Sorry I don't the chance to really reply to all these personal emails ... but I do read them and appreciate the updates!
So this week, I chose to focus on Kim B. Who is Kim? Well okay, so Delaney is our 13-year-old we have on date for baptism ... her parents (Kim) are inactive. Because of this, her dad didn't get approval to baptize her, which means her date has been pushed back again until he is worthy to do so. I'm working on Kim though. She is a hot mess, to say the least. She's depressed beyond belief, taking 50 different medications and can't even get out of bed most days. She's super blunt and crazy and fun, I really like her. She has 4 girls and has a really strong testimony but for some reason just won't go to church. Kim loves us. This week we spent a lot of time with her. I did her hair, we helped her paint her basement, listened to her talk for hours on end ... she just needs a friend. She always texts me after we leave and says stuff like, "You are an answer to my prayers. You bring a great spirit into my home and after you leave, I fall to my knees crying to my Heavenly Father because I know you were sent here for me. I never understood what missionaries really do until now." "You have no idea how much you will be missed when you leave the area. You have changed my life and my family's life. You are welcome in my home anytime; I consider you another one of my daughters." "I want more than anything else for my girls to look to you as an example and not to myself. Thank you for putting up with me and the wreck that I am." (That's an understatement, this poor lady ... you have no idea.) Anyways, she's my project! She hasn't been to church in at least 5 years and hasn't attended regularly for the past 10. Her daughters, Emmy and Delaney, are 15 and 13 and they go to church every week without fail. I've just tried to figure out what the heck Kim's problem is! She is one of the reasons I love Bountiful so much and I WILL get her back to church if it's the last thing I do! The ward mission leader laughs when I say that because the ward considers Kim and her husband a lost cause, but I'm going to do it! And because she loves me so much, I cn be blunt with her without offending her.
Another one of my favorite people ... Lacey P., South Davis Hospital. Her brain injury makes it hard for her to remember things, but she has gotten to the point where she remembers my name. We're preparing Lacey to go to the temple and do confirmations (she can't do baptisms in a wheelchair) and she is so excited.
 |
| Me and Lacey, South Davis Hospital |
We put the Tongan boy we've been teaching on date for baptism yesterday! March 1st. He's still hesitant, even though he KNOWS it's true; he's getting caught up on the "one baptism" scripture because he was raised strong Catholic ... we're working on that though. We brought this girl to a lesson with him yesterday and I spent the whole lesson addressing his needs, then to find out afterwards that the girl we brought is a teacher at the MTC ... oh LOVELY. Awesome.
We started teaching a lesbian lady who has been excommunicated and wants to come back. I really love teaching her, she's wonderful. She knows more about the scriptures than we do (not hard to do with me, HAHA) so during lessons we just have discussions. The mission has taught me to truly love everyone and see people as Heavenly Father sees them.
I had this brilliant idea to organize a Sunday night youth fireside once a month at one of the member's houses ... just keep it really casual and low key so kids can bring their nonmember friends and friends struggling with their testimonies, or kids who are preparing to serve missions. Brilliant, I know. The stake loves me, I'm seriously famous. So we're starting that in a couple weeks and it should be good!
Me and my trainee started "running" in the mornings ... aka, I slow jog in zig zags across the street while she walks. After the first day she was SO SORE and complaining about it ... it was funny. I'm working on improving her self esteem, hopefully I can find an elder to write her because I think it makes her sad to see me get 5 letters a week from creepy elders ... Bro B. (the family we live with) always knocks on our basement door and goes, "Seester Shieldsss, you have a letter from your lover boyyyy!" (you have to know him; he's hilarious. This week he told us to stay away from boys with "Roman hands and Russian fingers" when we get home or else he will hunt them down for us, hahah). I used to get all excited but then I realized they're never from Jamison; they're always from creepy elders from the MTC. It's kinda funny.
Hope everyone's doing well, have a good week!
Heidi
PS Picture is of me and Holly B.s son, isn't he cute?! I kidnap him sometimes. The B.'s would probably really appreciate a thank you card for letting me live with them and feeding me and whatnot.
No comments:
Post a Comment