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| First Zone Training Meeting with Brother & Sister Cole |
Phew! The days are getting hotter here. I don't think I've ever sweat so much, including doing marching band in the heat. At least then I was in shorts and a t-shirt, and not to mention in Idaho. We had Zone Conference last week and it was great. Elder Cole, the vehicle coordinator, gave a training and showed us a news clip from Atlanta. It was about the 2 Sister Missionaries that got into a car accident and how one of them died on impact. We had just the day before been eating dinner with Brother and Sister Phillips, who work in the Atlanta Temple often tell us that the other Sister that had survived the crash had succumbed to her injuries. It was heartbreaking at Zone Conference how some didn't know that she had passed away as well.
Anyway, onto brighter things. We got two of our investigators to church! Vanessa and her boyfriend Kester. I did a double take when he said his name.. haha. They both came and their 5 and 3 old boys loved it too. Vanessa said "I might have to make this my church" and I was so pumped and excited that she had that desire. We teach them about twice a week and I have seen changes in them. They love having us over and are humble people.
We faced a few challenges this week. Two of our promising investigators dropped us because they didn't feel ready to live like Christ. We are still trying to get a hold of them, but to no avail. I was heartbroken and I had to pick myself up and move on. We had tracted into a 19-year old whose boyfriend is a member and she has expressed some interest in the church, as well as knowing AJ, our recent convert. We hope to bring AJ with us when he comes back from Utah to visit his girlfriend, who is a returned missionary, and the family. We also ran into a contact from my first day. We were walking in a government housing block when we met him and gave him a Bible and a Restoration pamphlet. So, we tracted into his home and he wants us to come by and talk to him about the church and scriptures as well.
Days are picking up now as we are getting into the full swing of summer. I am trying a few things to beat the heat such as drinking lots of water with Powerade and take cold showers before bed to help me sleep better. I will be glad to share that I can make breakfast for myself. I managed to make bacon and eggs this morning. The bacon was given to us by an elderly member couple whom we visit every other week and also struggle due to health and age (he is is 92, she is 88). I learn a few things here and there and hope to improve my 'cooking' skills. I am eating well, but mainly I feel like I am getting stronger. I haven't lost much weight but I do not go hungry. We got a car exchange....again. We are now in a brand new 2015 Toyota Corolla. The same car as our first in my first transfer and I like driving it.
There is quite a bit of slang down here. A lot of people say "fixin' to" which means "I want to..."
Another is one that some missionaries have for some particular reason... We see a lot of, shall I say, beater cars? It is common on those cars to put shiny expensive rims. We as missionaries call them G-sleds or Ghetto sleds haha. I honestly see close to a dozen everyday, especially since I am the designated driver in my companionship.
I need to contact the mission nurse about getting the second dose of Hep A. Hopefully she will let me get it now that there have been cases of it being reported in the States. We actually met a member who has Hep A. Go figure.
All is well here. I do sometimes butt heads with my companion. I feel he may be feeling a little 'trunky'. He seems to like telling me to do something instead of asking me nicely and politely. I try to do my own thing to avoid friction, but it doesn't make a difference much. If I haven't mentioned before, he has not ever trained before. Perhaps I will have a companion that best fits my personality and understands my needs and habits. He leaves in a couple weeks (July 5th). No one ever said I would get along with every companion.
I love you and hope you had a great birthday last week Mom. I love emailing you each week. Give everyone my love and that my mission is going great!
Elder A. Kestner
