2/27/16

So this mission thing is hard.  I know, I know, you already know, I keep whining to you.  But there's been some cool things happening too.  

I wish you were my companion out here with me for my whole mission!  Because you know how to handle all the situations.  Sheesh, why can’t I know exactly how to handle any situation like you do.  Keep giving me all the knowledge you can and tips and suggestions PLEASE!

First of all, what do YOU think is the most effective approach to when tracting/finding?  Like when you see someone out in their yard or knock on a random person’s door; what do you think is the best thing to say?  I find this so awkward.  Especially with the people that want nothing to do with you. 

Also, there’s this older couple named the Harris’s.  They are so cute.  We went over there for dinner last night.  They both have stake callings, but are in our ward.  They were super sweet, joked with us, and told us some very inspiring stories.  Oh and also, she made chicken enchiladas (with white sauce) and Mexican rice!  It was so good!  Tasted like I was at home with Mom!  I told Sister Harris that!  Anyways.  Brother Harris told us about a story he had at work years and year ago.  He worked with a guy, that was big and buff and all tattooed up.  One day he got a prompting to tell him the story of the Restoration.  He, of course, was like, no way I’m doing that.  So throughout the time he was prompted 2 more times, so he knew he had to, he was very scared.  So one day he struck up a conversation with him and told him the Restoration.  He asked him after what he thought about it, and he said something like, that’s amazing.  And he asked him if he’d like to know more and he said absolutely.  So he talked with him a lot and introduced him to the missionaries, and three weeks later he was baptized.  Two weeks after that his wife and his 2 old enough kids were baptized.  And then, his parents and his siblings, and his daughter with another mother’s aunts were baptized.

That day I was having a bit of a hard time, as usual, because nobody ever wants to hear from us, even less actives.  So I’m like, if nobody will ever even want to hear, why am I here leaving my family behind for nothing?  He reminded me that there are those 1 in 100 people that God needs me to find.  I won’t find them all at once.  Do what the Lord has asked, and you will be blessed.

So one thing that happened today, we were going to follow up with a referral they had gotten from headquarters that they had given a Book of Mormon and asked to read and pray who said they would.  We were coming to follow up and teach more.  We’d tried them twice already this week and they haven’t been homes.  So we get out at their house, and their neighbor next door was out in his driveway filling a bucket getting ready to wash his car, and what looked like his older mother was just sitting in a lawn chair next to him.  So we figured we’d stop and talk to them first.  We approach them (a clean, nice looking black man) and we say who we are and what church we’re from and ask their religious background and he says like…I don’t know what he said, something temple Christian.  So we talked a little bit and my companion told him about how we have Christ’s church back and it’s been restored and we have a prophet of God, simple stuff.  And then she bears short simple testimony about how it’s blessed her life and she asks if that’s something he’d be interested to learn more about (and people usually say no I’m good with my church and I have a good relationship with God, and all that stuff, so that’s what we were expecting, you know?).  And he simply says, “Yes.”  So she got out the Restoration pamphlet and asks if there’s another time we could come by, and he says yeah you can come by later.  So she asks if he could read it, explained it a little bit, and asks if he would read it, he says yes!  And she asks if he could pray to know if it’s true—he says yes, I always pray, yes I will!  We were like uhhh is this a joke, this never happens…so I guess we’ll go back and see what happens.  That really showed me that I gotta put my pride aside and sees and understand that God is in charge here.  He knows what he’s doing.  If I’m being a good girl, he will help me.

So, another cool thing today.  An older British guy named Chris had talked with the missionaries before, and we went to go follow up.  He actually answered but asked us to come back Tuesday.  He was really happy to see us, and really wanted to talk but he was busy.  He said he’d come to church tomorrow (which our church is at 1:00 pm) and said he’d been talking with his Mormon friend from work and really wanted to try our religion!  So cool!

Then we knocked SO MANY doors today.  All the people we planned for weren’t home (or didn’t answer) (they all have peepholes) and the people we tracted weren’t home or told us no.

Then we met with a less active member Sister Whitter.  We were there forever.  They found out her husband has bone cancer and I guess he’d been having dreams with (who he believes in—the “Indian Chief”—basically his God) the chief telling him it’s time to come home, and they’re waiting for results and they are having such a hard time.  I didn’t know what to say.  It’s so sad.  D&C 121:7-8 came to my mind as she spoke, so I shared that with her and Sister Thomason shared the story of Peter and Jesus walking on water.  I hope it helped her.  Because they’re having a hard time.

We went by a family in the ward’s house who are bordering less active.  They’ve had a bad past few months, their son (12 years old) was diagnosed with diabetes, their 18 year old daughter moved out got pregnant and ran off somewhere and then (their name is the Keserichs) Sister Keserich’s father and stepfather died. They are doing really good now.  Their 14 year old daughter reminds me a little of Haley.  She’s so sweet.  We shared a message with them as well as they told us an experience they’ve had.  There’s this boy, Cameron, from Emily’s school (which Sister Keserich also works at) who is in foster care with a drug abusing caretaker and has no adults who care for him.  Emily became his friend and Sister Keserich and Emily have helped him at school, they brought him to their house, he thought it was a mansion (it’s a regular ole house) and a lot of cool stuff. So they said they’re going to help him become a good person, help him understand morals, and maybe someday have us teach him. 

Now it’s Sunday morning, church at 1, this will be interesting.  I really hope you guys are doing good.  I pray for each of you a million times a day.  You guys are amazing.  I’m so blessed.  I love you so much!

Love, Courtney