weekly of letters

Someday my spring will come.

In the meantime I'll just keep wearing my stupid, puffy, marshmallow for a coat. And grumpily walking across the ice in hopes of not falling.

I've been wearing leggings for like...5 months straight now. It's like wearing pajama's under your skirt. I don't know what I'm going to do when summer comes. My legs haven't seen the light of day in FOREVER. I don't even want to know what they'll look like. 

I think a fight's about to go down in the library. I'll just keep casually typing my letter. 

Okay. So. Last week was an AWESOME week!

.....this week our investigators decided to hate on us.

Now the mission prepares you for the rest of your life. Based on this week, I don't really like what the mission is hinting to me about my future dating life ;)

Our awesome investigator guy dropped us :( like a hot potato.
Meaning he doesn't want to meet with us anymore.

The following quote is from our district leader, Elder R:

"Dropping an investigator, or an investigator dropping you, is like a break up. It's like, 'it's been great and all, but I don't really need you in my life. I'll say hi to you and talk to you when I pass you or see you, but don't call me. Don't come over. It's just better if we go our separate ways. And no, let's not just be friends.' Unless it's a bad drop, or a bad break up, then you just avoid them at all costs and you wave out of obligation when you pass each other, if you wave at all."

That being said, let's go to another investigator.
About a month ago, she was doing AWESOME. Reading, enthusiastic about learning about the church, recognizing the spirit, preparing for baptism, and she even came to a church activity!

And then she disappeared off the face of the earth and we haven't been able to get a hold of her.
Yesterday, we were in her area, so we decided to stop by. We heard the TV on in her apartment, so we knock.
No answer.

A second knock.
No answer.
Usually we'd leave her be, assuming she's asleep or something, but this time I was feeling rather persistant, wanting to know what her deal was, so I knocked.....rather loudly......a third time.

"WHO IS IT?" we hear.

"It's the missionaries."
She opens the door just a crack, and snaps, "I'M BUSY."

"Well can we come back---"

*Door slam followed by multiple lockings on the door.*

"....another....time?"

Sister H and I looked at each other and said, "I'll take that as a no."

Oh well! Every missionary needs a good story like this. 

So then, on Saturday, we called the elderly man we've been visiting to see if he was coming to church on Sunday. First, he said, "I've been throwing away my coffee and switching to herbal tea!"

"THAT'S AWESOME!"

"Yes! Do you know any other replacements I can do?"

"Hmmm.....apple cider?"

"........spiders?"

I had to choke back a laugh as I said, "NO. CIDER. APPLE CIDER!"

"Oooooooh!"

He told us he would be at church on Sunday, so we were slightly disappointed when he didn't come. After church, we called him.

"Isn't it a beautiful day!" he declared when we called.

"YES! BUT WE MISSED YOU AT CHURCH. WHERE WERE YOU?"

"I CAN'T TALK RIGHT NOW."

And he hung up. We both kind of stared at the phone.

"I think he was avoiding the question." I said.

Well.....guess we'll find out tomorrow when we meet with him!

So after all this,  I was feeling kind of bummed and thinking, "Man. I just want to visit someone who likes us!"
So we went to see one of our less actives. The dude's awesome. I just adore him. And his five dogs, two of which like to fight over sitting in our laps. Anyway, we had a REALLY great lesson with him on the restoration of the gospel, using the pamphlets we give to people. At the end, he asked if he could keep the pamplet so that he could review it. Then I said, "Hey.......I'm singing at church next Sunday!"

"You are?!"

"Yeah! Will you come?"

"....well, I WOULD like to hear you sing!"

"You can even be my backup singer if you like!"

"No, no. I'll just listen."

"So will you come to church this Sunday?"

".....Maybe. I would like to hear you sing."

"Good!"
I'll take it.

I also tried bribe a different woman who is dead set on never coming back to church with this same thing.

"I'm singing at church next Sunday."

"No, I'm not going to come."

"Are you sure? I'll even give you permission to make fun of me if I sound bad!"

"HAHAHAHA-no."

"I'll give you a shout out at the beginning."

"HAHAHAHAHA-no."

"You can be my backup singer."

"OH HEAVEN'S NO!"

It was so great :D She said that if I sing loud enough, she might be able to hear me from her house.

Speaking of singing, let's get to zone training meeting. So, first of all, I have this thing called, when I get really nervous, I drop stuff. I just get all butter-fingery. When I first got to zone training meeting, I wasn't nervous at all. I was super pumped!

For the meeting, we broke up into four groups and rotated to different trainings. During the last training, I looked at my watch.

"15 minutes until I face my doom......."
Then a few minutes later my scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and journal all slid off my lap and scattered everywhere on the floor.
I scooped them up and held them close as we finished our training.

I looked at my watch.

"5 minutes until I face my doom......."

Then we went back to our tables. I placed my books under my arm, picked up my chair and started walking back to my table.
And totally dropped the chair.
Great.

Let me tell you. Metal chair on a gymnasium floor? Makes for an incredibly loud noise.

So then I get up there to sing. Thankfully I made eye contact with my MTC companion and we winked back and forth to each other a good number of times before I started. So that calmed me down.
I felt better once I actually started to sing. And I got more excited! I made eye contact with the back wall, and even focused on smiling.
Then President and Sister Wirthlin walked in.....along with Elder C. (He was getting interviewed when my singing started.)

Awesome.

President Wirthlin quickly shuffled in and sat down behind me. Elder C did a weird penguin shuffle in and sat in the back.
Right where I was making eye contact.
Awesome.
Then Sister Wirthlin started to take a picture of me, and I saw Elder C giggling to himself. Which in turn made ME try not to laugh!

Anyway, I did my song, and felt pretty good about it! The meeting ended, and afterwards we lingered around for a while talking to various missionaries, and I took this opportunity to approach my BFF Elder C.

"Of COURSE you had to laugh and in turn make me laugh!" I told him.

"What? I wasn't laughing! All I did was a weird penguin shuffle to distract you."

"And then you started laughing when sister Wirthlin was taking a picture of me. And so I TOTALLY had to focus on not busting up myself!"

"Oh, that. I was laughing cause she couldn't get the lenses to work right."

Amazingly enough, after that we actually had a nice conversation. It was a miracle. I think we're starting to be friends.
From a very far distance.

Then one of the assistants to the president came up and told me I did a good job.

"Thanks! That was like.....the second time I ever sang in public!"

"Really? You sounded great!"

"Thanks!"

Then Elder L, my zone leader came up and told me I did a good job.

"You have to say that. You're my zone leader." I told him.

"No, trust me. I'm the kind of person where if you hadn't done a good job, I would have given you a compliment without actually giving you a compliment. Like 'nice song choice' or '....eh.....thanks for singing!' So, no. You did a good job!"

"Well thanks! And you did a good training!"

I felt good about it. Seriously, though. I'm no Celine Dion. But I'll take it!

I'll be singing this next Sunday in sacrament meeting! I'm still wondering how I ever agreed to this. But I'm excited!

ALSO! Two fast stories before I have to sign off:

1. Interviews wiith President Writhlin! He said, "Nice singing. I enjoyed it."

"Thanks. I can cross that off my bucket list."
He thought that was the funniest statement. And I sat there and thought, 'dude you don't even laugh at my funny jokes, but you laugh at my stupid jokes? I like you!'

2. He told me I could tell the Owego sisters about the letter I got last week. So when called them, Sister S picked up.

"Hi this is Sister S."

"Yez, hallo my name eez Rachelle and I am from Ruzzia, and I want to get baptized."

"OH! That's AMAZING! We can definitly make that happen! Let me just get your information! Um...........okay I have a pen. What was your name?"

"Sister Stimpson."

"........OH MY."
Then she got mad and handed it to her companion, Sister A.

"Sister A, is Sister S mad at me because I pretended to be a Russian who wanted to get baptized?"
I could hear Sister S say in the background, "YES."

"How was my Russian Accent?"

"AWFUL."

So great. She forgave me later and I updated them both on the letter :)


Well. Another week ahead of us! Happy Saint Patrick's Day! LOVE YOU ALL!

Hurrah for Israel!
Sista' Stimpson