Bonjour Bonjour!!!
Well this week Soeur McGhie and I were invited again to mission council...one more train ride to Paris (which is ironic because everytime I make that train ride I get all sentimental and tell myself the next time I make that train ride I'll have my suitcases...then something else happens and woaps off to Paris again...)
Anyways...mission council was good. I was expecting all the serious, bussiness talk that Zone Leaders like to make...when President Poznanski got up and asked "when is the last time you really laughed with your companion?"
And he was serious...he wanted stories. So people started raising thier hands and talking about how they had seen someone crash thier bike, or someone had told them they couldn't understand a thing they say, or the cell phone had rang during a prayer. Here I was thinking prez would react by wanted to say something like "have charity for those who crash their bikes, work on your french, make sure you phone is on silent in rendezvous"...but no...he was laughing right along with us. Then I realized...I probably sound much too serious in my emails...ok maybe I imagine that I sound like a serious, seasoned missionary in my emails...but comme meme I decided its time to share with you some of the hilarious things that have happened to us the past couple weeks. Because, oh gosh, being a missionary is one of the funniest things ever. Par example:
-So the cute 16 year old that admires our tags, remember that story? Well her name is Tracy. And Tracy loves to speak english. She is also asking us for help with her homework and always trying to speak with us and the elders. Well, an elder and I somehow started teaching her gibberish words and told her that it is Canadian, and that actually english is my second language. And this has been going on for a good 2 and a half weeks. Now whenever she sees us, she greats us with "ashneedersnider" and says goodbye with " oobish". We even demonstrated entire converstations of "canadian" for her. But before you get worried about how cruel we are...we did finally sit her down and tell her Canadian is not a real language (she might have announced to some ward members she's learning canadian). Anyway...she is kind of a dramatic one, so once we got over the fake crying, she starting saying "I hate you elder!" We told her, Tracy you can't say I hate you...that's very rude in english. But you can say "I don't like your chicken".....haha yes it starts all over again.
-So we have this less active that smokes. We prepare for our rendezvous with her by wearing lots of layers, so afterwards we can peel off all the layers and not smell like smoke for the entire day. Well this week we were teaching were appropriately teaching the word of wisdom. Imagine the situation: We just finished reviewing all the things we are supposed to and not supposed to partake of. She is waving her cigerette in our faces "it is ridiculous that we are supposed to eat vegetables...I hate vegitables!"
We get out of the rendezvous and Soeur McGhie looks at me "I don't think she gets that we're not very concerned about her intake of vegetables."
-So last week we went to visit Rositta in the hospital. We had planned a pretty dramatic rendezvous...you know...the DTR (determine the relationship...but in a missionary way) Either commit to living the gospel...or we can't come see you anymore. Well, we come in and she had just been given some medications. But of course, we don't understand what the nurses give her...so I'm trying to ask her some questions...to see is she is really interested. And she keeps closing her eyes....then opening them...its like blinking...but really slow motioned...and then one time they stay closed. Of course, I'm in the middle of testifying...and finally I just say "Rositta? Rositta?"...yup she fell asleep. We had to try so hard to not laugh until we were out in the hallway...we just decided to come back another time for the whole DTR to be a bit more effective...
-I called this member last week so see if we could pass by and share a thought...well I asked for Soeur ________...and she acted all suspcious and was like "yes, who is this?" and then I said "its the sister missionaries"...and she acted all relieved and was like " oh with your foriegn accent I thought you were going to try and sell me something!!!" hahaha I just want to know what company calls people by "soeur".
-So we were contacting and we stopped this lady with a little boy. We got through introducing ourselves...and her little boy took of running down the street. She just looks at us, and then starts running after him. I wasn't sure what to do...so I chased after her. Soeur McGhie just stood there looking confused. Meanwhile...the lady is chasing her little boy up and down the street...so all three of us are kind of running circles around each other. haha she finally stopped and I was able to finish the contact.....she's not interested. The best was after Soeur McGhie was like "well that was fun to watch" hahah.
-This story is my favorite. So our 84 year old neighbor comes out every morning, walks across the lawn and dumps a jar of mystry juice in the bushes next to the sidewalk. Its always at the same time, and Im always sitting in the chair watching him. Well, a few weeks ago, we were noticing that our front porch smells like urine. Soeur McGhie jokingly said "maybe our nieghbor dumps urine in our bushes every morning " I was horrified and said "no, that can't be it...there must be a stray dog somewhere'"...and a couple days later we even saw a dog in our yard! Well...fast forward a couple weeks and we are at mission council. One elder comes up and says "so I see your living in my old apartment...does your nextdoor nieghbor still dump his urine on your yard"...we both looked horrified and were like "what!!!" and the elder was like "ya, he has a cathader(sp?) and apparently doesnt know how to properly empty it" hahahahahah So Soeur McGhie was right...our 84 year old friend literally dumps his urine on our yard. Apparently the Elders once spent french study writing him a very nice sticky note asking him to stop...maybe we'll try again....
Everyday we're faced with funny situations...sometimes its just getting caught in the rain and deciding to laugh rather being frustrated by the soggy feet and ineffective contacting. In Proverbs 17:22 we learn "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine". I realize some of these stories probably arent too funny for you...but remembering the funny things that happen to us each day help us remember that all this soul-saving bussiness is supposed to be joyful!
Anyways, I hope you all had some funny moments this week too!
Love you!
Soeur Smith
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