SO FIRST, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS HAD AN AWESOME WEEK. CONGRATS TOM AND CHRIS ON YOUR GRADUATION! AND DAD I HOPE WORK WASN'T TOO MISERABLE TODAY AFTER TWO WEEKS OFF! SOUNDS LIKE BIG SUR WAS AWESOME AS WELL. CONGRATS TO TY TOO FOR BEING ENGAGED NOW. THANKS FOR TELLING ME ABOUT THE WEEK IN UTAH, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU PACKED A LOT OF STUFF IN ONE WEEK. AND MOM YOU'RE IN IDAHO NOW? SWEET. AND EM'S IN MAMMOTH? IF SHE EVER CALLS TELL HER THAT IF SHE RUNS UNDER 13 MINUTES FOR THE "LIFE HILL" I'LL GIVE HER 25 CENTS.
WE HAVE SOME AWESOME INVESTIGATORS WE'RE TEACHING AND ALSO STILL SPENDING TIME TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE. ON FRIDAY WE WENT TO MONTEVALLO (THERE IS A LITTLE OLD UNIVERSITY THERE) AND RODE BIKES ALL OVER. I LITERALLY PROBABLY SWEAT LIKE A GALLON AND DEFINITELY MORE THAN EVER BEFORE IN MY LIFE. IT WAS WEIRD, I WASN'T BREATHING HARD OR ANYTHING IT WAS JUST SO HOT AND RIDICULOUSLY HUMID. THEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS A THUNDERSTORM WHICH FELT NICE FOR THE FIRST FEW SECONDS... BUT ANYWAYS WE MUST HAVE LOOKED SO PATHETICALLY TRASHY WHILE KNOCKING ON DOORS.
SPEAKING OF THUNDERSTORMS, OUR CHURCH BUILDING GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING A FEW WEEKS AGO (DID I ALREADY TELL YOU THIS?) WHILE WE WERE PLAYING B-BALL. AND ALL THE SPEAKERS MADE A LOUD NOISE AND SPARKS FLEW OUT OF THEM--IT WAS INTERESTING. TORNADO SEASON IS STARTING SO I'M HOPING TO SEE ONE.
ANYWAYS IT'S GOING WELL, I SUPPOSE. OAK MOUNTAIN [current area] IS TINY BUT WE DON'T REALLY SPEND TIME IN OAK MOUNTAIN, WE'RE IN ALABASTER AND HELENA WHICH ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO B'HAM. NOT SURE IF IT IS CONSIDERED A SUBURB OR NOT, BUT PROBABLY LIKE 45 MINUTES AWAY [from Birmingham].
WELL WE ARE TEACHING A LADY NAMED TERESA WHO IS PROGRESSING REALLY WELL. WHEN WE SHOWED UP AT HER HOUSE ON SATURDAY SHE HAD BEEN READING THE BOOK OF MORMON ALL MORNING AND HAD A LIST OF QUESTIONS. SHE IS A REALLY COOL LADY. NOW WHEN SHE GAINS A TESTIMONY ABOUT THE WORD OF WISDOM WE'LL BE GOOD. AND SHE CAME AND SAT WITH US AT CHURCH. ALONG WITH ANOTHER INVESTIGATOR, AARON, AN EX JEHOVAH WITNESS WHO KNOWS MORE ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON THAN I DO. ON A SIDE NOTE, WHENEVER YOU GIVE A TALK OR A LESSON IN CHURCH, REALIZE THAT THERE IS LIKELY AN INVESTIGATOR THERE WHO MIGHT THINK CERTAIN THINGS YOU SAY ARE WEIRD. WE HAD SOME INTERESTING SPEAKERS SUNDAY. AND I'M SURE SOME FAST AND TESTIMONY MEETINGS WILL GET A LOT [more interesting].
WE TAUGHT A 12-YR-OLD GIRL WHO'S FAMILY IS LESS ACTIVE BUT THEY WANNA START COMING BACK, AND SHE WILL PROBABLY CHOOSE TO BE BAPTIZED SOON. I'M SURPRISED AT THE NUMBER OF LESS ACTIVES THAT WE VISIT THAT STILL HAVE TESTIMONIES, AND MANY OF THE MEN EVEN WENT ON MISSIONS BUT NOW DON'T GO TO CHURCH.
OUR WARD MISSION LEADER IS AWESOME. HE IS SOO SMART AND KNOWS THE ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTION THAT ANTI-MORMON LITERATURE CAN TELL PEOPLE. AND HE HELPS US TEACH SMART PEOPLE WITH TOUGH QUESTIONS AND STUFF SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM AS OUR WARD MISSION LEADER. WE'RE GONNA WORK REALLY HARD TO MAKE "EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY."
MY COMPANION ELDER CHUGG IS FROM WEST HAVEN UTAH, HE'S BEEN OUT HERE FOR ALMOST A YEAR.
I'M LEARNING A LOT OF STUFF ABOUT CHURCH HISTORY AND THE BOOK OF MORMON THAT I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF. I'VE LEARNED THAT RECOGNIZING THE SPIRIT IS NOT VERY EASY, BUT NECESSARY FOR BOTH MISSIONARIES AND INVESTIGATORS. AND PEOPLE ARE ALL USUALLY NICE, BUT NOT VERY OPEN MINDED HERE AT ALL COMPARED TO CALIFORNIA.
LOVE YOU ALL TOO, AND GLAD YOU COULD WRAP UP THE SUMMER WITH LOTSA FUN STUFF. WELLP, BYE.
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