August 13, 2008

Ok T-bone out!????? That's cool though that you get to do prep class though. I wish I was on the right track and had been going to that. It's also pretty cool that you have the Priesthood. I use that power a ton out here. I've given I think at least 1 blessing a week here in beloit. I just gave a blessing sunday or monday to a little baby who has had two liver transplants, multiple hernia surgeries, a stop put in one of his arteries (I think that's what it's called), he has no immune system, and he's anemic, and he is going in for surgery on a hernia again. So they asked us to give him a blessing, and of course the chose the rookie. I think I'm almost out of rookie though. I've been out almost 3 months next week!! That's 1/8 of my mission. It goes by so fast, Missionary Time is like warp time. We are working with a couple of great investigators, and they might be ready for baptism here in 2-4 weeks. Possibly 3-5 of them!!!!!! Oh and more ghetto experiences for ya. So we were in Beloit in the hood, and this part was worse than the other parts we'd been in. Houses condemned, kids smoking weed on the corners, people roming the streets, and we are like the only white people ( I think I saw one other white lady). Anyway this guy in a red car hollers to us while we are out knocking on doors and he asks who we are. He says two white guys knocking on doors in the Hood thats a good way to get shot. We were like ok. But me and my comp started talking to him. This car blasting rap pulls up behind me and the guy's friend that I'm talking to goes over to the car that pulled up behind me. My comp says he saw them exchange money and a little white bage of white stuff (coke). Drug Deal!!! This little bags are called dime bags and they are everywhere, especially here on this street that we were on it's called Keeler St. or Keeler Ave.? This bags have little designs on them too, like playboy bunny, spades, dice, it's crazy. I'm in the hood. We set up some appointments here though, and got a lot of stares from people. I haven't decided whether or not to share this story with mom or not since I'm right here in it. You decide whether or not to tell her and then if you do tell her let me know what she says. Anyway you haven't told me what classes you're taking, or who your teachers are and school starts next week!!!!Oh also study that Preach my gospel. Have it highlighted up marked everything. You live by that book out here, and there is so much good advice in there. I wish I had studied it more. Anyway love you tons T-bone. keep it real and keep writing you hoser.

I just started to read your email and I read the part about talking to your leaders, and I don't think it's something I've told you but I had to stop and write you so I didn't forget. My companion is a District Leader!!! And so I think that makes it even harder for him to accept what I say, or for me to be able to talk to him, because I think he thinks that I'm just a "greeny" and have no idea what I'm talking about, and I think he thinks he's district leader and that's that. I don't think he likes hearing about obedience from a greeny.
Mom thanks for the Companionships bit. It's Genius. I got an email last wednesday back from president answering my question on music and tracting. I told him president had responded, as soon as we got in the car to leave from email. I told him we should stick to the things that we would listen to in sacrament meeting, the things we know for sure like Mormon Tabernacle Quoir until we could meet with president in a week. He was ticked, he said I'm not listening to that, we'll listen to nothing, then he drove like a crazy!!! The next day we had another companionship inventory and he got ticked at me, he said I was controlling planning, I told him that's because he just sits there and has a negative attitude and when I ask him what he wants to do or what he thinks of something he replies in a negative way or gives a pessimistic answer. We talked about a lot of the same stuff and then he blew up and swore at me and was going off. I just said ok, you plan the day lets just stop by people. I tried to help him and to compromise. It helped a little. We had exchanges on saturday with the Zone leaders. I had talked to them about some of the things and so that was their focus of the exchange. I talked to the Zone leader that I was with, and told him the things he did. He gave me some ideas on things that I could do, like planning with the spirit, and helping to strengthen my coompanions testimony. He was really down, negative, and quiet all sunday. We had successful day Monday and he was a lot happier. I was supprised maybe something happened over exchanges. Then that night he really suprised me, he came and got me to say comp prayer while I was working out. He actually beat me in getting ready for bed. Normally I go to bed and he sits downstairs playing sodoku or doing who knows what. I have no idea when he goes to bed. We had an amazing day tuesday too, we taught some great people. Some of them I think will be ready for baptism. We did service for this older widowed lady that we met tracting. Her sister is a member in California. We cleaned out her raingutters, and then she had me prune her trees and Elder Glauser finished the Gutters. It was awesome we did a ton. Afterwards her heart was completely softened. It was like Ammon and King Lamoni from the BoM. Then she said you've made a believer out of me. She couldn't believe we had come and did all that we did, and how nice we were. She tried to give us $50 each, and said, that she knew we'd put it to good use or into our church or someone who needed it. We tried to refuse. I tried to tell her Christ never accepting anything, and that this is what we did. I tried to tell her she could just pay it forward, and I explained what that was. We ended up excepting the money, and it was a good thing too because earlier that day one of investigators in the rough part of town said they were struggling with food, and they were going to shut off the lights. We thinking of how to work that. We've been trying to get a hold of the bishop. She also wanted to take us out to dinner. Again we said dinner would be enough. So we said we would go home and change and meet her at the restaurant that she wanted to go to. It was a little family restaurant, and she got all dressed up too! We talked with her a lot about the BoM and the Bible and things like that. We also talked about life, and people dying. We talked about our lives too. And then the cool thing happened, She asked us where she could get a copy of the BOM. We said oh we have them. She wanted to pay for that too. We set up an appointment when we could bring a copy by and teach her. She consented. (Again softening of the heart.) It was an awesome meeting, she is the sweetest little lady. She said she was going to go home and tell her sister about meeting with us. I'm excited. Her name is nancy.
Oh and on sunday we had to give talks in sacrament meeting. My comps was on the gospel of Jesus Christ and mine was on The conversion process and the role the spirit plays. These were assigned topics. My comp did good. I got up and started out delivering my message strong, but I knew when I was assigned the topic where it would go and what would happen to me on the stand. Sure enough I was bawling. It was a tough one, because basically the whole talk had personal relavance to me. I wasn't as nervous before as I was before my fairwell ( I guess that's what a mission does for ya.)Yeah, I cried a lot, but I looked out and I saw one of our investigators that had come to church, and she too was crying. The spirit had touched her. In my talk I shared part of a letter that I had gotten from Bill Murray. He had sent me a letter and then he had written his testimony in speech form, as if he was delivering it, six pages double spaced. I'm sending you a copy of it, even though I've had it for probably close to 3 weeks. I shared part of this and I cried a lot during parts of it. Wait till you read it. Each of our talks was supposed to be 15 min, but I looked up when I had ended and I had gone 25 min!! It went by so fast, despite the emotions. Afterward everyone thanked both of us for our talks. One lady said she really needed mine. I had a lot of people who wanted copies of Bills Testimony. We both did awesome, and that's what we needed. We saw it as an opportunity to show the ward that we were serious and to get them fired up and to get their support. The fact that the bishop gave us talks is a good sign. I wasn't expecting to be assigned to talk this soon, especially since I had bore my testimony on fast sunday (Cried there too!!) I felt good sunday. I love feeling the spirit, Sunday was Great.
So we have interviews with president tomorrow. The thing that's tough with your advice though, is that I want to make sure that I'm working hard all the time, and not wasting time either. I don't want any regrets. That's the thing he has to be willing to work. I get him to tract but he's not happy, and I think that hurts us. People can tell when you want to be there or not. He also says the same thing at every door. I mean we have had a lot of success lately, it's because of obedience, I wish he'd see that. We could have so much more success tracting though if he had a positive attitude about it, and a little faith!
Sorry enough about that. So that's cool that you talked to Brian and Stacy at Costco. That part of my life seems so foreign. I mean I've been out 3 months next week!! That's 1/8 of my mission. It goes by so fast, Missionary time is like Warp time. Read Alma 26, I love it. Glory in the Lord, for in him we truly can do all things. The lord has been so good to me, he blesses me daily, and answers my prayers. His hand is in the work throughout the world and here in Beloit. I will put my trust in the Lord forever!!!!
Love you tons Mom
Dude, that's so cool, you've almost got your eagle. Yeah, and if you keep up your running and physical fitness you really will see a difference. It's so good to hear you tell me about the olympics because it is all I can do to not watch it when we go over to a member's home or it is on somewhere. I really have to fight the temptation. I wish I could watch the olympics so bad. You guys should record some events for me, maybe some running, swimming, and soccer, so I don't feel like I missed everything. As for the weather, It's not even bad at all, and people say that august is the worst month. I think fall is just around the corner. Now when I wake up in the morning to run it's actually a little chilly. I'm scared!!!! So you're starting school again, man that went by fast. You'll love Thayne though. Tell him high for me, see what he says about me, cuz I was a little hellion then. I love you so much dude. I got your little wood chip out the other day and was looking at it. I love you tons bro. Keep working hard in school and soccer and have fun.