The Good, The Bad, and the Missionaries

Well, like the title says some good things happened and some bad things. Let's start with the good.

The Abridged Version of Exchange Day

We had a companion exchange for a day and that was fun, I was with Elder Vazquez, and we did a little tracting in the 3rd ward.  We wanted to pray whenever we made a decision so we could make to most out of our excursion.  We prayed to know what rode to take first, then we prayed to know which house to knock on first, and then BAM we found a family who had been visited by missionaries months before.  They enjoyed our company and asked us what time church was at, (MIND BLOWN power of prayer is real).  After that fun experience we mostly found angry annoyed people, who did not want to be bothered.  Later that day we had a blitz and a few lessons planned. 

(For those of you who don't know what a blitz is, it is when the whole district of missionaries go tracting in another missionary's ward. Those we find who have potential are referred to the missionaries who are in charge of that ward.)

Hiking Today

During our blitz we found one family who's father was baptized in the church when he was young, but didn't stick with the church. He was super nice and supportive of us and let us teach the restoration to their family, and that lesson went super well.  After that lesson and telling them where the church was we found two more people with potential.  One of them was a young lady who was just babysitting some kids, but she told us that the family would love to hear our message.  The next one was not as interested as the other two but they invited us to come back the next day.  Fingers crossed for them.

Later that night we had a lesson planned at the coolest home ever. Elders Vazquez and Schellenberg found this family the previous night.  The mother and father had deep connections to the church, but they themselves don't go to church. The other Elders told me when they found these guys they said that they were here to serve us missionaries. They said they know what we commit to as missionaries, and they would do anything in their power to make us more comfortable, like making us meals and giving us rides.  We had prepared the lesson of the restoration, and it was the best lesson I have taught so far. The whole family was super interested and invested in what we had to say. We gave them 3 copies of the Book of Mormon, along with a card that would give them an app for it.

Still Hiking

Did I forget to mention how we got to the lesson?  We rode our bikes, in the snow, slush ,and ice.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy riding bikes, and even more recently I have been enjoying how tight my legs are after we turn in for the day. Riding in snow is fun!

 (I don't know how to be sarcastic in an email so I'll just tell you that was sarcasm.)

The next day we were looking for service opportunities, but instead, found an old inactive member. We asked her if she could ever use help, and she told us she usually likes help, but her son just moved in with her.  No service for us.  On the way home (on our bikes) we hit a curb wrong, we are ok but my bike!!!.... my $55 fenders that are supposed to last my entire mission, they broke, one is barely hanging on and the other lost a screw that kept it on. (The fenders keep mud and dirty water from getting on my clothes while riding the bike)  My only real moment of frustration so far on my mission. 

Wow! What a Hike!

Thank you all for your support so far, I love getting letters and email from you guys. 

For those who have been concerned this far.  First yes, I get fed by members, my mission no longer allows meals with members on Monday through Friday, because it cuts into prime teaching time. So we have member diners scheduled up for us, and on the other days we can't eat at members houses, they simply drop off food for us, we are well fed.

Second, yes I am warm, I know what I'm doing, although Idaho has more humidity than Utah, where I was raised has a higher elevation and is even colder than here.

Thirdly, I have received all the letters and emails you have sent me, though I can't respond on any day except Monday, I can see what you sent me all throughout the week, and we only check our mailbox on Sundays, because we are so busy with studying for lessons.

More Hike

Our apartment is going to try buying food separate so we can see how good the others are with budgeting, and if they can come to appreciate what they but and not scarf it all up in the first few days. If you have any tips for me or those in my apartment please let us know.  (Right now they are arguing about whether or not to go through with this, and the older elders and saying no and that we should all pitch in with the groceries, and myself and Elder Vazquez are wanting to find out of we can save more and actually have money at the end of the month.) 

Oh I almost forgot, the title says some bad stuff happened as well.  So it turns out  Earl's baptism has to be delayed because something in his life came up. Which is a bummer, he was going to be baptized this Saturday.

That's it for the day.

Cats and Homeless Guys

This week had been busy.  We have been through a lot.

Snow Day

The first thing I want to declare is that we are fine, safe, and ready to serve.

So on Monday last week "we" decided to go to a nutrition and supplement shop, and my companion decided to buy some creatine.  He told me that it will help me get "huge".    We later that day decided that eating out at buffalo wild wings was a good idea, I had no idea how much money we would be spending and my companions did not care. To make the long story short, I will be paying for the next week of groceries, because my companions have no idea how save money.

My District

Even later that night the other companionship was heading home for the night, and while crossing the tracks that lead home they encountered a crazy homeless man.  They attempted to ask him the standard missionary

 questions.  Then, out of nowhere, he started yelling questions like; "Who do you pray to? Don't lie to me! I know when you're lying..." and a few others things were said.  Eventually the Elders decided to just leave him alone, and started on their way home.  We later told the sisters to be careful, because they lived closer to where the homeless guy was, so now the sisters are scared and want us to escort them out of the car and to the apartment. A while after, the sisters asked us to give them blessing, and on our way we see the homeless guy's bike parked outside of the sisters' apartment.  So we all group up and go see what he is doing.  He is just staring at their door and we asked him what he was doing and he said he wanted to see Kimberly, (None of the sister missionaries are named Kimberly). We called the cops, because he started hitting the door and going crazy. We told him the cops were coming so he relaxed and just stood facing us with his arms crossed.  All the other elders and I were standing in a straight line staring him down while waiting for the cops.  I saw this as an opportunity to whistle, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  After an elbow to the ribs the cops arrived and took care of the situation.  So that was Monday.

Same Snow Day

The rest of the week has been perimeter checks of the apartments for the elders and blessings for the sisters.  The sisters have been having problems with old neck and back injuries (they are literally all cripples). We had to give them blessings quite a few times, but they are getting better. And the mission president told us that we must always make sure that the sisters are safe, so we are doing that.

A Cool Cat with a Cool Cat

Nothing much else happened recently, we have had no luck with finding, but Earl, the guy we are teaching, is getting baptized next week, He just got two jobs and people are looking for a place for him to live. It is just blessings all over the place for him.  It snowed a few times, but not enough for us to have fun.

I love the support you all give me and cool emails you send me.  Just so you know, my mission has a phone so I can look at my email at anytime.  I'm going to try sending a voice message of how a normal P-Day morning goes.

Here is my scripture of the week:

I taught in district council last Wednesday and while studying for it I came across Ether 3:4 which says 

And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.

My Companion

I had each missionary share what scripture made them want to go on a mission.  I told them that the hand of the lord touched their hearts, and now as missionaries we shine forth unto others, so that we be the light in their lives.

Elder Willis

Looking Fabulous While Playing with a Two Year Old at the Stake President's House

Some Crazy Guy Following a Cat on the Street

Another Snow Day

Some Cool Things Happened

Before we get in, the total was both figurative and literal.

Us, After the Frozen Rain - Thanks for the Awesome Jackets, Dad

It seems that there has been another week in the year 2019, and there have been more miracles than I can count.

First miracle 

For starters the first miracle was the one I told you about last week, but I did not go into detail about that.  It started about 5 years ago, the man in question ( Earl ) had first encountered missionaries, on his farm in Pennsylvania, his wife was not very accepting of the message they had to say, so she took the Book of Mormon they had been given and threw it away.  Soon after that had a divorce and the court ordered him to stay away from his wife and family, so he moved to Tennessee, where he got together with some friends to work.  Some months after his father was on his death bed, so he went back to his home town to say one last goodbye.  Once his father laid eyes on him he seemed to bounce back from death, the next day he was almost fine, but tragically Earl violated the court orders in seeing his father, and he went to prison for a few months.  Once out he decided to sell all that he had and travel out west, and he landed here in Post Falls Idaho.  After a few years and a few bad investments, Earl was homeless and on the day we met him he was filling up water jugs at the local park, and was about to leave, until he met us.  

Mine and My Companions Study/Weight Room

My companion and I were thinking whether or not to do companion study then go finding in the park or just go finding in the park, because comp study is long and boring, we decided to be obedient and do our comp study.  We finished faster than expected and then went to the park, and barely caught Earl in the nick of time.  This goes to show that obedience blesses us as well as others in our lives.  Earl is on date for baptism for the 26th if Jan and I'm exited to keep teaching him the lessons in the Preach my Gospel book.

Second miracle

Well there is this lady who was a lot like Joseph Smith, meaning she was wondering what church to join because they all told her that they were the right church, and when she went to them she never felt like she belonged.  So one day her friends gave her a copy of the book Saints, and she felt that all that she read in this book was true (it is basically some LDS Church History.)  So she found some local missionaries and they referred her to us, now she is on date for a baptism on March 2!  Its all awesome

Us At A Restaurant

There have many more miracles happening to the elders in my apartment, for starters the people here feed us very well, and our fridge is well stocked so that's a plus.  It is not that cold, at least compared to Utah, the day I left provo it was 9 degrees, and here it is not even below freezing.  Every nice in a while it gets freezing cold, um not kidding the rain the other day landed on us and froze immediately.

My companion is to obsessed with lifting weights, we wake up every morning at 6:00 to work out, that is 30 minutes before we need to wake up, and he is obsessed with anything that has protein and other supplements that help you build your body, not to mention he won't eat anything unless it has "gains".

With Elder Schellenberg, it it yoga and meditation. That is his obsession, on P days whenever we pass by a nutritionist store and/or gym,  or supplements store, we always have to take a small peak at the inside to see what there is.

Our Apartment

Elder Vasquez is now official our apartments Abuela (Spanish for grandma) he cooks great Mexican food and whenever a dinner is not provided by our wards, he makes us a delicious feast.  But the inside of the apartment, to quote the sisters when they came to visit "it smells like a Mexican threw up in here" Every once in a while he will eat something old in the pantry, and regret it when his body rejects it, he just doesn't understand the old food rule "when in doubt throw it out".

The others are getting along with me just fine, besides for my puns they might hurt me if I go any further.

I'm going to start posting am inspirational scripture, this is the first one:

Our Dining Room/Kitchen

Philippians 4:13 

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I like this scripture, because I know that my road is long and treacherous, but I also know that I'm not alone in my epic journey.

Thank you for all your support, I appreciate the questions and emails you keep sending me.

My address is:

507 West Mullan Ave.  Apt #13

Cool Clouds

Post Falls, ID. 83854

First Few Days in the Field

Well the time has come... 

Last Picture with MTC District

I am now in the Spokane mission area, but I'm not in Spokane right now.  Right now I'm in Post Falls, Idaho, just north of Coeur d'Alene.

So far it is not that different from Utah, besides the fact that the sun is only up for about 7 hours each day.  The sun rises at about 9:00 and starts to set at 4:00, to me that's insane!  It's only like this because its winter, but I'm told that during the summer the sun hardly sets at all.

So far in my mission we ride our bikes and we drive.  We share a car with the sister missionarys in our district, and we get the car every other day.  The times we don't have the car, we ride our bikes.

My companion, he just did a ton of pushups and is pretending to not be in pain.

My new district is pretty awesome.  My new companion is Elder Brinkman, and his favorite thing in the world is lifting weights.  We have a few weights in our apartment, and every morning so far we lift them until we,"get shredded".  The others in my district are pretty awesome as well.  We have Elder Schellenberg, and his favorite thing to do to our apartment is to clean it and do yoga.  His companion is somebody from my old district, Elder Vasquez, who would have guessed.  The sisters in my district are pretty cool, I can't remember their names right now, but they are still nice.

So far we have been busy.  My companion and I in the past few days have:  scheduled lessons every day for the next week, gotten somebody to go to church, and committed somebody to baptism.  This place is where America took its extra bible belt rolled it up and set it post falls.  There are so many churches I have never even heard of before in Post Falls. 

We had our dinner with a member yesterday, with southern/Polynesian style to it, meaning that there was a lot of meat and breaded chicken, with spring rolls that had beef pork and mac & cheese on the inside.  Needless to say me and my fridge will be well fed.

Thanks for the support,

Love you all,

We Played Dodgeball with Marshmallows

Elder Willis

My address:

507 west Mullan Ave Apt. 13

Post Falls, ID  83854