Week #13

Aloha!

So this week has been alot of firsts.

*FIRST time I have received so many packages and love. The day before Valentines Day I received THREE packages and SEVEN letters!!! Wow I felt loved!! Thank you so much family and friends! Side note for my family, I have put up my stickers on my mirror in my room where I'll be reminded everyday how much I love you, and how much you love me.

*FIRST time I have had a three month anniversary! It's really weird. I didn't even remember until someone from my transfer told me the day before. The time is going so fast! When I told the "older" missionaries how it's all a blur and it's going fast they were surprised (apparently it's not that way for everyone) and said "Oh, just you wait, it'll get faster." I'm not sure I'm okay with that!!! How about I extend like the sons of Mosiah for 14 years? Okay?! :D

*FIRST time having a conversation with a drunk. Yep. A man called from a motel saying that a girl stole his clothes (you can guess why she was there in the first place) and he told me what they did. Throughout the conversation I kept trying to tell him and just invite him to meet with missionaries because I try to give everyone that chance, but when I felt the spirit leave because of what he was saying I did not allow him to talk over me again and just hollered that if he had questions about the church to call back and hung up while he was talking. And he had the audacity to do so!!! I interrupted him and said the same thing and hung up. Not a fun experience, but it's rather funny when you think of a naked man lying on the floor of a motel room waking up from drunk sleep and realizing not only what he did the night before, and that the girl stole his clothes and who knows what else, but that he had numerous calls to the Mormon church!!! (Instead of being upset and letting this calls affect me this way, I just choose to laugh about it, because the fact is is that if we're doing our job as missionaries, we're going to get them regardless.)

*FIRST time I have been accused of blasphemy and told I was going to hell. Yes, you heard me right. :) A woman called in after seeing an anitmormon program on the TV in response to Mitt Romney running for president and she had questions about what they had talked about. She said that what I was saying was blasphemy and proceeded to teach how Jesus Christ was the only way that we could be redeemed and that it was only through His sacrifice that we can be born again. I cheerfully told her that that was exactly what I and the church believed and taught....she didn't like that. She no, you don't and I kindly said, "*Name* are you telling me or asking me what I believe?" She started to laugh at me saying that she was 70 years old yada yada (I won't bother.) and then said that the Mormon church can't save people, the Catholic church can't save people...yada yada and then said "I hope I see you in heaven someday because I know I'm going there. Your name is Eden? I'll pray for you." CLICK. It's crazy to have those calls. You know what they're saying isn't true, but it does rattle you a bit to have someone screaming those things at you. And really, the joke's on her because she's praying for me, a missionary in the Lord's service, and she's praying for the me and thus the work to go forward! :) I got some good laughs over that.

From what the other sisters have been telling me, I have been getting an unusal amount of calls of that nature, meaning more than everyone else. I'm glad that the Lord trusts me with them and knows I can handle it and that I have family and friends that send support and love to let me know that there is still good in the world and that not everyone out there hates me. :D So thank you. When I prayed after that experience to help me, I was told that I would be blessed for taking that call and handling it as I did which brings us to the next one...

*FIRST time having a troller from a different country. (Sweden/Israel) Won't bother with details.

*FIRST time we have had so many referrals! We had 5 people call in and 4 of them referred to local missionaries and agreed to let us teach them! And we found one woman named Sibyl that we gave a tour and she agreed to meet with missionaries. That is the first time that's happened for me!

*FIRST time having an ASL tour. Please please please pray for me. I want to pass off in ASL and feel like the Lord wants me to, but to put it bluntly, the sister that is in charge of that thinks me unqualified because I learned signs from a different region and so our signs are a little different. I have had many conversation with deaf people and some have been here on the square and I even interpreted for someone that came because no one was available. This past week I was given a tour to see if I would be comfortable (which I am) and I'll be giving her a tour later this week to "test me." I' need your prayers because it's hard enough to take a test, much less when your "passoffer" doesn't like you and already thinks you won't succeed. I have faith that whatever the Lord wants to have happen will, it'll al work out.

*I had a woman come to the Square come today and said that she has never met a mormon! So I was her very first one!!

*First encounter with schizoprenia. Yep, the Madeline is the same person, she actually called in to us again under a different name. We're working on resolving a way to catch her officially, we just have videos of her voice that we showed other sisters and asked if it was her and when she called in again we recorded her.

*FIRSTtime teaching a minor! Josh's family agreed to let us teach him! He is an MTC contact I had in November on chat, and wanted to "be mormon" it was very cute, he asked if all he had to do was pay a fee or sign something. It's going well, please pray that his foot will get better (it broke four wheeling) and that he will understand and accept what we teach him and that he will agree to make an appointment with missionaries soon. (They already called and they want to meet but both parents work and he's only child and father is going out of town so they won't have time to meet for two weeks. He's 13!! And guess what!? We realized that he is a runner too! XC and track! whoot whoot!

*FIRSTtime chatting with a pregnant woman. A young lady who is 17 chatted asking if she would go to hell if she aborted her baby. She's into drugs, homeless, and now alone in the world and wondered how to get back on track. We had a great conversation, and it tugged at my hearstrings because she is about Karis' age. It hurt me to think of her being in her situation. But we showed her missionary info, bishop info, adoption info (which she hadn't even though of yet. Inspired!) and we were able to share things and scriptures that really made a difference. She said that she was just expecting yes/no not the help we offered and said, "Know that you really helped someone today." Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching me the way you have so that I haven't had heartache that many have had.

Thank you so much for the pictures. I have been shoving them under eveyone's noses squealing "look at my grandbaby!" It's a joke now because the sisters have all heard about him and have been asking for pictures. They were very excited to see them and "aww"ed at all the appropriate moments. :D

Please pray for Laura. She is having smoking issues, she's beena t it for 20 years, and wants to get baptized and sealed.

AND, I would really really appreciate it if you prayed for our goal. We have a goal of 3 baptisms this month and we have one (from Sis. Daniilakis' previous transfers, it counts) and we want to achieve two more. The president and AP's said two and we want to raise the bar for ourselves and are going for three. 1 Nephi 3:7 and 1 Nephi 17:3!!

Hillary, are you going to be at home for birthday? or provo?

I love you all so much. I am so grateful for this gospel. I know that it can change lives. I have seen it happen now and before my mission. And I know that missionary work will come if we pray for it, and that they bring untold blessings in our lives. When we think about it in the eternal perspective of making it known how happiness and being sealed forever as families is possible, that great prize makes stepping out of our comfort zone seem so inconsequential. Thank you for the referrals that were given to me, I will get on them right away and will pass them off or have my comp call you since I can't for rules.

Love Forever and Always,

Sister Eden Marie