Familia querida~
Well, the missionary roller coaster just keeps rollin'...
It's interesting to see the things that change and to see the things that don't change.
Things that I've seen change:
My ability to love people immediately and deeply.
My ability in knowing how to handle people and understand them and practice patience with them.
The way we teach and contact people--it gets smoother and makes more sense.
Things that have not changed:
It's still hard to go up to people I don't know and in those couple of minutes or seconds listen to the Holy Ghost well enough to say the words they individually need that will best help them realize this is something they need--desperately--and something worth following or at least finding out about.
It's amazing how out here you're able to empathize with the Savior like 400X more than you ever could before.
It's hard to bear your soul to people. To open up your heart to them when there's a big possibility they'll cause you heartbreak at some point. But Jesus does it with us daily.
It's hard to stay focused enough to listen to the Spirit in order to know what to say or do. But Jesus did it.
You wish so badly to help people understand the importance and eternal significance of what you're offering them... and so many refuse. Jesus understood and understands so much better than we do the importance of our choices down here, etc. but he's still patient with us and still works tirelessly in order that we always have opportunities to choose the right, to grow, to progress.
It's hard to ensure you always pray mightily and with faith. But Jesus did it.
It's hard to have patience with yourself as you mess up. But Jesus must have felt what it's like for the rest of us who actually make mistakes.
You're right, Mom, when you say I've learned a lot about faith out here. And I have so incredibly far to go, but that it one of the most precious lessons my Father in Heaven has tutored me on out here--what REAL faith is. And faith cannot exceed personal righteousness, as Elder McKonkie asserts, so .... it'll continue to be a big focus. :) I've begun to understand why it is the first principle of the gospel. You can't access anything good and eternally worthwhile without it.
This week was a good one. Of course. I was surprised when it got to the end of the week and we'd reached or exceeded almost all of our weekly goals and had taught as much as we had. We only found 3 new investigators this week but taught like 4 more new people--they just wouldn't commit to a return appt because their schedules are unpredictable. But I really hope that the Lord will provide a way to teach them all again.
Great Bend was... great! haha. We taught a lot of Spanish people (finally!) and also a big Black guy who said he felt something "right here" (pointing to his heart) when I testified to him of the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and faith. I told him that was the Holy Ghost confirming what I said to be true. But I think he might've misplaced it because afterward he told me I could start my own church.... mm not exactly what I had in mind. I'm just the servant of the One whose church it is...
Well, I thank you once again for your prayers, for your testimonies, for your faithfulness that I appreciate more every day, your love and support.
The mission continues to challenge, stretch, refine and tutor me.
I love you MUCHISIMO! :)
R. P.~ I finally got your letter. :)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Agosto 22
Oooooooooooooooooooh man,
Those pictures of the mountains just whet my appetite SO much!! Like I told Dad, don't be surprised if you don't see much of me next summer because I spend all my time up THERE!! It was really fun to see the pictures of your hikes and of the girls and swimming and motorcycling. Man, I thought I loved those things BEFORE the mission....
Anyway, glad to know you're all doing well!
The hottest it has been here... no idea to be honest. We don't get a weather report cuz we can't watch the news. But it's probably a good thing. I think the hottest was around 115 walking around Kansas City..... and I got a nice little sister missionary tan line on my feet and neck ha.
We ended up postponing the exchange to Great Bend. The other sisters had to find a house for the new senior couple and they were stressed so we put it to this week. So I'll letchya know when I know how Great Bend is.
So last week was interesting.... We'd worked really hard the week before and made some real progress in new investigators and in the ward and getting the area organized, etc. And that made Satan mad. Really mad. So that he "stirred up the hearts of the people" and long week short, we lost TEN of our people. Both of the people with baptismal dates had family forbid them to meet with us, a couple moved and/or fell off the face of the earth, one got anti'd or something, and one got a guilt trip from his JW wife etc etc. When the last one texted us he couldn't attend anymore, I just hurt inside so bad. My initial response to something going wrong with an investigator is that it's my fault. I'm not teaching them well enough, I didn't give them the right commitment, we didn't bear testimony enough, something. But in all honesty we had made it a big focus to teach by the Spirit as well as identify the Spirit in all of our lessons and ALL of these people's lessons and contacts were powerful. So at least we had that peace. But it was just hard to dig that deep. To be able to go out and bear our souls to people again--which is always hard and takes a lot of faith, but especially when it seemed pointless. But then I determined that that simply wouldn't do. I wasn't going to let Satan win. I was NOT going to lose faith or stop doing everything in my power to give as many people as possible the chance to accept or reject this gospel. So we met with the RS president. And we did service for a less active and contacted every person on her street and were rejected by all of them. But oh well! We're showing the Lord He can trust us and that we love Him and that we're not going to let the adversary get us down because the gospel IS true, independent of the # of people who accept it.
We determined that we should fast. It talks a lot about mighty prayer and fasting in the scriptures to make us strong in spirit and to be able to teach with power and authority of God. We fasted that we would be guided to new investigators--those who are ready and prepared. And that night we found S.
She is solid.
I don't have time to relate the whole story now but I hopefully will in my journal.
And the next day we were able to teach V. And R came to church and told us how she had read the chapters in the BoM that we had assigned her and loved them and read them over and over and that she definitely felt the Holy Ghost in Sunday School (I taught it on Gifts of the Spirit) and we were able to teach Mary too all about Jesus Christ and she said that when we come she feels tingles and that she feels really good after we leave. We're like, "Yeah! That's the Holy Ghost! It's REAL!"
Anyway, God is great. And merciful. And I found a quotation by Pres. Monson that helped me this week too about praying about our assignments in humility and how the very foundation of the philosophy of faith promises us an answer of some sort from the Lord.
Well, Sister T and I are still peachy. She's just great and I love her. Both of her parents passed away in a car wreck about 4-5 years ago so that's why she moved from Samoa to New Zealand, to live with her aunt and uncle. It's so powerful when she testifies of families..... it really touches people and they have no idea she's lost her parents.
I love you and miss you all to pieces. It's crazy to think I only have 4 transfers left. Anyway, get in some more good hikes and take more pictures if you please! I love them! And read Mormon 9:19-28 this week. It really, really struck me this week as I was going through our little trial. And I realized that the times in my life when the Spirit really witnessed to me that certain things were true, it was in complete harmony with verse 25. That it was when the doubt finally left, that He came and confirmed the truth--conFIRMed it.
Those pictures of the mountains just whet my appetite SO much!! Like I told Dad, don't be surprised if you don't see much of me next summer because I spend all my time up THERE!! It was really fun to see the pictures of your hikes and of the girls and swimming and motorcycling. Man, I thought I loved those things BEFORE the mission....
Anyway, glad to know you're all doing well!
The hottest it has been here... no idea to be honest. We don't get a weather report cuz we can't watch the news. But it's probably a good thing. I think the hottest was around 115 walking around Kansas City..... and I got a nice little sister missionary tan line on my feet and neck ha.
We ended up postponing the exchange to Great Bend. The other sisters had to find a house for the new senior couple and they were stressed so we put it to this week. So I'll letchya know when I know how Great Bend is.
So last week was interesting.... We'd worked really hard the week before and made some real progress in new investigators and in the ward and getting the area organized, etc. And that made Satan mad. Really mad. So that he "stirred up the hearts of the people" and long week short, we lost TEN of our people. Both of the people with baptismal dates had family forbid them to meet with us, a couple moved and/or fell off the face of the earth, one got anti'd or something, and one got a guilt trip from his JW wife etc etc. When the last one texted us he couldn't attend anymore, I just hurt inside so bad. My initial response to something going wrong with an investigator is that it's my fault. I'm not teaching them well enough, I didn't give them the right commitment, we didn't bear testimony enough, something. But in all honesty we had made it a big focus to teach by the Spirit as well as identify the Spirit in all of our lessons and ALL of these people's lessons and contacts were powerful. So at least we had that peace. But it was just hard to dig that deep. To be able to go out and bear our souls to people again--which is always hard and takes a lot of faith, but especially when it seemed pointless. But then I determined that that simply wouldn't do. I wasn't going to let Satan win. I was NOT going to lose faith or stop doing everything in my power to give as many people as possible the chance to accept or reject this gospel. So we met with the RS president. And we did service for a less active and contacted every person on her street and were rejected by all of them. But oh well! We're showing the Lord He can trust us and that we love Him and that we're not going to let the adversary get us down because the gospel IS true, independent of the # of people who accept it.
We determined that we should fast. It talks a lot about mighty prayer and fasting in the scriptures to make us strong in spirit and to be able to teach with power and authority of God. We fasted that we would be guided to new investigators--those who are ready and prepared. And that night we found S.
She is solid.
I don't have time to relate the whole story now but I hopefully will in my journal.
And the next day we were able to teach V. And R came to church and told us how she had read the chapters in the BoM that we had assigned her and loved them and read them over and over and that she definitely felt the Holy Ghost in Sunday School (I taught it on Gifts of the Spirit) and we were able to teach Mary too all about Jesus Christ and she said that when we come she feels tingles and that she feels really good after we leave. We're like, "Yeah! That's the Holy Ghost! It's REAL!"
Anyway, God is great. And merciful. And I found a quotation by Pres. Monson that helped me this week too about praying about our assignments in humility and how the very foundation of the philosophy of faith promises us an answer of some sort from the Lord.
Well, Sister T and I are still peachy. She's just great and I love her. Both of her parents passed away in a car wreck about 4-5 years ago so that's why she moved from Samoa to New Zealand, to live with her aunt and uncle. It's so powerful when she testifies of families..... it really touches people and they have no idea she's lost her parents.
I love you and miss you all to pieces. It's crazy to think I only have 4 transfers left. Anyway, get in some more good hikes and take more pictures if you please! I love them! And read Mormon 9:19-28 this week. It really, really struck me this week as I was going through our little trial. And I realized that the times in my life when the Spirit really witnessed to me that certain things were true, it was in complete harmony with verse 25. That it was when the doubt finally left, that He came and confirmed the truth--conFIRMed it.
Agosto 15
Howdy, howdy, howdy.... otra vez. :)
I'm glad the week went well for all of you. Same here!
Things are definitely lookin' up for Hays. I'll be honest, I had a couple days of depression because the work was not where it should've been here when I came in and I always go through it to some degree with a new area. It's exciting, but a LOAD to take on with every new area. But our zone is focusing on finding right now and we were able to find 5 new investigators last week and even more really good potentials. It's interesting how the Lord leads you to people. He led us to S at the library who gave us an address which, when we went to find, wasn't there... but then we found Sa and J... and when we went to see Sa again we found E whom I believe will get baptized.... Missionary work is so full of miracles.
Last week we went to our first district meeting and had some car time with the other sisters because we carpooled. District mtng is 2 hrs away and we have our first exchange tomorrow. I'm going to Great Bend, KS to teach their neglected pile of Spanish investigators!! Our district is awesome, though. There are us 4 sisters and 4 elders (2 actually because 2 are the zone leaders who're part of both districts) and a senior couple. But this week we have interviews with President on Wednesday and trainings by the APs.
We ate dinner with our WML last night and told funny mission stories--he served in Las Vegas. They also told us about some of the past sister missionary experiences the ward has had.... EEK!
To answer your Q about miles and car rides from members, we have a full-time car, yes, but we have a certain alotment of miles we can go every month. But the "car czar" (senior missionary in charge of cars) just called me and said that President told him to give us more miles so we're up to 2000 now. Wahoo! But we try to be smart with our miles and walk as much as we can and carpool and work one area totally before we move on.
Yes, it is a bit cooler out here. But I think it's also just starting to change season. It gets cooler earlier here. It's still pretty hot tho.
I AM learning, growing, feeling good about representing the Savior. It's amazing how the meaning and import of your calling somehow sinks in and helps your perspective. But I know that one way to keep on top as a missionary is to always make sure you're improving your efforts and skills instead of just enduring or outLASTing.
Well, we have a lesson here in a minute so I must bid y'all adieu.
Thank you for your support, for your prayers, for your love, your examples, and your emails and pkgs!
P.S. A German exchange student fell in love with me yesterday and hugged me! ahh!! Gotta watch out for those Europeans!
I'm glad the week went well for all of you. Same here!
Things are definitely lookin' up for Hays. I'll be honest, I had a couple days of depression because the work was not where it should've been here when I came in and I always go through it to some degree with a new area. It's exciting, but a LOAD to take on with every new area. But our zone is focusing on finding right now and we were able to find 5 new investigators last week and even more really good potentials. It's interesting how the Lord leads you to people. He led us to S at the library who gave us an address which, when we went to find, wasn't there... but then we found Sa and J... and when we went to see Sa again we found E whom I believe will get baptized.... Missionary work is so full of miracles.
Last week we went to our first district meeting and had some car time with the other sisters because we carpooled. District mtng is 2 hrs away and we have our first exchange tomorrow. I'm going to Great Bend, KS to teach their neglected pile of Spanish investigators!! Our district is awesome, though. There are us 4 sisters and 4 elders (2 actually because 2 are the zone leaders who're part of both districts) and a senior couple. But this week we have interviews with President on Wednesday and trainings by the APs.
We ate dinner with our WML last night and told funny mission stories--he served in Las Vegas. They also told us about some of the past sister missionary experiences the ward has had.... EEK!
To answer your Q about miles and car rides from members, we have a full-time car, yes, but we have a certain alotment of miles we can go every month. But the "car czar" (senior missionary in charge of cars) just called me and said that President told him to give us more miles so we're up to 2000 now. Wahoo! But we try to be smart with our miles and walk as much as we can and carpool and work one area totally before we move on.
Yes, it is a bit cooler out here. But I think it's also just starting to change season. It gets cooler earlier here. It's still pretty hot tho.
I AM learning, growing, feeling good about representing the Savior. It's amazing how the meaning and import of your calling somehow sinks in and helps your perspective. But I know that one way to keep on top as a missionary is to always make sure you're improving your efforts and skills instead of just enduring or outLASTing.
Well, we have a lesson here in a minute so I must bid y'all adieu.
Thank you for your support, for your prayers, for your love, your examples, and your emails and pkgs!
P.S. A German exchange student fell in love with me yesterday and hugged me! ahh!! Gotta watch out for those Europeans!
Agosto 8
Oooooooooooooooooooooh boy.
Well. . . . . . . . I got transferred. Actually we both did. They closed Kaw River to sisters and we got DTed out (double transferred) so it was crazy getting everything together, dividing our investigators and LAs between the elders and packing and saying goodbye. The bishop was not pleased lol. There are a few of our investigators who'll only meet with sisters so good luck to the elders. Maybe Bishop S can get some women ward missionaries called. So you're probably wondering where Sister V and I ended up? Well Sister V went to jail --the Liberty Jail, that is. Her area is Shoal Creek where the KC temple is being built. Yeehaw. And she's in a tripanionship with the sister leader and a missionary with Asbergers. Kinda tough, but she'll do great.
I . . . . am in Siberia. Ope I mean Hays. I'm actually closer to home than I am to the mission office. It's at the western edge of the mission and our area is enormous. District meetings are 2 hours away. Interviews are 4.5 hours away. And you can imagine how much members like to give us rides...... lol. But it's good. I know I'm here for a reason. I know that there are people in Hays and in our area who are ready to receive the Restored Gospel and that we just have to find them. But the finding here is extremely tricky. In KC we could just walk up to people on the street and start testifying and inviting and it was pretty evident to most people that we had something they wanted. But not here. It's an English area so I'm struggling to keep my Spanish (my companion actually wants to learn Spanish with me! I'll talk about her soon...) Hays is a some-what small town out in the country of Kansas and the other towns in our area are smaller and farther. The ward is tiny, but good. We went over quite a few things yesterday in PEC with the aux. leaders that we can hopefully get up to speed....if the members are willing, that is. Going through the members is probably the most effective way out here I would imagine. We're currently trying to come up with ways to excite the ward, get them on-board, how to serve them and gain their trust, build their faith and stretch them. I feel a little bit like I'm clawing at a brick wall. I'm so ready to go, ready to work, ready to teach, ready to serve.... but there just seems to be a lot of walls we're running into. I was excited to meet the ward and we had an investigator at church--J, who should have a baptismal date by Wednesday. He enjoyed church, and participated a lot. And he's reading!
My companion is Sister T from New Zealand! She actually grew up in Samoa, though, and that's her first language. So that's why it's so funny to speak Spanish with her. A Samoan speaking Spanish.... but she loves it! She's great. She's super different. We're like night and day, but we support each other. I'm only her second companion. Kinda unofficially follow-up-training. This is her 3rd transfer. I love when she testifies to people. She has this strong voice and she just looks 'em straight in the eye and tells em how it is. And her prayers are so sincere too. I'll include a picture hopefully.
So right now we're focused on finding. We need solid investigators. We just contacted a woman whom I contacted way back in Junction City at a member's wedding and whom I gave as a referral to the sisters who were at that time serving here. They lost track of her and we went and found her again and helped her clean her fridge and met her family. :)
Please continue to pray for us to be able to find new investigators and find those who have been prepared to receive this message.
Well. . . . . . . . I got transferred. Actually we both did. They closed Kaw River to sisters and we got DTed out (double transferred) so it was crazy getting everything together, dividing our investigators and LAs between the elders and packing and saying goodbye. The bishop was not pleased lol. There are a few of our investigators who'll only meet with sisters so good luck to the elders. Maybe Bishop S can get some women ward missionaries called. So you're probably wondering where Sister V and I ended up? Well Sister V went to jail --the Liberty Jail, that is. Her area is Shoal Creek where the KC temple is being built. Yeehaw. And she's in a tripanionship with the sister leader and a missionary with Asbergers. Kinda tough, but she'll do great.
I . . . . am in Siberia. Ope I mean Hays. I'm actually closer to home than I am to the mission office. It's at the western edge of the mission and our area is enormous. District meetings are 2 hours away. Interviews are 4.5 hours away. And you can imagine how much members like to give us rides...... lol. But it's good. I know I'm here for a reason. I know that there are people in Hays and in our area who are ready to receive the Restored Gospel and that we just have to find them. But the finding here is extremely tricky. In KC we could just walk up to people on the street and start testifying and inviting and it was pretty evident to most people that we had something they wanted. But not here. It's an English area so I'm struggling to keep my Spanish (my companion actually wants to learn Spanish with me! I'll talk about her soon...) Hays is a some-what small town out in the country of Kansas and the other towns in our area are smaller and farther. The ward is tiny, but good. We went over quite a few things yesterday in PEC with the aux. leaders that we can hopefully get up to speed....if the members are willing, that is. Going through the members is probably the most effective way out here I would imagine. We're currently trying to come up with ways to excite the ward, get them on-board, how to serve them and gain their trust, build their faith and stretch them. I feel a little bit like I'm clawing at a brick wall. I'm so ready to go, ready to work, ready to teach, ready to serve.... but there just seems to be a lot of walls we're running into. I was excited to meet the ward and we had an investigator at church--J, who should have a baptismal date by Wednesday. He enjoyed church, and participated a lot. And he's reading!
My companion is Sister T from New Zealand! She actually grew up in Samoa, though, and that's her first language. So that's why it's so funny to speak Spanish with her. A Samoan speaking Spanish.... but she loves it! She's great. She's super different. We're like night and day, but we support each other. I'm only her second companion. Kinda unofficially follow-up-training. This is her 3rd transfer. I love when she testifies to people. She has this strong voice and she just looks 'em straight in the eye and tells em how it is. And her prayers are so sincere too. I'll include a picture hopefully.
So right now we're focused on finding. We need solid investigators. We just contacted a woman whom I contacted way back in Junction City at a member's wedding and whom I gave as a referral to the sisters who were at that time serving here. They lost track of her and we went and found her again and helped her clean her fridge and met her family. :)
Please continue to pray for us to be able to find new investigators and find those who have been prepared to receive this message.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Agosto1
Familia querida!
Muchisisisisisisisimas gracias por sus emails. They were great. And funny. And I always appreciate them.
Apparently this is the hottest, longest summer Kansas has had in a while. And naturally I'm in 1 of the 2 areas that doesn't have full-time car ha. I have never sweated so much in my entire life. Swimming is against missionary rules.... but ya might as well! We come home WET enough! So I guess Kansas got Utah's heat. And humidity.
Two of our investigators who weren't really progressing very much are now progressing! We're excited for them. But we've had a lot of downsizing in our teaching pool as of late so we're trying to build it back up.
But what made our weekend?? . . . . . .
A. was baptized and confirmed!!!!!
Many came to her baptism to show her support. And she was given 2 blessings yesterday in which she was told that the scriptures were going to be her biggest ally basically. She and I are having a little competition right now. She's trying to catch up to me in the BoM but I can't let her catch up..... I'm in Jacob 5 and she's in like 2 Nephi 24 or something....
We love her so much. She was so excited for her baptism. She's so ready. And she just gets it. I've met many converts out here who joined the church at 17 and 18 and who served missions and are very faithful. Good age to get 'em at haha. She loves missionary work, though. I hope she'll serve some day! And the ward loves her.
So transfers are this week... Sister V and I agree we have no idea what's coming down the pike. We can see all options happening. We both kinda feel like we're being double-transferred out, but at the same time I might stay and be the next companion of Sister. B's trainee. She's a rock, I hear! I've met her a few times and I like her a lot. But who knows what'll happen.
Well, loves, my time's up. I wish you all a WONDERFUL week.
Keep a stiff uppah lip and a fleshy heart.
Read Isaiah 58.
Muchisisisisisisisimas gracias por sus emails. They were great. And funny. And I always appreciate them.
Apparently this is the hottest, longest summer Kansas has had in a while. And naturally I'm in 1 of the 2 areas that doesn't have full-time car ha. I have never sweated so much in my entire life. Swimming is against missionary rules.... but ya might as well! We come home WET enough! So I guess Kansas got Utah's heat. And humidity.
Two of our investigators who weren't really progressing very much are now progressing! We're excited for them. But we've had a lot of downsizing in our teaching pool as of late so we're trying to build it back up.
But what made our weekend?? . . . . . .
A. was baptized and confirmed!!!!!
Many came to her baptism to show her support. And she was given 2 blessings yesterday in which she was told that the scriptures were going to be her biggest ally basically. She and I are having a little competition right now. She's trying to catch up to me in the BoM but I can't let her catch up..... I'm in Jacob 5 and she's in like 2 Nephi 24 or something....
We love her so much. She was so excited for her baptism. She's so ready. And she just gets it. I've met many converts out here who joined the church at 17 and 18 and who served missions and are very faithful. Good age to get 'em at haha. She loves missionary work, though. I hope she'll serve some day! And the ward loves her.
So transfers are this week... Sister V and I agree we have no idea what's coming down the pike. We can see all options happening. We both kinda feel like we're being double-transferred out, but at the same time I might stay and be the next companion of Sister. B's trainee. She's a rock, I hear! I've met her a few times and I like her a lot. But who knows what'll happen.
Well, loves, my time's up. I wish you all a WONDERFUL week.
Keep a stiff uppah lip and a fleshy heart.
Read Isaiah 58.
Julio 25
Sister V and I are learning ever-more about becoming better teachers and more effective servants. We got some new people we're teaching we're excited about. And we've decided we love working with less active members. They're fun to get to know and teach and love. I stole someone's cigarettes the other day... And one of our investigators accidentally sent us a text she meant to send her boyfriend.... THAT must've been embarrassing lol. I won't say what it said haha. I get to play the piano for the ward choir here. :) We heart-attacked the G family's van.... I'm done with the Isaiah chapters.... hahaha jk. No actually Jesus the Christ helps explain the background of Isaiah so that helped me a lot. The Book of Mormon game will be played in my future home EVERY family home evening.... hahaha it's my favorite game. Ever. Prerequisite for my husband... he has to like it..... hahaha.
But know that I am enjoying the work. This work is unlike any other. This work is true. This work is the Lord's. And closeness to Him lies in the Primary answers. :)
But know that I am enjoying the work. This work is unlike any other. This work is true. This work is the Lord's. And closeness to Him lies in the Primary answers. :)
Julio diez y ocho
Howdy, howdy, howdy~
This week was............ CRAZY.
I think the best way to summarize is by bullet pointing it...
-C, a man getting his PhD in theology, interrogated us outside of the downtown library. He asked us if we believe in the "7 levels of the Holy Spirit" (something I believe he 'found' on his own), he thought we'd never heard of the Hebrew names and background for God and Jesus (things I only know because of reading Jesus the Christ) and when we bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and gave him one, he told us he was going to pick it apart and study and scrutinize it like no other and frankly I think he was almost bugged that we were completely confident that it'd hold up under his scrutiny. Wonder if we'll ever see him again...
-W is still progressing. He had an interview with President last week and it went very well. We took him to the VC and got him better acquainted with the modern-day prophets and apostles and he loved it. But then in our next appt he admitted that part of his income is.... illegal. And very dangerous. And when we brought it up in ward council yesterday there were members of the council who'd had experience with this stuff on their missions and helped us realize the situation..... and long story short we're gonna turn him over to the elders for a while to test a couple things.
-V should be able to come to church this next week. We called his work again and the branch manager told us he won't be on the schedule next Sunday. He told us in a past lesson he and "D" were interested in each other and getting married. She isn't religious at all, however, and the next time we met with him he informed us vehemently that he no longer felt that way because he wants a "woman in God" that he can share his faith with.
-A is still good to go. Her mom is sick so that's putting a damper on our teaching her, but she's scheduled to be baptized Aug 6! We're trying to get her more of a support system, however.
-I had multiple experiences in just one day where members were stand-off-ish and somewhat cold and the decision came of whether I would act the same way, or just avoid the situation, or..... go right on loving them and being warm no matter what they did. I was lucky enough to have it turn out well. All of them eventually responded positively and broke the shell. :)
-We had 2 investigators at church yesterday! W and D. Ooooooooh my goooooooooooosh. So during sacrament meeting I was just praying the whole time that D would feel something good, something special. The talks were thankfully good and the second hour was great too--everyone LOVES gospel principles we've found (it's cuz the missionaries teach it hehehehe jk) but the lesson was on Eternal Families and D is mother of 7! Sis. V taught it and it was good. Theeeeeeeeeeen came Relief Society. . . . . . After Spanish and English split, we moved to another room and there was an elderly woman sitting behind D. Now D is not a member... she's never been taught modesty, blah blah blah she's wearing a strapless dress and her bra straps are showing. But WHO CARES. SHE'S THERE and she didn't have anything else to wear. So she sits down and the lady behind her snaps her bra! Like pulls it back and snaps it! (I'm thinking WHO DOES THAT????) Now as if that wasn't enough to make her want to get away, the RS teacher also gives a lesson on Eternal Families (wrong lesson) and starts hitting her book and almost yelling about how hard she worked to make sure all her kids had the same dad and how hard marriage is (this whole time her expression is that she's gonna either pop a blood vessel or choke the nearest person). Then she goes on and talks about how in our homes we teach things like modesty and looks straight at D. Then afterward as we're trying to repair some of the damage with D and introduce her to Sister S (VERY nice, knowledgeable, bishop's wife), the RS teacher comes up again and is all smiles as she forcefully informs D that she "can't wait until [she, D] knows what it's like to be a mother in Zion." (Wha?? Please! Just go away! You've scared her enough!) But no, she detains D and says, "Let me share with you an experience." She tells a story (the long version) of when she found her son in the middle of the night at a gang member's house solely by revelation. At the end she grabs D's elbow and exclaims that "as a mother of seven children YOU NEED THAT!! And THAT is my testimony and I SHARE it with you!" By then Sister V and I would've been pleased if we could melt into the carpet. Sister V went one way with Sis. S. and I went the other with D and I just put my arm around her and gave the expression of what I was feeling to the wall.... (wide eyes basically--a "What just happened" expression) and she saw it and chuckled and all I could say was, "We're normal, I promise!" Then I got her to her member ride and she went home. I just hope and pray she'll consider coming back. By the end of the 2nd hour she was good and told the senior elder she'd come back... but after RS who knows...
-It was a no-car-week so it's always interesting the people you meet on the bus. . . . . .
Well, I hope that everyone is doing peachily.
Love you all!
This week was............ CRAZY.
I think the best way to summarize is by bullet pointing it...
-C, a man getting his PhD in theology, interrogated us outside of the downtown library. He asked us if we believe in the "7 levels of the Holy Spirit" (something I believe he 'found' on his own), he thought we'd never heard of the Hebrew names and background for God and Jesus (things I only know because of reading Jesus the Christ) and when we bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and gave him one, he told us he was going to pick it apart and study and scrutinize it like no other and frankly I think he was almost bugged that we were completely confident that it'd hold up under his scrutiny. Wonder if we'll ever see him again...
-W is still progressing. He had an interview with President last week and it went very well. We took him to the VC and got him better acquainted with the modern-day prophets and apostles and he loved it. But then in our next appt he admitted that part of his income is.... illegal. And very dangerous. And when we brought it up in ward council yesterday there were members of the council who'd had experience with this stuff on their missions and helped us realize the situation..... and long story short we're gonna turn him over to the elders for a while to test a couple things.
-V should be able to come to church this next week. We called his work again and the branch manager told us he won't be on the schedule next Sunday. He told us in a past lesson he and "D" were interested in each other and getting married. She isn't religious at all, however, and the next time we met with him he informed us vehemently that he no longer felt that way because he wants a "woman in God" that he can share his faith with.
-A is still good to go. Her mom is sick so that's putting a damper on our teaching her, but she's scheduled to be baptized Aug 6! We're trying to get her more of a support system, however.
-I had multiple experiences in just one day where members were stand-off-ish and somewhat cold and the decision came of whether I would act the same way, or just avoid the situation, or..... go right on loving them and being warm no matter what they did. I was lucky enough to have it turn out well. All of them eventually responded positively and broke the shell. :)
-We had 2 investigators at church yesterday! W and D. Ooooooooh my goooooooooooosh. So during sacrament meeting I was just praying the whole time that D would feel something good, something special. The talks were thankfully good and the second hour was great too--everyone LOVES gospel principles we've found (it's cuz the missionaries teach it hehehehe jk) but the lesson was on Eternal Families and D is mother of 7! Sis. V taught it and it was good. Theeeeeeeeeeen came Relief Society. . . . . . After Spanish and English split, we moved to another room and there was an elderly woman sitting behind D. Now D is not a member... she's never been taught modesty, blah blah blah she's wearing a strapless dress and her bra straps are showing. But WHO CARES. SHE'S THERE and she didn't have anything else to wear. So she sits down and the lady behind her snaps her bra! Like pulls it back and snaps it! (I'm thinking WHO DOES THAT????) Now as if that wasn't enough to make her want to get away, the RS teacher also gives a lesson on Eternal Families (wrong lesson) and starts hitting her book and almost yelling about how hard she worked to make sure all her kids had the same dad and how hard marriage is (this whole time her expression is that she's gonna either pop a blood vessel or choke the nearest person). Then she goes on and talks about how in our homes we teach things like modesty and looks straight at D. Then afterward as we're trying to repair some of the damage with D and introduce her to Sister S (VERY nice, knowledgeable, bishop's wife), the RS teacher comes up again and is all smiles as she forcefully informs D that she "can't wait until [she, D] knows what it's like to be a mother in Zion." (Wha?? Please! Just go away! You've scared her enough!) But no, she detains D and says, "Let me share with you an experience." She tells a story (the long version) of when she found her son in the middle of the night at a gang member's house solely by revelation. At the end she grabs D's elbow and exclaims that "as a mother of seven children YOU NEED THAT!! And THAT is my testimony and I SHARE it with you!" By then Sister V and I would've been pleased if we could melt into the carpet. Sister V went one way with Sis. S. and I went the other with D and I just put my arm around her and gave the expression of what I was feeling to the wall.... (wide eyes basically--a "What just happened" expression) and she saw it and chuckled and all I could say was, "We're normal, I promise!" Then I got her to her member ride and she went home. I just hope and pray she'll consider coming back. By the end of the 2nd hour she was good and told the senior elder she'd come back... but after RS who knows...
-It was a no-car-week so it's always interesting the people you meet on the bus. . . . . .
Well, I hope that everyone is doing peachily.
Love you all!
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