Monday, June 16, 2014

REJECTED

Happy Polka/Pancake/Preparation Day!!!
 
So Sister Muasua and I have this thing where every p-day we wear polka dots and we fix pancakes. Party? I think so!!
 
It's been quite the week... every week is quite the week! But this one was an emotional ROLLAR COASTER!!!!! Usually roller coasters pump our adrenaline and feel crazy inside, and that is no different with this roller coaster!
 
I'll tell you about our sweet investigator named Shelby! We saw her last Monday night. We were driving home, through the neighborhoods right before curfew when Sister Muasau saw Shelby sitting in her car. Shelby is a friend of a member, that's how we met her (WAY TO DO MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK) and she was waiting for this member to get home so they could hang out. Shelby is from about an hour away. We turned around and pulled next to her and without even saying anything, she looks up at us and has a SUPER surpised expression on her face. To which she rose her hands to show us that she was reading the Book of Mormon. We hadn't even taught her anything yet!! The member had given her the book a while ago. She goes "If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is!!" Haha it was so cool! So we met with her, and 3 of her member friends at her first lesson on Saturday right before game-night. We taught the restoration and she already knows it's true! I felt prompted to ask her to be baptized and she said... "no". (wasn't expecting that one, were ya?) Haha yeah, she isn't ready yet, she wants to take more time and wants to wait until her parents more-so approve. Which I totally get! She'll get there though, I know she will:) After she said no though, I had this knot in my stomach and I wasn't sure where it came from! It's not because she said no... and I didn't think it was because we might have to turn her over to other missionaries for when she is at home an hour away, I couldn't figure out why I had such a sick feeling in my stomach. I talked to Sister Muasau about it and she just thought I was crazy ;) haha
 
Well we had zone training this week on Thursday. So we drove to Grand Island and met all of our zone there. LOVE THEM!! There were AWESOME trainings! The focus in the mission for the last couple of months has been on finding and making MIRACLES and so now, we're switching, to turning these miracles into baptisms. We have all committed to have at least one investigator with a baptismal date (we're still on edge about that one.. we have so many people that are super close) and so we're going to make these baptisms happen! Another training was on The Atonement. Which was a TOTAL answer to one of my inspired questions that I was fasting for. Our Zone Leaders talked about how when we are rejected, we are using the atonement. It was such an inspired training, and we ALL were committed to get at LEAST 3 REJECTIONS to the baptismal commitment a week. So we're stepping up, being bold, and asking everyone!!! When we are rejected, we are using the atonement because it is bringing us closer to Christ. We are more-so understanding what He went through, because HE was rejected by His own people.
 
In a talk called "Missionary Work and the Atonement" by Elder Jeffery R. Holland (this talk has changed my life, read it!) He says"
 
" If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, "Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass," then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn't an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn't an easier way.

 

The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

 
THAT is why I had a sick feeling in my stomach. We had been rejected and I was feeling closer to Christ just like I have been praying for all week. I LOVE HIM!!!
 
Sister Muasau had a horrible headache and didn't get like ANY sleep Saturday night, so yesterday after church I forced her to go sleep. While she was sleeping, I had a TON of time to read in 'Jesus the Christ' seriously, the best book ever besides the Book of Mormon. I am in LOVE with this book and am so excited to finish it. Our Savior wasn't this super special creature. He too had to learn line upon line, precept upon precept and discover who He truly was. He was the most innocent, the most full of service, and he was cast away and spit upon. When we are rejected, as missionaries, as representatives of Him, we are 'standing with the best life this world has ever known'. And I KNOW that is true. Each and EVERY day!!
 
We got some texts last night from some of our less-active members that weren't the most uplifting. Young people can be harsh, and stubborn! And again, I felt those knots in the pit of my stomach. Even those who know this to be the truth, sometimes reject it. And it hurts. But our Savior is close by, and that is what gets us through! THAT is what keeps us going. ALL he wanted was to serve others, and he loved them beyond description, and they cast him away. The same thing happened to us last night. WE ARE WITH HIM.
 
On a much brighter note though... :) We have an AWESOME investigator named Joe! We taught him the restoration, but what he truly lacks is an outright faith in God, so we're helping him recognize that he has a Father in Heaven that LOVES him!! I had the thought to invite him over to a dinner that we were having at one of our members homes and HE ACTUALLY CAME!! Usually people blow us off... haha but he got there at like 8, we left, shared a shorter, but SUPER spiritual lesson (we had 2 nonmembers there) and then we took off. We thought he would leave when we did, but HE STAYED!!! He ended up staying and hanging out with the branch members until 2 in the morning! SUCCESS!! They are all way good friends now, which will be a HUGE help to us! And they all love him. His current friends go out and party and drink and whatnot and so he told us that "it's nice to have soooo much fun, without doing really much of anything!" So that is the best news ever:)
 
 We played Coke Baseball for FHE on Monday to say goodbye to Johnny Dinkle-- he is currently in Provo, so peeps at home, KEEP YOUR EYE OUT!! He is the GREATEST! He was our Ward Mission Leader and we miss him a ton already. Coke Baseball though is when you shake up cans of soda and then hit them with a baseball bat. SO FUN AND STICKY!! Then that actually ended up turning into another Paint War, because they loved the first one so much. AWESOME!!!
 
One of our members, Shai, was performing at a coffee shop. SHE'S GOING TO BE FAMOUS ONE DAY, so we went to support her, and she is incredible!! Got to listen to some worldy music to support her.. gosh I miss it! haha Listening to the same like 12 CD's for 18 months is TRULY wearing on me... especially since Muasau CONSTANTLY has to have music playing (I do appreciate the quite sometimes) haha but I love her! The music is just getting a little worn...
 
At gamenight on Saturday, went to go play sand volleyball at the park nearbye. We had 3 nonmembers there. SUCCESS and then there was a huge tornado warning!!! We watched as long as we could, until it started raining, then we thought we better leave. Nebraska was covered in tornados, and we got the coolest pictures!!!! It was fun:) And everyone was safe!
 
Anyway, mission life is the greatest:) There is never a dull moment. Always seek for opportunities to better understand what our Savior has done for us. He is my rock. He is my life. He is soooo courageous, and life for Him was a test too. Life for Him was hard. Life, for Him found MANY disappointments. But He did it perfectly to help us through. And I thank Him, my elder brother, every day for it <3
 
Have another terrific week! And ya'll need to stop going on vacations without me...... seriously..... :P I love you all!!! SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't understand... sooooooooooooooo much!!
 
-Sister Checketts
 
#paintwar #superheros #bestfriends

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