I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go

I don't even know where to begin right now.... this week is kinda just a blurr or emotions. Highest highs and lowest lows. That's what we sign up for when we sign up for being a missionary, right? So I guess I knew what I was getting myself into. Saturday was a rough night but other than that we had a great week! :)

GHETTO SWAP

 Sister M and I are still together! Wahoooo! BUT we have to switch apartments with the Elders in our ward because they had to give their car to other sisters and they need an apartment that is more central so they can bike. So they are switching us. I am actually really sad! We have some awesome neighbors and we were getting some headway with a few of them. Its too bad that we have to leave. Plus... I really enjoy having my own bathroom. And we are going to miss our COUCH! I convinced Elder Matu to let us keep it!  I hope that the Elders can keep up with our awesome work we have been doing in the complex. We have Alison- she lives across from us and she is battling cancer. We brought her over some fresh peaches when we first moved in and told her that we would love to come over and have bible study with us. She is this adorable little black lady. The other day she told us that she had been looking for our phone number! And our other neighbors are just starting to get to know us. We also have like a line of kids that want to come to boy scouts. We had the twins in our complex come last week and Raven volunteered to give the prayer! I was SHOCKED! He stood up and said the most adorable, humble, hilarious prayer it was so funny. The boys really accepted them it was cute.

CATS AND DOGS

 It has gotten to the point where Yosh and Tayless just run inside our apartment when we open in for 2 seconds. It is kind of irritating. I feel bad especially since Elder Matu HATES cats. So we are trying to train Yosh and Tayless to not come inside anymore. Its really hard to not feed them.... But I don't want to get on Matu's bad side when they move in to our complex haha! Also the other night we started a new game with Yosh... its called Frog Rodeo. Its pretty simple. You catch a frog, and let Yosh and the frog loose in the house. Pretty simple. Pretty hilarious. Dont worry. The frog was fine. :) 

 We rescued a dog this week. It was running full speed down the middle of a very busy road and it was a tiny little poodle rat looking thing. No one else was stopping so we pulled over and I made Sister M chase it while I followed her in the car. We chased it into a random backyard and then as we were walking away this lady pulls over and hysterically asks us if we have seen her dog, "We tell her that we just chased it into a backyard." (Which turned out to be HER  backyard.) She burst into tears and thanked us over and over again. We were late to our appointment but it was worth it. We bought a dog bone for Rambo, put a bow on it and the next day brought it over to the owners house to see if she wanted to hear more about the church. It was so funny, before we got out of the car Sister M said the prayer. She said, "please help Devin to recognize that we not only save dogs but we also save souls..." I had to stifle my laughter until she finished the prayer it was hilarious.

MINISTERS DUNGEON 

Well this should be the bulk of the email because this has taken over most of my thoughts for the week. But let me just begin my saying that so far on my mission I have had doors slammed in my face, dogs peeing on me and chasing me, people pretending to not speak english just so they wont have to talk to us... etc. The list just goes on and on. But now I can really add one to the list.... Being roasted my a Minister. 

Let me rewind to last week when I saw this adorable family playing in their yard outside. I had like a really strong feeling that we needed to teach this family. We tried knocking but they didn't answer so we left a note on their door with our phone number. (I don't know why we leave our number its not like anyone has ever actually called us from us leaving a pass along card but who knows! #keepthefaith) Anyway... this whole week I was thinking about this family and told Sister M that we needed to stop by because I couldn't get them off my mind. So we say a prayer, knock on the door, and a guy answers. He was not nice at all but invited us in... he laughed when we told him that he had a cute family and we wanted to share a message about eternal families. He called to his wife. She looked at us, laughed and said, "good luck." Then he takes us downstairs, sits down in this rocking chair, crosses his legs and says, "Alright, I have to tell you something right off the bat. I am a Minister." I look at Sister Montierth. And my heart is pounding, I swallow hard as he says, "Alright so teach me. Thats why you're here right? Thats why you knocked on my door? To teach me about this so called "TRUTH" that you have to share to people?"...

 I dont remember anything that we said but I just remember the way I felt and the way the spirit was burning inside my chest. It was the longest 40 minutes of my life. 

Hot tears burned in my eyes as I listened to him ridicule our beliefs and our testimony of Jesus Christ and his purpose here on this earth. He wouldn't let us speak, he was listening intently and when he heard something he wanted to rebuke and reject he would put up his finger, smile and say, "Ah ha! NOW we are getting somewhere..." his wife stood there listening while bouncing a baby on her hip, not saying a word. 

Before we left Sister M said, "Sir, to wrap this up I have one question for you... Have you read the book of Mormon?" He lept up from his chair and say, "yes, yes, I have. Multiple times. Cover to cover. And so has my wife." He searched his huge book shelf for the small blue book. Took it in his hands and held it out to us. We asked, "Okay Sir. But have you PRAYED about it?" He smirked and crossed his arms saying, "I do not pray about RIDICULOUS things like the Book of Mormon." The words spit out of his mouth and I cringed. I was trying to hold it together but I wanted to run as fast as I could away from that man and away from that house. I felt sad for him. I felt embarrassed that I couldn't testify more strongly against him. My emotions were getting the best of me. We said goodbye. I don't even remember if we shook hands. But he said, "Have a goodnight. Well... at least better than you have already had..." Smiled and shut the door.

 I couldn't contain my emotions anymore. Sister M and I hugged as we stood in the dark street next to our car. I just kept thinking "WHY did god lead us in there?! What was he trying to teach us?!" It was a silent car ride home. We were spiritually exhausted. We came home, and I looked in the mirror at my smeared mascara and the thought came to me, that in that moment I knew how Joseph Smith felt. Just a taste of it. I knew a tiny bit of how Jesus Christ felt. Betrayed, persecuted and alone. Not everyone is ready to hear the gospel. But there are those that are and we must find them. It was a very humbling experience. 

On Sunday Sister M and I both bore our testimony in church. That Minister may not have wanted to hear it but there are people who do, who need this gospel. And we have to find them! 

We had a lesson on charity on sunday and the scripture Matthew 5:44 was read. It hit close to home after our experience and we have been praying for the Minister and his family. We left them cookies on their porch yesterday with a note. I felt so much animosity toward that Minister that it was the only thing I could think of to do. Who knows if they ate them. They probably thought they were poisoned which is a really shame because Sister M makes a MEAN chocolate chip cookie. SO good. 

Anyway... I learned a lot from that experience and this week we learned that sometimes the spirit teaches us and sometimes it teaches others. The church is true. Some may call that experience faith shaking... but Sister M and I both agreed that it caused us to have even more faith and appreciation for the gospel and the work we are doing. 

The church is true. Man. I KNOW It is. 

Love you all. Thank you for your prayers and letters!

xoxoxo

-Sister King

 This is a picture of our District before transfers! Who knows why I am making that ridiculous face. Just ignore that.

 LOVE this girl.

I was pretty proud of this frog rodeo picture. Check out how creepy Yosh's eye in the background is.