Spitz and Cats

July 13, 2015

Well hello there!!

This week has been great! I think that is how I start out every email but that's okay because it's the truth. I suggest everyone serves a mission, that is all. Currently we don't have any investigators which is different than what I have experienced my whole mission, but it is fun. We go out tracting for like 6 hours everyday. Haha, just kidding, not EVERY day.  But a lot of them. It is fun to talk to the islanders because most of them are really, really relaxed and they invite you in just to get out of the sun or they are really, really not chill and relaxed and they count down until you get off their mile long drive way. It keeps it interesting. Plus Sister Perkinson and I get along really well so we make it fun and we can just talk for hours. Funny how you can still find things to talk about when you are together 24/7. She is a great missionary. This week we had zone conference. I don't know if you remember, but a while back we won the obedience test. Well we had it again and I am sad to say that I didn't win. I got out on "you have made your bed every day this past week." WHAT THE HECK!! SINCE WHEN IS THAT A RULE. I DON'T THINK THAT IS IN THE MISSIONARY HANDBOOK. I didn't argue because it was only brownies we were playing for and it was my cute mission presidents wife -Sister Bonham- but man oh man, was I a bit peeved. Also at zone conference we got this things we called TIWIS. (We nicknamed ours Spits because of our sunflower seed addiction.  I got Sister P hooked on the dill pickle seeds.)  Anyways, “Spits” is a car controller basically. If you go too fast or turn too fast or brake too hard it monitors and tracks everything. And you get green, yellow, or red every transfer and depending on that you can either drive or not.

Also, here is the funniest moment of the week. We had just finished service on the mainland and we were dropping off some of the other sisters when all the sudden we hear a cat crying. We are like what the heck?  We know WA loves their cats but... we have never heard this before. Where is it coming from? Then... the moment you have all been waiting for... we looked right above us and sure enough, I do not lie, the cat was stuck in the tree. At the tippy tippy top. It was straight out of the movies. So us little missionary sisters - not highly trained in this sort of ordeal - start panicking. "CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT."  That's what they do in the movies, so we are playing hot potato with the phone trying to figure out who is going to call.  Well the neighbors came out (probably from hearing all the commotion and squeals) and climbed up the tree to rescue the cat.  Sister Perkinson and I were standing on both sides of the tree like we were gonna save the day by either catching the cat or this 300 pound guy. Please thank Heavenly Father in your prayers tonight that neither of them fell.

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I mean it now more than ever. I love being able to share the restored gospel with all those that I come in contact with. I know that happiness does not come from temporal things. Happiness comes from WILLINGLY living the gospel and it is a change of heart from within. I know that the Heavenly Father has a specific plan for each of us - a plan to return to him in an everlasting state of glory.  Satan is working so hard on members, families, and missionaries right now and we need to strengthen our testimonies everyday to withstand the fiery darts of evil. The church is true folks.

I love you all!  Have a great week!!!

xoxox

sister rodda