"How soon can I get baptized?"

Dear Family,

So this week was AMAZING!!! And it was because of one event. The rest of the week could have gone terrible and the week would still have been AMAZING! Last Tuesday we meet with Naomi and Jason. I have told you about them before but let me catch you up. Naomi is less active, her parents are really strong members and asked if we would go visit her. So we started teaching her and her boyfriend Jason. They have been together for a really long time and they have a son, Josiah. We have been teaching them for over a month. Last week, Jason wasn’t at our appointment it was just Naomi, she said he wanted some alone time and was grumpy. Jason had mentioned before that he had some stuff that was bothering him and he felt needed to be cleared up. We were going to teach the Law of Chastity that night and tell them they needed to move out, but since Jason wasn’t there we taught Naomi about temples. Well Sister Hill felt inspired that instead of teaching Chastity we should teach repentance. So last Tuesday we taught repentance and Jason looked really anguished (interesting word choice I know but there is no other word for it). At the end he was pretty much crying and asked us what he needed to do to repent. And we told him he could be baptized and everything would be clean again. And then he said what every missionary loves to hear, “How soon can I get baptized?” Then Naomi turned to him and said well you realize that we are going to have to get married or move out? And he said okay. So we taught him a short Word of Wisdom, told him he needed to stop smoking for 2 weeks, so the earliest date would be December 16th. He said fine. So we set the date for December 16th (Darci’s Birthday!) We went back the next night and taught him the Word of Wisdom in depth and the Stop Smoking Workshop. Then we told him men are not supposed to have earrings. He gave no grief over it, he said that earrings and jewelry used to be the sign of a slave, and he said he didn’t want to be a slave to Satan anymore. I thought that was a great way to put it. On Sunday he came to church without his earrings. He asked if he had to cut his hair, we told him it wasn’t required, but I bet if we would have he would have come to church with a haircut. On Sunday he also told us that he hadn’t smoked all week, and it actually hadn’t been that hard, the hard part was giving up the coffee. It’s amazing how Jason has been prepared to receive and hear the Gospel. We have other investigators who we stress and work really hard with and they aren’t progressing or at least not very fast, but we have hardly stressed over Jason, it has all fallen into place. Even the members that we have picked to come with us have been perfect. It gives me a whole new perspective on being an instrument in God’s hands, we have done very little, it has just all come perfectly into place. There really are people out there who are ready to receive the Gospel, we just need to find them. And the best way to find them is through members. Last night, Brother Peterson called us and said “I have a girl I work with who would like to meet with you, can you come over to my house tonight and teach her?” And of course, Sister Hill and I were thrilled to do it. That is the best way for missionary work to be, members finding those who are looking for the Gospel and then inviting them into their home to be taught by the missionaries. Member’s homes are the best place to teach because the Spirit is already there. And members know so much better than the missionaries who is prepared to receive the Gospel. The girls name is Rachel and she is looking for a new church to go to, she used to go to a Baptist Church. She is super quiet and seems shy. If Brother Peterson hadn’t been involved I don’t think she would have had the courage to meet with us herself. Members are awesome!!!
Sorry I didn’t write last week, hope you got my letters. No I did not get transferred, transfers are actually next Wednesday. Sister Hill and I both feel like she will be transferred and I will stay here, although anything could happen. An Elder in our district actually got emergency transferred last Friday. There have been some issues with him already, he seems to have anger management issues and has blown up at other missionaries in public before. I witnessed one such scene and it was incredibly embarrassing. He also does not relate to men at all and is a real ladies man. He will not take any advice or instruction from other Elders, but when Sister Hill and I make comments he has no problem accepting it. He is actually an extremely disobedient missionary. And he is not happy, a prime example that wickedness never was happiness. Anyways so last week he called Sister Hill and I, and we thought it was missionary business (you aren’t supposed to call otherwise) but he just wanted to talk. He was having issues with his companion. Turned out he had left the apartment to make the call and one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Adamson, went to go find him (they live in the apartment below the Zone Leaders). And told him he needed to get off the phone and go back to his companion. So Sister Hill had just told him that usually problems in companionship are really you and so to “quit being an idiot and pray for humility.” He took that no problem, but then we found out, he got off the phone, stormed into the Zone Leaders apartment and started yelling because they told him he couldn’t talk to us without permission. He is a really big guy and he started choking Elder Adamson and slammed him against the wall. The end to this story is that he got transferred that very night to Charleston where President could meet with him and keep an eye on him. A lot of missionaries can’t believe he wasn’t sent home, but I think staying will be the best punishment and blessing. He isn’t happy, he has a girl waiting at home (she is pretty much the reason he is here), but he needs to learn to follow the rules and control his temper. Missions can really help you grow and change if you will let it and follow the rules. It’s kind of like life, life can be a rewarding and awesome experience where we can learn and return to live with God again, but that will only happen if we will let it and follow the commandments. And life will be much happier if we follow the commandments (Mosiah 2:41) We can always improve and do better, and as we do God will bless us even more. Key to happiness = obedience to the commandments.
So things are going fabulous with me. I haven’t really heard from you lately so I have no idea how you are going. (hint hint) :) Have you been snowboarding yet? We have gotten a little bit of snow here, but nothing ever sticks. And the people here are ridiculous about their snow. The other night it was snowing a medium snowfall and the wind was blowing and there was no traffic at all! And the Elders had their appointment cancel because they said they didn’t want them out in that blizzard! It wasn’t a blizzard it was a light snowfall with a breeze!! And school gets canceled here if there is any snow at all. It’s crazy! Anyways I love you all. Hope you have a fabulous week!

Love, Sister Polatis