When someone INSISTS on serving…

My visiting teaching companion is a sweet and wonderful woman. Two of her children – her daughter and her son – are going into the MTC next week on the same day. Both kids have been working hard to save for a mission, but unfortunately, at the end of the summer, her daughter was in a carwreck in the car of the folks she was nannying for, and had to pay for it. So she is a little short. She announced in relief society that she would clean houses for $8/hour, which of course is WAY too cheap.

I have never had anyone clean for me, but we just moved out of a 36′ motorhome and into a house. The motorhome needed to be supercleaned after having a family of 6 – 4 kids 6 and under – live in it for a year, because we want to sell it. So I asked the Sister-to-be if she would clean it, and she said yes.

Yesterday, both she and her mom came over and did an amazing job.I was really embarressed to have anyone see it, but I am also a lousy housecleaner. I helped, because I felt weird having them cleaning without me, but honestly, I didn’t do a lot; they were really going above and beyond. They were cleaning for four hours.And then the Sister-to-be stayed an extra 45 minutes after her mom went home at 9:30 to finish!

But when I went to pay them, they refused to take the money. They insisted it was their service project. They said, don’t deprive us of the blessings. (I said, hey, let me have some help-the-missionary blessings!) They said we had done enough because we had previously helped them out. ARGH! I love this family to death, but they are so sweet they are driving me bonkers! They still have three teens at home, along with the two missionaries (they have an older daughter, but she’s grown and moved out). If it was just a little something, I might just let it go, but it was NINE combined hours of serious hard work.

I’m trying to figure out what to do. I had a thought. The missionaries are having a farewell party tomorrow night. Do people bring gifts to that, on occasion? It’s been awhile since I have been to one of those. I’m thinking, if I give it to her as a gift, she HAS to take it. Right?

Any other suggestions?