79 - The First and the Last

You know you don't have very much time left as a missionary when you log onto the missionary site and it says on there "You must be assigned to a proselyting area in order to report key indicators." How then are we supposed to report our three baptisms darn it! Oh well. I guess the zone leaders will take care of it.

That morning we got, surprise surprise! A transfer call! It was kind of bummer news though. Elders are coming into the area. The Elders are Elder Ashby, who is a wonderful and experienced missionary, and he's training a new missionary. It'll be good and the Lord knows what's best... but we are super sad that there's not going to be any sisters. No sisters in Williston at all... But they want to put sisters back in they say. Maybe in the spring.

Monday I was also pretty miserably sick with a nasty cold. I was very cranky at some points of the day and in the evening we just ended up staying inside and sleeping basically. I'm just glad I got sick BEFORE going home, and not during the traveling process.


However, despite sickness, I did suck it up and go play bowling with our district like we had planned as a last hurrah.





Also, don't play bowling with lady claws, because this will happen to you.

Sister Lewis broke her nail good! haha.





Packing packing and packing. It's a project. Especially when neither of you are feeling super well. But we got through it, packing in spurts Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. We were going to prepare the area with tons of sticky notes with random tips as well, but we were just too exhausted and booked up with packing.

Our relief society president is a saint and she took us out to lunch and got us each a going away present. She gave each of us this same ornament to remind us of the magic of her taking us up to Grenora in her red truck of a sleigh to bring the magic to the sisters in Grenora. How nice is that! And she told us that if we brought her boxes that were addressed, that she could send home anything that we needed if our stuff was too much for our suitcases to pass the weight limit test at the airport! She is so awesome!

It was Wednesday now and we were both feeling much better than the day before. We finished up packing and we brought four boxes to our relief society president for her to send home for us. It was time for the in person goodbyes. I was hoping not to put on my coat for the rest of my mission, but this last day it was in the 30s. So on our jackets went.

We said bye to a sweet old less active lady that we hadn't seen in awhile. And we then walked two doors down to say bye to Vaasa. He was SO happy for us. Holy cow, we've never seen the man smile so much. Him and his Russian self being so Russian.

"Mission is good. But normal life better. Normal life you need to go and get good education. And find good man who take-en care of you. Because American, is no good. American vomen is too much power. European vomen, zay understand-ez zis. Find man who love-ez you and take-ez care of vomen. Have good life and excited for you for marriage. Sank you for everysing."

He was just over the moon a the thought of us settling down and having a family with a good man! So funny. What a good old man you are Vaasa.

Then we drove out to Lukenbill to say bye to the Brown family, because they are just so awesome. We will miss them.

Then we stopped by Elias and Mr. Kiwi's house to see if they were home. Mr. Kiwi was and Elias would be in a minute. So we gave each other a hard time until Elias got there and he came with his friend Cab. I call him that because this friend would often provide transportation for him.

It was almost five and we had a tradition to fulfill tonight. At the end of your mission it is customary among missionaries to burn a skirt or dress if you're a sister, or a suit coat if you are an elder. Not every missionary does this tradition, but it's a fun one if you choose to do it. We had eaten dinner with the Awesome family the night before. (This was the "All-So Awesome" family. The Awesome's I've always previously talked about are the "Crazy Awesome" family. Brother All-So Awesome and Brother Crazy Awesome are biological brothers.)

As we told them about this tradition, they immediately, being the red neck fun kinda people they are, offered to help us light em up, with gasoline and everything! Heck yeah!

So we were at Elias and Mr. Kiwi's house when we heard that we were good to come over. They were very confused as to what was going on and it was just so funny and one would try to explain and the other would be like 'stop trying to explain, you don't know what you're talking about' and it was just hilarious. We were just like, "Just follow us. Come on!" And we drove on over there, trusting that the All-to-Awesome's wouldn't mind three Africans tagging along to watch the fun!

Before we get fully into the skirt burning though, I need to tell a story.

Once upon a time, I found a skirt. It was in my mom's closet and I needed clothes to take on my mission, but I didn't have very many skirts. She had three skirts just right there that were like magic! They were all the same cut, simple, cute, and the colors were a tan, a black, and a gray. She allowed me to take them on my mission and they have been my staple skirts, but the tan one was my favorite because it fit just perfect because for some reason in was a size bigger. I loved it so much.

Then one day. I endeavored to fix my watch's thing that holds down the loose strap... with super glue... and a big drop got on my skirt... After trying a few times to get it out with just water and soap, I was dumb and tried to get it out with fingernail polish remover and it distorted the coloring in the skirt. I ruined it! SAD FACE!

So. I Decided it would be given a proper burial.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Look at that!

And there it is. It's life with me began with the mission and ended with it too. Farewell skirt. Time to burn another skirt!

Sister Lewis's burned for a long time! Because it was cotton. And eventually it got a little less cool and she put it on the block.

Anyone for marshmallows?

So that was super fun and fulfilling.




Then we saw Kristen and the cute kitten that got so much bigger! Holy cow! We were instructed though to come back and get a present for us later that night.

In the mean time we went to dinner with the members that are like our grandma and grandpa of Williston. The lady that we helped by filling her pill containers last week and the man who baptized Elias. She was doin alright enough with her fractured pelvis to still go out to eat using her walker. It was SO humid in that Chinese buffet! It looked like it was raining outside, but no, it was just all the condensation on the windows. Sister Lewis, being a Louisiana girl, was in heaven.

After our last dinner as a missionary in Williston (it gets more and more real that you're going home with every 'last this' and 'last that'), we called Jaffar to see if he was alive. This was his last chance! He had NOT been responding to us, the stinker, and he hadn't even signed his baptismal record yet because he ducked out of church early for whatever reason! And surprise. He didn't pick up.

So we said goodbye real fast to our ward mission leader and his wife, and then! Jaffar called us back! YOU'RE ALIVE! So we went over to see him!

We went and slapped him for being dead. Not really, but we let him know that we were concerned about him. His work, his construction work, had him working in Minot lots those ten days on, and so he was getting home super late and yeah. But now are his four days off. So we set up a return appointment for the elders and had him sign his baptismal record, and gave him his picture, which he really appreciated.

Then, even though it was super late, we went over to see Kristen as she instructed, and she gave Sister Lewis some scotcheroos, something that Sister Lewis can actually eat that she loves, and...

She gave us both crosses that were carved IN Jerusalem! So neat! And she and her daughter that is a member and comes out with us all the time, and her son all signed the back. How nice is that!!



We got back at almost 10:30. Oops. So we basically went straight to bed.





"But many that are first shall be last; and the last first," (Mark 10:31).

We woke up at 6:30 on Thursday as per usual. But this was not a usual day. It was for both of us our last full day as a set apart missionary.

We were scrambling to get some final notes written for the elders and get numbers jotted down for us and to get our suitcases in the car. We had just over an hour to do this and I feel bad, but we kind of left the apartment a bit of a mess for the elders... Don't worry though. We wrote an apologetic sticky note as well.

At 8 o'clock, we were off! Just us and our bags, going straight for the four-hours-away place called Bismarck! Man, there's so many ways in which I've ended my mission the same way I began it. I started in Bismarck, and I never thought this would happen, but I'm flying out of Bismarck as well. Going home missionaries used to fly out of Rapid City, SD.

I also came into the mission with one day of snow on the ground and what a nice and symbolic thing to leave the same way. So cool.





We got to Bismarck a little before noon and waited for the transfer train to get there. Lunch was provided for all the missionaries that were there. It was weird, not recognizing more than half of the missionaries and talking to them saying how long we've been out and I would say, "I'm goin home." "Oh!..." Now I was that missionary that was goin home. Just crazy. And insane to think that it was in this very church that I first started, with this bags, seeing my trainer, Sister Easter, and taking a picture next to the temple for the first time, eighteen long months ago.

It was around 2 now and the transfer train was loaded up with everyone's suitcases that was being transferred. But my district leader, the punk, Elder Reynolds shook my hand and said, "Wait, you're dead now. Bye Hannah!"

And I was SO caught off guard- I screamed! AH! No! You're not supposed to call me by my first name! lol And he just ran away doing his little 'nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!' laughing noise thing! Hahaha.

Now that all the missionaries who were goin home were gathered at the church and the transfer tvan was departing, it was time to go to the mission home with President and Sister Hess! I'd never been in the mission home before! Wow, so exciting.

We arrived, all eight of us. Elder Gruver, Elder Merritt, Elder Deeter, Sister Hawkes, Sister Paniagua, Sister Clegg, Sister Lewis, And Sister Sanderson. I didn't know the elders very well, but I know all the sisters.

All of us received a binder that has all the weekly reporting emails we sent to president, a contact list of all the missionaries that were out during the time we were out and their listed home addresses and stuff which is super nice, and some talks and official letters addressed to returned missionaries. Oh, and any mail that they held for us in this last week.



We were instructed to relax while President had final one on one interviews with people.

While president was doing interviews, those of us who were musically inclined gathered around the piano and sang hymns. My voice was still not recovered fully from being sick, but I made do, and it was really fun.

We then ate an early dinner, with lots of ham! It was very good.

While dinner was being cleaned up I had my interview. It was crazy being in presidents office and seeing the transfer board that we weren't on anymore. In my interview, I expressed to president that one of the things I had learned most on my mission is how to rely on the spirit. I commended me for that and assured me that I would use that ability the rest of my life.

And after dinner we went to the temple! Which was really cool for Sister Lewis, because this was her only time that she's gotten to go to the temple on her mission, because seriously she has served everywhere else BUT around the temple! Super cool for her to finally go. This what my fourth time going.

You can actually see the temple from the mission home's back porch view! You have to know what you're looking for, but you can see the spire just to the left of the big blue water tower.







When we came back we had dessert, cheesecake!

Then we all went downstairs and played a game with tennis balls which was just fun and also served as an object lesson. It was the game where you passed the tennis balls in a certain order, but you had five or six balls going and it was easy to get distracted. If your get distracted, you'll mess up either the sending or the receiving. Moral of the story: keep focused on what really matters.

Then President and Sister Hess gave us a 'Mom and Dad' talk. They exhorted us to keep clean. They talked about dating, about keeping good habits, about centering things on Jesus Christ, all that good stuff. And the coolest thing was that President Hess explained that it's a promise that when you are released as a missionary it is a promise that you are absolutely clean and pure. That's powerful.

President Hess then had us go around and share scriptures that defined our mission experiences. We had some really good ones. One of the elders shared the story in 1 Samuel 17:41-47 and talked about there were many goliaths on his mission and that there will be after returning home as well, but that if you are fighting together with the Lord that you don't need to fear. The other two elders shared scriptures from the famous prayer of Nephi in 2 Nephi 4, and I shared 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 and I shared my "RAPID" acronym that I talked about earlier in my blog. (Reproaches, Afflictions, Persecutions, Infirmities, Distresses.) But my favorite was Sister Clegg's:

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God," (Helaman 3:35).

That really just sums up what a mission does for you. Brilliant use of this scripture.

We then went to bed. I thought I would take a picture of Hamlet one last time. We ended up going to bed about midnight because the devotional went passed eleven. We all went to sleep, sleep which was preceded with a prayer of gratitude and a request of blessed travels for the monumental journey in the morning.

77 - About to Expire and Raining Baptisms!

That moment when the expiration date on milk is significantly before the day you fly home from your mission... CRAZY!

Really though, we should go home more often. 

You know why? 

Everyone wants to be baptized before we leave! 

We have three convert baptisms happening on Saturday! 

WOW! 

But now to tell you about this week.

Monday:

We went over and saw Sister Awesome with her newly adopted girl that she's been working for two years to bring home from Ukraine! 


And she's here now and has been adjusting well! 


She has down syndrome and institutional autism, and she yesterday was her first day at church! 


She did very very well!

And we saw Jaffar! He's alive! We'd been so worried about him! My goodness.

Tuesday:

Look how cute, Sister Near taking the little Azonto boy to preschool.

Sister Lewis's ear was hurting, so she bought these ear candles, so Orlando's parents helped us use them!

We were birthday cakes! lol

It's gross, all the stuff that comes out of your ears. But yet so cool.

Finally, here's a picture of Charity and Orlando, who are doing very well. 


Sister Lewis drew them a picture to go along with the lesson we taught them that night.

Wednesday:

We met with a few new people that we hadn't ever taught before. One of them was native- the first native I've really met here in Williston!

And we had dinner at a member's with Elias and he was trying to set us up with this Nephew in Africa, so that was awkwardly funny.

And then we were supposed to meet with Jaffar, but that didn't work out, and the Lord just knows and takes care of people because we visited the Azotohs instead and they got a letter that afternoon that they didn't really understand. We were able to explain it to them. It was a letter saying that they violated their lease agreement so they need to either reapply for paying full rent instead of part or they need to move out...

Thursday:

We still needed information for the baptism from Jaffar, so we tried to see him on his lunch break. We found him (he works construction) but he didn't 'actually' get a lunch break. But we went and bought him lunch for later and went to our next appointment.

We went with our relief society president to see Tanya Azonto to help her out with the situation. I seems like they might have to move out in the next 30 days... So that was depressing.

But then we went to Grenora, the last time Sister Lewis and I will go there, and saw Michelle, the one with the two kids and that was fun, and we went and saw the Far family for the second time, and after teaching the plan of salvation to Memory, the old deaf lady, I asked about baptism, and she's ready to be baptized!! THIS SATURDAY! As well as Sister Far's daughter, who will be a child of record since she's still eight!

We went back to Williston and were able to meet with Jaffar at that time.

Friday:

We drove to and from Minot this day for our last zone meeting. So that happened.

That night, we finished teaching Jaffar the lessons and he had his baptismal interview.

Saturday:

This is Elias and Mr. Kiwi. Mr. Kiwi has been Elias's roommate from when Elias moved here in July. They used to live in an apartment with a few other people and everyone poked fun at Elias for meeting with us and converting. Mr. Kiwi always joked about him being baptized and played it off like he wasn't serious. But now that the other people are out of the picture and it's just Elias and Mr. Kiwi living under the same house roof, he totally really wants to be baptized, and for US to get him there! His heart has been softened! It's so cool!

We had a sweet lesson on the plan of salvation with Mr. Kiwi. He LOVED the doctrine of the kingdom of the sun and also of eternal marriage.

And then!

Jaffar was baptized! 

But the silly! 

He was all going to be super late for his baptism. 

But we told him that couldn't happen. So he was only a little late. 

Silly silly man. Oh well. 

It was a great baptism.

Sunday:

Everyone who is getting baptized on Saturday proved themselves- they all were at church! 

And consequently, I interpreted all of sacrament meeting and gospel principles, AND relief society! 

Because the other person who can sign is super pregnant and was probably sick.

So yes, I interpreted all of church for Memory. It was an incredible experience. I'm making my ASL interpreter of a mom proud! 

So it's been a great week, and we will go out with a splash! The sound of multiple baptisms!!!

76 - Hero Standing on a Hill

(This is the story of Zazu.)

It was dark, his skin, just like the strike of midnight, his eyes bright as two moons. He was leading the hunt, a common practice of the people of Zambia. He used to be a slave owner, but he was called noble for the release of his slaves. Now they hunted as equal men, him leading them as a like man.

They walked with their prized meat, heading toward the village. They scattered as a leopard suddenly pounced from the trees, falling upon the leader of their pack. They fought, the leopard gouging the man's legs with its claws, but the man being full of adrenaline caught the beast in a choke hold. The leopard struggled, but the man did not let go. It began to wheeze as it writhed. It's back heaved and heaved. It was getting weaker. This unrelenting man did not loosen his hold until he heard the last of the leopard's breath. It was dead. He was alone, wounded, and the village was still more than half an hours distance.

The hunting group arrived back, thinking their former master was now surely a former friend. There was no way he had survived. He was not the largest man, and leopards were fierce creatures. They consulted about what to do concerning the body, whether to return and see if there were any remains and when to do it.

As they counseled they heard a shout. They looked an saw a figure, a man carrying a beast. It was him who they called dead. He was the hero standing on a hill. 

That was his name ever since.

I woke from this dream. ...That is the translation of my name... That dream was an actual event of my grandfather's life!

I called my mother. As I told the story my mother began to thank me profusely through her tears, thanking me and God. Why was she acting this way?

"Thank you Lord! Yes Zazu, that is your grandfather's story! I was told never to speak of it to you, but that you would call one day having received a vision of it. Thank you God!"

So it was. I had received a vision. And that was not the only one.

Where this all started, was my grandfather. He married someone unique. Why did he do this, I do not know, but he married the witch doctor's daughter. It's a bad magic, and it is bread in their children and unlocked when the time is appropriate, and he knew this. These are my ancestors. I have been dealing with these issues since that time.

I am blessed with many siblings. two older brothers, two older sisters, and five younger sisters. from the time I was very young, I have had this spirit in me. It was only now revealed in my mind in a vision that this happened and confirmed by my mother. 

My sister was sick with a fungus on her toe. It was not getting better. I was only five, maybe younger. I took herbs, and rubbed them on her feet. That is all it took. She was better. I didn't even know what the herbs were. I just grabbed them and did the good dead. 

I was a bad kid in school, I always got a whoopen from my mother! It was good for me. She liked to use a long branch. Wpsh! Wpsh! I would be picked on and I would get angry. Before I knew it the kid would be on the ground with two black eyes. I wouldn't have a scratch on me. My mother would take care of that. Wpsh! Wpsh! This would always happen. This because I was schooled in the martial arts. I did work up to the black belt level. They wanted to exspell me from the school because this was always happen. But they were the ones who would always instigate me.

In tenth grade I had a friend. He was a bad kid. He wanted to work out one day during our lunch break of school. We were walking, him, and me, and another, the three of us. "This isn't the way to the gym," I said. "Yes it is, I have the weights in my bag."

We sat on this field. He pulled out of his bag this drug. I didn't know it was a drug. It was a type of weed. He rolled it up. It was long. We all took turns smoking it until it was gone. Everything was fine until we stood up. Everything was spinning. Nothing was right.

I went home, and my dad knew. He didn't say anything, but as he turned the paper it was like it was smacking me with the words, "you're high!" No... I'm not high.. "You're high!" He had some words for me that day.

When I went back to school, the one who had the weed in his back was not there. It was said by everyone that three went out to smoke, and the facts were clear that one of them ended up dead. My 'friend.' That could have been me... It scared me bad. From that point on I determined I would have nothing to do with drugs.

The other who was still with us ratted me out. We were exspelled. I was sent to a private bording school elsewhere in Africa where it was build in you to survive. My father sent me here to teach me how to be a man.

There was drama between the head boy and his girlfriend. They framed me and long story short sixteen boys came against me. All I knew is that when I thought something, it happened. If I thought about kicking two people at once, it happened. I was granted with the same strength as Samson. Every jaw was broken. I messed them all up. 

They put me in prison for awhile. But the charges were dropped when it was concluded as self defense. I was out. My father asked me where I wanted to go. I told him america. And that's how I came to the United States as a young adult.

Since then, I have been hearing this voice, speaking in the language of the king James Bible, more and more. "I am the light and the way. Heal this man." Say what? "Tell that man to buy flowers for his wife." Hey, buy flowers for your wife. God told me to tell you. So he goes. He obeys. He contacts me and says I have saved their marriage. No no! God saved your marriage! I have just been his tool.

There was one instance where I got connected with someone over the internet, someone in England. She was stricken with HIV. I felt for her. So grieved. Then I heard. "Heal her." I asked if she had faith she could be healed. "She loves money. She must repent to be healed." I warned her of what God said. She said ok. "Go to these three doctors. Take all three tests. You will be healed." She did. They all came back negative. She and I rejoiced.

But it was short in the living. She sued those doctors for false diagnoses. She wanted the money. She then contracted another incurable disease. I asked her why she did it, she was warned. She just loved money too much.

These voices and promptings began to be too much. I felt it was a demon that I could not escape. I went to different church leaders, wanting them to cast this demon OUT in the name of Jesus! But they all told me that I was blessed, that the Lord had given me a gift, not a demon, and sent me away. So many times this happened.

Demons I have found, do not possess me. But they work through the people I am close to. I have four children, all daughters, with three different women. My little Nala I have kept close to me. The others are with their mothers. Nala's mother, when Nala was just 18 months pointed a gun at my face. I knew it wasn't loaded, but she didn't. She pulled the trigger. 'click.' We seperated that night. I took Nala with me. 

When Nala was three she kidnapped her. I hired a lawyer. They could not do anything until her mother came back into the state. I fasted every day from sunrise to sunset so that she would return. I have never gained back my weight. I was working in the oil field at the time, on a fracing crew. I lost it, went blank. I could have killed someone. They knew what was going on with me. I know the only option was to have them let me go. I picked up a truck driving job. Five months after the kidnapping the voice spoke. "You will receive a call. Don't get angry." I received the call. I was fuming. But I was obedient. I did not show my anger. She came back for Nala's medical papers. I won Nala back, haven't seen the mother since.

This is my story. I long for a women who can be a mother to Nala. She is almost eight. She needs a mother in her life. I am looking for truth and right. I have made many mistakes and repentance is so unattainable it seems. Please sisters, send some prayers to God for me.

What a story Zazu has!

As far as this week goes, this is an update on what went on in the form of president's letter:

The Near Kids

Dear President,

With sickness always comes a lack of motivation and a struggling to get back on your feet. But we have been able to hobble this past week to teach seven lessons and we are now standing stronger again! So that is always good.

We have been very concerned about the people we have on date- Charity (24th) and Jaffar (17th). We weren't able to have a single lesson with either of them this week, and neither of them watched general conference even though they both had solid plans to! :( We didn't contact them Monday or Tuesday, but we had tried every day since Wednesday, and we reached Jaffar once and we were able to stop by Orlando and Charity's on Saturday before they had to leave somewhere so we at least got to check up in person. Charity's been staying strong with not smoking!!

Neither Jaffar nor Charity came to church because of work and sickness respectively, but Orlando came without Charity! Which is huge! He has done a great thing in proving his devotion to the Lord! Good thing though is we have appointments with both Orlando and Charity AND Jaffar lined up for this evening, both member presents. We pray that they follow through. Especially since Jaffar's date is in less than a week. It's still possible, we just need to meet with him nearly every day this week! But it will all work out the way it's supposed to.

But lots of people came to church this week, including three people who haven't attended before! One of them was a referral from the elders (he lives in our area) and we have an appointment with him on Wednesday. :)

Things are plugging along. We will do our best with Jaffar's baptism this week!

Also... Sister Lewis and I got our flight plans in the mail... ah! 

We take off from the Bismarck airport and about 11, then we have a layover in Minneapolis, then I fly into the Sky Harbor airport and land at 3:13pm! 

So that's crazy. 

Poor Sister Lewis has an additional layover in Huston, TX before she flies home to Louisiana. 


She's not getting home till after 6:00pm. 

I told her I'll be playing video games before she gets home. haha.

This is a fitting tribute to Sister Lewis! :-)










And I just can't get 
enough of those kittens!

"Why do I put up with this?
"Oh yeah, that's why...prrrr."