Giant Cats, Snapping Turtles and Ant Covered Cookies

For this week, it was quite adventurous, let me tell you. I don't even know where to start. We had dinner with the Crawfords and I love them! They're a really sweet young couple who both went to school at BYUI and they have a GIANT cat! He weighed a ton.

                                                                             

Sister Rokovitz with the Crawford's giant cat.

We got to teach some lessons with Sister Paul this week. She came with us and taught Jully. I can't remember if I talked about Jully. We met her last week when we were tracting. She is from Columbia and came here to marry her husband. She was outside and we talked to her and her husband came out. She said she would come to church last week but couldn't find it and she didn't call us. Anyways, we taught her the restoration and then on Thursday she went to a Latina night at a member's home. Sister Behan speaks Spanish and has Latinas in the area over once a month for a party. There's another lady from Columbia who goes, named Adrianna, who is a member but her English isn't very good. We didn't think Jully would go but she did!! And we would have gone to support her but our phone broke and we didn't realize that we weren't getting texts for 3 days. She loved it and stayed at it way late! Then Jully came to church yesterday! She was so happy and she had friends already. Sister Behan and Adrianna almost stole her to teach nursery with them instead of coming to Gospel Principles with us. After church Sister Behan's son got baptized. Perfect? I think so. It was funny because Jully offered to film it and Sister Behan explained why we don't film those events. And then during the baptism Jully sat next to Adrianna and Adrianna was taking pictures the whole time! Oh my. So we have to make sure we teach Jully correct and then maybe she can help Adrianna understand. And Adriana took Jully out to lunch after church. Haha oh man. Oh well.

We finally got to see Peggy again. I don't know if I've talked about her either. She is toothless and lives with her ex-husband. She hasn't come to church yet and is real skeptical about coming because she doesn't know what it's going to be like. She understands what she reads in the Book of Mormon but she hasn't prayed about it. She's just kind of stuck. I feel like I can't get my investigators to feel the Holy Ghost. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

We also finally saw Cathy. Last we had heard from her, she was in the hospital. She came home and we got to see her. She had kind of gotten in a fight and the guy punched her and broke her nose and ripped out basically half of her hair. This guy has been a problem in the city for a while. She's hoping they catch him. Anyways, ready for the miracle part: CATHY CAME TO CHURCH! This has been such a struggle and she finally came. Finally! She only stayed for Sacrament meeting because she had to go do some haircut but hey, at least she came. She wants to change her life so badly and she's finally making baby steps of progress.

So we had a total of 4 investigators at church yesterday!!!!! That's crazy! It's a miracle! And Sister Newnum came and Brother Hamilton! ( Sister Hamilton was sick) So we had Cathy, Jully, Abbie, and Cena. Only Jully stayed for all 3 hours but still... We've never had 4 in this ward at one time.

We did see Amber this week and we're going to see her again tonight. Found out she is engaged to the boyfriend she's living with but their wedding date is next year. So we're stuck on what to do. And she didn't come to church yesterday. So more progress update on her is yet to come.

No real update on Roxana this week. Her baptism is going to be postponed because she didn't come to church yesterday. Our Investigators are really struggling with testimonies right now for some reason. We tried to teach her the commandments but she talked the whole time. So... Yeah.

The festival... Didn't go. No one was willing to help and turns out we never did get a booth. We were told that we had one but come to find out, the application never got approved because it was about 2 months late when it was turned in. So it bombed. We drove by the festival a few times during the week on our way to lessons and it looked like it would have been a great place. Everyone laughed too when we told them we were doing it. They said the festival is like trash and they said good luck.

Thanks for the cookies... This story will make you laugh. The day they came, we were gone all day. We got home and Sister Schenk checked the mail and pulled out the little box. She said it was for me and I was like "Ooh! Yay! Maybe it's CDs! *shake* *shake* nope it's a treat!!!" get inside and set it on my desk... And then realize we had an ant hill in our mailbox a few days ago when I checked the mail. I panicked!!!!!!! I tore that box open so fast! Sister Schenk said "they probably haven't gotten very far though if they got in" I said "I bet they have... They've had all day to get to my treat!!!" I open it up and ants come pouring out!!!!! I screamed and ran outside. I was FURIOUS! We got a bag and I inspected them and threw the non infested ones in the bag. Only 2 bundles were covered in ants. I left the box outside for the night. I put the other four bundles on the kitchen counter and then we did our planning for the next day. When I was done I grabbed the can of Raid in a furry and went out and soaked the whole mailbox in it! Those ants died immediately! Sister Schenk was laughing at how much I sprayed on that mailbox. Then I went inside to eat cookies.... And ants were crawling around my cookies! So I got a plastic bag and put it on my hand and just started squishing. I squished probably 30 ants. Then I took one bundle at a time and open it and shook the cookie and inspected it and set it on a plate. I repeated the process and when I finished I looked at the plate and I saw 3 more ants! I was getting so frustrated!!!!!!! I squished them and got another plate and inspected each cookie more thoroughly and put them on the other plate. And then I warmed two up and ate them in anger with a glass of milk. I have not had any reports of other cookie ants. Haha I was not going to give up!!! You made those special for me! And I intended for those cookies to make it into my tummy! And it happened. 

Ok, are you ready for the funny animal story of the week! So we were headed to an appointment and I saw this turtle crossing the street and thought "we have to help him!!" I pull over and get out and I explain how we're going to pick him up and carry him to his destination. Sister Schenk forbid me!!!! It was a snapping turtle.... So I thought... "Let's push him!" I found a water bottle and poked him and he almost took my hand off! I had no clue how fast those beasts can move!! Oh.. And we named him Silencio. So I knew I needed a longer and stronger pushing stick. Off to the trunk to get the snow scraper! .... And my camera. Yeah... Two Mormon girls in skirts on the side of a busy road trying to document the poking of a large snapping turtle. He kept snapping at me and he was strong! It was like a mini rifle kickback!!! He wouldn't grip onto the snow scraper so I could pull him across the street and eventually he stopped jumping forward. He stood up real tall at one point and then sat down. He was MAD. Then I look up... And traffic is backed way up on both sides... How embarrassing. People slowly went around us and we just stood there and smiled. Eventually we gave up. He stopped progressing. He was so close to the side of the road! We were 20 minutes late to our appointment and on the way home... Silencio had become truly silenced. He was also so flat I could have put him in my journal! I didn't though, don't worry. Animals are crazy out here. ......

                                                                           

Trying to get Silencio to bite the ice scraper so we can drag him across the road.

Silencio, the snapping turtle....before he became Silencio, the pancake.

Sister Schenk and I get along so well!!!! She's also fun to scare too. She got in the car and had an ant on her and I knew she would flip out and flick it off, possibly towards me, so I said "get out of the car quick!" She bolted out and said "why?" I said "there's a bug on you!" She did the ant dance!! Haha she flew!!!! And then she ran to my side of the car and opened the door and threw herself across my lap and screamed "GET IT OFF!" I said "hold still" while busting up laughing! Haha it was gone and then when she found out it was an ant... She was mad! Haha it was a red ant though... She claims she wouldn't have freaked out but I think she would have!

I'm starting to slightly experience humidity out here and I already hate it! My hair poofs real fast and I look like a witch. And I get real sweaty real fast. I feel sticky all the time. Yuck. And the humidity hasn't even started yet. I don't know how I'm going to avoid heat migraines. I drink a lot more water now but I still get bad headaches. Summer will be miserable! I'm glad I only have to be out here for one Summer.

I did get to see fireflies this week! They were in the field behind Jeff and Abbie's house! They are huge and ten times brighter than the Utah ones!!!! And since they're bigger, they're faster too. Jeff caught one and we brought it home and let it out in our room, then we let it go outside. I'm so excited to see more of those!!

                                                                           

The firefly lit up in my hands

Our firefly in the jar

I have a question: If you had the missionaries over and they shared a message, what kind of message or invitation from them would help you get excited and motivated to do missionary work?

  

I think that's all for this week. This is so long!!! You're welcome.

I love you so much!!!!!!

~Sister Rokovitz~

Fire!!!!

                                                                             

I have hit 8 months in the mission field. I love my mission!!