Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Letter #49 (September 1, 2014)

Where does the time go!? It's Monday already? What?!

This week was SO GOOD. We taught four lessons with a member present,
which is a new record for us in this area. I love this ward, but it is
kind of a tough area. I love it's though. We've been very blessed this
week with referrals. There are Chinese and Spanish missionaries that
work in our area, so we get a lot of referrals from them and from the
Pasadena Sisters since they live in our area. We started teaching a
few of our referrals, which was great! We also went to see this really
sweet less active lady and her grandson was there and we taught him
the Restoration! She would chime in every so often and explain things
too, it was really cool. Her grandson is 25 and just so open to
learning. He doesn't actually live in our area, so we got his
information to send to YSA the missionaries where he lives. I'm really
excited for him!

We also got a referral this week that was kind of frustrating. It was
a self referral from Mormon.org, so we were really excited about it,
but he referred himself so that he could try to convince us that we're
wrong. He was really nice and I think that he thought that he was
helping us, but it was just so sad. He just kept saying that we were
young and deluded and naive and stuff and we needed to read the Bible
more. He started Bible bashing, which I hate because you can
misconstrue verses all day. If the point he was trying make with the
scriptures he read us was accurate, then other things in the Bible
would have to be false. It's so contradictory. So obviously we just
stopped him, respectfully told him that we were there to help him come
closer to Christ, and if he's not interested in that, then we needed
to go so that we can help people who are open. And then we left. It
made me so sad because I really think that he was trying t help us,
but was really just further distancing himself from the true gospel.

Anyway, this week also consisted of a lot of service. We started
volunteering at a food pantry in our area. We go there every Tuesday
now. It's not in the best condition though, there's lots of stuff that
had gone bad, so we spent quite a bit of time throwing out rotten
fruit and broken eggs. It was nasty, but kind of fun because we
started squishing the rotten fruit into the trash can. So much juice
spurted out! It was entertaining. Gross, but fun.

We also helped someone move in! It's a family of six that just moved
into the ward. Huntington ward really needs fore solid families, so
this is perfect! They have four boys that range from 10 to 17. Brother
Berry is hilarious. He is an actor, which is why they moved here from
Massachusetts. You can find him on IMDB! Phil Berry. And while you're
at it, Google Julia Berry. She's an author! She's written a few
different books, all which look pretty good! What a family! Brother
Berry thinks (as many do) that I look like Jennifer Lawrence. So he
said that he'll call me Sister J-Law and call Sister Fjeldsted Sister
J-Feld. So there you go. Oh, AND they all song and are into musicals!
But I digress. Sister Fjeldsted and I thoroughly impressed them.
Everyone thinks that sisters are so weak and pathetic. Think again! We
carried some of the heaviest stuff actually. Oh. On a side note, one
of their sons banged his knee and we hear "SON OF A..... Baconator."
it made me day.

We also worked at a homeless shelter with our one investigator. We did
it with her and the elders in the East Pasadena ward. It was a family
shelter. It was so sad to see that there were no fathers there. They
were all mothers with 3-5 kids. It broke my heart a little bit, but it
also made me so grateful for eternal families.

And then more service! Well, sort of. We were on exchanges this
weekend and me and Sister Walker (the only other sister to come out
into the field with me) went to help our investigator move some boxes
and things around, but she also fed us lunch. Well. We were helping
her do the dishes when I hear Sister Walker go "Sister Kretchman, I
just broke her cup!" I go and look and then I go "Sister Walker you're
bleeding!" She was more concerned about the cup, but I made her put it
down so we could deal with her gushing finger. The rest of the the day
was pretty much spent dealing with her finger. We had to wrap it all
up and then bike home so that I could email Sister Child (the mission
nurse and my last comp) some pictures of her cut. It was a decent cut,
I actually still have pictures on here if anyone is interested in
seeing it. Luckily. She didn't need stitches or anything, but we did
need to make an impromptu trip to CVS to get her some more bandages.
In the mean time, Sister Fjeldsted and Sister Walker's comp (who,
coincidentally, came out together as well) were in Pasadena when their
phone died. So we couldn't communicate with them to re-exchange! We
went ahead and biked to their apartment and then waited for them. And
waited. And waited. The Spanish Hermanas didn't show up either, so we
were kind of freaking out. But eventually they all got home and it was
fine. But late. Oh do late. Quite the adventure no?

Anyway, despite all of the craziness and everything, it was truly a
wonderful week. But oh so fast. Why is the time going so fast?! I've
almost been out for a year! NOT OKAY.

Anyway, I love and miss you all! Write me!

~Sister Kretchman

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