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So we've been having some incredibly intelligent ants in our apartment on the third floor that have found our garbage repeatedly and refuse to be dissuaded, no matter how much Clorox we use to clean the apartment. It's like as soon as we put food in the garbage, they find it and start eating it. They are smart. But it is unsanitary. So we've been cleaning up really well, and that means that they've been dying. Which makes me a little concerned that something a la Ant Bully is going to happen in some weird ant karma. Odd, but I prepare myself for every potential outcome.
Also, fun fact. Hairspray takes ink out of clothes like magic. Now you know.
I've been doing exercise every morning and actually playing sports! We go play at 6:15 with my whole zone and play until 7! This means we wake up at 5:50 to go play and then I only have 40 minutes to get ready, but it's still fun. I love it. It gets me out of bed, and guess what?! I'm actually somewhat decent at soccer! Basketball is another story though.
Yesterday I played two musical numbers, one in sacrament meeting, and one in a meeting called Why I Believe. I did a duet for the meeting with a sister who is going home in four weeks, and it was great! We did Where Can I Turn for Peace and I am a Child of God. It was fantastic.
People have been asking me for piano, math, and English lessons, so I've been keeping busy here. I have lots of opportunities to serve. If I learned anything this week, it's that good things come from service. We had so many miracles happen because of service lately, but I'll share my favorites because I don't have time to share them all.
Odd thing of the week: Apparently flocks of turkeys roam around California. I saw a flock of them yesterday at the temple. They were just hanging out, being weird turkeys and such. I didn't know they existed in the wilds of Oakland, but apparently they do.
Hands down, my favorite moment this week is by far that one of my less active members came to church on Sunday. She's the one that I've been tutoring in calculus lately, and when I told her that I was playing the piano on Sunday and wanted her to be there, she told me that she'd come because I helped her. I said,"Deal." The hard thing was that her grandma is really sick and can't be left alone, so we had to coordinate how she could come to church, but she had a good experience. I was so, so, so happy that she came and that the reason why she felt obligated to come was that I had helped her. She was able to feel the spirit and to have a good time--the meeting went over about 20 minutes, so she got to hear two talks and my song. We fasted that she would feel the spirit, and God really came through. I'm reading this story now and my words are incredibly inadequate to describe how I felt when she said she would and when she walked through the door. I just love her so much. We get along really well--we've got the same kind of personality so it works out.
Another great moment this week: We also have a couple investigators that live on the same street. Every time we've gone to see them recently, I've noticed the same door and felt like we needed to knock it. Maybe not right then, but that it was special. A few days ago, we went to visit one of these investigators and actually pulled up right outside of this house. We parked right in front of the door. I knew it was a sign because I hadn't told Sister Garcia anything about how I felt that we should knock on the door and the only available parking space on the street was in front of this house. There are no coincidences in the mission, either. So I told her that after we visited the investigator, we should go and knock the door and she said okay. We got out of the car and as we shut the doors, a woman came out of the house. I was so surprised that I just said something to the effect of "Well, Hi!" she said hi back and we started talking. She came off the porch and stood in the driveway and kept chatting with us. We told her we give people free DVDs about Jesus Christ and she said she'd like one. We asked her if she needed help with service and she said she needs her house painted soon. I'll go find out when she wants to do that and we'll serve her and paint her house! It'll be great!
The other really neat things that happened this week were that we went to see the family in the hospital again, and as we were signing in, I started chatting with the security guard. I asked him if he was leaving or just getting started and he laughed and said he had four hours ahead of him. We went up and waited for the family for a half hour, but they didn't show up. I told Sister Garcia that we needed to give the security guard a Book of Mormon and she said okay (she's very good about supporting me when I feel like we should do something). We went back down and signed out and I told him that since he has four hours ahead of him and visiting hours end in one, he could start reading the Book of Mormon. I gave him one and a card to go to the visitors' center and he was interested. He gave us his address and his phone number and told us that he'd love the missionaries to come by and teach him more about what we believe. So that was really amazing. I loved it.
The last thing that happened that I have time to share was an answer to prayer. I have a hard time asking God to make someone be somewhere or do something that I want them to do because I don't always know what His will is and I don't want to ask Him to infringe on someone else's agency because I know He won't. So when it comes to praying that someone will be home or at work where we can talk to them, it is hard for me to ask that they be there because I know that God can't make someone be there and it might not be His will.
But this week, I just asked that at least one out of three people of a family that we are teaching could be in their store and we could talk to them. I figured there was leeway with that, and if not, it'd work out okay anyways. We walked in, and the mom was sitting there trying to configure a receipt printer (person number one. Prayer already answered). We started helping her, and the two sons we wanted to see walked in (persons two and three. Prayer super answered.) The miracle is that one of them never comes in the store, and to have all three of them there at the same time and be able to fix an appointment to start teaching them was just super great! I learned that sometimes it's okay to ask for specific things because sometimes God wants the same things too. :)
That was my week. I had a lot more experiences but I don't have time to share them! Love you all! Thanks for your letters and your love! Also, the computer is being stupid and won't recognize my camera. One day. One day technology will work.
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