Lizards, Exchanges, & Rehab
May 5, 2014
Sister Breinholt really appreciated that Sister Alvey and I are so obedient and hard working-- several sisters in the zone are struggling with that. Canton hasn't seen a baptism in over a year, and not because the area is hard-- the missionaries have not worked as hard. Canton deserves good missionaries. Part of the reason I want to stay with Sister Alvey is so Canton can know that the missionaries they have are good ones who work hard.
Hey y'all,
This week had a MONTH'S worth of events happen in seven days. It was exhausting; but I'd rather be overwhelmed with lessons than underwhelmed with an empty planner. We are very blessed!
Before all the good stuff. Animal life around here is exciting. I saw a few possums this week (dead ones, roadkill is frequent), a live beaver this morning, and a lizard was in our apartment the other day! We were slightly disturbed when he disappeared into a hole in the cupboards...but he later emerged and we helped relocate him to the great outdoors. We see the little lizards everywhere, usually on doorsteps in plants, but I haven't had one get inside before. He was cute and blue.
We went on exchanges with the STL's (Sister Training Leaders) Tuesday/Wednesday, and despite some unfortunate events (finding out an investigator moved, getting the car stuck in the mud, accidentally running into the elders at a member's house, etc), it was a REALLY good exchange. I stayed in Canton with Sister Breinholt. She is an amazing sister. She loves easily and is sweet, genuine, obedient, and so humble.
We had one really good contact with a couple people in their garage. They weren't interested, but they were Baptist and had some skewed information about our beliefs. We were able to explain that while our works still matter, a lot-- our beliefs wholly center on Christ and the absolute necessity of a Savior. Without our works, we could not learn how to use our agency to become more Christlike and obedient to his teachings-- therefore we would not learn or grow. Yet without the Savior, there would be no means to save us-- therefore, we could not learn or grow. It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). They seemed more comfortable and at peace understanding that we see the essential role of the Savior in our salvation. We walked away knowing the Spirit had guided us to say the right thing. I love those moments when clarity comes so easily-- aka when the Spirit teaches instead of me!
Sister Breinholt really appreciated that Sister Alvey and I are so obedient and hard working-- several sisters in the zone are struggling with that. Canton hasn't seen a baptism in over a year, and not because the area is hard-- the missionaries have not worked as hard. Canton deserves good missionaries. Part of the reason I want to stay with Sister Alvey is so Canton can know that the missionaries they have are good ones who work hard.
Our investigator Rachel is excited and ready for baptism, as long as her interview goes well on Wednesday. We're trying several different ways of wrapping her infected foot so it won't get wet underwater. We test run our our feet in the bathtub at home. The final method will include bandages, syran wrap, elastics, tape, and lots of bags. We are NOT going to reinfect her foot with a saving ordinance! That would be dreadfully ironic. We're just praying that the baptism will happen and go smoothly. I am so blessed to have taught someone as prepared as she is. She is truly a gift at this time on my mission.
Poma, our other investigator (who was) on date, moved out, declined a ride to church, and we haven't talked to her since last week. We're calling her within the next day or two to see if we'll continue teaching her. She moved closer to us, actually, but the new place is not a very good environment. We'll do what we can for her but she may not be ready.
Sister Alvey and I's companionship has been wonderful. We're very different but we get along and work together very well. Part of me wants to stay companions with her for the rest of my mission because she is so driven and we get so much work done!
Have a splendid week!
Sister Taylor
Me in a bamboo forest we found last week.
A friendly reminder of your obligation to keep me informed. Just kidding, but I'd love to hear from you. :)