In Which We Are Not Buying Dope and I Am Not the Problem Child

So, once upon a time I forgot my journal... and now I have no idea what I did this week. Okay - that's false, but only a little bit so. I write all of the stuff down so I don't have to remember it. Lame. It's okay though. I'll remember... let's hope.

This week was pretty rough. I'm not going to lie. The best way I can think to describe being a missionary is the scene from Tangled right after Rapunzel leaves and is totally bipolar about the whole thing. Some days you're super excited and nothing bothers you and it's just great, and others you want to do nothing more than crawl into a small hole and just die. There were more of the latter than the former this week. That just means that next week will be better, right?

The title. It actually comes from Tuesday of last week. And Thursday. The first was when we were waiting for an appointment with Margaret. We got there early and parked just down the street from her house because her street is really small, and did some planning - whatever. All of the sudden, we hear this "HEY!" and a whistle. We look to the driver's side to see a very, very large black man, and he is not very happy. The conversation went as follows.

BLACK MAN: "Can I help you?"
SISTER QUIST: " No. We're just waiting. We have an appointment down that street. We can move our car."

MAN: "Y'all aren't buying dope, are you?"

QUIST: "No, sir."

MAN: " Good. I was about to call the cops on you. These dumb kids come park in front of my house and go buy dope down the street and I'm sick of it."

QUIST: "No, sir."

MAN: "Alright."

It was possibly one of the most frightening experiences of...ever. Sister Quist is still scared.

The next one comes from our adventure to the mission office and involves the epic saga of the Quest for the State inspection. We got a letter from Elder Ohern, the vehicle man, at the beginning of the month saying that our state inspection for our car was about up and that we needed to have that done. We went to the shop that he suggested...and they couldn't do it. We called him, and he sent us to another shop. They couldn't do it, either. So, on Thursday he asked us to go up to the mission office and have it done there. We get to the shop, they pull us in, we're so excited...and we don't need to get it done for another month. So, we call Elder Ohern again. You have to understand - Elder Ohern is a born and bred Georgian, and he sounds like it, too.

AL: "Is Elder Ohern there? May we speak to him?"

SISTER EASTLEY: "Sure. Who's calling?"

AL: "It's his problem children."

SISTER EASTLEY: "Alright." [to Elder Ohern] "Your problem children would like to speak to you."

[He then instructs us on what to actually do to get this whole thing done.]

ELDER OHERN: "Did I hear you say that you were the problem child?"

AL: "Yes."

OHERN: "Now, listen here. I'm the problem child, not you. I'm the one sending you on these wild goose chases. Understand?"

AL: " Yes, sir."

So, I'm not the problem child.

We started off the week on Tuesday with 2 cancelled appointments. One with Margaret, which she cancelled ten minutes before we were supposed to teach her, and on with Raymundo, where no one was actually home. It kind of sucked. I don't even remember what we did after that. Probably a whole lot of nothing productive. It's really discouraging when you're so excited and ready for a lesson, and then it's cancelled.

Wednesday I went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leader, Sister Zamacona. It was excellent. I won't lie - I had a really hard time at first. I felt like a brand new missionary sent into an area where I didn't know anyone, and it was rough. However - we kept on keeping on and got a lot of really good stuff done. We got into see a less active that no one knew about and got 4 return appointments with contacts and less actives. It was great, and she set a really good example for me of not being afraid to contact and not letting people off too easily. I probably wouldn't have gotten the return appointments that she did simply because I wouldn't have kept talking to people. Sister Quist did really well with Sister Laws in our area as well, so we were super pumped for Thursday.

One of the people Sister Quist and Sister Laws had talked to on Wednesday was a guy named Andrew. He lives in the sketchy apartments, and they met him while trying to clean out our area book. He said that he had formerly been a Satan worshiper, but that he has since turned to God and considers himself an apostle. We went over to talk to him, shared the Restoration, and then listened to him talk for...a long time. He's so close to the truth on a lot of things, but so far away at the same time. It was probably the strangest experience I've ever had. Both he and his fiancee said that God was showing them things about our future, and...they were just odd, man. We didn't notice it until after we had left, but we had a really nasty spirit hanging around the both of us. We went to a member's house, thinking that it would be able to get rid of it, and it helped. The next morning, though, we were still out of whack. Well, the next two days, really. We got a text from Margaret on Friday saying that she was "stepping out for God." Basically, she dropped us and doesn't want to talk to us again. It was really, really hard. We struggled a lot through the next couple of days. Both of us were sick at some point, and we spent a lot of time in the apartment - not a good plan.

I finally woke up yesterday morning and had absolutely no desire to be serving. None at all. That hasn't happened since I left home - I've wanted to go home, but I've always wanted to serve and finish out my mission. Yesterday there was nothing. No desire at all. I told Sister Quist, and she said that she really thought that we needed to work, and that it would solve itself if we got out of the apartment, no matter how we were feeling. She was right. (She's smart like that.) We went contacting and met someone who actually wanted to talk to us, and we went and taught Kezza, and we went to Ward Council. I just felt better. Work, people. It's a real thing. We had a really powerful Ward Council as well where both Sister Quist and I ended up in tears begging the members for help - we really can't do it without them. I think they got it, and they said that they discussed how to help us more after we left.

So. Lots of trials, but lots of learning as well. I learned a lot about working things out and pushing through no matter how you feel, and I learned a lot about the Atonement and its enabling power. No one said this would be easy. In fact, the thing I heard the most was that it would be the hardest thing I've ever done. What I've found though, is that though the hard moments far outnumber the good moments, in the face of the good moments the hard, disappointing ones don't matter at all. I really am grateful that I'm out here and able to learn and grow and serve. It's great. It really is. I miss y'all, but I'll be home sooner than you think. Keep doing good things and keep helping the missionaries at home, kay? I LOVE YOU.

Love,

Sister Liljenquist

(Me)

Elders Stewart, Peterson and Vought. Aren't they adorable?

Sister Quist said I should send this. I'm not too sure.

This is us! The one and only Spring District.

And... the real Spring District. (Also, you may have noticed that my hand was on Elder Ririe's shoulder in the last picture. Never fear - such inappropriateness has been rectified.)

Sometimes Texas is cool.

Two weeks before he goes home and how many months after the rules were changed, Elder Vought has finally gotten himself a sidebag. He models it for us here. 

Look what I found in the middle of Texas!

These are my favorite ladies from the MTC. That is Sisters Walker and Santistevan next to me.

This is what happens when it rains. Cool, huh?

Did I ever send this? I don't know if I did... I found Elder Thomas! He's pretty cool.

We play Ultimate Frisbee on Saturdays. It's pretty serious business. On a pretty sweet sidenote, I slid to get the frisbee this last Saturday, and it had been raining like crazy, so I got all muddy. I'm just cool like that.

This is the mission emblem...seal...whatever. I'm pretty fond of it.