This isn't my area

Nov. 16, 2015

The flame trees are too beautiful.

Darling Family,

My companion forced me to stay in a few hours this week to sleep because I've been so sickly lately and it was super miserable. Staying in is the worst, especially when you only have so much time left. But multiple missionaries have said to me this week, "Stop being so hard on yourself." I guess I am just super anxious to leave all my efforts on the field. I have seen so many missionaries "die" at the end and I don't want to be that. It is good to realize that this isn't my work though. 

The Spirit sort of slapped me in the face with these words, "This is not YOUR area, it's MY area." Good reminder.

I went on exchanges this week with Sister Motsi which was great and short. In the middle of the day we got a call that the sisters got in a small car accident in the other area and we had to switch back early. But I still learned a lot. I had been studying diligence in the morning and it happened to be the perfect topic for the day because every single appointment fell through. We arrived at one house to find the guy waiting to tell us that his parents were against us coming and that we were satanic. Later he texted us telling us that we should never, never come back to their house or...what what what. These are things I'll always remember. Ha! Luanshya really likes thinking we're satanic. We are going to show "Meet the Mormons" to help the community change their perspective a bit. Hopefully a mob doesn't show up.

I am a firm believer that cancellations and fall throughs are actually opportunities. It just means God wants us somewhere else. We went to teach one of the sweet families we are teaching and they weren't home. It was a bummer but I had this feeling that we should go talk to this man we had passed. It quickly turned into a lesson with him and his wife and BAM, a new family to teach.

No tracting November is going really well thus far. I haven't knocked one door (except at houses of people we have appointments with). It takes a lot of creativity not to knock when a million cancellations come but it's really awesome. I definitely recommend it for missionaries wherever you are serving. Working through other people instead of through doors is the way to go.

Another family we are teaching, the Chisengas, are really sweet. The wife really didn't like us and especially the Book of Mormon (they call it the "Book of Mammon" here) but as we taught, her heart was softened and by the end she actually read a verse from the Book of Mormon for us. It was super cool to see the Spirit soften her heart.

We are still teaching that woman, Mrs. Kapembwa, who doesn't seem super ideal but TOTALLY is. I love her so much. She came to church again and stayed for the Elder's baptism after church. As we walked away from the baptismal font I asked her, "How did you feel as you watched the baptism?" and she said, "I felt good. I just wish it were me." She met with President Thole and told him that she is getting baptized on the 6th of December. I could have one last baptism after all :) We taught her after church and we asked how her prayers have been going. She said as she read the restoration pamphlet and prayed about it that she felt a hand on her shoulder and felt the words, "My daughter, what they are teaching you is true." I was in tears. This woman is sent from heaven.

In other news:

-We were quickly eating lunch in one of the classrooms at church and when we came out we found we had been locked inside the church. President Thole couldn't stop laughing at us looking out the windows.

Love you all!

Sister Proctor