My 2nd to the last, week 6

Hello everyone--


This last week was crazy.. and this one is going to be too.... so this will be highlights of the week....

Saturday we had a WONDERFUL trip up to the JSM with Kelly and Lauren. After doing the tour and watching the movie, we went and saw the door step. Kelly stopped and bent over and touched it... had a little moment of her own there. Then we were walking up to the memorial, Kelly broke down into tears. It was a really special moment for her. As Lauren and S. Walter were walking around it, Kelly turned to me, and said, "When you know it's true, you know it's true. I can't deny it!" AH!!! The old Kelly is back. She wants to take her boyfriend and other people up to the memorial.

This week we are going to try to talk to her about setting a goal for baptism again! That was a great experience to have with the Walter family!!!

Then on the way home we (S. Walter, Lauren, and I) were taking lots of silly pictures in the back seat. It reminded me of the times Ashley and I would do that. It was so fun. Kelly said at church, that Lauren had so much fun!!

ROB, SARAH, BECCA, KELLY, AND LAUREN were all at church yesterday!!!!!!! It was so exciting!!!!! They all stayed for all 3 hours. Sarah and Becca seemed to really enjoy it. We didn't really get to talk to Rob. The ward did a good job with them as well. We are still so excited about that. I think that is the most people I have ever had come to church on my mission!!! Crazy!!! We were so excited... they all came in a few minutes late. We went into sacrament all sad kind of. We had 7 people commit to come to church, and no one was there.... Then all 5 of them flooded in at once. We were like giddy little school girls.

sisters-- Farr, Walter, Rust, Rankin -- 4th of July lunch

We found a couple of really cool people this week. First Cindy. She was a referral that S. Walter and S. Farr got on their exchange. We went to see her, and she said like 8 times that she is searching. She's always wanted to call after seeing our commercials, and that it makes her more interested when churches are persecuted... she said, "That means that there's gotta be something there..." She has a really great family. She became a new investigator, and this week when we go back, her 2 daughters probably will too. It was a miracle, and we would barely wait to get back to the car before we exploded with excitement.

The other one was a potential that S. Page and I found 2 months ago. We went and stopped by. She let us in, but said she wasn't interested. We started to teach her the restoration (to answer some of the questions she had asked), and by the end she took a Book of Mormon, and set up a return appointment!!! :) Yay!!! it was cool to see the change in her after just a few min. of talking. We shared a simple lesson on the Restoration. She was glued to us. When S. Walter said the first vision, I don't think Teressa even blinked. It was super neat!

Leah dropped us, we don't know why. :( She left a message telling us she didn't want us to come to her house anymore. Which was weird, because we had seen her twice earlier in the week, and she was so excited about everything, especially coming to church on Sunday.


Teaching English this week was fun. We tried to teach the days of the week and months. WOW, I will never be able to a ESL teacher. It is hard work!!!!

I got to see S. Hatch and S. Page this week. S. Hatch had a temple square companion who was going back this week.... so she had to bring here down. That was fun. Then S. Page had her last dentist appointment. We got to go out to dinner with them on the days they came! :)

I also got to learn how to make paposas this week, an El Salvadorian food... Our investigator, Ines taught us how. 

So something is wrong with me. For like the last week and a half I have been getting super stressed about everything. Things that shouldn't even stress me out. I know there are like a million reasons that go with it, but it's super annoying. I am even having stressful dreams because of it. I can't believe this is my last transfer. I'm looking back now thinking about all those things I coulda, shoulda, wish I woulda done.... it's too late now to change it, but it's stressing me out. Then having all the thoughts flooding into my head about going home and that transition.... Then all the normal stress of missionary work and trying to help these people come unto Christ!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!! My body is tired, it aches a lot, my mind is exhausted. I'm drained, but.... That's when you have to push yourself and sprint to the finish line. So this week S. Walter and I ran a mile straight, without stopping, for morning for exercise. I haven't done that since like jr. high. My body was tired after the second lap... but I told myself I was going to do 4 laps (similar to transfers 1-7 minus transfer 6). The 3rd lap it got a little easier (Transfer 8-11) , but was still a little challenging. By the time it was the 4th and final lap, we "sprinted" the last 100-200 yards (transfer 12). I want this to be a sprint to the finish line. Tell myself that I AM going to make it!!! I ran a mile with out stopping, days before my final transfer.... I think that was a real life, hard core, visual aid to tell me how I can finish out my last transfer.

I CAN DO IT!!! I WILL DO IT!!! The final chapter of Sister Rankin serving in the NHMM starts today. Let's make it a great and happy ending!!!

Love, Sister Rankin

 Here is the damage to the car, when we were rear ended when I made a quick stop at a red light.