Times To Say 'No'

Holla!!
Sooo if this email doesn't make any sense it is because I'm doing it by memory! I left my planner and everything on accident because we are having a zone p-day in Huntington today... and I sorta forgot that I needed them to remember what I did all this past week. Anywho, I will do my best to share all of the details that I remember.
To start off I will talk about CC again. So you know how I talked about signs and symptoms? Well, we went and talked to her this week about how she was doing and she told us some important information that would have been helpful to know on Sunday! but she is a sweet spirit and does all she physically and mentally can do. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she told us that she was down to one cigarette a day! Which is great! Now she only needs to stop drinking coffee... which is hard because everyone she lives with drinks about 6 pots of coffee a day. Now I know why they are always on a buzz. I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us, because she has to find her own way to church at least two times before she can be baptized, and right now she has told us that no one would be willing to do that. But if there is a will, the lord will provide a way.

I went on exchanges this week with awesome Sister Boldrin. She really is a fabulous missionary! She is so bubbly and shouts out loud (literally) that she loves being a missionary. She is so in tune with the spirit and does everything she can to help and talk to those around her. To start off on this particular day that we had exchanges: we had a district meeting in Huntington and with mileage limitations for Sister Richards and I it is quite difficult to try and save our miles for what we need when it takes about 60 miles there and back to get to meetings in Huntington. We are supposed to use around 32 miles a day to make it to the end of the month without any problems. We have 3 times that we drive to Huntington, so we try our best to keep our mileage in check. Anywho that was a random shpeal. We met with Sister Boldrin and Sister Gray in Ashland, we call them the Ashland sisters... I wonder why :) They are about 20 or so miles away from us so we stopped and car pooled the rest of the way up with them. They saved us about 30 or so miles which is wonderful. When we got to the district meeting we talked a lot about: Know, Feel, Do and Vision, Goal, Plan. This is what we are supposed to use when we are focusing on our investigators. For Know: we want them to know a specific doctrine. Feel: What we want them to feel to know that the doctrine we teach them is right. Do: What steps they can do to find out and know about the doctrine. Vision: is a Distant idea of what we want for them such as marriage in temple, a certain calling in the church, etc. Goal: is a weekly thing that they can do to start working toward the vision. Plan: Daily things that they can do to meet their goal. It's really helpful when you know what your investigator is questioning and wanting to know more about. The people here are super nice, and they won't tell you no. Which is super FRUSTRATING!! For example yesterday: we went to try and contact this less active family again we have talked to them twice and they have said both times 'sorry this is a bad time, can you come by some other time?' and we drive back and they say the same thing. So this time when she said that we just straight up asked her if she was interested anymore and if she really wanted us to come back. She looked down and said no I don't really want you to come back, and that she probably wouldn't have told us no. She would have kept telling us to come back another time!! It is Frustrating that she wouldn't say no, and it was also frustrating because she knows the truth and she wants nothing to do with it anymore. It is sad that people can find the truth and then so easily fall away and reject it. Note to everyone: If you don't want someone to come back TELL THEM! So much easier for you and them! Anywho, back to District Meeting: they taught us some steps that we need to do while talking to people... but I don't remember them, and I don't have my notebook... sooo can't really share what I learned from that right now but it was good and I'll have to remember to tell you it next time. We then went and did 'real' plays, they are originally called role plays but President wants to make us think and feel like we are actually talking to our investigators. Anywho I will tell you my experience of being an investigator: we were being taught by Elder Proctor and Elder E(I can't remember his name!) they are the assistants to the president in our area. Anywho They taught us about the Word of Wisdom and we accepted to follow it by stop drinking coffee. Then a few minutes later they "called us" as follow up to see how we did yesterday on following the Word of Wisdom. We told him that we went out and had partied with our friends and had a few drinks, and that this morning I had drank coffee to get rid of my awesome headache that I had. Elder E then asked a piercing question that really made you feel bad if you were an investigator or someone who broke the Word of Wisdom: "Did you feel close to God/Jesus this morning?" *ouch* no, I did not. Sometimes we have to be blunt with the people we talk to, because if we do not. They will continue doing the things they have always done. Most of the people here are religious in one way or another and know/want to be closer to Jesus (sometimes). But they do not want to change their lifestyles! If they hate us for it then they do not/ will not listen to the Truth. If people are earnestly seeking they will be willing to 'leave their nets behind' and follow the Lord. The Lord asks so little of us, sometimes he does ask a lot, but if we do these things if we keep pushing on hey will bless us ten fold. and I promise that. Be diligent in all things and the Lord will bless you. It was a wonderful meeting I learned a lot on how to improve how I think about others and what I tell them. Now I just need to work on talking to people :)        After the meeting we all went and got Taco Bell - smothered burrito mmmm.. well sort of. We headed back to the Stake Center to eat and to talk to one anther because there was no room in the 'Inn' aka no more seats in little shop. The Elders and Sisters in the zone are pretty great people. They are so funny and know how to lighten the mood of anything, and they can give you great insights on what to do for investigators and how to improve companionships. Turn to others they say. Need to work on that. Anywho, after all was done Sister Gray went with Sister Richards back to Wheelersburg and I headed to Ashland with Sister Boldrin. We are both greenies and it was a wonderful learning experience. We tried to meet with a few people and we were only able to talk to one person. Sister Boldrin and I headed back to the apartment and made dinner for a family in hopes that we would be able to talk to the Lady (she is not a member and really only talked to the missionaries a few days ago) we made her a cheese, broccoli, potato casserole and brownies. We stuck it into two containers one for her and one for later. We headed over to the ladies house she was not home, but her boyfriend opened the door and was quite surprised that we had brought dinner for them even though we didn't even know them. Happy special moment! After that we went to dinner at Panera with the Young Womens president and her husband in Ashland. They had gone on their mission to Indonesia and had gotten back a year or so ago. We talked about missionary work for a while with them and how to get the YW involved and then I asked if they had any referrals or people they would like us to go meet: family members, neighbors, people with recent deaths, etc. and They just kinda looked at me and said our families aren't Mormon and they have made it pretty clear that they don't want to know anything about it so we leave them alone. I then extended that if they prayed about a specific person that the lord would open them up and they would be able to share the gospel with them. They laughed! I was truly shocked! who gives up on their Family!!! Who laughs at praying for these things? Grrrr... it is up to them I guess. We parted ways and we went and tried to meet more people but everything seemed to not be working. Sister Boldrin got a little frustrated with not being able to meet anyone and expressed that she wanted someone else to receive revelation on where they should go because she was tired of it. I then explained to her a little bit about the Gifts of the Holy Ghost: There is a reason we are put into companionships, when one companion does not feel something perhaps the other will, and when one is feeling down there is the other to lift them up. We work together because two is better than one, and your gifts will be different. One may have the gift of listening and discernment, and the other has the gift of Speaking or being more close to receive spiritual promptings. No two people are exactly the same, and there is a reason for that. After this we had the opportunity of talking to a Young lady who lived next door to them, and she listened and soaked everything up that we said to her. Everything happens for a reason. we just need to be ready to accept and do what we need to do. We helped each other learn a lot and we built each other up. We learned things about ourselves that we needed to fix because we worked together, and we talked things out. If you don't say anything to those you are working with, then things just get harder and less gets done.
I have to go soon, but I want to emphasis the Importance of Communication. Working with others is great. but if you do not talk to them, try to get to know them, or find out the best way to work together. Then it is pointless. Work Together!! Get things Done!!
Love you all and hope the best. Pray, Study, and be diligent.

Love Ya,

Sister Karen Call