This week has been an adventure, that's for sure! I experienced my first time slipping on the ice. That morning it happened to be 2 degrees, and because of the icy roads, we weren't allowed to drive our cars, so we decided to be most productive, we knocked doors at our apartment complex. The wind felt like it was biting my face. It was so weird. We were stepping over a mound of hardened snow that's been there for weeks, and I slid. This time it was very graceful. Sister Vander Does says it was very ballerina-like! I didn't actually make it to the ground... However, the second time I slid, was a little more critical! I slid, and before I knew it I was flat on my back. Sister V was having an internal battle as to whether or not it was okay to laugh at me, because my scarf at that point had flown over my face, and I was just laying there feeling grumpy.... so she chose to NOT laugh. I remember laying there and I was thinking "I am NOT going to be able to be charitable in these conditions...." BUT, I got over it, and we've been laughing ever since. The best part is, yesterday Sister Vander Does experienced her FIRST slipping on the ice moment. Hers was actually very neat. She slid into the ice as if sliding into home base. I was impressed. We are now both in a bit of pain... but we are still laughing! ;)
We've had lots of fantastic experiences! Between the 2 days of cars being grounded and the superbowl being yesterday, the work was hindered a bit, but we have been able to see miracles nonetheless! We asked Fredi and Itzel if they had thought at all about marriage, and they said that they aren't sure they will be able to make it to their baptism. They said there is something they have to do before they can get married... What that is, I don't know... but we invited them to pray about it and ask heavenly father to help them make it to their baptism. They are amazing.
Candice and Eli are also great! The other day we had what we call our "smackdown" lesson... well... it was going to be a smackdown lesson, but it was more of a clarity lesson. We asked Eli if he has seen any changes lately in his life since we started meeting with him, and he said he hadn't really seen any difference, but he finds himself thinking about the gospel when he's on his own, when he's driving to work and stuff. HUGE! He is making improvements all the time. He also just looks different. Even though he's still hesitant, it seems like there's more of an innocence about him now... He and Candice came to the trail center, and we took them on tour... That was awesome.
speaking of the trail center... don't know if I mentioned this when it happened or not... BUT, we have a new artifact. When elder brewster was here, he tried for his entire mission to get Amy Porter's grave marker in the memorial room. Amy Porter was a woman who died here at WQ, and her grave stone is the last one that is left, because they were all poor materials, so they didn't last long. Anyway, we've had a replica of it for forever, but he spent his whole mission trying to get the real thing in the trail center. Finally, a while back, he got it, and had it sitting locked up in his office for a long time, because we needed a glass case for it, which was taking forever to get here. FINALLY, in his last week here, the glass case came, and on the day he left, he got to see it all set up and situated in the memorial room. It was so important to him, and he was able to see it through! We were so excited to have it.
I had a few embarrassing moments this week aside from the pitiful fall! during the crazy car groundage situation, we really wanted to have some chinese food delivered to us while we worked on some things in our area book. We couldn't find anyone who delivered, so we were sad. the next day we knocked on a man's door who was DEFINITELY not interested. He was a minister. He said he only answered because he thought we were the Chinese delivery man... Immediately my mind went to FOOD mode. "Wait... what? who delivers chinese!?!"..."China Garden." "what?! hey, do you have their number?".... "sure... "... he gave it to us, and I realize now that that was not the most professional situation... but, now I have it in case I find myself bound to the apartment again. Later on, we saw the chinese delivery man, and we tried to GQ him, but he ran away from us... I'm not sure if he was scared or if he just didn't speak english... either way It was awkward.
I do really embarrassing things all the time... I'm not sure how to overcome that... but I have accepted it so I guess I will just try to lessen my moments of awkwardness.
We started teaching a couple from Benin who speak french! Their names are Rickys and Idris. They are awesome... Idris is hilarious. He said to us, "We are so happy to have you here, but next time bring someone who speaks french." We have been working on it.
Candice came to church Yesterday. I was so proud of her. Eli didn't come... again... and I could see the disappointment on her face. She even sat down and started crying when she came in. I just want her to be happy. He will come around, it just may take a little while. I really love that girl, I know she and I will be great friends after my mission!
I had a neat experience in the Trail Center the other day. I was on duty and a guy walked in. He asked if there is a tour here, and I said I would love to take him around the gallery. He was pretty young. He was from Hawaii but just moved to kansas. I asked him if he knew much about the pioneers, and he said he didn't know much. He'd been inactive for a long time. He immediately told me that he felt like he needed to come find the temple, and didn't know there was a visitors center. I have this habit of attracting people who have fallen away. I don't know what it is, but I love to talk to people who have to see how I can help them get back. We went on the tour and he told me lots of things about himself. He was a return missionary. He served in Hong Kong and fell away shortly after. He said last week something just prompted him to go to church, and so he went. And on Saturday he felt like he needed to find the temple. He said he hadn't had those feelings for a long time. It's amazing how people just tell you things. I even mustered the courage to ask him why he fell away, and he told me. I was kind of surprised by this situation. When he walked in, he looked like he was "too cool for school." I even thought he looked a little familiar, but it turned out to be one of the neatest experiences ever. At the end, I told him that there are missionaries out there who are just meant to talk to people just like him, and he gave me his info so I could send missionaries his way. It was really cool. I'll never forget it =)
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