5 months since I landed in NY!

Good news everyone!

I am slowly learning to feel better about the new Elder!

But I refuse to waste my weekly email on this subject. So we'll talk about the successes. 

So, you're probably wondering why I'm emailing late in the afternoon. So let me tell you. It's because we were teaching the BEST. LESSON. EVER this morning!

So here's the scoop: We were planning for our day on Thursday, and we had kind of a sketchy plan. And I KNEW we were gonna have to go tracting. I didn't want to go tracting. I mean, no missionary LIKES tracting, but I KNEW we were going to have to do that Thursday. 

So the next day Sister R and I prayed to know where we should go tracting, and we both felt downtown Owego.

Lemme tell ya. Tracting downtown Owego is so awkward. Everyone has already seen us, and everyone already knows who we are. Most the time when we go tracting they say, "Hey we've seen you around town!"

Of course you have. Cause how many people walk around Owego dressed up all nice? 

Oh, about two people.

A lot of people are also either on drugs or have other issues, so we run into a sketchy crowd sometimes. But both of us felt SO strongly we had to tract a certain area of downtown Owego. So I was thinking, "Great. Here comes a big ball of awkwardness." 

We picked out two streets off of the main road here in Owego, and start tracting them. I was seriously ready for them to open the doors and I'd declare, "YES. IT'S US. IT'S THE MORMONS. I KNOW YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD AVOID US FOREVER, BUT YOU CAN'T."

And you know what happened? 

Nobody. Answered. 

Actually that's a lie. Two people answered. One lady was super old, and she lived right by the train tracks, and the train came by RIGHT in the middle of my spiel, and it was too loud to hear me. So the three of us just stood there reeeeeally awkwardly until it passed. Then she wasn't interested. The other guy wasn't interested either. OH NO WAIT THREE PEOPLE ANSWERED! The other lady was nice. But wasn't interested.

So we finish tracting those streets and I was kind of sad. Sister R and I felt we needed to tract this area. We start walking back to our car, when Sister R says, "Hey, let's hit that house on the street that connects the two roads." 

Okay. So we walk up, and there's a huge dog gate blocking the door. We just stared at it, then I said, "Um....let's just go to the next house." 

So we knock, and a mom and her five-year-old little girl come out. We introduce ourselves and she says, "Oh yeah, I know who you are!" 

Of course you do. 

"Have you seen us around town?" I asked. 

"Yeah, one time you girls were at the library and I pointed out to you where the restroom was!"

I know exactly what day that was. It was the day we got locked out of our apartment and I REALLY had to go to the bathroom, so we went to the library. 

But I didn't tell her that.

Maybe one day. 

SO ANYWAY. Sister R starts her spiel, and she interrupts us and says, "I know who you are! My sister's LDS." 

".....Really?" 

"Yeah! I investigated with her when she joined, but....I never joined. I don't know, why, really. There wasn't a specific reason. Maybe I just wasn't ready." 

Then the little girl turns to her mom and says, "Mommy I don't like this idea." 

And I was like, GREAT. THE LITTLE CHILD HATES US. 

But anyway, we continued talking to her. She was a little hesitant to let us in, then she said, "I prayed a few weeks ago and I REALLY felt like I had to start going back to church. I've been going to the Methodist church, though..."

I said something along the lines of that our message adds to the truths she already knows. We asked if we could come in and share our message with her. 

The little girl looked at her mom and said, "I think they're okay." 

So we go in, and the mom starts organizing things. We start talking to the little girl about how old she is, and how she likes school and stuff. After she told us what her favorite color was, she said to her mom, "Mommy! They LOVE me!" 

Her mom: "They're missionaries, honey. They love everyone!"

Yes. That's true. 

We had a really good first lesson with her, and she said we could come back. This morning, we went and had another lesson with her and it went REALLY well. She brought up some concerns from when she was investigating the church before, and we were able to address them. At the end, we asked if she wanted to be baptized. She said, ".......I want to be able to say yes, but I really don't know. I want to know that these things are true." 

I'll take it! 

She said she'd read and pray about the Book of Mormon to know if it was true, and she said she really felt like she needed to do that. We're going back on Tuesday!

As we were walking out the door, she said, "How did you girls even decide to knock on my door, anyway?" 

We told her about tracting the other roads next to her, and she said, "Like, nobody even LIVES on those roads! That's too funny! Well...I don't think it was a coincidence you found me."

But wait! the week gets better!

Sunday came, and I was talking to a guy in our ward. As he was talking to me, I see this little figure at the door of the chapel. I look at it and thought, "Hmm....looks like our first convert lady." 

Then I keep talking to the guy. Then the little figure walked inside the chapel. And I hear Sister R call her by name.

So I whip around, and it WAS her!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNOW RIGHT?! BEST. SURPRISE. EVER!

The poor guy I was talking to was cut off as I ran and hugged her. We go into the chapel and sit down with her, and who walks in but our second convert lady! So she sits behind us and we introduce her to the first one and she says, "I know you! You came to my baptism!"

Second convert: "Yes I did! I got baptized a few weeks ago!" 

First convert: "Oh how fun!!" 

First convert lady told us after church that she really wants to be able to go regularly again. She hates when she gets in ruts and can't come to church. 

BEST. DAY. EVER. 

We also had a phenomenal lesson with our current investigator. She is making a lot of big life decisions right now, and told us that, if things go according to plan, she could see herself committing herself fully to church again. 

UM. WHAT? 

But we're talking with her about her biggest concern. 

So pray that goes well. 

I love being a missionary. 

Anyway, I love you all soooo much!

Almost as much as I love New York. 

Whoop whoop.

Hurrah for Israel! 

Sista' Stimpson.