So this week has been full of random events! A lot of good things happened, a lot of funny things happened. But funny things are bound to happen if I'm involved, because I'm so hilarious.
I'll start off with funny. On Tuesday, we spent the whole day contacting. It was freezing, but it's okay, I"m still alive. Sick, but alive. Sister Hirz and I were just walking around talking to people when I stop this guy. He's chinese. I love talking to chinese people because they usually will at least listen to what you have to say. So I see this guy. I smile and say, "Hi! What's you're name?" He got this terrified look on his face. Like...absolute terror. And he pulls out his wallet and says, "It's here! This is my student ID! I go to school here!!!" I was just like... "oh...thats nice... well, we're missionaries bla bla bla.." but he couldn't understand what we were saying so that was a bust.
Then on Thursday we went on exchanges. Sister Hirz and I went to Brighton with Sister Mickelson, and Sister Price stayed on Hill Street with Sister Pound. We went tracting all day in Michigans most expensive county. Guess how much luck we had? NONE! But it was okay. It wasn't too cold, so we were fine. But the funny thing was that we were talking to this one lady, she told us no, and so I turned around, thought I stepped onto a step that didn't exist and fell off her front porch. Sister Hirz and Mickelson almost peed their pants they were laughing so hard, and the lady was traumatized.. She was like..ARE YOU OKAY!? I was totally fine. But it was really funny.
Then on Friday, we met with J. J is Chinese. He told us he would meet with us, but I honestly think it was because he's too nice to say no to us. And he wanted "foreign friends", so that's us! So we teach him the Plan of Salvation. He told us that "If I don't accept your message... It's not you, it's me." It's funny how when people drop you, the phrases they use are like they are dumping you. I just laugh, because it's kind of funny.
Ann Arbor 1st still thinks I'm in their ward since they all see me at church and because it's practically the same area. We were walking by the married student housing, and a couple pulled over, and was like... hop in! I don't think my companions knew that I knew them because I just hopped in the car. They figured out, when they're driving us to church and say, "So I think we're having you over for dinner on Wednesday. What do you want?" Then I was like..."Ann Arbor 1st sisters will probably want this...." and they werel ike... "wait. what sister missionaries are you?" so I told her I was now in the Hill Street Ward. Funnayyyyy... Different members of Ann Arbor 1st Ward Council will come up to me and give me an assignment or a referral, and I'll be like.. I'll tell the other sisters hahhaah!
As for spiritual things, I had a couple really cool experiences this week. On Thursday, there was a "I'm A Mormon Devotional". We have them every month, where missionaries bring their investigators and converts bear testimony of how they found the gospel and how it's changed their lives. One of the main reasons missionaries love to go is because they get to see all the other missionaries who also brought investigators. We brought T, who was going to get baptized, but things came up so we'll have to wait until January. Anyways, we get there, and the speaker was Brittney, who I knew as an investigator in Belle Isle. She was amazing! I think I wrote about her a little bit in the past. She was the speaker, her testimony is so strong, and she is about to leave for BYU-Idaho. I'm so excited for her. It's cool seeing those people you see that you helped teach, and they are so happy. It rocks. Then Sister Gerber, our mission president's wife, started talking about a woman named Michelle, who just went to the temple. I was ecstatic because that Michelle was the very first person I taught on my mission in Grand Blanc. Then I looked an realized that she was sitting in the front row. I thought... I wonder if she remembers me, because I was only in Grand Blanc for a week. So after the event, I go up to her to see if she remembered me, and she sees me and just starts crying. I was like... oh my gosh, what happened? And she was like... I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE YOU AGAIN! I read that note you gave me all the time! We hugged probably 400 times before I left that event. She is absolutely glowing, and she is so happy and it makes me so happy to see that. The very first person that I taught as a missionary just went through the temple and is on fire. So after that, someone came up and tapped me on the shoulder. IT WAS OTTO! I taught Otto all throughout my time in Detroit. He got baptized a week after I left, and the same thing was for him. He was absolutely glowing and told me about how happy he was to have the gospel in his life. I was so happy that before I went to Brazil, I was able to see ALL of those people who I helped teach before they were baptized. I got an email from Anirudh this morning. He's doing great in India. He's reading and praying every day. And I see Peggy almost every Sunday since we're in the same church building. All of them just have that amazing fire in them. It's amazing to see.
Then on Saturday, the Elders in Ann Arbor baptized Albert and Weiting. I knew both of them and it was so cool getting to see them get baptized as well. I saw them both on Sunday. Albert said when he was getting confirmed, he felt a zap go through his body, and he was like... IT'S THE HOLY GHOST!!!
SO those are the cool events of the week. Still no news on the visa. I'm a little sick right now. But I bought some more tights and socks this week. I was freezing. Especially because I'm outside for 8 hours a day. FREEZING. Yesterday, the high was below freezing! Walking around in the Ice and snow all day.
It Happens. Love you guys. I don't know how much longer I have here. I was thinking the tahitian cardio dvds but i don't know when I leave. again, just pictures of me in hawaii :)
Love, Sister Marshall