Taking on Tacoma: Happy Independence Day!

Hello everyone!

I have a lot to say, as always, so just bear with me I suppose. :)

Maybe I'll just tell you the highlights of the week.

We knocked a lot of doors. That's pretty much all we're doing these days. But we do have some promising investigators! :)

Debra B. came to church this week. She was a media referral and we met with her last week for the first time. She's really looking for something, and she feels ready for a new start. She's really great and really excited to learn and read the Book of Mormon.

Maddy is also searching for truth. She's always been very Christian, but she went away from religion for a while, and had a hard time coming back until her 2 yr old son was born. The reason she let us in was because a few weeks ago she was looking into our faith on Wikipedia. She did that because she met lots of return missionaries in the military and one of her close friends (who was an RM) just recently died in a car accident, so she wanted to learn more about his faith. We are somehow the only missionaries that have ever knocked on her door so she let us in and she also is excited to learn more.

Maddy felt like a miracle because for the whole 2 hours of knocking we met only disinterested people. It was door after door shut quickly. It was a very long night and it was a bit discouraging. But then we met Maddy and she invited us in! People never invite us in! Then she said that we could come back! And then when we came back we set up another time to meet with her! So, we'll see her again today. Exciting stuff.

Those are our two most promising investigators right now.

Now, for out of the ordinary things that happened this week:

We had Missionary Leadership Council on Friday and that was really good! We spent the time talking about what we feel the missionaries need and what can help them to improve. We had a training on how important baptism is. And that was very uplifting. It was a good reminder that I am here to invite people to come unto Christ by helping them make and keep sacred covenants with God. And that commitment is baptism. We do that by strengthening their faith, and inviting them to repent, to change to align their lives with the Savior's life.

We also focused on what makes a missionary successful. And how it's not about how many baptisms you get or how many people you talk to. It's all about your commitment to serve the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. If I love God, and if I love the people I'm serving, if I work hard, and if I am obedient, and if I am learning and growing too, then I am a successful missionary.

We also had a fun time learning from the Stake President in Tacoma how to exercise and stretch so that we can stay healthy and have the energy we need to work hard. If you look at the blog there are some funny pictures of us doing those stretches.

After MLC, we had an exchange with Sister Redenbaugh and Sister Philippi! :) It was way fun to be with Sister Philippi again! I've missed her!

On Sunday we went to a baptism that the Elders had for a girl named Alicia. That was fun. I'm always so impressed when teenagers join the church. It's a big commitment, and I'm amazed at the faith and strength they show as they do that.

Monday was the Fourth of July and it was probably the best one I've ever had! We were studying in the morning when we heard President Garlock (the Stake President that we live with) say outside our door (the basketball court is outside our door) "Hello Elders!" Then the Elders started playing basketball. Then President Garlock turned on some very loud music (not missionary approved, but it was still good quality music) It was about 8:30 am and I was trying to write about a scripture that has changed my life, but then the music got louder and we decided that studying just wasn't going to happen that morning. So we went outside and watched a 3 vs 3 tournament that P. Garlock hosts every 4th of July. It was a lot of fun. Some of the Elders had their own teams, and there was food, and it was a fun time. There were a lot of other people from the area that were basketball players. So, we enjoyed that for a bit. Then we had a picnic with a 3rd of the mission. And that was a blast! We ate food, played sports, and then had a giant water fight! Because Sister Glauser and I finished a Book of Mormon Challenge that Sister Blatter encouraged us to do, we got to use a water cannon. There were hundreds of water balloons, about 10 trashcans filled with water for the water cannons, and then lots of missionaries. It was so fun. Then we played signs, and then we made pyramids, and then we took a picture as a group. It was so fun. Then since it was the 4th of July, we had the first and probably only FULL p-day I've ever had! Normally we get back to work at night, but this week we had to be in. No proselyting allowed, so we hung out in our apartment and listened to the fireworks. When it got dark we went onto our porch and watched the fireworks.

It is SO cool to watch the fireworks here in Soundview because we live on the Sound. So we could see them across the water, and then also ALL around us. There were hundreds of fireworks, everywhere! And it was so cool especially because it echoed, so it sounded like Tacoma was having a war or something. And it made me feel as though I was a witness to the Revolutionary war however long ago that was. And it made me very grateful for the freedom that we have here in America. I'm so grateful for the freedom I have to believe in God and Jesus Christ, and not only that, but also for the freedom I have to SHARE that belief with others. It's something that wouldn't be possible without the freedom that we have. And that makes me grateful for the love that God has for us, and the protection that He's given us.

It's just great to be an American and it's even greater to be a child of God. :)

I love you all! Have the best week ever!

Love,

Sister Warburton