We had a fun week up here in Cougar Mountain. Hermana Oliphant and I are opening up to each other and we are officially what you would call friends. I am trying to carry over what I learned from Hermana Norton about having fun while keeping the Spirit. I try to smile when I don't want to and to laugh at myself and all the awkward situations that come along with being a missionary.
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| Cougar Mountain Photo Shoot |
We had a day of miracles on Friday. I had to give some training to all the missionaries in our zone that morning. It's only intimidating because it was a room full of Elders. We are the only sisters in our zone. But it was fine. Then we met a Mexican American girl right after zone training, and put her on date for baptism. We also met a cool Mexican family and taught them the restoration in Spanish! We were on Cloud Nine because lets be honest, this area is a pretty wealthy so we found the only Hispanics within miles around! We taught them the Restoration and they invited us back for the next day.
Later on that night as we were driving along and there were quite a few people out taking walks with their dogs and such. I saw one man pushing his bike up the hill. I just kept driving along, but I just feel like I shouldn't drive any further so I uturned it, pulled up and parked right beside him. We ended up talking to John for almost an hour! He was like, "Whoa, I am being approached by Mormons." Yes, sir indeed you are! He was a unique, but very prepared, individual. The unfortunate thing is that he is kind of a nomadic person so he couldn't pin point an address where we could visit him, but we have his number and he has a Book of Mormon!
We went back to visit the Hispanic family the next day, and what went from being one of the biggest missionary miracles ever turned into a two hour Bible bash. So they ended up being 7th Day Adventists and they had been studying about Joseph Smith and lot of our doctrine on the internet and they were prepared with all the bible scriptures and stuff. They basically told us that we are sinning for not keeping Saturdays holy. I love that even when people bring up points of doctrine and I don't have an answer, I never feel like my testimony is wavering. I know the Book of Mormon is true; therefore, everything else we believe must be true too. I just felt like I had let the Lord down. I am set apart and given power so that I can bring the truth to others. But I did share my testimony and my knowledge of the truth. Beyond that, I can't change their minds.
In other great news, Cougar Mountain is so beautiful right now! Last pday we went to downtown Issaquah and had lunch for Hermana Oliphant's birthday. It was so warm and beautiful! It made me so happy! Some members invited us to dinner and we had a BBQ outside. It was great!! I also got to drive downtown on our way to the airport to pick up a Sister.
Anyway, I literally went back in time this week. I went on exchanges this week to my first area, Seatac, where my mission all began. And I was there with my greenie Sister Barrett. It was the weirdest thing to relive all those memories of things that have happened so far while out here in Washington. I am proud of what I have done and who I have become, but there is still more yet that I need to work on. I want to continue to change and become more Christlike. I want to bring more souls unto Him. I also felt a little guilty for not putting my time and effort into learning Spanish these past few months. I just have this feeling that I need to be fluent. Whether that's for my mission or after, I don't really know, but I have repented and rededicating myself to learning this language. It was also so cool to see how much Sister Barrett has grown and how she has become such a better missionary since I was last with her (not that she was awful before).
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| Stoddard & Barrett Reunion! |
Anyway, there are so many experiences and things that I am learning here. "It is less than an 100th part of the record" as it states in the Book of Mormon. I have talked to everyone from a woman who nearly worships Duck Dynasty to people from India this week. I didn't get my mission call to America, I got my call to all the nations of the Earth! And I love it! Shout out to my mom...Happy Mother's Day! I can't wait to see my little, baby family in 6 days! Hopefully there will be less crying this time:) I know this church is true. I know that what I am doing is just a small sacrifice for my Father in Heaven who has given me everything. Much love and hope from Washington!
Con Amor,
Hermana Stoddard
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| The nicest apartment I have had on my mission. |
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