Iiiiiiiiiiii don't really feel like taking a long time to write this... but I'll probably end up telling ya'll every single detail of my week. So, I suppose we'll see how this turns out. :)
Monday was our zone activity. The Zone leaders wanted to play sports, but I've been fighting that since I got into the mission, and I've played a lot more sports than I've ever wanted to, so I suggested a bunch of ideas and one of them was a scavenger hunt through downtown Elma... and they actually liked that idea! (For once.) and so we put together a scavenger hunt. And it was hilarious... I don't know how much like disciples of Jesus Christ we looked like running through town like hooligans, but it sure was fun. We made them kiss a fire hydrant, do yoga, do a handstand in front of Les Schwab, shake hands with a stranger wearing a hat, give a flower to an old lady, etc. It was hilarious. And they had to remember that they were missionaries. So, we weren't pulled over by the cops or anything.
We had a lesson with Vern that night and he finally talked to us again! He was just as stubborn and ornery as he always is but he let us talk about his concerns with him and his daughter and her step sister were there to back us up. We have to continually remind him that we aren't here because we think it's fun to try to get him to stop drinking coffee (because it's not.) but we're here because we care about him and because God cares about him. He forgets that, but when we remind him it has a pretty strong effect on him. If only more people knew how much God loves them.
On Tuesday we got a referral from a guy in the Aberdeen ward. His best friend,Greg, in high school just broke up with his girlfriend of 3 years and was pretty heartbroken. Greg didn't know what else to do so he reached out to his friend and asked him a lot of questions about God. Chris, the member, called us and asked us to go talk to him and teach him the gospel, because he felt that right now he'd be really receptive. Turns out, he literally lived in the apartment across from ours, but no one was home so we left him a note. Then later that day we came back to grab something from the apartment and we saw him so we asked him if he needed help with anything, and offered him a cupcake. (Because we're wimps and knew it was him but didn't know how to bring about the gospel...) We were hoping he would need help but he said no, so we started to leave feeling pretty dejected. But then he came up to us and asked if we were "from the missionaries" And so we turned around and lit up and told him "yes!" And then he asked if he could meet with us tomorrow. So, fast forward to Wednesday, we met with him at the church and taught him the Plan of Salvation and he was so receptive! We were able to teach him how to pray and he was going to pray for the first time ever! We bore our testimonies of the Savior and the hope that He brings us, and we talked about the joy that comes from the gospel. We gave him a Book of Mormon and committed him to read it and pray about it and come to church. It was such a good lesson!
But then.... duh duh duh.... we ruined it. D''':
Since him and his girlfriend broke up he had to move out of the apartment literally right across from us into his parents house in Wishkah..... which is in the zone leaders area... so we knew that Christlike missionaries wouldn't selfishly teach someone who isn't even living in their area... when the Aberdeen church is closer and Elders would probably be better for him since he's a single male and only about 26.... so we tried to hand him over to them... and we hurt his feelings and he thought we were trying to get rid of him... and now he won't respond to us. It's been a few days and we haven't heard anything so we're pretty heartbroken.
I've been praying for him for days, hoping he'll come back so we can teach him. If you'd like to pray for Greg too, please do. He needs the gospel in his life.
On Thursday we walked 4 miles during knocking. And no one was interested. And it started raining.
On Friday, we had the craziest exchange ever! We tried to convince the sisters to go on exchanges with us on a different day... because we knew Friday was going to be insane and time just wasn't our friend on that day.... but it was the only day that worked... so we just hoped and prayed for the best.
We started off by going to a funeral. Not a typical missionary thing, but we were asked to say the opening and closing prayers so we went.
Then we went our separate ways. Sister Lee and Sister Rosenvall went to do yard work in Elma, while Sister Carlson and I went to teach Lorraine's last lesson. Lorraine is so awesome! She's in a lot of pain with her back, but she keeps pushing forward because she wants to be baptized more than anything. After Lorraine, Sister Carlson and I went the home of a non member and cleaned blinds for her.
I'm a pro at cleaning blinds now. I should go into it professionally.
Here's the crazy stuff. As sister training leaders, when we go on exchanges (and when we aren't on exchanges) we are supposed to be a great example of perfect and exact obedience. Sometimes that just goes out the window when you live in a giant area.
We had dinner 8 miles up the Wynoochee. This family signed up to feed us, but because they went to the funeral also, they were late getting home and then had to make dinner... so dinner didn't start until 4:30. (In this mission we eat dinner at 4 and then we are supposed to be knocking doors by 5. It's one of our commandments... if we are late to knocking then we aren't being exactly obedient.) and, you can see how starting dinner at 4:30 would make that difficult. Especially with 4 sisters over for dinner. But, not only that, we had a lesson with Michelle and Cale at 7. Which wouldn't be a problem, except they live at the very top of the 1st ward boundaries, and the dinner was at the very bottom of the 2nd ward boundaries. We were literally as far away as we possibly could be. So, we finished dinner close to 5:20... which is bad enough, and then drove an hour and 20 minutes to get to the neighborhood that Cale and Michelle live in. Sigh. We're normally pretty obedient, but when we aren't, it's definitely on exchanges when we are supposed to set a perfect example.
Luckily, it was a fantastic lesson and the spirit was super duper strong and I really feel like Michelle and Cale will get married and then Michelle, and the 2 kids, Baylor and Josie will be baptized within the next month or two. :) And it all worked out.
We decorated Easter eggs at night.
Saturday was great! Lorraine got baptized! Everything went smoothly except for the fact that the font doors were locked. It was filled up and everything but it took a little while for someone to find a key to unlock it. We sang How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace for the baptism, which were her mom's two favorite songs. And then her best friend, Doris, an 82 year old with bright purple hair, came all the way from Puyallup and was able to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. Doris is the reason she's here so it turned out really good.
For some reason this stake doesn't broadcast the General Women's Session of Conference, so we got to the church and found the chapel dark and empty.... so we unlocked the family history center and watched Women's Conference all by our lonesome. It was pretty good though. I like that the theme this year was to love one another. That's a topic we could all work on.
Sunday was Easter! Lorraine was confirmed and almost all of our investigators came to church! Vern came back, Chris came and bore his testimony, Michelle, Cale, Baylor, and Josie came too!
There was a baby blessing. And it was kind of funny to me that the week of Easter we were able to go to a funeral, a baptism, and a baby blessing. It just makes me think of the perfect plan that God has for us, and how grateful I am for the Savior and His sacrifice that puts this plan in motion. I got to teach 2 pretty powerful lessons on the Plan of Salvation this week and it just makes me so eternally grateful for my Heavenly Father and His perfect love for me.
And to top it off, the sun came out on the way to the church this morning. So, life is good. :)
I love you all and I hope you remember the Savior in your daily lives this week!
Love, Sister Warburton
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| Scavenger hunt. |
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| Some Lumpia I made myself! |
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| We knocked Middle Earth. |
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| Lorraine's baptism. |
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| We visited Harmony and made all of her dolls modest. We felt it was important that she understood that "Modest is Hottest." I don't think she'll ever forget. |
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| Taking selfies next to a really pretty "Crick". |
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| If you've never seen The District One, you should, because I dressed up like Sister Myers and got some pictures of me studiously going through the area book like her. |
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| Sister Rosenvall also tried the 2004 middle part look. |
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| Some candy that Jared sent me! :) |
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| Our eggs. |
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| Exchange pictures. |
