Then We Realized Everyone Was Smoking Pot

 

Briana with some of her friends from the MTC.

 

Minha familia!

So, I don't have a lot of time today to write, but we did have some really cool experiences this past week. Probably the best was the one I was most dreading.

So, a goal Sister Glenn and I have been trying to keep is to not waste any time, but always be trying to do missionary work. So we were 15 minutes early for an appointment with a less active one day, and even though we HATE tracting, we put Heavenly Father's will before ours and started knocking on doors. It was awful. When we finally got to a door of someone that would talk to us, turned out it was this Atheist guy who was really polite, but also really critical and disparaging. We still had a little time, so we tried another door. This time, a woman, all "tatted" and pierced opened the door. When we asked her about her beliefs, she said she was polytheistic, believed in Zeus, and wouldn't recognize a god that would cause her to be in a wheel chair in two years with two kids to feed. Somehow, we got her to accept a Book of Mormon and set a return appointment to talk with her about it.

That was two weeks ago. This past week was the appointment, and let me tell you, I was DREADING it. I hard core studied up on everything I could get my hands on about our belief in God, one God, illness, the Atonement, and anything else that might've helped her. I prayed about this lesson all week; I was so scared.

So the time came, and we knocked on her door. Her sister opened it, was really friendly, and invited us in. The house was actually full of people, and they were all really friendly. Then we realized everyone was smoking pot, haha. Anyways, our investigator came and sat down with us, and after talking to her about her life and trying to get to know her and open up for like 45 minutes, we finally felt like it was right to talk about religious stuff, and HOLY COW! She was so prepared! She said she used to believe in multiple gods, but recently, she'd been feeling a strong power in her life, helping her make some big decisions. She quit smoking pot one 6 months ago, just out of the blue, because she hated not being in control of her life and felt like her family just gave it to her to make her do stuff for them. She's moving out on her own at the end of the month, and she's trying to get a job and go back to college! Female empowerment! I love it! She then brought up that she believed in spirits and the spirit world, as if expecting us to bash that belief. While I'm not sure we believe in the same "ghosts" as she calls them, she really liked how we believe in the pre-mortal existence. Anyways, this woman is just so prepared. She said that about 5 minutes before we knocked on her door, she had this strong feeling to go check the front door. I feel like I'm having one of those Ensign article experiences!

I love this girl already because not only does she have amazing will power and courage, she's like the first person I've met here with some gumption! Someone who recognizes that you can't just "have faith" and hope that good things will happen to you, you have to work for it! And then Heavenly Father will bless you and make up the difference. Miracles are everywhere, but but we can't just sit around and expect things to be taken care of for us.

A lot of other stuff happened, but no more time! Forgot to write my mission president last week. Of course that was the week we had All Sisters Training Conference, so I got the lucky privilege of being chastised in person.

I love you all! Things are great! Have some gumption and blessings will come!

Paz e bencaos,
Sister Barkdull