This week we have had the highest of highs as well as the lowest of lows! Strap on your seat belts ladies and gentlemen... welcome to the life of being a missionary! It is just a constant roller coaster of ups and downs! Luckily, the ups make everything worth it :D
FUNNY MOMENTS OF THE WEEK
Sister Vance found a cigarette butt in our apartment. That is so gross. She picked it up, screamed, ran, and chucked it outside. How it got in their I HAVE NO IDEA. I think one of us must have stepped on it and then dragged it inside... luckily we didn't have apartment checks ;)
Also, we came home from lunch one day and the door was locked. I looked in the window... and noticed the keys were sitting on my desk. Inside the apartment. Don't worry, a meal at the hospital and a subway card later, we broke into our apartment. We figured it out all by ourselves.. so now only all of you know what a true ditz I am. Since you all probably knew that anyway I figured I could tell you :)
UPDATE TO OUR RUNNING RECORD OF SONGS THAT ARE ACTUALLY PERTAINING TO MISSIONARY WORK
Phantom of the Opera, "That's all I ask of you." Really this song is talking about missionaries who are leaving commitments with their investigators. Sometimes it is said through gritted teeth READ THE BOOK OF MORMON, "Darling, that's all I ask of you."
This is my great district. They are the best! Elder workman is our DL and he is the one doing the hang loose sign. Every transfer he asks us trivia questions and at the end of the transfer the winners get a bag of Starbursts... Needless to say the Sisters have beat the elders every time. No big deal. ;) Sister Vance is a rock star and I learn so much from her every week!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Just a week and a half ago, we taught a lesson to a mom in her 30's who has two kids and a significant other. (No one here is married) We left her with a commitment to read Alma 32 and honestly didn't really think anything of it. She sent us a text which said, "I read Alma 32. Then the introduction. Then I started from the beginning. I can't put it down! I have been reading for the past 2 hours and am halfway through first Nephi. I have been trying to read the bible my whole life, now this all seems so clear!" Sister Vance and I could not stop screaming! The only visual I have for you is a little high school girl who just got asked to prom by the football captain :) We met with her twice during this past week, and Kersha is GOLDEN! Let me list all the reasons why.
1. She can't stop reading the Book of Mormon
2. She has received inspiration and has noticed more peace in her life through doing so
3. We committed her to be baptized and she said, "Yes. But first we have to make sure I will go to church after I am baptized."
4.She told us, "Before I get baptized I want to go over the ten commandments. How many times do we need to be meeting so that I can be read?"
5. She came to church and was super overwhelmed, but it was fast Sunday and she felt the spirit so STRONG! She can't stop telling us, "I don't know why God sent the two of you in particular to me, but I thank Him everyday for sending you and opening and softening my heart to your message."
I could actually keep going on and on. Needless to say, Kersha is willing to do what is best for her kids, and she knows that this is it :) :) :) Pray for her husband though, his heart needs to be softened! This is a perfect example of God preparing the people!
After writing Kersha's amazing story I don't want to talk about the Low, but it must happen.
Mindy (our investigator who was on date) might have dropped us. I honestly don't blame her, the three Sundays that she came to church in Sunday school they bashed on people who are gay. (Mindy has a gay daughter.) I am really frustrated with the ward, but we keep trying to convince we her we "love everybody." From the way the ward was acting, I wouldn't believe us either though. The people in the church aren't perfect.. but the church is.
Stephanie and Emily (our other investigators on date) are avoiding us. *SIGH* There is still hope! They know the church is true, so they just need to act on it!
Now, to discuss the title of my email. (I am about to go into rant mode, bear with me! :)
Laman and Lemuel were right. THINK ABOUT THIS, their life was hard. They left behind all of their comfortable possessions in Jerusalem. They were almost killed twice. They wandered around in the wilderness for eight years. Their wives were giving birth IN THE JUNGLE. They almost starved to death. Finally, they get to the ocean, and Nephi says, "I am going to build a boat." I wouldn't trust my younger brother to build a boat, hop inside, and sail into the unknown. (sorry Braydon) They didn't know if the world was flat, round, or even if their was another land beyond the ocean. PHEW, these people were going through a lot. LAMAN AND LEMUEL COULDN'T ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK. They were right.
Nephi also understood that the task laid before him was hard, and that it was impossible.. ONE HIS OWN. Without God's help, it WOULD be impossible. The difference between the two is that Laman and Lemuel tried to do everything by themselves. In this case, it would lead to failure. Nephi understood that by himself it was impossible, but with the Lord's help it is possible. Anytime we complain, think that things are too hard, we are acting like Laman and Lemuel. We are saying, "The task laid before me is too hard, and I don't believe that the Lord can bring me through it." When we yoke ourselves to God and Christ, the seemingly impossible task becomes possible. That is the miracle of the atonement. 2 Nephi 22:2 states, "God is my strength and my song." With God on our side, we can accomplish the impossible.
We are all journeying through a wilderness.. it is hard. We will starve. We will get so tired we don't think we can walk any longer. We will have trials and tribulations set before us. But this is how we truly learn to make God our source of strength.
THE GOSPEL IS TRUE. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.
Sister Jones
P.S. We were in church this Sunday and all of a sudden there was a loud BANG and the whole building shook. Someone ran into the building HARD with their car! It cracked the chapel from the ceiling all the way to the floor :) Kind of an exciting moment ;) everyone was safe, don't you worry!
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