Thursday, September 25, 2014
Cassidy's Letter 9-25-14
September 25, 2014
HI
I say it every week but seriously this week was SO GOOD. I am not even sure where to start so maybe I will just start with the best part of the week.
Well actually there were a lot of good parts. We had a ton of fun at the Gladys Knight and Saints Unified Voices fireside/musical performance shindig. They were so good. She was amazing for being so old. The spirit was really strong and it was fun to see people standing and singing and clapping and all that jazz. It was super fun. And the senior couple who took us, took us out to dinner afterwards at this super fancy fun seafood place.. it was heaven. I felt like I was on vacation or something haha.
But I think the highlight of the week for me was yesterday. So this is a super cool story. We were working at the visitor center... and it was weirdly busy. And so they split me and my companion up and she was out with a group, and I was inside just waiting. Then this group came in and they asked me to take them on tour.. and then all the sudden they decided that someone else should take it. I had no clue why but I was like... okay. So I sat down on the front couch... and then like 15 minutes later I see MICHAEL (my investigator from Ashtabula) walking to the door! It was such a miracle that I wasn't on a tour. Especially because I got to have the BEST lesson ever with him. So he told me that he is still meeting with the Elders.. but that he isn't doing as well. He said he had a really hard when me and my companion both left.. and he hasn't been reading the Book of Mormon as much.. and that he has gone to church but not as much. He told me that he feels like he hasn't been learning as much or changing as much, and he has seen that his life just isn't going as well as when we were there. ... which I was really sad about. But then I got to teach him that it is up to him to learn and progress. I explained that it wasn't Sister Coontz and I that were teaching him so much.. it was the spirit. And it was himself. Because he was reading the Book of Mormon every day when I was there and he was quitting coffee.. and that is why he was progressing so much and seeing so many positive changes in his life. And it totally made sense to him. And it is actually really cool because it is strong evidence of the power of small things. Reading every day makes a huge difference. And he is starting to really see that. I also got to help him understand some things and work through some concerns. The coolest part was all of the things he is struggling with and questioning... are things I have studied the past week. Not even joking every single one. I could feel the spirit telling me what scriptures to share and it was just one of the best experiences of my mission because I could really feel the spirit working through me to help him. My companion was amazed that everything he asked about was what I had just learned about. God totally prepared me to help him yesterday. I just wish you could have been there. It was the best lesson of my mission. I feel like I can't begin to explain it like I want to.. but it was seriously just so powerful. He told me that he felt like after meeting with me yesterday he felt like he can really move forward and be better and he knows what he can and should do. He said that meeting us completely changed his life. Yesterday he got all quiet and serious and just said "how did I get so lucky?" It was really neat. Basically just the coolest thing ever. It was the biggest tender mercy to get to see him and help him again. I am positive he is one of the main reasons I needed to come to Ohio, so it is neat to be able to still help him.
SOO there is that novel. Also mid lesson with him there was a bee flying... and out of nowhere he just grabbed it mid flight in his fist and then threw it on the ground. It was hysterical.
Let's see.. I got to do some fun service this week. It consisted of scooping up horse poop out of a barn... I just LOVED that... cleaning out cobwebs in a barn... I really loved spiders falling on my face... and we cleaned out this old lady's food cupboard... there was stuff that expired in 1992. BEFORE I WAS BORN. There was some sketchy moldy stuff back there. I hope I never have to do that again. haha. The worst part was she like breeds dogs.. and had these 3 huge dogs that shed everywhere... there was a good inch of hair on the floor. And we had to walk through this room to throw all the food away.. and it was the worst smell in the entire world. I actually thought I was going to die.
We got to see Fiona a few times this week. She was funny as always. Some classic quotes..
So I asked her if she had been eating any peanut butter lately.. and she said "Why do I have some on my face?" and I said "oh no I was just wondering" and she said "Well I just try to eat as much of it as possible." hahaha goes right along with her "Peanut butter is the only thing that makes me feel good about myself" comment. She also sang some Rihanna for us... it was the best. And she showed us her year book and we were laughing at some kids pictures and she got all serious and said "please don't laugh about my classmates. I love them." it was sooo funny.
And don't worry I made myself look dumb this week as always! We met this really cool kid and had a super awesome discussion about prayer and prophets and all that good stuff... and I asked if I could say a prayer before we left... and in the prayer I said "please bless Kyle" and then something else about how we were glad we could "meet Kyle" and we got done and he said "My name is Derick." and I was like COOL. Where did I even get Kyle from? Apparently I am losing my mind. Let's just hope DERICK will still let us come back haha.
We also got to meet the COOLEST LADY EVER named Homa. So this missionary gave us a referral to stop by this old lady.. so we drive for a billion years into a creepy forest and finally find her huge house. and we go up to knock on the door and she is sitting on the couch, and I knocked and she just looked at me like "Who the heck are you?" And I tried to explain we were missionaries.. and she was super freaked out. She wouldn't open the door.. and then it was really crazy all the sudden I said something about Jesus Christ and she said "I am Muslim. I like the Christian. Come inside." so she let us in.. (sidenote she has an awesome house) and we had the best discussion ever. So she is from Iran, she lives alone now.. her husband was a doctor, she has a daughter who is a professor at Harvard, and another who is a professor in Canada, and all of her family is brilliant. So obviously she is a genius. And so nice. We got to talk all about her religion, which I luckily know quite a bit about so we were really able to connect. We got to talk about faith and prayer and the importance of religion. It was just super enlightening and I learned a lot from her. And I love when that happens. She told us that we made her entire night. And then she said "If I know anyone who ewho is struggling who needs to meet with you.. can I give you their names and numbers?" DREAM COME TRUE. Basically Homa is my new homie.
This week was also full of lots of good food adventures. First I took Sister Heckert to her first Chipotle ever... she loved it of course. We also got to go to a picnic with a bunch of old people. They gave us awesome steak. Mom would have been so happy. Also one day I had a bag of jerky in my purse... and this lady's dog started attacking my bag trying to get to the jerky... I literally had to take my bag to the car because the dog was having such a spaz attack. Jerky probs.
And then.... we went to a SKETCHY HOUSE for dinner... we were terrified about dying. But for reals I am so good at the hiding gross food in my napkin and getting rid of it later. It's a talent. Luckily the Robbins (this super sweet senior couple that serves at Kirtland) invited us over for pie and ice cream.. so we survived. They are actually the nicest people ever. They invite us over for ice cream at least twice a week and they take us out to dinner and just really spoil us. I have no clue how I got so lucky but I am just grateful for it!
Kirtland was pretty busy! We had a fun group from Englad come. And yesterday I had a bunch of old people who asked the WORST questions... I thought I was going to die. This lady was looking at the map of people's homes and said "Did Eliza Snow really have a house here or is this map wrong?" I was like.... clearly we would just lie on the map for fun. And then this one lady, oh man it was a struggle, so I shared the first story in the School of the Prophets.. and then she said "Do you even know what else happened here?"... I was like... actually YES, I do, because I WORK HERE. Hahah it was just crazy. People sometimes just don't use their brains. And I think it is so I will learn patience. I have 4 more months to learn it so hopefully it happens. haha.
And just like that I am out of time! But yeah super awesome week. I love this area and I really love my companion. I basically forget I am even training her like every day. She is awesome. And we are having a lot of fun. I honestly am so happy I am a missionary. I appreciate it more every single day. And I have to go. But I LOVE YOU and hope you have a wonderful weekend! I will talk to you on Tuesday!
Love Cassidy
HI
I say it every week but seriously this week was SO GOOD. I am not even sure where to start so maybe I will just start with the best part of the week.
Well actually there were a lot of good parts. We had a ton of fun at the Gladys Knight and Saints Unified Voices fireside/musical performance shindig. They were so good. She was amazing for being so old. The spirit was really strong and it was fun to see people standing and singing and clapping and all that jazz. It was super fun. And the senior couple who took us, took us out to dinner afterwards at this super fancy fun seafood place.. it was heaven. I felt like I was on vacation or something haha.
But I think the highlight of the week for me was yesterday. So this is a super cool story. We were working at the visitor center... and it was weirdly busy. And so they split me and my companion up and she was out with a group, and I was inside just waiting. Then this group came in and they asked me to take them on tour.. and then all the sudden they decided that someone else should take it. I had no clue why but I was like... okay. So I sat down on the front couch... and then like 15 minutes later I see MICHAEL (my investigator from Ashtabula) walking to the door! It was such a miracle that I wasn't on a tour. Especially because I got to have the BEST lesson ever with him. So he told me that he is still meeting with the Elders.. but that he isn't doing as well. He said he had a really hard when me and my companion both left.. and he hasn't been reading the Book of Mormon as much.. and that he has gone to church but not as much. He told me that he feels like he hasn't been learning as much or changing as much, and he has seen that his life just isn't going as well as when we were there. ... which I was really sad about. But then I got to teach him that it is up to him to learn and progress. I explained that it wasn't Sister Coontz and I that were teaching him so much.. it was the spirit. And it was himself. Because he was reading the Book of Mormon every day when I was there and he was quitting coffee.. and that is why he was progressing so much and seeing so many positive changes in his life. And it totally made sense to him. And it is actually really cool because it is strong evidence of the power of small things. Reading every day makes a huge difference. And he is starting to really see that. I also got to help him understand some things and work through some concerns. The coolest part was all of the things he is struggling with and questioning... are things I have studied the past week. Not even joking every single one. I could feel the spirit telling me what scriptures to share and it was just one of the best experiences of my mission because I could really feel the spirit working through me to help him. My companion was amazed that everything he asked about was what I had just learned about. God totally prepared me to help him yesterday. I just wish you could have been there. It was the best lesson of my mission. I feel like I can't begin to explain it like I want to.. but it was seriously just so powerful. He told me that he felt like after meeting with me yesterday he felt like he can really move forward and be better and he knows what he can and should do. He said that meeting us completely changed his life. Yesterday he got all quiet and serious and just said "how did I get so lucky?" It was really neat. Basically just the coolest thing ever. It was the biggest tender mercy to get to see him and help him again. I am positive he is one of the main reasons I needed to come to Ohio, so it is neat to be able to still help him.
SOO there is that novel. Also mid lesson with him there was a bee flying... and out of nowhere he just grabbed it mid flight in his fist and then threw it on the ground. It was hysterical.
Let's see.. I got to do some fun service this week. It consisted of scooping up horse poop out of a barn... I just LOVED that... cleaning out cobwebs in a barn... I really loved spiders falling on my face... and we cleaned out this old lady's food cupboard... there was stuff that expired in 1992. BEFORE I WAS BORN. There was some sketchy moldy stuff back there. I hope I never have to do that again. haha. The worst part was she like breeds dogs.. and had these 3 huge dogs that shed everywhere... there was a good inch of hair on the floor. And we had to walk through this room to throw all the food away.. and it was the worst smell in the entire world. I actually thought I was going to die.
We got to see Fiona a few times this week. She was funny as always. Some classic quotes..
So I asked her if she had been eating any peanut butter lately.. and she said "Why do I have some on my face?" and I said "oh no I was just wondering" and she said "Well I just try to eat as much of it as possible." hahaha goes right along with her "Peanut butter is the only thing that makes me feel good about myself" comment. She also sang some Rihanna for us... it was the best. And she showed us her year book and we were laughing at some kids pictures and she got all serious and said "please don't laugh about my classmates. I love them." it was sooo funny.
And don't worry I made myself look dumb this week as always! We met this really cool kid and had a super awesome discussion about prayer and prophets and all that good stuff... and I asked if I could say a prayer before we left... and in the prayer I said "please bless Kyle" and then something else about how we were glad we could "meet Kyle" and we got done and he said "My name is Derick." and I was like COOL. Where did I even get Kyle from? Apparently I am losing my mind. Let's just hope DERICK will still let us come back haha.
We also got to meet the COOLEST LADY EVER named Homa. So this missionary gave us a referral to stop by this old lady.. so we drive for a billion years into a creepy forest and finally find her huge house. and we go up to knock on the door and she is sitting on the couch, and I knocked and she just looked at me like "Who the heck are you?" And I tried to explain we were missionaries.. and she was super freaked out. She wouldn't open the door.. and then it was really crazy all the sudden I said something about Jesus Christ and she said "I am Muslim. I like the Christian. Come inside." so she let us in.. (sidenote she has an awesome house) and we had the best discussion ever. So she is from Iran, she lives alone now.. her husband was a doctor, she has a daughter who is a professor at Harvard, and another who is a professor in Canada, and all of her family is brilliant. So obviously she is a genius. And so nice. We got to talk all about her religion, which I luckily know quite a bit about so we were really able to connect. We got to talk about faith and prayer and the importance of religion. It was just super enlightening and I learned a lot from her. And I love when that happens. She told us that we made her entire night. And then she said "If I know anyone who ewho is struggling who needs to meet with you.. can I give you their names and numbers?" DREAM COME TRUE. Basically Homa is my new homie.
This week was also full of lots of good food adventures. First I took Sister Heckert to her first Chipotle ever... she loved it of course. We also got to go to a picnic with a bunch of old people. They gave us awesome steak. Mom would have been so happy. Also one day I had a bag of jerky in my purse... and this lady's dog started attacking my bag trying to get to the jerky... I literally had to take my bag to the car because the dog was having such a spaz attack. Jerky probs.
And then.... we went to a SKETCHY HOUSE for dinner... we were terrified about dying. But for reals I am so good at the hiding gross food in my napkin and getting rid of it later. It's a talent. Luckily the Robbins (this super sweet senior couple that serves at Kirtland) invited us over for pie and ice cream.. so we survived. They are actually the nicest people ever. They invite us over for ice cream at least twice a week and they take us out to dinner and just really spoil us. I have no clue how I got so lucky but I am just grateful for it!
Kirtland was pretty busy! We had a fun group from Englad come. And yesterday I had a bunch of old people who asked the WORST questions... I thought I was going to die. This lady was looking at the map of people's homes and said "Did Eliza Snow really have a house here or is this map wrong?" I was like.... clearly we would just lie on the map for fun. And then this one lady, oh man it was a struggle, so I shared the first story in the School of the Prophets.. and then she said "Do you even know what else happened here?"... I was like... actually YES, I do, because I WORK HERE. Hahah it was just crazy. People sometimes just don't use their brains. And I think it is so I will learn patience. I have 4 more months to learn it so hopefully it happens. haha.
And just like that I am out of time! But yeah super awesome week. I love this area and I really love my companion. I basically forget I am even training her like every day. She is awesome. And we are having a lot of fun. I honestly am so happy I am a missionary. I appreciate it more every single day. And I have to go. But I LOVE YOU and hope you have a wonderful weekend! I will talk to you on Tuesday!
Love Cassidy
Cassidy's Letter 9-16-14
Hey!
Well it was a super good week. I am doing great, my companion is super awesome and is somehow surviving having me as a trainer, and we are having lots of fun experiences in our area. AND we have a ton of cool things coming up so it is just an exciting month.
So we have Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices coming this weekend.. and the tickets are gone for all 4 shows.. and apparently it is the best missionary event ever, so we are really excited to see how it helps the work progress here! And I am just super excited to go to it. And then next week Elder Teh is coming to give training to our mission, so that should be really good. And then it is General Conference! And then the transfer will be over. So officially it is best month and I am super pumped. And yes I realize that this makes me a total missionary nerd but I am over it. Just embrace it. I promise I will be normal when I get home. Maybe.
So lets see what even happened this week. Oh I know... it turned into WINTER. It literally was in the 40s and it was so cold I had to pull out my tights and boots. It was a travesty! I almost just sat on the floor and cried.. but I decided to man up and deal with it. It is only September though.. and if it decides to skip straight to winter then I am going to demand a refund.
SO now that I have officially talked about the weather... things in terms of missionary work were good! This area is struggling a little bit in terms of investigators... so we spend a good amount of time working with less actives. Which is still really good. We got to help this guy named Brother Goodenough (yes that is his real name... ) pull weeds in the rain. That was fun.
We have a couple of investigators who are doing pretty good! Well they are doing okay. Well actually things could be better. We have one investigator named Susie who we had a super big miracle with last Tuesday. She hadn't been texting us back or anything for like 6 days so we were super stressed out and then out of nowhere she texted us telling us that she wants to get baptized! So we had a super awesome lesson the other night and she was SO excited about getting baptized and it was all set for October 11th, and we were all just really happy about it. So then an hour after the lesson all the sudden out of nowhere she texted us telling us she didn't want to meet anymore or get baptized... and we were so confused. So we spent the next few days wallowing in depression (okay that is a bit dramatic but we were pretty bummed about it) and then last night she texted us and said she wants to meet with us again. We are not sure what to expect but we are at least happy she is willing to meet. We are praying that we can help fix whatever happened. Because she is seriously really awesome and the spirit was super strong and she knows it is true.
So the town of Chardon that I work in had a meltdown this past week. So a few years ago there was a school shooting and this guy killed 3 people I belief. Really a sad story. So Thursday night... he somehow ESCAPED PRISON. Not sure how that even happens anymore. So we were getting calls in the middle of the night.. and then the whole town was in a frenzy. We were walking around the town square and there were a bunch of reporters. They tried to interview me and I had to decline. Would have been fun though haha. The good news is apparently they found him.. but it was still a little crazy. Good ol Ohio. I really do like Chardon a lot though! It has the cutest little main square with awesome little restaurants. And a good farmers market. We had some fun adventures exploring old antique stores and eating fresh apples! My companion is super funny and we both like all of the same nerdy children movies like Lizzie McGuire and Arthur and we have a really similar sense of humor so we spend like half of our lives laughing our heads off. It's a good time I am really enjoying life right now.
Oh and there is an awesome less active girl in my area named Fiona. She is in her 20s, but she has had a ton of horrible things happen in her life so she kinda hates God and since she has a lot of medical problems she is slow.. but man visiting her is the best thing ever. We went over the other night and she started telling us about how she hates the world.. and then she like flopped on to her bed and said "Peanut butter is the only thing that makes me feel good about myself." and then we looked over and sitting by the bed was the world's largest jar of peanut butter (literally it was about the size of a bucket) with a huge spoon stuck in it. We were laughing so hard that we almost died. And then when she found out that we haven't seen the movie Mulan 2.. she got so upset and swore and then said "GO HOME RIGHT NOW and get on netflix and watch it" and started yelling... hahah it was too good.
I also talked to a super crazy person on the phone at Kirtland the other day. He was from England, and he literally talked to me about how Christmas is satanic for 30 minutes. It would have been miserable but he was so dramatic and like yelling so it was actually entertaining. And then we spent the day dealing with a trillion "trolls" (as all the senior missionaries call them. It is actually really funny because they will say "be careful of the trolls" and they are really dramatic so it cracks us up because they act like they are actually trolls.) anyways we got about 100 people who would come on asking us about "battletoad" and I almost pulled my hair out. But I am not bald so no worries. And I didn't even get mad at the one billion "lucifers" I had to chat with.
We did have some good tours at Kirtland this week though! It isn't super busy but we are still getting quite a few people coming in. The coolest experience we had was with this group of people who were in town for a convention or something, and they only had a little bit of time so we had to do a fast tour. And we were in the Whitney Store and I was talking about the power of the Book of Mormon and I shared my testimony and talked about how it blessed my life.. and I know that it wasn't what I said but the spirit was just really strong and like 3 people were crying and then this guy shared how the Book of Mormon changed his life and it was really powerful. That has really become my favorite part of taking tours is getting to hear hundreds of people share why they know the Book of Mormon is true and how it has blessed their lives. Like regardless of what any one in the world can say about it not being true... there are so many people who have seen real blessings from reading it, and I have seen that SO much on my mission, and there is no denying that. I am in my 10th time reading it on my mission and I can honestly say there is nothing that has helped me more while I have been here than reading the Book of Mormon. I know I say it like every single week but I just love it so much. SO I HOPE YOU ARE ALL READING IT and if you aren't, then start. And if you have never read it, then READ IT. I promise it will bless you.
And yeah.
Speech over.
And email time over.
Haha yeah okay I have to get going, but I love you all and I miss you! I will talk to you next Thursday! Have a good trillion weeks until I talk to you again!
Love Cassidy
Well it was a super good week. I am doing great, my companion is super awesome and is somehow surviving having me as a trainer, and we are having lots of fun experiences in our area. AND we have a ton of cool things coming up so it is just an exciting month.
So we have Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices coming this weekend.. and the tickets are gone for all 4 shows.. and apparently it is the best missionary event ever, so we are really excited to see how it helps the work progress here! And I am just super excited to go to it. And then next week Elder Teh is coming to give training to our mission, so that should be really good. And then it is General Conference! And then the transfer will be over. So officially it is best month and I am super pumped. And yes I realize that this makes me a total missionary nerd but I am over it. Just embrace it. I promise I will be normal when I get home. Maybe.
So lets see what even happened this week. Oh I know... it turned into WINTER. It literally was in the 40s and it was so cold I had to pull out my tights and boots. It was a travesty! I almost just sat on the floor and cried.. but I decided to man up and deal with it. It is only September though.. and if it decides to skip straight to winter then I am going to demand a refund.
SO now that I have officially talked about the weather... things in terms of missionary work were good! This area is struggling a little bit in terms of investigators... so we spend a good amount of time working with less actives. Which is still really good. We got to help this guy named Brother Goodenough (yes that is his real name... ) pull weeds in the rain. That was fun.
We have a couple of investigators who are doing pretty good! Well they are doing okay. Well actually things could be better. We have one investigator named Susie who we had a super big miracle with last Tuesday. She hadn't been texting us back or anything for like 6 days so we were super stressed out and then out of nowhere she texted us telling us that she wants to get baptized! So we had a super awesome lesson the other night and she was SO excited about getting baptized and it was all set for October 11th, and we were all just really happy about it. So then an hour after the lesson all the sudden out of nowhere she texted us telling us she didn't want to meet anymore or get baptized... and we were so confused. So we spent the next few days wallowing in depression (okay that is a bit dramatic but we were pretty bummed about it) and then last night she texted us and said she wants to meet with us again. We are not sure what to expect but we are at least happy she is willing to meet. We are praying that we can help fix whatever happened. Because she is seriously really awesome and the spirit was super strong and she knows it is true.
So the town of Chardon that I work in had a meltdown this past week. So a few years ago there was a school shooting and this guy killed 3 people I belief. Really a sad story. So Thursday night... he somehow ESCAPED PRISON. Not sure how that even happens anymore. So we were getting calls in the middle of the night.. and then the whole town was in a frenzy. We were walking around the town square and there were a bunch of reporters. They tried to interview me and I had to decline. Would have been fun though haha. The good news is apparently they found him.. but it was still a little crazy. Good ol Ohio. I really do like Chardon a lot though! It has the cutest little main square with awesome little restaurants. And a good farmers market. We had some fun adventures exploring old antique stores and eating fresh apples! My companion is super funny and we both like all of the same nerdy children movies like Lizzie McGuire and Arthur and we have a really similar sense of humor so we spend like half of our lives laughing our heads off. It's a good time I am really enjoying life right now.
Oh and there is an awesome less active girl in my area named Fiona. She is in her 20s, but she has had a ton of horrible things happen in her life so she kinda hates God and since she has a lot of medical problems she is slow.. but man visiting her is the best thing ever. We went over the other night and she started telling us about how she hates the world.. and then she like flopped on to her bed and said "Peanut butter is the only thing that makes me feel good about myself." and then we looked over and sitting by the bed was the world's largest jar of peanut butter (literally it was about the size of a bucket) with a huge spoon stuck in it. We were laughing so hard that we almost died. And then when she found out that we haven't seen the movie Mulan 2.. she got so upset and swore and then said "GO HOME RIGHT NOW and get on netflix and watch it" and started yelling... hahah it was too good.
I also talked to a super crazy person on the phone at Kirtland the other day. He was from England, and he literally talked to me about how Christmas is satanic for 30 minutes. It would have been miserable but he was so dramatic and like yelling so it was actually entertaining. And then we spent the day dealing with a trillion "trolls" (as all the senior missionaries call them. It is actually really funny because they will say "be careful of the trolls" and they are really dramatic so it cracks us up because they act like they are actually trolls.) anyways we got about 100 people who would come on asking us about "battletoad" and I almost pulled my hair out. But I am not bald so no worries. And I didn't even get mad at the one billion "lucifers" I had to chat with.
We did have some good tours at Kirtland this week though! It isn't super busy but we are still getting quite a few people coming in. The coolest experience we had was with this group of people who were in town for a convention or something, and they only had a little bit of time so we had to do a fast tour. And we were in the Whitney Store and I was talking about the power of the Book of Mormon and I shared my testimony and talked about how it blessed my life.. and I know that it wasn't what I said but the spirit was just really strong and like 3 people were crying and then this guy shared how the Book of Mormon changed his life and it was really powerful. That has really become my favorite part of taking tours is getting to hear hundreds of people share why they know the Book of Mormon is true and how it has blessed their lives. Like regardless of what any one in the world can say about it not being true... there are so many people who have seen real blessings from reading it, and I have seen that SO much on my mission, and there is no denying that. I am in my 10th time reading it on my mission and I can honestly say there is nothing that has helped me more while I have been here than reading the Book of Mormon. I know I say it like every single week but I just love it so much. SO I HOPE YOU ARE ALL READING IT and if you aren't, then start. And if you have never read it, then READ IT. I promise it will bless you.
And yeah.
Speech over.
And email time over.
Haha yeah okay I have to get going, but I love you all and I miss you! I will talk to you next Thursday! Have a good trillion weeks until I talk to you again!
Love Cassidy
Friday, September 12, 2014
Cassidy's letter September 9, 2014
September 9, 2014
Well,
I DID IT. I officially survived a whole year of being a missionary! I actually cannot believe that I have been on my mission for a year already. Time sure does fly by. It has been one of the greatest years of my life. I have been thinking the past few days of all the amazing experiences I have had and the people I have met.. and man it has been so good. About a million times better than I thought it would be. I never dreamed that I would have learned so much so quickly. Or that I would have seen so many awesome miracles! Basically this has been the best year.
And this week was also a super good week. So I am in my new area with my new companion Sister Heckert! I am serving in the Chardon West area now.. so I work mostly in Chardon! I live in Kirtland though...actually RIGHT behind the Kirtland temple! Which is so cool. I get to walk by it every single morning and it is so pretty and I just love it. I live with 3 other sisters which is actually pretty fun! I feel like a ton of things happened this week so I hope I have time to talk about them all!
So first of all leaving Lorain was super hard. I really loved the people there! But I was excited to meet my new companion! She is so much fun. She is from Orem Utah and is 19... and 6 weeks into her mission. It is weird being a trainer.. half the time I feel like I should be getting trained still not training someone else. But we are having fun together! There wasn't too much going on in the area when I got here... so we are working on changing that! Sorta the story of my mission... sometimes I feel like I am sent somewhere to bring it back to life. I have tons of faith we will find people to teach and that it will be an awesome transfer!
My first day in the area was pretty good... we were doing our weekly planning at this cute little café.. and then we went out to this delicious fancy pizza place for lunch... and we were about to head to some cool appointments... and we were just happy and chipper and loving life and then I remembered that we needed to move the car... so we go outside... and we had just gotten a parking ticket. BY THREE MINUTES. Three minutes. I mean come on that is just mean. Luckily it was only 10 dollars... but STILL. Haha luckily it didn't ruin the day at all. We had some good lessons! And later we had a cool experience. We went to see this girl named Fiona, and when we got to her apartment she wasn't there. So we were about to leave but I had a feeling like we should just knock on a few doors around her. So we spent like 20 minutes tracting, and then as we were walking to our car... Fiona came home! So we got to see her and have a good lesson. It was crazy timing but it was really cool.
And Friday we had a super cool experience too! I was going through the list of members.. and there was this less active named Fred that I felt like we should stop by. Apparently they hadn't ever had any success but we decided to just go for it. We get to his house.. and this guy named Jeff opened the door. He came out and started talking to us, and he wasn't even related to Fred just living there for a little bit. But I got talking to him about Christ and how he feels God's love and we got into a cool conversation about how he feels his love through music and praying. AND IT WAS PERFECT because we are having this awesome event next week. Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices Choir (which is apparently Grammy award winning) is coming and so I invited him and he is going to come! He was so excited. He said that he has really been struggling lately and that he has really been needing to be uplifted... and us showing up was totally an answer to prayers! It was awesome.
We also had some awesome lessons with the nicest member families ever. We were at a dinner appointment and this boy prayed and said "Thank you for sending the sister missionaries to us... to help us... get back to the Mormon ways" and right when the prayer was done his mom went "Okay.. can we clear something up? Are we far from the Mormon ways?" it was the funniest thing ever. hahah I love little kids and the funny things they pray for.
Saturday morning was the pancake breakfast with the Community of Christ! I just love living in Kirtland and getting to eat pancakes with cool people and being right by the Temple all the time. You just can't beat that sorry. And then we worked at the visitor center... and don't worry I only messed up like 72 times on my first tour. Haha I was definitely a little rusty. But I am getting back in the swing of things. We had a nice family from Australia come. I have a lot of mixed emotions at being back at Kirtland. It is fun because everyone is so nice and the spirit really is so strong. I missed that. But I also loved full proselyting. I am just grateful that I have such a cool mission call and that I have gotten to do so much.
So I am serving in a branch now... and it is TINY. Okay well not that tiny but compared to my last ward it is tiny. And it is very interesting. But I think I am going to like it a lot! It will be easy to get to know everyone... which is good because if things keep up the way they are I won't be here a very long time. But after church we had a super cool thing happen! There is a new family that just moved in and we went over to see them.. and their son was never baptized, so we got to talk to him and invite him to get baptized and we set a date for October 2nd! Which is really cool! I am excited because it will be perfect for sister Heckert to learn how to teach and experience helping someone get ready for baptism. Our like third day together and we are already seeing miracles!
We also saw the BIGGEST DOG IN THE WORLD. He weighed 252 pounds. It was so big that I actually almost had a heart attack and started crying when I saw it. It was literally the size of a horse.
And yesterday THE COOLEST THING EVER. So guess what! I got a letter from Michael! (My investigator from Astabula) and it basically made my life. He told me that he is still meeting with the missionaries.. and that his wife has started sitting in too. He said he is waiting to get baptized once she is ready (which is slightly disappointing but okay).. and then he said the nicest things. I will just tell you. He said " I pray for you often. I know being on a mission can't be all hearts and flowers. I really can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. You truly did teach me so much. In all my travels I haven't come to know many people like you. I truly feel blessed that you knocked on my door. It is hard to put into words. I don't mean to put you on a pedestal, but the way you are is better than most anyone I've ever known. You definitely made me a better person. I sure hope your influence stays with me forever. I hope I'm perceptive enough to keep feeling the spirit. I don't know how to express it enough... thank you for knocking on my door. Thank you for teaching me to be a better person and actually caring if I am or not."
GREATEST THING OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. How could I ever feel like my mission hasn't been successful when I get to hear things like that?? Biggest blessing in the world. Literally. I am just like overwhelemed with how grateful I am that the spirit prompted me so strongly to knock on his door. it was one of the most powerful experiences of my mission and it is amazing to see that it helped him so much. It completely strengthens my testimony that this is God's work and He really is leading me to people who need me. I know that it was one hundred percent the spirit that helped Michael, I just got to play a part in it. AND this is why I love being a missionary so much. Nothing brings more happiness or satisfaction than knowing Heavenly Father used me to help someone.
Yesterday was just full of tender mercies actually. I also got to talk to SHIRLEY. The awesome 90 year old from Aurora! The one who still mows her lawn. She is still kickin and doing awesome! She was like "Cassidy! I miss you so much! I worry about you all the time!" And then she said "You're almost done with your mission and then you can become the first woman president. But you better be careful. There are big fat snakes waiting to get you in Washington." hahah she is still so worried about snakes attacking me. It is hysterical. But man it was so fun talking to her! I have so many people out here in Ohio that I just love to death. A year ago I would NEVER have thought that I would have had so many people come into my life.
One sad thing though... I found out at transfer meeting that Gerald (my other investigator in Ashtabula) passed away. I guess the missionaries actually found him. They think it was a heart attack. It is the saddest thing ever. It doesn't even really feel real to me. I am really sad that he died so young, he was only 50 years old. But I am grateful because I do know that even though he didn't get to be baptized here, he will have a chance. I do feel blessed that we were able to bring him the gospel and help him feel so much peace towards the end of his life. It is really interesting to see the ways that God works. Gerald always told us that he was way happier since he met us and that his life was so much better... so I am grateful that at least the past few months were good for him. Still is just crazy to me.
Let's see... I think that is mostly it. It was a really good week! and the BEST YEAR EVER. Literally! I am so grateful to be a missionary. This experience has taught me so much and brought me more happiness than anything else. As cheesy as that sounds it is actually the truth.
I love you all! Have a good week! Have fun celebrating my one year mark because I sure am going to :)
Love Cassidy
Well,
I DID IT. I officially survived a whole year of being a missionary! I actually cannot believe that I have been on my mission for a year already. Time sure does fly by. It has been one of the greatest years of my life. I have been thinking the past few days of all the amazing experiences I have had and the people I have met.. and man it has been so good. About a million times better than I thought it would be. I never dreamed that I would have learned so much so quickly. Or that I would have seen so many awesome miracles! Basically this has been the best year.
And this week was also a super good week. So I am in my new area with my new companion Sister Heckert! I am serving in the Chardon West area now.. so I work mostly in Chardon! I live in Kirtland though...actually RIGHT behind the Kirtland temple! Which is so cool. I get to walk by it every single morning and it is so pretty and I just love it. I live with 3 other sisters which is actually pretty fun! I feel like a ton of things happened this week so I hope I have time to talk about them all!
So first of all leaving Lorain was super hard. I really loved the people there! But I was excited to meet my new companion! She is so much fun. She is from Orem Utah and is 19... and 6 weeks into her mission. It is weird being a trainer.. half the time I feel like I should be getting trained still not training someone else. But we are having fun together! There wasn't too much going on in the area when I got here... so we are working on changing that! Sorta the story of my mission... sometimes I feel like I am sent somewhere to bring it back to life. I have tons of faith we will find people to teach and that it will be an awesome transfer!
My first day in the area was pretty good... we were doing our weekly planning at this cute little café.. and then we went out to this delicious fancy pizza place for lunch... and we were about to head to some cool appointments... and we were just happy and chipper and loving life and then I remembered that we needed to move the car... so we go outside... and we had just gotten a parking ticket. BY THREE MINUTES. Three minutes. I mean come on that is just mean. Luckily it was only 10 dollars... but STILL. Haha luckily it didn't ruin the day at all. We had some good lessons! And later we had a cool experience. We went to see this girl named Fiona, and when we got to her apartment she wasn't there. So we were about to leave but I had a feeling like we should just knock on a few doors around her. So we spent like 20 minutes tracting, and then as we were walking to our car... Fiona came home! So we got to see her and have a good lesson. It was crazy timing but it was really cool.
And Friday we had a super cool experience too! I was going through the list of members.. and there was this less active named Fred that I felt like we should stop by. Apparently they hadn't ever had any success but we decided to just go for it. We get to his house.. and this guy named Jeff opened the door. He came out and started talking to us, and he wasn't even related to Fred just living there for a little bit. But I got talking to him about Christ and how he feels God's love and we got into a cool conversation about how he feels his love through music and praying. AND IT WAS PERFECT because we are having this awesome event next week. Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices Choir (which is apparently Grammy award winning) is coming and so I invited him and he is going to come! He was so excited. He said that he has really been struggling lately and that he has really been needing to be uplifted... and us showing up was totally an answer to prayers! It was awesome.
We also had some awesome lessons with the nicest member families ever. We were at a dinner appointment and this boy prayed and said "Thank you for sending the sister missionaries to us... to help us... get back to the Mormon ways" and right when the prayer was done his mom went "Okay.. can we clear something up? Are we far from the Mormon ways?" it was the funniest thing ever. hahah I love little kids and the funny things they pray for.
Saturday morning was the pancake breakfast with the Community of Christ! I just love living in Kirtland and getting to eat pancakes with cool people and being right by the Temple all the time. You just can't beat that sorry. And then we worked at the visitor center... and don't worry I only messed up like 72 times on my first tour. Haha I was definitely a little rusty. But I am getting back in the swing of things. We had a nice family from Australia come. I have a lot of mixed emotions at being back at Kirtland. It is fun because everyone is so nice and the spirit really is so strong. I missed that. But I also loved full proselyting. I am just grateful that I have such a cool mission call and that I have gotten to do so much.
So I am serving in a branch now... and it is TINY. Okay well not that tiny but compared to my last ward it is tiny. And it is very interesting. But I think I am going to like it a lot! It will be easy to get to know everyone... which is good because if things keep up the way they are I won't be here a very long time. But after church we had a super cool thing happen! There is a new family that just moved in and we went over to see them.. and their son was never baptized, so we got to talk to him and invite him to get baptized and we set a date for October 2nd! Which is really cool! I am excited because it will be perfect for sister Heckert to learn how to teach and experience helping someone get ready for baptism. Our like third day together and we are already seeing miracles!
We also saw the BIGGEST DOG IN THE WORLD. He weighed 252 pounds. It was so big that I actually almost had a heart attack and started crying when I saw it. It was literally the size of a horse.
And yesterday THE COOLEST THING EVER. So guess what! I got a letter from Michael! (My investigator from Astabula) and it basically made my life. He told me that he is still meeting with the missionaries.. and that his wife has started sitting in too. He said he is waiting to get baptized once she is ready (which is slightly disappointing but okay).. and then he said the nicest things. I will just tell you. He said " I pray for you often. I know being on a mission can't be all hearts and flowers. I really can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. You truly did teach me so much. In all my travels I haven't come to know many people like you. I truly feel blessed that you knocked on my door. It is hard to put into words. I don't mean to put you on a pedestal, but the way you are is better than most anyone I've ever known. You definitely made me a better person. I sure hope your influence stays with me forever. I hope I'm perceptive enough to keep feeling the spirit. I don't know how to express it enough... thank you for knocking on my door. Thank you for teaching me to be a better person and actually caring if I am or not."
GREATEST THING OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. How could I ever feel like my mission hasn't been successful when I get to hear things like that?? Biggest blessing in the world. Literally. I am just like overwhelemed with how grateful I am that the spirit prompted me so strongly to knock on his door. it was one of the most powerful experiences of my mission and it is amazing to see that it helped him so much. It completely strengthens my testimony that this is God's work and He really is leading me to people who need me. I know that it was one hundred percent the spirit that helped Michael, I just got to play a part in it. AND this is why I love being a missionary so much. Nothing brings more happiness or satisfaction than knowing Heavenly Father used me to help someone.
Yesterday was just full of tender mercies actually. I also got to talk to SHIRLEY. The awesome 90 year old from Aurora! The one who still mows her lawn. She is still kickin and doing awesome! She was like "Cassidy! I miss you so much! I worry about you all the time!" And then she said "You're almost done with your mission and then you can become the first woman president. But you better be careful. There are big fat snakes waiting to get you in Washington." hahah she is still so worried about snakes attacking me. It is hysterical. But man it was so fun talking to her! I have so many people out here in Ohio that I just love to death. A year ago I would NEVER have thought that I would have had so many people come into my life.
One sad thing though... I found out at transfer meeting that Gerald (my other investigator in Ashtabula) passed away. I guess the missionaries actually found him. They think it was a heart attack. It is the saddest thing ever. It doesn't even really feel real to me. I am really sad that he died so young, he was only 50 years old. But I am grateful because I do know that even though he didn't get to be baptized here, he will have a chance. I do feel blessed that we were able to bring him the gospel and help him feel so much peace towards the end of his life. It is really interesting to see the ways that God works. Gerald always told us that he was way happier since he met us and that his life was so much better... so I am grateful that at least the past few months were good for him. Still is just crazy to me.
Let's see... I think that is mostly it. It was a really good week! and the BEST YEAR EVER. Literally! I am so grateful to be a missionary. This experience has taught me so much and brought me more happiness than anything else. As cheesy as that sounds it is actually the truth.
I love you all! Have a good week! Have fun celebrating my one year mark because I sure am going to :)
Love Cassidy
Cassidy's Letter September 2, 2014
September 2, 2014
Dun dun dun dun....
Drumroll please....
Well folks here it is. I am getting transferred.... AGAIN. For the one millionth time of my mission. haha I swear I am always packing up and saying goodbye to people. I really should be used to it by now. But I am not and it is still really hard every single time. But... the PLOT TWIST is... I got called to finish training a new missionary! Her trainer is going home this week, so I will be doing the last half of her training. Which is exciting and super terrifying all at the same time. Because A. HUGE shoes to fill. B. I don't know the area or anything.... so it is going to be a challenge to train in a place where I know nothing/no one. But I am really excited about it! It will be fun to be with a new missionary and I am sure that I will learn so much from her. SO that is the news of the week! So from now on.. no mail to Lorain. Send it all to:
7800 Kirtland-Chardon Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094
In other news it was a super awesome week! One of the highlights was that Nibby has a baptismal date for October first! IT KILLS ME that I won't get to be there (this is the story of everyone of my mission) but it is so exciting that she is going to get baptized. We had an amazing lesson with her. She told us that she has seen her life change since the day she met us.. and she said "I know that Heavenly Father brought you guys into my life." Then she told us that she has been reading the Book of Mormon and that she knows it is true. She said "there is something about it that is different than the bible... it feels more true" it was so cool! She said she takes it everywhere with her because she feels like it protects her. And as we were talking about baptism and stuff she said "I will give up everything to know God better." It was incredible. The spirit was so strong! She really is like the miracle of my time here in Lorain. I feel so blessed that I got to know and help her! I was really sad to say goodbye. Leaving is the worst sometimes.
It is actually kinda crazy because even though I was only here 6 weeks.. this place really feels like home already. And I have gotten to know some really amazing people. Yesterday two older ladies started full on crying hysterically when I said I was leaving. It was like heart breaking and so sweet at the same time. I didn't really realize that anyone here liked me enough to cry... it was crazy. One lady was not happy and said "They can't take you. This is not fair. Can I cry? (then she started crying and I gave her a hug and told here the new sister will be great, and she said "No she won't be like you.)" It was pretty tender. It is always nice to feel so loved! Also this guy in the ward did the NICEST thing ever. So he took us out to the most delicious restaurant ever which was already so nice... and I asked the waiter if they sold t shirts (because I collect a t-shirt from all my areas) and he said they had one left... so at the end of the meal I asked if I could buy it, and the Brother who took us out to dinner said "Just add it to my check" which was honestly the nicest thing ever because I know that he doesn't have very much money at all, but he was willing to sacrifice for me. I tried to tell him no but he insisted and said "I was thinking about it all of dinner. I really want to get it for you. I want you to know that even though you were only here 6 weeks, you made a big difference and we really appreciate you." IT WAS SO NICE I almost cried. I don't even know how I got to be so blessed and be surrounded by so many nice people. Heavenly Father really loves me.
Let's see what else happened... well some random funny things. These one members had us over for lunch and had a like naked person statue and tried to cover it by putting a hat on it. That was humorous. OH and guess what... I SURVIVED CECIL for the last time and he didn't even kill me. I am slightly glad I never have to return there again that is all I can say. We say Rich and Pat again... (the one shirtless guy) luckily he put on a shirt. But holy cow they had SO MUCH DOG HAIR in their house I almost died. Like there were piles and piles of black dog hair... so creepy. But it was cool because we got to teach them about the Book of Mormon and they were really excited about it. They even offered us money... and I said no. And then they said "Can we at least give you guys money so you can treat yourselves to ice cream?" (Man they know how to tempt me) hahah. But I told them the best way to repay us will be to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.. so hopefully they do!
Man people were just so nice to us this week. This investigatorish lady named Kieta (the one from Estonia) took us out to dinner. She was sad I was leaving too. She told me (in her awesoem accent) "I know you are fearless... but use your head. God gave it to you for a reason." Fair enough. And then later that night our investigators Daniel and Chase took us out to this homemade ice cream place... I mean why am I getting so blessed? We had the coolest lesson with them too. We taught they about the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong. I haven't gotten to meet with them too much.. but I guess they haven't acted too interested.. but then we taught them the plan of salvation and they loved it. Chase said the closing prayer and it was the most sincere prayer I have ever heard! Then they texted us and told us that they love meeting with us and they are very interested in our religion. It is so cool to see people really starting to progress here! But also hard because I am leaving. I am just glad that I got to play at least a little bit of a part in these people receiving the Gospel.
So... guess who we got to see last night... HAIRY PORK CHOP. So we knocked on the door and he opens it and wasn't wearing a shirt... all I can say is hairy pork chop indeed. Some things I want to unsee. Thankfully he put on a shirt. It was the most comical lesson I have had in a long time. So we met outside and he knocked his bike over and it fell on his creepy hairy little chihuahua dog and he like ran and was like "Bella baby are you okay??" and was being so dramatic and my companion was laughing so hard and he was on the verge of tears and I was just dying. Then during the lesson we were talking about how quitting smoking will help him change his life... and he said "Yeah then I will finally be able to lose weight. I mean I am fat. And it isn't because I eat too much. It is because I can't exercise and burn the little bit that I do eat." hahah okay. Then he said "And if I quit.. then I can finally do the things I want. Like make my album. And make a movie about my life. And also get married and have a child. I know I am 57, but I look very young for my age." LKASJDO:SIAJ WHAT??? Me and my companion both about lost it. Hahah he is seriously hilarious and insane. Nice guy. Good times. At least he knows that if he does what God asks he will be happier. He isn't totally crazy.
Overall it was an amazing last week here in Lorain. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to serve here. It has been the best experience. It almost felt like a working vacation. I got to meet so many incredible people.. and most of all I got to see the gospel change even more people's lives. It really is so true that living the gospel brings happiness and that this is the Lord's work. It is so cool that I get to be a part of it.
I am excited for this next week! I hope that I can be a good trainer for my new companion. Pray for me! and for her... because let's be honest... I am crazy. Hopefully I won't tramatize her and make her go home. haha.
Well I have a billion more things I could say but I am out of time! All I can say is I am grateful for the Gospel and I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father is in all the small details of life. I see Him using me to bless His other children and that is the greatest blessing in the world.
I hope you have a great week! I LOVE YOU.
Love Cassidy
Dun dun dun dun....
Drumroll please....
Well folks here it is. I am getting transferred.... AGAIN. For the one millionth time of my mission. haha I swear I am always packing up and saying goodbye to people. I really should be used to it by now. But I am not and it is still really hard every single time. But... the PLOT TWIST is... I got called to finish training a new missionary! Her trainer is going home this week, so I will be doing the last half of her training. Which is exciting and super terrifying all at the same time. Because A. HUGE shoes to fill. B. I don't know the area or anything.... so it is going to be a challenge to train in a place where I know nothing/no one. But I am really excited about it! It will be fun to be with a new missionary and I am sure that I will learn so much from her. SO that is the news of the week! So from now on.. no mail to Lorain. Send it all to:
7800 Kirtland-Chardon Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094
In other news it was a super awesome week! One of the highlights was that Nibby has a baptismal date for October first! IT KILLS ME that I won't get to be there (this is the story of everyone of my mission) but it is so exciting that she is going to get baptized. We had an amazing lesson with her. She told us that she has seen her life change since the day she met us.. and she said "I know that Heavenly Father brought you guys into my life." Then she told us that she has been reading the Book of Mormon and that she knows it is true. She said "there is something about it that is different than the bible... it feels more true" it was so cool! She said she takes it everywhere with her because she feels like it protects her. And as we were talking about baptism and stuff she said "I will give up everything to know God better." It was incredible. The spirit was so strong! She really is like the miracle of my time here in Lorain. I feel so blessed that I got to know and help her! I was really sad to say goodbye. Leaving is the worst sometimes.
It is actually kinda crazy because even though I was only here 6 weeks.. this place really feels like home already. And I have gotten to know some really amazing people. Yesterday two older ladies started full on crying hysterically when I said I was leaving. It was like heart breaking and so sweet at the same time. I didn't really realize that anyone here liked me enough to cry... it was crazy. One lady was not happy and said "They can't take you. This is not fair. Can I cry? (then she started crying and I gave her a hug and told here the new sister will be great, and she said "No she won't be like you.)" It was pretty tender. It is always nice to feel so loved! Also this guy in the ward did the NICEST thing ever. So he took us out to the most delicious restaurant ever which was already so nice... and I asked the waiter if they sold t shirts (because I collect a t-shirt from all my areas) and he said they had one left... so at the end of the meal I asked if I could buy it, and the Brother who took us out to dinner said "Just add it to my check" which was honestly the nicest thing ever because I know that he doesn't have very much money at all, but he was willing to sacrifice for me. I tried to tell him no but he insisted and said "I was thinking about it all of dinner. I really want to get it for you. I want you to know that even though you were only here 6 weeks, you made a big difference and we really appreciate you." IT WAS SO NICE I almost cried. I don't even know how I got to be so blessed and be surrounded by so many nice people. Heavenly Father really loves me.
Let's see what else happened... well some random funny things. These one members had us over for lunch and had a like naked person statue and tried to cover it by putting a hat on it. That was humorous. OH and guess what... I SURVIVED CECIL for the last time and he didn't even kill me. I am slightly glad I never have to return there again that is all I can say. We say Rich and Pat again... (the one shirtless guy) luckily he put on a shirt. But holy cow they had SO MUCH DOG HAIR in their house I almost died. Like there were piles and piles of black dog hair... so creepy. But it was cool because we got to teach them about the Book of Mormon and they were really excited about it. They even offered us money... and I said no. And then they said "Can we at least give you guys money so you can treat yourselves to ice cream?" (Man they know how to tempt me) hahah. But I told them the best way to repay us will be to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.. so hopefully they do!
Man people were just so nice to us this week. This investigatorish lady named Kieta (the one from Estonia) took us out to dinner. She was sad I was leaving too. She told me (in her awesoem accent) "I know you are fearless... but use your head. God gave it to you for a reason." Fair enough. And then later that night our investigators Daniel and Chase took us out to this homemade ice cream place... I mean why am I getting so blessed? We had the coolest lesson with them too. We taught they about the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong. I haven't gotten to meet with them too much.. but I guess they haven't acted too interested.. but then we taught them the plan of salvation and they loved it. Chase said the closing prayer and it was the most sincere prayer I have ever heard! Then they texted us and told us that they love meeting with us and they are very interested in our religion. It is so cool to see people really starting to progress here! But also hard because I am leaving. I am just glad that I got to play at least a little bit of a part in these people receiving the Gospel.
So... guess who we got to see last night... HAIRY PORK CHOP. So we knocked on the door and he opens it and wasn't wearing a shirt... all I can say is hairy pork chop indeed. Some things I want to unsee. Thankfully he put on a shirt. It was the most comical lesson I have had in a long time. So we met outside and he knocked his bike over and it fell on his creepy hairy little chihuahua dog and he like ran and was like "Bella baby are you okay??" and was being so dramatic and my companion was laughing so hard and he was on the verge of tears and I was just dying. Then during the lesson we were talking about how quitting smoking will help him change his life... and he said "Yeah then I will finally be able to lose weight. I mean I am fat. And it isn't because I eat too much. It is because I can't exercise and burn the little bit that I do eat." hahah okay. Then he said "And if I quit.. then I can finally do the things I want. Like make my album. And make a movie about my life. And also get married and have a child. I know I am 57, but I look very young for my age." LKASJDO:SIAJ WHAT??? Me and my companion both about lost it. Hahah he is seriously hilarious and insane. Nice guy. Good times. At least he knows that if he does what God asks he will be happier. He isn't totally crazy.
Overall it was an amazing last week here in Lorain. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to serve here. It has been the best experience. It almost felt like a working vacation. I got to meet so many incredible people.. and most of all I got to see the gospel change even more people's lives. It really is so true that living the gospel brings happiness and that this is the Lord's work. It is so cool that I get to be a part of it.
I am excited for this next week! I hope that I can be a good trainer for my new companion. Pray for me! and for her... because let's be honest... I am crazy. Hopefully I won't tramatize her and make her go home. haha.
Well I have a billion more things I could say but I am out of time! All I can say is I am grateful for the Gospel and I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father is in all the small details of life. I see Him using me to bless His other children and that is the greatest blessing in the world.
I hope you have a great week! I LOVE YOU.
Love Cassidy
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