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Monday, March 10, 2014

All Of Your Problems Would Go Away If You Just Listened To Me

Hannah is still in Double Oak, Texas.  She gets her new companion on Wednesday.  She is very sad to be without Sister Heap, but is looking forward to getting to know a new companion.  Her address is still as follows:
231 Oakview Drive
Double Oak, Texas 75077
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First of all: There ain't no crazy like Texas weather crazy. We had 85 degree weather on Saturday.... and by Sunday it was ice rain. It's still bitterly cold today and I am miserable. #firstworldmissionaryproblems

So this week I had 2 contrasting teaching opportunities. Y'all remember my good friend Len who's a nit-picky doctrinal inquisitor. We teach him every week and every time we plan to do something... he skids off that plan like a super duty dodge on black ice. Fortunately, I have an answer for every man, but it's a little difficult to have a straightforward conversation with this dude. The problem, I think, is that he doesn't want to be taught. He thinks he's doing us a favor by "coaching" us. By now, it's turned into a High Priest's Group for Beginners scenarios. I just wanted to teach about the gospel of Jesus Christ.... Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, Enduring to the End, is this so difficult a concept?

It is when you make it one.

ON the other flipper, we went to go see a Less Active, whose non-member friend (and friend's family) have started living with her. There are 2 girls, one's 2, the other 8, (Larissa and Vanessa, respectively). The other day, someone had told Vanessa about the Mormons, that we're here to take everyone down to Hell with us (rude) and so when we came over, she was reasonably scared. Her grandmother and the LA convinced her to sit with us and while Sister Heap taught the adults, I pulled out cards and pamplets and as many pictures as I could find and taught them through that. I started with a picture of the SLC temple. I told them it was the Lord's house and they both ooh'd and aah'd at the "princess castle." I told them they were princessess because they were daughters of Heavenly Father and He's a king! Then I showed them the Book of Mormon pass-along card, which has a picture of Christ visiting the Americas. I told them that Christ loves everyone so much that He visited, not just the folks in Jerusalem, but in the Americas! Larissa (the 2 year old) would put up a picture of a card and say "what's that?" and I'd say "temple!" she'd do the same with the other one and this went on for a while. She quieted down and so I pointed to the picture of the temple and asked her "what's that?" and she put it in my face and excitedly whispered "temple!" Asides from the time we taught a member's daughter the 2nd of the 10 commandments by saying "don't believe in cows" this was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen on my mission. And so tender.

The grandma (again, non-member) asked us if we would teach Vanessa what the Book of Mormon is all about. Using the pictures in the front of the book, we taught the doctrines of the Book of Mormon. Throughout the "story time," Larissa would gasp at parts that were, I guess, cooler than others. Like Samuel the Lamanite and Nephi's family sailing across the ocean. By the end, they were our best friends!

SO basically, if we are to learn anything from this, it's that Christ knew what He was talking about when He asked us to be like children. I'd rather teach Nursery/Primary than Sunday School ANY DAY.

I like working with kids. What can I say? They bring the gospel to life. And they share their goldfishie crackers with me.

Have a great week!
Love, SIster Gunson

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