Give us a love that is deep...off to the rescue we'll hasten, bringing them back to the fold!

Here is the weekly update.

Hello everyone!! This week was nuts. As always. :)

    Everything is going great! We are working really hard and seeing lots of miracles. We have such an awesome ward. We have lots of members present at our lessons because our members are out of this world. I'm so grateful for them.
    Ted and Brandon should be having a double baptism (they're not even related!) next weekend so pray super hard for them!!!!!! :) 

Some stories/thoughts from the week:

-Our investigator Ted is fascinated with missionary work and numbers (although we constantly tell him it's about people, not numbers). In particular, he is fascinated by street contacts (because he himself was found as a street contact). Anyways, we were walking to the church with him this week and he asked us how many contacts we had had that day. Then he proceeds to move 2 feet away from us to "hide" behind a very small tree. Then he looks at a man 15 ft from us walking towards us and loudly says "I want to see you proselytize that man! You're so good. I want to watch. Yes! Please! Proselytize! You must greet him!" By this point, Sister Rackleff and I are laughing so hard and there was no way we could talk to that man walking towards us because 1) we were laughing so hard 2) Ted was obviously creeping behind a tree 3) pretty sure that man heard Ted say "You must greet him!"

-An investigator told us that every time he sees us he thinks of the 1850s, long dresses, and covered wagons. It was supposed to be a compliment, but it didn't go over too well.

-We ask people to do really hard things. Often, I wish I didn't have to ask them to do some things because it breaks my heart to see these people I love hurt or sacrifice. But then I remember that it's not me that's asking them to, it's God. If I doubt, then that's a sign of weakened faith that God will take care of them. I'm bold because I love them.

-We had a 'year mark' training meeting about goals and such and we got to see everyone from our MTC district (except the one sister who went to Hawaii) and I was so proud that all of us are still out. They're all doing great.

-I realized I don't ever really talk about being a sister training leader much anymore. I love having that calling. We had a lot of meetings this week, but it was really good. We are trying to change the culture of what a STL is, from a sister's personal therapist, to being more focused on helping the work (hallelujah, because focusing on the work always seems to solve everything else. Pres. Hinckley's quote "forget yourself and go to work" is definitely my mission mantra). I just love the sisters of the mission so much. I mean crazy things always happen on exchanges. (miracles too). This week alone we decluttered and cleaned a sisters' apartment and left with 6 bags of trash -_- and got a call from a companionship in tears and we had to ask them to take some personal time and then do companionship inventory. Oh the adventures.

-Sister Rackleff looked at me this week and said about one of our investigators 'Sister Atkinson. I think we told him in the pre-existence that we would come find him.' I know that sound nuts, but when she said it I just felt so happy and peaceful. Agh, I just love being a missionary. even moments like when a sweet woman in our ward who has schizophrenia calls us because she is having terrifying hallucinations of her ex-husband and needed  cheered up and so I read 3 Nephi 17 over the phone with her. Those moments are beyond rewarding. 

-Yesterday was just kind of awful but we both just laughed our way through it. We got in the car and realized we were on empty and, since we can't buy gas on Sunday, that we would have to bike our way through an eventful and busy Sunday. We had a ton of people who were supposed to come to church. We show up and none are there. We take the sacrament and then leave during the talks to go find one of our investigators. I know it's not kosher to do that, but we felt like we needed to. #wedowhateverwewant Sure enough, we found him. And it was so good that we did. I wish I could give you all details about everyone's problems and everything, but I just can't. It was really difficult, but things got a lot better. We had some crazy lessons throughout the day, but I think I can sum the day up in the following three experiences;

-We were outside of an investigator's sketchy apt complex. We were waiting for him to come down and we were so tired, so we sat down on the street and ate a snack. We totes looked homeless because this apt complex is section 8 housing so a lot of homeless people get moved in to it. Sometimes as missionary's we play the game 'if my mom knew where I was right now' and that moment definitely made it in. A member gave us a bunch of cookies that we didn't want (eating healthy is so hard). Sure enough, a homeless man walked passed us and we offered him the cookies. He offered us alcohol from his 711 cup as a kind return. Welcome to my life.

-We were meeting with an investigator on the side of the street at a street bench to just catch up.  Downtown Santa Monica has crazy traffic. Crazy! There is a bus lane just for the crazy city buses to help with it. Anyways. as we were meeting, Sis Rackleff was explaining the Godhead but I was so not listening, because I was watching a homeless woman scoot backwards in her wheelchair in the middle of the bus lane in the dark. Then I see a giant city bus turning left into the lane this woman was creeping down. I scream. Sis Rackleff turns around, jumps up, and waves her arms at the bus. Luckily the bus sees the woman only 10 feet from her and switches lanes. We grab our stuff and our investigator and go to the woman and wheel her out of the middle of the road. We asked her where she is going and she asked where the closest grocery store is and demanded we take her there. We all look at each other and think 'what would Jesus do?' and off we went for a few blocks down to Vons. How can I describe this to you. Her name is Rhonda (yes as in 'help help me Rhonda' as she explained) I saw her bare bum sticking out of the wheelchair. She quoted her original poetry the whole there. She told us to shut up when our investigator asked how old she is. She said beer looks like carbonated urine. She smelled sadly awful. When we asked her what she was buying she said "What do ya think? Vodka!' At that point we gave her our leftovers from dinner and pushed her in Vons. Who knows what everyone thought.

-I woke up in the middle of the night to pounding in my living room. I was seriously paralyzed in fear. What could that possibly be? Then I heard walking and I thought for 5 seconds that there was an intruder. Then in the doorway I see my little companion's figure and a mop. "Sister? What are you doing?!" Then like a mad woman she says "I WOKE UP TO THE SMELL OF POT AND THE TASTE OF POT IN MY MOUTH AND THE ROCK MUSIC IS WAY TOO LOUD.' She was banging on the ceiling with a mop to try to get our neighbor to stop. but it was to no avail. Welcome. 

Okay. I just don't have any more energy to try and convey the life of a missionary. I really am trying to give everything to the Lord and He's always got my back. The word consecration has been on my mind this week and I feel like a little greenie again, losing track of time and only thinking about my investigators. I love the gospel. There are plenty of challenges, but I know it's all true and all worth it. Make it a great week everyone!! Love you! Sister Atkinson