Alright here we go! Another week is already gone and it's the end of march!
I get to be sentenced to Seguin for another transfer. I'm neutral on it really, I really wanted to go to Austin and see what is happening up there but I guess not. I don't want to finish my mission in Austin so maybe I can have two more areas in my next 5 transfers... That's my hope anyway. It's another one of those cases of "Thy will be done!"
I have forgotten to mention a couple of things that I have been doing the last couple of weeks. I completely quit soda! It's been a trial but I haven't had any since I turned 20. I'm doing pretty good, I bought massive amounts of Bottled water and so that helps me to overcome the tendency to want to have something in my hand. Essentially a Nicotine gum for soda pop.
Another thing I have been doing to improve my entire life is that of improving my mental strength. Our District came together in a Justice league-esque fashion while eating at a ghetto seguin style Chinese buffet on Wednesday and decided that we would all take cold showers from here on out. The toughest thing is knowing that you could take a warm shower and having to turn it as cold as it will go. It's cool though I guess. Ha literally.
I got a call from the UC a couple of days ago.. The area is booming! They are doing, so, so well! They are setting up a bunch of the people for baptism and it is coming along super great! I love it! The Magana family that we taught for a long time if officially active and are going to get baptized on the 12th of April. I can't even tell you how happy I was. They are the greatest people! I may get to go back and be there for it. I love them so, so much. It's amazing how much I have really become attached to the people, It really is a whole entire family inside the church.
We went over to Brother Tanner's again and had a dinner appointment last night, he gets so lonely. We said that we are the only people that he gets to see besides working and things. It makes me so, so sad that home teachers are not doing their jobs. If they were doing it then someone would feel loved. I took the purpose of it for granted and didn't understand it while I was at home, I am so grateful though that Brother Metcalf took me under his wing and showed me how to magnify that calling. I will be a 100% home teacher every month.
We did a bunch of knocking this week, I really love it, you get to meet so many people in such a short period of time and tell them your testimony. We found a couple of neat family's to put into our teaching pond. Emma and Velvet were the first, she is having trouble with her husband and her granddaughter (velvet) lives with her and velvet has a son named JJ. She is looking for a church that will accept her because she in a Mexican and wants to find out where she belongs. She is going to love, love, love the church when she gets to come. She is on Dialysis so that makes it hard for her to do much of anything. Come to think of it, a ton of people we work with are on dialysis. I figured out what that was the other day.
The other family we caught at home when they were doing a science project. We taught them the whole entire first lesson and she said that she has been praying to find the right church since November. God lives. There is no other way to explain things like that, We just went to find a former investigator from 2001, and decided to knock a random street. It was already getting late and Elder Van Oene had to go to the bathroom, but we decided to knock for 15 more minutes. That's what we found, a lady praying for the gospel! Love it.
Yesterday in church we found out we were teaching 5th hour. So we had a little bit to prepare it. It was the entire ward other then the kids combined. Brother Winters the Ward Mission Leader texted us and said, "Well Bishopric said you got the plan!" I texted back "I love when people assume that we know important details." He definitely started off the whole 5th Sunday off with that story. The whole ward doesn't understand sarcasm. I think it's hilarious but, hey it is what it is.
I sold our truck the other day too. Totally forgot to mention that. The trucks switch out at 50,000 miles and we are getting within about a thousand of that, so it's about time for us to switch out anyway. We had lunch with a member from the ward, and he was talking about selling his old truck, I told him that he should buy our truck to replace it and he said that wasn't a bad idea! He went out into the parking lot, and I used the car talk langauge I learned from Elder Le Sueur and bam. Sold it! He called the mission and told him that he wanted to buy it from us, so now we are driving it until we get a new truck. That's a truck I've sold and scored a free washer and dryer for the mission. I'm either going to Hell for not taking time to fulfill my Missionary purpose or I should be getting a discount on my Mortgage in Heaven. One way or another I'll find out.
I love this gospel with my whole heart! I am glad that Van Oene and I get to stay together for another transfer. It should be pretty good, we get along well and everything. We had probably our roughest week this week, but I think it was just because we have been together 24/7 for like 3 months. That's a contributing factor I suppose. ;)
I love to read the Book of Mormon, I am about half way done with it again. The power it has, there is no wonder that it changed 15 million hearts! It probably has changed mine at least that many times over, and will probably another 15 million times too. The work is going pretty well here we are trying to find some new people to teach which is a challenge but that's every mission right? :)
Well to end, when I was sitting in Sacrament meeting I thought of what a missionary's shoes show. If you really think about it, alot of time a changed shoe represents a changed man. A worn out, faded shoe often is on the foot, of a tired hard working man. I want to change my soul right along with my sole. When I look at the people's shoes I can tell a lot about who there are.
A Soul Shaping Shoe
A many rips, a faded tan,
Creases and Seams beginning to fray;
Play a role in the making of a man,
For a good sole's work continues all day.
Muck and grime, come along the path,
Of many miles the soles walk and bike;
A man causing much of Satan's wrath,
His shaping soul becoming Christ-like.
His toe and heel, wear on through,
The wear and tear tell quite a tale,
This Man's sole, always God's will do,
A soul shaped by a mission's sole will prevail.
Remember who you are and what He stands for!
Elder Paul Funk
P. S. I don't need new shoes.
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