Sometimes you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, but other times you are stuck between sand and an awkward place. Hazarding an uneven dirt road in our posh two wheel drive Altima, looking for a former investigator who may or may not be dead, Sister Phelps and I soon found ourselves in such a place.
It was soon made known unto us that we were stuck in fine sugar sand in the middle of nowhere Weirsdale. After a short bout of disbelief, we prayed that someone would come our way and help us out. We then proceeded to have a backward Good Samaritan experience where one passed by, and then two came and helped. First a man stopped and tried to help us figure out what to do and he stayed with us the whole time. Then a blessed couple with a truck saw we needed help and turned around home (they all lived down the street) and came back with a chain and pulled us out. We're hoping to go back there (though not driving on that particular road) and find and thank everyone who helped us, because we're hoping perhaps that it was "God dropping a pin" as we say in our district.
(side note: the former was not dead by the way, just 87, hard of hearing and uninterested.)
Another pin that was dropped had happened earlier in the week, which made the sugar sand experience all the more traumatic. On Tuesday we were navigating our way to a retirement home for a craft class we were teaching, when we felt we were circling around and needed to briefly pull over and figure out where we were going. After turning into an elementary school parking lot, we found ourselves following the one way drop off lane, where many cars were parked, waiting for school to get out. As soon as we realized what we had gotten ourselves into, we tried quickly to back out, but there were already cars parked in line behind us. Then we kind of sat there dumbfounded at the situation we were in. We now had to wait parked in the bus line until school got out and the cars started moving. So we prayed.
While we prayed I remembered a story that my seminary teacher always told us about how he was waiting for hours in a car to cross the border into Romania, and how he got out of the car and approached the guy in front of him and ended up giving him a Book of Mormon.
I did not like that I remembered that story. I did not want to remember that story. But I did. So I got out of the car and went up to the one next to us, and asked the woman what time the school was getting out. I told her our story and she thought it was really funny. because it was. She told me she was waiting to pick her grandkids up from school and I asked her what she usually did while she waited. She said text. I asked her if she ever read. She said yes. I asked her if I could give her my favorite book. She said yes. I pulled it out and said it was the Book of Mormon. I asked her if she had ever heard of it. She said yes. I asked her if she would at least read the introduction, and told her that hearing about the book from the book is so much better. She said she would.
She was so unbelievably good natured about the whole thing. She knew exactly what I was doing, I wasn't being suave at all. She could tell I was nervous and awkward, but she let me do my thing and she played along and heard me out. And if nothing else comes from that experience at least I have that.
When we weren't stuck we were doing solid work this week. Amy is doing amazing, we had a lesson on repentance and she learned a lot and I think she is really starting to grasp on and apply what she's learning. The only problem is that she hasn't been coming to church because her living situation right now is delicate. Amy and her daughters live with her older sister while Amy is working to obtain citizenship. But her sister is a devout catholic who doesn't even know she's meeting with the missionaries, let alone planning on baptism. Her sister knows that she's not really into Catholicism anymore, but we're afraid she won't react well to Amy coming to church and it might affect her living situation which would be bad. But we need her to come to church. She can't get baptized if she doesn't come to church. So we're going to have a gentle heart-to-heart chat about it this week. Praying that it goes well.
Almost everyone else we are trying to teach at the moment has told us that they wouldn't convert religions or be baptized. Which is a definite obstacle to overcome when you want them to be baptized. It's caused me a lot of heartache this week. We're having a hard time finding people to teach who actually want to be taught. I just keep reading the section in chapter 1 of preach my gospel called "being a successful missionary" and it's been comforting me a lot. I knew before I came on my mission that I wouldn't be having people lining up at the font ready to be baptized, but actually going through it is harder than I thought. I'd feel better if we were having more effective lessons with people who will keep commitments and come closer to Christ. We're doing our best and taking it one step at a time. Helaman 10:3-5 has helped me a lot:
"3 And it came to pass as he was thus pondering--being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities--and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:
4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will"
I know the Lord has great plans for this area and He has prepared people in it, and I'm just trying my hardest to be worthy to have the spirit with me always so I can hear the still small voice guiding me to where those people are.
Until next time,
-Sister Olivia Petty🚗
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| Our feet after getting home from the sand experience 10.12.16 |
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| Some stranger things vibes 10.12.16 |
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| Magoo, a ward members cat that is actually fatter than mine 10.11.16 |
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| Sister Phelps and I at Fiesta Bowling for my first district p-day 10.17.16 |
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