Another week has come and gone… let's see what some of the major highlights of the week were...
On Tuesday, January 27th, we had our district meeting with the 6 missionaries in this area. We had a training on how to read people’s body language. The Cupkies (they have major military training in this area) came and taught us tips on how to understand what people are saying when they aren’t really saying anything at all. They also showed us how we could be better with our own personal body language as missionaries. It was very interesting. I found it quite fascinating! Sister Cupkie was able to pick up a lot about me through watching my own body language- it was pretty cool!
That afternoon, we went to visit Sister Yule. She is a less active member. I just love Sister Yule. She does photography, but she usually has barbie photoshoots. They’re very different than anything I have ever seen, but that is what makes them so cool. Anyways, while we were over there she opened up to us and finally broke down and told us she was tired of being with her abusive boyfriend. She has been in this unhealthy relationship for a very long time, but the idea of being alone scares her. However, it sounded like she was done. My heart hurt for Sister Yule! I shared with her some of my own past experiences and was able to let her know that Heavenly Father didn’t want her to be in a situation like that! God wants each of His children to feel loved and cared for! After talking with her a while, we asked her if she would start praying for strength and courage and to ask God if she needed to walk away from this relationship. We also made a plan to start visiting her once a week to do little weekly check-ins to see how she is doing.
On Wednesday, the 28th, Sister Bone and I went to town again and did some undercover heart attacking again, except for Sister Petersen this time. She had text us and told us that she was having a rough week. We didn’t like what we were hearing so we decided that we needed to send Sister Petersen some love and that is exactly what we did! Too bad her granddaughters caught us in the act... but we made our get away before they could catch us. Wow, let me say though that heart attack almost gave us a heart attack with all the adrenaline we had. Our hearts were pumping like crazy by the time we got back to our get away car. But it was fun and it cheered Sister Petersen up and that’s all that matters.
Wednesday afternoon, we had companion exchanges. Sister Bone went to Bloomington and Sister Jenkins came here to see how well I was doing in the area. I was a good experience but definitely made me grateful to have Sis Bone as my companion ;)
That night we had dinner over at Mike and Aubrey Nelson’s. Mike isn’t a member so I really wanted to get to know Mike better so maybe he would feel comfortable enough to take the missionary lessons from us. We had Christmas dinner over at their home with their three little boys, but I didn’t get a chance to really get to talk to Mike. Tonight was just what I needed. We had a great dinner, an awesome lesson with the family and then afterwords we just got to talking and pretty soon Mike had brought down his scrapbook of when he had backpacked through Europe. Before it came time to leave I asked Mike if he knew that we would love to teach him the lessons. He smiled and said he knew. You see if you didn’t know Mike wasn’t a member of the church you really wouldn’t have any clue he wasn’t. He comes to church each week and raises his family in the church with Aubrey. I’m not giving up on teaching Mike the lessons... I’m thinking it’s time to get BOLD! ;)
Thursday, the 29th, Sister Jenkins and I went to Snuffy’s so Brother Longstreet could surprise Sister Jenkins (since she was in this area just before me). I definitally got the good end of the stick because just the day before Sis Bone and I had gone to Snuffy’s with Bro Longstreet. I know Snuffy’s twice in one week—I’m spoiled! :)
This afternoon, once Sister Bone was back, we met up with the Elders to go and visit Tanneh and Joshua. We had a great lesson on the importance of family and then gave them a baptismal date of March 14th! We sat down with them and marked out a baptismal calendar for how they were going to prepare themselves for that date. They decided they want to be married on Valentines—so that’s kinda fun. Now don’t hold your breath on that because they tend to back out at the last minute. We are all just going to keep our fingers crossed that this is the time it is actually going to happen!
Tonight, Bishop took the Elders and us out to dinner. We went over all of the different people we are visiting and teaching now, while eating some very yummy Italian pizza. Thank you Bishop Patterson! Speaking of Bishop Patterson, have I mentioned lately that he is seriously the bomb digity! He is an awesome man and does a great job with our ward!
On Friday, January 30th, Sis Bone and I did some tracting in some apartments. We decided we were going to just have fun with it. We were going to stop taking it so seriously and just have fun! Wow—what a difference that made! I have to say I never thought knocking on doors could be so fun, but we actually had a really good time! We have decided our next investment is going to be on getting us some rockin’ yo-yos. I mean shoot just think of how good we could get at yo-yoing if we yo-yoed while tracting. I know it’s pretty much the most brilliant idea ever! ;)
While we were tracting we actually met this awesome girl named Stephanie. Holy smokes, it was awesome! She let us in and we taught a very powerful restoration lesson. She was eating everything up and loving what we were saying! She explained to us how she wants religion in her and her husband’s lives. She wants to have a strong religious foundation to raise her children on. In fact, listen to this... Stephanie had just told her husband, “If those church people come around, I’m letting them in!” We couldn’t believe what we were hearing! We could have peed our pants we were so excited! We set up an appointment to come back next week and meet her husband and teach them together. When we left Sis Bone and I were on cloud nine!
(Now I hate to do this but... I’m just going to burst your bubble now before it gets too big. We got a text Sunday night from Stephanie telling us that she and her husband had talked and they are comfortable where they’re at now. We were so sad to read that, but somehow I not too sad because I KNOW Stephanie is NOT comfortable and is seeking more and well I’m not giving up! We’ll go visit her in a couple of weeks and check in with her then.)
That night for dinner we went over to the Joyce’s. For Christmas their kids got perler beads. They’re those little plastic beads that your put on a plastic board with pegs and make cool designs or pictures. I remember having these when I was little, but that was 20 years ago! (google it if you don’t remember these) Anyways, long story short, we got to play with perler beads and it was SWEET! After dinner, we warmed them up with iron and melted my beads together so it became one piece of plastic. Funny how something so little and silly can bring you so much happiness! Moral of the story... if you need a pick me up go get some perler beads!
We ended the night off with a great lesson with Jennifer over at the Klenotich’s. It was time to shake Jennifer up and be BOLD with her and that was exactly what we did! By the time we left we bore strong testimony of the importance of keeping commitments and Jennifer now has a baptismal date for March 14th! Wahoo! Go Jennifer!!!
Saturday, the 31st of January, we went to visit our favorite Sister Erlendsson. Oh my goodness do I just adore that little lady! She is seriously the cutest little thing! She has cut back to 5 cigarettes a day from the pack a day she was smoking. I’m so proud of her! We have started going over to see her a couple of times a week to read the Book of Mormon with her. I can’t even begin to explain the changes we have seen in Sister Erlendsson. Before I got here she wouldn’t even let the missionaries into her apartment. And now we are coming over all the time to read the scriptures together. Sister Erlendsson is one of the more kind and humble people I know. She says some of the sweetest prayers. Today when she was praying before we left, she thanked God for sending two of the best missionaries to her. It may have been one of the kindest complements I have ever heard. In that moment, while we were praying right there in her small little apartment, I had no doubt that I was suppose to be serving HERE right now! What a good reminder!
This afternoon, we had our BEST lesson yet with Angie! WOW! Angie likes us! This is huge! Angie doesn’t really let people into her life, but she is finally letting her walls down and is starting to be really comfortable around us. It is so cool to see how God has been softening her heart. I knew again, it was time to be BOLD! We talked about service, and then morning with those who morn and then taking upon the name of Christ which let us right to baptism (Mosiah 18:8-11). I then took charge, I simply looked at Angie and told her that Sister Bone and I have been praying and we KNOW that baptism is the next step! Sister Bone and I thought it would be best if Angie came up with her own date to work towards so I asked Angie if she would pray and ask God to help her come up with a date that she can start preparing to be baptized on. Angie said she would! MIRACLES are happening!!! We then asked her to pray with us before we left (which we ask her every time and every time she says no) today was no different, she said no. And then I told Angie I would pray this time if she promised to pray next week when we came over to visit and she said she would! And don’t you worry I’m going to keep her to that!
Sunday, was the 1st of February! I can’t believe it is already February! Spring is just around the corner and I am so excited to see Minnesota not completely covered in white!
After church, we went to teach Bob and brought a couple of guys from the ward with us to help answer some of his deep doctrinal questions. It was a great lesson! Bob is quite the character, but it is amazing how the Spirit can truly touch EVERYONE! It is so neat to be able to see the Holy Ghost work on someone and touch their heart.
Sunday was fast Sunday and we didn’t have a dinner appointment lined up to go to, so we were going to go home and eat the last thing we had which was a frozen pizza. But then dear, sweet Sister Musser called us up and invited us over for dinner—bless her heart! Oh my goodness, she is one heck of a cook! She whipped up some of the best meatloaf I have ever had and she even made me my favorite cheesy cauliflower of hers! Sister Musser was our little miracle worker for the day. Oh and I almost forgot, but she sent us home with a bag of her famous home-made caramels ;)
Our last lesson of the night was with a lady Rahel from Ethiopia. The Elders had found her and were passing her over to us to teach because she is a single mother and it is easier for us to work with the single women. Any who, tonight we went over with the Elders and all four of us taught the restoration lesson together. Rehel is awesome and Sister Bone and I are going back later this week to teach her again. She's just another investigator to add to our teaching list ;)
With all of our investigators and ward members we are working with we are going to have another busy week ahead of us. I pray all is well back home. Know I love you all!
-Sister Larson
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