This week..... has been quite eventful.
So our apartment is a small one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. When
Sister Kafu came, she felt like the beds were too crammed in our
bedroom, so we moved them all into our living room, and we moved all
of our desks and study supplies into the bedroom.
On Monday night, around 12:20 am, Sister Kafu and I were awakened by
an urgent knock at the door! We both shot to the door and looked
through the peep hole only to see a man with a backpack on. We were
both freaked out. He then knocked again, and we heard him mess with
our lock. We thought he was trying to break in! I grabbed the phone
and called 911. The man left. Sister Castleton finally woke up when I
was talking to 911. The police came and scanned the area, and he was
no where to be found. Sister Kafu, Sister Castleton, and I couldn't
sleep and just stayed up after the police left, as if we were waiting
for "the next thing". We called our district leaders, our mission
president, and our zone leaders. The zone leaders where the only one
who picked up. They were ready to have us go stay at their apartment
and they were going to go stay with a member. But, we didn't have the
car. At 2 am, a note was then slipped under our door. I immediately
called 911 again. They told us not to look at the note and let the
police take care of it. When the police came, the policeman was
holding our keys and asked us if they were ours. Turns out, we had
accidentally left our keys in the door when we'd brought our bikes in.
Our neighbor was just trying to be a good neighbor and return our keys
to us! The note said, "Found your keys. I took them just incase
someone with less than good intentions came through here. I leave for
work at 8. Here's my number for when you want to get them."
We felt like complete idiots. Well I did at least! I'm so glad
President didn't answer his phone then! I would have felt so
embarrassed for waking up our mission president for something that was
a complete misunderstanding stemmed from our irresponsibility.
We are just happy to know that our neighbors are good people and
looking out for us!
The next morning, we moved all the beds back into the bedroom, and all
the desks into the living room.
This living situation makes much more sense! Haha
We have had so many miracles this week. President Bennion has begun to
emphasize working with less actives in our mission. Our mission has
been one of the only tracting missions left, but with the iPads, we
have been moving away from that. It's really helpful for us because
our Branch has 94 people total and of those 94, 48 are less active,
and that leaves only 28 active. Plus, summer term just ended this
week, so contacting on campus isn't very effective because no one is
there.
On Monday, when we went to the Walmart, there was an employee
looking at us kind of funny. So I walked up to him and asked him to
show us where the m&ms were. As he was walking us to the m&ms, he told
us that he had joined the church 2 years earlier in Indiana, but he
moved here a year ago and fell away and that he was trying to become
active again. He had started reading the Book of Mormon again just the
week prior! We were able to meet with him that week and he came to
church! It was great! He loved it and the branch was so welcoming!
Throughout the week we have been trying to call less actives and on
wednesday, a member was nice enough to drive us on what we call "The
Hunt", which is where we drive out to less active's homes and try to
get their stories. On Thursday we had Zone conference. I was able to
get my packages! President talked to us about how he wants us working
with our members more, and in particular, working with our less
actives more. He is having us use our LDS tools to organize everyone
into lists- Active, less active, no idea, do not contact, and part
member (which we call technically active, because we aren't working
with family units).
After zone conference, we had exchanges. Sister Holden joined Sister
Castleon and me. She was great because she had just been transferred
out of UGA! We contacted that night on campus. On Friday, we worked on
calling less actives. One of our less actives is actually a ward
missionary! and He agreed to meet with us on Saturday. He then came to
church on Sunday as well!
We also were able to meet with Sylvestre, our one investigator, and he
too came to church!
Our apartment had some eery feelings after Monday. Sister Castleton
recieved a priesthood blessing, and so did I. On Sunday morning, we
had our district leader and his companion dedicate our apartment. I
also emailed President Bennion, and He and Sister Bennion came out to
our apartment yesterday. We will be moving to another apartment
complex next Monday.
It's been interesting, as we have begun to have success in this area,
how there seemed to be a lot of opposition to where we stay. Our whole
purpose as missionaries is to build the Kingdom of God; satan's whole
purpose is to tear it down. He came to Joseph Smith, before God the
Father and the Son appeared to him. I now understand why as
missionaries we are asked to memorize "The Standard of Truth": "...The
standard of truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the
work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies
may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth
boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent,
visited ever climb, swept every country, and sounded in every ear,
till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah
shall say the work is done." (History of the church, Volume 4, page
540) Heavenly Father is going to accomplish His work no matter what! I
feel so grateful to be a part of it!
I think the one of the main lessons Heavenly Father wants His
missionaries to learn is to completely rely on Him. This isn't our
work; this isn't my branch; it's His. It's only by wholly relying on
Him that we can accomplish it.
I love you all!!!
Love,
Sister Wallis
