Sacramento - Week 26

Due to the new security measures requested by the Mission leaders, the names of all investigators and people that Sarah comes into contact with will be replaced with the name of a well-known character from a children’s movie. This will keep the identities of people safe as well as make it easier to keep everyone straight. The name given is in NO WAY intended to reflect the personality, looks, or circumstances of the individual(s).

“We're Sister Missionaries...We Can't Have Cats.”

Monday July 22, 2013

Sister Vaughan and I

Another week has flown by here in sunny California. How did that happen? 

Well, it's been an interesting week. Sister Abbott and I went with President Skywalker on Tuesday for his big presentation hosted by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District. They loved the musical number and President gave an awesome presentation called "The Mormons Next Door". He opened it up for question and answer to the crowd and it was awesome. He handled all questions like a pro and bore testimony that brought the spirit instantly. He's the best. It was just funny to me how people would ask questions that they thought we had never been asked before to stir up trouble like, "What's the deal with polygamy?" or "Why couldn't blacks have the priesthood?" or "Doesn't the book of Revelations say you can't add anything else to the Bible?" The thing is, they obviously don't realize that we are asked those questions every single day. They really aren't that scandalous and we do have answers plus testimonies. Silly troublemakers. Tough questions are missionaries' favorite thing. 

As we have worked our way through our ward list, I have kept thinking about President Monson and how he would always reach out to the widows in his ward. We have so many older single sisters in the ward that don't come to church because of everything from health problems to just not knowing anyone and they love that we come and talk with them and bring them the spirit. We are working on bringing them back to church but I have a challenge for Bridie and the Young Women back home. They should ask Bishop for a list of all the single older sisters in the ward and visit them! Think of the power that these Young women could have for these sisters. I think if you asked Bishop how many less actives we have in the ward back home you would be amazed. We have to take care of the people we've got before the Lord will bless us with more. 

We are being blessed with so many referrals that we don't know what to do with them. I take that back. Of course we know what to do with them. We contact them! Contacting referrals is fun because it is kind of like a game show. I always feel like "What's behind door number 2?" But really it's like "What's behind door 37?" We've gotten a little bit of everything.

"Yes, that's me, but I go by 'Dreamer' now. Do you wanna meet my snakes?"

"Oh yeah he doesn't live here anymore. He moved across the street. Actually wait, maybe he died...."

"How did you know where we lived?

(Us:) The Ward List...

(Them) They have one of those?! Does it have our phone number?!"

 "You're really sweet, but we're not Mormon anymore." To this last one I want to say ONCE A MORMON ALWAYS A MORMON. Don't people realize you can't escape the gospel of Jesus Christ. We gonna find you. 

We had one referral this week that just made me laugh. We knocked on a door and the man opens it wearing an Elmo T-shirt. He then starts to laugh and says, Oh my goodness. I know why you're here! Turns out he referred his girlfriend to the missionaries as a joke. Not funny. But I laughed anyways because in that situation you can either cry or laugh and I can't cry so I laugh. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. 

We had a mini miracle this week with a woman named Giselle. Giselle is in a rehab facility because her leg was amputated. We felt like we needed to see her and when we came in she told us how happy she was that we came because she was feeling so lonely and wishing that someone would come. We shared the Mormon message "Good things to come" with her and she really enjoyed it. We hope that we can get her to read the Book of Mormon but she is very staunchly Catholic and being stubborn. But hey, they say Catholics make the best Mormons! 

  

(Watch it here -  "Good Things to Come"  )

Sinbad is getting baptized on Saturday and I get to go back to Green Valley for the baptism! I am so happy for him and that this day is finally here! Also, it will be great to be back home in the good old Valley of Green for a little bit. 

And now to explain the title of this email. Last night we got a phone call from a man named Chuck Norris. He told us that his neighbor Blue Fairy was taken to hospice care and that her friend told him that we would take care of her two cats so they were catching them and when could we come pick them up? Turns out Blue Fairy is a woman that Sister Vaughan and Sister Hale had contacted once back in May. Why she left her cats to them we have no idea, but we had to explain to Chuck Norris that we never agreed to take her cats and that we're sister missionaries and we can't have cats. Mark that one off the missionary bucket list "Be willed a cat." 

The moral of this week is that no matter what, God is always with you when you are doing your very best to do what He would have you do. It doesn't mean that hard things don't happen, but it does mean that there is always a light in the darkness and an iron rod to cling to. 

Love y'all! Until Next Week! 

Sister Burchett