I can definitely say that this week has been much better, yet still
hard at the same time. We are definitely in an overwhelming situation
because first of all, I don't know sign language, nor did I ever think
I would ever learn it...but I am learning as fast as my little hands
can! Also our area has been so dead this transfer that we are really
trying to work so hard to get it going. It feels great to actually BE
a missionary again. Can you believe before this week we only taught 8
investigator lessons....EIGHT! WHOA! I will kill someone. But already
it has picked up and we did some contacting and our first house we got
a potential....that was awesome and helped restore some of the faith I
lost because we contacted 9 hours in 3 days one week and got a big fat
zero even mere potentials.
1) We got a special trip to the temple this week thanks to President
and we were SO excited!! Don't worry that I drove clear to Anaheim
though....223 miles later we were where we needed to be. I got on the
5 and just kept driving when I was supposed to merge to the
405...California freeways are so confusing...you get on the wrong one
and you are clear away from where you need to be. We also stopped in
Santa Clarita at BOOK CASTLE! Whoa...sounds exciting right?! It was.
It was like our little Beehive Books in Lancaster on steroids and we
were like kids in a candy store. It is no where near Deseret Book, but
it was still great for the mish. Then after a very LONG detour we made
it to the temple where we went to this AMAZING state of the art
visitors center. Wow, it was so cool. It is one of the first ones like
that and it had amazing displays: these huge screens with sliders
where you can put it over someone's face and it tells their story and
testamony (it looks a lot like the new mormon.org), also a huge
humanitarian display (my fave), a big display on families (made me
bawl my head off), and one called Savior of the World which was so
cool. It was like Mormon Disneyland I tell ya! Also they have this
huge section for kids and places where you can email videos to your
friends and stuff. Any investigator that goes there, I know that would
be the clincher. You can feel the spirit so strong and many of the
computers answer questions about all of the weird things people hear
about Mormons. I saw one of my friends Elisa Tittle that I went to
high school with and she is there on a mission. I envy her because her
mission is LA and it half visitor's center half proselyting...in other
words, she can take her investigators there! IT would make our lives
so much easier...that is really why Sam Chee got baptized. Anyway,
then we did a session and some initiatories and it was really great!
2) I talked to Sister Griffiths last night and found out Sam Chee has
a calling and got the priesthood! How cool is that?! She said he was
going to wet his pants he was so excited hahah, I can just imagine. He
is ward choir director! I died, because he did all the music at his
old church! Also they are teaching one of his friends. So great!
3) Delmy moved because she broke up with her boyfriend...I am so sad,
but I hope maybe this will be a good turning point for her.
4) Robyn, the lady we knocked into and couldn't get to come to church
went to conference and loved it, and then came to church and LOVED it.
I could kill her, we only tried 8 million times to get her to go!
Sister Griffiths said that they also taught her the Law of Chastity
which we were always nervous about and said she accepted and decided
to live it. I love hearing success from other areas even when we
haven't had it here.
5) Arcenio and Yolandra are my 2 favorite investigators we have right
now...so, so funny. They also have a dog named Chewey that looks like
a brown version of Scuddles so I couldn't be happier. The only problem
is we can't get them to come to church because their friends are
teasing them about going to a Mormon church and they don't like the
title. They also know that if they come, they will like it...and then
they will have to join...HA love that.
6) The Rees family (our relief society president that is like having
Grandma Gould with me all the time :)) is the best to us and takes
care of us like we were her children. She has helped us so much
through all of these rough times and so we spent a lot of time with
her this week and we went to Costco one day and she was buying up the
whole store. Anyway, we got to the saran wrap and tin foil and she
said "Oh! I definitely need some more of that, I am out!" So she
grabbed three things of the BIG rolls. We went off to go invite a less
active to take the lessons with her, and he hubby took all the
groceries to be unloaded. When we got home he was standing there with
THE funniest look on his face with STACKS of tin foil and saran wrap.
HAHAH, it was the funniest thing so I will send a picture with that
because it was definitely random, but our funny moment of the week.
7) We got it all approved to have our musical fireside on November
14th. Who knows if I will be here to see it through again, but I have
no idea what is going to happen. I think it would be best if either
this area was whitewashed, or if our companionship is split so that we
can both move on. We love each other a lot, but there is just too much
icky that comes with both our memories and so I duno we will see.
Well, kids! That's all for this week. Keep us in your prayers so that
we can get the work really going again here. It has been so dead for a
while and so the more we can get investigators and get teaching the
better we will be! We found a lot of formers in our area book that we
are going to try and a lot of old potentials that were never
re-contacted. I love that there are so many missionaries in this area
(not all LDS) and so when you go contacting people have on their
doors: No Soliciting! I have been saved already!! hahaha....good
times.
I love all of you so much. I know with all my heart that this gospel
is true, Christ lives, and our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are so
aware of each and every one of us. I promise I am doing my best and
working as hard as I can to tell as many people about the love our
Heavenly Father has for them. Our savior not only died for our sins,
but he suffered our afflicitions, lonliness, heartache....all of it.
Not many people know that. When we lean on him in hard times, he will
lift us higher. He descended below all so that he can lift us up. I
love the restored gospel so much, and I love being a missionary, good
times and bad!! It is true, I promise.
All my loves and smooches and hugs!
Sister Sheltz
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