May 8, 2017

May 8, 2017

I guess I could also give you the update on the week like I normally do. So...

This week:

Hospital scrubs, "the closest to swimming...," breaking 80, meeting the people, and the torturous-two!

Kind of like last week, the previous one saw it's fair share of action and in-action. Which is good as far as the work perspective goes, so I guess I can't really complain!

During those action parts we had a couple of fun experiences. One of which required us and Bro. Reese, our member split, to drive to the hospital to visit a Less-Active member of the ward who had been admitted. We were just about to walk into her room when a nurse told us we had to dress up in disposable clothing used to block contagious diseases. So we each had to dress up in these paper-like scrubs along with gloves and a small breathing mask. Linda, the gal who we were visiting, admitted the get-up seemed unnecessary, but safety first, I guess. I suppose it was foreshadowing my future career or something. 

In our weekly service, we found ourselves helping Bro. Foster out again by rolling the tarp back on his pool. Now I've never worked in pool maintenance, and I always assumed that every pool is drained and re-filled every spring. I was wrong, it was still quite full. And don't worry I didn't accidentally jump in thinking it was an empty skate-rink. Even then, while the water was clearer than I thought it would be, it was less than inviting. It had become a burial-at-sea for hundreds of worms, on top of (or rather, underneath) the floating shrubbery that had fallen in from rolling the tarp back. We got a couple of nets and started fishing out all the floaties. And at one point mine disconnected at the middle and I had to plunge my arm into the water to grab the sinking end! 'Bout the closest to swimming I've come too do out here. Still, not as trunked out for swimming as much as Elder Vejnar is probably getting at this point.

After hooking a hose up to Bro. Foster's shop-vac, we started siphoning the pool at a snail's pace. Which didn't bother us, it's not like we were staying there for the whole day. But we did notice that the temperature had broken 80 degrees that day. Not as hot as it could be, but a prelude to the impending Summer. A lot of the Spring blossoms are starting to disappear and be replaced by green leaves. Which is a lovely sight. And it seemed like everyone else was feeling it too!

Despite that, tracting efforts have seen some great success! But as tracting goes it came after a lot of trying. We met a lot of different people with even more different backgrounds, attitudes, and mindsets. Heh heh, at one point we were raking leaves and started hearing this guy in a truck ranting up a storm at our car we had parked on the side of the road. Due to some hedge in-between us the fellow didn't see us. But by his language it was clear he knew who we were. So to avoid confrontation, we decided to preemptively confront him. And he drove away as soon as we came around the corner. There was a native veteran who had listened to this guy standing there. He told us kindly that some guys get upset whenever we park there because it causes them to slow down to fit their rig and whatever-they're-towing to fit the gap.

I'm not certain why I just told that story. But oh well.

Anyhoo, we also got to teach a new guy named Collin, and he's super cool! He has a lot of faith in God, and he related really well with Joseph Smith because they're both New Yorkers who had questions about which religion was right! During another instance we had tried by a potential investigator, only to find that he wasn't home but his neighbor had just pulled up. I think the Spirit whispered to us to go talk to him, and you know, he was really cool! Alex was his name, and we shared the Prince of Peace video with him. Set up a time to meet again!  Right place, right time.

Yep, we crashed a few parties as well. Catching a LA family named the Boyers during a social get-together. I think Daniel, the dad, was a little tipsy, because he took us on a tour of his lawn and asked us where we were from 3 times. But he wanted us to come by for Wednesday for dinner, so we'll see how that goes! And to cap it all off, we had the Barry's for dinner yesterday, and they had 6 of their kids home for a baptism, and consequently about another 20 cousins there between the ages of 4 and 6. It was hectic, but their parents made a pretty awesome family of siblings. Kind of reminded me of Daniel, Brooke, and Paul. Give my love to them!

And other than that, we had a good week. May not have been groundbreaking, but I can say that we did out best out there. I hit 22 months yesterday so that brings us in for the final 2 months left. Weird. But life is awesome in Coulee Dam right now, so I'm certain it's going to be a blast! Thanks again for all you guys do to help out. And you know, I guess I'll be talking to you on Sunday! Love you all though! Keep up the outstanding work!

Michael

on June 10 they're having a mission conference for all missionaries in the Yakima and Kennewick mission in Tri-cities next to the temple. There will be a member of the Twelve and Seventy addressing us! I'm so excited for it! But I'm just as excited every week to hear from you guys too. I love this Gospel, and I know that this is Christ's true and living church on the Earth today. Otherwise, I don't know where I’d be in life. It wouldn't be as great as it is now, and as it always will be with you guys!  Love you!