August 14, 2006

So, not too much this week... besides Mia.  She's our top
investigator....  She's been meeting with missionaries on and off for a long time
now.  She's married to a guy, Quinn who joined a few years back- but he's
been inactive for some time.  They were going through some marital
problems when Sister Goertzen first went to see them, so finally we went
back and well.... we didn't really get to teach, but we shared a
spiritual message with them and offered service.....  She was a little
reluctant at first until we insisted that it allowed us to wear "normal
clothes" for once.  So she let us..... We scheduled a time to come back- not
to teach, but to help.  We helped her kill weeds and were going to mow
her lawn, but the lawn mower wasn't working.  Anyways, we committed her
to pray about taking the lessons again....

She seemed a bit reluctant... but when we came by again, she said that
she needed help cleaning Lexi's (her 4 yr old- she's spoiled, but cute)
room and getting rid of stuff.  She said we could teach while we
cleaned.....  I don't know how to do that.... especially since she wasn't
very open.... We started trying to talk about gospel topics... finally
Sister Goertzen got out her scriptures and just talked about the Book of
Mormon....  Next time we went by we were actually there to teach.  So we
taught the Plan of Salvation....  She asked lots of questions and broke
down crying- something her husband apparently has only seen her do once
before, and didn't know what to do.  She's had some rough times and I
think has a hard time forgiving herself and others for things that have
happened in the past.  She doesn't have legal rights to her son who
lives with them and that's hard on her too.  But we taught a lot and the
spirit was there really strong.  We scheduled a time to come back and
share more- tomorrow actually.  We're looking forward to it! 

We got a call on Saturday tho and she seemed depressed as if she was
going to drop us and so we went by....  She was a little down and told us
she didn't know why.  So, we helped her clean her pantry....  it was a
mess....  then we shared some things after again....  She committed to
come to church.

Her husband has back problems and it really hurts to sit in the chapel
on the pews for that long.... they had talked about going inside for
the Sacrament and then sitting out in the foyer on the couches....  But
they came late and sat in the chapel the whole time.  They left early
because of a prior engagement, but her little girl Lexi stayed, and they
came back for her.  She wrote us a note.....  "I want to be a Mormon,
thanks to you Sisters!"  We were ecstatic!  I wanted to get up and
scream in the middle of Sacrament....  ok, so I didn't want to be
irreverent....  but that's how I felt.  She told us that she wants to let go of
the past and wants to learn the lessons again, she thinks she's ready to
understand.  She had a "heart to heart"  with her husband the night
before and she asked him why he joined the church and he bore his
testimony.  She really wants that peace in her life and feels like now is the
right time.

She complimented me.... supposedly they were talking, and Quinn, her
husband said, Sister Lang doesn't talk much.... (That's cause the
spiritual thoughts Sister Goertzen would come up with and I would just bear
testimony, and then the one lesson he listened to we split it up)  But
Mia was like, 'oh no, she talks and when she talks you listen, cause it
comes from her heart....  She wont say it if it doesn't mean something'. 
That meant a lot to me!  Well, that's Mia as quickly as I can explain
her.

Oh and then her husband has a friend who listened to part of the lesson
the other night- he came to church too.... and sat right next to me....
He was totally hitting on me the whole time....  Sister Goertzen wanted
to laugh.... She says if I were to batt my eyes and say, "be baptized"
he would....  He probably would.  Actually, if he wasn't high when he
was at church I think he would of felt the Spirit even stronger for what
it really was....  WE'll see I guess.....

Love always!

Sister Jamie Barbara Lang!