Week 27

Holy Cow…I don't even know where to start when talking about this week because it was the best week of my mission so far. I guess that seems like a pretty big statement but it is SO TRUE. This is the first week of sister Ferre and I being fully healthy all week, so we were just ready to work super hard. We set really high goals and met every one of them that we were in control of. I know that it was because of that hard work that we saw so many miracles this week, so I thought I would tell you about them. These are not in the order of how they happened, but it was almost overwhelming how much success we were having this week.  

1. We were on our way to a less active family’s house and when we got there they were getting ready to leave to go to the hospital. We went to pray with them and offer them help, and they were very grateful for our timing. 

2. We went to a member’s house to do what we call "Member Missionary Lessons" where we teach members how they can serve and help others and be missionaries themselves. We forgot to look at our phone (the member had canceled because his wife wasn't going to be home) so when we got there we decided to knock on a few doors around the member’s home. We call it the “Uknock” because we knock on the doors that form a U around the house we were going to be at (the idea being we are in the area for a reason). So the very first house we knocked on was a really sweet woman who LET US IN. That is the first time that has ever happened to me, and she told us we were the first missionaries she ever let into her home. We just got to share our beliefs both ways and talk about miracles we had seen in our lives. It was super cool to hear what she had to say. She said we could stop by again when we were in the area. She told us that the reason she kept talking to us was because we weren't pushy which was cool.

3. We went to a set appointment with a potential investigator, but he ended up not being home. We left a note with our number on it AND HE CALLED US BACK. That has also never happened to me. 

4. We were finally able to get a large print Book of Mormon in Spanish for a less active member, and when we gave it to her she was so happy she started petting the book and her lip was quivering the entire lesson. It was such a sweet moment to make her so happy that she would finally be able to read the Book of Mormon.

5. We were in an area and our lessons had finished, so we were on our way back to our car when we realized we had a few minutes and were not at our contacting goal for the day. So we knocked on a door and there was a family there who invited us back. This week I have gained a testimony of goals.

6. We were on our way to contact a not so promising referral and we walked past this group of people smoking and drinking on the porch. Because they were on the second story and the porches are also the walkways to the next door we had to squeeze by them. They were like "Hey are you Mormons?" when we told them yes they were like "Oh we could tell because of all your good vibes." We stopped and talked to them for about a half hour and answered a lot of questions and had probably one of the funniest conversations I have had while contacting about the difference between a Mormon and a "regular Christian." It was a pretty crazy conversation with everyone talking at once, but we were able to make a return appointment with one of the girls. As we were leaving she said, "just so you know, you could not have come at a better time. I was thinking about God and all my questions right as you walked by." 

We had our follow up lesson with her and it was so cool, the spirit was incredibly strong and she said she got chills when we told the Joseph Smith experience.

7. We took a member to a lesson with an investigator who is not progressing very much. They hit it off big time. They loved to talk and the member was the perfect person to bear testimony. When she did it was so powerful. When we bore our testimonies the investigator wasn't that interested because we "don't have much life experience" but the testimony of the member was very touching to her, especially because the member didn't grow up in the church and the investigator could relate to her. 

8. We went to a less active’s house to just stop in and share a message, and when we got there her cousin who was visiting from Mexico was there. He had never talked to missionaries before but had seen them on bikes. We got to share the message of the restoration and he invited us back to teach the Plan of Salvation and both lessons went really well. Plus, we have dinner with them tonight and they are making street tacos because it is my favorite meal, so I am counting that as miracle 8.5.

9. We were able to have our first lesson since I have been in the area with a recent convert. It was so hard to see her because I was sick, and then she was sick, and then Sister Ferre was sick. She has some problems with being active in the church because she has such a rigorous work schedule, but her testimony is really strong. We were able to set a date to go and do baptisms for the dead and she is excited to work towards that goal.

10. We went to contact a potential investigator and they had moved out, so we did the Uknock. A woman answered, and we were able to come back a few days later and teach her about the restoration. She loves studying about religions and accepted the invitation to read from the Book of Mormon and pray about it. 

11. We have this amazing member who is about to leave on his mission who is always willing to help us and come to lessons with us. About a week ago he came to a lesson with our investigator and this week he invited him to a branch party that we didn't even know was going on. They both went and we were able to meet up with them. The investigator got to have fun and meet a lot of the members from the branch. 

12. We tried to have a drop in lesson with that same investigator but he wasn’t home. We contacted a few doors around him and we were about to leave when we saw a man walk around the corner and we just had this strong feeling like we needed to go talk to him. We went and talked to him and he wasn't really that interested but we kept talking to him for a minute and then his daughter came out. She is the cutest, a little younger than Sam. We asked if she was interested and she was and her dad was totally fine with her learning more so we get to go teach her tomorrow. 

We have been doing SO much contacting. We had a zone goal of having 26 TTIs (basically when you talk to someone about the gospel and see if they are interested). We doubled that goal and got 52 in a week. President Sweeney challenged us last week to always "open our mouths" to anyone we see. We took that very seriously and we definitely saw the results of that this week. The mission is not about numbers but it is about making sure you are putting in your full effort. The goals we set with numbers this week have pushed me to work harder than I ever have. It is also the most fun I have ever had.

When you contact a lot of people in a short amount of time it comes with a LOT of rejection. We had people telling us no nicely, and some people not so nicely. My favorite negative response is "Will you PLEASE go away." Yes. Yes we can. Plus, it has been raining all week, so we were wet for a lot of our contacting. This could have been discouraging but it wasn't. I have the best companion in the world that keeps me laughing all day long, even with the door slams and rude comments. The worse the experience, the more we can laugh after. It has been great to learn how to laugh in the hard times. 

With all the contacting we did this week I thought that we were not going to be able to teach as many lessons as we normally do, but we actually taught WAY more that we normally do. It was so amazing to see the miracles of following our mission president’s advice to open our mouths. I have gained a ton of confidence in talking to random people in the street. Although it still scares me a lot some times. I also gained a better appreciation for the time we have to work. At the end of the day I used to be a little relieved to go home and sleep, but now even though I am more physically tired I just want to stay out and work all day. 

I think the biggest miracle of this week (besides us staying healthy the whole week) was the timing of it all. We were exactly where we needed to be at all times. We were able to meet and talk to so many people. I was able to speak the Spanish that I needed to. Oh man weeks like this just get me so pumped about being a missionary. My testimony has grown so much in seeing God guide us and protect us.

I know I am here for a reason. I know that through trials we can still be happy if we know our purpose in life, and turn to our Savior. I am so grateful for this time I have to learn and grow and to improve myself. I love these people so much. 

I hope you all had a great week as well, I would love to hear all about it :)

Thank you for your love, prayers, letters, emails, and most of all your support. 

Love you all,

Sister Doxey

Oh and tonight I have exchanges. I will be staying in my area (I’m a little stressed considering I have only been here for three weeks) and I will be with a Sister Training Leader who does not speak Spanish. On a day where we have back-to-back set lessons including Spanish lessons. Wish me luck- I am going to need it.