Will of the People

🕵‍♂️👸,

Good morning everyone! How are you all? I hope that everyone had something notable happen this week, if so please continue to go about your day as you normally do. We had a fun week, full of cold! I think on my mission Ive started liking the cold more because at least I'm not boiling alive. 

Monday we went shopping and did our laundry, and then spent the day with Logan! Sarah was at work and so it was just us 3, so many shenanigans happened. We made hot dogs and played a bunch of games many of which with hilarious results. One of the best pdays on my mission for sure! Then in the evening it was still rainy and cold so we shivered our way between visits, and ended the night with a lesson with Jarriod. He was just as weird as usual, but I think we managed to finally clear up the Spirit World and what happens after this life in a way he seemed to half understand. Then as we were driving away we got some texts from him saying he had a question. He then told us he's attracted to men, and was wondering if he was going to hell for that hahaha--We told him no of course and sent him some talks about it. He said he has feelings for us though so I'm not sure we will be going back...

On Tuesday we were just going about our merry day, got it all planned and did our studies, and then at a out 10:30 we got a call from our DL saying the APs had forgotten to send out the interview schedule and that our interviews with President were going to be at 1:30 in Shreveport today! (2 hours away). I'm going to take this moment to mention my annoyance with the way people are. First of all, even if the APs had sent out the schedule with the Monday weekly email, that IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PLAN. Let alone telling us the morning of when we already have everything planned and expecting us to show up. We cant just drop everything at a moment's notice and go whereever anybody wants us to go--ESPECIALLY if it's a 2 hour drive!! Do they think we have nothing going on? That we just sit around and hope things come our way? Now of course everybody makes mistakes, and it's not the APs fault for making a little blunder, but it's the attitude in general that annoys me. Just because we are missionaries doesn't mean we don't have tight schedules that are disrupted massively by things like this. Anyway so we called the ZLs and told them that we would probably not be there if we could avoid it. We told President Taylor that if he wanted us to come that would involve us canceling helping a new member move in and 4 lessons. He wisely said we could do it on Zoom another day, which was a relief. 

After our daily contact we went up to Buckner and helped a new member who's moving in with his son move in! It's a small house in the middle of nowhere, so it had nothing in it. We helped move in all the furniture and appliances, and talked to Kip as we went. Kip is a cool guy, active in the church. Him and his son have a lot of past mistakes they have been working through, but are on the right path! We are excited to have them. In the afternoon we went to one of the middle-class neighborhoods and visited some people including a lady who is never home but we still stop by cause we like her cat. She wasn't home and neither was her cat, we were very disappointed :(

We had some lessons in the afternoon and evening, and we met a girl named Emauny who is intrigued and looking for a church! We had a lesson with Lewis where we read the first half of 1 Nephi 1 with him, and it was funny because everytime we would stop and tall about a verse he would close the book with finality and start to set it aside only to have to re-open it again as we continued to read haha--he was marking things as we read though! We also had a lot of things fall through as usual, and ran into some road-dancing fellows. Usually these types dance around and wander around the streets with a blank look in their eyes, but they are a little more cognitive than the hood zombies are, and will spout gibberish in a friendly manner if you engage!

Wednesday we had District council and the ZLs came. Elder Andersen gave the training which went about how I would expect from someone who thinks he's smarter than he is. It was still good though, he talked about the Holy Ghost and did a nice object lesson which he was very proud of! We ate at Cottons for lunch, and then made the trek back to Magnolia. We stopped by the police department to grab some forms, and also had a great lesson on the Restoration with Moe! He's a chef, and people order food online from him, he makes it at home, and they come pick it up. It's a good gig, and it means he always has to answer the door hehe >:)

We also had a lesson with Damion and introduced the Book of Mormon and gave him one! He said he would read it but we were doubtful he really would. We walked around in Northern Magnolia in the evening, and met a girl named Antayjah who's interested and actually responds to texts! Also met a very friendly robber. He had a mask on so you could only see his eyes and a hat on and was in black clothes and carrying a bag. He was very friendly though and said he would listen to us but he had somewhere to rob. Or at least we think he said "rob", but he could have said "walk." His mouth was very muffled though. We also visited Vicki who when she saw us quickly put her dress up over her mouth and did some feeble *cough cough*s and rasped out a sullen "I have a toothache, sorry!" We were very glad she covered her mouth, heaven forbid she breath toothaches on to us too! Very considerate

Also had a lesson with Sonya, but she was zonked and only half awake the whole time haha

Thursday was so fun! It was freezing and rainy all day, so we bundled up. I took care of some tasks and started working on our Christmas Program, and then we made some visits to some referrals and interested people. Gave Melissa a Book of Mormon and she's super excited about it! Everyone else wanted nothing to do with us because it was cold and rainy and what decent person would be out trying to share the Gospel in that infernal weather! I agree with them, its basically a waste of our time anytime the weather is unpleasant haha because everyone wants to sleep. We sent out over 50 invitations to our upcoming mini nativity, and then drove down to Shreveport for the exclusive Community Leaders Nativity Reception at the Stake Nativity! It was soo fun! They have over 650 sepparate nativity displays from all over the world set up beautifully in huge displays in the gym and the chapel is decorated too! Everything looks professionally done, and they had fancy standing tables at the front with lots of fancy finger foods for us to lightly snack on daintily while we met with fellow community leaders. (In this context "lightly snack" means I ate 6 plates completely full and stuffed with food and inhaled it all, and drake 8 cups of punch.) We were the only young people there, but it was cool because they had the Shreveport Chief of Police, various reverends and pastors there, all the Bishops of course, and some other leaders of various organizations! We talked with some nice people, and hung out with Bishop Albin and President Paul for most of the time. It really felt like a high-end event, the Stake did a great job with it! Then we drove home at night in the rain and listened to Christmas music! It was a fun day. Some of the foods they had: cheese dips for crackers, baked potato dips, bacon wrapped lil smokies, meat pies with dipping sauce, skewers of cheeses and salamies, cheese cubes, peppermint macaroons, Cinnamon-laced pickles, fudge, Carmel cookies, pretzel sticks, fruits with cream cheese dips, and much much more that I can't recall haha

On Friday we did service at the Thrift store and tested some interesting hobnobs, and then had some early afternoon visits. We also walked around the campus hoping to find some cute colleg--I mean some spiritual students seeking more light and truth. 😅 (That was a joke don't worry)

We also found a lady named Joanne who is interested in listening to the Book of Mormon because she can hardly see anything anymore. She was really nice and said she has nothing better to do then to read! Then we went and taught Damion again from a few days ago and he was waiting for us with his Book of Mormon! He said he's read 3 chapters so far and he loves the younger one because he's not whiny and actually obeys God! He also told us how it was good that they are going bakc to get the plates but he doesnt like how Laban called them robbers and rook all their gold tsk tsk. He he's been watching the Book of Mormon videos after he reads a chapter to help him understand it. We taught the rest of the Restoration and the only question he had is if the plates Joseph Smith found are the same ones that Moroni buried in the Moroni 10 video! And he wants to come to church cause he doesn't like his current pastor. It was a really cool lesson.

We ate dinner with the Masses at the Blue Bull Grill, and they must have been shortstaffed tonight because the food took FOREVER, and the two waitresses were running around frantically. Once I got my chicken bacon sub it was amazing though! The rest of the evening we went to this one apartment complex and knocked some inspired doors (by "inspired" I mean we knocked only the most decorated and Christmassy doors) Of the 10 we knocked, we got 8 phone numbers and interested people! If we had knocked every door we would have probably only have had time to get 2 numbers.

Saturday we walked the dogs and I approved some fast offering expenses. We also went and talked to Shimeka and her family was over. Sp we talked about the Book of Mormon, and everyone wanted the app so we got like 4 phone numbers. In the evening nothing too notable happened, except that we went to some walk-through lights which were super pretty and elaborate!! It was a cool set up.

On Sunday we had a fantastic testimony meeting! Soo many people bore their testimonies. And then as we were coming to a close at 12:01 after an hour long meeting the Stake President then got up and spoke for 20 minutes hahaha--it was great though. Sunday School was also fantastic, the Stake SSP came and he's the former New Boston EQP Brother Pierce so I know him very well. Also the chapel (and whole building) is looking beautiful! We got poinsettias and wreaths and tinsel and more to decorate because the Stake President basically gave us a blank check saying he would reimburse it all :))

Watched the First Presidency Devotional with Logan which was fun!

-Abe