May 6th

Last week Sister Walker had an idea. As a way to help remind President how badly we need a car, we decided if one of the new Sister Training Leaders wanted to go on an exchange with us (which we haven't had one before 'cause we teach in Khmer so it's not like they'd be able to understand or participate) we would have the person they're with, walk. No matter who has the car, we'll switch to show them how hard it is to walk from a less-active's to another every other week. As it was, two days later we get a call from the STLs saying they wanted to do an exchange with us! Sister McQuivey and I had the car that week and the other sisters had an appointment, so we made that as an excuse to give them the car. I had a hard time warming up to the idea since President's already looked for ways to get us a car and he promised us a car this transfer, but after waiting patiently, it still hadn't come. So we thought if anything, going on an exchange would hopefully speed up the process.

The day of exchanges came and I had my planner full of people to visit and backup options in case any of them fell through, all organized according to proximity, as usual. While McQuivey went to Highland Hills, I stayed with Sister Clayson who's my twin. Her trainer told us we were the same, but we found out that not only do we have the same dark curly hair, height and frame size, but we're both quiet and I found I could relate to her really well.

After a member dinner we tracted a governmental housing community where there's a large ethnic diversity and where some less-actives live close together. Afterwards came the real test as we walked to one less-active's house and they didn't answer. That's pretty normal, and we had another one on the other side of the community that wasn't too far away. She was not home. Fortunately we have our reliable, 80 year-old less-active Son Him who is always home, so we walked several blocks away to see him. For the very first time in the history of modern Cambodian Sisters serving in the WA-TAC, Son Him was not home. Sister Clayson said this always happens on exchanges, but this was ridiculous. There was another Cambodian two blocks down I decided to visit. Her son answered and said she was already at work and he was about to leave, so we walked up the street. I wracked my brain for any more Cambodians in the nearest vicinity, and I caught one at home that spoke only Cambodian, but she said she didn't have any time. The next day wasn't any better; every single person I had lined up, either didn't answer, or wasn't home. Later I retraced where we went and totaled almost 100 blocks that we walked in the proximity of 6 hours we were out walking during the exchange (it ended a little early though because they had some baptisms to attend) and not once did we have a sit-down lesson. I apologized to her for that, but she said she gained a new respect for the work that we do.

Later that day, after we'd traded back Sister McQuivey and I didn't know where to tract, so I drove (the luxury!) to a random street, and the first door we knocked on we found a guy that had started the lessons and had been reading the Book of Mormons with the elders in that area when he was randomly dropped. Those elders have since been transferred, so we gave him the number of the current elders as well as texted them ourselves that this guy was wanting them back.

Another miracle happened later as we got into our car when McQuivey spotted a Cambodian whose roommate we'd tracted into awhile ago and said he had a Cambodian roommate. We hadn't yet gone back to check again, but here he was - the Cambodian roommate! He also knows two of our less-actives, so we were excited to get a hold of him.

We also had an investigator come to church, again! And after a long time of wondering what to do, we acted as if Brenda had already said yes to baptism by asking what she would want for her baptism which led to planning, and then the date! So Brenda's on date! :D

Love you!

-Sister Dunster