Ripped Slacks

Hey Y'all!

Hard week this week, but totally worth the difficulties. All of my mission will be, and I'm not just saying that. Thank you's to Mom, Dad, Erin, Nat L., Matt W. for emails.

Yesterday ripped my first pair of slacks. It was pretty traumatic :). It was late as Elder S. and I came into our apartment complex, and because the entrance has a few mini strings of potholes there, I fell over as I made a left turn. The pants probably won't recover from the experience, and the scrapes I got from the fall on my leg hurt a bit, but I was able to treat the bleeding and I'll be alright.  The battle scars were well earned, I think.

Another highlight from the week was when we met Grace, a rough, tough Jesus fan with a contagious, positive personality. That day (Thursday) we were looking for directions when we passed by his house. At first he said something to the effect of "Nope. Move along," as if he thought we were going to talk to him. He was right. After I hollered over to him to ask for directions, we discussed streets and eventually started talking about Christ. This guy is awesome. I love how he hasn't let his past depress him, even though it was troubled and dangerous. He invited us to go eat tacos with him on Saturday too. I couldn't wait for the tacos and talking with him, but we had a misunderstanding with the time we were supposed to meet him, but we'll get another opportunity to talk with him.

Earlier last week I had my first exchange. A missionary exchange means two companionship swap a missionary with each other, and spend a day like this. I swapped places with Elder Braathen, one of our zone leaders, and I got to spend a day with Elder Hendricks. Boy, exchanges take a lot out of you because of the rapid change, but I loved talking and learning from Elder H. He's from Bountiful, Utah. He was in student council, he sang in choirs, preformed in musicals, and I could relate with him in other areas as well. Plus, he had a real power to maintain positive energy about everything that happened. I accompanied him during a lesson with Patricia, a kind chatterbox. Because Randolph ( Elder H's and Elder B's area) is so large, we drove in a car, and we visited several people in short amounts of time. Pretty awesome.

Questions from home:
How are you doing?
Pretty good. Stressed, but good.
Last week was difficult. On Thursday we met a bunch of people on the streets in between visits who were willing to talk to us.

What is the most encouraging thing that happened this week- maybe with the Dillard family?
We went out to dinner with a member named Adam, and just before we left the apartment to wait for him to pick us up, we discovered his non-member friend was going to come with him. Raul, his friend, was really nice to talk with and every part of his countenance showed me that he was prepared. We hope to teach him again today. Please pray for him, and for his family, who we have yet to meet but I have a feeling they could use the prayers. We all could.
Plus, that meal was at Whataburger, which easily surpasses In-'n-out Burger. I was not disappointed.

Also, Sis. Johnson, an older lady, has changed for the better as we meet with her. During our last lesson with her, we tried to show her a Restoration Video that was about 20 minutes long. Her DVD player wasn't plugged in properly, so I had the chance to work with wires to tackle the problem. I managed to fix it well enough that we could watch the video. Also the couple that helps us fellowship her and comes to lessons regularly, the Watkins, have been instrumental in this teaching process. Without members help, missionaries might as well try to run Apple ourselves. It would probably be easier.

How has the Spirit helped you this week?

The Spirit has helped me to know that I am a person of value, and that my effort in serving the Lord only adds to that value. And the Atonement means more to me every week as a result of the atonement.

Questions from Matt W.:

So how was your first day in the mission field?

It went pretty relaxed. Got to know Elder Scroggs, we visited a few people in the afternoon, and I was introduced to frequent stopping during a bike trip. Those stops caused me to trip. A lot. Sure, I felt stressed, but the biking did help to relieve the stress.

Compared to then, do you feel like you know what you're doing? Do you feel comfortable leading lessons or anything?

Comparatively, yes. I'm growing little by little. I don't lead every lesson or every conversation, but when I do, I know the spirit is there.

How much Spanish have you used? Have you learned any new Spanish? From your emails it seems like you don't encounter anybody who doesn't speak English.

What's the most embarrassing thing you've done so far?

During lessons with spanish investigators is when I have used the most Spanish. I've learned that the Mexican people here in Texas are very relaxed and aren't anxious about correcting there own grammar. Or yours. I can't think of anything too embarrassing right now, but speaking to natives is nothing but awkwardness and embarrassment. It's only there if you look for it.

How many emails (like average) do you get per week? Obviously i'd guess from me and your parents, but how many of your friends write you? Ward members? Any family?

About 15ish. Some are from MTC friends, others are mission related stuff, and the rest are from family and a few friends. Every email is appreciated.