Wow what a week! It went by so fast!!!!!!! Yes I have all I need to stay warm- I have a big heavy, winter coat that I got from our house in Olean, NY and it works really well! The zipper did break recently so that was a bummer but it still worksll! Elder Klima nicknamed the car when he was here in McKeesport a year ago. It is called "My lady in white." Hahaha I do keep serving with companions that are almost finished with their mission. Half of my companions are already home. I won't see them anymore- they're gone forever!!!!! It's too bad! Yea we had a little bit of a rough time teaching people last week. It was really strange but we overcame it and this week our teaching was great!!! Yes Brother "P" is an awesome guy. We love him a lot. He just wants to serve and help people in the Branch. Yea we get fed pretty well by members in the Branch- they are awesome about feeding us. The "M" family feeds us every Tuesday. They are both in wheelchairs and both have a few health problems. Sister "M" has Cerebral Palsy and Brother "M" has had many problems after his mission. He got in a very bad car accident and broke his skull. The doctors had to make him a new skull. He's had a few strokes as well as tumors in his brain. He even had his brain removed from his head and then it was replaced.!!!!!!!! So as you can see they have had a lot of crazy things happen to them but they are such neat and positive people. They are at church every Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, our numbers have grown and now we get about 40-50 people at church and it's great!!!!!!! Remember the less active sisters? Sister "Y" has come every Sunday since she started coming again. Sister "W" also continues to come! It's great to see them there. I wish I could go sit by them but in church they've needed a Branch Chorister so now I'm taking on that position. I feel like I actually have a church calling- it's weird hahaha!!!!!!! I love it though. I've really come to understand that I need to let my talents shine instead of keeping them hidden or being too shy to share them. I need to use my talents because that's what makes me, ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also can help bless those I serve as well as myself.
Really? C'mon Dad. You think I get nervous when I talk in front of a bunch of people... Do you even know me!?! Hahaha jk No I love talking in front of people. It's so much fun. I don't know if others like it or enjoy it but I do! Wow Austin, you really are getting out there and doing some fun things with your friends- that's great!!!!!! Hey Austi- it's not that big of a deal if you mess up on the sacrament prayer. I remember in Washington one of the kids had to say the prayer 3-4 times. I remember thinking it must not be that big of a deal. That's why Bishop is there- to make sure you say it correctly. Don't worry, you're fine! You'll get used to it and see. One thing that boggles my mind is that you get to ask a girl on a date. What!?!? That's crazy!?! I can't believe you can do that now. It's so weird. When I get home we will have to go on double dates!!!! Hahaha!!! Or maybe I'll just be a third wheel lol!!!!!!!! Yes mom I got the package and it was great. I did need some shorts so it was much appreciated!!! Uggh mom I'm so upset you get to go dance. I miss dancing. I bet you, Dad, Papaw and Nana will all have one fun time!!!! I would also love to go and dance with you! Remember, last year when we went to Navuoo and before the show there was the pioneer dancing? You wanted so badly to go and dance and at first I was kinda nervous but then finally I said ok and we danced! I remember that like it was yesterday- all the people dancing and you and me dancing around the floor. It was such a small moment but we really bonded. We had that mother-son time and it was great! Then Austin and Dad went to get a snow cone but Dad started yelling at the people hahaha Dad I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know right now you guys are going to start talking about that! Hahahahaha I know you all too well!!!!!!! Don't worry dad we've had father-son times. Remember when we were little kids and you would throw the football to us outside the house in Washington? Granted you did that with all of us but that meant a lot to me!!!!!! You both are such amazing parents and I'm so glad that I chose you before this life. I don't think anyone else wanted me so you were like, "Alright, we'll just take this one." Hahahaha!!!!!!! Jk I'm so glad for the family that we all have- Aunt Cami, Uncle Darin, Uncle Scott, Aunt Amy we have the best family ever and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not only that but it keeps growing. Tyler and Hannah- jeez that's gonna be so weird!!!!!! I'm going to come home and everyone will know her already and I'll be like who is this??? Hahahaha Yes mom I do need to get a picture of me in my suit. Maybe I can still score with the ladies even if I'm not there! Hahahaha jk!!!!!!!!!
Well without further ado, let me tell you about this week. It started off with a bang. We got to go on exchanges with the ZL's (Zone Leaders) and I got to go to Pittsburgh for a full day!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was sooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!! Pittsburgh was sooo cool- we had such amazing lessons!!!!! We taught a foreign exchange student from Belgium who was going to school at Pitt. She had just joined an orchestra in Dubai. How awesome is that????? She is an amazing flute player!!! She said she'll would come to church on Sunday!!!! So that was exciting! Then we got to go to the campus and street contact for 2 hours. That was a lot of fun but no one wanted to talk to us. We probably saw thousands of people and said hi to all of them but some people didn't even say hi or even look at us. There was one time we said hi to a guy right next to us; he looked at us then looked straight at the ground. He didn't say anything. It was crazy!?!?! But I still loved it! In today's culture it seems like a hello comes off as threatening. It's crazy!?! In the 2 hours we were there we only handed out 3 Books of Mormon. I didn't get discouraged because I thought about how everyone has their agency and I just gotta keep using mine! I enjoyed going on exchanges a lot because it helped me to be able to get back on track on how to use the Spirit when having to think on your feet. That's what made this week amazing!!!!!!! I felt like I really let the Spirit teach the lessons and guide my thoughts instead of me and it was much more powerful. So the lesson we had with Sister "Y" (the less active) was great. We asked her if she had any questions and she had a question about the Word of Wisdom. She asked if we still believed it (half serious and half laughing). We said yes. She asked if she had coffee or wine if would she be sinning. I was about to say, "Yeah don't pick up another glass!!!!" But I hesitated and didn't say anything (that was the Spirit) because what happened next was incredible. Elder Clarkson, our Senior missionary, said, "No you aren't." In my mind I was like what are you talking about yes she is. He said it's advice that is given to us to help our bodies. He told her it was her choice whether she wanted to put that substance into her body or not. Then, after he said that she said, " When I was younger, people judged me because I did those things and that's why I left the church." I reflected back to my initial thoughts. If I would have said she was sinning, all of our work would've been for nothing. Then Elder Clarkson told her that after she started studying with the Elders and wanted to come closer unto Christ then hopefully she would have a change of heart and want to give up those past habits. That was exactly what she needed to hear. Hopefully as she increases her testimony she will want to obey the Word of Wisdom. The lesson we had with her was awesome!!! Then we asked how "D," her 13 year old son, liked church last Sunday. She said, " I wanted to tell you when he wasn't here." I was like aaaaagghhh noooo!!!! What happened? I was thinking.... did he not like the service, the people? Did someone say something that offended him? Then she said this and it made my week!!!!!! " 'D' actually woke me up on Sunday to go to church." Before we met them they were going to another church and she asked "D" which church he wanted to go to? That 13 year old boy said he wanted to "try the Mormon church." But wait! It gets better!!!!! "D" also said he loved church and he wanted to go next week and stay all 3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!! I was soooo happy to hear that!!!!!!!!
As if the week couldn't have gotten any better, we had an amazing lesson with "JJ" and "L," his friend who is now an investigator. We teach them every Saturday. We would see them more but "L's" girlfriend is anti Mormon. When we met him the first time he was dirty because his girlfriend had thrown mud on him so that he wouldn't meet with us. He met with us anyway. :) These guys are amazing!!!!!! We taught them the 1st half of the plan of salvation and we read /talked about the pre- mortal life. We also read Alma chapter 34:32 where it says that this is a time to meet God. It just seemed to make so much sense to "L." Everytime we teach him I feel like he really is coming closer to Christ and is understanding more! In fact, he came to church yesterday and he even invited a stranger He and "JJ" met Saturday night. They are so neat and such amazing investigators. This is why going on a mission is so great- because I get to have these experiences!!!!!!! I'm so grateful for this Gospel and for the area in which I have the opportunity to be a tool for the Lord. I am happy for HIm to use me in his vineyard!!!!! I love the quote from Dale G. Renlund from conference (President Johnson uses it) : " Something wonderful happens in a missionary’s service when he or she realizes that the calling is not about him or her; rather, it is about the Lord, His work, and Heavenly Father’s children." I love that quote. I need to learn to forget myself and let the Lord take over!!!! I love you all. Have a good week. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elder Cahoon the Baboon
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