Hey yous!
Ok. I swear this week has actually been the best one yet. Even if I say that every week, this time I mean it. I LOVE HAVING A CAR. The things we were able to accomplish this week... miracles. Wow.
So now we are the only set of sisters and we have 2 sets of elders who are all really great. We have our district leader who is really good and his comp that moved over from neighbooring ward and then another samoan elder (perfect for the ward) and his companion who is ethiopian/sudanese (perfect for our teaching pool). It was really cool meeting with all of them and so freely moving around investigators and introducing them to the ward. We are all about the people and it is great. We are tag teaming so many families with 2 sets. We go and work with the daughter, they work with a son, etc. It is really good.
So we ended up giving up almost any males we are working with and then took on some of the old sisters females. So sexist right?! But with the rules of going into homes if only opposite gender is home, etc. it makes the most sense. One of these is an elderly woman who is a member and is aboriginal. And if that wasn't cool enough, she has the sweetest heart, testimony and smile. I loved her instantly.
Heaps of miracles with the less actives again. Another YSA wanting to meet with us, a less active family that asked US for OUR number and if WE could teach THEM lessons. That normally only happens the other way around.
We also found 4 new investigators this week. 2 of them are Sudanese. Shocker right?! :) And then one was a Tongan lady who has family that are members and on missions and gave us a return appt. and 5 referrals of other people we should go and knock on their doors!! We also got intouch with one of our Sudanese investigators who has seemed to be avoiding us like the last month but we swung by and she was so happy to see us. Single mom, working, and doing uni and was even a little sick. Going through a rough patch but it was good to catch up and know she still wants to meet with us.One of our Sudanese mothers (the one that has been taught for 2 years) was shocked to hear that in the bible people were rebaptized if not done by right authority (acts 8 and 19 I believe) so we left her with those chapters to pray about and if she gets an answer she will be baptized. Same with a 15 year old Sudanese whose Mom should be more willing then the one who told us last week she wants to be baptized. So exciting follow up appts. this week.
Stacey is a miracle! We went to another baptism in her ward and dang I was tearing up the whole time and I didn't even know the lady getting baptised. But all went well, Stacey loved it and feels good about this weekend! She is even wearing Sis. Holtz temple dress. It was so surreal seeing her in a white dress with her cute baby bump! And baby is due in like 2 weeks! And her husband can baptize her! How exciting! :) I feel so humbled to be the missionaries that got to teach her and be taught BY HER. She strengthened my faith so much. I feel like I needed her and Jordan on my mission more than either of them needed me.
Then huge progress with part member families. Especially the Normans. We joked around before about him emailing mission president for us to stay (this was the super-anti mormon guy btw) and we thought it was all funny til he said he typed it up and would show us, all he needs is an address! haha He even invited us to their family christmas party. It was so cool. Every time his sister or someone walked in and they introduced us "Sister Rushing, Sister Holtz" everyone had the nastiest looks of shock. He then said "these are our favorite missionaries!" Everyone bluntly reacted... "He has missionaries?! Let alone favorites?!" We planted heaps of seeds the 2 hours we were there. And when we left for our other appts. all those shocked people were telling us to please stop by if we had extra time. Miracle. Similar with a wife of a member of the bishopric.
This is the toughest spot I have been in my whole mission actually. The most excited as well. I know the Lord has allowed us to get into some hearts that use to be completley shut out. And honestly, alot of that is due to personality. We share things about the work and the gospel but we can never be too pushy. In the right settings, we pull out scriptures and say prayers etc. Now that we are in, I know the Lord has high expectations. We can't burn the bridges we have built but I dont want to get to that pearly gate and for God to be like, you were the one that could have got through to them and you didn't do as much as you could. So a little bit of walking on eggshells but I love it. I know it was a miracle. I feel like these are potentially the people I was sent here for specifically. But I guess we will see. Really just relying on the spirit at this time alot! :)
Such a great week. The car is the biggest blessing, despite 1 lost day for transfers, a pday and a zone pday and one of the days being weekly planning, we taught the most lessons this week than we ever had! 23! Oh and still over the moon about a baptism this week... well strach that... it hasn't even hit me yet... haha! But all these miracles should be something prideful but honestly I feel SO HUMBLED. Cuz I know how much is me and how much is the Lord. I'm just a vessle for the spirit with a little bit (or maybe alot) of personality! The church is true. He lives. Can't wait for Christmas!
Sister Rushing :)
P.S. Polygamy came up twice this week. Both people wanting it, so it was sad news to say we actually don't practice that haha One was a sudanese woman who said she likes polygamy so there is more women to help with the kids, and one was a less active's son who was a total creeper and said if all mormon women looked like us, polygamy sounds really nice. #facepalm
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