Well, week one in Middletown was AWESOME.
I love it here. Except the apartment, there is WAYYY too many bugs for my liking. It's disgusting.
Wednesday night we got to the church and saw a few people I love...
Sister Font, a Sister Lennon, the Phillips. :) we got to meet this guy who lives right near the church who loves family history work. He came to the FHC and we spent the evening talking with him and helping him with his family tree. I discovered my family history isn't as "done"
as I thought it was!
Thursday I got to meet our investigator Lois! She was meeting with the missionaries because she wanted to learn Chinese, so we were nervous to tell her sister Astle had left and I didn't know any Chinese :) turns out she is really interested in finding truth, and has been looking for it for a while. She read alma 32 and said she found an answer to something she has been wondering about again and again. I love watching people find answers in the Book of Mormon. Each time I am reminded that I need to repent :) I know that I have found answers myself fin the scriptures, but sometimes I lack the faith to know that others can find answers as well! In the last week I have found so many answers as I have read the Book of Mormon each day.
We also got to see Zuley and Sister Walker! They were both so excited to see me and my heart was so full of gratitude for the chance to be back. Sister Walker is doing so well. She reads every single day and LOVES her calling as a primary teacher. :)
Fridays in Middletown are exactly the same as always :) we had an APF and we had Yasmin come with us :) she was so surprised to see me! She still wants to go on a mission and she would be so awesome at it...
She just needs to start. She has to get all of her doctors appointments done and she is worried about having enough money to pay for it all.
After the APF we saw ABI! I have missed her and her cute family so much. She is married now :) she hasn't been to church in a while..but she knows it's where she needs to be. Her son is about to receive the priesthood and she is so happy and excited to finally have it in her home. She's working on being able to go to the temple with her son to do baptisms :)
After Abi we went to see sister Sorensen. She is in a nursing home now and is barely coherent. They said her organs were just shutting down :( we sang to her and she recognized me and was happy to see me. We found out on Sunday night that she passed away. I am so grateful for the time I had to love and serve her, and especially grateful for the chance to see her again in this life and in the next life.
Saturdays are pretty much the same, too. Service at the Phillips. MOM!
Sister Phillips loves your bread & banana bread recipe. :) we had to leave service early so we could get a new fridge in our apartment because ours wasn't keeping anything cold. Ps, our maintenance man is kind of creepy.
Sundays are the best days. I got to see all of my favorite people!
Miguelina was so surprised to see me and so was Helen :) We went to visit Rose afterwards and she even recognized me! :) I just feel at home here in Middletown. When I saw bishop he gave me a huge hug and told sister Checketts to look away :) then at church brother Lennon gave me a hug and told me welcome back! I didn't have the heart to tell either one of them no.
This week, so far, has been awesome. And hard. But hard in a new way.
Our district is struggling. Let me give you an example. There are 3 companionships here, and in the last week we taught 30 lessons. It doesn't sound too bad, but it know sister Checketts and I taught 18 of them. It just makes me sad that the elders don't care enough to give it their all. There is a new missionary here and I think he is struggling because he knows what missionary work should be like. I'm trying to be an example without being a brat about it :) at my last MLC president talked about how once you are called as a leader, you are always a leader. When we see something that isn't right we have to say something because silence is consent. Hopefully things start looking up here soon. It's a good thing Sister Checketts is so awesome because I think I'd be having a really hard time if not!
Yesterday started a little rough. I got in the shower before I put my contacts in... Which is usually fine but not that day. I got out and saw this black blurr on the floor.... And it was moving. It was right by the rug and I'm in a pretty vulnerable situation, so I panicked a little. I stood in the tub, wrapped in my towel, for like five minutes. Then I got up the courage to step out of the shower around the huge spider and out of the bathroom so I could get a shoe to smash it. I told sister Checketts about the spider as I was grabbing a shoe.
The spider was really big... And it looked really fast. And I was still in my towel. So to be safe I decided to put both boots on just in case I missed and it started running around. Sister Checketts walked into the closet and just started laughing. I had one boot on and was struggling with the other because my feet were still damp. She grabbed the shoe out of my hand and smooshed the spider for me. She also threatened to take a picture of me.
Later, we saw Helen. Did I mention how much I love her!? She said she had something to tell us so we sat down and prayed and then she started talking about how the last few weeks have been really hard on her. Her husband went into kidney failure this last week out of no where. She got gout in her ankle... And she started to question her testimony of the gospel. She said on Sunday she didn't want to come to church at all. She doesn't like fast Sundays because she doesn't like to see people cry, so she usually doesn't come. Her foot was still hurting, but she decided to go anyways. All week she had been talking to God & telling him her concerns. She just wanted some reassurance that she was doing the right thing. So she got to church and walked into sacrament meeting and there I was. She said she knew in that very moment that I was her answer. That she is in the right place. She said I had to come back because she was faltering. :) she told me that I was the reason she came back to church. We talked about the visiting teaching message and about comfort and she told us that she wants to go to the temple. She said at first she just wanted to go and do baptisms but now "she wants to go got herself" she didn't say it outright, but we think she wants to go for her endowment! I asked her if we could PLEASE go before I go home and she said "here you are, pushing me again!" But then she said yes. :)
We also met a new member of our ward last night. She asked for a blessing so we went with our bishop. I felt so bad for her. She is in her first year at med school... When we got there we asked how she was doing and she just started to cry. She was so overwhelmed and alone.
It reminded me of my stay in the MTC. Bishop talked to her about finding some coping methods and asking for help. I was grateful in that moment for the mission, for so many reasons, but for the chance I have had to be faced with stressful situations and to be overwhelmed and to learn how to overcome those feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
The gospel is a beautiful thing. It can unite us no matter our age or background or experiences. It can help us no matter our challenges or imperfections. I love it and I know it has changed me.
Love you!
-Sister Toone
I love it here. Except the apartment, there is WAYYY too many bugs for my liking. It's disgusting.
Wednesday night we got to the church and saw a few people I love...
Sister Font, a Sister Lennon, the Phillips. :) we got to meet this guy who lives right near the church who loves family history work. He came to the FHC and we spent the evening talking with him and helping him with his family tree. I discovered my family history isn't as "done"
as I thought it was!
Thursday I got to meet our investigator Lois! She was meeting with the missionaries because she wanted to learn Chinese, so we were nervous to tell her sister Astle had left and I didn't know any Chinese :) turns out she is really interested in finding truth, and has been looking for it for a while. She read alma 32 and said she found an answer to something she has been wondering about again and again. I love watching people find answers in the Book of Mormon. Each time I am reminded that I need to repent :) I know that I have found answers myself fin the scriptures, but sometimes I lack the faith to know that others can find answers as well! In the last week I have found so many answers as I have read the Book of Mormon each day.
We also got to see Zuley and Sister Walker! They were both so excited to see me and my heart was so full of gratitude for the chance to be back. Sister Walker is doing so well. She reads every single day and LOVES her calling as a primary teacher. :)
Fridays in Middletown are exactly the same as always :) we had an APF and we had Yasmin come with us :) she was so surprised to see me! She still wants to go on a mission and she would be so awesome at it...
She just needs to start. She has to get all of her doctors appointments done and she is worried about having enough money to pay for it all.
After the APF we saw ABI! I have missed her and her cute family so much. She is married now :) she hasn't been to church in a while..but she knows it's where she needs to be. Her son is about to receive the priesthood and she is so happy and excited to finally have it in her home. She's working on being able to go to the temple with her son to do baptisms :)
After Abi we went to see sister Sorensen. She is in a nursing home now and is barely coherent. They said her organs were just shutting down :( we sang to her and she recognized me and was happy to see me. We found out on Sunday night that she passed away. I am so grateful for the time I had to love and serve her, and especially grateful for the chance to see her again in this life and in the next life.
Saturdays are pretty much the same, too. Service at the Phillips. MOM!
Sister Phillips loves your bread & banana bread recipe. :) we had to leave service early so we could get a new fridge in our apartment because ours wasn't keeping anything cold. Ps, our maintenance man is kind of creepy.
Sundays are the best days. I got to see all of my favorite people!
Miguelina was so surprised to see me and so was Helen :) We went to visit Rose afterwards and she even recognized me! :) I just feel at home here in Middletown. When I saw bishop he gave me a huge hug and told sister Checketts to look away :) then at church brother Lennon gave me a hug and told me welcome back! I didn't have the heart to tell either one of them no.
This week, so far, has been awesome. And hard. But hard in a new way.
Our district is struggling. Let me give you an example. There are 3 companionships here, and in the last week we taught 30 lessons. It doesn't sound too bad, but it know sister Checketts and I taught 18 of them. It just makes me sad that the elders don't care enough to give it their all. There is a new missionary here and I think he is struggling because he knows what missionary work should be like. I'm trying to be an example without being a brat about it :) at my last MLC president talked about how once you are called as a leader, you are always a leader. When we see something that isn't right we have to say something because silence is consent. Hopefully things start looking up here soon. It's a good thing Sister Checketts is so awesome because I think I'd be having a really hard time if not!
Yesterday started a little rough. I got in the shower before I put my contacts in... Which is usually fine but not that day. I got out and saw this black blurr on the floor.... And it was moving. It was right by the rug and I'm in a pretty vulnerable situation, so I panicked a little. I stood in the tub, wrapped in my towel, for like five minutes. Then I got up the courage to step out of the shower around the huge spider and out of the bathroom so I could get a shoe to smash it. I told sister Checketts about the spider as I was grabbing a shoe.
The spider was really big... And it looked really fast. And I was still in my towel. So to be safe I decided to put both boots on just in case I missed and it started running around. Sister Checketts walked into the closet and just started laughing. I had one boot on and was struggling with the other because my feet were still damp. She grabbed the shoe out of my hand and smooshed the spider for me. She also threatened to take a picture of me.
Later, we saw Helen. Did I mention how much I love her!? She said she had something to tell us so we sat down and prayed and then she started talking about how the last few weeks have been really hard on her. Her husband went into kidney failure this last week out of no where. She got gout in her ankle... And she started to question her testimony of the gospel. She said on Sunday she didn't want to come to church at all. She doesn't like fast Sundays because she doesn't like to see people cry, so she usually doesn't come. Her foot was still hurting, but she decided to go anyways. All week she had been talking to God & telling him her concerns. She just wanted some reassurance that she was doing the right thing. So she got to church and walked into sacrament meeting and there I was. She said she knew in that very moment that I was her answer. That she is in the right place. She said I had to come back because she was faltering. :) she told me that I was the reason she came back to church. We talked about the visiting teaching message and about comfort and she told us that she wants to go to the temple. She said at first she just wanted to go and do baptisms but now "she wants to go got herself" she didn't say it outright, but we think she wants to go for her endowment! I asked her if we could PLEASE go before I go home and she said "here you are, pushing me again!" But then she said yes. :)
We also met a new member of our ward last night. She asked for a blessing so we went with our bishop. I felt so bad for her. She is in her first year at med school... When we got there we asked how she was doing and she just started to cry. She was so overwhelmed and alone.
It reminded me of my stay in the MTC. Bishop talked to her about finding some coping methods and asking for help. I was grateful in that moment for the mission, for so many reasons, but for the chance I have had to be faced with stressful situations and to be overwhelmed and to learn how to overcome those feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
The gospel is a beautiful thing. It can unite us no matter our age or background or experiences. It can help us no matter our challenges or imperfections. I love it and I know it has changed me.
Love you!
-Sister Toone
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