Mission Christmas Party!
Sister
Childs (the one who got her ears pierced last week) is an amazing missionary.
She is just so lovable and good at being bold and talking to everyone. She gave the girl who pierced her ears a pass
along card and it inspired me. So when I
bought my new coat last Monday, I gave two employees a pass along card as well
and invited them to have Christ in their Christmas this year. They were actually very nice and thought it
was sweet of me.
We
have a new investigator in one of our wards that I will call Willy Wonka. Mainly because he is kind of crazy and
mysterious and blunt. Not
because he gave me candy, because he didn't. He is an ex-communicated J-Dub, so
a lot of his issues are ones that Hobbit Hole Grandpa had. Those J-Dubs sure know how to brain wash
people! He honestly isn't very open, but wants to know more because he likes
the way Mormon people act. I think over a long period of time he may have
potential, but I will probably just be here long enough to start to chip away
at the bedrock before someone else can get to the fountain of water beneath.
We
had a sister training leader meeting this week (even though I'm a sister
district leader, I go to those meetings, because my responsibilities are the
same as a sister training leader, plus more on top of that). It was a good
meeting. We brainstormed and talked
about ways to help our sisters. After our meeting while we were mingling Sister
Jenkins gave us dating advice and it was so funny. Somehow
we convinced her to bring her wedding pictures out and they were hilarious! THE
80'S. I'm telling you.
I
met an excommunicated member of the church at Christmas lights who was feeling
pretty down on herself. I shared Helaman 5:12 with her and she teared up and
said that she prayed in her car before she came to the lights and asked that
she would have enough strength to keep trying to get her life in order. She said that my scripture helped her focus
on what she needs to do; rely on Christ. She hugged me and thanked me. It helped me feel like I was actually helping
people and not just wandering around doing nothing.
MIRACLE
ALERT!
Let's set the scene: 12/13/14. 8:48 pm. Sisters Poppe and Rasheed were contacting referrals and had had no luck. They were exhausted and wanted to sleep after roaming for 3 hours at the temple and walking about a bajillion miles. They decided to try one last referral that hadn't been home on a previous attempt. She was home and let them in and is super interested and even said she normally doesn't answer the door at night because she lives alone. We are going back tonight! The church is true! She will be heretofore called Jamie Lee Curtis, because she has short hair and is sassy. JLC is so prepared it is crazy!
We
did service for a sassy lady in one of the retirement communities in our ward
and it was hilarious. I seriously wish I could have video recorded the entire
thing. She gave us a 20 minute introduction of herself that included her stance
on welfare, parents these days, and people with weak testimonies. She then
said, "so that is me. I have a good feeling about you girls. You have a
good spirit about you. I think we will get along just great and this will be
the start of many wonderful visits during and after your mission. I hope you
will accept who I am and that we will be friends. God bless these sweet
missionary sisters!" Here are a few of the highlights that I remember from
our visit (keep in mind she still has trace amounts of a Jersey/Brooklyn hybrid
accent from when she lived back east): Her
daughter joined the church in 1991 and then after college in 1995 she went on a
mission. The lady joined right before her daughter left. The
daughter's original mission call was to El Salvador and the lady wasn't having
it, so she petitioned the first presidency and got it changed. I didn't believe
her because that never happens, but then she showed us the framed mission
change letter her daughter received that reassigned her to California. I was
floored! She said though, "I didn't raise my daughter to be killed in the
jungles of El San Salvador!"
"I
still love Tom Selleck's shorts in Magnum P.I. He is the only man who has
business wearing shorts on television."
"The
lady is a gossip and she has a dog face" (about her Jewish neighbor).
"You
are a princess and don't let any man treat you otherwise."
"I
curse in da morning and pray in da evening."
"I'm
73 years old and I'm a racist."
While
we were contacting potential investigators in an apartment complex, this man
greeted us from his balcony. I started talking to him about his faith from 15
feet below in the dark and eventually he came down to talk to me. He was not a
fan of me. He was trying to trip me up by asking me historical questions about
Jesus and the Bible but I answered all of his questions correctly. He asked how
I know so much and I said I went to college and that I know many sides of
Christianity's story, I just know which ones are actually true as well. He got
all up in my business about how I shouldn't be out spreading lies about Jesus
because I'm clearly educated and I know better. At one point in time he flat
out told me that the Almighty isn't pleased with how I am wasting my time and
lying about his son. At
this point I was livid so I said it was time for us to go because things were
going to become contentious. I said, "I respect your beliefs sir, but we
are going to just have to agree to disagree, because I have been called by a
prophet of God to share what I know, and I know my message is true (quoting
Preach My Gospel for the win)." #elderhollandstatus
To which he said, "I refuse to consent to that; I will not let you believe
you are right." I bore a brief testimony then and we left. #troll Someday
his knee will bow and his tongue will confess and I will not live with the
guilt of knowing that I backed down.
The
toilet paper in our church building is not your typical church stock. I don't
know if this stake pays 11% tithing or if a t.p. enthusiast
donates the bathroom tissue or if these wards won a contest put on by the first
presidency in which they won multi-ply toilet paper for a year or if something
else is going down here. I'm telling you though, it's magnificent.
#blessingsonhigh
I
was a little worried about how being companions with Sister Rasheed was going
to be because I knew she loved her first companion a lot. Things
have been going well between us, but a part of me still worried that maybe she
was putting on a front. The other night before bed she said, "good night!
Sleeping time! I love you!" Then the next night she said, "sister.
You is funny. When we transfer I nervous. I said I no know Sister Poppe. And
all the sisters say, 'Sister Poppe great! Sister
Poppe funny. You have fun with Sister Poppe. She good missionary.' But I still
scared. What if I no like Sister Poppe? But I like you sister. You is fun and
funny." I'm glad that we get along and that I love her so much because it
would be hard dealing with all the stress of having a companion who isn't fluent
in English and not like her at the same time.
Sister
Rasheed learned the word sassy this week! It is so funny. She uses it all the
time now. She will point at naughty kids, or me, or random strangers and whisper
"sassy!" I also told her she can call those people spicy so sometimes
she says spicy. When we did service for our funny new friend Sister Rasheed
looked at me and mouthed, "Spicy!" I died.
Love,
Sister
Poppe!
Brimhall Ward Christmas party. Sister Rasheed thought it
was hilarious that we were taking pictures with props on sticks.
Every time she sees this pictures she says,
"Sister! I like. This good picture!"
Sister Rasheed admitted to me that she has been practicing her kissy
lips face ever since we took a kissy lips face last week as a district.
She has greatly improved! She also made me put on her
bright lipstick before we took the picture because my
more tame lipstick wasn't bright enough.
Temple Lights!
No comments:
Post a Comment