SO much happened this week! So to start off last Monday we spent the day getting Sister Ngoshas hair done. She got it all braided. It took like three hours, but looks cool. I wish I could get my hair braided like that... But it would look bad on me. Haha. This week was also Sister Ngoshas year mark so I waited until she was asleep the night before and then like a ninja I decorated her desk. Haha she was so surprised when she saw it the next morning. Crazy she's been out a year. I feel like I will never get to that point. The time goes fast, but at the same time I feel like I have forever left. This week we also spent some time making cookies at a member's house. We made so many cookies! They tasted so good. Man I'm going to get fat out here. The struggle. Haha We also went on exchanges this week. I was with Sister Canty again. I went to her area this time though. It was weird being in a different area and tracting streets I have never seen before. I know my area so well now. I don't even need a GPS to get around! But it was fun seeing a different area of Woodbridge. Also my apartment is way nicer than hers. I started with a good apartment and now once I get transferred I know I will have to have a not so nice one. Haha but anyways I just love Sister Canty. She's my Colorado buddy and we get along great! I loved spending the day with her.
So now for my really cool/sad/spiritual story of the week. So with Tee moved we basically only have two investigators. We only have two people that we teach on a regular basis and who are preparing for baptism. So on Thursday we had appointments scheduled with both of them. Erika in the afternoon and Evelyn in the evening. So we go to Erika's and teach and everything is going well and then when we are about to leave she tells us that she no longer wants to meet with us. She says she doesn't want to change religions and that this will be our last meeting. We get in the car and I just start crying. I was, well still am, so upset. She was preparing to be baptized soon and then she just dropped us. It's heart wrenching. You just feel like you did something wrong. You just feel so rejected. People have dropped us before, but no one this close to baptism. This was my first time going through that and I hate it. It's a horrible feeling. It's hard to describe. You just have to go through it to understand. So Sister Ngosha tries to cheer me up and then we plan for Evelyn's lesson. Evelyn I have talked about a lot in my emails. She's the one who recently went to the temple. She has been set on date for baptism like three times, but then always says she isn't ready the week before. So we planned this whole lesson on how she is ready and then decided that if she still says she wants to wait that we are going to have to stop meeting with her. Sometimes you just have to let people go and hope they realize that they are ready on their own. It's a hard thing to decide and I didn't want to do it after Erika. So we go over and I was so scared. We go in and start talking and I say, "So Evelyn. How are you feeling about baptism next week?" She answers and says "I've been thinking...." and then I know what follows. We have the same conversation every week. It's always followed with I'm not ready. I almost started crying. I didn't want to get rejected twice in one day by our only two investigators. But to my surprise she said, "I'm ready. I'm ready and I'm excited." I couldn't believe it. All I could say was "what?!" She told us that she finally knew that she was ready and I was overcome with joy. We then awkwardly didn't have a lesson to teach so we just planned her baptism. Haha, Next time I write home I'll have her baptism to write about!
The reason I tell this story is because I know that God is so aware of each and every one of us. I was not sent to Virginia to baptize Erika. Maybe other missionaries in the future are, but I'm not. The Lord knew me and knew that I would be upset and so he waited until the day that I felt so rejected to finally give Evelyn the courage to be baptized. We have been struggling with Evelyn and have been praying and fasting for her and I have just been waiting for Evelyn to get her answer and on the day when I was so upset and thought I was the worst missionary ever, that's the day that we got our answers. God works on His own time. He has a perfect plan and as long as we are patient He will make sure everything works out. He will turn horrible days into happy ones. I am just so grateful that I got to experience that. Just remember that God is aware of you and loves you all so much and so do I. I pray and think about you all everyday. I love you and hope you all have a great week!
Love,
Sister Lawson
P.s. Thanks to....well no letters this week, but I am so grateful for all of your prayers and support!! I love you all!! :)
Making Cookies!
Decorating Sister Ngosha's desk.
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