Things are going well here. Tough week but we're enduring it well. The big killer was our bikes getting stolen. We locked them downtown and they were gone next time we came there. So that's going to hurt things here. Bikes (in my opinion) are the key to a "walk” area's success. They give you a lot of moving power, you aren't dependent on buses, but you can still talk to people and are accessible and versatile. Though apparently, a new city ordinance means that we have to ride in the streets or we will get rebuked? Arrested? Yelled at? (Not really sure) by the police.
The other day, I was basically deep in the heart of the city and had to use the bathroom. It was bad. We knocked on this guy’s door, and I asked him if I could use his bathroom. I did so, trusting in the power of Elder G to get him interested. He did, and we did. The guy was way chill, his name's D and he's 16. We had a really awesome Restoration lesson where he could feel the Spirit strongly; he accepted baptism on the spot. He felt like things really clicked for him and it was actually really awesome! Things were great! There were a lot of bright spots this week, making up for the major rotten patch of J moving away this week, meaning that we will not be able to baptize him. So that's a big bummer. But M is way on track. Cool thing this week was that we had her at church. She's this Spanish lady who feels really uncomfortable with all the English folks. We were really trying to help her out and she was being stubborn and eventually I just asked, "What do we have to do to get you to come to church?" That didn't seem too inspired to me but it worked! Her heart softened and she said, "I'll come. Just get me a ride." We volunteered on family and she said "No, that man talks too much." We volunteered another and she said that would be just wonderful. So she came and had a great experience, felt the Spirit really strong, and basically loved it. MISSIONARY WORK!
Here's a weird story I'll tell you. So here we are walking down the street and this guy comes up to us, he’s like, "I need to talk to you guys. I'm so glad to see you here." And we're feeling pretty stoked, so we sit down and start talking to him. He is basically crazy. He would make several logical points followed by a huge incongruous jump. For example: " This is a triangle. Triangles have three sides. Ancient Egyptians and Mayans would build pyramids, which have four sides {I did not point out at this point that pyramids have 5 sides}. When you look at them from the side, it's a triangle! Triangles are on our dollar bills! Our founding fathers put them there. When you put the shape of a pyramid and a triangle together, you get an obelisk!" I could go on but there wouldn't be much point. We tried to gently extricate ourselves from the conversation, but he would do anything to keep us talking to him. So we had to basically shut him down and run away, because he started chasing after us. Also, he implied very heavily that he was Jesus Christ. Man, you meet weird people on the mission.
So if there's anything that I've learned on the mish, it’s that it's a really good idea to live the Word of Wisdom. Elder G and I were walking the streets, as we’re wont to do, and a lady comes by carrying a baby rocker thing, and she is struggling. So we asked if we could help her out, and she accepted. So I'm carrying the thing, and it's bit awkward because it's a big contraption, but it's not THAT heavy. So as we're walking to her apartment she begins to tell us her life problems, and she starts right off the get-go by telling us that she has a serious marijuana problem. So we walk up 4 flights of stairs, and she’s basically dying. She has to stop, wheezing and panting for breath. I was seriously considering if I should pretend to be out of breath too, so she didn't feel as bad. So we get to the apartment, and by the smell I’d assume the previous occupant was the Marlboro Man. But we talk to her a bit and she seemed to show a legitimate interest in the church so we asked if we could set up a return appointment on Wednesday at 8. She tells us that'll work fine, as there aren't any really good programs on then anyways. So we were pleased to know that the word of God rates a little below Hell's Kitchen with her. What was the point of this story? Just live the Word of Wisdom and don't put crap in your body. Seriously.
Love,
Elder Wright
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