Sarah Missionary Letter from Vicksburg #11: August 18, 2014:

 

This week was a mush of awesome and painful. The awesome definitely outweighed the painful! The doctors in Mississippi will prescribe people to, “Move to Florida,” because the extreme changes of  weather here are so bad and mess with your health so much that when they move to Florida they are basically cured! Which is kind of like missionary work, everything is so extreme and changes all the time it can mess with you a little! There is a reason they only let us serve for 18 months—haha!! BUT you will have the highest ups you will ever have! AND you get to help bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man! Guess what! That is what God is doing! Pretty awesome that I get to take part in the TINIEST bit of the same work Heavenly Father does! 

              I wrote a list in my journal of the things I wanted to write home about and one of them just says:

"Give me some sugar! One of the members who we were teaching the second part of the plan of salvation to (so spirit world, judgment day Resurrection and the three kingdoms of glory) started telling us about how when Mary saw Jesus and realized he wasn't the gardener she told him:

"Give me some sugar, Honey!"  Haha Sister Walker and I were cracking up!

“but then Jesus said, "Whoa, Honey, I am not yet ascended to my Father!"

It was a little weird because the Krimms (the member) believe that Mary was Jesus's wife. But I am always nervous but love meeting with them and teaching them the missionary lessons, they were Baptists for most of their lives and so every time we meet we get to break down some false doctrine they believe. And often enough they are convinced we are WRONG! I am always so flustered because I will say something and Brother Krimm will look at me and shout HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE GOD LIKE THAT! So. Scary. I always leave with my testimony a little bruised but hey! I am learning to stick to my guns! And the doctrine!    

So Dad will testify I am the “liberal eyesore” on our conservative family. but lately I have had to do a lot of thinking! There are people in Mississippi, and I have no right to judge them, but many are on welfare and live off of food stamps. They get free housing and free food, But yet they will not work a few hours at a fast food place....I guess if there is a way to take advantage of something someone will! We are teaching this girl who got all five of her children taken away by child protective services and all she has to do is get a job and a place to live and she can get them back. They do not even care if there is a bed for each of them just as long as they have water, electricity and a roof over their head. But she was crying her eyes out talking about how CPS asks for so much and they think she is a horrible mother. It took every bit of compassion I could muster to teach her. She refuses to work in fast food or retail. SO Mom and Dad, I promise you that I will always provide a roof for your grandchildren, they will never go hungry and if I have to work at McDonald's in order to do that I promise you with all of my heart I will.

I need to mail you the pictures of Sister Walker with her head covered in her x-treme cool rag you sent us! BECAUSE OUR AIR CONDITIONING BROKE!! AHH! Our apartment heats up during the day kind of like a car sitting in the sun so we will come home and take cold showers! 

It has been so hot! Sister Walker and I will go through 5 gallons of water a week! (drinking!)

It has been a funny week though!

Here is a funny quote from a kid:

"Please bless that my mom can get off of house arrest early, so we can go to the mall every day"

-Shaniyia

 

A man we tracted into called and asked me on a date! When I told him I was too busy being a missionary he said, "What? You some kind of a nun or something?" Haha-- probably the funniest thing to happen during companionship study ever. It was also creepy because I think he is Dad’s age!

6 of our investigators came to church this Sunday!! WHICH IS HUGE BECAUSE THEY NEVER COME! Somehow it is easier to commit to a baptismal date than it is to show up to church! It was awesome! They all felt the spirit! Alonda, one of our investigators taught Relief Society this Sunday! She can't be baptized until she gets off of house arrest in May, so the ward is doing everything they can to include her!

I am re-reading the Book of Mormon!  If y'all want you can read a long with me! I read twchapters every day! I just finished 2 Nephi!

 

I love your letters just so you know! I am sorry these past couple weeks I have not had time to go back and respond to them! BUT I LOVE THEM! We have been emailing at the vicksburg public library where there is a two hour time limit so I havnt been able to email for long! SO EXPECT BETTER IN THE FUTURE!!!  I love you all and PLEASE SEND ME PICTURES!! The ones you have sent mean the world to me!!!

Talk to you next week love you!! GOOD LUCK WITH SCHOOL!! CONGRATULATIONS NOEL ON YOUR JOB I AM SO EXCITED!!!!