Greetings!
MIRACLES:
1)
My music pimp (MP) called us Tuesday and asked to go with her to visit her
friend. We have visited her before and over the course of three visits she has
gone from being scared of missionaries to absolutely adoring us and wanting us
to come by all the time. We agreed, but when we arrived MP said we had to stop
somewhere else first. We stopped by a part-member couple in the neighborhood
and talked with them. MP went in and talked about colonoscopies for ten minutes
and I was really fretting. But then the nonmember wife said we could come back
again next week! Such is the work in a 55+ community I guess. We did have a
great lesson with her friend after that and one later that night with another
one of her friends. The lady is a little crazy, but she is a great missionary!
She set up three lessons for us that day and they were all member present
because she came along. Miracle!
2)
On the 31st we still needed to find 29 investigators as a mission to meet our
goal of 1,500 total new investigators for the month. I really felt like we
could find two that day to help finish out our goal. I knew either way we would
meet our goal because during the last week of the month we had all really
kicked it into gear. We found over 400 people in just three days. But I wanted
to help in the final sprint. By 8:10 that night we still hadn't found a single
one. I felt impressed earlier in the day to stop by an older couple's home that
we had contacted before. Their son is a member and they have a grandson on a
mission in Argentina. AND they are originally from Iowa, so we had already
bonded over that. The husband said he would never join, but I just felt that we
should stop by. I prayed in the car that we would be able to love them and show
them we care and then somehow share a message and set up a return appointment.
When we arrived the wife was complaining about a head ache and it didn't seem
like they would let us in. I told Sister Rasheed to pray in her heart that we
would get in. We did! I turned on the Amanda Poppe charm and spent 45 minutes
talking to them about their family. I then helped the wife with her Facebook
because she didn't know what she was doing. I was waiting to be directed by the
Spirit as to when and what to share when the wife asked if I would read her
grandson's most recent email. It was all about temples and the importance of
the family. I read it allowed and agreed with his statements. It was 9:15 and
we had to leave in about 8 minutes at the latest to make curfew. We were
wrapping up and I wasn't sure how to secure a return appointment to make these
two turn from potential to new investigators when the following popped into my
mind and out of my mouth, "Jim. I know you said we would never convert
you, but can we at least teach you what your grandson is teaching in Argentina?
We teach the same lessons, only in English. He mentioned the Family
Proclamation in the email we read together. Can we stop by on Thursday after
dinner to bring you a copy and talk with you about it?" He and his wife
agreed and liked that idea! We literally got two new investigators with only
five proselyting minutes to spare in January. MIRRRRRACCCCLLLLE #miracles4dayz
3)
Cho Chang came to church with her nephew and two sons! During Sunday school she
leaned over and asked me how to pay tithing. When I told her that only members
pay tithing she asked if it took a year to become a member. I told her she
could become a member in a few weeks if she really wanted to and that we would
talk about baptism this week! How exciting! She is so prepared! She signed up
to feed us during RS and is going with us on a RS hike this Saturday. Her kids
are enjoying primary and scouts and I think her nephew enjoyed Young Men's. We
told her about mutual and hope that he will start going to that. The coolest
thing about all of this is that when missionaries talked to her two years ago
she wasn't interested or ready. We saw her name in our area book and felt
strongly that we needed to visit and we did and now she is asking us about
baptism instead of the other way around. We will have to jump over the huge
live in boyfriend of ten years hurdle. Maybe I'll get to help plan a wedding!
That was my dream when I came out on a mission.
HAPPY
ONE YEAR MISSIONIVERSARY TO ME! Thanks for the box full of compliments and the
gift card, mom! It's like you know my language of love is words of affirmation
or something. We went to Smashburger with a member from my last area for lunch,
and for dinner I requested grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit salad with our
ward mission leader and his wife. They thought I was crazy, but it had been
over a year since I had had it! I said we could have steak next time. We also
had a music practice for a fireside I'm singing in this Sunday. Elder Sweeten
is in our quarter, so we spent time reminiscing about the MTC together and
congratulating each other on making it a year. I don't think I ever told you,
but we actually got dropped off at the exact same time at the MTC. We met each
other as we picked up our name tags and said at the same time, "Arizona
Mesa Mission" when we were asked which mission we were checking in with.
We looked at each other, smiled, and became besties instantaneously. We were
both not the happiest to be there that day and formed an instant bond in that
line. It probably helped that he would
whisper sing "Wrecking Ball" together at meals and in the gym. We
both wondered if we would be strong enough to be good missionaries. Now he is a
zone leader and I'm a sister district leader, we have both trained new
missionaries, and we are doing so well and love our missions! We did a
celebratory little dance, commended each other's fortitude, and made bets on
who would get married first. I do have a leg up with my six month earlier
release date.
As
we ended our month of finding I realized that I learned more from the month of
January than any other month of my mission. I wrote the following to my mission
president in his weekly email:
"This
will likely end up being quite a bit longer than my typical emails, but I
wanted to share with you the thoughts I had at the conclusion of our month of
intense finding.
I
have always believed there is something to learn in every situation if we open
ourselves up to the opportunity. As we discussed the underlying goals of
Miracle March in MLC and what that could do for each individual missionary I
knew that the first quarter of 2015 would be a growing season for me. One of my
strengths, that often turns into a flaw, is my tendency to try to anticipate
any and every possible outcome. This is great when I'm planning something
important or when I am in charge of an event. It is not as great though when I
try to anticipate what the Lord is going to teach me. I have a pretty low
success rate for trying to read His mind and I often waste too much time trying
to quickly learn the lesson I think He is going to teach me so I can move on to
the next stage of life. In January I believed full heartedly that my area would
find 20 investigators so that we would contribute in perfect proportion to the
mission’s goal to find 1,500
people. I never doubted that it would happen. I figured that there would be a
trial of my faith and that we wouldn't really start finding until at least the
middle of the month. I know that the Lord can do absolutely anything and so I
didn't doubt the possibility of finding all 20 people in the last week of the
month alone. It wasn't ideal; especially because my OCD would have preferred
that we found an even 5 people a week, but it was still very possible. Because
of that, I anticipated that the Lord was going to teach me that he can do
anything. I did my part by talking with more people than I have ever talked to
during my mission, by planning as well as I could by the Spirit, and finding
ways to sacrifice and consecrate my efforts. I continued throughout the month
to do all of these things even when there wasn't a correlation between my (and
when I say I and my throughout this letter, I mean we; Sister Rasheed was doing
all of these things as well) diligence and new investigators. I didn't let
myself get discouraged and I didn't take our lack of success as an excuse to
forsake the better habits we had picked up. With only a handful of days left in
the month I actually learned what the Lord wanted me to learn. I already have a
testimony of obedience and the Lord being all powerful. I didn't need to learn
that. It was foolish of me to think that He would have me learn something that
I already had strong beliefs about. What I have always struggled with is the
law of consecration and the idea of a Zion Society. You can chalk it up to my
typically conservative ideals, my hatred of socialism and the inherent similarities,
my belief that everyone should be able to solve their own problems, and my
tendency to think that asking for help is nearly a sin. As we got daily updates
about the miracles that were happening in the last week of the month I realized
that whether we found 20 people or not, as a mission we were going to hit our
goal. I always knew we would, but I
figured that every missionary would help meet that goal by the Lord
strengthening them to find 10 investigators per ward. It never crossed my mind
that we would meet that goal by others finding more, some finding less, and
some finding next to none. I pondered on
that and realized that it didn't bother me...and that was unusual. I did spend
a few days before this realization beating myself up for not "pulling my
own weight", but I finally reached a point where I learned something. We
had a collective goal as a mission and we all wanted to meet it. We worked,
sacrificed, obeyed, prayed, fasted, and generally lived our lives to a higher
standard than we had been living before. We purified ourselves and steeled
ourselves against the adversary. We employed our talents and abilities. We
repented and then we repented some more. Each day we evaluated and grew. We
truly fought like dragons. My fire breathing effort only yielded 11 new
investigators, but I exerted all the effort I could. There were others that worked harder than I
did and still some that worked less than me, but at the end of the day I
believe that we all worked as hard as we could and the Lord recognizes that and
accepts that. That is what the law of consecration is; working your hardest and
allowing your effort to be enough. 10 people don't necessarily each give 10%,
10 people give everything and they still reach 100%. I don't have ill feelings
toward others who may have put forth a tangibly smaller effort than I, because
I know that it was still all they could give, just as I hope those that did
more than I can recognize that though my 100% was less than theirs, it was
still 100% of my abilities. The goal was always 1,500 investigators AS A
MISSION.
The
goal was never 20 new investigators for Sisters Poppe and Rasheed, 20 for
Sisters Moreton and Casey, etc. It was
an ideal means to an end and a solid idea, but it was never the larger goal. I
learned that my best is enough. I learned that the Lord strengthens others to
make up for your weaknesses. I learned that perfect symmetry isn't the way the
Lord does things. I learned to not resent others because their talents are more
or less than mine. I learned that the Millennium won't be as Stalin-esque as I
originally believed. I learned that though I gave my all I still need to
progress, because 100% in January won't cut it in February because we can't
remain stagnant. I learned what the Lord wanted me to learn."
You
know you're rubbing off on your companion in a bad way when she says, "What
is this?!" in an annoyed tone when someone doesn't turn left right away on
a green arrow. Then later in the week when she says, "This is not
good!" when someone cuts you off at a stoplight you know that you're the
companion that gave the foreigner slight road rage. On a more positive language
note, I've started picking one or two things a week to consistently correct in
her vocabulary. It has helped me not be overwhelmed by all the things I think I
should teach her, and has also helped her make permanent changes in her
speaking. I correct her every single time she makes a mistake in regards to the
pre-selected phrases for the week. She had been saying, "so many
stuffs," "so much things," and "I think so no," a lot.
It is comical, but I decided that last week we would change those to, "so
many things," "so much stuff," and "I don't think so."
It worked and she says them correctly about 95% of the time now.
Funny
Sister R line of the week:
As
I was taking my blanket off, my skirt went up to my mid-thigh and Sister R
patted my leg and said, "oh! Good strong leg sister. Good, good leg."
She has never said anything about my legs ever and that was the second time
this week she did. If we are in our apartment there is a 90% chance I'm just
walking around in a shirt and my garments so it isn't like she doesn't see my
legs either. It was hilarious.
It
was a very productive week for us and I felt blessed to teach more than we ever
have as a companionship. We taught 13 member lessons, 10 nonmember lessons, and
2 less active lessons. I really hope to continue to teach in some way or
another for the rest of my life because it truly is a thrill for me.
Unfortunately that will probably just turn into me just forcing my kids to do
flash cards and stuff and they will hate me until they're 18 and smart and
accepted at Yale.
Make
good decisions and remember who you are.
Love,
Sister
Poppe
Me with my trusty screwdriver
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