Me: "Would you guys be interested in learning more about your family history, where your ancestors are from, etc.?"
Woman: "Heh, from what I know about my family, I don't think I'd like to know where the rest of them came from."
Mmmmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Welp, that's the hood of Chicago for ya......... #realdeal
Aaaaaaaannnnnnddddd....our adventure pick of the week was........MAN CAVE TRACTING. We showed up to a street we felt good about, started knocking doors, and as the pavement dragged on, the houses started getting more and more sketch. Padlocks on doors, pit bulls on guard, and boarded up windows.
MAN CAVES.
Oooooooo hooo hooo. Get some! We got all the reactions as we knocked on those doors. The usual: introduce who we are, detect the unbroken stare and slick smile as the wrong type of interest, aaaaaaand.....walk away. Fast. We also got the one random white guy who did everything in his power to brush of the involuntary doorknob grab-and-slam reaction after we said who we were. And then he brushed us off. And last, but not least, we got the sweet Africa American women who were touched by the glimpse we gave them of the gospel message, and who agree to let us come back.
[insert fist pump]
Ahhhhhh! Tracting............It's a joy.
We also were graced by the public safety department of Glencoe this week: 2 PARKING TICKETS. Oh and get this, we got them the s.a.m.e. d.a.y.! What is this? Soooooo.....we come out to our car in the morning to find one tucked nicely behind the other......color coordinated yellow and red too. Presh.
GIVE ME A BREAK.
Luckily, we're getting reimbursed by the mission for them, since we don't have parking access yet, but......still. I'm single-handedly keeping the state of IL outta bankruptcy with my parking tickets. #ideserveaplaque
Mana does come from heaven, though. Work hard and blessings come in all shapes and sizes........like the size of old snow-soaked dollar bills lying in the middle of the road on the way to an appointment the same day you get two parking tickets. Oh ho....yea, those blessings.
#truestory
After a lengthy debate over what to do with the found $20, we finally decided to place a call to the top jock, Elder (aka grandpa) Taggart to beg some advice. Result:
TAKE AND THANK. Take the miracle, thank for the blessing.
God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, He decides to lessen the sting of consequences brought on by stupid mistakes. Love it when He does that:) #feelinblessed
We've been at work, trying to find more people to teach too. With a non-progressing teaching pool, we're doing all we can to find the "elect." One night, while handing out fliers for an upcoming event, we found a woman who'd already decided she wanted to attend when she saw the invitation elsewhere a week or so ago. Right before we were about to leave her door, I asked, "Do you know of anyone else who would like an invitation as well?"
5 minutes later: 5 REFERRALS!!!!!
That's a record for us!! Geez laweez! Blessings also come when you follow the spirit and ASK FOR REFERRALS FROM EVERYONE! I read that somewhere:)
Satan's also been out to stop us, though. One day, after Sis Teare had been faithfully calling former investigators to request visits again, we got a phone call back from a misdialed number. The woman on the other end......lezzzzzzz just say.......lashed out irrationally (where's Neil when I need him?:). She basically threatened to report us, harassed us with phone calls and voicemail messages, and told us that if we were truly who we said we were (young 20 year old girls hundreds of miles away from home just trying to share a message about Jesus Christ) that we should go back home before our lives were made miserable by her.
YIKES.
It left us feeling kinda beat down and uneasy. It's tough listening to someone tell you that you're a liar, and that you should give up serving a cause you know to be right. I do believe that Satan was trying to discourage us from working hard and searching out it those who DO need and want us.
Ain't gonna happen:) Back out to work we go!!
Our weekly highlights included seeing Abass get the priesthood, serving ward members, and handing out rice crispy treats to two homeless guys on the side of the road.
Unplanned acts of kindness, anyone?? Hahaha!
Our laughs for the week included spotting a POLICE MINI VAN (lamest. idea. ever. Like which officer wants to drive that?? It's probably a punishment the police department invested in....."Mike, ya didn't bring in enough traffic citations this week......you're on mini van duty." Hahaha!), getting asked by an employee of Sports Authority, "Sister Parker? What store is that?" (Awwwwwkwwwwward), and playing the part of greased pig around male investigators who want a hug.
#lifeofasismish
Gotta love it.
Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnddddddd nowwwwww......the weekly bit of booster:
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace it!
Sometimes life is a breeze, a downhill jog and the going is good. Sometimes it's tough, a steep pitch under the blistering sun. But, life's not just about the finish line, it's about the journey along the way. Pace yourself!
Don't burn yourself out or tear yourself down when you can't seem to match up to your past (or even your future) PR! Every experienced athlete knows that pacing is one of the most crucial skills to learn in any long-distance event.
A mission is a mini life crammed into 18 months. Same thing, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes you can give it everything you've got. Other times, The Lord says, "Hold up, regroup and refuel."
Focus on where you're at right now. What is the best you CAN and SHOULD give NOW? If it's your all-time best, go for it! Take it on! And don't let the opportunity pass you by! If NOT, rein in. Let the unimportant go. Face the pace and breath deep. Conserve energy and trust that the view at the top will be worth the wait.
Ok, ok, so I'll cut the preaching......and let Paul do the rest:) "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
KEEP CALM and PACE ON.
Onward and upward!
Sister Anna Parker
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| See, I'm not the only one who says it:) |
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| If ya follow me on FB, you know what this is:) Embrace who you are!!! |
