So much happened this week (and two days)! I don't even know where to start!
We had an awesome three-day training last week (which was why P-day was Monday). We had lessons from our mission president on being better missionaries... following the Spirit, using the Book of Mormon, asking inspired questions, etc. All week we've been trying to implement the things we've learned, and as a result have had some great teaching opportunities, where the Spirit was really strong!
During the training at lunch time each day we had an ice breaker activity... on the second day we had a paper airplane contest. Hermana Jones and I were favorites to win because both our dads work for Boeing. I'm proud to say I came in second for the entire zone... I built an airplane instead of a jet! :)
We seemed to get lost a lot more than usual this week... both times trying to find places that are not on our map. And both times we had pretty lame directions. The second time this week was yesterday and we were out in the middle of NOWHERE! Literally, picture the most vast desert/plain you can imagine... it was worse. The directions were to take a right after the bridge and follow the dirt road about 5 miles until you hit a house. We figured it couldn't be that hard...we just had to find the right turn-off. Well, apparently our definition of a bridge (a structure over a large body of water of gulf of land) was not accurate, and you have to know the area to know what they are talking about. The county road was not on any map or GPS and we had no cell phone service to call the family.
After driving around the same area looking for the road for almost an hour we finally found some random people to ask for better directions. Fortunately everyone in this area knows their neighbors (even when they are miles apart)... BUT they gave us the exact same directions, with a less than accurate description of the bridge.
We tried again, but still no luck, so we finally got out and tried to look if we could see a road better if we weren't driving... no, BUT we had one tiny little bar of service, so we were able to call the family, get a better landmark to go by and FINALLY made it to the appointment!
All the driving around, wasted time, and miles on our car were worth it because we had a great lesson. We had planned to teach the Restoration because we thought that the lady of the couple (Nita) was an investigator... she wasn't... but both her and her boyfriend (Mike) had been baptized at a young age, but had never really attended church. In fact, a month ago was the first sacrament meeting Mike had ever attended in his entire life, even though he is a member of the church.
So we started to teach the Restoration anyway, but only made it to talking about families, and Nita got excited because she said that's what she had been thinking about for the past couple days.... they have been talking about getting married in the temple! We decided to follow the detour and instead of finishing the Restoration, we read the Family Proclamation... they loved it, and we had a great discussion with them about their goals.
Side note: About half way through the lesson Aunt Gloria walked in... she is 85 years old, with long silver hair, and was wearing gray leggings, a red flannel shirt, and was carrying a walking stick. I wish I could describe her to you in a way that you would know exactly what I mean, but she was epic! I loved her, and the best part was her short term memory loss, which meant that she asked me where I was from at least 10 times, and told us "I'm nine of a ten litter" about half a dozen times. It was like talking to Dori from Finding Nemo... awesome!
Anyway, back to Mike and Nita. As I said they have never really attended church their entire lives, but the main reason they have come back is because they have had a solid home teacher that for years has made the trek out to their ranch every single month. Basically, they were lost, but because of the guidance of one man, they are starting to find their way.
Just as we were lost and had to rely on a call to "the source" to finally find our way, so it is with life. The difference is that the spiritual GPS and maps that we have will never fail us. The scriptures are a source of truth and will guide us in the right direction. We must always remember to "call" our Heavenly Father in sincere prayer. He will lead us, guide us, and walk beside us.
I also have to put in my plug for Home and Visiting Teaching... If this sweet couple did not have a solid home teacher there is NO way they would have EVER started coming to church again. As members of the church we have such an important duty on our way to find those other lost sheep who have wandered off the path. This family is an excellent example of how one dedicated servant of the Lord went WAY out of his way to help them come back, and now they are preparing to enter the temple... that's what it's all about!
Good luck on your way, and find those lost sheep!
Love,
Hermana Richelle Ouellette
PICTURES:
TOP - Hermana Jones & I with our airplanes.
BOTTOM - Our whole zone after the training meeting.
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