I have only been in a few areas on my mission, but I can tell a big difference in how I've adapted to my new surroundings compared to my other areas. I think maybe I'm still in the honeymoon stage with my companion, but I'm noticing a trend towards an attitude of gratitude and positive thinking. I've learned not to stress out about things, but to work diligently with goals in mind. I'm not the best missionary I could be, and I am trying to improve, but I'm not so darn worried about perfection that it depresses or paralyzes me, either. That's a balance I'm very interested in maintaining.
I appreciate the fact that there are so many flowers along the sidewalks here in Lasselle. One of my absolute favorite things in the world is to catch a sniff of honeysuckle or jasmine during the summertime, and I have plenty of opportunities to do exactly that, because they have those two plants all over the place around here. I don't exactly have time to stop and smell the flowers, but they are planted everywhere that we bike, so they are often upwind of me so I can catch a whiff as I bike by.I loved going to the Redlands temple this week. We had to scramble to find a ride, but we got there and I found joy in serving the Lord at his temple. I also met a friend of my grandmother's there. He (Don Taylor) just happened to be working the temple the day that we went, and I saw him in the dressing room and asked him if he knew any Hansens. My grandma knows everybody, I'm convinced. But he wished me luck, and as I was leaving, he handed me a note that his wife wrote while I was in the session. It's in the mail on the way to my grandmother right now.
I also had the opportunity to find a new investigator at a bus stop this week. He is an alcoholic and is struggling a lot with just living a regular college life, but I think we can teach him the things that will soothe his soul and bring him into the fold of God. He didn't come to church, but he has been calling us about his drinking, so that's something.
I'm convinced that my bicycle is possessed by a devil, or that it was assembled by somebody who made a deal with Satan himself. Between me and my companion, we spent several hours this week dealing with our bike problems. We were on our way to see that precious potential investigator that I just mentioned, when my companion's bike seat busted and the post rammed him in the privates. We walked back home, let him rest a bit, and spent the rest of the day trying to fix his bike. We ended up getting a loaner from the mission office. The next day, while on our way to see that same dude, my front tire went entirely flat, and when I went to inflate it, the nozzle thing broke off the tube entirely. We ended up switching the front wheel off of my bike with one from my companion's busted bike, which was not ideal but it worked. So I need another tube, and probably a tune-up. I think first I need to perform an exorcism and cast the devil out of my bike.
Our one investigator is progressing. The guy we picked up this week will probably progress, but he lives outside our boundaries, so we're going to hand him off after the first or second lesson. The two girls in the part-member family that I hoped to pick up, will probably meet with us this week, but their mom had a seizure this weekend that kind of messed up our plans to teach them. I'm trying to push things forward here, but we've had a lot of speedbumps. No worries though, I'm still pretty chill about things and pretty determined to make the most of this transfer. I feel like I wised up a lot about missionary work during my transfer in Murrieta. I'm also appreciating the things I learned during my young adult years when most of my peers were in college or on missions. I wish to echo what Boyd K Packer wrote: "I would agree I've learned some things I did not want to know. But age has brought those precious truths that make the spirit grow."
Well I love you guys. Expect to hear from me at about this time every week, if not a little sooner. We make reservations for the library at 9:15 every Monday morning. Love you all tons!
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