1) I'm a missionary and our powers are... astounding.
***
This week was really good :) We are still not teaching anyone, but.. we're working hard.
- We did lots of service for our ward building. We redid all the Mother rooms with a young mother in the ward.
- Visited lots of members
- We had a really good District meeting and then Interviews with President and Sister Miles. It was my last interview with him. It's so weird that the next time I have an interview, it will be with another president. Huh. He gave me a lot of really good advice.
- I finally met Elder Robertson. So that was cool. I miss the Robertsons..
- I got to really help my companion this week. I really started to see why I had certain trials in past areas and transfers. It was really so that I could relate to her and help her, and she help me. I love trials! They all have so much meaning. And when we just... get through them, we see that they really weren't for us, but for someone near and dear to us. We might not see that for years, or maybe not even in this life, but we lucky for me, I got to see how my trials helped someone else :) I LOVE MY COMPANION!
- We made wonderful Cinnamon Rolls as Personal Touches for our Elders. They were successful.
- Finally met the first counselor to our President. And the Southern Part of our zone. Great missionaries.
- Had a lunch appointment with the coolest member ever! She grows all her own food and uses fabric diapers. I think she's the coolest. And we had Spaghetti Squash. I was really happy :) And she's from the Netherlands, so she speaks Dutch. And guess what? Because I can English and German, I can pretty much understand her. It was really cool. Not everything, of course.
- We saw a lot of good success from a few potentials. I can't tell you how good it feels to actually have potentials with POTENTIAL. It is so nice. Hopefully we will see some new investigators from them. I'm ready to TEACH.
- I gave the opening prayer in Sacrament meeting. And I am also giving a talk on the 15 of June. Also, President Uchtdorf and Anderson and Sister Reeves are coming in TWO weeks. YAY! We got our tickets yesterday.
***
Just a really normal week. We did have a pretty funny story. Which I will tell.... Now:
So we got this referral from a man in our ward.
We were on our way to her house when we walked passed this house with American license plates above the garage. And they were from California, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and UTAH. So of course we had to stop and klingel them!!
So we go to the door and find a bunch of signs on it: "Killer Kitties. BEWARE" and something like this in English "We don't want your newspaper. We don't want what you're selling. We don't wish to change our religion. And we have payed all our taxes. GO AWAY."
So of course we are a little on edge.
To make this situation even better, Sister Wüst is TERRIFIED of cats. She hates them. She can't even walk past them without getting nervous. So has we're about to ring the door bell, this cat comes out of nowhere, and starts meowing.
She was like "We have to go. We have to go. We have to go." all in small, frightened whispers. I was just laughing hysterically cause it was so funny. She was so scared she couldn't even forcefully pull me from the door way.
So we leave the house and say we'll come back and I'll distract the cats while she klingels and all will be well.
So we come home that night and are looking through our ward list to see who we should visit. As I'm like... updating a record or something, she just gasps out of nowhere.
TURNS OUT, the family, the Portmanns, are on our ward list! They were members! But the father is like really anti- Mormon. We were just stunned.
So we decided to ask Bishop yesterday if he knew anything about them. He gave all the same info we already had. But I guess the mother left the church cause her husbands hates it so much. Or something.
So yesterday, we decided to go by because we had NOTHING to do (except talk to people, of course. But that doesn't really work here cause their either on bikes or they just don't go outside).
We show up at this house, and that same killer cat that tried to "kill" my companion shows up and start meowing at us again. Sister Wüst was on the other side of the street while I was all the doorstep trying to get her to come. I ended up distracting the cat while she went to the door. We said a really quick prayer that this approach wouldn't end badly and that the cat would stay away long.
So we klingel.
We wait.
We're a little giggly cause we're hoping that cat will stay away.
And then this nearly naked, 18 year old, model- looking young man answers the door.
I can't even talk to the 16 year old boys in our WARD. There was NO way this was going to go well.
I get out, in really stuttery and bad German something like "I saw your license plates and that they were from the US and I'm from Utah and I just wanted to asked where you come from?"
He was just standing there, nothing but boxers on. He answered all my questions, thought. Turns out he is from Switzerland and he was all over the US 7 years ago.
Then I just ended the conversation because it was already SOOO awkward.
As we were leaving, Sister Wüst was like, "You probably should have said something about the Gospel and why on earth they are on our ward list and not baptized".
Oh yeah... the Gospel. Totally forgot. I won't be going back to ask.
***
Moral of the story: Sometimes missionary work is funny. It really needs to be sometimes otherwise we would all go insane.
Like I said, things are really slow here. We are running out of people to visit, and we still have no investigators. But... we are trying. We could always try harder, of course :) There's always more to give.
I have a huge testimony of prayer. God really answers our prayers. And as missionaries, we have the privilege of getting those answers really fast. I got to see that a lot this week. I prayed for something one day, and literally the next day I received the answers. It was really amazing. And that happens all the time. I never want to come back to normal life again :(
Also, are trials are never only for our good. They are there to help us be able to help other people. I have been able to help my companions in ways I never thought. While going through something I didn't really like, I obviously didn't like it. But now here I am, over that trial, and able to see how going through that prepared me to take care of those I now serve with. What a blessing it is to have a loving Heavenly Father who helps us learn and grown through hardships :) I hope I can always stay happy and positive in the midst of trials. As I hope we all can. As the world gets worse, it will be increasingly harder to hold strong to our standards and to live a Temple worthy life. But I know when we do it, we will be delivered in safety. We, like through the war chapters of the book of Alma, must always fight for our rights, our religion, and our freedoms, always giving the glory to God, and always trusting in Him that He will deliver us. And I know that when we give our very best to do all we can to do these things, we will live with Him again in the highest degree of glory. WITH our families.
That is my highest and most precious wish :)
I am sorry to hear about Granddad. I hope all turns out well and that he leaves this life painlessly and peacefully :) I am also so excited to hear of the the missionary announcements; people coming home, people leaving, papers going in, and all the stories from my friends who are now out. I can't wait to hear about graduation! I can't believe that was a year ago for me... man.
I love this work :) It's TRUE, it's HARD, it's worth every step, every tear, every prayer, and every laugh :) Find your way of doing it.
Sister Gilmour
xx
Also. Sometimes we have to eat food with chopsticks cause it's just funner like that. And don't worry, my hair is fixed. I no longer look like Sister Butch Gilmour. Yay for members that cut hair for missionaries for FREEEEEEEE.
What a funny experience! Love her sense of humor...
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