Yeah so um, there are so many awkward moments as a missionary. Like so many moments that are just a big, dripping ball of awkward. And this week was full of them.
We'll start with one of my favorite conversations this week.
So we're walking down the street and see this older gentleman.
Us: "Good morning!"
Him: "Good morning! How are you ladies?"
Me: "Really well! How are you?"
Him: "Great! I see your badges...what are those for?"
My thoughts: Oh my gosh. This is it. This is the big Ensign moment EVERY missionary has, when they find their GOLDEN investigator who just approached them on the street and was looking for them!
Me: "I'm a Mormon Missionary!"
Him: "Hmph. I'm Knights of Columbus."
And he marched away.
Me: ".....I STILL WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND!"
He didn't turn around.
Sister S: "Ah. Every day my heart gets broken....Hey look a cute dog! My heart's not broken anymore."
Speaking of Sister S, we're getting along well! She's from Utah and went to hair school before her mission. She also wants to be a flight attendant! She's been out for a transfer longer than I have. And we're so different. She's also part Mexican and is like the darkest person in Owego. Okay that's a lie -- there's like three other black people.
Awkward Moment #2 was Tuesday. First, we went to go pick up our laundry from a member who does it (she's so sweet!) because she didn't get it done Monday. Well I thought, "Ah, she only lives a half mile away. We can walk there!"
It didn't occur to me that we'd then be walking down Main Street carrying a big bag of laundry.
That was uncomfortable.
Then it was district meeting. Sister S and I were in the parking lot, finishing our McDonald's ice cream, when this big, red van pulls up in the parking spot in front of us and who walks out? President Wirthlin.
Our reaction:
"AH."
So we shovel the rest of our ice cream down and walk all calmly out of there and say hi to President and shake his hand.
We then walk into the church, talking about how weird that was that President showed up to our district meeting, and we open the door to our meeting RIGHT in time to interrupt someone getting a priesthood blessing. We shuffled out of there, looked at each other, then said, "Maybe we should just hide in the bathroom."
So we go in the bathroom, and come back for district meeting.
Now, normally when you put at least two sets of missionaries together, let alone 4 sets of missionaries together, for district meeting, everyone's BIZARRE side comes out and all chaos happens.
Then you put President in the room and it's just full of tension.
Everyone was sitting reverently reading their scriptures, and the new elder (it was his first time teaching district meeting) stood tensely at the front of the room, looking at his watch.
Meanwhile Sister S and I opened our scriptures and kept giggling to each other about the whole situation.
Then I had to lead the music, and I got SUPER off while leading, then Sister S started laughing, which made President Wirthlin start laughing, which got me laughing.
It was just bad.
Then the meeting was SO tense and I'll just put it this way: New Elder got quite a taste of humble pie, and he is DEFINITELY learning how to teach.
But that's all I'm gonna say.
Awkward Moment #3:
A member had us over for dinner. He answers the door and says, "Hey! My wife had to go, so I invited two of my friends to introduce you ladies to!"
We sit down, and I look at his friends.......and one of them was a teenager we tracted into. And she very firmly rejected us. And it was kind of an awkward door approach.
Great.
So I start thinking, "Please....that was like, two months ago....there's no way she remembers me."
Then rational Sister Stimpson thought: "You're a missionary who knocks on peoples doors, who offers to teach them about Christ, who has FLAMING RED HAIR, and people who never even have spoken to you know who you are. She definitely remembers you."
So then we kept making eye contact, then looking quickly away. Then making eye contact again, then looking quickly away. Finally I just said, "....Did I knock on your door a couple months back?"
"Yeah you did."
"I KNEW IT! Nice to see you again!"
"Yeah.....you too."
Oh geez.
Just embrace the awkward. This is what my whole awkward life has been preparing me for. My mission.
Awkward Moment #4:
We go and visit the lady with the donkeys. She feeds us cookies with gluten in them. Sister S hadn't had cookies in ages, so she ate four cookies.
Then we go tracting.
We get to like, house number 7. I knock on the door. We stand there a minute....
Then Sister S leans over and throws up in the bushes.
We look at each other....then ran away.
So that's been my awkward week. Unfortunately, three of our investigators have disappeared off the face of the earth, and we're gonna have to push back one of their baptism dates cause he's stopped coming to church :/ but it'll work out.
However, two other investigators are doing great! The one guy showed me a picture of his granddaughter and I look FREAKISHLY like her. It's creepy. He says he wants to bring her to our next appointment so that we can meet. He and our other investigator have both committed to baptism!....just neither one of them want to come to church.
Geez, guys.
It's been incredible to see the difference that this gospel has made in my life, and in the lives of our investigators. I saw this guy go from hopeless and lost and depressed about his daughter's death, to filled with a small, but growing, sense of hope.
I saw the lady go from being completely God-less, confused and angry, to humbled, soft hearted, sober and hopeful.
This really is what our Gospel is filled with: hope.
AND OUR OTHER LADY IS AMAZING! Today she said she's been praying every day and night, has seen Heavenly Father's hand in her life, and that she's been so much more open to the spirit! She went from saying, "IF I ever come back to church" to "WHEN I come back to church." It's incredible!
I love this gospel.
Well, hope all is well with you! I've been a wee bit homesick with all this Christmas stuff coming up. Wish I was at home to go to the DI with you guys and buy weird christmas presents for our extended family.
Next year, man.
Next year.
Love you all, goodbye!
Hurrah for Israel!
Sista' Stimpson.
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