July 19th 2017~First Quarter Of My Mission Comes To A Close! Wow!!! Am I going to stay or go???
Hello my dear and amazing family!! Another P-Day is upon us and I'm so excited to be able to email you all today! I have been so incredibly grateful for technology and that we can send such nice emails and pictures back and forth! It has been a huge blessing that we are all grateful for!
I am so excited to say this but transfer calls are coming up this Saturday! I can't believe that it's here already! I may have lots of exciting changes coming up! I just wish that I could tell you what happened on Saturday night sooner that next Wednesday. I could be in a completely different area this time next week! It's pretty exciting! I am secretly hoping that I get to serve in Manhattan for my next area but really any area would be AWESOME! So on Saturday night at about 9:00, President Smith and the Assistants will call all of the Zone Leaders to give us the news that we have all been waiting for! It is pretty sad to think that I may be done serving here in the amazing Bronx! The cool thing about that is now I can say that I have lived in the Bronx! It is also pretty cool to think that I could serve in an area with a car! I could be cruising around in a brand new Chevy, Nissan, or Toyota Corolla here in just a few days. It will all be so exciting and I can't wait to tell you all about it! I feel bad that you can't find out until after it all happens. It will be a fun and interesting time to see if I stay or go and where I go!
I just realized that I may have to say goodbye to all of our amazing friends and investigators this week. There may be lots of changes coming up and I wish that I could let you know what happens on Saturday night. I have the addresses and phone numbers of some of my really good friends like Matt and Dalton. They said that when I get home, they want me to call them and meet you all! It's just crazy to think that all of this is going to happen before I get to email you again. It will be so interesting to see how everything plays out!
Today for P-day, I'm so excited to say that we are doing something really fun! Since it may be my last P-Day here in good old Olmstead, the other Elders in the apartment let me decided what we did. I told them that I couldn't do that to them and so we all decided together that we would either go golfing at City Island again but this time we would go actual golfing and not just driving or, the Zone Leaders said that they are going bowling and so we could come as well! It is going to be awesome! We also thought it would be fun to go to the Botanical Gardens! So we are just emailing right now and then we are going to show up in between 9:00-10:00 to get in free and then look around for a little while and then either go bowling or golfing! We are going to play it by ear and "See what the day brings!" It will be an awesome day!
Last P-Day was great! We woke up, and I enjoyed every single word of your email and loved looking through all of your pictures and watching your video! We woke up, got ready for the day and then headed down to put our laundry in the washers. Elder Knudsen woke up feeling just about as bad as he did the day before and was not up for doing much. So we went downstairs and did everyone's laundry since he stayed in bed and Elder Jackman had to stay with him. So we got all of our laundry done and folded and then we decided that Elder Jackman and I would go grocery shopping for everyone while Elder Dick and Elder Knudsen stayed at the apartment. So Elder Jackman and I headed for Aldi's and had a list of everything that they wanted for the week. It was a successful shopping trip and we enjoyed getting to know each other more! Then after we got back grocery shopping, Elder Knudsen wasn't feeling well at all and he developed and itch in his left eye. So he called the doctor for missionaries and he said that it was probably pink eye and so he proscribed him over the phone some eye drops that would help him. He has been recovering very slowly and so it was frustrating to him that he couldn't work. Luckily, he got so much better on Saturday morning So then after we put away all of our groceries, we decided what we should do since we called and the Botanical Gardens said that free day was only for those that showed up between 9:00-10:00. So we thought and thought about what we should do for the rest of the day. I had so much fun emailing you and then Elder Dick was looking at a map and noticed that there was a big green golf course on City Island. Then he looked on Google maps and saw that there was a phone number to call! So we headed to City Island and it was so pretty! I Love The view that we have of Manhattan and Brooklyn! So we headed into the the golf course and there was hardly anyone there. The driving golf range is surprisingly cheap. For us to both hit 35 golf balls and rent the drivers, it only cost us $16.00 combined. Lots of fun for only $8.00! I got the hang of it pretty quick and enjoyed seeing how far I could hit it. My furthest ball went 175 yards!.....not 300 like Elder Dick said in the video. So we had a lot of fun and once we ran out, we headed back to the apartment since it was 4:30. So we got back to the apartment and changed back into our shirts and ties and then I sent off 1 more email and then we headed over to Dalton's! He is always so nice to have us over! So I made the cheesecake and it turned out really good!! It was very delish! We even had some leftover for a snack on Thursday! Dalton made us some really good Jamacain beef patties and a lemonade sangria. It was all really good and Dalton loved the cheesecake so we left him a slice for after work on Thursday. It was a really fun evening and we had a great lesson with Dalton! We talked to him about the Temple since he is preparing to go sometime in September. We read over some paragraphs of what the Temple is and what they are used for in the Temple book. We had an awesome dinner and lesson with Dalton and then it was time to head back to the apartment for the night after an awesome P-Day!
Thursday was another awesome day! We woke up and the weather was a little cloudy and we actually got notifications that said "flash flood warning for the Bronx". But luckily the whole time that we were outside, it only rained a tiny bit. So we woke up and Elder Knudsen was feeling lots better which was great! We were all hoping that nobody else got sick. We had an awesome conference call from President Smith and we enjoyed hearing from him so much! He talked about all of the miracles that the missionaries sent in last P-Day. It was so great and we enjoyed listening to President Smith so much! So after the Conference Call, we started our weekly planning! I couldn't believe that it could have been my 2nd to last weekly planning session in this area. We planned a ton of lessons and lookups! We based our planning around our focus investigator, Kay! We are really trying to get her on baptismal date and trying to get her to come to church! So after our weekly planning, we went to Co-Op City to go to a lesson with a new Bible referral named Hannah Heheshie. So we made the trip to Co-op City which took us a while because the bus didn't come for over 45 minutes. So we got to her apartment and she wasn't home. We weren't sure why she wasn't home since she had just told us that we were good to go. So we called her and then she didn't answer. But we were still so happy because the weather was so pretty and it cleared up a lot. The weather here like you said has been so nice! It is very hot and humid though but I love to see the trees and pretty flowers. Then we knocked on a few doors but the timing just wasn't the greatest because it was right during the day and so we didn't have many answered doors. I was thinking about you all day and hoping that you were having a ton of fun with the Dunns! So after we got back to the apartment, we had dinner and then finished our weekly planning. It all went really well and then we had a split! We have had this split scheduled for a few days now and luckily Elder Knudsen was feeling well enough to go out and work. So I went into Elder Knudsen and Elder Jackman's area with Elder Knudsen and Elder Jackman came into our area with Elder Dick! So Elder Knudsen and I headed over to an area near the Church and it was really awesome to be in a different area and learn from someone who has been on their mission for over a year now! So we knocked on lots of doors and even went to a bible referral who wanted a Bible in the Bangladesh language! Can you believe that?!?! We didn't have one (surprise, surprise! ) and so we told him that we would order one and they could drop it off in a few days. Then, after we knocked on tons of doors, we went to the church to pick up mail! So we got mail and then I could tell that Elder Knudsen was not feeling well at all and so after we picked up mail, we came back to the apartment for the night. It was about 8:30 and so it wasn't too early but he just wasn't feeling well at all and was feeling weak so he had something small to eat. It was an awesome and productive day!
Friday was great! We had an awesome miracle happen andI can't wait to tell you about it! We woke up and we were still on our split and so I got to study and plan in Elder Knudsen and Elder Jackman's room. When we woke up it was raining quite a bit and so we checked the weather and it told us that it was going to rain all day. So Elder Knudsen and I got ready for the day and then did our studies. Then afterwards, we realized that it was Presdent Smith's birthday! We were thinking about him all day. Then, after we did our studies, we headed out and braved the rain and did tons of lookups around some project buildings down near Hunts Point. So here is the cool story! We did lots of lookups and the people that were home weren't very interested in learning more or meeting with missionaries. So we just testified that we know our message is true and that it can and will bless their lives. Then, we went to a guys door who ordered a Bible about 3 years ago and the missionaries dropped it off but Elder Knudsen wanted to see if he was interested in learning more. His door was plastered with lots of bumper stickers. So I knocked on his door and he didn't answer. Then Elder Knudsen felt like he should put a card on his door. We have these cards with pictures on the front and then on the back you can go onto mormon.org and order a Bible, Book of Mormon, or a faith in Christ DVD. Since he already had a Bible, we felt like we should put a free Faith in Christ DVD card on his door. Well, we didn't think much of it and then after that we headed back to the apartment to unsplit, have dinner, and contact some of our investigators. Well, we got back to the apartment and I noticed that I had an email. I looked at it and it was a Referral for a guy who wanted a free dvd! And guess who it was? That same guy that we put the card on his door! He had seen our card, logged onto mormon.org, and ordered a free DVD and said that he wanted to meet with missionaries again! So Elder Knudsen and Elder Jackman are going to go visit him soon. It was a really cool experience to know that even by putting a simple card on someone's door can lead to some cool experiences. So after we ate dinner, we had 3 back to back lessons with Brother Tsakpoe, Sister Tobias, and Kay! We knew that it was going to be a great night! Our first lesson was with Brother Tsakpoe so we went over to his apartment and talked to him about his family and how they were doing. To give you some more background on Brother Tsakpoe, his wife and daughter are members but neither of them have come to church in a few years. Sister Tsakpoe is actually holds a leadership position in a different church and his daughter, Rasheal, has been struggling with severe depression and doesn't leave the house or speak to her parents. It is such a sad situation because they are all very nice people but we feel like they are going 3 different ways in the opposite direction. Brother Tsakpoe always tells us that his lifelong dream is to go through the Temple with his wife and daughter. He is such a great guy and we had an awesome discussion with him about the Temple and the blessings that come from attending the Temple. Then we had another lesson way up at the top of our area with Sister Tobias. She has been working on a Gospel Doctrine lesson and we went over to go help her with it. She has only been a member for about 10 years and so she still has a hard time understanding some of the doctrine since she is from Jamacia. She is a really nice lady and we enjoy going over to her apartment very much. Her son, Ashonie was home but didn't want to say hi to us at all. He is also a member but is struggling with talking to people. She told us that he had some bad experiences with the church and got offended so he hasn't come to church in a few years as well. We really like Ashonie and We always try to make him feel welcome. But he just didn't want to talk at that specific time. So we helped her with the lesson that she gave on Sunday and it went really well! Then, we realized that it was too late for our lesson with Kay. It would have taken us a long time to get there and it was already 7:45. So we texted Kay and she said that she was actually busy and so she could meet with us. We were glad that we could spend time with sister Tobias though. So we got on a train and headed back to the apartment for the evening after a great day!
Saturday was awesome! Let me start by saying that it was a crazy, eventful, and great day all rolled into one! The weather was so pretty and pleasant to be out in and the sky was as blue as it gets! It was a really awesome day and we were really busy as well! We did something really fun and it was just an all around great day. So, I hope I can remember everything that happened and I can describe everything well. A while ago we scheduled a service project through New York Cares to do something really cool! We signed up to help sort and unpack supplies and medicine and so much more! It was through a service called World Vision and what they do is provide free materials to teachers and those less fortunate who live in the Bronx. It is a really cool service that has helped lots of people. So we woke up, exercised, planned for our day, and then we headed out the door to go to our service project! We are supposed to do some kind of service every once in a while and it is pretty hard to find stuff to do so we heard that we can log onto New York Cares and sign up for available service projects there. It has been really great and a cool way to find service opportunities! So we took a train down the road a ways and then headed into a big warehouse for our service. They did a quick orientation and then we got to work! It only lasted about an hour and a half and then we headed back to the apartment for a quick lunch. So for service, we helped unpack all of these products that would go on the shelves for people to pick out. When stores like Walmart and Costco get pallets of damaged items that can't be sold on their shelves since they have a defect, they send it to World Vision and then they give it away for free! So we unpacked lots of products like Nyquil, baby diapers, Metamucil fiber, and lots of pallets of returned items from Costco. It was crazy to me that they had this huge pallet of perfectly good merchandise that had just been opened, returned, and then shipped to World Vision to give to these people that need it. So we sorted out the products and organized the shelves and then headed back to the apartment. It was an awesome opportunity to serve! We met lots of cool people as well! There was one guy who was from Zimbabwe Africa and so we talked with him for a little bit while we unpacked the crates. Then we had lots of cardboard and so the director of the project asked Elder Dick and I, who were the youngest there, to operate the trash compressor and compact all of the cardboard. It was such an awesome experience to be able to help out! We had a great time helping and talking with lots of people from all over the world! We had a quick lunch and then we had a really cool guy that wanted a Bible and Book of Mormon so we went to go deliver it to him. We hadn't ever met with him and so we were anxious to get to know him better. His name is Noel Agbemenu. We weren't sure which country that name came from and so we really wanted to get to know him better. So we had a quick bite to eat and then we headed over to Co-Op City and called him and he said that he would meet us outside in the lobby of his apartment building. We got off the bus and the weather was just perfect! There was a nice cool breeze and it was so pleasant to be out in! We saw a young guy waiting and we instantly knew it was him. He was so nice and friendly and we thought that he was about in his mid 20s. Well come to find out, he is only 17 years old. So we talked with him and learned a lot about him. He is from Ghana Africa and he just moved here a few weeks ago. We seemed so mature and knowledgeable for only 17 years old. We talked to him and gave him a Bible and Book of Mormon and he was very appreciative. We talked with him for about an hour and he told us all about his life and some cool stories of Africa and when he was in school. He told us that his parents are not big fans of learning from missionaries because they had a really bad experience with the Jehovah's Witnesses missionaries. Noel wasn't sure if they would even be ok with him meeting with us just to give him a Bible and Book of Mormon. We had an awesome talk with him and then we taught him the Restoration and the spirit was definitely there and we knew that he felt it. We talked about baptism and we need to be baptized by the Priesthood authority and then he asked us if people can be baptized twice. We answered him by saying that by the proper Priesthood authority, we can be baptized and that is the correct way to be baptized. He was very pleased with our lesson and enjoyed it very much because he hadn't ever heard of anything like it. It was very amazing to him and it was so cool to see his faith grow just in that hour that we had to talk with him! We scheduled another time to come back and then we said goodbye to him and then we hurried over to our next appointment! When Elder Dick and Elder Jackman we on a split, they went to the Lopez family home and met a new member of their family that lives there. His name is Sean and he is the Grandson of Madeline. So they scheduled another time to come back and Saturday evening was the time that they scheduled. So we walked over to his apartment and knocked on their door....and....nobody was home. We called him and then nobody answered so we decided we had time to grab a quick dinner/snack at McDonald's that was right where we were. Dad, your email last week REALLY helped me deal with cancelled appointments. It was very comforting to know that it is pretty common for appointments to fall through. So we had a small and quick dinner at McDonald's and then we walked to our next appointment with our good new friend and investigator, Angelo Hernandez! But on our way to his apartment, we heard someone yell: "Hey!" We turned around and across the street was another one of our good friends that we met on my Birthday, Steve Smith! I think I told you about him but he is the perfect image of what someone from New York would sound and look like. He has that classic New York and Bronx accent t hst is fun to listen to. I think it is so funny that his name is Steve Smith because of the Steve Smith that graduation from the University of Utah and played for the Ravens. He just likes to talk to us and doesn't want to learn much about our church. He especially likes talking with me because of all my football talk. He always brings up football and I can't help but talk to him about football! He is a really awesome guy! I know that you will think it is cool that his name is Steve Smith! He was talking about the Jets Super Bowl drought and he couldn't remember who the starting quarterback was who guaranteed their Super Bowl victory and he also couldn't remember which Super Bowl and what year that the Jets won. So of course, I told him that it was in 1969 in Super Bowl 3 and Joe Namath was the starting quarterback! He was really impressed because I was so young and obviously wasn't around then. We always try to tie the Gospel into every person that we come into contact with but he just talks and talks and it is impossible to get in a word with him. So we just listen and answer all of his football questions and talk with him for just a little while and then get back to work. He is an awesome guy and I will definitely keep into contact with him in the future! So after that, we continued our walk down the road to Angelo's apartment and he wasn't home either. We were so sad that we couldn't teach him because we were really hoping to invite him and set a Baptisimal date with him! So now, we had to figure out what to do but it was getting pretty late and so we didn't have much time. Then, the rest of our night was pretty crazy but we survived! Hehe! So we sat down on a bench to look at our area book to find some investigators to go and visit really quick but then a man walked up to us that we had seen before. He has a really interesting story. His name is Reverend Rich and he is a interesting guy to say the least. He looks like he is right out of a 70s Christian band and dresses like it is the 70s. He has some pretty crazy ideas and thoughts about our church and what we believe because he told us that he went online and read lots of false teachings about the church. So we talked with him for a few minutes and then since our lessons fell through, we thought we could go and visit Kay. So we took a bus back near our apartment and what a a crazy bus ride that was! It was all so crazy!! So we only waited a few minutes for it but when it pulled up, it was so jam packed with people that there wasn't any room at all. Some people ended up getting off and so Elder Dick and I squeezed on since another bus wouldn't be coming for another 10-15 minutes. It was one of the most packed and crowded busses I have ever been on. Then, at the next stop, there were tons of people that had just gotten done going to the beach on City Island. They all crowded and pushed their way into the bus. It was a really crazy experience! Then it got crazier. But I had no idea what was going on. So, these 4 ladies got on and just started yelling in Spanish as they got on the bus. Elder Dick knew that they were from somewhere in South America since he served in Danburry with lots of Brazilians and people from South America. So these 4 ladies get on and start yelling and causing a big scene. They kept switching from Spanish to English and then back again. I thought it was pretty odd but I knew that they were saying something in Spanish that they didn't want anyone else to hear. But then I got thinking, most people speak Spanish as well as English. Since Elder Dick spoke Portuguese, he understood Spanish as well since they are similar. So I knew that he was understanding what they were saying. Well, we get off the bus and he told me that they were talking about us in Spanish. Elder Dick said that she was making fun of us and saying some pretty nasty things about us and the Church. But she kept saying that it was so funny because we couldn't understand what she was saying. Little did she know that Elder Dick understood every word she said. He told me that she said "These 2 Mormons are ruining this bus ride for me." and "These guys don't even know that we are talking about them right now." I was pretty glad that I didn't understand Spanish! Hehe! It was just an all around crazy experience. Then, we had an awesome experience! We got off the bus and saw a couple in their 50s from Albania that are always so nice and friendly! His wife hardly speaks any English at all and so he does most of the talking. He commented on our unruly the bus was and how nobody had any respect. He told us that his wife kept getting pushed. We had a nice chat with them and then went to go see if Kay was home but she wasn't so we gave her a call and she said that she was walking back from the grocery store on Hun Hill Road so she wouldn't be back until after 9:00. Buy this time, it was 8:55 so we just walked around the corner to our apartment right on time. It was an awesome day that was jam packed! We had an awesome time with our service project and the weather made it even better!
Sunday was another awesome day! I always love going to Church and getting to know the ward members better! The weather when we woke up was so nice and pretty! Late in the evening on Saturday, Brother Ampah called us and asked Elder Dick and I to speak in Sacrament Meeting but just as backups in case the speakers didn't show up. We said that we would be glad to and that we would each be prepared to give one! He was very appreciative and thanks us very much! So we got ready for the day and then headed to the Church! Elder Dick woke up and he wasn't feeling the best but he said that he was fine to go to church and he would see how he felt afterwards. He was very shaky and had a slight fever. So, the 4 of us went to church and it was a hot, but beautiful day! We walked into church and there was hardly anyone there and we didn't have any teachers. We knew that Sister Tobias was prepared to teach the Gospel Doctrines class and then she showed up about 5 minutes after 11:00 and so she was just in time. Elder Davis and Elder Stevens took control and taught an awesome lesson about fasting! Then, just before sacrament meeting, Brother Ampah told us that one of the speakers wasn't there and so he needed one of us to speak and then he asked us which topics we were speaking on. I was going to speak on Obedience and Elder Dick chose to talk on tithing and Brother Ampah chose his topic so Elder Dick got to speak again. I think he spoke less than a month ago which is crazy! So he gave an awesome talk and everyone enjoyed it! Then, a member that is in our ward that we had never seen before, asked us if we could give her daughter a blessing. She told us that she was in the hospital recovering and then she gave us the information of where she was. So we hopped on a train and headed to the hospital that is so convenient to get to. It is right down the street from our apartment! So we got to the hospital and checked in and then the receptionist told us which room she was in. Then we got to her room and nobody was in there so we asked the nurses that were there and they said that she got released about an hour and a half ago. We weren't sure where she went and we didn't know the Sister that told us to come give her daughter a blessing and so there wasn't any way to get a hold of them. So we headed back to the apartment to have some dinner and then we got a call from the Sister Missionaries and told us that the member was Sister Booth. We totally forgot to ask her for her name and so we were really glad that we got in touch with her. So the Sister Missionaries told us that she lives just down the street from us and so we finished eating and then headed down the street to give her daughter a blessing. So we got to the lobby and something crazy happened! There was a crowd of people in the lobby waiting for an elevator. There were a total of 3 elevators and 1 of them had a sign that said that the elevator was out of service and then the other one was working and then the 3rd one was stuck on floor 4. Then a lady told us that people were in that elevator that was stuck and they called the fire department. Then a few seconds later, about 5 FDNY fire fighters walked in and went up the working elevator so they could get to the one that was stuck. It was pretty fun and cool to watch! So then we headed up to the 23rd floor to visit Sister Booth and her daughter! Sister Booth hasn't been to Church the whole time I have been here and so it was very nice to get to know them better! They actually live in Elder Knudsen and Elder Jackman's area and they had never visited with her. So it was great to get to know them! Sister Booth has been a member for a few years now but her daughter isn't a member. Sister Booth is from Jamacia and became a member after she moved to New York. Then we got to give her daughter, Raquel, a blessing since she has been going through some health challenges. She had just gotten released from the hospital and she had some problems with her blood and had to have some tests done and now she is taking antibiotics. So we gave her a blessing and she appreciated it very much and had tears in her eyes. By that time, it was time to head back to the apartment for the night after an awesome day! I was so excited for your email on Tuesday night! I couldn't wait! Your emails are always so awesome and motivating and they give me such a boost! I was thinking about you the whole week and hoping that you were having a fun time with the Dunns! I got on the drive on Friday and saw all of your amazing pictures that you took! It was so much fun to see you all and knowing that you were having a great and fun time!
Monday was another great day! We had our weekly district meeting and it went really well! So we woke up, excercied, got ready for the day and then headed out the door to set up for District Meeting and have Leadership Meeting! I couldn't believe how fast time was going either. I felt like we just had District Meeting and now we were having it again! We had an awesome Leadership Meeting about bringing investigators to Church and helping them see the importance of Church attendance and how they can feel the spirit. We applied it to our own investigators and it really helped us with some ideas to get some investigators to Church. Then, Elder Dick did an amazing job with District Meeting as usual and we talked about how all of our investigators are doing and what their next step is to work toward baptism. It was fun to talk about Noel and Kay and what they need to progress. Then after District Meeting, I started to feel pretty homesick. I have been missing you all so much and I just want you to know that I am always thinking about you and what you are doing. Like you said Dad: You wouldn't trade this experience for the world and you are so right! It has been so hard to be away from you all and the fun stuff that has been going on. I miss you every single day and I pray for you always. I will get homesick at random times just whenever I start to miss you and home. I am trying my best to become the missionary that I know and you want me to become. I want to be there to support you all and be a part of everything that goes on big or small. I love you all so much and I can definitely feel so much love and so many prayers. You are truly the best family ever and I am so grateful for every single one of the many incredible memories that we have made and the examples you are to me! I am so thankful to have grown up in such a loving home and being able to grow up in the Gospel. Being here in the Bronx has really opened my eyes as to how lucky we are to live where we do and go to Church with such an amazing ward and neighbors. Being here has just really made me realize how fortunate and lucky we are to have a loving family, a nice backyard to run around in, a beautiful home and not a small apartment, and a beautiful valley with all of the convenient stores that we do. I have really enjoyed it here but I have really seen even more how fortunate we are because before I left, I already knew how lucky and fortunate we are, but I realize it even more now. You are all the best and I love you tons and tons! You are always here for me and your love and prayers have helped me so much! I appreciate every single thing that you do for me and all of your thoughtful emails, pictures, videos, and well wishes! You make me feel so close to home with everything that you send! It gives me such a boost of motivation and encouragement! I appreciate you all! So after District Meeting, we came home and did pur personal and companionship study. But after District Meeting, Elder Davis and Elder Stevens organized a split for Elder Jackman and Elder Knudsen. So Elder Stevens came with Elder Jackman and stayed the night at our apartment and Elder Knudsen went into their area until the next day. It was another beautiful and not day with lots of hustle and bustle of a big city. I always love the different cultures that are represented, especially here in the Bronx! There are so many different nationalities of people and it has been a lot of fun to get to know them! I mean, I have talked with people from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Cambia, Jamacia, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Albania, Nigeria, Domican Republic, Norway and so many more! The list goes on and on. It has been awesome! It is definitely a melting pot of people from all over. I can't remember who it was that said I was going to a foreign mission because they were so right! So after District Meeting, Elder Dick was not feeling well and couldn't stand very well and he had a really painful sore throat. I felt so bad for him that he got whatever Elder Knudsen just got over with. So we headed back to the apartment and did our personal and companionship study. Elder Dick just wasn't himself and really felt sick and so we called the doctor and told us that he would call President and Sister Smith to let them know that he needed to take it easy for the rest of the day. It is always hard to not be out working especially if you are the one that feels fine. I read some scriptures out of the Book of Mormon and cleaned the apartment while Elder Dick got some much needed rest. We may be on the Lord's errand, but that doesn't mean that we don't get sick sometimes. I really felt helpless because there was nothing I could do. He then decided that he wanted to go to Rite-Aid just down the street to get him some flu/cold relief medicine. Then we had something really funny happen. We got the medicine that he thought would help the most and then as we were waiting in line, a completely drunk guy walks into the store and hobbles toward the fridges with all of the alcohol in it. Then he grabs what he wants and then cuts every single person in line. He was about to fall over and was saying some pretty funny stuff. The people behind him were NOT happy at all that he had cut them. He kept saying: "It's ok, I just got back from the military." I guess that means if you are in the military, you can just automatically cut in lines at grocery stores! Then, after he bought his drinks, he turned to everyone in line and said that he was going to pay for everyone's groceries since he cut them and they were upset. Everyone refused just because they were in a hurry and they didn't want to deal with him anymore. So he stumbled out of the store and away he went. It was pretty funny and we all had a good laugh! Then, we came back to the apartment for dinner and then Elder Dick got some more rest. I called our investigators to see how they were doing and I had a really good chat with Dalton and then Elder Dick woke up and we tried to set up an appointment with Kay since he was feeling well enough to go out. Kay said that her and her family were going through a tough time today and so she couldn't meet but we recorded and sent her a video to wish her well and let her know that we were thinking about her. It was a great evening and I couldn't wait for your email! I was looking forward to it so much! I love it when Tuesdays roll around and I get to hear from you all!
Tuesday was another AWESOME day! I could NOT believe that I hit my 6 month mark! It has been so amazing to look back and see and remember what I have experienced so far! Thank you SO much for thinking of me and sending me an awesome 6 month email! It was a ton of fun to get emails throughout the day! It was so much fun to wake up and see that! I appreciated it so much! So we woke up, excercied, got ready for the day, and then headed out the door to go see Banjo and Michelle. They told us to come back during the morning but we don't have their phone numbers to call them and see if they were home so we just had to show up and hope that they were home. Unfortunately, they weren't home and so we knocked on lots of doors but not very many people answered. Then Elder Dick started to feel pretty sick and hot so we headed back to the apartment and did our companionship and language study. He drank lots of water and felt a little better. Then, Elder Stevens and Elder Jackman headed to the Church to unsplit. It was really awesome to have Elder Stevens in our apartment for the night. He is a great missionary and I always learn so much from him. Then after we did the rest of our studies, we had an appointment with our good friend and investigator, Angelo. He is hooked up to oxygen 24/7 and so his mobility is very limited but he is always in such a good mood and always gives us a smile! He is about 80 years old but looks pretty healthy! So we headed over for our lesson with Angelo and it went so well! He is such a nice man and we got to know him so much better because he told us everything about him. He really loves the Yankees and has 4 kids. He has been divorced 2 times and so it has been really hard on him. The spirit was so strong during the lesson and we loved teaching him! Then here comes the best part! He accepted an invitation to be....BAPTIZED! He is really interested and really just wants a solid religion and wants to be a better person. So we talked about the Book of Mormon and how we can apply it to our own lives and get more out of it. It was a great and productive lesson with him! Then after our awesome lesson, we headed back to the apartment for dinner and Elder Dick was feeling much, much better! I just really hope that nobody else gets it because he is on the mend. Elder Dick has been such a great companion and I have learned a ton from him! I still feel like I am always learning something new and trying to improve my missionary work. He has been a great example to me and I'm sad that my time with him may be done here in a few days. Then after dinner, we went to Co-Op City to see if Kojo was home and he wasn't so we headed to our scheduled lesson with our awesome friend Kay! We always love teaching her so much! So we went to her apartment and she didn't answer so we called her and she didn't answer. We still haven't been able to get a hold of her and so we aren't sure why she wasn't home for our lesson. We still had an awesome day and enjoyed being outside so much! I have to tell you something really awesome and cool! We were on our way to go and see Angelo and we saw a man with a Bronx hat on and a Yankee shirt and so I complimented him on it and said "Go Yankees!" He said thanks and I noticed that he had a British accent but it sounded different. So I asked him where he was from and he said Norway! How cool is that?!? He said that he is visiting New York for about 3 months and then he is going back to Norway! Then we got talking and he is actually a member! Even more of a coincidence! It was so cool to run into him especially since he was a member! It was a great day and I couldn't wait to get back to the apartment to read your amazing email! I was so excited for today to roll around!
It was so much fun to email you all today and read your email and see your pictures! I just want you to know how much I love and appreciate you and all that you do! I miss you all very much but your emails are always so great and make me feel so close to home. It is just so crazy to me that I'm already 1/4th of the way there! I just got thinking the other day about the next General Conference and it is the 31st of September and 1st of October! So that it coming right up! I always think of Dad when you said that you hit these milestones and next thing you know, you are at your 2nd conference and then things really start going by fast. Thank you all again so much for your awesome email and pictures! I hope you have another fun and safe week! I am always thinking about you and wondering what you are doing! Just know that I am trying my best and working hard! I have been so blessed and your prayers and love mean so much! LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH EVERYONE!! ♥️
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