Friday, February 8, 2013

First Full Week!


 
 
OK first things first I'm doing great. The days are starting to fly by after Monday. Really this week was so fast. Each day when we go to eat I almost don't want to because we will be eating dinner and I swear we had just barely eaten breakfast...

Me and my companion Elder Harvey were walking to teach our lesson with an investigator on Monday and we were between buildings. Outside but down about a hundred yards from us we see like twelve people walking toward us all older guys. When we get closer we see the guy in the center in Quinton L. Cook!!! We were the only ones around and as we neared him (we were walking to where they were coming from) he said hello to us and asked how we were! We shook his hand and said we were doing great and he said that that's fantastic and then they all continued moving on. It was so crazy. Secondly when we were at devotional on Tuesday me and Elder Harvey were siting near the front row and Don R. Clarke of the Quorum of the Seventy walked in. He shook the hand of the lady in front of us and then leaned over and shook both mine and Elder Harvey's hand as well! Ha we are stoked about being 2 for 2 with general authorities so far.

This week has been crazy. We taught five lessons to our first "investigator" in straight Spanish. He is from Chile and spoke pretty much no English. It was pretty hard because anytime we testified of a truth to him he just asked how we know it, when we explained it was a belief and a testimony we have he said how. When we explained about the Holy Ghost he said well I don't believe in that. So we had to talk about that and explain stuff. Eventually we figured out he was mad with God because his mom died when he was young. Long story short he was always difficult. I see Austin a lot and when I told him about how our investigator was he said we were unlucky because that is our first investigator and that's already harder than any he has had.. So we got a way hard investigator on our first one. Hopefully that will help us become better missionary's.

The language is coming a long pretty quick. I still don't remember a lot of the rules that I knew in school by tenth grade but I know a bunch of vocab. It's crazy. During the lessons with Benjamin (our investigator) I would say words I haven't remembered or heard since like ninth or tenth grade and I could understand words I don't think I've ever heard in my entire life. It is crazy how it happens that way. I don't need to study that hard but I still remember a ton of vocab. I know I've got a long way to go, but its coming way quick too.

My Spanish teacher is amazing for us. He was born in Puerto Rico and when he was young he moved to Ohio. Now he is 24 and very clean shave and just looks and acts great. But the craziest thing was he shared with us his background story. He said he is a convert to the church at age 17. When he was 16 he was in Gangs in Ohio, has been shot at in gun fights and shot at people as well. He showed us a picture of his drivers licence and he has dread locks down to his chest. He is big and had earrings in in the picture. And he testified to us that anyone can change for the better. Honestly if I had seen him back then I would have been scared for my life because he would have been able to kill me easily. But now, since his baptism he served in Argentina and is now married to the girl that introduced him to the church. It was amazing to hear his story. I hope I'll be able to keep all of that in mind when I
am in California and see someone.

Me and my companion are still getting a long great. Honestly I have zero issues in the morning and I don't think he has any for me. The craziest thing is we will both get in the shower at the same time in the morning, and I am really taking like a 6-7 minute shower total and by the time I am back in the room he has showered, dried off, changed in to church clothes and has part of a journal entry done. Ha ha I am convinced he just waits for me to get in the shower, turns on his shower and then just gets his hair wet and walks back into the room and changes.

My district is great as well. They are all just awesome. Our zone leaders come into our room every night and give me and Elder Harvey "goodnight" hugs. There is a picture of those two attached. Elder Webb is the big guy and Elder Nay is the small guy.

There is also a picture of my entire district attach and we are all pointing to where we are going as well as a picture of Elder Richardson, me, Elder Harvey, and Elder O'riordon (The guy next to Dallin, he is from Australia)

Oh and I met a Reed Jarvis from Lafayette. I asked if he knew grandma and grandpa and after some more talking I figured out he knows Kelly and Ryan! He was in their ward and Ryan used to come into his class all the time!

Final bit is we got knew roommates this week because Elder Richardson and O'riordan left for Italy on Tuesday. Me and Elder Harvey pranked them and pretended I was from Austria and barely knew any English. The only English I knew was what I picked up from being here a week so I only communicated with them with the little Spanish I had learned here. And Elder Harvey pretended to be from Australia... We pulled it off for over half an hour but it was just to dang awkward and funny so we cracked and told them the truth. They are sweet as well. I'll give you more details about them later.

Um... Yeah I'm about out of time. The days are crazy long and crazy short at the same time. This week feels like its gone by so fast and that i still just barely got here. We have the longest days but the shortest weeks here.

I love you all. Keep writing to me I love the letters through dear elder or regular ones it doesn't matter. 
Thanks

Elder Carson Richards

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