Monday, November 14, 2016
Well.
I'm sorry to inform you that I have taken a vacation from my mission. I'm in a nice beach town called Leamington. The weather is warm, the apartment is very nice, there are tons of Mexicans (and Pupusas right by our place), and we have a car. HAHA!!!!
So I'm still a missionary and we are still working super hard, but I'll be honest, I feel like President sent me out here to give me a vacation. Training and having a sick companion and being a District Leader for 6 weeks and busing around (except when I'm chauffeuring the Zone Leaders) in the cold and busy town of Toronto really does wear you out. So President generously sent me to Leamington. And I LOVE it out here. It's both and English and Spanish area. There are tons of Mexican immigrants who come up here to work on the farms. It's funny to see them walking around all bundled up because they think it's freezing here. Whereas I'm wearing short sleeves and not feeling a thing. My new companion is awesome too. He lived most of his life in Price, but his family recently moved to St. George. He's a firecracker and we're pretty crazy all the time. He's a hard worker though and we're getting a lot of good things done.
I'm happy you're going to start working part time, Mom. That's great. Would you be able to tell me how much I have on my card. When I try to check my account online, I can't because it wants an authorization code that I need to get from my home email or through the phone at home. Which stinks. I'll definitely be more careful on my money though. I had to dip into my card with my last companion because he didn’t have any money (because he bought a bunch of medication and I’m pretty sure he never got it refunded by the mission) and I should have asked the mission for more money instead of using my own, but I was too dumb and stressed by everything going on. Law of Consecration I guess. Sacrifice brings blessings. Or homelessness. ;) I can't really think of too much else for Christmas. Ties, cuff links, missionary stuff.
So last Monday, we said goodbye to one of my other favorite families. The Lugos (and Kimmy too). And we were all very sad. I truly miss all my family back in Toronto. I hope to be back soon!! Toronto Trunky!!
Tuesday was a lot of driving. We all woke up super early to drive to Brampton, where I said goodbye to the dying missionaries, got my new comp, and then we drove about 4 hours to get to Leamington. We stopped in London on the way there to eat Smokes (of course, don't tell Dad) for Elder Olsen's first time. But the drive was very long. Since we've been here in Leamington, we've done a TON. We've stopped by many less-active members (many who had no desire to come to church and one who talked for a long time about how everyone manipulates everyone else and there's no way to avoid it, it's just life). One less active member, Brother Bailey, is a huge hot-wheels car collector. I'll have to get a picture because he has walls covered in Hot Wheels Cars. He's a super funny guy, used to be a bouncer (where he once fought a Leprechaun), and has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He just doesn't feel welcome at church because he's very different and supposedly there's a lot of judgemental people in our Branch.
The Branch supposedly has about 40 people come out every Sunday and everyone says they're like a super close-knit family, but on the other hand, every says that basically all the members have been offended by other members and the Branch doesn't like activities at all and that no one likes to be social. So we'll have a lot of fun with that. One of the leading families in the Branch is the Saunderson family. They are an older couple (not super old, like late 50s) and he's from England and used to be a Bishop, Branch President, and Ward Mission Leader. We had dinner with them last week and they're stellar and help us out with the missionary work a lot.
Last Sunday we had Stake Conference and afterwards we had a Potluck where I was able to meet some more members of the Branch. They all seem super nice and I'm excited to see the work here progress.
Our Stake President here is powerful. His talk during Stake Conference was intense and he made a lot of very powerful statements. One thing he said that I really liked, and I'm paraphrasing here is that "If you are not willing to clean the feet of your enemy, you are not worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God." We've had a lot of run-ins, here in Leamington, with people that want to debate with us. It always very frustrating but in the end, we just have to love the people and hope the best for them. They are just confused sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and they need some more light in their lives. I feel like I'm going to have to teach a lot of Forgive and Forget in this Branch because people aren't realizing that when we leave the church or get angry because we took offense to what someone else said or did; all we are doing is hurting ourselves or impeding our own Salvation. So, Forgive and Forget. If you're holding any grudges, let them go. It's not worth it. I love you all and hope you're having a wonderful week!!
--
Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Things are bout to get nuts over here.
So we got transfer calls last night. And I am going to be going to a little town called Leamington. It's the most Souther Part of Ontario and it's basically a hick town (agricultural stuff). My new companion's name is Elder Kaden Olsen. He's an English missionary and I've never met him before. So the area is an English Area (with an English Branch), but there's a lot of Spanish people there. So I'll have some fun. I'm super excited though. Elder Valliere, my trainee, is going to Mississauga (my last area) and I super pumped for him.
I'm sorry you got sick this week, Mom. Most all of the missionaries here have been sick too. The coughing is endless. It's funny because we all really like the cold, so we always sleep with the windows open and blow the AC in the car (although it's already quite cold outside), and that problems doesn't help our colds at all. Still we do it. Missionaries are a strange folk.
I'm glad to hear about all the fun Halloween stuff, driers, music, Ice Skating (not sure how that rink is going to work??), and DI.
So apart from sending a companion home, this last week was quite fun. We worked a lot with our Blind Mexican Member. We went thrift shopping with him and bought him a white shirt and tie for Sunday. He looked SO Fly yesterday. He's one of my favorite people in the world. I'm going to miss him.
Last Friday, we had a fun Zone Council, where the Zone (aka Another Elder and I) made breakfast for everyone. It turned out really well and the meeting was great.
Yesterday (Sunday), we were blessed to have a lot of our less active members come to church. We were able to get one of them a temple recommend and family names to take to the Missionary Sponsored Temple Trip this Saturday. It was SO sweet to get everything set up for that trip. I just wish I could go. :'(
Later that night, we met with one of my favorite Spanish Families, the Sifuentes; and another member families. The food was incredible and because I figured I was going to be leaving, I shared with them John 15:12-14, which reads "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." I couldn't even get throught the scripture without bursting into tears. I later told them that they were my friends and they were one of my families in Toronto. Many tears were shed. I'm struggling right now just typing this. I then bore my testimony to them and then Hermana Sifuentes (probably my favorite mom in Toronto), gave the closing prayers. And the waterfalls came out. It was quite the bittersweet goodbye. I pray I'll come back here. But I know that that scripture I shared with them is true. "Greater love hath no man than...laying down his life for his friends." People are incredible. The church is incredible. You form much stronger bonds with others as the Spirit is involved. I love all of my family here in Toronto. I'm sad to be leaving them. But that's life, eh?? I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
I'll send the rest of the pictures of the Toronto Island/Halloween, later today, hopefully. ;)
So we got transfer calls last night. And I am going to be going to a little town called Leamington. It's the most Souther Part of Ontario and it's basically a hick town (agricultural stuff). My new companion's name is Elder Kaden Olsen. He's an English missionary and I've never met him before. So the area is an English Area (with an English Branch), but there's a lot of Spanish people there. So I'll have some fun. I'm super excited though. Elder Valliere, my trainee, is going to Mississauga (my last area) and I super pumped for him.
I'm sorry you got sick this week, Mom. Most all of the missionaries here have been sick too. The coughing is endless. It's funny because we all really like the cold, so we always sleep with the windows open and blow the AC in the car (although it's already quite cold outside), and that problems doesn't help our colds at all. Still we do it. Missionaries are a strange folk.
I'm glad to hear about all the fun Halloween stuff, driers, music, Ice Skating (not sure how that rink is going to work??), and DI.
So apart from sending a companion home, this last week was quite fun. We worked a lot with our Blind Mexican Member. We went thrift shopping with him and bought him a white shirt and tie for Sunday. He looked SO Fly yesterday. He's one of my favorite people in the world. I'm going to miss him.
Last Friday, we had a fun Zone Council, where the Zone (aka Another Elder and I) made breakfast for everyone. It turned out really well and the meeting was great.
Yesterday (Sunday), we were blessed to have a lot of our less active members come to church. We were able to get one of them a temple recommend and family names to take to the Missionary Sponsored Temple Trip this Saturday. It was SO sweet to get everything set up for that trip. I just wish I could go. :'(
Later that night, we met with one of my favorite Spanish Families, the Sifuentes; and another member families. The food was incredible and because I figured I was going to be leaving, I shared with them John 15:12-14, which reads "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." I couldn't even get throught the scripture without bursting into tears. I later told them that they were my friends and they were one of my families in Toronto. Many tears were shed. I'm struggling right now just typing this. I then bore my testimony to them and then Hermana Sifuentes (probably my favorite mom in Toronto), gave the closing prayers. And the waterfalls came out. It was quite the bittersweet goodbye. I pray I'll come back here. But I know that that scripture I shared with them is true. "Greater love hath no man than...laying down his life for his friends." People are incredible. The church is incredible. You form much stronger bonds with others as the Spirit is involved. I love all of my family here in Toronto. I'm sad to be leaving them. But that's life, eh?? I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
I'll send the rest of the pictures of the Toronto Island/Halloween, later today, hopefully. ;)
HOO HOO HOO HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
This week has probably been one of the BEST on my mission. And when I say "probably," I mean DEFINITELY!!
I am still jealous though that you had a crazy good spook alley. Wish I could have been the one getting his legs chopped off or kicked in the balls. Wait what?? All your costumes look SICK though. Logan, did you take of the t-shirt for the costume?? You better have. Boxers don't wear t-shirts. And Micah..................... HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to hear something weird. I'm still a teenager too. We're both teenagers. We're in the same boat. You know what that means?? You need to start working on your mission papers. ;) And the bacon mignon sounds super good. Save me a piece. ;)
Like I said this week was a great one. Tuesday we tried to stop by a lot of less-actives and didn't actually find any. But I wore a scarf, so that's good. Wednesday we at with Colombians and picked up my favorite blind Mexican and went to our Wednesday Friendship Night. It was super fun and it was good to see him (the Mexican) because he's been sick and not at church for a long time. Thursday and Friday we helped prepare (and practiced) for the Ward Multicultural Night on Saturday. Then Saturday came...buckle up.
So it started out by my Zone Leader and I going over to another areas English Classes and it ended up that they were having a little Class Halloween Party. So that was a fun pre-party. Good food. Then the real party happened.
So for this activity, every country in our ward was supposed to bring decorations and food from their country to represent. So I brought an American Flag, a HUGE deep fryer that we have, and lots of stuff to deep fry. I tried to deep fry ice cream but the freezer at the church was terrible and the ice cream melted a lot when it hit the hot oil. So that stunk. But some member gave me a pity compliment and told me that the fried ice cream was good. Oh how I love pity compliments. ;)
Then came a talent show. Then it was USA turn to represent their country with a talent. So picture this...
The gym lights turn off, then you hear a keyboard start playing "The Final Countdown" by Europe, then a door opens and you see me in a black rocker wig waving an American Flag. I then hand the flag to another missionary, salute it, pick up an Electric Guitar (hooked up to an AMP); then a pianist, a drummer, and I (the guitarist) start rocking out to the song. IT WAS SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all had crazy rocker wigs on and we were rocking SO hard core. THEN, the music slows down a little bit, then you hear my voice belting the lyrics over a microphone. It was glorious. We got SO many compliments and people have told us that the video has gone viral (online). So if you would like to see it, it should be on my Facebook page. It was so good though. An accomplishment and memory on my mission that I will never forget. America!!!!!
After that, there were a lot of other great acts, and then the three-hour Spanish dance started. I was SO TRUNKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never wanted to dance with a girl in my LIFE!!!!!! Everyone was dancing with each other and having a great time and the missionaries were just sitting in a group, crying, because they couldn't dance with anybody. Sad day. Some of us did get to do the limbo though. I fell on my back. It was awesome. All in all, the party was INCREDIBLE!!! Best ward party that I've ever been to.
Sunday, less people were at church because everyone was swamped from the party. Nevertheless, Sunday was great. I got to take the sacrament. That's always a plus. Then today happened.
TO Celebrate Halloween, the Zone Leaders and us went to Toronto Island!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! It was a blast. We took tons of pictures (see below). It was really fun. Now, in a few minutes, we're going over to a member's house to carve pumpkins, eat candy, etc. For my costume, I went to a thrift store and bought a two-dollar Bumblebee Mask from the movie Transformers (because everyone here says I look like Shia Leabouf, and my zone leader, Elder Thomas Madrigal Jr. always yells "BUMBLEBEE!!!!" when he sees me).
So all in all. It's been an incredible week. One thing that I've been thinking about a lot, and I've said many times before, is that you can really find a family wherever you go. Especially in the church. In the church, you will always find people who love you for who you are, and will help you, and will party with you. I LOVE my family here in Toronto. And of course I LOVE my family back home. But, I'm trying to make the best of my time here with my Torontonian family because I don't know when I'll leave. And that's the message of it all. Love those you are with when you are with them. Enjoy your time with them. Don't worry about other's that aren't there (if you can't get them there). ENJOY LIFE!!! LOVE PEOPLE!!! People are SO awesome. Love those while you have them. I love you all, but I must love those now who are with me. ;) and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
This week has probably been one of the BEST on my mission. And when I say "probably," I mean DEFINITELY!!
I am still jealous though that you had a crazy good spook alley. Wish I could have been the one getting his legs chopped off or kicked in the balls. Wait what?? All your costumes look SICK though. Logan, did you take of the t-shirt for the costume?? You better have. Boxers don't wear t-shirts. And Micah..................... HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to hear something weird. I'm still a teenager too. We're both teenagers. We're in the same boat. You know what that means?? You need to start working on your mission papers. ;) And the bacon mignon sounds super good. Save me a piece. ;)
Like I said this week was a great one. Tuesday we tried to stop by a lot of less-actives and didn't actually find any. But I wore a scarf, so that's good. Wednesday we at with Colombians and picked up my favorite blind Mexican and went to our Wednesday Friendship Night. It was super fun and it was good to see him (the Mexican) because he's been sick and not at church for a long time. Thursday and Friday we helped prepare (and practiced) for the Ward Multicultural Night on Saturday. Then Saturday came...buckle up.
So it started out by my Zone Leader and I going over to another areas English Classes and it ended up that they were having a little Class Halloween Party. So that was a fun pre-party. Good food. Then the real party happened.
So for this activity, every country in our ward was supposed to bring decorations and food from their country to represent. So I brought an American Flag, a HUGE deep fryer that we have, and lots of stuff to deep fry. I tried to deep fry ice cream but the freezer at the church was terrible and the ice cream melted a lot when it hit the hot oil. So that stunk. But some member gave me a pity compliment and told me that the fried ice cream was good. Oh how I love pity compliments. ;)
Then came a talent show. Then it was USA turn to represent their country with a talent. So picture this...
The gym lights turn off, then you hear a keyboard start playing "The Final Countdown" by Europe, then a door opens and you see me in a black rocker wig waving an American Flag. I then hand the flag to another missionary, salute it, pick up an Electric Guitar (hooked up to an AMP); then a pianist, a drummer, and I (the guitarist) start rocking out to the song. IT WAS SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all had crazy rocker wigs on and we were rocking SO hard core. THEN, the music slows down a little bit, then you hear my voice belting the lyrics over a microphone. It was glorious. We got SO many compliments and people have told us that the video has gone viral (online). So if you would like to see it, it should be on my Facebook page. It was so good though. An accomplishment and memory on my mission that I will never forget. America!!!!!
After that, there were a lot of other great acts, and then the three-hour Spanish dance started. I was SO TRUNKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never wanted to dance with a girl in my LIFE!!!!!! Everyone was dancing with each other and having a great time and the missionaries were just sitting in a group, crying, because they couldn't dance with anybody. Sad day. Some of us did get to do the limbo though. I fell on my back. It was awesome. All in all, the party was INCREDIBLE!!! Best ward party that I've ever been to.
Sunday, less people were at church because everyone was swamped from the party. Nevertheless, Sunday was great. I got to take the sacrament. That's always a plus. Then today happened.
TO Celebrate Halloween, the Zone Leaders and us went to Toronto Island!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! It was a blast. We took tons of pictures (see below). It was really fun. Now, in a few minutes, we're going over to a member's house to carve pumpkins, eat candy, etc. For my costume, I went to a thrift store and bought a two-dollar Bumblebee Mask from the movie Transformers (because everyone here says I look like Shia Leabouf, and my zone leader, Elder Thomas Madrigal Jr. always yells "BUMBLEBEE!!!!" when he sees me).
So all in all. It's been an incredible week. One thing that I've been thinking about a lot, and I've said many times before, is that you can really find a family wherever you go. Especially in the church. In the church, you will always find people who love you for who you are, and will help you, and will party with you. I LOVE my family here in Toronto. And of course I LOVE my family back home. But, I'm trying to make the best of my time here with my Torontonian family because I don't know when I'll leave. And that's the message of it all. Love those you are with when you are with them. Enjoy your time with them. Don't worry about other's that aren't there (if you can't get them there). ENJOY LIFE!!! LOVE PEOPLE!!! People are SO awesome. Love those while you have them. I love you all, but I must love those now who are with me. ;) and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
IT'S BEGININNG TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!!!
Hoo hoo hoo and a ho ho ho. It's getting C-O-L-D here. I love it. Christmas is just around the corner.
I'm glad Zermatt was fun and relaxing. I'd be very jealous that you have the nicities of buying a gallon of milk, but now I can too!!! I will NEVER get used to bagged milk. It's so dumb. And more complicated. I hope the choir concert goes well for Logan. Hey Logan! How is it working with Mr. Bills?? When playing the piano, is it hard to follow him?? Does he ever yell at you and correct you or does he treat you like a king?? He did a little of both with me. We be tight though.
Wow, yeah. Frightmares does bring back some memories. I'm very glad they've kept the tradition going. HAHA!!! SHASTA FOR DAYS!!! I'm sorry the machine didn't work though. Sad day.
If you want to see my wish list from the LDS Bookstore, go to https://ldsbookstore.com/store/shopcart.aspx?cartid=EbSnyQlpBWY%3d
(my username is ammonflint and my password is Amazon Fruit).
So this week was a short one. Well, it felt like that. To begin off, we went to Toronto's Ripley Aquarium. It was STELLAR!! So worth it!!! I think my favorite thing off all were the Cuddle Fish. SO COOL!!! I want to Cuddle with a Cuddle Fish, except for the fact that it'd eat me with insane speeds. I'll send pictures.
But with great fun, comes great sickness. Tuesday and Wednesday I got super sick. Stomach problem stuff. BUT! I didn't throw up and I'm feeling much better now. What really healed me was the famous drink Choco-Nogo!! So for District Meeting, I brought two of the most delicious drinks in the world: Chocolate Milk and Egg Nog. Then I combined them and had everyone try the invention of Elder Joseph Shearer and Elder Ammon Flint. CHOCO-NOGO!!! It was SO good. And afterwards, I felt great! So it's really a great medicine.
Thursday-Saturday I went on exchanges with my good friend Elder Brett Babbel. It was NUTS!!! The first night together, we stayed up talking until 5:00 AM!!! Then we accidentally slept through the alarm and woke up at 8:00 AM. Woops!! The next day, our sushi appointment bombed, which was very upsetting. And our next appointment bombed. Which was also upsetting. But we had a Pupusa appointment and later taught our progressing investigator, which was very successfull and fun. That night I ended up falling asleep around 11:30-12:00. Which was better.
Saturday we had Stake Conference. It was super good. It was all about Missionary Work so I was all for it.
Sunday morning we had Stake Conference again. Also super good. On the way there, we ran into a Colombian member who shot super fast Colombian at me the whole way there. And she rode with us back. It was great. I got super excited to go to Colombia (one day), and I understood just about everything she was saying, so that made me feel good about myself. :) Later that day, we had dinner with one of my favorite Mexican families. Which was fun.
One scripture that has had a big effect on me this week is D&C 121:43. It's not one you'd expect, but it's talking about leadership and it reads. "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;" I do love this scripture. I've had to use it a few times this week. Reproving, or rebuking others for things they have done. And at times, it is definitely a necessary thing to reprove someone, but it's very important to show an increase of love afterwards. That love shows many strong points of the reprover: humility, charity, etc. So for all those who need reprove someone. Make sure you love them afterwards, because not only does it help the reprover feel more love for the person; it helps the person feel cared about and loved, which is very important. I love you all and hope that I don't have to reprove any of you...but we'll see. ;) Chao!!
Hoo hoo hoo and a ho ho ho. It's getting C-O-L-D here. I love it. Christmas is just around the corner.
I'm glad Zermatt was fun and relaxing. I'd be very jealous that you have the nicities of buying a gallon of milk, but now I can too!!! I will NEVER get used to bagged milk. It's so dumb. And more complicated. I hope the choir concert goes well for Logan. Hey Logan! How is it working with Mr. Bills?? When playing the piano, is it hard to follow him?? Does he ever yell at you and correct you or does he treat you like a king?? He did a little of both with me. We be tight though.
Wow, yeah. Frightmares does bring back some memories. I'm very glad they've kept the tradition going. HAHA!!! SHASTA FOR DAYS!!! I'm sorry the machine didn't work though. Sad day.
If you want to see my wish list from the LDS Bookstore, go to https://ldsbookstore.com/store/shopcart.aspx?cartid=EbSnyQlpBWY%3d
(my username is ammonflint and my password is Amazon Fruit).
So this week was a short one. Well, it felt like that. To begin off, we went to Toronto's Ripley Aquarium. It was STELLAR!! So worth it!!! I think my favorite thing off all were the Cuddle Fish. SO COOL!!! I want to Cuddle with a Cuddle Fish, except for the fact that it'd eat me with insane speeds. I'll send pictures.
But with great fun, comes great sickness. Tuesday and Wednesday I got super sick. Stomach problem stuff. BUT! I didn't throw up and I'm feeling much better now. What really healed me was the famous drink Choco-Nogo!! So for District Meeting, I brought two of the most delicious drinks in the world: Chocolate Milk and Egg Nog. Then I combined them and had everyone try the invention of Elder Joseph Shearer and Elder Ammon Flint. CHOCO-NOGO!!! It was SO good. And afterwards, I felt great! So it's really a great medicine.
Thursday-Saturday I went on exchanges with my good friend Elder Brett Babbel. It was NUTS!!! The first night together, we stayed up talking until 5:00 AM!!! Then we accidentally slept through the alarm and woke up at 8:00 AM. Woops!! The next day, our sushi appointment bombed, which was very upsetting. And our next appointment bombed. Which was also upsetting. But we had a Pupusa appointment and later taught our progressing investigator, which was very successfull and fun. That night I ended up falling asleep around 11:30-12:00. Which was better.
Saturday we had Stake Conference. It was super good. It was all about Missionary Work so I was all for it.
Sunday morning we had Stake Conference again. Also super good. On the way there, we ran into a Colombian member who shot super fast Colombian at me the whole way there. And she rode with us back. It was great. I got super excited to go to Colombia (one day), and I understood just about everything she was saying, so that made me feel good about myself. :) Later that day, we had dinner with one of my favorite Mexican families. Which was fun.
One scripture that has had a big effect on me this week is D&C 121:43. It's not one you'd expect, but it's talking about leadership and it reads. "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;" I do love this scripture. I've had to use it a few times this week. Reproving, or rebuking others for things they have done. And at times, it is definitely a necessary thing to reprove someone, but it's very important to show an increase of love afterwards. That love shows many strong points of the reprover: humility, charity, etc. So for all those who need reprove someone. Make sure you love them afterwards, because not only does it help the reprover feel more love for the person; it helps the person feel cared about and loved, which is very important. I love you all and hope that I don't have to reprove any of you...but we'll see. ;) Chao!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
AIEEE!!!!
What a trip. We just got back from a Costco trip. SO intense. And we went out and bought some Christmas gear at a super cheap store. I got a sweet Canada hoodie, a sweater, and a Canada t-shirt. They're sweet souveniers.
To correct your story, Mother, her name is Sister Jordahn Nabhan. She's the only Sister I've sang a duet with (that is home). And I wasn't her Zone Leader. I'm still not a Zone Leader, but my Zone Leaders right now are trying really hard to make me one. We'll see.Yeah Mom!! Sleepin' in the car. Love it!! Sophie's Victory really doesn't surprise me. What will surprise me is when someone beats her and takes the Ice Queen (or Princess) off of her throne. ;) Love you Soph!! Halloween sounds fun. I want to see pictures of Micah as the future President. Haha. Sad but true.
AW LOGAN!!! You Should have gone with the cake answer!!! So much better than those silly puns. Too many puns. Or you should have gone with Micah's idea. Haha. Watch her come to school and hit you because she was so upset that she didn't flip over the box. Heehee.
Good choice Skyler. One of the best things you could have chosen to learn. I want to learn all the instruments in the world!! Why not?? Also good choice on "Let it Be."
Have fun, Dad, competing in the Special Olympics. I know you'll show all those Autism patients whose got the real mental illness!! (thumbs up emogi) ;)
Yeah, you've left me home alone many times. Logan is trustable. pssst. Logan, send me pictures on how the party goes. DON'T LET THEM GO IN MY OLD ROOM!!! OR TOUCH MY INSTRUMENTS!!!! I mean...shhh don't let them touch my instruments. What the heck is the Billster doing?? 850 bucks for San Francisco?? If you're flying planes, GO TO NEW YORK!!! It would be SO GOOD!!!
Well, my week was absolutely wonderful. Tuesday and Wednesday we decided to try something new for our area (due to some personal revelation), so I cooked a few dozen batches of chocolate chip cookies and we went around to a lot of the less actives in our ward (which there are a LOT) and gave them the cookies. Now as a missionary, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually slump days. But these were some of the best Tuesdays and Wednesdays I've ever had. We saw many miracles, ran into many potentiel investigators, got to know a lot of ward members, and blessed many people with delicious treats.
On Thursday, we had a big missionary meeting where on of my good friends (Elder Brett Babbel) and I got paired up to give an instruction. It went really well: we popped balloons, spoke different languages, cracked jokes, it was great. Later in the meeting I was interviewed by Presidnet Shields. The interview was very short: Mainly talking about my sickly companion and I learned that I can now play my instruments whenever I want, as long as it doesn't intefere with the work. SWEET STUFF!!! Later that day, we had a surpirse appointment in which we ended up getting two new solid people to teach and baptise. Then we flew to two dinner appointments (with less-active members). It was NUTS!! We had like NO time, but with the Lords hand, we got to each appointment and ate two dinners.
Friday, we helped with a baptism in our ward. Very nice.
Saturday, we had a Venezuelan Chinese woman walk into our English classes (born in China, raised in Venezuela). And her Spanish was far better than her Chinese, so we're teaching her now. Woo hoo!! Never thought I'd baptize a Chinese Woman on my mission.
Sunday was great, because I got the sacrament.
Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrated HARD!!! Our first meal appointment was with a Dominican Family that always feeds us on Mondays. We had a huge lunch, played Mormon Charades, watched video performances of "The Prayer," and the 12 Step Videos. It was super fun. Then, my companions and I went on a walk in the brisk weather, through a park, putting up fliers to advertise our English Classes. Quite nice. Then, at 7, all the missionaries met up at the Sifuentes (the Mexicans that always feed us on Sunday), for a HUGE Thanksgiving Dinner. It was DELICIOUS!!! A HUGE Turkey. Mexican Food. I brought 2 liters of Chocolate Milk. IN A GALLON!!! I FOUND MILK (CHOCLATE AND WHITE) IN A GALLON HERE!!! I'm never drinking bagged milk again!!!!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. And all the good food gave me terrible heart burn. :)
I know I should probably say something about Giving Thanks, but I want to talk about something else. Fine! I'm grateful for my whole life. My life is honestly perfect. Absolutely perfect. BUT! I want to talk about Personal Revelation. During this last Conference, and through lots of missionary meetings, and through some intense personal prayers; God gave me a lot of personal revelation on how to make my area better, and like I mentioned above, IT WORKED!! I can testify that when we receive suggestions from God, DO IT!!! You may not know or understand how it'll work, but it will. Because God knows. Elder Lawrence's General Conference talk from a couple Conferences ago gives many great examples of that (if mine's not good enough for you ;). Well, I love you all and hope you're enjoying milk in Gallons, because I AM!!!! Chao!!!
What a trip. We just got back from a Costco trip. SO intense. And we went out and bought some Christmas gear at a super cheap store. I got a sweet Canada hoodie, a sweater, and a Canada t-shirt. They're sweet souveniers.
To correct your story, Mother, her name is Sister Jordahn Nabhan. She's the only Sister I've sang a duet with (that is home). And I wasn't her Zone Leader. I'm still not a Zone Leader, but my Zone Leaders right now are trying really hard to make me one. We'll see.Yeah Mom!! Sleepin' in the car. Love it!! Sophie's Victory really doesn't surprise me. What will surprise me is when someone beats her and takes the Ice Queen (or Princess) off of her throne. ;) Love you Soph!! Halloween sounds fun. I want to see pictures of Micah as the future President. Haha. Sad but true.
AW LOGAN!!! You Should have gone with the cake answer!!! So much better than those silly puns. Too many puns. Or you should have gone with Micah's idea. Haha. Watch her come to school and hit you because she was so upset that she didn't flip over the box. Heehee.
Good choice Skyler. One of the best things you could have chosen to learn. I want to learn all the instruments in the world!! Why not?? Also good choice on "Let it Be."
Have fun, Dad, competing in the Special Olympics. I know you'll show all those Autism patients whose got the real mental illness!! (thumbs up emogi) ;)
Yeah, you've left me home alone many times. Logan is trustable. pssst. Logan, send me pictures on how the party goes. DON'T LET THEM GO IN MY OLD ROOM!!! OR TOUCH MY INSTRUMENTS!!!! I mean...shhh don't let them touch my instruments. What the heck is the Billster doing?? 850 bucks for San Francisco?? If you're flying planes, GO TO NEW YORK!!! It would be SO GOOD!!!
Well, my week was absolutely wonderful. Tuesday and Wednesday we decided to try something new for our area (due to some personal revelation), so I cooked a few dozen batches of chocolate chip cookies and we went around to a lot of the less actives in our ward (which there are a LOT) and gave them the cookies. Now as a missionary, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually slump days. But these were some of the best Tuesdays and Wednesdays I've ever had. We saw many miracles, ran into many potentiel investigators, got to know a lot of ward members, and blessed many people with delicious treats.
On Thursday, we had a big missionary meeting where on of my good friends (Elder Brett Babbel) and I got paired up to give an instruction. It went really well: we popped balloons, spoke different languages, cracked jokes, it was great. Later in the meeting I was interviewed by Presidnet Shields. The interview was very short: Mainly talking about my sickly companion and I learned that I can now play my instruments whenever I want, as long as it doesn't intefere with the work. SWEET STUFF!!! Later that day, we had a surpirse appointment in which we ended up getting two new solid people to teach and baptise. Then we flew to two dinner appointments (with less-active members). It was NUTS!! We had like NO time, but with the Lords hand, we got to each appointment and ate two dinners.
Friday, we helped with a baptism in our ward. Very nice.
Saturday, we had a Venezuelan Chinese woman walk into our English classes (born in China, raised in Venezuela). And her Spanish was far better than her Chinese, so we're teaching her now. Woo hoo!! Never thought I'd baptize a Chinese Woman on my mission.
Sunday was great, because I got the sacrament.
Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrated HARD!!! Our first meal appointment was with a Dominican Family that always feeds us on Mondays. We had a huge lunch, played Mormon Charades, watched video performances of "The Prayer," and the 12 Step Videos. It was super fun. Then, my companions and I went on a walk in the brisk weather, through a park, putting up fliers to advertise our English Classes. Quite nice. Then, at 7, all the missionaries met up at the Sifuentes (the Mexicans that always feed us on Sunday), for a HUGE Thanksgiving Dinner. It was DELICIOUS!!! A HUGE Turkey. Mexican Food. I brought 2 liters of Chocolate Milk. IN A GALLON!!! I FOUND MILK (CHOCLATE AND WHITE) IN A GALLON HERE!!! I'm never drinking bagged milk again!!!!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. And all the good food gave me terrible heart burn. :)
I know I should probably say something about Giving Thanks, but I want to talk about something else. Fine! I'm grateful for my whole life. My life is honestly perfect. Absolutely perfect. BUT! I want to talk about Personal Revelation. During this last Conference, and through lots of missionary meetings, and through some intense personal prayers; God gave me a lot of personal revelation on how to make my area better, and like I mentioned above, IT WORKED!! I can testify that when we receive suggestions from God, DO IT!!! You may not know or understand how it'll work, but it will. Because God knows. Elder Lawrence's General Conference talk from a couple Conferences ago gives many great examples of that (if mine's not good enough for you ;). Well, I love you all and hope you're enjoying milk in Gallons, because I AM!!!! Chao!!!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
What a Week!!
I'm glad everything is going great back home and that you all enjoyed conference. Wow, good work Logan on the accompanying job. That's super sweet. Where and what exactly are you doing?? And good work on the lady slaying. I have no idea who Olivia is though. Send me a pic of her or her social security number or something. I want to KNOW who's taking my bro on a date. I'm already suspicious with the stereotypical way she asked you "Of all the fish in the sea." Hot dang though that she asked you two months early. That just shows that e'rybody wants to get dibs on you early. It makes you feel real special when you have to tell multiple girls "No" to dances because you've already got a date. Answering her though...just write "yes" on a big rock and shatter her bedroom window with it, then run. No. I don't know, you could always ask her in a way that correlates with stuff she likes: Music, dancing, Fashion, World of Warcraft (Whatever she's into). Or use my cake idea, where you put a paper IN the cake saying "Look at bottom of plate" and there's a paper taped there that says "No." I mean "Yes." Whatever you want to do.
I hope all goes well with Halloween and the wings and what not.
Well, this week has actually seemed really long, but it's a good long. On Wednesday, we had District Meeting, and the only other new person in the District is the Grandson of Elder Ballard the Apostle, Elder Ballard. He's fun and really normal, so that's good. It was funny to see him get all excited when his Grandpa got up to talk. And it was funnier when we had him and Elder Monson (President Monson's great nephew, another missionary in our area) shake hands. Wednesday and Thursday I was able to go on exchanges with my black Zone Leader, Elder Paul. He's from Haiti and speaks 5 languages and is going home in 5 weeks so he's SUPER trunky. The exchanges were a lot of fun. I drove, a lot, Downtown. And we taught a few lessons in Portuguese. I was quite impressed with myself. I feel like my Portuguese right now is as good as my Spanish was when I began the mission. Jacare. We then ended Thursday by having a sleepover with Elder Babbel and Ballard, because we were going to the temple the next morning.
Then, the next morning, we went to the temple ;) It was quite nice. Afterwards, a lot of missionaries were greeting and saying goodbye outside of the temple. One of the sister missionaries told me Abigail was looking for me, but she had a meeting she had to go, so we didn't get to see each other. Bummer. But I got to see a lot of old friends and what not. After the temple, a bunch of us missionaries decided to go to Smokes to get some Poutine, and I was so hungry that I decided to try and eat a whole Wow Size again. Along with Elder Valliere. About 9/10ths of the way through the Poutine I felt like I was about to throw up, and almost did, but Elder Babbel, being the good friend he was, told me to take a short break, buy another drink, and then motivated me through the rest of the Poutine, and after four failed attempts, I finished it. Accomplishment!!! My body hurt so bad after that and I had to cleanse the next morning to clean out my system. :) Worth it?? I say yes.
Saturday was a great day. It started out by me going on another quick exchange with Zone Leader Paul and driving a lot more. Then we got back to our chapel RIGHT as Conference started. All of Conference on Saturday was great, and exhausting. I've been so tired this week even though all I've really done is drive around a lot and sit down and watch Conference. Weird stuff.
Sunday was also great watching Conference. For the second session, we went to a member's house and ate dinner with them afterwards. It was very nice.
One of my absolute favorite things was the GREENIE POWER!!! Many of the new Seventy Members that we got last Conference gave some of the most powerful talks. Although, Elder Weatherfold T. Clayton didn't speak, I was still very impressed with them all. Two of my favorite talks were by Elder W Mark Basset on obtaining knowledge through the Holy Ghost, and by Elder K Brett Nattress on Mothers and Children. Mom, you really are an angel (I have to say that, you're my Mom ;). But really, you've worked miracles to get me where I'm at right now and you're continuing to work miracles to help support the family. Another thing I really got out of the talk was one of the purposes of parenthood. My favorite quote, that always brings tears to my eyes was when Elder Nattress was talking about how incredible it would be to have your kids turn to you and say "Mom, Dad, it's really Him." THAT! is the purpose of parenthood: to have your children be able to receive their own testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored church. Parents are crucial to helping their children receive the testimonies that will get them through life and into the Celestial Kingdom in the next life. I know I'm not a parent yet, but I'm excited to be one...in time. ;) I hope you all enjoyed conference and if you didn't watch it. WATCH IT!!!!! Nough said. I love you all. Chao!!!
I'm glad everything is going great back home and that you all enjoyed conference. Wow, good work Logan on the accompanying job. That's super sweet. Where and what exactly are you doing?? And good work on the lady slaying. I have no idea who Olivia is though. Send me a pic of her or her social security number or something. I want to KNOW who's taking my bro on a date. I'm already suspicious with the stereotypical way she asked you "Of all the fish in the sea." Hot dang though that she asked you two months early. That just shows that e'rybody wants to get dibs on you early. It makes you feel real special when you have to tell multiple girls "No" to dances because you've already got a date. Answering her though...just write "yes" on a big rock and shatter her bedroom window with it, then run. No. I don't know, you could always ask her in a way that correlates with stuff she likes: Music, dancing, Fashion, World of Warcraft (Whatever she's into). Or use my cake idea, where you put a paper IN the cake saying "Look at bottom of plate" and there's a paper taped there that says "No." I mean "Yes." Whatever you want to do.
I hope all goes well with Halloween and the wings and what not.
Well, this week has actually seemed really long, but it's a good long. On Wednesday, we had District Meeting, and the only other new person in the District is the Grandson of Elder Ballard the Apostle, Elder Ballard. He's fun and really normal, so that's good. It was funny to see him get all excited when his Grandpa got up to talk. And it was funnier when we had him and Elder Monson (President Monson's great nephew, another missionary in our area) shake hands. Wednesday and Thursday I was able to go on exchanges with my black Zone Leader, Elder Paul. He's from Haiti and speaks 5 languages and is going home in 5 weeks so he's SUPER trunky. The exchanges were a lot of fun. I drove, a lot, Downtown. And we taught a few lessons in Portuguese. I was quite impressed with myself. I feel like my Portuguese right now is as good as my Spanish was when I began the mission. Jacare. We then ended Thursday by having a sleepover with Elder Babbel and Ballard, because we were going to the temple the next morning.
Then, the next morning, we went to the temple ;) It was quite nice. Afterwards, a lot of missionaries were greeting and saying goodbye outside of the temple. One of the sister missionaries told me Abigail was looking for me, but she had a meeting she had to go, so we didn't get to see each other. Bummer. But I got to see a lot of old friends and what not. After the temple, a bunch of us missionaries decided to go to Smokes to get some Poutine, and I was so hungry that I decided to try and eat a whole Wow Size again. Along with Elder Valliere. About 9/10ths of the way through the Poutine I felt like I was about to throw up, and almost did, but Elder Babbel, being the good friend he was, told me to take a short break, buy another drink, and then motivated me through the rest of the Poutine, and after four failed attempts, I finished it. Accomplishment!!! My body hurt so bad after that and I had to cleanse the next morning to clean out my system. :) Worth it?? I say yes.
Saturday was a great day. It started out by me going on another quick exchange with Zone Leader Paul and driving a lot more. Then we got back to our chapel RIGHT as Conference started. All of Conference on Saturday was great, and exhausting. I've been so tired this week even though all I've really done is drive around a lot and sit down and watch Conference. Weird stuff.
Sunday was also great watching Conference. For the second session, we went to a member's house and ate dinner with them afterwards. It was very nice.
One of my absolute favorite things was the GREENIE POWER!!! Many of the new Seventy Members that we got last Conference gave some of the most powerful talks. Although, Elder Weatherfold T. Clayton didn't speak, I was still very impressed with them all. Two of my favorite talks were by Elder W Mark Basset on obtaining knowledge through the Holy Ghost, and by Elder K Brett Nattress on Mothers and Children. Mom, you really are an angel (I have to say that, you're my Mom ;). But really, you've worked miracles to get me where I'm at right now and you're continuing to work miracles to help support the family. Another thing I really got out of the talk was one of the purposes of parenthood. My favorite quote, that always brings tears to my eyes was when Elder Nattress was talking about how incredible it would be to have your kids turn to you and say "Mom, Dad, it's really Him." THAT! is the purpose of parenthood: to have your children be able to receive their own testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored church. Parents are crucial to helping their children receive the testimonies that will get them through life and into the Celestial Kingdom in the next life. I know I'm not a parent yet, but I'm excited to be one...in time. ;) I hope you all enjoyed conference and if you didn't watch it. WATCH IT!!!!! Nough said. I love you all. Chao!!!
Saturday, October 1, 2016
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!!!! or sister allred.
Just had to shout out to my cousin in the Mish. I feel bad, I should have called her. Haha. There's a member, Jimmy, who has all the missionaries' phone numbers and sometimes I invite him to come teaching with us and I tell him to call her so I can talk to her. Haha. Nothing wrong with that right?? No. I'm glad you're feeling better now, Mom. And yeah, I doubt Elder Arnold will speak again so soon. He was so nice and gentle during Conference. If only people could meet the real him. :) Woot Woot!!! Those shirts look SWEET!!! I was a little bummed because I did play beater for Hufflepuff back in Hogwarts and I saw that Savannah is getting the Beater Jersey, BUT I was team captain for that team also, so all is well. I'M PUMPED for that though. Super Trunky. And MAN! The Claytons are hosting the CTM Reunion?!?! And I checked the sign up list and already recognized a bunch of names. MORE TRUNKY! AND you want' to know when I'm coming home?? Sheesh!! Ya tryin' ta kill mee?? Well, because I got an extra week added on to my mission, it should Thursday, August 3rd. I know President Shields has the authority to change it if I have to leave early for school or what not. But honestly, I just want to get exactly 2 years in. A 2 year mission. July 29th 2015 to July 29th, 2017. If anyone tries to send me home before that, I'll tell them to take a hike. Oooohhhh. A Puertorrican Christmas. What fun.
Oh yes. We got transfer calls last night. Elder Staheli, my companion, is pulling an "Elder Flint" and going from Chritstie North to Black Creek Central. And I and Elder Valliere are staying here!! AND! my first son (trainee) is coming to serve with us in a trio. Yipee! I'm SO old. I'm like a father having to babysit his two sons. :| All I know is that I'm going to be wiped after this next transfer. I thought one of them was a handful.... BUT! I'm happy to be staying here in Toronto. I'm going to really try to be a better example this transfer and help out my two trainees.
Well this week was pretty nuts. To give an example, it's POURING rain right now. LOVE IT!!
Actually, to be frank. This week was pretty below par for me. But I saw a lot of other peoples' lives blessed. So that makes me happy. One of my favorite families in the ward just had a new baby, so I was able to see it and hold and tickle it (kidding, that's illegal for missionaries) yesterday. But it was quite cute. Along with that, I made another Chocolate Cheesecake for the Birthday of Elder Paul, my Haitian Zone Leader that speaks five different langauges. I also helped a lot of families out doing Family History work. I've decided that I'm going to have three automatic callings when I get home: Family History Consultant, Ward Organist, and Bishop. jeje ;) I had lots of good Hispanic Food (I made Tostones with this giant deep-fryer we have in our apartment. Tostones are fried green plantains, SUPER GOOD). Other fun things that happened this week is finally we had an investigator come to church last Sunday, and we were able to meet a lot of interesting people. And let me tell you, there's a lot of interesting people in Toronto. A story?? Fine, I'll tell you one.
So, one of the other Spanish Missionaries in Toronto is Elder Babbel. He is one of my favorite missionaries and my brother by birth (mission birth). For the longest time he'd always say, "I'm Lucy." In the girliest, high, girly voice (for an example, have Dad say it :). One day I asked Elder Babbel who "Lucy" is. He told me "he" is a transvestite (or a man that dresses and acts like a woman) from El Salvador, that one sent in a referral for the missionaries to come over, basically so "he" could flirt with them and probably other things (luckily they fled quickly). So yesterday, a woman from Salt Lake City called us to give us an online referral. We were excited because as Spanish missionaries, we don't get online referrals AND we had gotten another one a few days ago which turned out to be super solid. The lady on the phone was describing this lady who just asked for a visit from the missionaries and her name was Lucy Hernandez. She then gave us her phone number and address. My first thought was, "Lucy" isn't really a Spanish name, then my next thought was the Holy Ghost impersonating Elder Babbel saying "I'm Lucy." So I immediately called Elder Babbel and asked him what THE Lucy's last name was and he said he thinks it was "Hernandez." So we all started freaking out. Elder Babbel said he'd call her because he'd know his voice right off the bat. So he calls him and it goes straight to voice mail. Then Lucy calls Elder Babbel back and Elder Babbel makes the mistake of saying, "Hello, this is the Missionaries." Lucy then says, "Hello," then Elder Babbel hangs up the phone because he knows it's him. "Lucy," now knowing it's a missionary's number, calls him back like a dozen times and leaves a couple of voice mails talking about how he wants the handsome Elders to come over to his house and all this crap. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy stuff!! The adventures we have in Toronto.
Well on a happier note. One thing I have been talking about with a lot of people is the reason for church and church attendance. One of our solid members told us that he feels like his testimony deteriorates while at church because he's not in what he calls the "elite" group of members and people sometimes say mean things about others at church. When he said that, I thought, "Who Cares?! Church isn't about socialization, it's about the Sacrament!!" Luckily after talking with the Bishop, the member came this last Sunday. And later this week, I was talking with an older woman on the Subway and she told me that church is all about socialization and she doesn't need that anymore. I paused and thought. Then I said "Although socialization is a plus, our church focuses on Ordinances and Covenants, or ways we can come close to God and make it back to Heaven." And it's true. But sometimes we need to realize that. We need to realize that church is not about meeting our group of friends and forming cliques, but "everything we do in this church is to help people get to the temple" (quote from an apostle). Everything. It's all for Salvation. Not Popularity. I LOVE our church because it is so focused on Eternal Life. It really is the goal for everyone. I Love you all and hope to see you all in the Celestial Kingdom. :) Chao!!
Just had to shout out to my cousin in the Mish. I feel bad, I should have called her. Haha. There's a member, Jimmy, who has all the missionaries' phone numbers and sometimes I invite him to come teaching with us and I tell him to call her so I can talk to her. Haha. Nothing wrong with that right?? No. I'm glad you're feeling better now, Mom. And yeah, I doubt Elder Arnold will speak again so soon. He was so nice and gentle during Conference. If only people could meet the real him. :) Woot Woot!!! Those shirts look SWEET!!! I was a little bummed because I did play beater for Hufflepuff back in Hogwarts and I saw that Savannah is getting the Beater Jersey, BUT I was team captain for that team also, so all is well. I'M PUMPED for that though. Super Trunky. And MAN! The Claytons are hosting the CTM Reunion?!?! And I checked the sign up list and already recognized a bunch of names. MORE TRUNKY! AND you want' to know when I'm coming home?? Sheesh!! Ya tryin' ta kill mee?? Well, because I got an extra week added on to my mission, it should Thursday, August 3rd. I know President Shields has the authority to change it if I have to leave early for school or what not. But honestly, I just want to get exactly 2 years in. A 2 year mission. July 29th 2015 to July 29th, 2017. If anyone tries to send me home before that, I'll tell them to take a hike. Oooohhhh. A Puertorrican Christmas. What fun.
Oh yes. We got transfer calls last night. Elder Staheli, my companion, is pulling an "Elder Flint" and going from Chritstie North to Black Creek Central. And I and Elder Valliere are staying here!! AND! my first son (trainee) is coming to serve with us in a trio. Yipee! I'm SO old. I'm like a father having to babysit his two sons. :| All I know is that I'm going to be wiped after this next transfer. I thought one of them was a handful.... BUT! I'm happy to be staying here in Toronto. I'm going to really try to be a better example this transfer and help out my two trainees.
Well this week was pretty nuts. To give an example, it's POURING rain right now. LOVE IT!!
Actually, to be frank. This week was pretty below par for me. But I saw a lot of other peoples' lives blessed. So that makes me happy. One of my favorite families in the ward just had a new baby, so I was able to see it and hold and tickle it (kidding, that's illegal for missionaries) yesterday. But it was quite cute. Along with that, I made another Chocolate Cheesecake for the Birthday of Elder Paul, my Haitian Zone Leader that speaks five different langauges. I also helped a lot of families out doing Family History work. I've decided that I'm going to have three automatic callings when I get home: Family History Consultant, Ward Organist, and Bishop. jeje ;) I had lots of good Hispanic Food (I made Tostones with this giant deep-fryer we have in our apartment. Tostones are fried green plantains, SUPER GOOD). Other fun things that happened this week is finally we had an investigator come to church last Sunday, and we were able to meet a lot of interesting people. And let me tell you, there's a lot of interesting people in Toronto. A story?? Fine, I'll tell you one.
So, one of the other Spanish Missionaries in Toronto is Elder Babbel. He is one of my favorite missionaries and my brother by birth (mission birth). For the longest time he'd always say, "I'm Lucy." In the girliest, high, girly voice (for an example, have Dad say it :). One day I asked Elder Babbel who "Lucy" is. He told me "he" is a transvestite (or a man that dresses and acts like a woman) from El Salvador, that one sent in a referral for the missionaries to come over, basically so "he" could flirt with them and probably other things (luckily they fled quickly). So yesterday, a woman from Salt Lake City called us to give us an online referral. We were excited because as Spanish missionaries, we don't get online referrals AND we had gotten another one a few days ago which turned out to be super solid. The lady on the phone was describing this lady who just asked for a visit from the missionaries and her name was Lucy Hernandez. She then gave us her phone number and address. My first thought was, "Lucy" isn't really a Spanish name, then my next thought was the Holy Ghost impersonating Elder Babbel saying "I'm Lucy." So I immediately called Elder Babbel and asked him what THE Lucy's last name was and he said he thinks it was "Hernandez." So we all started freaking out. Elder Babbel said he'd call her because he'd know his voice right off the bat. So he calls him and it goes straight to voice mail. Then Lucy calls Elder Babbel back and Elder Babbel makes the mistake of saying, "Hello, this is the Missionaries." Lucy then says, "Hello," then Elder Babbel hangs up the phone because he knows it's him. "Lucy," now knowing it's a missionary's number, calls him back like a dozen times and leaves a couple of voice mails talking about how he wants the handsome Elders to come over to his house and all this crap. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy stuff!! The adventures we have in Toronto.
Well on a happier note. One thing I have been talking about with a lot of people is the reason for church and church attendance. One of our solid members told us that he feels like his testimony deteriorates while at church because he's not in what he calls the "elite" group of members and people sometimes say mean things about others at church. When he said that, I thought, "Who Cares?! Church isn't about socialization, it's about the Sacrament!!" Luckily after talking with the Bishop, the member came this last Sunday. And later this week, I was talking with an older woman on the Subway and she told me that church is all about socialization and she doesn't need that anymore. I paused and thought. Then I said "Although socialization is a plus, our church focuses on Ordinances and Covenants, or ways we can come close to God and make it back to Heaven." And it's true. But sometimes we need to realize that. We need to realize that church is not about meeting our group of friends and forming cliques, but "everything we do in this church is to help people get to the temple" (quote from an apostle). Everything. It's all for Salvation. Not Popularity. I LOVE our church because it is so focused on Eternal Life. It really is the goal for everyone. I Love you all and hope to see you all in the Celestial Kingdom. :) Chao!!
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