Firstly our investigators are dropping like flies. We went from having 8....to having 1.....all in a week. We had THREE lessons this week. THREE. That was a new low. Like the lowest of the lows. It was sooo discouraging.
Tuesday we went to our new convert's. We had an excellent lesson with her and I totally thought she was up for coming to church this Sunday then she was like, "Actually....I think I want to try another religion."
If that wasn't a punch in the gut I don't know what is. She's still going to meet with us but man. I was, and still am, so discouraged, disappointed and embarrassed. We go home, and I was like, "Well, at least we have a lesson with our investigator. Her lessons are always awesome."
Guess who wasn't home!
First time this has ever happened.
So I went home and cried. I had been SO proud of myself before - I haven't cried very much since my mission, but after this I was like, "Nope. Not holding this in." And BOOM. I cried. But Sister R and I discovered a great thing. Bubble Baths. I took a bubble bath, and felt SO good after. Who can't be happy when they're swimming around with a bunch of bubbles?
The next morning I was feeling a little better, but still not good. But has been amazing to see the little miracles the Lord provides to us.
Sister R and I had a long list of former investigators and less actives that we wanted to visit in the morning. So we gather our things, and head on out, and I look in our mailbox and it's PACKED! This last week they were holding all the mail because of transfers, so we got all our mail at once! And I was like WOOOAH.
Mail truly is a blessing to missionaries. Like for real.
The first person on our list was a less active. When we first saw her address, we were like, "That's weird. She lives right by us, why haven't we visited her before?"
We go and knock on the door, and a pug, a yorkie, a german shepard, a rotweiller, a pitbull ALL jump on the door and bark, and bark, and bark. And I was like, "Well great. I'm going to get eaten alive." Then a woman answers and says, "HELLO! I'm Sister____. Come back in an hour and you can tell me when church is and stuff."
.......Wait did she just say that?
So we happily skip down the steps, and go and visit our list of former investigators. Four didn't answer, but one told us we can come back! Yay! So that was exciting.
We go back to Sister ______ and she lets us in. She had shoved the dogs in the back room, although you could still hear them back. We got talking to her and she tells us, "I moved in about a year ago, then got really, really sick. I haven't met any ward members and I don't know if they stopped by, because if they did I wasn't healthy enough to get to the door. And my dogs scare away most people."
That's VERY true.
"I just recovered last week, and would like to start coming back! I can't come for the next couple of weeks because of my health, but if I could get a ride I'll come."
We were SOOOO happy! We're hoping to see her this week or next and see if she's up to coming to church.
That held our spirits the rest of the day when we had no work to do. It was really hard! Going from a good amount of former investigators to try and a good teaching pool to virtually nothing was SOOOO hard! I was having trouble being happy about staying in Owego, and I was having trouble just keeping a positive attitude in general.
So Saturday we decided to go to another area and try out some people there. WE had a HUGE list a former investigators....and only one of them answered. But he set up a time for us to come back! Yay! Then we went to go visit a less active on our list. We're driving......turn a corner.....and see a Welcome to Pennsylvania sign. Our reaction was, "AAAAAAAAH." and pulled off to the side of the road. We sat there and just busted up for a few good minutes, then drove back after realizing that woman's house is now an empty lot! So funny.
We also went tracting Saturday! I placed my first Book of Mormon while tracting! I felt cool. We've placed Book of Mormons, but only one other while tracting. So it'll be interested to see if this girl will be interested in the future.
Oh and I held a caterpillar.
This week really was very, very hard. But it was SO good to see all the blessings that come from missionary work. We were scraping for work to do, but the work we did brought miracles. We also got a blessing from the Elders and it was so comforting. I love this gospel!
If only other people did, too. It's like c'mon guys....we're only talkin' about your salvation and stuff....
hehehe.
I love you all soooo much! Keep sending mail, doing your thing, and Hurrah for Israel!
Sista' Stimpsonian.
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