My first real P-day! Ah! Haha, I keep totally forgetting to bring my camera to send pictures home, so it'll have to wait until next week.
My companion is super awesome. His name is Elder Deakin, and he goes home in June. So basically he'll train me for two transfers and then he's out the door. He's extremely trunky, but he won't exactly admit it. I don't let it get to me. By "super awesome", I mean really nerdy, but in an awesome way. He loves playing Magic: The Gathering (which I know something about thanks to Matt Gibson and my Yu-Gi-Oh days) and Dungeons and Dragons. I think both activities will be consuming a good amount of today as soon as we're done grocery shopping (I know; I have my own list and everything. I'm such an adult!). He's really, really funny and witty, too with his geeky self.
My first area is the Shoultes Ward in the Marysville Stake. Our apartment is at the intersection of 47th and 84th in Marysville, WA. I found out that because they're forming new missions in WA that are taking geography from the south part of Seattle, they're going to take some of the southern areas of the Everett mission and give it to the Seattle mission - all current missionaries included - to make up the difference. Marysville will be staying in the Everett mission, and since the change takes place in July, there's a pretty good chance that I'll be staying in this mission. There will also be a change in mission presidents at that time.
Being only in my first week, I think I've already done just about everything shy of baptizing. I have already aided in giving a blessing, done crazy service in freezing rain, spoken in sacrament meeting, been forced to eat way more than I thought possible, and even invited someone to be baptized (he agreed, depending upon truthfulness).
Which brings me to our most serious investigator at the moment, Farlan Dubarry (cool name, huh?). Seth would love this guy! He's 87 and is a WWII veteran. His grandmother gave him a Book of Mormon over sixty years ago, and he still has it in great condition! His mother was inactive so he never got baptized, but he has always felt like the Church was his heritage. His Catholic wife died in December, so now he's taking the opportunity to learn more. We taught him the first lesson last Thursday, and the Spirit was super strong. He agreed to continue reading the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and attend church. He stayed all three hours! I'm so excited!
Funny story of the week:
We went to visit a member, Kathy, whose home had been attacked by an "acquaintance" of her son.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/
Check out the cool heart burned into the mattress!
We gave the aforementioned victim a blessing. The home smells profusely of cigarette smoke, and when we returned home, our suits, ties, socks, and backpacks and their contents all reeked of smoke. Even our underclothing had been affected! Elder Deakin proceeded to pull a Book of Mormon from his backpack to inspect it. Miraculously, it was odorless, to which he exclaimed, "The Book of Mormon is impervious to evil!"
That kind of humor is the kind he constantly employs. Such a character.
Anyway, the members here are awesome. They all seem to work really closely with the missionaries in sharing the gospel. I haven't gone tracting yet!
I'm having a lot of fun, but I feel like I could still work harder. There is always room for improvement.
Margo, I love you! Keep working hard to improve your musical skills and to earn good grades in school. It will be worth it.
Seth, I love you dos! There are so many interesting people here that I think you could sit and talk to all day. Keep working hard to recover and to do well in school. Again, it will all be worth it on graduation day. I'm praying for you daily. Keep striving to develop a relationship with Heavenly Father and you will receive blessings. You will recognize His hand in your life on a daily basis.
My companion is super awesome. His name is Elder Deakin, and he goes home in June. So basically he'll train me for two transfers and then he's out the door. He's extremely trunky, but he won't exactly admit it. I don't let it get to me. By "super awesome", I mean really nerdy, but in an awesome way. He loves playing Magic: The Gathering (which I know something about thanks to Matt Gibson and my Yu-Gi-Oh days) and Dungeons and Dragons. I think both activities will be consuming a good amount of today as soon as we're done grocery shopping (I know; I have my own list and everything. I'm such an adult!). He's really, really funny and witty, too with his geeky self.
My first area is the Shoultes Ward in the Marysville Stake. Our apartment is at the intersection of 47th and 84th in Marysville, WA. I found out that because they're forming new missions in WA that are taking geography from the south part of Seattle, they're going to take some of the southern areas of the Everett mission and give it to the Seattle mission - all current missionaries included - to make up the difference. Marysville will be staying in the Everett mission, and since the change takes place in July, there's a pretty good chance that I'll be staying in this mission. There will also be a change in mission presidents at that time.
Being only in my first week, I think I've already done just about everything shy of baptizing. I have already aided in giving a blessing, done crazy service in freezing rain, spoken in sacrament meeting, been forced to eat way more than I thought possible, and even invited someone to be baptized (he agreed, depending upon truthfulness).
Which brings me to our most serious investigator at the moment, Farlan Dubarry (cool name, huh?). Seth would love this guy! He's 87 and is a WWII veteran. His grandmother gave him a Book of Mormon over sixty years ago, and he still has it in great condition! His mother was inactive so he never got baptized, but he has always felt like the Church was his heritage. His Catholic wife died in December, so now he's taking the opportunity to learn more. We taught him the first lesson last Thursday, and the Spirit was super strong. He agreed to continue reading the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and attend church. He stayed all three hours! I'm so excited!
Funny story of the week:
We went to visit a member, Kathy, whose home had been attacked by an "acquaintance" of her son.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/
Check out the cool heart burned into the mattress!
We gave the aforementioned victim a blessing. The home smells profusely of cigarette smoke, and when we returned home, our suits, ties, socks, and backpacks and their contents all reeked of smoke. Even our underclothing had been affected! Elder Deakin proceeded to pull a Book of Mormon from his backpack to inspect it. Miraculously, it was odorless, to which he exclaimed, "The Book of Mormon is impervious to evil!"
That kind of humor is the kind he constantly employs. Such a character.
Anyway, the members here are awesome. They all seem to work really closely with the missionaries in sharing the gospel. I haven't gone tracting yet!
I'm having a lot of fun, but I feel like I could still work harder. There is always room for improvement.
Margo, I love you! Keep working hard to improve your musical skills and to earn good grades in school. It will be worth it.
Seth, I love you dos! There are so many interesting people here that I think you could sit and talk to all day. Keep working hard to recover and to do well in school. Again, it will all be worth it on graduation day. I'm praying for you daily. Keep striving to develop a relationship with Heavenly Father and you will receive blessings. You will recognize His hand in your life on a daily basis.
