9-22 Letter

Sam, in what looks like some type of Indian garb.

Family!!! I love you all so much. The end :).  

This week had some funny things...where do I start...

Here are some journal entries.

Today, while I was showing someone the BOM on the subway, I didn't see Sister Mendenhall get off! So someone came to me and said "Hey, your companion got off at the last stop." So I got off at the next stop and as I got out a sense of freedom filled me!  "I'm Freeeee!" 

It looked just like Paris. I closed my eyes and took in the smells, sounds, and then opened them. And for a moment I was in Paris. Even the tile on the wall was the same color! Then I started quietly laughing a bit as I walked to the other side of the platform, thinking about how worried sister Mendenhall probably was. The thought came into my head, "hmmmm, I have $500...I could just run away...but President probably wouldn't appreciate that."

Of course, I am kidding. It was kind of funny/exciting to be on my own but when I got back to sister Mendenhall, I saw her and ran for her,  imitating one of those cute reunion things in my head. It was good to see her:  it's funny how my trainer feels like my mom away from home.

Sam will learn to love Indian food while in Toronto

Today was also the Harvest Ball at the Church. On of our investigators, Eileen came. She is very independent and fit right in dancing to the music!  We ate food, but ended up eating outside of the ball because they were playing pop music (we can only listen to hymns/classical/efy music). Of course they play "just give me a reason" (Tanner and I used to sing to that song), country songs which I know, and Let it go!!  It was awful. I instantly started to get a homesick and yucky feeling. So, we went upstairs and called Potential investigators and I played a talk by president Hinckley in the background and my soul was at rest again.  

Whenever we walk out of the apartment, I start whistling "here comes the sun" by the beetles, to which sister Mendenhall always says "I didn't know that was a hymn?!" She stated once, "You must have been a pretty big beetles fan at home." But really I was just a Reeves Family Home Video Fan if you know what I mean [note from the editor--yes, apparently I used that song in too many family vacation videos].

It got pretty cold on some of the days this week! Luckily I have a hand-me-down coat.  Its  pockets are torn, but it works! We will be getting winter stuff sometime.  The rain was crazy yesterday. Luckily I have an umbrella so that has been nice even though the wind is determined to break it. 

Yesterday on our way to church I missed the bus stop so I had to run back to my companion while she and the elders were waiting for me, standing for me in the rain. We were all soaked. It was kind of funny to look at Elder Perrett (our DL) report during ward counsel and see the water running off the top of his head.

Eileen is now a progressing investigator!!!! We had our first real lesson (not chapel tour) with her last week. We didn't know what we were going to teach her because the Restoration just didn't feel right...we both had the Word of Wisdom in the back of our minds. A member had dropped by the gospel principles book to her earlier that week and she read 3 chapters! (She didn't even have the Book of mormon yet). She stated that she knew "Mormonism was a right path and the only problem she could see was the nicotine, but with the Lord on her side she could do everything."  So guess what we talked about in the first lesson: the Word of Wisdom!  We reset up her baptismal date to give her some more time and created a calendar to help her get off cigs, e-cigs, and coffee. She struggles with Bipolar and is nervous that all these changes will affect her mental health poorly, but I know that she is right, that with Christ we can do all things. We texted her 1 Ne 3:7 today! It is such a great verse for all of us to apply to our lives! Read it! :) I told her that she should say a prayer every time the temptation comes and she said she thinks that is a good idea.

Oh. I lost my planner and buss pass this week...ugh.

Anyway, while we were waiting for this bus I started talking to this girl about her bag and how it was cute and mine was functional but not cute. We talked about her majoring in English and how my dad did..anyway I told her I was a missionary for the church etc....and she said, "that is nice but how would you feel if I told you I was an atheist?" and I smiled. I thought about Cole and Brandon (my friends from track) and how much love I have for them. To be honest I can't remember what I even told her; I think I explained to her that whether a person was Budhist, Muslim, Christian or Atheist, they all need Christ's restored Gospel and that they can come to know of its truth for themselves.  All I really can remember is having this Love for her. Love that she was an atheist. (If you stop reading here you'll be so confused). I love that out of all the religious people in the world, I am the one that can share the message of Christ with her. I love it because I know my message is true--that THIS is Christ's church on the earth today. I know that she can know for HERSELF that God is real and that he has a plan for her. That is was I love about my message. I love that people can know for themselves. So I love talking to atheists. Because you can't convince people of religious beliefs (and have them converted to it), especially atheists.  They want to know and experience it for themselves, which is great because they can when they sincerely learn of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said she'd check out the website!

 

Book of Mormon Musical--Going downtown with the whole zone was awesome!!  For some reason I was super nervous. I wanted to puke, which was weird because I contact every day! So we just had a ton of pamphlets and Book of Mormons and just talked to everyone that would listen. A lot of people feel like missionaries are pushy....which I can sort of understand....it's just hard when you are only given 1 minute to communicate your purpose/brief message to not come off as pushy. But anyway there was this interesting/mentally disturbed lady who was yelling at everyone outside of the theater.... She was singing/yelling. I don't think I've heard so many F-bombs dropped in my life. In essence, she was telling everyone to dance.

I contacted this cool girl and after telling her a little about our purpose as missionaries, I asked some question and she said back very kindly that she had hadn't felt loved from our Church because of our stance on Gays. "I am gay," she said. In my mind I went back to the experience with Gabriel and decided to be bold. I said, "I am so sorry you haven't felt love; while we do believe marriage to be between a man and a women, we are all children of God and he loves us so much. We must be loving to each other...." I don't know what else I said but the spirit was there and I remember leaving her with a feeling of peace and love. 

Mom- I love that story about the man and his some coming across their Bishop, who was smoking. When they boy expressed later condemning words about his Bishop, who smoking, suggesting that such a thing is not fitting of Bishop, the man replied, "You are right son; he shouldn't be smoking, but HE IS STILL OUR BISHOP and DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT."

The boy didn't forget and now many generations later his family is still enjoying the eternal blessings of the gospel. However, the members that went inactive because the bishop smoked, generations later, their family member do not enjoy in the enternal blessings of the gospel. Imperfect people in the church help us to grow! The gospel is perfect the people teaching aren't. Get over it. :)

Family history-mom! did you know you can get patriarchal blessings from our ancestors?! MY comp has some from her's she requested on lds.org

Dad I love the thought you gave about Katie. My favorite line is: The holy ghost will show you show you who you really are, but he will also show you who you can become. He will fill you with hope that you can overcome; Satan will feel you with insecurity. 

ah I love you all! I love feeling God's love for the random people I meet on the street. He lives and Loves all of us!!!

Sister Reeves