March 12, 2011

Hello Everyone!

Guest Services really changes how I view life. So before I was really happy living in my ignorance as to how the mission worked but now it feels like I know everything. And I know that there is still a lot I am oblivious to. We are there six hours everyday and the other six hours we have to call our investigators and have some Square time. We get about two hours in everyday on the Square so we really try to make every moment count.

We have talked to some really good people this week but I warned my companion that I get really weird people or people with serious problems. She now believes me. So one such lady, who called herself a gypsy, was really good. We took her to the Temple Model display at the South Visitors Center and she was enthralled with the Temple. We talked about prophets and the Book of Mormon and she said that she really wanted to learn more, but she doesn't have a home (duh, she is a gypsy) so we can't send missionaries to her. Gah I think this is the Lord's way of telling me that numbers don't matter.... but they sure help.

We also have an investigator from India, I mentioned him last week but this week he is a progressing investigator and he is AMAZING! He is Hindu and when we asked how praying went he reviewed each step of what he did to say a prayer. Then he went on to tell us that he read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and he knows that it is a special book from God. I decided I love India.

We call Guest Services our "Miracle Booth". I think that the Lord just feels badly for us being in a hole and never seeing the light of day so he sends people who need the light of the gospel to us! We have had the most random people call in and request more information from the Church and missionaries. One guy called in and wanted to know more about the Book of Mormon so I talked with him for a bit. He referred for missionaries and we are calling to teach him soon. When we have nothing to do we call people so I am hoping to be a pro at RC (random contacting?) by the end of the transfer. One girl I spoke to said she was open to learning more but I kept talking because I felt like it shouldn't be that easy. She referred too! Finally I have had the worst phone calls lately (antis, hang ups, death threats- jk mom) so I feel better about life now. A lady called in from Jamaica and she was really hard to understand but we are going to teach her so I am praying for the gift of tongues for accents.

But what we do: We answer phones, set up appointments for tours on the Square, Beehive House, Welfare Square, VIP tours, etc. We page (yes, we still have ancient pagers) Sisters when they are needed, and make everything more efficient. Sister Despain (who is amazing and motivates me to keep looking for ways to make things better) and I sat down and brainstormed on ways we could improve Guest Services. So we have a few projects that keep us busy. It was hard to do this with about a half hour of training but we've got it down now. We had one mishap with a VIP tour- the Sisters who were assigned were never told - but when the APs were saying it was their fault I didn't correct them.

I really like Guest Services. It is a switch to life which I think is needed every once in a while. It is a big job but we've got a handle on it so life is much less stressful. It makes us talk a lot about what is important in this life and what isn't as we try to prioritize our time. We have one investigator who is Seventh Day Adventist and we came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what day you go to church - just as long as you go! It doesn't matter who said what or who did what - as long as you are striving your best to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. So many trivial things we focus on in this life are just not that important. I double testify with President Uchtdorf to just go back to the basics, therein lies happiness and peace that we can find. So everyone focus on what will help you be a better person and the rest - who cares. But speaking of the rest we are on our way to Happy Sumo right now for some sushi so I wish you all a fabulous week and talk to you later!