ACCA-scuse me??

Some things never change.......like the fact that I H.A.T.E. going to the dentist. It's just awkward and painful all around. Now try going to the dentist on a mission when you're in the sister missionary bubble…...arms-length from every male...... and in talkaholic mode, trying to spark gospel conversation......

It. Doesn't. Work.

So about 4 months ago I had another one of my old cavity fillings pop out (the SAME day I had the other one filled.......shoot me), and I'd put off going in to get it fixed (ain't nobody got time for that) till it started getting sensitive, so I called up one of our favorite wardies, Bro R--, who happens to be a dentist (in addition to almost as big of a tease as I am), and got an appointment.

I walk into the office on Tuesday morning, and right off the bat, the receptionist calls me Sister Parker. Ok this is weird. Turns out, Bro R--'s done a tooth or two for missionaries in the past and the nurses know the drill:)

I finally get in, get x-rays (hate those too), and then Bro R-- comes in, checks out my massive cavity (the thing was HUGE) and then pulls out the anesthetic needle (and knowing that I'm a pansy when it comes to needles) he starts waving the thing in front of me, squirting and flicking it, and getting a good laugh out of me coming apart in the chair. Sometimes being a tease comes back to bite chya:)

Half way through getting that sucker filled, Bro R-- casually mentions that my companion is waiting in the "massage chair room".....

ACCA-scuse me???

Sure nuff.....I get done with hands, needles, drills, and even freakin LASERS (yea, no joke) in my mouth, to find Sister B chilling in a massage chair waiting for my appointment to be over.....

Gawl…....... some people have it rough.....

So now I'm trying to pump Sister Bishop with candy and sweets so she can end up in Bro R--'s op chair and I can take a turn getting pampered…….#dope. I spent the rest of the day feeling like half my face was going to fall off…..and definitely discovered the far-reaching effects of ibuprofen…… wooooooo….

 That same night we headed over to a near-by park to help out with another community even that the Mundelein Police Dept. had invited us to. We show up, ready to work, and the officer in charge comes up to us and says,

“How good are you at tie dye??”

Oh, ya know…..summer camp champ, right here……

Yea not really. But despite not having a clue what we were doing, we got sent off with 5 buckets to fill with water at the local MCDONALDS downs the street. Luckily, they sent two of their officers with us so it made for the perfectly awkward procession walking down Main. YOLO.

Eventually we got the buckets filled, hauled them back to the park, poured blue and red dye in the water, and set up camp, prepared for the 100 KIDS that were expected to come…..

NBD

We spent the next two hours tying aprons on kids, bobbing for sunk t-shirts in buckets, and getting splattered with purplish water from kids who just happened to wring out their sopping wet shirts…..on my shoes…..

Yea…I’m jake with that….

When we were close to being done, a woman and her kids sat down at one of the tables and recognized my companion’s name tag. She asked, “Oh, Mormons, right? Yea, my husband’s a member of your church…but he doesn’t attend…”

Ya don’t say….

So we obviously start chatting with her, and she tells us that they’re “on-the-side Catholics,” but they welcomed us to stop by and visit their family.   Deal.   She even gave us her number and address and best time to come over. ….even better.

The Lord really does put people in our path when we’re out working and serving. It’s incredible to see how He orchestrates everything, especially when we’re not looking for it. Right time, right place=good stuff.

After the event finished, the officer came up to us, thanked us for our help, and asked, “So, you guys are like nuns in training, right??”  Ehhhhhhhh…….kinda not. We got to explain our role as sister missionaries more, and pulled the whole Mormon card…..oh wait…..we do that every time…..and then told her we’d love to share more about our religion with her.

Lez just say she’s getting a BoM dropped off at her place this week…….#stylin

We also tapped into our genius side (wasn’t sure if we had one previously haha) this this week, plotting what to get our ward mission leader and his wife who both had birthdays on the weekend. We finally came up with the idea of a a CANDY BAR POSTER and went bonkers in Wal-Mart picking out a dozen candy bars.

Yea, we should’ve gone incognito….it totally looked like one of us was going through the WORST breakup e.v.e.r and needed to chocolate spree it out……..awko taco….

Whatever. Turns out, they loved it and had never gotten one before……tragic. Aaaaaand…the elders have yet to one-up us (which they insist they will……who are we kidding;)

Now for the big dawg news……Wonder got baptized on Saturday!!! It was one of the most b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. baptismal services I’ve ever been to!!   6 of her 13 siblings got to attend and they all showed up in their lava lava’s and seeing them all back together was SO sweet!

They sang together at the service one of their traditional Samoan hymns and it BLEW ME AWAY!! They all just glowed, Wonder especially, and the Spirit was so strong!!

I was reminded again just how powerful and unique this gospel is. It brings families together like nothing else. And the blessings that the Lord has in store for us when we embrace the gospel are not bound by time or age.

Those blessings can be ours if we but reach out and accept them.

Being a missionary can be SO hard sometimes. But it’s teaching me to look for and embrace the blessing of the gospel more fully. The Lord always has more to give us, if we but ask in faith, and trust His will.

Keep on keepin on!

Onward and upward,

Sister Anna Parker

the finished product....

<3

towel #7;)

luv me some free stuff....even if it means going to the dentist :P

dentist office haul