Never Kiss A Missionary

wow January is zipping by!  how's everyone doing?

 

So I made a nice, long list of things I wanted to write about this week and then I (of course) left my planner in the car.  I know what all you returned missionaries are thinking.  "WHAT?!  what kind of missionary leaves her planner in the car?  A missionary without their planner is like a Jon Tingey without any hair."  I know.  It's hard for me.  But here's the thing:  It is POURING rain right now, and I didn't want to "dent the 'do" so I had to run for the library door.  And I got a little nerbis on the way in and so I grabbed my camera but not my memory card reader, and my wallet (totally unnecessary) but not my planner.  ouch.  and now I'm on the computer and there are people waiting to pounce on it as soon as I get off so I can't really leave.  Not to go get my planner and card reader...not even to go to the bathroom!  (which, by the way, with every passing moment becomes more and more urgent.)  Bummer.  Especially since I took a really sweet picture of downtown for y'all to see ... there's always next week.  haha.  sorry.

 

Alright let's see what I can remember.  Here's my favorite Hermana Gibson moment of the week:  We were driving to pick up the elders and somehow we got off quoting Princess Bride to each other.  Oh yeah, we were saying "never get into a battle of wits with a Sicillian, when DEATH is on the line!"  because she said something to me about something being on the line... haha anyways so then one quote led to another and she said, "with eyes like the sea after the storm..." and then it just got kinda quiet while we both pondered the full extent of that comment...and then she said, turning to look at me with both hands gripping the steering wheel...guilty narrowing of the eyes..."I'm going down a bad road Tingey!"  It took me a minute to realize that she was talking about a road in her thoughts, not the actual freeway...but when I did I just said, (with dramatic flair), "NO GIBSON!  COME BACK!" then, singing "The Spirit of God...." and that's as far as I got before both of us just burst out laughing and crying and wondering why there aren't more Wesley's in this world.  And more Gibsons as far as I'm concerned.  She's wonderful. 

 

Best Spiritual Experience of the Week:  We taught Manuel (the woman hater/changing before our very eyes man) at the church this week.  We were talking about the Plan of Salvation.  I've never seen someone so interested in our lessons.  He makes intense eye contact and asks some of the best questions I've ever heard.  This man is deep.  But he is so hungry for the knowledge that we have!  He opened up and told us how, after his wife left him, he was suicidal and feels like God won't forgive him for that.  He said he needs to learn more about repentance before he gets baptized on February 12.  Also, when we were committing him to be baptized that day (Feb. 12,) he said no way, because he hates that day, since it's the day he found out his wife had been cheating on him.  After a minute I told him I thought that would be the perfect day to be baptized then, and he just looked at me and then he said, "yeah, it's about time I stopped hating that day.  It has been five years.  And If I were baptized then, I would start remembering it as a GOOD day."  that's right, Manuel!  haha He also said (concerning suicide)  "Satan was cheating me becuase he was trying to get me to give him something - my life - that isn't mine to give!  God has loaned it to me."  is that deep or what? so he's progressing great.  We had a funny moment with him too, because sometimes he tends to get a little dramatic so he was saying how he has broken ALL of the commandments and how he's not a church person at all...blah blah blah... haha and so Hermana Gibson just looks at him with a dead straight face and says, "have you killed anyone?"  and he stops for a second, then said "no.  I haven't" and then we all burst out laughing.  Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny, I promise.

 

In fact, lately, everything seems funny to me.  Probably because I'm with Hermana Gibson, but the other missionaries around us are also a huge contributing factor.  For example, my beloved Elder Garner told us that we'd be speaking in sacrament meeting next week and we needed to choose a topic.  I chose Book of Mormon but Gibson told him to just choose for her because he had to go tell the branch president right then.  He came back and said, Okay hermana Gibson, so you'll be speaking on eternal marriage.  And he never even cracked a smile! hahahha gibson just spluttered out "are you freaking serious!?!" and then he laughed and we laughed and gibson got embarrassed for saying "freaking" as a missionary but it was just a really scary moment. haha.  Also, there is an elder here named Elder Majors (who I secretly want to line up with Jessica! )  But he always has chocolate kisses in his bag and so we finally figured that out and now every time we see him he gives us one.  You can imagine the jokes Gibson throws around that we probably shouldn't - "thanks for the kiss Majors... that was the best kiss I've ever had...where's my kiss?  ... can I have another one? ..." etc.  so this had been going on for a while and he was really the one behind it all and then on Friday when we were in the chapel for district meeting, Gibson and I were in the bathroom and he came and knocked on the door to give us our kisses.  I was still washing my hands so Gibson just yelled in to me "Tingey, Majors wants to give you and kiss!"  so I yelled back "Well tell him to come on in here and GIVE it to me then!" haha.  I thought that she was alone...but of course he was there...and he laughed harder than I've ever heard him laugh before! haha I don't think he expected that...haha and I came out of the bathroom a bit red in the face.  Moral of the story.  Never kiss a missionary. 

 

Speaking of getting kissed...I had a really awkward moment yesterday in sacrament meeting when I saw an old investigator man from Cloverleaf and he came right up to me and pulled me in and kissed me on the cheek!  Right in the sacrament room.  With Hermano Mendez standing by watching.  He came into our sunday school class to get the role and I just leaned over to Gibson and whispered, "He knows..." hahaahahah!  I hate the besos thing.  It gets so awkward when guys do it to unsuspecting, innocent sister missionaries.  I state again, NEVER kiss a missionary. 

 

Well the next big thing we're working on, aside from baptizing everyone in Jacinto City and Galena Park, is a musical fireside that Hna. Gibson and I have now been named "coordinating directors" over.  Hermana Gibson laughed when she heard that and then asked if we could change the title to "dictators in chief."  But I don't know where we're going to come up with people to sing in it.  Life is crazy!  Crazy!  I'm not kidding...the days go by so fast I feel like I'm watching a movie on fast forward.  But hopefully next week I'll have my planner and I'll remember some of the things that I'm sure I've forgotten to tell you this week. 

 

I love you all!  I'm sorry you can't be here with me!  Keep your lips off those missionaries in SLC! 

 

love love love

 

Becca