So by the title of my email, you are all probably thinking that we had a terrible week. There were a lot of down hill moments, but then there were so many peaks that I didn't think that we could ever reach. This week was one were I really learned to rely on the Lord through Prayer, and I know that He was able to give us answers and the Spirit of Comfort to help Sister T2 and I. Don't worry, I would totally have last week start over and relive that week. The disasters and all, because I learned too many valuable lessons this week.
1.Funniest Thing Done: Oh man! The ultimate funniest thing that ever had to happen this last week was probably when we were sleeping outside and there was a cat lurking around. I think that the Spirit brought to my remembrance that there was a plastic bat in our house that we could sleep outside with. So we are now always sleeping outside with the bat right in between us. (Thank you sister T for the bat) Well I was joking with Sister T2 that I was going in the middle of the night to accidentally mistake her as the cat, and start beating her. So then Sister T2 used her super fast reflexes and grabbed the bat and held onto that so fast! We haven't had to use the bat at all. Only to hit away the cobwebs that literally appear overnight! Another really funny thing that happened was we were playing tag with Jason the 5 year old of Oneida, and one of the people that was playing with us grabbed him by the pants. Next thing you know he's holding Jason, and then he's not holding Jason. He's holding his pants. Jason had too big of pants on, and he slipped right out of them. Jason wasn't embarrassed at all! He was actually really funny about it. He ran away, and then 2 minutes later he comes running, "BOOYAH! Got my pants back on!" We all were laughing a lot, and even as we speak I am laughing about it. Good Thing Sister T2 and I are the only ones in the Family History Center right now.
2.Biggest Blessing or Miracle: I think that the biggest blessing and miracle would have to be the one and only Elder S or as Sidda C and Sister T know him as the Schweeds... Anyways... We had some car trouble this last week, but luckily we were in Rancho for the 4 week new missionary meeting and we were able to call him and he was able to come help us right away. So now we are driving the 4th car in our area! WOOH! I just hope that our Subbie gets fixed and back up to us quickly! That car is the only one so far that Sister T2 and I have felt the safest in on those crazy dirt roads. Elder S is such a patient man. He reminds me a lot of Brother Byington from home. He is just so caring, and still has that joking side to him that you don't know if he is being serious or not. I love it. I felt so bad that we had to call him, because he was dealing with a little TIWI situation that happened in our car, he was working on getting my license renewed, and he now is dealing with our little Subbie. I just hope that he doesn't regret ever asking how else he could help us.
3.Exciting Events: Oneida and Greg were baptized on Saturday! It was a little stressful seeing as they were 45 minutes late, but better late than never right!? Haha, when they walked in, all the worries of them not showing up melted away. I was so grateful for the lessons that I had been able to teach them, and for all the things they taught me. If there is one thing that I have learned from that family that will forever stick with me it has got to be, that through it all your family will always be there, and so will the Lord. Too many miracles occurred with them for any of us to ever deny that. It was so great to see Oneida and her family so excited for the baptism. I love them all so much, and am so grateful that I was able to teach them. They are like little drops of golden sunlight that really can brighten anyone's day. As I mentioned in a previous email, we taught them the Wise Man and the Foolish Man song. They really wanted to have that sung at their baptism, and it was so precious when the 3 little boys were up there leading the hand motions. Brad turned when they were heading up to the front and asked me to come, but I told him "No way you know the hand signals! You can do it!" I love them! They are so innocent and so precious!
4.Favorite Game: Well most of the streets are registered into the system as 25, and they should actually be 55 MPH! So we called TIWI, and we are now just racking up the violations because TIWI gave us permission to go the speed limit even though the little box is watching us. So I feel bad for President H and Elder S because Granite Hills Elders and we are just racking up those speeding violations. It is not FUN! That voice is one that we have gotten really good at imitating, so that is now our game when we are home. Who can talk like TIWI!
5.Favorite Food: We had the best tomato and zucchini dish. It was so good. I am not the biggest fan of cooked tomatoes, but it was really good to have it all together. Then we had pork chops, and potatoes with it! IT WAS SO GOOD! We also had a version of Crock-Pot chicken that was pretty good. Different, but really good! I was a lot spicier, and they put potatoes instead of rice.
6.Most Challenging Thing: This last week I got what most missionaries call the trunky call. That is the worst feeling in the world... Sister P has such a happy voice and told me, "Sister Rietz, I need you to be calm and listen to me. You have some important life changing events occurring soon and we need to talk about them." She then asked me where I was flying home to, and all the details that I could remember. Afterwards, she said: "thank you. Now forget about this phone call, and get back to work." That is the hardest thing, because everyday someone in one of the wards or the other missionaries comment on me coming home, and ask how I am feeling. PEOPLE! I HAVE AGES LEFT!!!
7.Simple Pleasures: We got a call from Elder S earlier this week. I thought it was about my license, but it was about TIWI. For some reason it didn't show that I had logged in, and so for 26 miles our car was registered as stolen. That was a fun one to respond to. I was like I swear that I logged in, so now we are always worried that it is going to say our car is stolen... But so far we are good. No more calls about TIWI!
8.Goals: Find 4 new Investigators! We are really drowning with no one in our teaching pool anymore. So we are on a mad hunt. A member told me yesterday that we are the Hunters, and that we go to church to get our ammo and run back out to go and hunt people. It was a nice effort at an analogy, but I just nodded my head and told him, "Ohhh! That is cool to think of it that way." He's such a kind older man. Hopefully he doesn't tell that to more people, because I don't think people will want to hear that missionaries had ammo, and go hunting...
9.Biggest Smile: We were talking with a Less-Active last night, and were teaching her the Restoration. Normally we start with God is our Loving Heavenly Father. But for some reason right when we started the lesson, I asked her how the Gospel has Blessed her Life. That opened up a conversation that I never thought that we would have. She started sharing all of these super cool spiritual experiences and times where she knows the Gospel has blessed her life. It was really cool to talk with her, and hear just how much she loves the church. Then she flipped it to us, and asked us. I loved talking about all the ways that the Gospel has blessed my life. Obviously my family was one of the things that I brought up. We talked about how the Gospel asks us to do a lot of different things, but that if we are obedient then the blessings are overflowing. I couldn't help but think about how there have been times where I just wanted to give up, and then I think of how my family is able to be together forever because of the Gospel and that there are people out there that really don't know or believe that there is a way to be together forever. She told us all the blessings that she has seen from missionaries serving, and I was just in shock because there were times this week where I was wondering why I was still on a mission. This seemed like an answer to my prayer that I had about how we can really bless our families, and other families too. I know that sounds dumb for a missionary to be saying that, but it is the truth. I think sometimes it just takes a friendly conversation with the Spirit there for us to know why we are on our missions.
10.Biggest Accomplishment: Getting down the hill without TIWI getting mad at us! I was so proud of us!
11.Favorite Scripture Story or Ensign Talk Studied: Right now our mission is preparing for Elder Falabella to come and do his mission tour. That is in September and so he has asked us to study Alma 17-23 and focus on how the people's hearts were changed. Holy Cow. There is a lot of ways that their heart's were changed, but I would have to say the greatest thing that I am positive changed their hearts is the love that they felt from the messages that they were hearing. That is how I think some people are when we talk with them. I have heard a couple times, "I don't agree with what your church believes, but you sure are nice." Haha, that is always a stab in the heart, and also a compliment cause they think that we are nice. It is amazing that some aspect of the gospel really hits people differently. Sometimes I think that there is nothing that can help some of the people that we contact on the street, but as our zone leaders stated to me, the Lord is always preparing people, and sometimes the things that we say are just planting the seeds.
12.Favorite Quote: "Even Blind People Clean."-President H This was in reference to the training that was given in Zone Conference last week. An Elder asked the Senior Sisters how they can clean, because there are really not that many lights in their apartment, and this was President H's reaction. Everyone in the gym started laughing, and I think it taught us all a valuable lesson that there is NO excuse for why our apartments are dirty.
I am a Child of God.
And He has Sent me here.
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus Offers me.
Confused at his grace that so fully he proffers me.
Be still my soul; The Lord is on thy side.
I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives.
Come Follow Me, the Savior said.
Because I have been given much,
I too must give.
I love being a missionary. It has literally changed my life. I hope that all are able to feel the love and the peace that the Spirit can bring. I know all of these songs above are such simple truths that we can learn from music. They are little testimonies of truths. I am so grateful for the hymns, and the primary songs that I have known for a big chunk of my life. I am so grateful for trials, because that has allowed me to see the miracles that always are there as well. I love the people in the Rancho Cucamonga Mission, and I hope all of them have the opportunity to meet with missionaries and feel the comfort of the gospel. Have a great week! Pray that we find people to teach!!!
Love, Sister Rietz
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| We are keeping traditions alive and sleeping outside |
