On Monday night, we're eating at a members house and when we'd
finished, we asked if there was anything we could do to serve them, especially
since they are leaving for vacation soon. "Anything you need done while
you're gone?" I asked. Their 10 year old son gasps, and says, "DAD!!
They could take our fish for the week!!!"
Ummmmmm.........ehhhhhh........pg. 46, White Handbook........pg
46, White Handbook.....
We kinda awkwardly committed to asking for permission to see if we
could have a pet fish for a week........weirdest service project
I've ever accepted, but hey......
2 days later.......
"Hey Elders (Zone Leaders), we have a REALLY stupid question
to ask you............can we HAVE A FISH??”
After awkwardly explaining our predicament, they basically referred
us to the AP’s. Ok….so that’s not exactly what I wanted
to hear………who wants to call the AP’s about keeping a fish??
4 days later……
“Hey Elder J--- (AP)…….dumb question……can we have a fish??”
More awko taco convo. Luckily, between
laughs he says, “Hold up, I have to tell my companion this….” and then we hear
him and his companion (the other AP) laughing on the other end.
Oh the things we do for members:)
A few minutes later, he comes back on the phone, “Sooooo…..’cause
of white handbook rules, we can’t exactly give permission for that. You should call PRESIDENT on that one.”
Oh. Please. NO.
But what are ya gonna do?? Soooooo…..we pick up the
phone…..AGAIN……and dial President.
“Hey President, so…….we have a really odd
question to ask you…….”
And off we go again, explaining our fish problems.
President just laughed and said, “Alright sisters, here’s what we’ll do. You
can keep the fish for the week…..but if it dies…..just remember (and let the
members know) I warned you it might die;)!”
#notguilty
We just laughed, and agreed. Talk about the weirdest conversation
you’ll EVER have with your mission President. lol! 10
minutes later the AP’s called us, “What’d president say??” We
told them and they just laughed……and then told us, “Yea, well just remember….if
the fish goes belly up….your member trust goes sinking down.”
Thanks, Elders.
Hahaha! Soooo…we should have our little fin in a week or two.
#privlidged #testoftime #justkeepswimming
And because we didn’t get enough fishy business in
for the week, we signed up to help at a community event…..a FISHING
DERBY. Alriiiiiiiiiiiiight. We showed up at 7 am in the
morning, to start hauling tables, taping up signs, organizing materials, (oh,
and getting free volunteer t-shirts…..LOVE those;). It was
hosted by the local police department and hosted at……wait for it……the
near-by catholic seminary that serves over 2500 students wanting to
become catholic ministers, nuns, priests, etc.
Felt a bit outta place, but hey……represent your hood:)
So we kept our tags on (obviously), and between the peals of the
chapel’s bells, struck up gospel conversation with the event’s participants,
EMT’s, police officers, volunteers, and staff. Can’t count how many times
people saw our tags and said, “Oh…..so you’re in training to become a
NUN! That’s wonderful!”
Welllllllllllll….not exactly.
The venue was absolutely breath-taking, though….right on the edge
of a beautiful lake, with long piers stretching out into the lake, and garden
over-looks above the shore. Aaaaaaand……watching families, couples, and friends
out fishing together…..ah! I loved it…..(and have never wanted to fish more in
my life!) haha!
By the end of our time there, we’d found two people to
meet with and then got asked to help out at the next MPD
service night in August.
#score
We also went by this week to say goodbye to YUNG!!! I
know!! It just about broke my heart!!! Because of her age and health,
her family has decided to bring her back to Taiwan to die there, with family
around her. When we came by, she had family friends over who were also saying
their goodbyes. The daughter, pulled us aside and asked, “So do you know her
life story??”
We confessed that we didn’t and she started into Yung’s past. Get
this….she was a SPY FOR CHINA! Little 4’ 2” Grandma
Yung was a legit S.P.Y. We just stood their floored while
this woman tells us that Yung and her family were thrown in jail like 60-odd
years ago back in China during their civil war, but when one of the jail guards
saw Yung in prison, he stated that she was “too pretty to be in
jail” and they released her, on the basis that she’d work as a spy
for their army. Her role was to find out who in China were spies from other
countries.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat???!!
And you think you know people………………..
Crazy. SO crazy. We just stood their dumb-founded, and shooting
looks back and forth at Yung and each other. Well…..it’s true then…..you
learn something new every day!
We got to sit down with Yung for a few minutes, and told her we’d
miss her and loved her, and she quietly responded, “I’ll see you
again……I’ll see you again…..” pointing her small finger towards us
and squinting her eyes together in a sweet smile.
Annnnnnd…….that’s when I lost it. I
legit cried saying goodbye to her. But what she said was true….I will
see her again! Whether in this life or the next, we will be together
again! I’ve never been so grateful for the knowledge! And Yung has good things
in store for her when she reaches the other side…..I’m convinced!!! It was
hard, but good knowing that Yung will be back in her own country with family
for the last months of her life!
On Saturday, we went over to an investigator’s house to do service
for 5 hours! We shampooed carpets, vacuumed, cleaned, and re-arranged
rooms, and it was FANTASTIC. I absolutely LOVE doing service for investigators.
It’s such a perfect opportunity to live your religion and show others that we
truly care! Afterwards, we got to share a message with them, and they opened up
to us about their difficulties. I’m a believer…….service is
the way to anyone’s heart!
I found myself on the opposite end of that equation this week,
when we showed up to Missionary Correlation Meeting. (oh…and btw….James just
got his first calling…..he’s the newest WARD MISSIONARY!!!!
Ah!! SO stoked! He’s the perfect addition to the
team;) Anyways…….so we’re walking up to our ward mission leader’s house, and
James tells me he has something for me.
He goes to the car, and comes back with a bag, smiling, saying, “I
was in the mall, and when I saw this, I thought of you…..and it’s just your
size.”
Ok….now I’m D.Y.I.N.G. cause I’m pretty sure I
know what it is……
YEP. He legit went out and got me a RUGBY BALL ‘cause
he knew I’d been trying to find one for f.o.r.e.v.e.r. now!!! OMG!!! Coolest.
Convert. EVER.!! Hahaha! Sometimes, stuff like that means the WORLD to you as a
missionary….and it totally came on one of those days when I needed it!!!
We’ve decided to keep James around….at least a little longer:) lol
Ok…so to wrap up…..last night, we went over to one of our
recent-convert’s houses, to visit with two of his friends that were over to
watch the world cup (don’t ask……..#teamgermany:). We got to talking and
our conversation started getting quite intense fast.
They opened up to us about difficulties they were facing, and how
they didn’t believe that God would allow bad things like that to happen, and
how not everything good in this life could be accredited to God. Hearing them
contend with us like that, broke. my. heart. It’s tough. As a
missionary, we often get the reaction, “you’re only 19 or 20…how could
you possibly know what I’m going through” or “you’ve been taught this
your whole life….it’s just a brain-washed ideal for you” or
“you’re so young…what could you’ve possibly been through in your life that
could even compare with the trials I’m facing right now.”
Honestly….it’s true.
I don’t know how to solve all your problems. I don’t know where
I’d be if I hadn’t been raised Mormon. I don’t know don’t know how to relate to
you in every way.
But this I DO KNOW….that God is real. He loves
each of His children individually. He cares about us. And that is why we have a
Savior. He knows our pain. He knows our weakness. He knows what we’re going
through. And His arm is ALWAYS extended to us if we will but take it, and be
led by Him.
I don’t know everything, but like Elder Anderson said, “I
know enough!” Yea, we walked out of that lesson feeling belittled
and mocked, tried and shot, but I felt my testimony burning even
stronger in me! These confrontational conversations coming from people,
have seemed to be hitting us right and left over the past two weeks….but
honestly, it hasn’t changed my opinion of this church, of God, or of this
work, one bit.
If nothing else, it’s reminded me how precious the
knowledge of the restoration of God’s truth is to me.Everyone needs
it. And it is readily available to ALL!! I told one of
the investigators last night, “All we want to do is place this truth in your
hands, and let you decided what to do with it! Try it….give it a chance! It
brings peace and happiness, and answers to your questions.”
And just as I promised him then, I believe it still now: IT WILL
CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!!!
Onward and upward!!
Sister Anna Parker
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| Saying goodbye to my Chinese grandma:( |
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| #ballersgottaball #meetmyconvert:) |
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| #selfiesunday |
