October 27, 2014

Dear Mom,

President Weidmann made a new rule that Sisters can only teach women and Elders can only teach men, no exceptions. This rule had been suggested but not completely mandatory beforehand. Anyway, he sent out the message via text one morning about two weeks ago. So, me and Sister Schofield now have zero investigators, unless you count Natasha. We divided up our investigators and all the phone numbers we'd gotten while contacting among the elders. It's just really hard getting women to talk to us here.

We both went to the dentist today. If you ever are apprehensive or uncomfortable about going to the dentist back home, just know it can be a lot, lot worse. I spent the entire cleaning intermittently spitting out mouthfuls of blood into a little sink that they placed next to my head. The last time I remember bleeding at the dentist was when I was little and they had me show them how I flossed, and they quickly pointed out that the bleeding was my fault for not flossing regularly. The whole cleansing was quite painful and they ended it with flossing my teeth with what felt like sandpaper. Afterwards I went into the bathroom to clean my face off and my gums throbbed. I avoided Sister Schofield directly after my appointment because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep from telling her how bad it had been, and I figured it was better if she was going in to not know beforehand. She came out with an interesting look on her face and started shaking her head. At least now I am tartar-free. (Though in America they seem to integrate their knowledge of how bone doesn't bleed into their tartar cleansings.)

We also took Sister Schofield to the doctor today to try and find out what is causing her headaches. We found some holy water in a bathroom cupboard in our apartment and I suggested pouring it on her head to see if that helped.

Forgot to tell you about the institute lesson at the army base last week. The lesson was only with two soldiers because apparently a bunch of people were just shipped in and out and they don't know everyone who's a Mormon yet. The lesson we taught was on the Atonement, and I think it went really well. We sat in the chow hall with them and two senior couples (the Nelsons and the Tooles) and gave it there. When we first sat down one soldier said to Sister Schofield, "How's it going with keeping world peace?" "Isn't that your job?" she asked him. "No, our job has to do with when world peace is threatened." "I guess we work from the inside," I said. We ate at Taco Bell afterward and at the little grocery store I got some instant oatmeal, chicken noodle soup, skittles, and a protein bar.

I also got a package from Anna aka Sister Boucher (in North Carolina right now). She sent me a shirt, a cd, and some halloween oreos along with a very nice note. I gave a few oreos to the elders and the package was gone after three days. It was so, so nice getting that.

The Nelsons showed us some video they found online of some missionaries who made a song called "All About That Book", which I thought was fantastically cheesy. A few days later when we were in Center I heard the song All About That Bass playing out of a cafe and appreciated the remix a little better after that.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/the-surprising-science-behind-supremely-happy-people?cid=HPFR102414513&lang=eng

Found something scientific yet uplifting on the church's website. I hope you have a good week. I love you so much.

Sister Riddle

John 14: 18, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Sorry for any repeats with the scriptures. I forget which ones I have posted.

October 12, 2014

Hey Mom,

Elder Barber once suggested to us that when the salespeople of Skopje come up to us on the street trying to sell us their junk, that we try and sell religion back to them. A few months ago, a guy named Marian came up to us as we were sitting on the Alexander the Great statue with a clipboard and gave us a health survey. We started talking to him about the Book of Mormon afterwards and got his phone number. Nothing happened for a while, and then I saw him again one night and we sat and talked for a long time. I decided to call him randomly a week or so ago, but he kept bailing on appointments. Then I saw him again one night and he called me later when he wasn't working asking to meet. Bam. New investigator.

We also keep having lessons with this guy named Deon, who is drunk 50% of the time, but receptive to our message. He doesn't want to pray or read from the scriptures when he's been drinking, which I think shows respect, so that's good. It was really weird because in our first lesson he said something like, "The heavenly kingdom will be here, only the world will be perfect and changed." How did that random piece of mormon doctrine find its way into a Macedonian church? I guess it isn't really mormon doctrine, it's just truth, but as far as I knew no other church believed that. 

There's going to be baptism in a few days, two or three of the elders' investigators. 

Guess who gets to go to the US army base again tomorrow and teach an institute class to the LDS soldiers there? Me and Sister Schofield. So cool!

1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Love you so much. Keep it up this week,

Sister Riddle

September 29, 2014

Hey Mom,

So, there are 3 missionaries in the MTC Macedonia-bound right now. Elder Rigby should have been getting here in a few weeks, but he's having some visa problems so who knows when we'll see him? Then there's a Sister Hassel and an Elder Somethingorother coming at the end of November. Exciting.

Transfer calls happened in Albania, Kosovo, and for the Elders here in Macedonia. I remember last time for transfer calls President Ford just called me and asked how I was doing.

We had Sister Training in Albania and then Zone Conference in Kosovo the next day. They were both great. Everything is longer under President Weidmann. He set a goal for each companionship to have four more baptisms by the end of the year. It's now a new rule to pray for our companions in every single prayer, and to pray "at every finding opportunity". He's come up with a mission motto for us and says he wants to find a mission hymn as well, so that throughout our lives when we hear it we can remember our missions.

Remember the Albanian lady who heard voices and told me I was fat? Well, her name was Alyria and apparently she talks to Sister White and Sister Curtis about me pretty much every time they see her. I guess she really liked me and said that I prayed "the right way", which is kind of confusing because I pray the exact same way that they do. They also told me they thought it was funny that Alyria has known them both for so long and gets both of their names wrong, she calls Sister White "Wyatt" and Sister Curtis "Courtis" even though she speaks great English, but every time she references me it's always, "Sister Riddle."

While in Tirana I went to a lesson at a member family's house. The woman showed us a picture of her, her husband and little boy in the May 2012 edition of the Liahona. I tried to find it online to paste it into this email, but online there are no pictures. It was a talk by Henry B. Eyring, though. 

Sister Curtis goes home to Missouri on Wednesday, and Sister Wilding is leaving too. I really liked them both.

 

Well, that's really all I have to say this week. I love you so much.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch/2014/10?lang=eng&vid=3810237340001

Love,

Sister Riddle