Week 38

Hey howdy Hey!

First, I've noticed that the people down here don't ever pronounce their TH's.  For example 'i just love stuff like 'at'  "i don't ever go over 'ere"  it's pretty funny.

Anywho, This week was a doosy for crazies.  I was in Paducah KY for a few days on exchanges with the ZL's and man, Kentucky is about what you'd think it would be.  Full of crazy hicks.

First we go to this trailer park looking for a referral and we talk to this guy who was actually pretty cool and really nice, (Which the people were all nice, just crazy) and he told us some houses to check to see if that was the one he lived at.  So we get to this other house and a guy answers without a shirt kinda peeking behind the door, so we talk for a bit and find out he's not the guy and as we are about to leave he kinda walks away from the door and we see that he's completely nude.....  now luckily i turned away when i saw a majority of his white hairless leg, so i didn't see anything bad.  But Elder Hussey (the ZL) saw it...  poor guy. 

And then we went to go give this guy Billy Joe a blessing, Billy joe is the ward crazy.  Billy Joe has the worst shantiest house I've ever beheld.  If you saw it you'd think it should be condemned.  It looked like was was.   Anyways, Billy Joe is just lounging in his one piece.  long story short.  Weird times.

Then we go see this guy who's a vet, and has a dairy and has several race horses.  So he's filthy rich.  He was crazy.  The most crazy of them all.  We even watched him neuter a dog... so that was also weird.   Oh man... all i can say about this guy is i'm glad i'm not in Paducah full time so i don't have to see him again. 

If there is ever anyone who wants to drink or do drugs, send them to this guy and they'll change their minds.

Meanwhile, here in the Foxcroft ward they set a date with Melissa, a lady I found on exchanges last time with the ZL's!  So now we have 3 1/2 with a date!!!  Soon to be more as she has twins that are 13.  then on Saturday we went and did a community service project with her in her town.  so that was really fun and we got to know her a lot better.

Ryan is still doing Awesome! Even his wife is doing well! she was actually going to come to church yesterday but i guess she decided too late and couldn't get ready in time... So next week!  But yeah, Ryan will be baptized on Saturday!

Welp! that's all folks!

Love Ya'll!!!

-Elder Martin the better

Week 37

Woo hoo!!!  it's finnaly springish outside!  Warm, sunny (for the most part), a little windy, and Green! and pink and yellow and all manner of blossom colors.  And of course...  Spiders....  Here's a motto i've lived my recent life in.  "There's nothing to fear but fear itself. . . . . And spiders..."  Hate 'em.

 

So monday we went and helped someone in the ward give his dad a blessing in the hospital which was a really cool spiritual experience, and then the next day we helped him (the son) and our WML put up some trusses at the WML's marina that he owns which was pretty fun. Good ol' physical labor! 

 

Then on wednesday we went and saw a guy named Kevin Blades (Who we actually found out is a cousin to a less active guy in the ward) that we've been teaching and we set a date for baptism with him! we set it for the 27th as well, but we'll have to move it back because he can't get to church on his own and we cant find any members in town willing to take him...  lame... 

But!! Ryan is still super on track for the 27th!  he's totally prepared for his baptism.  In fact last week he asked us if he could pay tithing even if he wasn't a member yet...  How cool is that, there are some members that dont even pay tithing.  So yesterday at church he indeed paid tithing.  We havn't even taught him about tithing yet by the way...

 

We also went to another hospital to give another guy a blessing and after we did and were walking out a lady stopped US as we walked by and asked us to pray for her, and then we told her we could give her a priesthood blessing and stuff.  So we did, in the middle of the lobby with people walking all around us.  So that was pretty neat.  We then gave her a BoM and she said she wants us to come by and teach her sometime! 

 

Things are happening here in the Foxcroft ward!!

 

So the Marina that our WML own's, we will be going there today to go fishing! Yay!  Something to do on pday!  I'm excited for that.

Speaking of fish, i had the first fish that didn't taste like the bottom of a swamp.  It was a catfish i guess.

 

You guys should all watch a video called "Missionary work and the Atonement" it has things from talks by Elder Eyring and Elder Holland, and while its technically for missionaries i think it applies to everyone.  Its really good.  you should be able to find it on youtube i think.

 

Welp, that is all for now!

 

Love ya'll

-Elder Martin

Week 36

Gen-Con has come and gone,  We have all learned a ton of stuff and are hopefully better people. 

 

What was ya'll's favorite talks?  My top three were probably (in no order) Elder Cardon's of the 70, Elder Eyrings and President Monson's.

 

So let's see what has happened this week. 

 

We were Finally able to see Ryan Horn at his house!  His wife's heart was softened i guess.  And we Set a date!  He is one of the most prepared people i've met.  He came to part of Conference and took notes and apparently his wife is actually warming up to the idea of mormonism!  Which is Crazy!! she used to not let us over because we weren't catholic...   His date is set for April 27th. 

Which By the way, transfer's are this week and Elder Dudley and I are both staying! so i will actually get to be here for one of my baptisms!

 

Anyways, we met this guy this week, he's an inactive, and he is INSANE!!! like quite literally...  He talked about how his parents knew brigham young and so he hate's him cause he was a crook and a liar and a thief, and wasn't at all a man of God.  He talked about how Joseph smith didn't really die at Carthage, but they stormed in and Took him and burned him and castrated him and hung him on a cross...  he wouldn't listen to anything else... Then he told us of a place south of SLC that we should go, you know what, i'll just paraphrase him

 

"There is a place in utah that is a holy place, Brigham young didn't know about it... He would've if he was a man of God, but he wasn't. You must go there...  But first you need to get food and water and guns and tents and other supplies, and then you must get 4 men like You! (pointing to me, for some reason he loved me, it was pretty scary actually) and you cant bring Any women, they simply won't be good enough.  Anyways, you must go south of Salt Lake and stop at the first gas station, there you must pray, not for just 5 minute's or 10 or 15 or even just an hour! you might as well pitch your tents cause you'll be praying All day and night!  and then each of you will get your answer on where to go next, Dont tell eachother!!!  just write down your revelations and they will all be unanimous, it will lead you to your next stop...  Once you get there you will do the same thing as before,  Just pitch your tents cause you'll be there awhile.  only this time you'll just get a direction to go." 

 

 He goes on to be even crazier, but i'll leave that for another day.  And man oh man did he Reek like cat pee and dog pee and ciggy's...

 

Anyhow, that's all for today folks!

 

Love Ya'll!

-Elder Martin

Week 35

Hey howdy hey family!

 

This last week has been pretty good! 

 

We stayed the night at some other elder's appartment (in Eldorado, but because people are stupid over here they call it "El-der-A-do" instead of the correct "El-do-rah-do") because we had interviews the next morning and a member from their ward was going to take us.  Anyhow, i had the worst sleep of my mission there...  it's rough sleeping on the ground with no pillow or blanket as a missionary.

 

So then we had interviews which was great as usual, but Sister McKee came to it!  It was the first thing she's really been able to come to besides the elder Oaks thing last month, so that was really cool.

 

Then we had exchanges with the ZL's and i stayed in marion with Elder Rothlisberger,  He's actually really cool and i enjoyed our time together.   We met alot of stupid people tracting, we even met an ex-RLDS person which was pretty neat, and some really cool people that might get baptized in the near future and we also saw 28 cats in one day.

 

On saturday we went to Juile's and her boyfriend was there (he just got out of prison the other day(maybe for murder... who knows))(nah, he's actually pretty cool.) But he's pretty crazy and he's a straight up black gangsta!  it was actually pretty sweet.  OH! I bet Stephanie would like him! Black, Gangsta, been in prison!  All things she looks for in a guy!   Anyways, at the end he said something pretty cool, he said "If you boys ever need a place to stay, you could always come here" or something like that, but also in a much more ghetto kind of talk.

 

And Then as we were leaving we met the craziest lady!  She was i guess a street minister for her own church with a total membership of 1.  For a while when we were talking to her i thought that she might've been like a 3 nephite in disguise testing us or something, but then i realized she's just crazy.  She hates organized religion, she hates males, and she hate hate Hated the fact that we drove a car.... Too worldly i guess.

 

Easter Sunday was Really great, PERFECT weather, and a really good day besides.  the primary did a few musical number's and 2 little girls had solo's, it was pretty darn cute.

 

Oh and before i forget, here's some bad news i learned from someone who is leaving the army next month.  He said the reason why he's leaving is because they ( the military and government) are doing this thing where they test all the soldiers to see if they'll shoot civilians and if they don't they're kicked out...  That's pretty awful. 

 

So yeah, the 7th seal is among us, Beware!!!!  :)

 

Love ya'll

-Elder Martin