Onward Christian Soldiers!


 

9/13/2021

Hello Family & Friends! 

It has been an eventful week.  Here are some of our activities: 

My companion and I are getting better at contacting people.  Two people asked for our phone number so they could call us back!  But when we told the Elders, they told us that when people say that, they have no intention of calling back.  A scripture came to mind: 

‘Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!” (D&C 128:22) 

We also had our first experience with a grumpy guy🤬 who told us to go away and not come back. We apologized and left.  As we drove home, my companion and I sang “Onward Christian Soldiers.”  I realized later that we should have told him that we loved him.  The way people treat you is usually a reflection of how they feel about themselves.  Next time we meet an unkind person, we will respond appropriately. ❤️

Doesn't mom look so happy and cute!


We met with several elderly sisters whom the elders have introduced us to.  Myrtle said she loved Jesus, and the Bible, and the Book of Mormon.  I don’t think she has read the book of Mormon, so we plan to meet with her again.  Marie said the Book of Mormon and the Bible were equally boring and talked on and on about her own beliefs.  Darlene has health challenges that seem to prevent her from keeping commitments.  Doris has health challenges and can’t read.  My companion and I visited Doris with the intent of reading the book of Mormon with her.  First we listened to her as she related all her personal challenges.  Then when I asked if we could share a scripture with her, she remembered she had to watch her “show.”  And she turned on a soap opera.  When we got up to leave, she asked us to stay.  She explained that the show was only a few minutes long because it was mostly advertisements.  We politely declined.  I don’t want to treat God like we have to squeeze Him in during the commercials! 

Later, in ESL class the Hermanas read the scripture “seek ye first the kingdom of God….” So appropriate! 

Before ESL class, one of the students invited the Hermanas and my companion and myself to dinner at a Peruvian restaurant called Alpaca.  It was very generous of him.  He had questions about the church, and the sisters did a good job of explaining.  I hope he keeps learning. 




On Saturday we met with a member of the Church who is from Cambodia.  She experienced “The Killing Fields” first hand.  She lost all her family when she was just a child, wandered around with no food, was enslaved and eventually escaped.  She has a foundation called Ladies First Foundation.  They raise money to provide food and water to the people in Cambodia. I thought of my brother Jan who, along with other US Public Health workers, went to that country to help with some of the public health challenges.  This lady and her husband have invited us to dinner next week.  (I sure hope she doesn’t feed us bat heads and ants like my brother was served when he went to Cambodia!) 

Saturday night we had dinner with our office Elders & Sisters and two other senior missionary sisters.  We talked about it being the 20th anniversary of Sept 11th and listened to some patriotic music.  Sister Fawcett (a senior missionary) told us that her son was supposed to be at the World Trade Center on that day. She told us how she tried and tried to call him on that day.  She was so worried.  Finally, he called her and related to her that one of his co-workers had gone in his place to NYC, but that the co-worker had overslept that day and so he also was spared! 



I thought of my brother again who helped in the clean-up after the 9-11 disaster.  He said they sang hymns going to and from the site of the disaster. 

Sunday 12 - The opening hymn today in church was, appropriately, “Onward Christian Soldiers!” 

I love you all 

Sister Manwaring 

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