Shot Through the Heart

Monday, July 30, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

We got stopped on the street by a lady named Dorothy and she had a stuffed dog in her purse named Scarecrow. She asked if we wanted to smoke marijuana with her on the sidewalk in front of Staples. First of all, your dog's name should be Toto, and second of all, no thank you. Resist the adversary! But seriously. I love these people a whole lot. 

I was fed seafood again this week. The Lord is testing me. 

We went on a walk with the kids in nursery yesterday during church, and one of the kids held my hand, and it was adorable. AND it was a boy! (Don't tell President!) But it was also nice because I was actually walking with someone who went at my same pace so I didn't have to jog everywhere I went like I do with all my fast-walking companions. 

We had a lesson with A* over Facetime last night with Bishop, and A* said he was offered a job in Missouri, and that he is probably going to stay there forever and ever. I'm happy that he's happy, but I'm also sad because I feel like I've been shot through the heart. 

 

There's a puppet show going on across the room for all the children, and it's horrible. Then again, I'm comparing it to the fabulous production that Maria puts on with the Von Trapp children. And when you compare anything to that, it's not really fair. But these people aren't even singing about lonely goatherds or men drinking beer with the foam afloat. Pity. 

We were able to help a family in the ward move on Thursday. The fun and the love for the people we were serving barely outweighed the intense heat and humidity. Man! It was not delightful. Also, I tripped when we were walking into their house and bonked my head on their screen door that was being held ajar for people to carry heavy furniture out, and it broke and closed and slammed my body and threw me even more off balance, so and I just laid on the ground and thought "Is this what Jesus would do?" We ended up going to get ice cream with them afterwards, so that was nice. I just love to serve the people of Virginia. 

Also, I think I'm getting a summer cold. 

Zone Conference was this week, and there are some new rules that were announced! President Caplin is making changes already. Which is good. He's making the mission his own. We are now not allowed to leave our proselyting area at all - even on preparation days (allow me to express just how happy I am to be in Fairfax where there is a Chick-Fil-A within the boundaries), we can't go to baptisms within the mission - even if we have taught the person, there is no more meeting up with other missionaries to play sports at the church anymore, and probably some more ones that I can't remember right now. And they also made a new rule that we need to invite all of the new people that we find to teach that week to be baptized the first time we talk with them. Which is awesome, because I love inviting people to be baptized. All the trainings were also splendid, and I feel spiritually edified. I recently read through my scriptures and found every time that a missionary spoke with "boldness," and I thought it was cool because all of these great people in The Book of Mormon that I aspire to teach like, they taught "boldly." I've come to the conclusion that I also need to be bold while I'm teaching. President Caplin quoted President Ballard and said "Courage is confidence. Confidence is boldness." I guess I'm going to need courage. I'm very much like the lion in the Wizard of Oz. Which makes me think of Dorothy and her stuffed dog "Scarecrow," and it just upsets me again. 

Also, please forgive me for how horrible I am with getting pictures with people. I will do better this week! 

 

Sister Kleven

 

PS: Here we are at dinner with the lovely C* family: