"Sisters Tweedledum and Tweedledee!" - Bishop
This week has been so busy!! It was so great. On Tuesday we went into this town called Forfar. It used to be in the ward boundaries, but they cut it out a few years ago. However, Bishop has been trying to move it back into Montrose because it's been sort of a no man's land for missionaries for the last four years. So, we asked the ZLs if we could go contacting there, and they said we could, so we did! And it was INCREDIBLE. So many little things worked out perfectly for a miracle to take place. A few days before, we were given a copy of a case study to read before mission conference that talked a lot about using members in missionary work. Well, in it, it talked about finding on the bus. Usually on bus rides we sit by each other and do comp study or something, but because of this and a challenge our STL gave us to talk about the Book of Mormon with someone on the bus, we decided to sit next to someone else! So, Sister Mac sat across the isle from a girl, and I sat right behind Sis Mac because I'm a wuss. But we ended up setting an appointment with her! We got into Forfar and GQed for a while, getting a couple of pretty snazzy potentials. We were going to go back to Arbroath at 1:00 to catch a lesson, but then it cancelled on us, so we decided to stay until 3:00. However, a boiler guy called and said he would be at our flat at 4:00 to check our gas if that worked for us. We said yes and now had to leave at 2:00! A few minutes before our bus was to come, we Gqed someone passing us. She answered, and then said, "Love you sisters!" as she walked away. We just looked at each other in a state of shock that this lady seemed to know who we were. We wanted to ask her how, but she had already disappeared from view.
So, a little later, we got onto the bus and again sat across from someone. When we looked over, we saw that it was this lady we saw in the street! We started talking with her and asked how she knew about us, and she began telling us all about how the previous sisters had taught her and lifted her out of a time of great depression. By this time I knew who she was. IT WAS KATIE! We had a whole page of white washing notes on her. How the missionaries had been teaching her for a while, and then she tried to commit suicide, but the sisters saved her and was put in the hospital. We had been trying to meet with her since we got here, but she told us that she didn't want to. Apparently, she thought we were the sisters in Dundee that had visited her in the hospital soon after the incident, and it was super awkward, and Katie didn't want to meet with them anymore. She expressed interest in meeting with us, so hopefully it'll happen! I just keep on thinking, there is no way that any of these little changes in the day were coincidences. It was an absolutely crazy miracle!
On Wednesday we had Ryan's Baptism! It was also Sister M's b-day, so when we went to my PT in Stonehaven, I bought her some ice cream. It was beautiful and sunny when we went into the shop,
but when we walked out, some crazy wind hit us. We could barely take a step forward, and it was blowing our icecream away! Practically melting it. I tried shielding it behind a rubbish bin, but then it started to pour rain on us. Literally. Like buckets of rain dumping down on us. We were soaked in two seconds. No exaggeration. We were screaming and laughing so hard and we ran into the shop again, ice cream puddling in our tubs and dripping down our arms. How the heck! Scotland weather is so crazy.
Anyway, we got to the church at 4:00 and the heating wouldn't work. We started filling the font anyway, otherwise it would've been ankle high and prayed that everything would work out. Some Brothers came in a half hour before the baptism started at 7:00 and fixed everything, and I was the designated one to wade into the knee deep water to check and see if it was pouring warm water. And it was! The service was lovely. Sister M and I sang a song, and then Ryan was baptised and he bore his testimony afterward and it was beautiful! We and the ward are going to take good care of him.
Right after we cleaned up we caught a ride with the Elgin sisters to Dundee. The one driving got pulled over for speeding and was shoved into the police car. We thought they were going to take her away, so her companion ran out to talk with them. They yelled at her to get back in the car, so we all just waited impatiently to see if they were going to arrest her or not. She came back and said that they were threatening to do so, but because she was American they let her off with a warning. Don't speed folks! Not a good idea! Even if you are following the flow of traffic! There's a life lesson for you.
So, the next day the ZLs drove us to Edinburgh and we had our All-Scotland Conference!! Elder Massimo de Feo was there and spoke to us, and it was AMAZING. Oh my goodness it felt so good. One thing that was said by President that really hit me: "Will you have gone through your mission, or will your mission have gone through you?" I've realised that I really need to focus on not just going through the motions. That I need to live and love every second, and make sure the lessons I learn each day sticks. That I internalize them. It'll be hard, but it'll be worth it! At the close of conference, we all gathered in a circle to sing our beautiful mission song. I sneakily caught it on camera, though I'm really horrible at taking videos, especially when I'm trying to be sneaky, so for those of you that watch it, sorry.
On Saturday we went to Aberdeen for exchanges! I was with the past STLT this time, and it was so much fun! We also got to have Sister Milne's mission-famous Banoffee pie, and it was celestial. Helen Stronach made Sister McNamara a birthday dinner yesterday, and gave us some leftover flipping delicious carrot cake, and I just barely finished it! Fat fat fat. The members here are so sweet. A bunch of them gave her birthday gifts and cards, including Ryan, and I just felt super left out. (I'm totally and completely kidding).
That was our crazy week! Love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!
Sister Syphus
1- Ryan's Baptism!
2- Three Generation - Grandma, Mum, and Daughter
3 - MTC Reunion!
So, a little later, we got onto the bus and again sat across from someone. When we looked over, we saw that it was this lady we saw in the street! We started talking with her and asked how she knew about us, and she began telling us all about how the previous sisters had taught her and lifted her out of a time of great depression. By this time I knew who she was. IT WAS KATIE! We had a whole page of white washing notes on her. How the missionaries had been teaching her for a while, and then she tried to commit suicide, but the sisters saved her and was put in the hospital. We had been trying to meet with her since we got here, but she told us that she didn't want to. Apparently, she thought we were the sisters in Dundee that had visited her in the hospital soon after the incident, and it was super awkward, and Katie didn't want to meet with them anymore. She expressed interest in meeting with us, so hopefully it'll happen! I just keep on thinking, there is no way that any of these little changes in the day were coincidences. It was an absolutely crazy miracle!
On Wednesday we had Ryan's Baptism! It was also Sister M's b-day, so when we went to my PT in Stonehaven, I bought her some ice cream. It was beautiful and sunny when we went into the shop,
but when we walked out, some crazy wind hit us. We could barely take a step forward, and it was blowing our icecream away! Practically melting it. I tried shielding it behind a rubbish bin, but then it started to pour rain on us. Literally. Like buckets of rain dumping down on us. We were soaked in two seconds. No exaggeration. We were screaming and laughing so hard and we ran into the shop again, ice cream puddling in our tubs and dripping down our arms. How the heck! Scotland weather is so crazy.
Anyway, we got to the church at 4:00 and the heating wouldn't work. We started filling the font anyway, otherwise it would've been ankle high and prayed that everything would work out. Some Brothers came in a half hour before the baptism started at 7:00 and fixed everything, and I was the designated one to wade into the knee deep water to check and see if it was pouring warm water. And it was! The service was lovely. Sister M and I sang a song, and then Ryan was baptised and he bore his testimony afterward and it was beautiful! We and the ward are going to take good care of him.
Right after we cleaned up we caught a ride with the Elgin sisters to Dundee. The one driving got pulled over for speeding and was shoved into the police car. We thought they were going to take her away, so her companion ran out to talk with them. They yelled at her to get back in the car, so we all just waited impatiently to see if they were going to arrest her or not. She came back and said that they were threatening to do so, but because she was American they let her off with a warning. Don't speed folks! Not a good idea! Even if you are following the flow of traffic! There's a life lesson for you.
So, the next day the ZLs drove us to Edinburgh and we had our All-Scotland Conference!! Elder Massimo de Feo was there and spoke to us, and it was AMAZING. Oh my goodness it felt so good. One thing that was said by President that really hit me: "Will you have gone through your mission, or will your mission have gone through you?" I've realised that I really need to focus on not just going through the motions. That I need to live and love every second, and make sure the lessons I learn each day sticks. That I internalize them. It'll be hard, but it'll be worth it! At the close of conference, we all gathered in a circle to sing our beautiful mission song. I sneakily caught it on camera, though I'm really horrible at taking videos, especially when I'm trying to be sneaky, so for those of you that watch it, sorry.
On Saturday we went to Aberdeen for exchanges! I was with the past STLT this time, and it was so much fun! We also got to have Sister Milne's mission-famous Banoffee pie, and it was celestial. Helen Stronach made Sister McNamara a birthday dinner yesterday, and gave us some leftover flipping delicious carrot cake, and I just barely finished it! Fat fat fat. The members here are so sweet. A bunch of them gave her birthday gifts and cards, including Ryan, and I just felt super left out. (I'm totally and completely kidding).
That was our crazy week! Love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!
Sister Syphus
1- Ryan's Baptism!
2- Three Generation - Grandma, Mum, and Daughter
3 - MTC Reunion!
4 - Exchanges with Sister Allred
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