Week 55: When You Owe Your Mission President A $1,000,000

Having Breakfast

We had an amazing week! We almost hit standards! It was so exciting, then so devastated when we didn't.hit them. 

We were banking on our investigators on coming to church. They come almost every single Sunday and told us they were going to be coming this Sunday as well. They didn't show and we asked them what happened, they told us they got up and got ready and decided that since Sophia didn't need a ride they weren't going to come. That made us so sad, we talked about why we have kept them as investigators and made the decision we were probably only keeping them for numbers and not because they were progressing, because they aren't. We went over and gave them the drop talk and they were so sad. Maybe that is what they need! So that was exciting. 

Elle and Sister Leininger

We had a very difficult day on Tuesday. One thing I have had a really difficult time with is being open about my feelings and the things that I am thinking. I have had a really hard time with it most if not all of my life. It is one thing I have for sure had to fix over the course of my mission. It has been hard but it has also been the reason I am able to get along with most of my companions so well. Lucky for me it is really easy to talk to Sister Leininger. On Tuesday a lot of crazy thing had happened and we had to talk. We both had to put our pride aside and talk some things out. The best part of it all is that we came out not mad, upset, or hurt but happy because everything was able to be worked out. I think that is how it is supposed to be when you have a good or strong relationship with someone. You need to know you can talk to them with any concern or problem and that they are going to help you find a solution not make you uncomfortable and make you feel even more bad then you already are. 

Elle said, " We were driving by the Baptist Church and saw this sign. So we had to
 take a picture by it. The nice lady who goes there took the picture for us and invited
us to Bible study for the next couple of nights."

We went to see one of our Less Active couples and the husband wasn't there but the wife was. She was telling us how she really has never had a testimony or believed in the church but that she got baptized for her husband. That made me so sad, I hate when people allow feelings such as love to get in the way of them knowing for themselves if something is true. Her husband has been having a difficult time with coming back to church and several other things. She doesn't know how to help him and so she was asking us to tell her what to do. We told her that in order for her to know how to help him and what to say that she needs to ask her questions that she has about the church and to take the lessons again. We told her the only way that she is going to be able to help him is if she helps herself first. The whole conversation was led by the Spirit and it was amazing!! We are now going to meeting with her and doing our best to teach her and answer her questions. I think it is going to go well and it is only because she wants to know for herself why they church is so important to him. 

Thank you for the cute clothes!!! We were instructing at Snohomish Interviews

 and so I wore my cute outfit and Sister Leininger was sad that she didn't have anything 

new to wear...so I gave her the gift early! She loved it!!! SUCCESS

We had the most amazing phone lesson with a potential Wendy that we found while knocking doors. She told us that she recently has had a lot of different people giving her religious books or pamphlets and so she thinks that God is telling her that she needs to do something and make some changes in her life. She is so solid and amazing and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ made since to her and she said that she wanted to learn more. We asked if we could come to her house this next time and she told us yes and that she lives in Shore Line. Well that is out of mission, so it looks like we will be giving her to the Seattle Mission. But I am so grateful that we were able to introduce her to the LDS church. 

Elle's impersonation of a skater chick

We found ourselves out of mission the other day anyways.  We had a member who was taking us to dinner and she said that it was on 164th by Fred Myers. So we called the District Leader and got permission to go out of our area and go to dinner. We were leaving the apartment and our member turned to opposite way of 164th. Now she has lived there longer then I have and so I thought, "Maybe she is going to go drive over by the mall." Well I got this weird feeling and it wouldn't go away. Needless to say we looked on the map and had gone out of mission. We text President and told him what happened. He thanked us for telling him and then he told us we now owe him $1,000,000. We have given him six pennies, so I guess you could say that we have an eternal debt to pay. 

Mission car while the other one is getting fixed

On Friday we had the biggest miracle, we went over to the Batemans for dinner. Brother Bateman in on the High Council and is very kind person. We stopped in to the gas station a couple of days earlier and were setting up an appointment with our Less Active that works there. We ran into him and he made it sound like he had a Less Active grandkid that was living with them. So we couldn't tell what he wanted us to do and if he was trying to tell us not to share a scripture or if we should try to teach them. We went into dinner confused but knew that if we followed the spirit and everyone else that we were going to be fine. We got in there and met Tevin. He is the grandson to the Batemans which we didn't realize until the end because he is half black and they are both white. He was so kind and was talking to us the whole time. His wife didn't join us until the end of the meal, but during dinner he was saying that he and his wife would both be open to taking the discussions and learning more about the church. They have two young daughters and they want to raise them in the church, they like the churches standards and the whole family aspect. After dinner we went to share the message and taught them the entire Restoration. They had the best most sincere questions and they really want to know truth. Amber Tevins wife grew up and was Baptized Born again Christian. We asked them at the end if they would both be baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood authority. They both said yes and accepted a date for October 1st!

I love you all so much and hope that you have the most amazing week! Have fun going back to school! Also good luck with all of the games that will be coming up! Go fight WIN!!!!!!