This week has been really good!!!
I don't even know where to start. I don't remember if i told ya'll if today was P-day or not. We have a zone mtg in Abeline tomorrow alll day lonnng so they moved our p-day to today.Our investigator turnover is really high here. We have come to the conclusion it is because we work with students. Flakey students.
They love to set up appointments and forget to be home when we show up. hmmm..... BUT! We have a few people that are REALLY progressing. It makes the work so much more exciting when we have people to teach who are keeping commitments and actually WANT to know.
I told you about that guy that always has long lists of questions when we meet with him. We will give him a chapter or two to read and then by the time we return, he has read more than expected. Last week he read the assigned 2 Nephi 7 ANND the book of Moroni. And studied some of the Doctrine and Covenants online. And Doctrines of Salvation. Whoa nelly. It's amazing how much time he spends studying. We used to answer all of his questions in our lessons, but lately we have tried answering them with an assignment. Between reading that and praying, he figures out his the answers on his OWN! it's amazing. His faith in Jesus Christ was already so firm which has helped us teach. Ultimately, we don't want those we teach to have a testimony in US but rather in the Lord. They can only figure that out through "ponder, ask, receive" revelation; not "ask missionaries, get answer" revelation. :) The other day Sister T wrote up a study guide for him on a topic he was curious about. After she made an apologetic comment about her handwriting, he looked at it and mumbled "I feel like Joseph Smith trying to translate...." It was. SO. FUNNY. Not what we would have expected from him. It's been fun to teach him.
Our 4th of July was good! Sister Tall and I started out the day with a 6:30 a.m. bake off. hahaha. We make tons of cookies and cupcakes to bring to various people and activities for the day. Needless to say, half way through the day we were dragging due to our balanced frosting and cookie dough breakfast. Sugar buzz. Bad idea. We volunteered at the stake pancake breakfast, visited and taught people all morning; went to a branch activity in the afternoon and taught until 6:30. Missionaries have an early curfew on holidays, so we played games with the elders until 8:30. Fed them the desserts we made. They were pretty happy about it. I could hear fireworks from my bed! And we even sang a few patriotic hymns.... I wore a red shirt. so....... not exciting, but different from the normal missionary routine.
Yesterday I had a "this is why i am a missionary" moment that was altering. We went to track down a former investigator but she wasn't home. On our way back to our car, i saw a lady smoking on her doorstep in the same apartment complex. I hate the smell of smoke so I breathed shallow and kept walking. As I was fixed on the idea of getting to our car I had the thought "Turn around. You need to talk to her." come to my head TWICE. yeah.... twice. I hesitated. First of all, i could feel her watching us and i knew i would look like an idiot stopping in my tracks and making a 180* to talk to her. Buuuut, alas. I am a missionary. Who should have NO SHAME! So I turned around and walked up to her, shook her hand and introduced myself as Sister Orr. I didn't even get as far as telling her we were missionaries when SHE started asking questions about the weather, the neighbors, where we were from and before I knew it, we were in a deep conversation about her past drug addictions, custody battles, deaths in the family and everything she had struggled with.
She told us about how in jail she had nothing better to do than read the Bible. "I had no excuse! I had to read it." The transformation she had through reading the word of God was ....amazing. "I started to change. And other inmates started coming to ME for answers and when I talked to them i could feel truth coming out of me." "My cravings and desires started to melt away. I even stopped cussin'!!!!" We were able to tell her a little bit about the spirit and how the study of doctrine changes behavior better than the study of behavior changes behavior. (i think it was Elder Scott that said that in conference once?) The spirit she had while telling us about how she found Jesus was magnetic. We could have talked to her for hours; we talked and talked and talked about.... everything. Because of the word, she has her kids back, has a job and her own apartment. That crazy chapter of her life is CLOSED.
We asked her if she has ever heard of the Book of Mormon.
Apparently sister missionaries years ago tried to teach her about it but she was rude and told them off. "Afterwards, I said to myself, THAT was the devil in you! And i have felt horrible ever since!!" Naturally, we handed her one and gave her a challenge to read it everyday. I told her she already KNOWS what it feels like to read God's words and to put this book to the test. She was EXCITED!! I never would have thought. "You girls are great. This is EXACTLY what I needed today." That feeling I had while walking away KNOWING it was the spirit that had prompted me to turn around was enthralling. I could barely stay in my own skin, i was so happy. There is so much I miss about home. I miss family events, dating, music, sleeping in, my passat, hilarious roommates, jeans, dancing and everything else. But that FEELING makes up for ALL the sacrifices. Its pure joy that i had never felt on that level before. It pales in comparison to any other satisfaction.
Its still hotter than hot here. The buzzards are out more than the norm. Sometimes on the front lawns in neighborhoods. I wish i had something funny to write. But I don't. heh. Transfers are next week. I don't think they will move either of us but am still nervous just the same. I am not ready to be pried from my trainer-mom!!! BAH! We'll see how it goes. p-day will be back on Thursday.
gotta bolt.
keep on keepin' on!
Sister Orr
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