December 14, 2015

Last week:

Friday: So! Picking up where I left off last week. We saw a lady with a flat tire in front of us, and Sister Walton was driving. At the next red light I jumped out of the car and ran to knock on her window and let her know. She was this cute lady from Bolivia on her way to work, and when we told her about her tire, she started looking panicked. "Go pull over somewhere and we'll help you," I said, and her face melted into relief. We followed her and then proceeded to help her change her tire. Unscrewed the lug nuts halfway, jacked up the car, took the lug nuts all the way off, and tried to take off the tire. But it was stuck. About that time an older couple came out of their townhouse that we had parked in front of to help. They were super nice. The Bolivian woman started telling them that she had been driving and then (gesturing to us), two angels had stopped her to help. She also got on the phone with her daughter and was telling her she was with a married couple and "two angels." It was so sweet. The wife of the couple, when she noticed our name tags said, "you are angels!" Eventually another neighbor, a young father, came out and was able to get the tire off so we could put the spare on. The married couple let us into their house to let us wash up and have some water. They were super nice and invited us to come back for dinner after Christmas. It was such an awesome experience. 

December 8, 2015

Tuesday: 

We had an awesome district meeting. It was the last one of the transfer and also our district leader's last one ever. His name is Elder Schenk. He's going home this week. He was my DL in Manassas, too. He's great. A total spaz and loves to goof off, but he's a good elder and loves being a missionary. Anyway, for district meeting we had lunch, took "awkward family photos," and played ghetto baseball (bat was a broom, ball was a foam dodgeball, bases were a chair, a cardboard box, a hymn book, and a table mat). Lunch consisted of Mac and cheese with hot dog in it, apple crisp, and cornbread (which I made). 

After district meeting we did an exchange with the STLs. I'm still sick and Sister Walton does NOT like to sit around all day, so I went home with Sister Moore to rest and Sister Walton went to work with Sister Kelly. We slept for 2 1/2 hours. 

It was beautiful. 

Then we went to dinner at the Atkissons (mostly because going to dinner was easier than cooking.) They are the cutest family. They have 3 little girls. Maxine (5), Ruby (3), and Nora (3 months). 

After dinner we went to target to print district Christmas cards and buy a few things we didn't have time to get yesterday, then we exchanged back because the STLs had a meeting with their bishop, and Sister Walton and I went back to the apartment for me to rest more. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

We had zone training in the morning. First we met the Colonial sisters at McDonalds because Sister Walton and Sister Lankford were presenting at zone training and they needed to do some last minute coordinating. Zone training itself was pretty good. 

After zone training we came home and I slept for three hours because I was still sick. Within the space of 27 hours I slept for 14.5. I say it that way because in the space of 24 hours I slept 11.5 hours. And then I slept 3 more. So not normal. 

After sleeping all afternoon, we ate dinner and went to an appointment. (Note: Sister Walton didn't sleep at all. She made phone calls and did lesson reports. She never stops working.) Our appointment was with a woman named Diane that we met a few weeks ago while tracting, and she said we could come back. When we got there, she let us right in. We did some small talk and she asked a few questions about what we do as missionaries. As we talked, she let us know about her expectations. She let us know that she was always open to faith building experiences, which is why she had invited us back, but wasn't interested in joining. (Most people say that, though). As we talked a little more and asked if we could come again, she let us know that she appreciated what we did, but was just going to read from the Book of Mormon on her own time without us coming back. It was disappointing, but she was incredibly nice and would probably give us let us in for hot chocolate if we stopped by on a really cold day in the future.

After that we went to the Wednesday night youth activity. We planned to teach a lesson to Troy afterward. He was there and had made friends with a group of boys who were also non members that someone in another ward had invited. When we asked Troy if he wanted to come with us to a classroom for a lesson at the end, they all followed. One decided not to stay because he was Muslim, but there were two extra teenaged boys, Troy, us, and Troy's young men's leader in the lesson. It went pretty well, and we got participation from everyone, which was super awesome. 

Thursday: in the morning I called the doctors office from last week to see if my blood work had come in. It had, but he just hadn't called me. Of course. He said my iron levels were normal. I asked if he had checked thyroid or anything else, and he hadn't. "Okay. But I'm still exhausted all the time. What do you suggest?" I asked. His response: "I don't know. You're too young to be this tired. Ask someone who knows more than me. Merry Christmas!" Transfers were that day, but neither of us were getting transferred, so we just went to the zone meeting after transfers so we could meet our new zone. Sister Christiansen went home this transfer, which is just crazy to think about. 

After the meeting, we did a finding fest. (Everyone goes tracting/street contacting until dinner time.) We met one interested guy who spoke Spanish. We also checked on a former investigator from the area book. He wasn't home, but when we called him he said we could meet him and his wife in January! 

After dinner we had a lesson with our investigator Lola. We decided to reteach the restoration more slowly because he hadn't really understood preisthood the first time. We went slow and taught very simply, but it seemed like she still didn't get it. She's a sweetheart, but we're definitely in for the long haul with her. She did pray at the end, and asked Heavenly Father to bless us, her "best friends." It was sweet.

After that we got a call from Sister Ito who wanted me to go to the urgent care. I've been feeling unreasonably exhausted almost all the time for the past threeish months, and we've been trying to figure out why. The doctor last week was entirely unhelpful, so she suggested I go to the urgent care for more blood work. This doctor was WAY better. He checked for a huge long list of things it could possibly be and actually listened to me. The only downside was that they didn't take enough blood at the start, so they had to come back for more.

It was pathetic. I'm still waiting for the results. 

Friday: In the morning we went to help set up for a food distribution thing that would be happening the next day. It's an organization called ALIVE (ALexandrians Involved Ecumenically) that does it. A bunch of Christian churches in Alexandria provide volunteers for different service projects to help out people in Alexandria living in poverty. Sister Walton and I have helped out at a furniture distribution project and now also a food distribution project. It really is such an amazing thing to help with. There is something very special about people from various denominations coming together and following the example of the Savior by serving those around us. 

After helping with that, we went straight to more service! Barbara Glover is an elderly woman that we do service for sometimes. She met with the missionaries many years ago, but decided not to join the church. She still isn't interested, but she is 84 and loves to have us over to help her out. We moved a chair that was too heavy for her to carry and raked leaves at her house. When we were done, she gave Sister Walton a Klondike bar and me a soda (because I have developed a lactose intolerance since being on my mission). As we were sitting there talking, she asked if either of us wore size 7 shoes. Her daughter, who LOVES shoes, had decided to get rid of some of her shoes and had left them with Barbara when she was visiting. I have size 7 feet, so Barbara brought out the shoes. I am now the proud owner of five pairs of slightly used, but expensive shoes. One pair is Gucci. 

After helping Barbara, we went home and changed and got ready to go to the temple visitors center. The DC North mission, who supplies the temple visitor center sister missionaries, needs extra help during the month of December because they are super busy with the Festival of Lights happening, so we get to help a few times this month. I was super lost the whole time because a) the DC north sister I was with was an hermana and spoke to everyone who was Spanish speaking; and b) they didn't explain what we were doing super well. There is an entirely different set of dialogue for being a visitors center missionary than for being a proselyting missionary. After that experience, I have to say that I am super grateful to be a full-pros sister. It was pretty, though!

Saturday:

On Friday we helped set up for the food distribution thing, and on Saturday we actually helped at it. We spent all morning organizing food into bags and delivering them to people in nearby apartments. It was a great experience. 

After service in the morning, we went to help set up for the ward Christmas party happening that night. This ward is totally AWESOME. The party decorations were super classy, and the sisters in the ward that were also setting up practically fell over themselves thanking us for our help. They are just so sweet. 

We went home and did some weekly planning and changed out of our service clothes, then headed back to the church for the Christmas party. It went so well and was so fun. There were even some non members there! There were a bunch of musical numbers by members of the ward, a delicious dinner, and then Santa came. 

After the party we went to stop by the home of a family we had met a few weeks ago. The mother's name is Tara. She said they weren't interested in the missionary lessons, but she was SOOO nice and let us in for a few minutes. We decided to drop off a flier for the Festival of Lights, and she really appreciated it. She gave us her number and email address and said we could stop by again sometime. Tara is so sweet to us that we half suspect she is actually already a member and is just pulling our leg. 

Things started going downhill after we got home, though. Brother Hales in the bishopric had called earlier in the week and asked one of us to speak during sacrament meeting because the person he had originally asked found out last minute that he couldn't. Sister Walton was the one who answered the phone, so she ended up with the assignment. We had had literally no time for her to write the talk since then, though, so she had to write it the night before. I fell asleep on the couch and she started working on her talk until about 10:30 when we got a phone call. The Sisters in the Franconia ward had come home and were getting ready for bed when the fire alarm in their apartment complex went off. There wasn't a fire, the alarm was just going. It went on for 45 minutes before they decided they weren't going to be able to sleep there that night. They called the zone leaders who called us and asked if the sisters could stay with us for the night. So around 11pm we went downstairs to let them in. There was a concierge and one other man standing at the desk who started talking to us. We were polite and friendly, but when Sister Walton went to open the door for the other sisters, the man started saying some pretty sexually explicit things to me that do not need to be repeated. He was very likely drunk or high and was VERY inappropriate. I told him, not very nicely, that he needed to stop talking to me, and when he kept talking, I just walked out the door to where the other sisters were standing. We left and came back around the back way, and when we got back into the lobby, the man was gone, but the concierge was still there. I marched up to him and gave him a piece of my mind for just sitting there and not saying anything while the other man had verbally sexually harassed me. He kept telling me he wasn't supposed to interrupt a conversation because he just worked there, but that was a pathetic excuse. It wasn't a conversation. It was sexual harassment. Finally I just told him I was going to tell Ty (the daytime concierge who is friends with all the missionaries who come through and who is very protective of the sisters), and we left. The other three sisters are much more used to quiet, introspective Sister Taylor, and I think the doesn't-take-crap Sister Taylor scared them a little. 

Sunday: it was a lot quieter than Saturday. Poor Sister Walton stayed up until 2 or 3 working on her talk and was beyond exhausted all day. But her talk was great. She's a rockstar. Troy came to church, but wasn't feeling well, so his ride drove him home after sacrament meeting. Also, Lola came to church for the first time! She LOVED it. It was great. :) After church we had dinner with the Blacks, who are a totally adorable family. They take such good care of us. The rest of our night was just tracting and street contacting. 

Monday:

Okay. Today something awesome happened. But first, to add to the Saturday night story: We saw Ty today and he said he heard about what happened, but when I asked him about it, it turned out he hadn't been told the whole story. All he knew was some guy had been rude to us. I explained what kind of things he had been saying to me, and that got Ty really angry. He said he would look into it more and try to figure out who it was. He was so mad something like that had happened to us. 

Now back to the awesome thing. You know the movie Remember the Titans? Yeah, so T.C. Williams high school is just outside our area, so we decided to go get tshirts there today. We got there and approached a man to ask him if we were allowed to go in and get shirts even if we weren't students. He said we could and then asked if we were fans of the movie. We said yes, and he said, "I'm Petey." We basically fell over when he told us that. He took us into the school and got us visitors passes, and then took us to the school store. He also signed posters for both of us and posed for a picture. SO COOL. 

So that was today. No big deal. :) 

1. Changing the tire

2-5. Left to right (serious picture): Sister Lewis, Elder Greenhall (zl), Elder Schenk (DL), Elder Annis (zl), Elder Hardy, Sister Walton, me, Sister Maw. 

6. Me at urgent care

7. Temple lights 

8. Petey!