CRAZY Week!

What a CRAZY week!

Ok, maybe I start all of my emails that way. I definitely start all of my journal entries that way. Missionary time is so weird! On one hand it feels like time is flying by, but on the other it feels like each day is a million years long. We do SO MUCH. I sit down to write in my journal each night and I have to spend a minute thinking about all that happened that day. It's way crazy.

This week has been both the best and worst week of my mission so far. 

The best because we have seen so much progression in this area! Two weeks ago we lost all of our investigators and most of the people we were teaching. Some moved, some said that they weren't interested, some asked us for a break. It was kinda lame. The work is a lot easier when you at least have someone to focus your efforts on. Last Monday I was feeling kinda lame. Well, really lame. I love love love all of your notes! They mean so much to me!!! 

Some things I have learned as a missionary - I LOVE studying! My two hours of studying in the morning are the things that set-up my whole day. And I get seriously annoyed when studies are interrupted. :) My companion feels strongly about making sure that we are reachable at all times, while I feel that it would be best to flush the phone down the toilet for those two hours every morning. I know normal people don't have time to study for two hours every morning, but starting the day off with feasting on the scriptures - best thing I've learned so far! Also I've started reading Jesus the Christ which is WONDERFUL. Seriously. I had been avoiding it because I thought it would be super tricky and boring. But it's not! I started reading it and just fell in LOVE with the language! It *does* sometimes take some minutes of pondering to understand what is being said but it's my favorite thing ever right now. I read it every chance I get. :) 

So this last week started off really strong, last p-day was kinda lame, but we went out that night and people actually answered their doors! And they asked us to come back and teach them!!! Three times that happened in an hour and a half! Monday was so good! It really goes to show that you will be blessed when you choose to follow the Lord and do the things you know you should even though you really don't feel like it. And then Tuesday was just as successful! We met with 4 people that we have been trying to track down forEVER. We had a lesson with a less-active man that was so Spirit filled and left everyone in tears - he's (mostly) agreed to allow us to begin teaching him! And then on Wednesday we got a new investigator! A wonderful woman who just moved here with her husband and daughter and who didn't know a thing about the church! Our mission president always says that our mission is unique because people just don't move to Utah. If the Lord wants to bring the gospel to people, he'll sometimes bring the people to the gospel, and what better place than Utah? There have been so many miracles in the mission regarding stories of people that move here without really realizing why. It's pretty cool. :) 

Wednesday we came home to a major renovation project happening in our apartment. Our landlord had ripped out ALL of the carpet without telling us, and we were pretty annoyed that he had moved our stuff. It was pretty discouraging to come home to. There were spiders everywhere, it was extra cold, and it felt like we were living in a dungeon. I felt strongly that we needed to let someone know that we were living in less than ideal circumstances. The worst part is just how distracting it felt. The place was cluttered and it was no place to feel the Spirit. I know that some missionaries live in much worse circumstances than we were, but I also knew that we had to let someone know. So I called the sister training leaders and we arranged for a new place for us to stay while the renovation was happening. 

We had stake conference this week - the Saturday night session was ALL about missionary work, which we were of course thrilled about! In addition to members of the stake presidency we heard from two returning from inactivity members, a recent convert, and a non-member! This non-member is what we call an "eternigator" or an eternal investigator. Oh Joe D. He just needs to be baptized already. He has finally said that he WILL be baptized, he just doesn't know WHEN. We kept joking during his talk that we could go fill the baptismal font during conference, and just push him in after. ;) Of course that's not how you baptize people... but some do need a little more help. :) 

We also watched "Because of Him." This is a video that I could NEVER get tired of! As I was watching I thought of all of the people that we are working with and how much I want them all to understand the truths that are shared in that video. I also realized how much I LOVE the people here! I think most of you have heard about my dear friend at the Care Center and the demon we cast out of him. He's had another really hard week. I love him a lot and I want so much for him to understand that God loves him and that he can trust God to help him through the tough times, but he doesn't. He has the mind of a child, which is something that I'm not sure if he's always had, or if it's because of his accident, or past choices. It's just really interesting to me how the choices we make affect us. He is no longer in bondage to drugs (other than nicotine) but in a way he is still in bondage because of his choice to use drugs - it's affected him so much that his will is just so weak and he is almost incapable of making good choices now. So. Make good choices always. Because sometimes if you make too many bad choices you don't really have a choice anymore. 

These people though. Oh! How I love them! 

I am so honored to be able to meet with them, and I hope so many things for them! I know that our Father in Heaven does as well. 

It really was a wonderful week. And I love our preparation days - it's crazy how much more energy I have on Tuesdays! Even though all we do is email and chores and we don't even nap. It is definitely needful to have a day of rest. :) 

Which - by the way - since it was stake conference we only had TWO hours of church yesterday. What a treat! We felt like we had all the time in the world! 

I love you all!!! Thanks so much for your letters. Talk to you soon,

Sister Tipton