November 29, 2021 "I Only Cried A Little Bit"

 Some weeks seem to pass with the blink of an eye, and you're left standing on the sidewalk, wondering when you crossed the street. Other weeks feel like you're hurtling along a race track, building up speed until you smash into the brick of reality. A few weeks inch by like a worm crossing the sidewalk, painstakingly taking a few slithering centimeters forward. 

I don't know what this week was like, but it felt like none of those.

We didn't have many lessons this week with it being Thanksgiving and all. 

On Tuesday, one of our friends that we are teaching (her name is Taylor) came to yws. She's extremely shy and it took a lot for us to encourage her to come. When we arrived, we found out that the yw were watching a church movie, something missionaries aren't supposed to do during proselytizing hours. I didn't know what to do. I was afraid to leave her. Taylor's hands were shaking as we stood in the line to help her get popcorn. A can of soda slid through her fingers, hitting the ground intact, but Taylor began apologizing a million times over. One of the girls in yws struck up a conversation, reassuring her that it was ok. Taylor looked like a lost puppy ready to bolt.

My district leader was at the activity, about ready to leave before the movie started. I stepped over to where he was. 

"What do we do?" I asked. "She's terrified but we aren't supposed to watch movies."

He asked me a question that seemed to ring in my soul. "What is the spirit telling you?"

I paused. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind. "To not leave my afraid young woman." 

He then spoke forcefully to me: "Then you don't leave your afraid young woman." I nodded.

I don't regret my decision. Taylor was deeply afraid, alone in a brand new environment, and I couldn't in good conscience leave her. The next time we visited, she ranted and raved about that activity and she wants to start going to church and the other activities. I learned a powerful lesson that people are more important than rules. 

Also, some little girls made us turkey hats for Thanksgiving. 

Another thing that happened this week is that some members of the ward told us that someone we are teaching was previously a member, removed his records, and has been taught by missionaries several times. We found him street contacting a couple of months ago and have had the weirdest issues in teaching him. He follows our invitations to read and come to church but doesn't seem to notice or recognize the spirit. He has lied to us about his history with the church. We aren't sure why.

We got to clean the church! Mostly I just vacuumed for like four hours. It was pretty cool.

My zone leader was bragging about how much spice he could handle. And we were all at a store and the store keeper gave us a sample of their hotest hot sauce. My district leader dared me to try some. I cried a little bit but actually handled it better than the zone leader and all but one of the guys. It was a proud moment for me!

Love you all!

Sister Brice