I apologize for the brevity of last week's message. A series of unfortunate events kept me from writing as much as I would like, and I only got through a couple of abbreviated sad stories before I was rushed off the computer. I promise there are plenty of good things going on in my life.
Those good things do NOT include our key indicators for this week. Well, we taught a whole lot of lessons... but not very many to investigators. Mostly because we don't really have many investigators. In fact we really only have one at this point, and he didn't come to church. So I don't know what's going on, but people to teach and baptize are pretty scarce. My new companion and I are searching hard and trying to set stuff up with our potentials, part-member families, formers, etc. but so far it's been rough.
Oh yeah, in my haste last week I did not mention that we got a brand new car. Yes, a 2014 Ford Fusion, with 17 miles on it and the new car smell and everything. I am the envy of our entire mission now. I even got the one that was steely gray instead of white, so it looks pretty darn sharp. We've already racked up 300 miles and a speeding ticket. IT WASN'T ME I SWEAR. Actually I feel pretty horrible about it, our fleet coordinator called and said I haven't taken the mission driving test, so I should do that next time I'm in Riverside, but my companion drive for now. So I handed over the keys to the car, and he got a speeding ticket in less than five miles from that point, going 72 in a 50. We were on our way to rescue the Spanish elders who had three baptismal interviews at the stake center but no baptismal forms... yeah I felt pretty bad about it.Wednesday I got to do another Hell Move, as I affectionately call them... when you show up for two hours of service, and they don't have the truck ready to go, and they haven't packed anything in their house and they expect you to do all the work. So we were there for about four hours, and still didn't get everything done with 16 elders there, and we were starving the whole time. Blessings in heaven, man. For every mattress and washing machine I've had to move up and down stairs, I expect another room to be added on to my shiny mansion for my wife and I to frolic in for the rest of eternity. Sounds like a fair deal to me.
I met some pretty fantastic people this week. I felt like an awesome missionary when I showed up at a hospital to visit somebody I'd never heard of before and promptly made best friends with her and her daughter, who had all kinds of depressing stories to tell. I was in a hospital which means I was nervous and on edge because I hate hospitals. I still was super charming and spiritual and uplifting and left with a smile on my face and a return appointment. I looked into things a little further, and the daughter of the hospitalized lady isn't a member... so there may be a potential baptism there if things continue the way I'm going. That was the best accidental missionary work I've done in a long time. And it felt amazing.
What also felt amazing: Stake Conference. The general session was actually a broadcast from Salt Lake, and we got to hear from Sister Burton, Elder Anderson, Elder Eyring, and some random 70, mostly about going to the rescue and sharing the gospel. All the missionaries were also invited to the adult session Saturday night, which was all about missionary work, too. The very first speaker was a recent convert... my parking lot miracle. Despite not showing up to church, and basically ignoring me all week, she showed up and gave a talk to the whole entire stake about her conversion, and made me so very proud. I'm not sure I could have been prouder if she was my daughter and she'd just won a gold medal. It moved me. Now I just gotta hope that she lets me back in her home this week so we can keep up that spiritual high and keep her penitent and involved in the church still so we don't lose her. Gosh I am so happy with how that worked out.
God is awesome guys. Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.PS random thought I had yesterday... I can usually tell how much I like a person by whether they comment on my tie being a USC Trojan tie, or if they ask if it's a Gryffindor tie. Tell Uncle Mike I need a UCLA-themed tie... and I'll keep wearing my Gryffindor tie a lot because I love it to pieces.
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