MISSIONARY FOR A DAY

Sister Booth was sicker than a dog, and couldn't work. I was asked to go with Sister Dalton. I never knew that I would have a different look at the gospel as I was about to see. I was nervous to go. In fact I was scared out of my mind. I had flashbacks of choices I have made in my life that has kept me from going down this path. Part of me was wishing I had done different, the other part of me knew that what I had chosen was something that I didn't want to trade. I wanted the experience from a path I hadn't travel down, I wanted to know what to expect. I prayed before I went, to know how to react and that I would be able to be a good example for who ever we were going to see. Our first Sister was a Young Lady that had rescheduled with the Sisters many times. When we pulled up to her home I was flabbergasted. To me it was a dump, I was kind of scared to go to the door. Sister Dalton reassured me that it was safe. When we walked in the inside was worse. There wasn't any paint on the drywall, there was only sub-flooring down on the floor. Used pieces of rug all over to make a living room. It had been lived in like this for quite some time. The wires were hanging out of the wall. I couldn't believe that people would live like this. There was a cute little eskimo boy laying on the couch watching a movie. The sister invited us in, this was the first time the sisters would be coming in to teach the gospel. We talked for a bit got to know her a little and then Sister Dalton Started with the first discussion, which I have never heard in my life. I have grown up in the church. I know these things to be true. Through my own trials I have found my own testimony. But I have always heard the stories of Joseph Smith and how he translated the Book of Mormon. I guess it didn't dawn on me that this sister was hearing it for the first time in her life. We read part of the Introduction. Sister Dalton talked about the Church being taken off the earth. She resembled it to a mirror. Before Christ was crucified the gospel was a whole. It was like a perfect mirror. But when gospel was removed from this earth the truth was split. Like the mirror falling and breaking. Pieces of the mirror (Truth) were taken. Until 14 year old Joseph Smith prayed to know the true church. He was the key to bringing all the pieces of the mirror back together again. Hence the RESTORED Church. It made sense to the sister. She was given a Book of Mormon to read. We learned that she had lost her mom a year ago and had felt lost. We had made an appointment to come back again. This was a hard visit for me, because the sister had left the TV on for her son, and it was blaring Transformers. I found it very distracting to have on. In the end, I had offered to pick her and her son up to go to church with us on Sunday. I felt it was my place to help her to church. She accepted. We eventually left and she had agreed to let us come back. We had found an inactive sister in the ward to visit between appointments. She was a neat lady, elderly, but very talented. She threw pots like my uncle Gerry. I took to her work right away. Some of you may know that I did this in Junior High and have always had a love for it. Her family owns a kitchen store that is huge in Anchorage and Wasilla. We got to sit and watch her making things to sell for their store. Very neat. We then made our way over to an less active family. Her son was 9 or so and they all were taking the discussions. It was so fun to see such bright little spirits craving the truthfulness of the gospel. We then left her house and went over to a familiar place. We had gone to my Visiting Teaching companions home for dinner. I didn't realize that my day was going to consist of dinner too :) I just assumed that after all her daily appointments I would be going home before my dinner time. Luckily for me, Jake took care of dinner and I could keep being a missionary. My companions husband is not a member of the church and is taking the discussions. Apparently he has finished them all and is only struggling to give up the coffee. He is reading the Book of Mormon diligently, and is such a neat person. We ate dinner and I laughed a lot. He is so funny, I don't know how my VT companion doesn't die of laughter everyday. When we sat down for his lesson, he knows it to be true, but doesn't have a good enough reason to give up the coffee. He says, he just likes it. I pointed out that there are other things to do in it's place, like Postum. I was frustrated knowing what I know, and wondering why he wouldn't put down a stubborn habit to have the spirit be gifted to him after being baptized. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I wasn't a missionary. I have a hard time recognizing the choices that people make on their own. It would be very difficult for me to understand. Maybe that's why they send out younger people, not stubborn 32 year old's :). It was a privilege to go and be a missionary for a day. I was asked to go to the next discussion with the new sister. I accepted. I again prayed before I left that I would know the things to say that I would be able to encourage her to ask questions and find the gospel on her own. This next time she was able to learn about the Plan of Salvation. We started and Sister Dalton asked her if she had ever heard the story of Adam and Eve, she shook her head NO in confusion. I was dumb founded. I had felt the spirit so strong in my heart. I sat there and let the tears roll down my face. I couldn't believe that this sister and her son had not heard the gospel THEIR whole lives. I was instantly Grateful for my knowledge of this gospel. I was sad to know that she didn't know what I know. After getting to the different degrees of Glories, I was nearly a wreck. Sister Booth asked me to explain what I was feeling to our sister. I did, I also mentioned the love I have for my family. Without this Gospel I couldn't see my family again, I had explained that my mother also passed away and that I am anticipating the day I will see her again. I explained that through the knowledge of our Church, I know that I won't be alone. I testified of the Spirit I was feeling. I testified how I knew the Book of Mormon was True, how it was different for everyone, and because of that neat characteristic it is worth keeping on reading through your whole life. There's answers in that book that NO ONE can share with you. You have to read it and feel it for yourself. It's the most PERSONALIZED book I have ever come across. Therefore I knew it was ordained of God and Jesus Christ. She was fully interested in what I had said. I again extended a ride to church on Sunday before we left which she accepted again (the week before she called Saturday night and declined the invite to go to church), When I went that Sunday morning she didn't answer the door. I had felt like a TOOL for this sister. I was in shock that I could be a spirit to help guide a new person to the church. She later asked to not have anymore discussions. I think this was more because of her friends influence. But I feel confident that she will beg for more information as things happen in her life. But at least she knows that her Heavenly Father knows her. We did teach her how to pray. Which was one of my favorite parts of being there. She was so genuine. She talked to God as if she was talking to a friend on the phone. It gave me chills. I continually pray for her. I am so GRATEFUL for the opportunity I had to serve as a missionary. It put my knowledge into perspective. It helped my testimony grow even more. I'm sad that Sister Booth got sick, but I'm more grateful that through her sickness I got a chance to serve.