FOURTH OF JULY FLOOD: man alive the fourth here was: as one of our members put it best: "Lamesauce..." we had hoped to get involved with some community events... go to a carnival, meet loads of people, attend a cookout, and have a grand old time with fireworks of course. Nope it poured rain... All day... there was no parade, no carnival, no decorations even! Apparently in Oak Ridge (where most of our area is, the cities we cover are Oak Ridge, Wartburg, and Oliver Springs the area and ward is called Poplar Creek) anyway apparently here in Oak Ridge all of the budget goes to the "Secret City Festival" which happened like the week before we got here, and so they don't do much for the fourth other than fireworks. So we spent our day at district meeting and trying to talk to people in the pouring rain at a park, we got so drenched we had to come home and throw our festive red white and blue outfits in the dryer because we had were soaked to the bone!!! We did end up going to the Melton Lake Elders (they share a church building with us but are in a different ward, this area is so densely packed so different than Rockwood there are actually two wards in the building, almost a tiny bit like home... but not really at all;) but we went to their ward mission leader's home for board games, hot dogs... blech, and a mini firework show. It actually was really fun, we played "liars dice" like Davy Jones on "Pirates of the Caribbean" Sister Allen kicked everyone's trash by winning every game we played... greenie fire. Our curfew was extended to 10:00 but the fireworks still hadn't started and we were soaked to the bone again after walking around the park trying to talk to people geared up with ponchos and umbrellas, sadly the spirit of freedom and titles of liberty were not proudly waving. However the band played on and we marched to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" back to the car and came home, changed into pj's, made hot cocoa, and embellished our mugs with red white and blue marshmallows from Sister Allen's mom. We took our cocoa out and sat in our car outside the house and watched the fireworks in the distance. It is a day I will never forget, not typical by any means, not anything I expected, but so perfectly imperfect. I must be in Poplar Creek!
THROWING UP IN THE FRONT YARD: I woke up the next morning feeling extremely nauseous... I kid you not I had just finished reading an email from my girl Sister Sam Sargent who had a battle with food poisoning this past week, and I remember thinking "Awh I relate to the poor girl!" Then within minutes I was hollering for Allen telling her I needed the bathroom and boom I was done for. My morning was miserable to say the least, all I wanted was my mom, but the craziest part is not only was she wasn't there but she has no idea I was even sick, she's just finding out as she's reading this!!!! Just learning that I was sicker than a dog this week! It's such a weird position to be in, to be so far removed from communication with people you love so much and who usually know everything about you. However, lucky for me I have a new mission mama Sister Pickett our new mission president's wife. She is the temporary medical coordinator because our old one is home now. I called her and spoke with her for the first time in my disgusting zombie state... and she is precious! Compassionate to the point she unknowingly made me cry with relief, I just love her. She recommended I put baking soda in water to calm my stomach. Good tip but we didn't have any... Our cupboards were also empty of pepto, sprite, saltines, tums the normal coping methods. So that meant we had to make a Wal-Mart run. I put on my comfiest dress grabbed the "barf bowl" and headed to the car with Sister Allen at the wheel... I made it all of 10 seconds before she had to pull over, yikes... she was so patient though, I owe a lot to her. She put up with my grandma shuffle through Wal-Mart getting the necessary supplies and meds and then was hopeful that I was in the clear until we made it home and she was unlocking the door and I threw up in the front yard. Real classy... But she was just like my mom and got me a bowl of ice and saltines and poured me some Gatorade and a baking soda shot and sent me to the room. I took a nice three hour recovery nap, ended up calling the old medical coordinator in Idaho who put me on a 24 hour clear liquid diet and then a 24 hour B.R.A.T. diet, don't worry it's not an insult it stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, and it is horrible. But it worked. I'm all better. We even went out that night and visited with some people. Someone used the excuse of "she can't come to the door she's indisposed..." looked that word up on my dictionary app and couldn't help but laugh and say: hey same!!!! But life goes on, I must be in Poplar Creek!
CARWASH COMMITMENT: We met a lady last week at a gas station in Wartburg who was interested in us coming back up to talk with her. Well we did but we could not for the life find her address! You know at your average car wash you have the wash, the vacuums and usually a little out building where the pumps, pipes and utilities are? Well that little out building... THAT IS WHERE SHE LIVES!!! We had driven past it like 45 times thinking there is absolutely no way anyone lives at the carwash! Well surprise surprise she does!!!! It even has a mailbox!!! But our lesson went amazing, even if her kitten was biting my hand throughout half of it, Sister Allen and I taught with a lot of unity and power and invited her to be baptized and she accepted!!! EEEEE!!! We need to set a specific date but we have high hopes for her! I must be in Poplar Creek.... for a reason!!!
CONSTRUCTION CREW AT CHURCH: we were out tracting one evening and the first door we knocked at no one answered but as we were standing on the porch around the side of the house comes a construction worker, we start talking to him and explaining who we were, what church we represent, you know the casual small talk stuff, then his buddy comes around too and we talked with him, find out they're business partners of a construction company and do chainsaw carvings on the side... pretty legit guys. We ended up chatting about opposition in all things and what a blessing it is that God knows us perfectly and Christ understands us perfectly and through Him we can get through anything. We left them our card and as we were leaving Sister Allen much to my surprise and proud trainer mama self boldly invited them to church. Quite honestly i walked away thinking "another card, another no call, no show" well fast forward to Sunday... We are sitting waiting for sacrament meeting to start when I get an elbow to the ribs and turn to see our construction buddies, sauntering in and plopping down right by us. I had to force my eyes to not be so wide and pick my jaw up off the floor. It was the coolest miracle and tender mercy!!!! These two honestly hoodlum men, reeking of smoke, dirt under the fingernails, earrings, work boots, ripped up jeans and button ups, sitting with us in church. It was the most beautiful and awe inspiring scene. That being said you never realize how relaxed you are at church until you have nonmembers with next to you. Suddenly you're completely on edge at every casual reference to "stake buildings, home and visiting teaching statistics, magnifying your callings, Nephi and Sam versus Laman and Lemuel, wars in heaven, general authorities, and my personal favorite: Michael the Archangel" but we all survived and they seemed to even enjoy it! Ugh It was the sweetest thing... they were on the end of the pew and when the water came around the guy on the end took four cups and passed them down individually instead of the entire tray, Sister Allen and I kind of got the giggles on that one as we stacked our cups and passed them back. But they seriously just warmed my heart and soul, I am SO excited to continue to teach them!!!! I must be in Poplar Creek... for a reason!
BAPTISM IN A STREAM: The Melton Lake Elders had a convert get baptized and she requested to have it outside. So we drove through the pouring rain to our Stake President's farm land property and stream. Miraculously after many prayers the weather cleared and the spirit was strong as we sang "I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain, and ponder on the beauties of the earth made clean again, I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain, I want to be the best I can, and love with God again." It was a beautiful service and we were able to meet President and Sister Pickett in person, they are both so loving and Christlike I instantly loved them. President Pickett asked where I'm from because I have an accent... I don't know what that is about some sort of Spanish Southern, Utahn, drawl flair. Cracked me up! I must be in Poplar Creek... for a reason!
SCREEN DOOR RAIN LESSON: if you couldn't tell already it was borderline monsoon season in these parts, one day we were sitting outside at our next door neighbor's reading the Book of Mormon with him when it began to mist, then trickle, then rain, then beat, then pour, then dump. He said that he couldn't bear to see us sit there and get soaked so our method of fixing the situation was for him to sit inside his house but because we couldn't go in we would sit on the teeny tiny porch and finish the lesson through the screen door. To any passerby we looked insane, but to him we were diehards who care and the spirit was there. He committed to writing his testimony of the Book Mormon down in the front of one for us or for him to give away. He said he never considered himself to be a missionary before and the realization brought tears to his eyes it was so worth getting soaked. So worth it. I must be in Poplar Creek... for a reason!
GOLDEN GIRL AT HARDEES: lunch after district meeting was sparse pickings because even though the town seemed to lack the holiday spirit many restaurants were closed for the day. Which left the choice to the elders who chose hardee's.... gag. We followed them there begrudgingly but tender mercies abound because there was our golden girl from our first week here working the register. She was excited to see us and gave us her number and said she hadn't made it back in town for our lesson with her or for church that week. She said her life was a mess and she needs prayers and to talk. We said we could definitely help with that and asked if we could set up a time to meet with Her. She was unsure but said she'd text us, we texted her and got one response but nothing since however we know where to find her. We won't give up. Elder Holland has been known to say: "my wife's Avon lady is more persistent than you!" We plan to be more persistent than any Avon lady. We'll get her, somehow someway, someday. Ohhhh rereading that, I must be a missionary and I must be in Poplar Creek... for a reason!!!
BELIGERENT TEXT: Received a text from someone we had thought requested a Book of Mormon, we've gone 4 times no answer any of the times until in response to us trying to call and text her "Stop knocking on my door it is intrusive, I didn't ask for this, I didn't want any of this, if you continue to do so I'll call the authorities" ohhhhhkay ma'am note taken. Past missionaries used the word beligerent to describe someone that's another word we had to look it up once we did we use it all of the time this event specifically so. I must be in Poplar Creek!
YOU HAVE ARRIVED: I'm so sick of my dumb GPS, actually not completely I depend on that thing with my life at times. However when it takes you to the nuclear energy plant... that's no bueno, there's no investigators there at least not ones we can talk to without name badges security checks and proper licenses and identifications. I must be in Poplar Creek!!!
SWIMMING: the humidity is killer, we feel like we are swimming when we are just walking. Our hair is huge, our makeup melts off our face, but we keep on going, going for gold like Olympic swimmers. I must be in Poplar Creek!
I really am so grateful I am in Poplar Creek! I know I'm here for many reasons I don't know but am glad that there is someone much greater than me who does know. I'm grateful for the Lord's trust in me and for the many lessons I'm learning. The biggest thing I would say I am learning is that the Lord trusts me and I need to trust Him back. It's hard to trust that He'll take a crummy situation and transform it, but if you look at His life that is all He ever did, took hard situations, hardened hearts, hardened people and transformed them. And He'll do the same for each of us, if we let Him. If we trust Him. Like my favorite painting of Him, He is knocking at the door, but the doorknob is on our side. So trust Him and let Him in. And count the blessings and miracles in your life as a result, because they are there.
EVERYTHING happens because of Christ.
Love y'all
Have a most blessed week!
Stay away from hotdogs and out of the rain!!!!
Love,
Hermana Hall
 |
| After the rain, comes the rainbow |
No comments:
Post a Comment