June
19, 2017
Dear Family and
Friends
I want to start of
wishing my amazing Father a HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!! I love you so much Dad! I
thought about you all day yesterday and all the talks that were given reminded
me of how I have the best Dad in the world! Thank you for being such a loving
father. Thank you for being a protector, provider, and for always being there
when I was afraid or upset. Words cannot express enough of how much I love you.
You are my best friend! I love you with all my heart dad! 😘
This week has been
wonderful! Last week we got a text from this kid named Justin (he was a former
investigator but couldn't get baptized until he was 18 because he said his
parents were against. He must have been forgotten over the years). He texted us
telling us that he was reading the Book of Mormon and wanted to know where he
should start.... Sister Lee and I both looked at each other shocked!! We
excitedly texted him back and told him to start from the beginning
(introduction, testimonies, 1 Nephi 1 etc.) Then a few days later he texted us
with some question he had. The questions were a little complex to reply by text
so we asked if we could skype him and he said he would get back to us. Then,
later the next night, he texted us at 3am saying, "I know you guys are
asleep, but I wanted to share incredible news! I have been praying all night
and reading the Book of Mormon, and prayed about the promise from Moroni 10:3-5
and Heavenly Father gave me overwhelming peace and told me the Book of Mormon
is true! He also answered the questions I had texted to you. I know I want to
be baptized, I just have to wait a few months..." We texted him back the next morning and told
him to write that experience down so that he could always go back to it. We
then asked if we could meet him in person and show him around the church
building. As we set up a time last Friday to show him around the church
building. We had to get a member to be able to do that (we can't be there when
it's just a single guy). We tried calling everyone and asking if they could
come help us and it wasn't until the last second that we finally found someone
to come with us. Sister Cocanouer was an amazing team up that was such a help
in answering some of his questions.
Justin loved the
church and really wants to be baptized. He told us that he actually has never
told his parents about his interest in the church and was nervous to do so and that’s
why he was waiting until he was 18 yrs.
We talked to him about it and told him to pray for inspiration so he
could talk to them. We also talked to him about inviting them to listen and
learn with him so that they could better understand as well and he was really
for that. Later the next day, he texted again and said that he couldn't make it
to church because it was Father's Day but that he had opened up to his mom for
the first time about how he was searching religions and that the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was something he was really interested in,
and he said that his mom seamed ok with it! It was so awesome!!
The Lord truly is
preparing people and it is proof that if we are obedient and worthy to have the
Spirit, we will see those miracles and be true instruments in the Lord’s hands.
Justin is the most amazing and prepared person I have ever met. He knows more
about the church than most teenage members do. He has seen tons of anti-Mormon
websites and has heard a bunch of anti-Mormon comments from other people as
well, but he said, "it was obvious that they didn't understand what they
were talking about so I just moved on." He will be such a powerful and
strong convert and member and I am so excited to help him and to be a witness
of his conversion. Having a miracle like that makes all the door slamming worth
it!
Have I ever explained
in detail the difference between Topeka and Wichita? Well I'm going to. So,
Topeka is very, very hilly and almost looks like a forest (depending on where
in Topeka you are. If you start heading to Holton then not really). It has roads
that go vertical and horizontal like a grid, if that makes sense. Most of the
roads down near the capital are all brick.... it's the worst! Driving on super
old brick is difficult.... and so is walking on it! Man, I think I've almost
tripped and died a million times on those roads. Sister Grover would trip daily
and biff it.... I tried catching her but I sometimes wasn't fast enough haha.
Topeka is also really, really dirty looking... again that's if your down by the
capital on Topeka Blvd up to Farelawn. There were a lot of abandoned houses
that only animals lived in or random people that didn't have a place to
live.... it was pretty shady sometimes. Also 10 years ago, an insane asylum
shut down and just opened the doors for all the people to just leave and wander
the streets... true story! So, you also had to be aware of craziness as well...
it was an Adventure!!!!
As you got closer to
the church which was down 21st Street past Wanamaker on Kingsrow Road, you got
the more well-off kind of people. But, that area was in Sherwood—the ward right next to Kaw Valley, so we couldn't
work there. As you drove more down 21s Street past Urish Road to Southwest
Indian Hills Road you got the Big Homes! Like mansions!! And those where in our
area... Sister Grover and I called it the “richhood 😂.” We would try to tract there but no one would
listen. The first day we tried three castle sized doors. The first door we
tried a man answered and said, " Oh, it's the Mormons." we continued
to try to talk to him and he just continued to say, "Man, I wish I had
time right now to talk to about how you're an absolute cult and how the Book of
Mormon is a fraud, and to help you get out but I'm busy right now so come back
later," and then he closed the door... Sister Grover and I were like,
"Ya, nope, not coming back to that house!" The second door we tried,
the guy told is that he really like the family part of our message but was
atheist so he'd pass. The third door was a lady who just very politely said she
wasn't interested. It was an interesting experience.
Ok, now I'll explain
my area in Wichita. So, Maize and Wichita are incredibly flat and have lots of
wheat and corn fields.
Wichita has some trees but they are different looking
than Topeka’s. The roads are windy which is sooo annoying!!! You get lost so
easily. It is also so much cleaner and well kept (other than the dirt roads)
than Topeka. The area I am serving in, there is only two kinds of homes—big, Bigger,
and GIGANTIC! We once saw these teenagers riding a golf cart on their lawn it
was so big... true story. There is only one small, tiny, tiiiiinny, little
neighborhood with normal sized humble homes... those are on dirt roads. Since
the time Sister Grover and I knocked on those big homes in Topeka I now have
experience in talking to wealthier people and it has been... an adventure as
well. Hmm let's see Wichita is kind of like the Roseville, Rocklin, and Folsom
areas to me not so much Sacramento. But I love it here! Every area is unique
and a different kind of adventure hahah! Wichita people are very different than
Topeka people or Abilene people and I love it! Topekans are crazy and funny,
Abileneians are more redneck and friendly, Wichitaians are more educated and
religious and family oriented (in our area that is).
That's all I can think
of on how to describe the difference 😂.
Ok so Here is another
once upon a time story... you ready for this one?....
Once upon a time it
was a beautiful hot... muggy...sweaty... smelly... Kansas day. These two
sisters were just finishing planning their day in the nice air conditioning
apartment and walked outside and...melted. One sister (me) said, "Man it
is too flipping hot outside! I wish it would rain so it would cool us off a
little." Little did she know that her wish would soon come true. So, they
soon went on their way knocking doors and visiting with all that would listen
when in the clear blue sky they saw ONE cloud.That same sister (me) said,
"Come on little cloud, make some more friends." Oooh was she about to
meet the rest of that clouds friends! After they had dinner at one of the
member’s home, the man of the home told them to be careful that there was going
to be a BIG storm tonight. The sister missionaries (one of them being me) left
and that sister (me) was excited! But, she then said, "Ooooh Kansas storms
are nothing. It will probably rain for 10 minutes and then sprinkle. I doubt it
will be a big storm"... oh was she about to get it.
It was approximately
7pm when they started to hear thunder and see some grey clouds on one side and
bright blue on the other. They thought nothing of it and continued on their way
knocking on doors down a dirt road (since Kansas are full of dirt roads). Every
person they met said that it was going to get windy and storm and to go home. So,
after no one would listen, these sisters (yes, one of them was me) ventured to
a different part of town. They were driving down Hoover Road singing to the
song, "I'm gonna go on a mission" as loud as they could (well just me
actually) not noticing what was going on outside when finally, one of the
sisters (Sister Lee) said, "Hey look at those clouds, they're really
dark... but it looks like they're going away." HA! Ya, that’s what SHE
thought.
They pulled up to a
neighborhood stopped the car and got out. When they got out of the car they
looked behind them and froze.... the clouds were completely black with a
greenish tint to them and all they could see was a THICK wall of DIRT like it
was so high it looked like a part of the clouds. Both sisters gulped and looked
at each other... they checked their phones looking for updates on weather from
the AP's but there was nothing... so they continued on, knowing they couldn't
go home unless they were told by the Zone leaders or AP's. As one of the
sisters (me) was taking a picture... in the middle of the road... like a
numpty... she almost was hit by a car (not really). Then, another car stopped
and this really sweet man was telling us to be careful and that we shouldn't be
out too long because it was going to get really stormy in about 10min.... Well,
it only took 5min. When as we were talking to someone on their driveway (who
wasn't very interested) the wall of dirt hit them FULL FORCE! It started to
pour a thick wall of dirt rain.
The lady they were talking to told them to
leave and get safely into their car... one sister (me) thought to herself,
"Really... you're not going to let us in when its storming outside...?"
So, the sisters ventured back to their car which was around the corner. As they
were running, it became so windy that it was picking up trash cans and blowing
the trees so hard that you could almost see the top of them at eye level. They
got into the car and drove to the nearest shelter as it was starting to thunder
and lightning was striking everywhere the eye could see with only seconds
apart.
As the sister (me)
drove to the nearest gas station to protect the car, she felt as though it was
going to be lifted off the ground! But they made it to the gas station...
alive. About that time a ward member called and ask if they were at their
apartment. They said, “No,’ and told her where they were. She said that they
should go INSIDE the gas station because there were winds that were clocking at
about 80 MILES AN HOUR!!!! They went inside and waited for the storm to pass.
They watched as tree branches blew by and all sorts of weird things... one
sister (me) thought they saw a COW FLYING by....but it was just a really large
black plastic garbage bag. They decided to call the zone leaders and ask if
they should still be out... the zone leaders said that it was just windy but to
be safe and continue to work... the sisters looked at each other and said
"WHAT?!" But they decided to go visit a member that was at the church
and to wait the storm out there. And so, they ventured back out into the storm
and drove to the church slipping and sliding but made it there safely. It was
about 8:30 pm when it finally became just rain and lighting and they were able
to finish the night with talking to a few more people and dodging lightning as
they walked. The one sister (me) said to her companion, "maybe I shouldn't
wish for rain out loud next time..." Those sisters slept well that
night.
I know you were
probably waiting for a tornado story but there wasn't one at all that day which
surprised me because the clouds were like a freaky green color... I was bummed
haha.
Well that’s pretty
much it for this week!! 😘
Love sister
Magda
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