world of reason and prosperity that our parents left to us is lost, and it will not come again in your lifetime.  But maybe, just maybe your grandchildren's grandchildren will revolt against the despotism you and I have ignorantly placed upon them, cast off the shackles of the failed philosophies of the past, embrace principles of liberty and responsibility and rise up to be smarter than their parents.

Just like we did.

Transfer 5 Week 6

Hey everyone so sorry about not emailing for so long. It has been a really hectic few weeks. I have found out that my mission is Ending a little sooner then I planned. I am really sad, but I know that it is the best.

My mission hasn't been anything I expected. It has had many ups and downs. I can still remember Gillian's baptism. She was so ready, and I was happy to see her mom start coming back to church because of it. I loved working with the members and gaining so many friends.

I have always wondered why I have had so many comps and areas since being here. I sortof know why now. I think that God knew that I would need to come home, so I needed to learn what others learn in 18 months to 2 years in 8 months. :P I will be forever greatfull for this opertunity and all that I have expirienced.

As the scriptures say "God's ways are not our ways". We don't always understand why things happen. I do know though that he knows what is best for us. He knows how to help us, and if we follow him, we will be happy and recieve blessings. I wish with all my heart that I could stay till december, but god needs me home for a reason not yet known. I know that jesus is our savior. I know that he suffered so much so that we could be made perfect through him. I know that he is always there, reaching out for us, waiting for us to recieve him. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet just as Thomas S. Monson is one today. I know the book of mormon is true. I know that the gospel is here to make man happy, not to restrict them. May God bless you all and your families.

-Sister Lahra Sherwood

P.S. If you would like to stay in contact my info is:

Lahra Sherwood
8118Simpson Springs Rd.
Eagle Mountain Utah 84005
USA

lahrasherwood@gmail.com

Facebook: Lahra Sherwood

Interesting Facts about Sister Sherwood

Name: Sister (Lahra) Sherwood
Occupation... Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
I was born in... Fort Colins, Colorado, USA
My current home is... Essen, Germany
My worst job was... cleaning the bathrooms at a Machine Shop. :P
The last good movie I saw was... Legacy, or The Testaments. Before the mission Saratov Approach.
The best book I have read recently was... 1st Nephi
My favorite TV show is... His Grace. (mormon message seiries on mormonchannel.org)
My favorite munchies are... Frosties (Frosted Flakes), or Peach Rings (a Gummy Candy), or German chocolate in general. :P
My nickname is... ........ Sister Sherwood? :P (when we go bowling for p-day it's Thor, but we aren't really supposed to have nick names.)
My favorite performer is... Chris Hemsworth
My favorite athlete... uh...... the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nobody knows I... can write in Armenian while looking at an Armenian Book of Mormon.... :P
I'm a sucker for... Babies! Which is hard since I can't hold them.
A really great evening for me is... when I can relax in the bath before bed.
My fantasy is... to baptise one more person before I head home.
The best advice my mother gave me is... Love your companion, no matter what.
The one thing I like most in a person is... when they are positive.
The one thing I can't stand in a person is... No manners (burping and not saying excuse me etc.)
If I could change one thing about myself, I would... Make me less shy.
My most irrational act was... single dating in high school.
Why I think my friends like me is...I am a great listener.
What I like most about where I live now is... that there are trees again! It reminds me of New York.

February 9, 2015

I am doing ok. Htings have been really rough for me, but I am getting through it. Missionary work is going along. Our district has 5 Baptisms this month which is soooooo Awesome!!!!! We have had 4 referals form one Member in our ward who happens to live in an Elderly Home/Pflegerheim. (don't know that word in English. :P) Basicaly, She is a Member who is Great Grandma's age, who we help with her learning how to walk again, and she travels in a wheelchair. It is so cool! She is such a cool member. She is my "German" Great Grandma, and is on the list of people I wish I could take home with me. :D

Alle Meine Liebe,
Sister Sherwood

Transfer 5 Week 3 (January 28, 2015)

I can't believe that in 3 weeks I will be half way done. :) It's a really sobering and wierd thought. I feel like I just got here, but at the same time like I've been here forever. Life before the mission? I had that? No! I have always been in germany. What is this thing called Utah? :P Ok so I am being a little silly, but it's true. Time has no meaning here. It makes me glad that we have planners, or else I would be so lost. :P

This week has been my Miracle week, but also one of the sad weeks. One of our investigators is struggling to make appointments. This past week, he resceduled 4 times, once because he was drunk and 3 because of work. Then when he said that he had a day off and set an appointment for that day, he didn't show up and now he won't answer his phone. I am hoping that he has just lost it again, and not that he thinks that we are mad at him.

So, on Friday to Saturday I had a split with Sister Heywood, one of the STLs in the Dortmund/Düsseldorf Zones, and We saw so many miracles. We went to go help some people paint again and clean up, when Jefery, said that he was going to go to church with the Köln Elders on Sunday! Then Loraine Said that she would go to church with us as soon as her house is finished. Ah! So we were on a high, but then while traveling to help a family learn english, A man walked up and was staring at my name tag. We asked him if he had heard of the church before, and he said no, but would love to visit it sometime. I didn't have anything with the address on it with me, but he was willing to give us his address, so we could drop it by sometime. I was so happy. I love splits, because that is when miracles seem to randomly happen. :)

Keep Smiling and Find one Miracle every day. They are there, you just have to be looking. :)

Viel Spaß,
Sister Lahra Sherwood