Monday, November 17, 2014

New Comp and Flu Shots



Heyo my comp just came from the other side of the mission.  They didn’t know where they were going so they got off in another parking lot and where waiting for us there.  They didn’t have a cell phone so we couldn’t call them. We were waiting for 3 hours for them and finally we got a call from the president of the other branch saying that two elder had been identified by a less active taxi driver and carried to his house. He called us wondering if they belonged to us. haha     


This week we received our influenza vaccinations.  They told us that they were only giving them that day to senior citizens, so an elder and I went around the corner and he gave me a beard that he had in his backpack, and I walked in like an old fart and they got a good laugh and ended up giving us the shots.  ha  

We made lasagna and apple crisp!  oh hecks ya.  


This week we were hit by a cold front and we were all beanies and sweaters.  "It’s the best" (Nacho Liibre)   But I prefer the cold to the warm here in the mish by a ton. I think mom is of the same opinion =D   haha





Monday, November 3, 2014

Halloween


Ha that is hilarious about the demolition gang in the Sorensen home. I remember chatting with Scott Featherstone and he started saying something like "do you remember just before your house was demolished, a group of rowdy children showed up and shredded the insides. What lack of respect right?"   I was like "oh...ya terrible children......"   ha I’m not sure if he knew that I was leading out that attack with a metal bar that I had found.

I read The Giver twice and actually we were talking about it this week. I’m pretty excited to see that one. Why would people be against that book? It contains some dialogue on sex but not much.  It is about a kid that goes rebellious against a corrupt system and the norm, but in a sense that is everything we believe.  To do what is right over what is common. Alma did it. Noah did it; even and especially Christ. I really enjoyed that book, quick read. I remember talking about the ending with Gram Lois.  About whether he died with the baby or if he really found the village.   I really like those scriptures from D&C 88. 

We had a lesson last night with a guy from South Carolina. I met him a couple of weeks ago and when I told him that my parents had just been in Myrtle Beach he got excited.  In the lesson we talked about the same concept, that our progress completely depends on us, That the blessings and knowledge are waiting on us.  We watched two Mormon messages and the lesson was super strong. He looked me the eyes while we were leaving and said "thanks for coming."    



Do you (parents) think that we knew all about God, and science, and math and a lot of everything before this life and that we are merely re-learning it?  When will the veil fall away. Never? Little by little? After the millennium...?   

We also had a lesson with a youth that is part of an inactive family. He is 19 years old. HIs parents have been inactive for several years and in at the beginning of the year the grandfather got sick so the grandmother (who lives with them) had to stop going to church to take care of him. After that the grandchildren stopped going as well. The son mainly because he got bombarded with "Go on mission" propaganda (which can be very positive) and he just doesn’t have the foundation to make such a large decision so stopped going. I really like the quote that talked about the fact that great people own responsibility for their education.  We talked about how his relationship with God was completely personal and that his decision needed to be his. How children who are forced to play the piano often don’t work to hard at it unless there is some serious enforcement (tiger parents). But if we learn to enjoy or at least desire to learn or do something it brings to birth real progress.  We laughed and joked around with him but he understood the message, so it was a good time.  The mission has been really good for me for this reason. I have had to learn how to be completely responsible for myself; to earn my own testimony, to get myself up on time, and especially to learn just for the sake of learning. Parents often have to take the role of the bad guy with children to teach them the limits and to get them moving along, because if they don’t the children fall into bad things.  But if the child pushes himself, the parent can become a counselor rather than the "dictator" and there is more trust and the parents can become a source of knowledge - which is definitely more fun than the Enforcer.  Thanks for pushing me when I was young.  I am thinking that the aftermath of the mish will be a strong relationship between mis padres y yo. 

My comps are studs. The elder from Cali has a week left but he works super hard.  The other is new and cracks me up.   There must be lots of good people that have prayed for me because I have ended up with the best comps.   


Crazy part of the week - The apartment under ours has a small patio behind the house where two pit-bulls live. The apartment is under construction so the owners don’t live there, they just sometimes pass by. One night they passed by and both dogs jumped up to the window to see them, but as there was only space for one they started shoving to get the spot. They started fighting and we, at our desks planning, heard them at this point because one was whining.  We ran to the window and watch as they went completely crazy. The larger one latched its jaw on the slightly smaller one and whipped it around. I'll spare you the details. The owner finally poked it in the face with a broom stick and he released.  The put a chain on its neck and the other escaped, but was pretty torn up.  We had made brownies but we were all nauseous and couldn’t eat.  The owners are slightly insane and annoying.  Yesterday the dog was outside and barking, annoying so we grabbed a fire cracker that a kid had given us and chucked it down there.   haha  it scared him so bad that flew under a table and hasn’t come out since.  


Chalk Trio


So we had transfers. My comp is going to be a secretary at the Mission Office - which is awesome because he is going to send me several new name tags and a blanket and other things I need and some letters that I have waiting for me in the offices. ha 

My comp just killed a mosquito on my leg, which splattered the teaspoon of blood it had taken from me on my tan pants. He looked at me after with a mix of shock guilt and humor.  ha nice. =)  

Our area was combined with the area that is the other part of the ward; so now I am in a trio with the elder from Cali that is heading out in two weeks and his trainee. Party on!  Ha - we are good buds because we have been with them all the time. The last comp that I had leave from the mish was last August.  In two weeks five of my comps take off.  ha all studs except for one that was actually a bit difficult. He was the one that I was only with for two weeks.



So we got thinking creative and planned out and activity where we were going to chalk out the plan of salvation in the pavement of the center plaza here in the city and then show it to the people. We had to go and get permission from the county reps here so we went to the building and found the office. We kind of had doubts that we would get it because several member told us that we wouldn’t.  The woman in charge asked me where I was from. I told her a southern state of Mexico named Oaxaca. She said o wow I thought you were gringo. Ha - we kept chatting and then I said he I was just kidding I am actually from Utah.  Her eyes opened wide and exclaimed "no seriously, I have a cousin there."  She was super excited and we talked about it. We ended up getting permission not only to do it in the plaza but to do it in the Pavilion in the center which had flat tile to draw on.  Ha when the members asked how we got it, my comp pointed at me and said    " El hizó la barba"   which means that I flirted to get it.  ha   It actually turned out pretty great. We invited people up and taught them. We went back in the night which had a different feel because there were just a bunch of teenagers hanging out, skating, break dancing, and for the most part just making out.  We were thinking about just going around and giving out  a bunch of chastity pamphlets and talking about eternal marriage.   Cali Elder (my new comp)  busted out a bunch of moves on one of the skate boards of the skater kids which drew some good attention.   We also bought some friggin delicious ice cream. 



Has Owen’s voice started to change? I grew 3 inches in the summer between 7th and 8th grade and 2 inches that fall.  The kid will be a giant.  Remember when Mr. Lindsay put me on my own "Island" for talking to Anna smith and the Pike bros. haha  Ya he was too stressed and overweight.  Actually I am pretty sure he died from a heart attack several years ago. Lesson to learn.