Week 41--2 Nephi 25:23

Hey Loved Ones!

This week was kind of hard. We had a lot of things fall through--just about every other planned appointment--and lost some investigators along the way. Plus, it was very very cold and I am a reptile. But I feel like the low moments are when you really learn the most about God's grace!

Sunday, I had probably hit the end of my rope the day before. Members were coming up to us before sacrament meeting started and asking us who we were planning on having at church today, and how they could help make them more comfortable. They are THE BEST in this ward about it. And it was only then I realized how many people confirmed they were coming to church! Every single person who committed to come to church did, and some less-active members of the ward we were working on came too! We actually hit an all-time high for my mission of investigators at church, and when we tallied up our lessons at the end of the week, we hit an all-time high for lessons with members there! I could not believe it!

As I looked back on the week, in spite of the hard stuff, there is so much that God has done I need to be grateful for. Derika's heart has opened up so much. We love her and are planning on seeing her for short lessons every day this week! We wish we could just have sleepovers over there! We're going to extend the invitation to be baptized again, so pray that the Spirit works on her to work to that goal. Also, the Linders are so immersed in the ward. They are working hard on progressing, and they have told us multiple times they have a spare bedroom they want us to move into haha.

Also, a cool story: Sister Forseth has seen this guy Chip around Columbus for almost the past 6 months. Just everywhere! She taught him a lesson initially but he wasn't interested. He was also homeless at the time. But a week ago she saw him again and invited him to church, again. He said yes and has been to church two Sundays in a row! I feel like he knows more of the ward members than I do. He we hope will also commit to a baptism date as well this week, as he wants to!

At the end of the day, I'm so thankful for the miracles God has done. I work my hardest, and the Lord makes up the rest. Even when I feel like my best isn't good enough, "When I am weak I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10.) And on my own, even my best isn't good enough, but that's the beauty of grace: "For we labor diligently...to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Love you, But Jesus Loves you BEST!

Sister Pugmire

Here's a pic:

Walking through a graveyard in the snow...creepy!

In matching PJ's a member gifted to us! The pic turned out super orange. Call us Snooki and JWoww.

Week 40--Alma 5:26

Hey Loved Ones!

THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN AS A MISSIONARY:

#31: Meet someone so excited for baptism. "If I got baptized a Mormon, I would celebrate. With alcohol."

This week was a miracle with the Linder family. We met with them for dinner and as always the conversation turned to the Gospel. They bring up eternal marriage EVERY TIME. Sister Linder, who is the only member of her family and has been less-active since a couple months after she was baptized, decades ago) brought up concerns she had with the Word of Wisdom. She said it had never made sense to her, since she has "never taken to drunkenness and Jesus drank wine and coffee is actually healthy and" blah blah blah. We read the WoW together, especially the part about "adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all," and bore our testimonies and explained the blessings of living this law exactly, and that the blessings are much more than temporal. I happened to have a WoW pamphlet in my purse (which I never do--miracle) and committed her to read it.

When we came back, she said she read it and it clicked for the first time. All of the things we had said, she was saying in her own words. The Spirit really convinced her. Conversion really happens in between visits! When we asked them their NYE plans, Brother Linder said, "You're welcome to come over. But we will be having champagne." "No, we won't!" says Sister Linder. "Well, we're not having champagne!" says Brother Linder. Sunday morning they came to church and said it was the first time in 25+ years they hadn't had drinks for NYE together. "And still working on the coffee!" she said.

Just them being at church the morning after NYE was amazing! When we first talked to Sister Linder and invited her back to church, she said, "Well here's my issue. That would involve me waking up Sunday morning." And here she is bright and early the day after the holiday where ya stay up all night. They are giving themselves their own commitments, like participating in "exploratory classes" (Sunday School haha), meeting the Bishop, and finding their scriptures. "You know," said Sister Linder, "Since you girls started coming over this is the first time in our marriage we have really sat down and talked about faith in God."

This is just a few of the many examples in their efforts to repent. All of their efforts are based on coming closer to Christ. It's amazing to have a front row seat!

They are surrounding themselves with people who have similar goals as well. All their friends at work who are LDS they have really clicked with, and one of Sister Linder's friends is working for a temple marriage too, and encourage each other! They really are converting themselves. One things that touched my heart this week was when we asked Brother Linder if he has a testimony of the Book of Mormon. "Before I even knew what Mormons were," he said. He is praying about baptism this week. They both are working on their son too!

There is no better way to bring in the New Year than seeing people making the changes that only true repentance can bring.

This hymn comes to mind: Still let us be doing, our lessons reviewing, Which God has revealed for our walk in his way; And then, wondrous story, the Lord in his glory Will come in his pow'r in the beautiful day. Beautiful day of peace and rest, Bright be thy dawn from east to west. Hail to thine earliest welcome ray, Beautiful, bright, millennial day.

And the longest, but one of the best chapters in the Book of Mormon, Alma 5, which to me is the perfect chapter for a New Years Resolution: "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

I love you all!

But Jesus loves you best (;

Sister Pugmire

Week 39--Pics!

Me riding a reindeer! Harder than it looks

Standing in for the "I" in "Indy." My favorite part of going to Zone Conferences is having to drive back through Indy!

At this super rad old fashioned Ice cream parlour called Zaharakos!

Hope you all enjoyed the #LighttheWorld Christmas countdown!

​​

Week 39--Luke 2

Hey Loved Ones,

Merry Christmas! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday spent with loved ones. Sister Forseth and I have had a great time. We keep getting closer and find more and more in common! We found out we have the same PIN number. The chances for that are one in 10,000. That means there are 7 missionaries in the world with that PIN, and two of them happen to be best friends and companions! And for those of you who knew me when I was 12 and got my electronic FurReal cat  named Angel Princess, she got the exact same toy for Christmas the same year!

The 'Fourth Floor, Last Door' approach has worked wonders this week. I'm learning to rely more on the arm of God rather than man's understanding. We had plans this week to go visit a member of the congregation who is less-active, who we both love. But we both got the prompting to tract a street near her. We were conflicted, because we would rather have seen the Sister, and we worried it would be less effective. We made a goal to tract the street until we talked to five people, and if all five of them rejected us without teaching, we would leave. The fifth person who answered was a minister's son. The Spirit lead us on kind of a strange tangent of conversation, and we uncovered that he had never understood the second coming of Christ. It was amazing to uncover a spiritual thirst like that. Then ext door, we had another family become new investigators when we told the story of the Restoration of the Gospel, and the father said, "You know, I think we are on exactly the same page with these beliefs."

There are also a lot of Spanish people in Columbus! I'm getting a little practice but also realizing how little I know. We are teaching Yrben and Jessica's family. They are so spiritually attune. They were really rocked when Isaiah's testimony started to crumble, as they are neighbors, but they have made a strong bond with our Ward Mission Leader, who saved the day with his testimony...he also helps us translate. It's amazing to see their faces light up when they read a passage of the Book of Mormon in Spanish.

We also teach the Flores family. They fed us last night, and we got to eat cactus and homemade corn tortillas. Yummy! Their cousins were there too, and expressed how they had heard good things about of church from the Flores', and wanted their son to start coming!

Family is so important. I've struggled to find complete families to teach my whole mission, but here in Columbus that prayer has been answered. This week I was touched as we got to know the Thomas family in the congregation, who pointed out that Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, and could have come to earth in any manner, but came in a family, just like the rest of us. This passage from Luke 2, just past the Nativity Story, stood out to me: 

"And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company...found him not [and] they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, and they were both hearing him, and asking him questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?"

When we go "about our Father's business," we draw closer together as a family. Our bonds are strengthened, trials diminish or become easier to bear, and we are blessed with the Spirit in our home. I've been so blessed to have a family that has taught me in this way. I know it's possible for each of us.

Love you, but Jesus loves. you. best!

Sister Pugmire

Week 38--1 Nephi 11:17

Hey 'd 's,

Merry Christmas!  I think this Christmas has been filled with some of the brightest joy I've felt as we've sought to share the reason Christ came into the world with all those we meet--His wonderful Gospel. We've also had some incredible opportunities to serve, and it has been so humbling.

I think I'm coming to understand joy more and more. I never thought I could have so much fun on a mission, and I feel a peace that I can't describe even amidst sorrows I didn't expect.

Isaiah was supposed to be baptized this week. But in a few short days everything changed and now we've lost him. That actually happened with a few people this week, and it hurts to lose investigators as much as true friends.

But I think that peace comes from doing everything I know how, and then giving the offering to the Lord.

I'm so grateful for my companion! We've had so much fun! And I've never met someone so dialed into the Spirit! There are so many times where we will feel prompted to go to a street, knock on the first door and meet someone who is so ready. Or be in a grocery store or walking, and see someone and instantly it seems my companion knows their need for the Plan of Salvation--later to find out he recently lost his father and feels responsible. 

I feel my testimony has grown of the Lord consecrating things for our gain. One evening we found nothing was going as planned, but right before we turned back we felt the Lord wanted us right where we were. We picked one particular door on the street that caught both our eyes. We asked if we could sing a Christmas carol, and this family (the Jarnigan family) let us in immediately and said their best friends were in our church and always wondered what made us different. We talked for almost an hour about the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was so strong. We forgot to even sing a carol haha! But, when we asked for a return appointment they didn't give us one, and said they were very strong as lifelong members of their own church. We were disappointed.

Later, I had to go to the pharmacy to get some medication because I hadn't been feeling well. I was pretty ticked that I had been feeling unwell in the first place, actually. But the mission doctor who prescribed me happened to be one of the members who the Jarnigans mentioned they were friends with. I told her off hand what good things the Jarnigans had said about them. She said what a coincidence it was that Mr. Jarnigan worked as the pharmacy's head manager. When I picked up my medicine, I asked by chance if Mr. Jarnigan worked there. The lady said yes, and insisted on getting him--I thought that was odd. But he came out and said he was so glad to see us, and he'd been thinking about us, and wanted to let us know he wanted us to come over and teach his family every week!

Everything happens for a reason. That reason is that He loves us.

"And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down ...And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that...the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!"

Merry Christmas! And if you get the chance, listen to Michael McClean's "Forgotten Carols." I'm missing that this year!

Love ya, but Jesus loves ya best,

Sister Pugmire

Week 37 pics

Sister Forseth's pics since I can't hold a camera to save my life:

We stopped by the big roundabout thing on the way from transfers to Columbus!

Here we are holding hands with the nutcrackers.

We went on a hike Thanksgiving Day since we couldn't proselyte! We found a hole in a tree.

I sat inside of it.

There's this huge forest next to our apartment. It's so fun to hike in!

Week 36--Pressed down, shaken together, running over

Hey Loved Ones!

Things I never thought would happen as a missionary #26 & 27:

• Learn about the eleventh gift of the Spirit, "drunk radar." This one Elder  said to me, totally serious, "Since I've been a missionary, I've developed a really good drunk radar. The Spirit just tells you." He points, "See those people sitting at that bar over there? Drunk, drunk, drunk, drunk, drunk, drunk, drunk."
• Hear someone ask the Lord to bless the food like this: Sister Estes in the ward is so funny and always tries new recipes: "I made you all a turkey roast! Hope it's good!" *mumbles* "O, Sweet Jesus, don't let it be burned..."

I seriously love serving in the Carmel Ward! It is seriously the most solid ward in the entire mission! I'm so positive. The ward members are so loving and supportive! There is a scripture that has stuck out to my mind this week, and I feel that the ward is seriously exemplifying that. It cracked me up because in Missionary Coordination Meeting we were talking about a member of the congregation who has been talking about moving apartments for years (because they "hate everyone in the ward") but will never actually do it. They wanted one of the real estate agents in the ward to do it for them haha! The Realtor in the ward said, "To be honest, it's going to be a complete waste of time. He is never going to move, and if he does I don't know why he wants to have me do it because there is no equity in apartments. But I'd be happy to waste my time with him, if it would make him happy."

The scripture is Luke 6:34-38:

"And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

Love you, but Jesus loves you BEST!

Sister Pugmire

Week 35--Alma 32:1-16

Hey Loved Ones!

Things I never thought would happen as a missionary #25:

• Get a hug tracting: The door opens, and this little boy runs out and gives me the biggest hug! And he doesn't let go! I wondered if he thought I was someone else, but no. He just wanted a hug. Kinda made my day.

I just wanted to share another experience. This has nothing to do with anything, but it has become one of the most cherished memories of my mission...I'm not sure why. We were following up with an online referral: Someone in Indianapolis wanted a free Bible delivered. This was in a different part of town, not even sure it was in our area, but it was assignment given to us. We got there and it was probably the most dangerous part of Indy I've ever been to. Really low income, kind of scary. We knocked to deliver, and had a seriously weird exchange. Long story, the person didn't end up wanting the Bible after all. So we left. On the way back to the car, there was a boy kind of dressed shabby riding a scooter. Sister Soresen said hi because she is the most friendly person ever, even though she was just as anxious to leave as I was. He said hello back, and asked what we were doing. We told him we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ. He said his name was Obadiah. "Obadiah! Well your name is in the Bible. Have you read the Bible?" "No." "Well would you like one?" There was a Bible in the back of the car, dog-eared and had the cover bent a bit so we probably couldn't give it to a referral anyway, so we gave it to him. "Wow! Thanks!" I also noticed some pictures that we normally use in lessons that were a bit faded, so I gave those to him too. "Really?!?! All these for me?" He was so sincerely excited by something that we otherwise would not have used. We gave him all the extra pictures we had in the car. He went away saying, "I'm going to take good care of these!!!"

For me that was profound. He cherished that Bible probably more than almost anyone I've met. I've met rich people, I've met poor people. And Alma was right when he said, " And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance..." But ultimately, what it comes down to is what he said next, "And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?" That kid exemplified that for me.

We haven't seen him since. Wouldn't know where to find him or his family. Wish I would have given him a Book of Mormon too. And he may very well forget the day he met missionaries form the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I won't ever forget.

Love you, but Jesus loves you best!

Sister Pugmire

Week 34--Mark 1:17

Hey Loved Ones!

We've had a bit of a crazy week. The ward gave us a "Member Unknown" list...either people who had moved in recently or whom the ward had not really ever been able to contact! So we spent this week doing some detective work trying to bring people back to the fold! Having an invitation for the ward Halloween party with a chili-cook off and dessert bar doesn't hurt either.  There were some interesting experiences...but here's one that sticks out.

While trying to track down one sister named Brogan, we came to her house and discovered it vacant. We knocked on the neighbor's doors trying to find where she might have gone. They all said the family had left suddenly. Then on one of the neighbor's lawns, I saw a sign that said "FREE KITTENS."  I didn't really think that they would know where Brogan went. But I wanted to pet the free kittens. Sure enough when we knocked, the woman who opened the door, Anna, had no clue, but she showed me her kittens! We got talking, and when she found out what church we were from she told us she went to the Temple Open House! She was SO emphatic on how much she loved it, and just adored being there, but said that she herself "just wasn't a church going type of girl." I had a feeling that it was because she didn't feel good enough, so I invited her to the ward Halloween party. She was so touched that we had invited her! She mentioned the friends who had brought her to the Open House, the Hollinbaughs, and said they were probably going too. I didn't bother to tell her they were actually in Fishers Ward, and told her to call them and see! (You may think the missionaries don't know who you are...we do)

We had another address on our list where Brogan might be, so we drove straight there after our time with the kitties. No answer. We were turning around to leave when a lady shouted, "Hey! Who are you? Where are you from?" It turned out the lady was Brogan's mom, and she was able to give us her new address! It was a miracle to me, because her mom was JUST getting home, and if we had not heeded the prompting to play with kitties we would have missed her by a few short minutes!

When we got home I called the Hollinbaugh's number and told them about our exchange with Anna. They were shocked. "She came to the Open House and seemed to like it, but afterward she never ended up meeting with missionaries and we never really talked about it again. We thought she wasn't interested. We thought she was just being polite."

I had a Zone Leader who called this the "Utah-Idaho Syndrome." This mostly happens in areas where the Church is more well-known, but I've noticed it here a ton too. People assume because people have had contact with the Church or know about it, if they were interested they would already meet with missionaries or come to church or something. But sometimes, all it takes is an invitation to make someone feel worthwhile.

Preach My Gospel states in Chapter 11, "People will not likely change unless they are invited to do so." Jesus knew this and demonstrated this so perfectly. His invitations were clear and impossible to miss. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Even when faced with heavy sins, such as the woman taken in adultery, he gave her a simple invitation: "Go and sin no more." He never demanded people change, he simply loved them and served them, and had compassion on them, which for them was life-changing. You have no idea how many people have never felt, or never learned to recognize, the Spirit of God or what His love feels like in their whole life, but it's something that people will feel when they speak with His followers. Remember that. 

And I love you, but Jesus loves you best!

Sister Pugmire

Week 33--Believe in the Redemption of Christ

Hey Loved Ones,

Before this week I basically hated exchanges. They were almost never fun.  But this week I had the best exchange I've ever had this week with Sister Williams!  It was especially cool because a year ago, she was a trainee and then a trainer in Carmel. Something felt "off" about the plans that we had made that morning, so we went to visit someone that she had in mind, Sue. At the time Sister Williams suggested Sue, I had no recollection of her. But the minute she opened the door, I recalled that I had talked with Sue several times on the phone before, and she invited us back after her trip was done with, which she said she would be getting back from the first week of November! BUT as fate would have it, she had gotten back from Switzerland literally the night before.  I remembered so vividly how excited I was to meet Sue, and had written down the date she was supposed to be back. It was the most massive stupor of thought I've ever experienced,which was a huge blessing because otherwise I probably would have told Sister Williams Sue was out of town. Sue was very touched to see Sister Williams again, and said she really wanted to "get serious" about investigating the Gospel, and make it a regular thing! Um, can do, Sue!

We also decided to tract, because I secretly like tracting  and we don't do it hardly ever because 10% of doors actually open for us, and 0% listen, which yields 0 new investigators. We went to a pretty affluent neighborhood that Sister Williams said had never been tracted. The last door we knocked on a lady named Suzanne answered, invited us in, and said she had been fascinated by the temple when it opened, but said she never knew anyone who could teach her more. She also said she has a group of 11 ladies that do a Bible study at her house who are interested in our faith as as well. She asked us to come teach her group!  What. Just. Happened.

I had another cool experience this week. Sometimes you don't get to see the Spirit working through you, but sometimes you do. We went to visit a less-active who had just had surgery with her visiting teacher Sister Markham. The love Sister Markham has for her is incredible, and she talked the entire drive about how strong her faith is even though she doens't make it to church much. We had a nice visit, and as we got ready to leave Sister Sorensen said, "Sister Pugmire has a scripture thought for you!" I had nothing in my brain. But as I skimmed my scriptures and heard a whipser say "Alma 15." I had no idea what that chapter might be. It turned out to be the passage where Zeezrom is sick and can't walk, and Alma tells him his faith will heal not only his body but spirit, which will lead to salvation. It was so PERFECT because it related to her knee surgery so well! Small miracle but, it meant a lot to me.

 " And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?  And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught. And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed. And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words. And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ. And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom."

And again, I love you, but Jesus loves ya best.

Sister Pugmire

Week 32--Full Purpose of Heart

Dear Loved Ones,

This week was transfers. Sister Sorensen and I are staying together whoo! But incidentally, out of fifteen other companionships in the zone, the missionaries in our ward are the only ones to not change. There was a lot of shuffling around, and a lot of the missionaries were asking about Tiffany! I didn't realize how many of them had been able to teach her briefly.

But even though she's been learning for a while, Tiffany's first time at church was this Sunday! She really would not have come if it were not for Sister Switzer. She is the pro-level MVP of missionary work in the ward.  in our lesson with Tiffany she extended invitations to come to church, and got her phone number, and then offered to pick her up for church! I wish this would happen in every lesson with every investigator!!! Sometimes we could ask a member explicitly and they would forget or not do it, and Sister Switzer did it without being asked! When we came into the chapel, Tiffany had already met the Bishop and was chatting away with the Switzers. Everyone thought they were family. And she wasn't planning on staying for second hour, but she did, and really loved it. We got a new Gospel Essentials teacher Brother Garner and the lesson was on the temple.  Which I think some people worry that it's a lot of info for someone, but Brother Garner made it SO simple, and he got ahold of the video they played at the temple open house last year, which was perfect. Tears were shed...it was perfect.

We dropped by on a whim and talked with her this past week. She invited us right in even though this was her work from home day and she is very busy. She said the more she had been thinking about her baptism, the more excited she became. She is SO excited to be a part of this Church, so excited to be a Christian...she is just on fire and wanting to learn about everything! We talked about faith and purity of heart, repentance, and all of the things that she desires which are so righteous...blessings baptism can bring.

It's so cool to see how conversion to the Lord really does happen in between lessons. How when the Spirit of the Lord is present, and ready to be accepted by an open heart, it really does change things. She really has her eye single to the Lord, and wants to follow Him that way. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."

Meanwhile Evelyn and Yihchun are still very stuck on the fact that the Book of Mormon mentions pre-Columbian horses in America.  I think they really want to know the truth, but right now it's frustrating!

Love ya, But Jesus Loves Ya Best

Sister Pugmire

Week 31--Draw Near Unto Me

Hey Loved Ones,

Things I Never Thought Would Happen As A Missionary:

#24: Have a 15-minute phone convo without saying a single word: Calling HQ referrals, and I found one that had no other info other than the name and number of Mrs. Jolley. I called and when I explained why I was calling she became very defensive and started on a 15 minute rant, first off telling me how unprofessional I was and how I had a "weak little voice" and telling me I should pay her for telling me that, because her "professional consultant advice" was so valuable. She then went on to give back-handed compliments to the Church about the temple, and pretty much said she and her donations and her husband's roofing company made the temple possible, and then went on to rip into the Church, saying all this false info and about us being a cult. As soon as she took a breath I took her professional advice, told her we'd never call her again, and hung up. O, the wrath of someone whose money can't buy them into the temple.

I think as a missionary one of the hardest thing has been the feeling of being ignored or avoided. It's a lot easier to deal with outright rejection, like in the case of Mrs. Not-So-Jolley, but it's a lot harder to know what to do when someone says they are interested, and you can tell they felt the Spirit, and then ignores you until the Second Coming. But this week made it worth it.

Like Sammi. I had been trying to contact this former investigator since I got into the area. She always said she would get back to us, or was busy, or so on. Pretty much gave up. But then got an email from my former Sister Training Leader, who also served here. I asked her if she felt there was anyone I could check up on. She said Sam. I just sent a friendly hello text and figured we'd never hear back. The next morning we had a text from Sammi. Her fiance had passed away and she wanted to meet with us again. She was so grateful to have heard from us.

And Jane's family. We knew members of the ward lived at this address, and so one day because we had a lesson with their next door neighbor we decided to pop in and introduce ourselves. They acted kinda of annoyed, and they let us in but only because we were letting the bugs in. We asked if we could share a scripture with them and they said no, too busy. I asked if there was another time we could come and get to know all of their family and they pretty much said they were busy all the time, everyday, always. A few days later we got a text from Jane's dad, asking if we could give him the Elder's number for a service project. The Elders brought it up in ward counsel that in getting to know them, their family started going to another church, but really wanted to come back and have their children baptized. The Elders said they had specifically mentioned that they wanted US to teach their kids.  We tried to contact them, and no reply. Then Sister Priddis found us at church yesterday and said that Jane's dad had been in touch with her, and said he saw us without a car and wanted to lend us bikes (which was a huge miracle because the day before we rode our bikes 15 miles total and because we were sore walked 3 1/2 hours straight.) So we went over, and they were so friendly. He gave us some bikes, and basically said he would like to have a calling to help missionaries find and repair their bikes. He invited us over again to tour their chicken coup! Total change.

And Tiffany. She'd been ignoring us for weeks. We hadn't met since she'd missed her baptismal date. But we met up this weekand she was so excited to see us. She apologized, and said been distraught her mother might pass away a non believer, which could happen any day. We had no idea. But she said, "You girls reach out to me at the times I most need it." Which was a blessing because I felt like we were annoying her. Luckily Sister Sorensen is the moving loving person ever!  She was also discouraged about friends who are non believers or even if they do believe don't live like it. And as she said, she "really wants to hang out with them in Heaven." (Just wait until she hears about the Plan of Salvation!) We offered to go knock on their door and she said, "I think this is what we need to do. We need to hang out more, and be friends. And then when I go to hang out with these people or have lunch or dinner with them, I'll invite you over and be like, 'These are my missionary friends! Deal with it!' And then you can be friends with them." She gets the whole member-missionary work thing  

She also said she was very touched by the last lesson we'd had with her. She was struggling with a few things, like accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet...how could he be a prophet when he was not perfect? I mentioned that I had been bothered by those things too, but I realized prophets weren't perfect, because no one is. I mentioned Abraham and things he did. She said she had been researching it, and had to agree. She said it softened her heart so much, and that she now had no desire to look at websites that are anti-Mormon, and she is "done with mainstream churches." We brought Sister Switzer to this lesson too, which was so perfect. She was able to really relate with her and the testimony she is trying to grow, and they hit it off so well! She invited her to church, and then said, "Why don't you come sit with me? Hey, why don't I give you a ride? I'll pick you up. What's your number?" Tiffany said, "I was hesitant to go to this church because I didn't know anyone...I usually go to churches with my friends who invite me, but now that you've invited me, I'll totally commit." It made such a difference. She set a date for baptism after that. Right by her birthday because she wants to remember them at the same time!

It was pretty hard to deal with those things before everything came full circle, but I felt like it helped me get closer to the Lord and realize it's never a bad thing to be "too loving." "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Love ya, But Jesus Loves Ya BEST!

Sister Pugmire