Dear Family,
Transfers were this week. I'm in an area called Pauls Valley, which is south of Oklahoma City, north of Ardmore. My new companion is Elder J. He has one transfer left ...great...."Sigh"...
This week I've been doing a lot of service. In this one week, we've already helped someone move twice, mucked out a horse stall (it's actually better than cleaning a catbox...), and dug up a sewage tank...gross, huh.....
I'm in a small branch of less than 80 people, so it's really nice to be able to get to know all the members relatively quick.
That's literally all that's happened with me this week. Thanks for the e-mails.
Love you all,
Elder Raymond the Younger
P.S. Mom, could you send me another pair of jeans please?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Smitten with Smiting...
Dear family,
This past week has been interesting. It's kind of hard to remember what went on though because the days seem to blend together. This week I tracted with my companion all day, every day. It was fun...Alot of interesting things have happened though. We were at a members house and they have this kitten that mysteriously arrived at their house after the May tornadoes. So they took it in and called it Twister. So anyway, this family is an elderly woman and her husband. So we were over there for dinner on Wednesday (the food was amazing) and she decided to show us what her cat can do...So she runs into the garage and brings out this small cat. She is holding it vertically under its front legs and having it walk on the ground. Then she takes the glasses off this tiny Santa figurine and she puts them on the cat! She then proceeded to make the cat dance around and sing (while wearing the glasses) and after it's "performance" she had it bow and then released it (and it promptly tried to climb on my head....). It was probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my entire life. It was amazing. The next day we had District meeting (which was good) and we went to this Chinese buffet afterward. The best part though is that they had an all you can eat Mongolian grill INCLUDED in the price of the buffet!!! WHOA IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!!! I loved it. Alright, the next day we had the opportunity to go to a baptism that someone in our district was having. It was for a woman I had taught before when I was on exchanges with the district leader, and she was extremely happy and even more emotional. It was interesting but really cool to see how excited she was to be baptized. So, at the baptism after she was baptized and she was pulled out of the water she exclaimed "HALLELUJAH, I'M A MORMON! I've waited 30 years for this!!!". Suffice to say, It was hilarious. Some of the more "traditional" woman at the baptism were mortified but I thought it was awesome that she was so excited and so happy. It was an awesome experience. So that was on Saturday and her confirmation was the next day and she wanted all the missionaries to stand in for it (there were 6 of us)! So we went to the sacrament meeting and stood in the circle for the confirmation. It was awesome. So we were in our church meeting (our zone leaders and us are in the same ward) and our zone leaders had an investigator there. He was sitting there and after the sacrament prayer for the water he turns to my companion and said "This is holy water! We could burn vampires with this!" It was funny. Then in priesthood they asked him to introduce himself so he awkwardly stood up, said his name and asked if there was anything else they wanted to know. One of the members in priesthood asked him if he was investigating and this was his response: "Investigating? NO, I'm ready to go! I'm ready to just dive right in! I would do anything for y'all, I'd smite someone if you needed me to!". It was also awesome. Then after the priesthood meeting (we talked about baptisms for the dead) He came up to my companion and told him: "Baptisms for the dead are awesome! But when do I get to smite someone?!" I don't know what it was, but this guy was bound and determined to smite someone....Anyway, that was my Sunday. Something else that happened on Sunday...Transfer information...I'm getting transferred! I'm leaving El Reno and I'm going to a place called Paul's Valley. My new companions name is Elder J. I don't know anything about him but I'm pretty excited. Transfers are on Wednesday. That's about all that has happened with me this week. Thanks for the e-mails, although I would still like Emma's new address so she doesn't think that I have forgotten her...Thank you for your letters and stories, they are definitely one of the highlights of my week.
Love you all,
Elder Raymond the Younger
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
It's MY Peanut Butter!!!
Dear family,
This week was interesting...it flew by uber, uber fast. Something interesting happened today though. We are teaching a less active, part member family. The mom is living with her boyfriend and wants to get back to church, so we are teaching her and her boyfriend, however the boyfriend closes up instantly like a clam if we push too hard so we have to be super careful. So anyway, we were tracting when we knock on a certain door and an elderly woman answers the door. She let us in and started telling us how she grew up a member and was baptized but she didn't raise her son in the church....It turns out that this lady is the Mom to the aforementioned boyfriend! mwa-ha-ha-hah....now we can teach the mom and have her work with him! Ha! When nothing else works, involve the mom!
Thursday we had zone conference! It is when the entire zone gets together and we have kind of a fireside and lunch from our mission president. It was awesome! At lunch they told us that mail and packages were on the stage and I had read in a previous e-mail that you sent me that you sent me something, so I hoped that one of them would be mine...AND ONE WAS! :D! I was uber excited! Thank you for all the awesome things in the package, and all the awesome t-shirts, food, random things, and SPUD!!! Spud now has a permanent home on my desk.
So now I have a story for you and it's about peanut butter. My last companion (Elder N.) got transferred out and the only thing I asked him to leave was the Peter Pan peanut butter. So he went to transfers and he left me the peanut butter. Well, then he had to pass back through here to get to his new area so he stopped at the apartment one last time and he told the zone leaders that he thought, "what can I steal? ", and he stole the peanut butter...jerk....so then I was mad about that for a while and when zone conference came around they stayed in our apartment which was pretty cool, and Elder N. was telling me how specifically took the peanut butter because I wanted it, so of course I had to get him back somehow....So this is what I did. The zone leaders (who I happen to be friends with...) were going down to his area to do an exchange with elder N. down in his area because he's the district leader, and so I asked them to steal my peanut butter back! So they did. The peanut butter has a permanent home in this apartment where it belongs. The zone leaders accidentally stole some of the peanut butter that he bought though, so I have to send that stuff back, but the rest is mine!!! That is the story about the peanut butter....juvenile, but funny.
We went to the temple on Friday as well! It was amazing as usual. I'm so blessed to be able to have a temple in my mission boundaries. We still just tract every day, so I don't really have any cool teaching stories sorry....
Thank you all for the package again, it was more appreciated than you know.
Sorry I missed Caiti's birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
It's good to hear all the news from home, and that you are all doing so well. Thank you for all that you do for me and all the wonderful things you have taught me! Keep being awesome!
Love,
Elder Raymond the Younger
This week was interesting...it flew by uber, uber fast. Something interesting happened today though. We are teaching a less active, part member family. The mom is living with her boyfriend and wants to get back to church, so we are teaching her and her boyfriend, however the boyfriend closes up instantly like a clam if we push too hard so we have to be super careful. So anyway, we were tracting when we knock on a certain door and an elderly woman answers the door. She let us in and started telling us how she grew up a member and was baptized but she didn't raise her son in the church....It turns out that this lady is the Mom to the aforementioned boyfriend! mwa-ha-ha-hah....now we can teach the mom and have her work with him! Ha! When nothing else works, involve the mom!
Thursday we had zone conference! It is when the entire zone gets together and we have kind of a fireside and lunch from our mission president. It was awesome! At lunch they told us that mail and packages were on the stage and I had read in a previous e-mail that you sent me that you sent me something, so I hoped that one of them would be mine...AND ONE WAS! :D! I was uber excited! Thank you for all the awesome things in the package, and all the awesome t-shirts, food, random things, and SPUD!!! Spud now has a permanent home on my desk.
So now I have a story for you and it's about peanut butter. My last companion (Elder N.) got transferred out and the only thing I asked him to leave was the Peter Pan peanut butter. So he went to transfers and he left me the peanut butter. Well, then he had to pass back through here to get to his new area so he stopped at the apartment one last time and he told the zone leaders that he thought, "what can I steal? ", and he stole the peanut butter...jerk....so then I was mad about that for a while and when zone conference came around they stayed in our apartment which was pretty cool, and Elder N. was telling me how specifically took the peanut butter because I wanted it, so of course I had to get him back somehow....So this is what I did. The zone leaders (who I happen to be friends with...) were going down to his area to do an exchange with elder N. down in his area because he's the district leader, and so I asked them to steal my peanut butter back! So they did. The peanut butter has a permanent home in this apartment where it belongs. The zone leaders accidentally stole some of the peanut butter that he bought though, so I have to send that stuff back, but the rest is mine!!! That is the story about the peanut butter....juvenile, but funny.
We went to the temple on Friday as well! It was amazing as usual. I'm so blessed to be able to have a temple in my mission boundaries. We still just tract every day, so I don't really have any cool teaching stories sorry....
Thank you all for the package again, it was more appreciated than you know.
Sorry I missed Caiti's birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
It's good to hear all the news from home, and that you are all doing so well. Thank you for all that you do for me and all the wonderful things you have taught me! Keep being awesome!
Love,
Elder Raymond the Younger
Friday, September 2, 2011
Planting Seeds...
This week was interesting...again.....
On Tuesday, I was hugged by a drunk Indian...yes, you read that right...We were teaching this guy, his name is L., and the whole time we are talking this guy is totally drunk....He is WASTED!!! Anyway, we get done with the lesson, and the whole time he is offering us water, and then forgets and offers us more water, and then forgets again, this happens over and over, and at the end of the lesson we ask him if there is anything that we can do for him. He told us that he was good, but he wanted us to pray for him. So we did and he nearly started crying. He then proceeded to tell us how awesome we were and how "we were the best people he's ever met" and then he ran inside and grabbed his sister so that she could talk to us too! Sweet! Anyway, Elder S. was teaching her and I ended up distracting L. so that my companion could teach effectively without constantly being interrupted with water offers. Elder S. finished teaching B., L.'s sister, and offered to say a prayer with her as well. After that prayer L. started to cry a little bit and then he walked up to me and hugged me!!! AUGH!!! You all know how much I like hugs........"shiver"....anyway when he finally released me he went after Elder S. and hugged him too! So that is my story of getting hugged by a drunk Indian....
We also found an investigator who is serious about meeting with us and accepted a baptismal commitment after the first lesson! There are still kinks being worked out with that though....more to be posted later.
The next day we were supposed to get a ride from a member to an area in our area that is in the middle of nowhere.....unfortunately he never showed up, or called us......So we went and tracted! We met a guy that had just recently gotten out of jail, and he was reading the Book of Mormon while he was there, but when he got out he was unable to get hold of one, so I gave him one! I find that the people who just recently get out of jail are those who are most likely to listen. Then we had dinner at a members house. It was pretty good.
Someone gave us a cantaloupe and a cucumber on Friday! So now I am trying to grow a cantaloupe....it's not working so far.....hmmm......
Another tracting story....I have lots of these. We were tracting a street when we come to a house and it sounds like there is a party going on inside (not a rare occurrence). Anyway, we knock on this door and this 6 foot 6 inches guy comes out. This guy looks like he might be Indian, or Mexican, we're not quite sure....anyway, this guy is also completely drunk....(another non-rare occurrence). He asks us how we're doing and if he can help us. Because this guy is so drunk Elder S. just looks at him and in this uber happy and peppy voice says, "We're here to talk about Jesus!!!" This guy goes off about how great Jesus was and how he is in his heart and he already knows him but he appreciates us coming by, la dee da dee da.....yada yada....and then he walks away and he pretty much told us that we need to go take advantage of some women because it will make us braver.....WHAT THE HECK?! Anyway, those weren't his exact words, but I won't type them because if I do I think I might be struck by lightning....(or sucked into a tornado because it's Oklahoma...). Yeah, it was weird.....Anyway, after that we tracted into a couple kids who were standing outside their house smoking. We start to share the message with them and the whole time there's this kid with a switchblade that is just flicking it in, out, in, out, in, out. We gave him a Book of Mormon anyway. Then we were tracting in a different part of El Reno the next day when we reach a certain house....we knock on this door and this teenage girl answers the door. We ask her if her parents are home and she tells us " Yes, my mom is in my backyard swimming with my youth pastor...." hmmm.....alrighty then. So we gave her a mormon.org card and moved on. The next house we knock on is an older guy who is living with his Ex-mother in law....yeah, lots of interesting things happen here...That's about the sum of my week.
Thank you all for all your letters, I can't tell you how much I appreciate them! The gospel is definitely true and it blesses people's lives in more ways that they can imagine. Keep being awesome everyone.
Love,
Elder Raymond the Younger
P.S. I haven't gotten my box yet. :(
On Tuesday, I was hugged by a drunk Indian...yes, you read that right...We were teaching this guy, his name is L., and the whole time we are talking this guy is totally drunk....He is WASTED!!! Anyway, we get done with the lesson, and the whole time he is offering us water, and then forgets and offers us more water, and then forgets again, this happens over and over, and at the end of the lesson we ask him if there is anything that we can do for him. He told us that he was good, but he wanted us to pray for him. So we did and he nearly started crying. He then proceeded to tell us how awesome we were and how "we were the best people he's ever met" and then he ran inside and grabbed his sister so that she could talk to us too! Sweet! Anyway, Elder S. was teaching her and I ended up distracting L. so that my companion could teach effectively without constantly being interrupted with water offers. Elder S. finished teaching B., L.'s sister, and offered to say a prayer with her as well. After that prayer L. started to cry a little bit and then he walked up to me and hugged me!!! AUGH!!! You all know how much I like hugs........"shiver"....anyway when he finally released me he went after Elder S. and hugged him too! So that is my story of getting hugged by a drunk Indian....
We also found an investigator who is serious about meeting with us and accepted a baptismal commitment after the first lesson! There are still kinks being worked out with that though....more to be posted later.
The next day we were supposed to get a ride from a member to an area in our area that is in the middle of nowhere.....unfortunately he never showed up, or called us......So we went and tracted! We met a guy that had just recently gotten out of jail, and he was reading the Book of Mormon while he was there, but when he got out he was unable to get hold of one, so I gave him one! I find that the people who just recently get out of jail are those who are most likely to listen. Then we had dinner at a members house. It was pretty good.
Someone gave us a cantaloupe and a cucumber on Friday! So now I am trying to grow a cantaloupe....it's not working so far.....hmmm......
Another tracting story....I have lots of these. We were tracting a street when we come to a house and it sounds like there is a party going on inside (not a rare occurrence). Anyway, we knock on this door and this 6 foot 6 inches guy comes out. This guy looks like he might be Indian, or Mexican, we're not quite sure....anyway, this guy is also completely drunk....(another non-rare occurrence). He asks us how we're doing and if he can help us. Because this guy is so drunk Elder S. just looks at him and in this uber happy and peppy voice says, "We're here to talk about Jesus!!!" This guy goes off about how great Jesus was and how he is in his heart and he already knows him but he appreciates us coming by, la dee da dee da.....yada yada....and then he walks away and he pretty much told us that we need to go take advantage of some women because it will make us braver.....WHAT THE HECK?! Anyway, those weren't his exact words, but I won't type them because if I do I think I might be struck by lightning....(or sucked into a tornado because it's Oklahoma...). Yeah, it was weird.....Anyway, after that we tracted into a couple kids who were standing outside their house smoking. We start to share the message with them and the whole time there's this kid with a switchblade that is just flicking it in, out, in, out, in, out. We gave him a Book of Mormon anyway. Then we were tracting in a different part of El Reno the next day when we reach a certain house....we knock on this door and this teenage girl answers the door. We ask her if her parents are home and she tells us " Yes, my mom is in my backyard swimming with my youth pastor...." hmmm.....alrighty then. So we gave her a mormon.org card and moved on. The next house we knock on is an older guy who is living with his Ex-mother in law....yeah, lots of interesting things happen here...That's about the sum of my week.
Thank you all for all your letters, I can't tell you how much I appreciate them! The gospel is definitely true and it blesses people's lives in more ways that they can imagine. Keep being awesome everyone.
Love,
Elder Raymond the Younger
P.S. I haven't gotten my box yet. :(
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