Humidity and Humility...[Aug. 18, 2014]

The beginning of this week was a bit rough. We had to do this report thing where it's pretty much you came short last week from finding new investigators or having a member present in a lesson or having people at church, so you have to explain on paper why you failed and what you will do differently next week. It's a bit tricky, because we are following the rules exactly and really I think people are prepared and people are not prepared, you will find the prepared people more effectively when you work harder, but everyone still has their agency. I just need to have more patience with being micromanaged.

Also rough at the beginning of this week is we had been living with the STL's (sister training leaders) for over a week and we didn't have a car, so I got to do 3 of my favorite things: burden other people, experience the consequences of trusting people who fell through, and biking. I actually enjoy biking, but with the humidity I sweat so much! It doesn't help that my companion looks runway ready, and I resemble more closely the Cracken. At least that's what I assume I look like based on the faces of people we see who also state, "Wow, it must be hot outside"...yeah....It wouldn't be so bad, but it just drips into my eyes and stings so bad! I'm considering buying an 80's sweat head band or maybe some rogaine for my eyebrows.

One day we attempted to just bike to an appt from the STL's, and we were biking literally 40 minutes and we still were not even 1/4 way there. I'm not exaggerating, we also had to stop, because Kansas does this awesome thing where the sidewalks randomly stop. I've heard from members we aren't actually supposed to ride on the sidewalks, but in the road...because there are no bike lanes. But I feel that getting hit by a car once in your life is sufficient...so we stopped there and I felt like calling this lady one more time, but my companion thought we shouldn't bc we called her earlier that day. I still felt like we should so after calling two other people we called the original lady and guess who happened to be available to help 2 sister missionaries out. She was able to pick us up and we made it there just in time.

Finally the APs moved out of the Woods house, so we were able to move in! It was so worth the wait. Bro. Woods is deployed and his wife is staying with family so we get it all to ourselves and it's awesome. Yeah, sometimes trials don't last forever, but they do if you don't maintain the faith that someone is actually there knowing you are biking the life out of you.

Bad news moment: Barbara dropped us. One of these days I'll get an investigator that lasts more than two blog posts.... We went to visit her and she came out with all the material we gave her. She tried handing it all to us and we were like whoa, what? She explained her sister (whom she lives with and takes care of since her stroke) doesn't approve of her meeting with us and will kick her out if she continues (her sister pays for everything) We asked her if she still has a testimony and her feelings from her blessing the elders gave and she was still strong with it all. We asked if it was not at all possible for her to continue reading the Book of Mormon and she thought about it and stuck it in her porch chair where her sister couldn't read. We can't come over anymore and I guess all we can do is pray that missionaries will find her again when the time is right.

Good news though is that we are having a baptism on Tuesday! Grizz, the man I mentioned a few weeks ago who is getting baptized on the 231st day of the year passed his interview for baptism. He has been meeting missionaries since September and his wife is a member and super excited for it to FINALLY happen. He has been on date since January, normally we only do it a few weeks out, but the sisters who saw him asked what date he would like which is totally not supposed to happen like that and he obviously said August 19th. We were told that he was totally not receptive to the elders and he would not listen to them at all until the sister missionaries came.

 The highway that cuts through our area.

Me and all my sweaty glory and my companion...

My new wheels.

Our zone, my companion is the only girl cut off. 

Our creepy basement, but it has
a washer/dryer so it's all good.

The front of the house.
This is what I look like the
first five minutes of
the day...it doesn't last...so
 ready for winter! Bring it.

Our kitchen, you can feel free
to compare it to my brothers "kitchen".
 I love state side missions...

The vent things that remind me
of The Christmas Story.
The house was built in the 30s.

Our street.