Week 8: Yes I Canada!

I have officially been in Canada for one month! I haven't had poutine yet but I've been to Tim Horton's twice, so I'm on my way to being a Real Canadian. I also hit an important milestone this week and got my first door slammed in my face! This lady opened up for us, saw our nametags, said "sorry not interested," and shut the door! The whole exchange took about 1.0 seconds.

We tracted into this lady on Sunday night and asked if there was anything we could do to help her and she said that we could help her dig a trench and we were like yeah! We'd love to! And she laughed and said she was joking and that it would be too much work for us and that she didn't want to get involved with the Jehovah's Witnesses anyway. And we were like ... great!! We're not Jehovah's Witnesses! She figured out pretty quick after that that we're the people they call Mormons and she apparently doesn't want to get tangled up with us, either, even though we told her that we don't have to teach her about God to help her dig her trench. She didn't seem too interested in our trench-digging services but did talk about how much she hates Trudeau for half an hour, so I guess she ended up warming up to us a bit. 

We helped our first counselor's wife blanche, chop and can tomatoes and I was the designated blancher and while I was putting 50 tomatoes in a pot of boiling water some of the water popped out and splashed me in the face! I was fine but it was very rude.

We also played kickball with the YSA on Monday night and it was an Adventure. Someone threw the ball at the back of my head to tag me and one time when I tried to catch it it went straight through my dress between my legs. I felt like the laughingstock of America's Funniest Home Videos. I did get on base once, though! So practically a success!

I spoke too soon about my bowling abilities. It turns out that my duckpin skills do not translate well to adult bowling. I got a hole in one in zone minigolf afterwards, so I hope that redeemed me from the sheer mediocrity of the rest of the day.

The highlight of the week was definitely Thursday, when we had interviews with our mission president and I managed to cry through the whole thing! I don't think he knows what to do with me anymore or why I'm a Disaster but I know why! It was because we were doing a district fast! But I couldn't tell the mission president that I just can't keep it together after fasting for more than 12 hours! That night we were supposed to eat dinner at 5 but our appointment went WAY over and we had to water this lady's flowers so we were biking up this hill and my companion had to get off her bike and walk because we were SO weak. We didn't even get home to eat until 7. But we found 4 people in 2 days after that, so I guess it worked! Sacrifice brings miracles!

People are always down our backs about "asking inspired questions," and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that means, but lots of other people have asked me inspired questions this week! So here are some important questions!

1. We were baking brownies with this member who has a LOT of struggles and while I was stirring brownie batter she asked us "Have you felt Jesus Christ strengthening you through your trials?" It kind of caught us off guard but we were like, "Yeah! Have you?" And she said she thinks so! So, have you?

2. We showed the #PrinceofPeace video to this family at dinner (which is a great video, 10/10, I get the music stuck in my head all the time) and this guy was saying that a lot of the Jews didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah because He didn't like, overthrow the Roman empire and wasn't what they were looking for in a Savior of Israel. And so he asked us if maybe we have some preconceived notions about who Christ is and what it means to have a relationship with Him and if they're preventing us from seeing Him as He is. He probably should have been the one giving the dinner message.

3. We tracted into this guy who looked at our nametags and said "You ladies look like you're with Jesus Christ!" And then he squinted and read the rest of our nametags and said "... of Latter-day Saints" and told us that he already has a church and that we should move along, but it made me think about Alma 5:19, where Alma asks the members of the church if they have the image of God engraven upon their countenances and wonder whether I'm doing things so that when people see me, they can recognize me as a disciple of Christ. I sure hope so!

I finished the Book of Mormon yesterday, which was super lit, so this week's scripture is Moroni 10:30! "And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing." I love this scripture and I gave a whole talk about it at school! Remember that every good gift comes from Christ and that He's able to give us those super awesome gifts as we come unto Him!

I hope you all had great weeks! I love hearing from you, even though I'm terrible at responding!

Lots of love,

Sister Willis