Week 15 : Exchanges, Vikings, and Birthdays

February 13, 2023

Week 15 : Exchanges, Vikings, and Birthdays

Howdy hey y'all! Sorry I didn't write last week. Totally ran out of time and then Gmail decided not to save my draft and I lost it all...oh well. It wasn't the most interesting week really. First item of business though: I'm leaving the SA 1st Ward Area and being transferred to the Castle Hills area with Elder Reynolds! I've heard some good things about the area, so I'm pretty stoked for it. Namely their gym...I've heard it's very nice. Oh yeah and it's my birthday! I guess that's an important event or something? I will tell you though, 19?...feels exactly the same as 18, so it's not very exciting really. I do have a cupcake with 19 candles in it for tonight though, don't worry. Anyways, I'll get on with my week.

Monday. Bees!!! So every Monday the Stake President and his wife have the 1st Ward missionaries over for dinner, and they have bees. They have several cows, a bunch of chickens, and I think 10 hives of bees. This last Monday he invited us to come a little earlier, suit up in bee suits and go check on the hives with him! Obviously I will attach pictures.

Tuesday was the first of the two exchanges we had this week. I headed to Pleasanton with Elder Scott, another Elder that came into the mission with me! Elder Scott is a fantastic missionary and a lot of fun. Also! I got to drive for the first time on my mission! The Pleasanton Elders have a brand new Nissan Frontier (a truck) and I was so stoked to drive it. Very comfy ride. Also got to drive it 75 mph in the pouring rain on the highway. Always a fun experience.

Wednesday we came back to my area and switched re-exchanged at the Food Bank and did some service there. That day we taught a couple lessons, one to a man who didn't have any chairs so we stood there and taught him the Restoration for 30 minutes. The other was to a bunch of little kids! Teaching little kids is so fun but would be so exhausting if we had to do it more often. Props to elementary school teachers for doing that every day. I could not and would not ever haha.

Thursday was basically weekly planning (where we discuss the needs of those we're teaching and what we could do for them that week amongst other things) and a few lessons. We had an awesome night with Julio at our bishops house for dinner! We shared a message after eating some absolutely grubby enchiladas and oh man. Julio is just a flippin' stud! Unfortunately, because I'm being transferred on Wednesday I'll be missing Mitchell AND Julio's baptisms. Very sad, but at least I'm leaving this area in good shape, and in good hands!

Friday was Zone Leader Exchanges! I stayed here for this exchange and served with Elder Hoyal. Most of the day was uneventful. All of our lessons canceled, but we found a person to teach! BUT THEN! at the very end of the day as we were about to head home, we did one more member stop-by to a man named Anthony. He's a less active member that I had never met before because, well, he doesn't come to church. And the main reason? Oh. Viking Practice. (?!) We both thought we had said "biking practice", but when we asked him about it, he opened his garage and started showing us his shields, axes, swords, and other viking paraphernalia. Needless to say, we were both surprised! Turns out he is part of a Viking club that does war reenactments and all kinds of shows. I didn't know that existed, but...yeah! It was a very unexpected but fun visit. Oh and yes of course, I took a picture.

Saturday was another one of those days that was sort of just...there. We did have a lesson with our friend Glenn and finally got him to church yesterday! He's been really busy for a while and hasn't been able to make it till this week. Fantastic man. He's just waiting for the right time to be baptized at this point. He's been taught everything and believes it, but is just waiting for a prompting that it's time. I really hope things work out eventually. I'm sad to be leaving him behind. Again though, he's in excellent hands with Elder Marshall.

Sunday was a pretty good day. They're alway kind of stressful as a missionary, but it was great. Elder Marshall and a member of the ward played a duet on the cello and piano and it was absolutely fantastic. Oh yeah! Elder Marshall is a cellist, by the way! Mans is talented. The only other interesting things about yesterday was having dinner at a member's house with our friend Mitchell eating vegan lasagna and getting transfer news! The lasagna was actually quite tasty but the transfer news was slightly bitter. Must be an acquired taste! I'm sure my palette will adjust to it over two years ;)

Now we're here! 19! We went shopping and I got milk, bread, and cheese for the incoming Elders so they don't starve. I know, I'm so generous haha! It's been a pretty fun day though. We've mostly just been hanging out and contacting home. Calling home is really a blessing as a missionary, as I'm sure my mom will agree! It's crazy how a year flies as you get older. Anyways, that's kind of all I got for this week, but here's the spiritual thought that I always forget to include heh

A verse I really like in the Book of Mormon is Helaman 5:12. It says, "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." I love this verse because it emphasizes the importance of having a sure foundation, and that the surest foundation we can have is on Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can withstand the spiritual storms we face in life. So I would like to invite y'all to ponder what you can do this week to strengthen your foundation in Christ. Make your foundation one that will stand the test of time, one that will never fall.

Thanks for reading my email! A bit longer email this week, so I appreciate all of you who took the time to read it! I hope y'all have a fantastic week and that your Valentine's Day tomorrow is as enjoyable as my birthday is important. Which is very! Very important!

Jokes aside, I love you all and wish you the best. God bless!