Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Car Accidents, Creeps, and Awkward Convos



We have a less-active we're working with who we keep trying to get to church, read scriptures, fulfill a calling, etc. and this week we wanted to either give HIM a good laugh, OR.......we wanted to see if he's actually reading the assignments we give him....SO.....our text convo goes something like this....:

Us: Hey Bro P--! Are you coming to church on Sunday?
Bro P: Maybe
Us: Well, we'd love to see you there! Oh, and here's a scripture we thought you'd like, 1 Nephi 2:15. Let us know what you think!


[STOP here and go read 1 Nephi 2:15]

Bro P: Nice :)
Us: Did you read it? ;)
Bro P: No not, yet. But I will

Bro P (five minutes later): That's a good one...I recall a conference talk on that not too long ago.

FAIL.......F-A-I-L.

Well....now we know he doesn't do his reading.  Great......Gotta love them less-actives;)



I should mention………….Sis Bishop got us in a car accident this week. NBD. On a P-day. She looked over at me at a stop light....AND pressed on the gas at the same time. Too bad there was a truck in front of us;) Love that girl!  Luckily, it wasn't too bad....just a fender bender that ripped our license plate off and gave me chest pains for an hour afterwards....BUT on the good side....the guy she hit, didn't care about the minor damage to his car, so he waved us off with, "Oh I don't care as long as you guys are ok!"

What. a. gem.

Aaaaaaaaaand he had a s.i.c.k. mustache too....like handelbar status. #swag:) He was SO nice to us......and so was Elder Taggart (the office elder who manages the cars;)….Were going into the shop soon......

We got a phone call this week telling us that Yung had had a fall and is in a care facility, recovering from a minor surgery:( She's apparently going to be back home as soon as they can work out a care plan for her where she can have someone with her 24/7. Until then....she asked HER church members to call US to have us come water her roses and care for her garden till she gets home. #feelingneeded #mormonstatus #winnerwinnerchickendinner    hahaha!

Aaaaaaannnnddddd......the "Boys Across the Street" saga continues....we've met with one and then another, sometimes two and sometimes three of them...off and on this week. Unfortunately, none of them came to church this week, but we're pretty sure if we can get one, we'll get them all;) New mormon message maybe?? That's what we're shooting for;) hahaha!

One of them, we're trying to get interested in the church vs. the state.....(A.K.A the gospel versus the girl teaching the gospel:) hahaha.....it's uh.....interesting;) Boys....they're crazy:)

We've also been teaching a guy from RUSSIA!!! Joseph....you should be proud;) His name is Lev and he brought his friend Stan with him. We're starting to teach them English at the church building once a week......it's always an party;) This week...we were a bit scatter-brained because neither of us have ever taught English, and so we're newbies with no idea what we're doing. They enjoyed the lesson, though, and want to come back....good sign I'm assuming;) haha!

Lev wants to learn more idioms…..(I’m now trying to separate Twitter idioms from English idioms;)…..especially the one, “Speaking of the devil!”

He tells us, “Why you say that? Why call me a devil!? I not the devil! You Americans….no make sense. Strange….strange.”

He’s gotta point……

Afterwards, we took them on a tour of the church building, and ended up in the chapel. When they saw the organ and the piano, the “Oooo's” and “ahhhh's” came flowing......as did the many stories of pipe organs and angelic choirs of Europe. Aaaaannnddd...then....of course......the question we were dreading, "You have a choir, right?"


Uhhhhh...yes.....BUT....I don't think it's exactly what you think it is. We ain't no Monteverdi. Or even Mo-Tab for that reason. ]



SO...divert their attention……and instead...we took them up on the stand, I flipped on the organ, and began to play. Soon Sis Bishop and I started to sing, "Nearer My God To Thee" and the spirit FILLED the room. It was p.o.w.e.r.f.u.l. They stood there quietly, and just listened. Afterwards, the first thing they said was,

"When does church start on Sunday? What should we wear? Can we listen to the scriptures being read in English? Where should we sit? Does your congregation do donations?"

Ah!!! It was amazing! And I gained a testimony of the power of hymns and music to touch hearts!!! (And...those organ lessons....turns out....maybe.....sorta.....kinda.....payed off:) haha!

We've resorted to doing service for investigators we have a hard time meeting with. It gets us in faster…..oddly enough;) Sooooo……how bout walking their dogs??  Shrup. Oh, and come to find, it's a great conversation starter too while you're passing other dog-walkers;) #strategy.

But then, there always comes the questions from members on Sunday, "Sisters.....were you by chance walking a large German Shepherd down Main St on Friday??" 


Weeeeeeell .......here's the thing......:) Hey, at least we're getting noticed now....


I'm still teaching deaf friends online....skpying and having a blast! It's amazing to see the Lord blessing me as I pick up the language more and more. The gift of tongues should have a sub-label of the gift of hands;) hahaha! #nerdalert;) lol



Saturday morning, I had my first "Time to get out of this lesson.....NOW" experience.

We dropped by to visit an investigator and soon after we sat down, we asked her what she wanted out of life. She told us she wanted independence....the type that would come from "massive wealth" and “being subject to no one."  We went with it, but eventually, I started getting really uneasy….like we needed to back out ASAP.  We started wrapping up, and got on the topic of inviting her to church. She got very quite, and almost zoned out when we asked her if she wanted to attend. Eventually, she told us firmly "No." After asking her why, she literally hissed, "No. No. I don't trust anyone. I can't trust people....I've been let down too much, especially those who are so-called Christians."

As soon as she said that, I was hit by a wave of darkness. It's the most disturbing feeling you will E.V.E.R. get. It was absolutely chilling. All I was waiting for was eye contact with my companion before tailing it to the door. In desperation, I began praying, asking for the spirit to come back into my heart and mind.

In my mind, the words came, "Focus your thoughts on me. Testify and then leave."

Immediately, I imagined the Savior. And immediately, that light was restored in my heart. I felt filled with the conviction that the power of God was greater than the power of the devil. I opened my mouth and testified that all things are possible through God, and that His power is second to none. I told her I knew that God was real, and that the gospel was true. Immediately, the darkness in my mind began to leave.

I've never walked taller.

It was a haunting experience, yea, but I left that lesson, knowing that the power of God FAR outweighs the power of the adversary. I KNOW that the only way to true satisfaction and happiness is through Jesus Christ. He truly is the Light.  I felt that!

His power will always be greater, and when we side with Him, we side with victory. We’re on the winning team, and no one and nothing can stop this work. Don’t let anything stop your testimony from growing either! That light and happiness cannot be found anywhere but in this gospel and in Jesus Christ!!!


The Church is so true, I can’t even believe it!:)




 Onward and upward,


Sister Anna Parker