Another Week In Paradise

Well Man. I really think the weeks come faster and faster. I can't believe I am sitting at this computer again. Really nothing is coming to mind right now of what I should say.
P day was pretty epic. I tried to rainbow a basketball and totally ate it hard on my face in front of everyone. I guess that is kinda my job as the "Zone President", to make everyone laugh, but it shouldn't have to come at my expense sometimes.. It was pretty fun. I also got elbowed in the nuts by the same sister. Just a series of unfortunate events.
Tuesday we had Zone conference, which was really fantastic! They talked a bunch about different aspects of success and they revamped the whole key indicator counting so now they can get a more accurate count of everything instead of us just trying to put up a crazy amount of numbers. I like it alot.
Meg is doing ok, from what we hear, she started smoking weed again so she doesn't want to be taught for awhile. She was really so, so, so close. I'm sure that one day she will get all the way there and get baptized but as for now, not so much.
Joseph our other investigator is doing really great, he came to church again and loved it. He is on the campaign committee for this lady, Wendy Davis that is running for Governor of Texas so he has been pretty busy but I love the guy to death. He is super cool. He doesn't think that he will be baptized for at least a year, but he just doesn't know that he knows it's all true.
Austin came to church for the second time since I have been here. We had a member who gave a talk so he invited him. I haven't heard a better talk since I have been in the mission, I don't know if I have ever heard a better talk since I have been a member! It was so great. He even threw in a Mickey Mantle reference to boot. Fantastic.
George is getting baptized on Saturday and we sorta had to pass him off to the Sister's again, except not really. I really don't even know what is going on half of the time. It seems like a ton of drama and so many problems, especially because we are crossing stake lines trying to work this whole thing out. We presented what we wanted to do for the baptism to the Ward Council yesterday and I'm pretty sure they think we are idiots sometimes haha but they love us alot. I have been really blessed to get along with Ward Council's for quite a while now. So I'll let you know how that turns out. Not really sure what is going to go down for sure. All I know is that I got my hands on a Viola and am doing a musical number for the baptism with Erik.
Speaking of Erik. He is a music teacher and has totally inspired me to a teacher when I get home. He got me all the audition requirements for USU, what private teacher I should get, he called his friend who went to USU a couple years ago to get the low down on the staff and really has been trying to encourage me to do it. I think it would be fantastic, I guess I just have to decide pretty soon. Life decisions... Good golly.
So I showed up to Institute on Wednesday and saw a couple of girls that I knew from the F Burg a year ago. Unreal. One of them went on her mission and came home, she had to come home early for medical stuff, but still. I watched her go and come back and I am still doing the same thing. Man, oh man. It was super fun to reminisce and talk about people that I used to know.
We also went to the temple this week and the lady told us the session was at 12:30pm, we showed up at 11:56 and yep, it totally started at 12. The temple presidency wasn't to happy about the whole thing. I felt pretty bad and then he pulled us aside after the session and told us that we should be encouraging all the missionary's to bring their own clothes to cut down on the laundry. Luckily you can't feel to bad in the temple, but goodness we messed that trip up.
We got to knock tons of doors this week. That's probably my favorite thing to do, just because you never know what you are going to get and talking to people is the best. It's a challenge to get them to like you and then get them to hear your message. I love it a bunch. We actually have a ton of return appointments and a couple of new investigators from it. Pretty cool.
So Elder Vega and I had a heart to heart last night just about life and especially about sacrifice in particular. We were talking about Girls, games, and good memories. Ya know, the most important things in the pre-mission life. As we talked I realized that we didn't get those things taken away from us but that we gave them away from us. It's pretty obvious, but the difference is incredible. I think alot of times I have questioned God and said, "Why in the world, when I am serving you, when We are serving you, do missionary's lose things we had already 'won'?" With anything the principle applies. But really it is only because we chose not to have it. It's not like we really lose anything when we go on a mission, it's all about that fact that you gave up what you had. I said in essence on December 12, 2012, "Well God, I have a pretty good life going for me, I got friends, family, a job I like, money, my momma's car, dates, food, music, sports, sportscenter, music, sleep, I get to read the newspaper, TV, Music. I have everything that I have ever put together for myself. Well I guess now is the time that I get to put it all away. I'm going to give it all to you."
Then when I came in the mission, I think when any missionary comes into the mission, we think. "Oh I have it made! I got this, and this, and this, waiting for me when I get home! I have it all!" Then the tough part comes when you realize that the things you had, were the things that you have chosen to give up to serve the Lord.
There really is nothing like serving a mission. It's so tough, but it's so rewarding. I'm looking at having about 20 weeks left to serve. That's nothin'. Nothin at all. I really am going to miss it. I hope that everyone takes the opportunity to give up what you have and go serve a mission. There will be days when you regret it for sure. Haha that is a weird promise, but a sure one.  I still want to go sit in the car with some skinny jeans, converse shoes and blast some beastie boys driving down the street with the windows down. But even when those days come when you don't want to do what you need to do, It is always worth it in the end. I understand now that what we choose to give up is equal to the person to who we become! I love the Lord. I love him so much.
Remember who you are and what He stands for!
Elder Funk

No Sparklers for the Fourth

Well. I guess another week is already gone. It was a pretty crazy week and I left my planner at home again, so we will see what happens. 

P day was fantastic. We played some basketball again. I bought a new shirt and shorts and they look pretty sweet. The shirt has a bear on it that says Going back to Cali. Idk. Ross really is pretty fantastic. I love it lots. So we were playing basketball and there is a Sister that plays with us and is actually really good. I was on one and just stuffing the heck out of everyone and so she totally pump faked me right out of my shoes, so high that I basically sat on her face. Un real. I could have jumped her, but instead just wiped us both out so hard in the paint. She head butted me in the nuts, I'm not really sure which hurt more, my pride or man parts, but it was pretty awkward. 

Tuesday was nuts. Some of the other sisters called us and told us that one of their investigators is being really creepy with them and we should go and teach him. So that was about as awkward a lesson as you can get! We had to tell him that he was creeping them out and he did not take it well that they weren't going to be teaching him. But we committed him to come to church and to take the lessons with us. So it worked out. He caught me at Institute later that day and asked to go talk with me. Elder Steggell and I were on a split during that time so, I had like a half hour interview with him about explaining our reasoning. It was really not an enormous amount of fun. It was pretty cool though that eventually the spirit always works things out and it just manages to end up right in the end. He came to church and hopefully we should be able to set him with a firm baptismal date this week. 

The sisters had a baptism this week and at the last second called us in desperation to see if either one of us played the piano because they had no piano player and no one in their ward could come play for them. Yep. I did my very best, it wasn't the prettiest thing that I have ever done, but I realized that maybe I just have to put myself out there and do my best even when it's pretty poor. It turned out well in the end I guess. It was a good growing experience. 

So Sunday we got called out of Sacrament to go and see this guy that was waiting in the hall to talk to someone from the church. Eventually we sat down and he told us that he had undergone a sex change and had grown up in the church but had left and changed the way that he was. He went to a ton of different churches looking for the same feeling that he had in the Mormon church and couldn't find it anywhere. So he had come looking to get re baptized into the church. We explained to him a little bit and told him about how amazing it was to see his repentance then we caught the bishop and talked to him. Fortunately he couldn't stay for the next hour, because the lesson was the Law of Chastity. That was already awkward for the member that brought his non member girlfriend to church for the first time. Eternal Marriage and chastity. haha It's pretty funny how they take teaching to needs so literally I guess. 

There is a restaurant called Fudruckers down here. It sounds exactly about how it feels. Totally wrecks your whole day, but it tastes so good. We had it twice this week. I'm still weighing in at 165 this morning though if anyone wanted to know. 

4th of July was so lame. We had a breakfast that we went to and got to play one game of horse, It may be the first activity that I have gotten Elder Steggell to take part in, since we have been together, but he ended up winning by one lucky shot. We had a ton of food. So that part of the day was good. Then we had Weekly planning and had to go to the mission office. Not to much fun. I don't like weekly planning in the slightest. After we finished we went to go and get into our car and she had died on us. I thought something was up when the car smelled like rotten eggs for the last two days, but yeah. It was not good at all. So then we were late for the dinner and had to have other missionary s come and pick us up, but by then the food was cold. lame. At least when we got back I could touch the jumper cables together and make some sparks. That was the extent of our 4th. No one was home. Especially because the ward took everyone to the lake. I think missionary's should just get the holidays off... 

We had a really, really good district meeting. I think that one of the lessons I hope to share is that about listening. Sometimes people just need to be heard. I think it is so sad when someone feels like they can't speak out loud or that no one cares and no one listens. I think that a vast majority of people feel like that. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think so. So Wednesday I just opened it up for 45 minutes and we talked. Just about "What made us the way we are". It was so great to watch some of the missionary's talk about things that maybe would be hard to bring up in a normal setting. As we really understand who someone is and why they are like that, not only is it easier to love them and to help them, but we gain a new friend most of the time too. I really do believe that. A listening ear is the best gift we can give alot of the time. 

Remember who you are and what He stands for.

Elder Funk

GOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLL

Hey how's it doing?

Well this week was infinetly better then last week. Loved it. Except we did have some dinners and stuff fall through. Gosh dang. It's pretty messed up when that happens.

Well I guess to start I just love my life. Man Staker totally made me a whole pan of cookie brownies last week on pday. They were the bomb. Totally made my entire day better. Oh and i destroyed one elder in Dodgeball. There is nothing more satisfying then nailing someone with a giant ball of rubber. Wipeout teaches entenal principles.

Hmm. Well we got to go to the border this week it was pretty dang sweet. I might even send some pictures if I have time today. For some reason they mission figures they can hand the keys to whoever is in Alamo 2nd and they can drive a Chevy Silverado and a trailer down to the Border of Mexico and be fine. It was like a 9 hour drive I had so much fun being able to drive a big truck. The whole place got totally drenched and so when we all hopped in the truck we were soaked to the bone. There were 5 Elders and 1 Sister. How does that work? Heck Idk. All I know is that I ended up driving with the sister in the passenger seat and Elder Steggell in the back for a solid 2 or 3 hours straight. It was bizarre. Almost like a date or being married. I think she even did make one Marriage comment that was pretty funny...

We had to go through a check point and like a said we were pulling a giant covered white trailor. They didn't even check it at all. We could have had like 85 Immigrants and nothing. Yeah. Pretty crazy stuff. I would be a great people smuggler I guess.

We also had transfer meeting. Nothing to crazy happened except that Eric Jones (Elder Jones is a friend of Paul's from high school.) now lives 3 doors down from me. It's so sweet. He comes over basically every night and we just chill out and talk. Love it. Between him and Elder Snow we have some good ole times.

The work here is doing pretty well. The 9th Ward sisters and Alamo 1st sisters called us basically everyday to give us referrals. Idk about you but I think it's because of my strikingly good looks.. OR not. Either way. Staker has given us tons of people to teach. I think her numbers in her area doubled the rest of the zone for the week. Good Golly. I gotta man up and do better.

Meg came to church she even came over and said Hi to me. We had a nice conversation and I think patched stuff over. She was probably just having a bad day. But Ya know what hurts the most, is being so close and having so much to say then watching her storm away. Yep Rascal Flatts.

Not gonna lie I had the hardest time studying this week for some reason. It was killing me. I have no idea what I was doing wrong it just wasn't working out for me. I don't think I had any significant revelations. Yeah. I'll work it out or something though, President Slaughter wants us all to do the 12 week training program over again. Literally being retrained. I think that he thinks that we are all morons. He is probably right. The Zl's gave a training a couple weeks ago and laid down the law on the rules and stuff because we are all to incompetant to figure stuff out on our own or something. (I did set a goal of not being sarcastic, but man I fell short on that one) Speaking of shorts. Sisters are not allowed to wear shorts anymore. We are no longer allowed to have sports equipment or to bike after dark. We can't have anything to do hobbies. No board games or anything that is remotely fun. Seriously. I don't really understand, but whatever just endure I guess. It's now like living in Prison with no visitors. haha. The food is better though I guess.

We had dinner over at a members house last night that knows President Pettit so she sent him a picture and sent it to mom too. She is pretty cool. She kinda looks like she is hugging me in the picture. She basically was. It was weird, but she is cool so whatever I guess? That was a sweet dinner, they just cooked whatever they could find in their fridge for us. We had chicken potatoes, bacon pasta, broccoli, carrots, and fried bananas. It was one of the best dinners I have had here. Then we just all chilled and talked for an hour or so. YSA wards are pretty fun if you are in with the right group I guess.

Oh Michael Paul the guy that didn't like me, told me that he was surprised that I hadn't apostaisized yet. He is pretty funny. I got in with him though yesterday talking about the world cup. He gave me all the low down. I was sad to see Mexico lose. But maybe it will allow us to get in more doors, to console the loss of a loved one. Plan of salvation lessons are great.

Speaking of lessons we took the recent convert Mike to a lesson this week and he taught with us. Totally blew the guy out of the water with doctrine it was cool. Then we got up to leave and he decided that he wanted to stay and talk more with the guy. He texted us 3 hours later and told us that the guy thought mormon's believed in working our way to heaven but Mike tried to prove to him that we don't. Mike is so legit.

I really don't have that much more this week. It's all going pretty well. It isn't really hot yet though, which is messed up because last summer it was hotter then hades at this time. God has a great sense of humor once I'm in a car.

Remember who you are and what He stands for!

Elder Paul Funk

Hell Week

Not every week can be your best week I suppose and this one probably ranks real close to the bottom to be honest. Now I realize that I'm not the most positive person in the world or anything, but I guess this one was just worse or something.

P day went off without a hitch we had some fun and we taught 3 lessons on Monday so that we didn't have time to go to FHE which is kinda a blessing. It's always awkward anyway...

Then Tuesday was probably one of the worst days on of my mission. We had a long afternoon then when night came we had a lesson with Meg and she was just getting off work. We had two members coming with us to the lesson and the Brother Ellis was late and so we had to go sit outside the apartment complex on the picnic table and have the first part of the lesson. 

We chit chatted for a second and then started to follow up on commitments and she told us that she had smoked and drank a glass of wine. Citing that Jesus would be fine with that because he drank wine. I literally haven't said anything at this point. Then Elder Steggell read 1 Nephi 3:7 and started to teach her the doctrine of being able to keep all the commandments. I asked her why she might think God would have us stay away from everything and she said, "Because when I drink and smoke I can feel it tear down at the spirit." Boom Golden. She totally understands. Then Brother Ellis called and asked where we were and I told him that we were out back so he came over and sat down. Then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. Meg looked at me and said "I'm so sick you and your cocky attitude. You always think you are so much better and you F***** aren't. Your problem is that you just need to realize you're an idiot. That's the other thing with you Mormons is that you don't accept anyone else's ideas.You Elder Funk are just so arrogant all the time and think you know everything" We just all sat there stunned and I was fuming. I was so livid. Then Brother Ellis jumped in and tried to calm the fire, then she let me have it again. I just sat there so upset. Then Elder Steggell asked her when we could meet again. She then glared at me and said Next Monday would be fine. She grabbed her purse looked at me and said "you are so F'ing Immature" then stormed off. 

I was pretty ticked off, we went to another lesson after saying by to the members and I just was so ticked off. 

Brother Ellis is one of my best friends in the ward and so he called us and asked to come to the next lesson with us and then took me and got me ice cream afterwords at baskin Robins. He probably saved my life that day.

It destroyed my week. I really just got so depressed. It is so hard to have someone you put so much love and time into, completely destroy everything that you try and do for them. I cannot imagine how parents feel, but I figure that I got a little taste of it. It was so hard. I really honestly am not good at alot of different aspects of missionary work, but I thought that loving people was something I was getting the hang of and it was shot down. It was so hard. I just found it super hard to get motivated to get out the door. I know this probably sounds stupid, but it really is just my life. 

Then I was sitting in Sacrament meeting and we were singing the sacrament hymn and it hit me so hard once again that Jesus Christ really did already feel that. He felt how hurt I was, how much of a failure that I felt like. I know for sure that he paid the price. However I really don't think I wanted or desired to feel better. Sometimes it seems to almost feel good to feel bad. When I came home I was still just so sad, I hadn't talked all day long and Elder Snow grabbed me and talked to me for awhile. I really owe that kid so much. He helped me out immensely yesterday. I am so grateful when you need someone, to have someone. It is such a blessing. 

It really was just a terrible week. 

Then yesterday we got invited over for dinner at a member's house and they invited the sister's too. Yep that was weird. Luckily the sisters are the bomb and dinner was super fun. It's weird being around Single adults. It's like everyone just flirts all the time and stuff. But doesn't really want to date. Weird. Oh and they gave the dinner thought and it was like I was a member... They even left us with an invitation. 

Oh I got called out on being sarcastic twice this week with members. Gosh Dang. 

hmm.. Elder Steggell and I are staying here another transfer at least together so that means I will be here til at least when Ry leaves on his mission. I only have 4 transfers left which is nuts!

Hmm.. P day is going to be good. Staker is making me lunch today, and playing some basketball. It's gonna be dope. Oh and Elder Snow is taking me to dinner. Seriously when you are there for people in their time of need they flock to you when you need it! I love having cool friends. They are the best. This week I am going to be try and help another. I have a quote I see everyday that says "In all reality everyone is hurting on the inside, some people are just better at hiding it then others." It never hurt to do a nice thing for someone. Really. 

Well I guess that's about it. Love ya lots!

Remember who you are and what He stands for!

Elder Funk

#GoSpurs

Hello Family!
First of all I can't tell you how much people down here love their spurs. I'm so glad that they won. Hecka yeah.
So we went to Institute today and I met another guy that was off his mission in January. He said that he served in the Dallas mission so I asked him if by chance he knew an Elder Keller. Not only did he know him, but he trained Elder Keller. His name was Hyrum Quiroz or something and he is going to take me out to dinner saturday. I'm stoked. He said Jake taught him tons about Football and cattle. I'm sure Jake gets in every door just with that knowledge.

Hmm... Nothing super crazy really happened. We went on exchanges once or twice this week so that Elder Steggell could do some planning with his other Zone Leader companion (Sometimes I wonder why I exist) and so I got put with Elder Jensen again. He decided that he wanted to knock all day, so we knocked the richest houses that we could find in the middle of the day. It was so fun. I love just being able to talk. It makes it so awesome. to have a normal conversation with someone. I can just babble on and on and on about nothing for hours. By the way I totally love living with other missionaries. We have the most fun ever. I am like BFF's with them, we go through the thick of things together and solve the world's problem. Some aren't the greatest ideas but they will work. I'll tell you about them in 177 days.

I mananged to tick off one of our investigators, I may have told you about her telling us that "waiting for my boyfriend to take the missionary lessons and be willing to be baptized is a dumb thing to do but I just want to do it." Then I told her "Yep your right that is a dumb idea. You should get baptized if you know it's true." Apparently didn't go over quite like she wanted it to or something, I just agreed with her, but that's wrong I guess. Now her other missionaries in Indiana are teaching her over skype because we won't play ping pong and teach her the Law of Chastity like her other missionaries. Whatever.

President gave a training this week that was pretty cool. He talked about Faith and everything and how we are Finding by faith, but lack Faith in Finding. I'm pretty sure that man knows everything about everything and that he does actually know the truth of all things. It's pretty sweet.

I don't know if I told you about Mike or not. He got baptized friday and confirmed on Sunday. From the time that he was found, taught and baptized was 2 weeks. 14 days. It was so legit, he should be pretty solid for the church and in the church. Miracles really do happen it's nuts. He was found while a member was at a yogurt shop eating and wearing a BYU shirt and he came up and asked her if she was mormon. She invited him to us and bam. Baptized.

Man I'm still on the Spurs thing. I am so psyched that I never have to miss another Final's game again. NEVER. You never know how good you have it til you don't have it no more.
Basketball was pretty good last week. There is a sister in the mission that is like a totally tom boy and whips everyone out. She totally rocked my socks last week. Like tossed all 166 pounds of me.
Hmm.... I really don't know what else to say. We are doing well. I could keep writing just for the sake of having a longer email. Oh Elder Steggell just reminded me. He was making french toast this week and I was having a tortilla. When I tossed them in front of him and he recieved a revelation. French Tortillas. We dipped them in egg and then made the eggs and put them in the tacos with syrup on top. 4 of those is enough to kill a grown man. We felt so sick after, but they are really good.
On another food note. We went to Carl's Jr. Bacon Ranch fry's are not exactly what they are in the picture. I feel terrible right now.
Father's day is a fail in the Singles ward by the way. We had three talks about Eternal Marriage. I think that people have to start to realize that they need to flirt and date in order to get married. The bishop is trying to persuade them to do more of both of those. It's also how he is helping us fellowship our investigators. I love Bishop. I got to eat with him on Friday. It was the first time I have ever eaten with a Bishop on my mission! Crazy right? He talked about the Spurs the entire time. Everything takes a back seat to the spurs. EVERYTHING.

Well I guess that is about it. Love yall.
Remember who you are and what He stands for!
Elder Funk

Elder Funk (middle) at a baptism with his companion and the sisters. Both sets of missionaries had a baptism that day

Satan starts small....

I was kinda thinking about waiting til it was a quarter after one to start writing this, but that would be a waste of P day time just to make a Taylor Swift reference. All I wish is that I was knee deep in the water somewhere, with my toes in the sand, not a worry in the world and a cold drink in my hand. There ya go Zac Brown.
I guess I should just go ahead and start the email for real...

This week was really great. We went on exchanges for 3 days straight. It is so bizarre to pretty much only have a half of a companion for a transfer. It's a weird relationship.

I worked with and Elder named Elder Jensen, we worked his area one day and mine the next. We taught not a ton in his area but did get to play a game of Book of Mormon baseball where you flip to a random scripture and have to guess the Book chapter and Verse. I totally owned him. Completely satisfying.

Oh I have a guy in my Ward named Savon Moniz. He was the Quarterback for UNLV a year or two ago and is transferring somewhere else, He is so ripped. I am pushing really hard to get him to the promised land in Logan, but he already knows that Chuckie is there. I guess Chuckie is a senior or something? He is sweet though, he gave me a Lava lava. One of those skirts. The breeze never felt better.

We came into the apartment one night and saw a a little bug that was freaking out underneath the door jam. I "The Zone President" went to pull it out with my shoe and it was a snake. A snake. I cannot tell you how bad I freaked out. I jumped up on top of the table, screaming,  and "The assistant to the Zone President" Elder Snow started screaming and ran upstairs. . Elder "West Zone Choir Coordinator" Steggell was there singing his Hallelujahs too.Luckily for us we live with the "Work out Coordinator" Elder Vega He's a body builder so he took care of it for us and put it outside. It really wasn't very big at all, but that's how satan works too. Starts small. He starts small...

Another encounter I had with God's animal kingdom this week. We were doing service for some Pakistanians (No relevance to the story just a cool fact) and moving all of their stuff to another house. Towards the end of the move the main guy coped out and went to Mcdonalds while we got the heavy stuff. He brought me a strawberry shake and so I drank half of it and moved a couple of more things while talking to another dude about overcoming Heroine. When I came back to the shake I drank it and felt something hard hit my tooth. "Wow! Mcdonalds put real stawberries in my shake!" Til I crunched down and I swear I heard tiny screaming. I spit it out and it was a fly. He had crawled down my straw and I had sucked him back up. Got to be kidding me.
Our investigator Meg seems to be taking kinda the same fate as the fly. She is kinda crazy. She keeps calling the people we fellowshipped to get free stuff and is just crazy. She came to church yesterday because we had "A really Cute guy" (Her words) come pick her up. She was high when I went over to tell her she couldn't get baptized the next day, because for some reason she thought she still was and I basically did everything short of call down hell fire. I was pretty ticked because she kept doing weird things. I can't explain missionary work. What a miracle it is. I really don't want to go back to her to badly.

Amy is our other Asian investigator, she is pretty golden except she has a boyfriend that is Catholic. Boyfriends seem to cause so many problems. I am 100% convinced now that I never want to get a boyfriend. They are really just a pain in the neck. He wants her to convert over to Catholicism so she and he can go to church on Christmas or Easter. So she doesn't know what to do. She does believe absolutely everything that we teach her, but that would be really, really tough. I love that girl to death. She is great. We just got to help her realize that Life moves on after Boyfriends. It really really does.

The other big one that we have is Mike. He just texted me a second ago and asked if his baptism was on friday or saturday. He is so great. He is going to get baptized this weekend! After only 3 weeks of investigating. He has a testimony that is growing more and more and is just so great. We teach him everything and he sucks it all in. It's beautiful. I often think to myself "Wouldn't it be nice if we were older in the kind of world where we belong?" I think everyone would be like Mike and ready to get baptized.

I was really pondering this week and read all of the conference addresses to the women of the church that they give in general conference. So great by the way, totally should read those every time. Back to the point. One of them was talking about how much women beat themselves up and tend to look at all the things that they do wrong and yeah. Elder's spend time trying to uncover the way women think, I guess when God says that we may know the truth of all things though he may be saving this one for a really far off in the distance. The whole scattered point is with this that I realize how much when people choose to not do things it isn't because they are lazy or disobedient, generally,  it is because there is something deeper. There is one elder that we live with that has a ton of stuff going on in his life and sometimes he will not wear his tie when he studies or skip a few minutes of studies and walk over to the Dollar store with his companion and while we were on exchanges the companion I was with rebuked him. And sometimes, I have seen other missionaries see similar things and rebuke others. When really if they just got to know that person they would understand how much really someone is giving and not what they are lacking.

It's pretty much all perspective. I met a missionary this week that came home 6 months early from his mission, he went on to explain that he had to undergo chemo and felt so overwhelmed by it even though he had done it before. To me he was a great example of giving his all, even though he in some eyes didn't make it. He became a hero of mine.

That is a pretty obvious example of someone who did their best and didn't quite make it and it was ok. But I think of how everyone is just like that. It's so much easier to look on the things that they aren't doing and not see the things they are doing despite their shortcomings. It was a lesson I really learned this week. I just continue to learn so much I feel like. I really do love the mission. Am I counting down til the day that I get home? Why yes I am. Am I going to be excited when this is over? Yes I will be. Am I going to wear a suitcoat ever again? I certainly will do my best to make sure that never happens. I am really grateful that I have gotten to serve. I hope that everyone takes a tiny bit of time to do something nice for someone. That's all Jesus would want. Looking at other's perspectives is the quickest way to love!
Love yall lots.

Remember who you are and what He stands for!
Elder Funk

JUNE!

Well Hey family.
So Lets see... P day was so epic. I think I probably mentioned because we were emailing at the Miller's house and they loaded us up with Bacon and tons and tons of other food. It was seriously sooo good. I loved it. So great.

I don't know if yall heard about the Tornado that happened in Texas, but I just so happened to be on exchanges in the round about area of the tornado with another Zone Leader. We got a extreme tornado warning and stayed inside for cover. It was predicted to head right for us and have golf ball sized hail and everything, pretty nuts right? We made a decision to stay in for the night from about 6 to 9. It was nuts, the sky started to get darker and darker and then we realized that it was 9 o clock and time to go to bed. Yep. Tornado didn't even come close to us. It didn't even rain, the weather was beautiful. Just one of those perks for missionaries not having any contact with the world. We figured we were all going to die, and everyone that was still running around outside was in trouble too. Nope. Nothing at all.

We picked up a couple of sweet new investigators this week. Mike was a referral from Tessa this girl that is getting ready to go on a mission. He has tons and tons of questions about the gospel and has the sweetest intent in the world. I think we should be able to get him baptized in the upcoming month or two. It's gonna be great. We have been instructed that we are supposed to teach with the pamphlets, I don't know if you already got this rant or not, but we show them all the pictures and ask, "What do you see?" Sorta a spiritual interrogation of sorts. No one ever gets all the pictures right, but mike nailed them! It was pretty cool, he even explained priesthood to us and it was so great. Gonna get baptized.

Meg is kinda falling off of the deep end. She lost two jobs in basically two days. Just not showing up or something like that, I don't get it. Just show up and fake it or something. So she has been dealing with that and complaining to us a whole bunch. She is so close to getting baptized, she knows it is all true, she just isn't ready to commit yet.

We got another Investigator this week that has been taking the lessons since probably march or so in Indiana. The missionaries over there are either completely inspired or terrible. She said all the lessons that they have they go on walks. Because she asked them if they could wear normal clothes and they said they could only do it if they had something that required it. So they suggested going Hiking. Umm.. No. Bad idea, she wanted us to go hiking with her and we said no. She asked us if we ever just get to hang out with our investigators like they do over there, and we were like... No...? Luckily they were bold enough to teach her the Law of chastity. Oh how you might ask? Playing Ping pong. People tick me off sometimes. So we have her lesson and she says, "I know not getting baptized because my Boyfriend isn't interested is a dumb idea, and I should just do it.." I just told "Yes that is a stupid idea. And yes you should just do it." I really can't wait to get home and use my social skills. It is honestly kind of crazy to watch girls again do things just to get attention. I lose my mind.

For example. yesterday, we had a girl come up to us and start talking to us because she just got off of her mission a month ago, Flirting super hard core with us, we kept trying to retreat, but nothing seemed to work. Our Ward mission leader even came over stuck out his hand, she didn't see it, he shrugged and walked away. So funny. Then she came and sat with us and the Linger longer after church. Luckily Elder Steggell is super kind. When we got home I was still ranting about this girl to Elder Steggell, even Elder Steggell was like what the heck?? which is nuts because is the optimistic person in the world. I start telling the Elders we live with about her and they met her too! She went to their dinner appointment too and flirted with one of them super hard core and then rebuked the other and told him to cut his hair. Uh. P day is the next day crazy girl. We all just ranted about women for an hour before going to bed. Oh I do make sure to do Top 5 at 10:05. Kinda like sportscenter but missionary style. This week Highlighted a Devastingly disappointing tornado that never hit and a couple of missionary's picking up a message chair in a move. Miracles. Miracles.

Oh so at this linger longer, which makes church 4 hours instead of 3, we were eating and a girl had a seizure and passed out. A member at our table said that it happens all the time and that she just needs a minute to get up and going again. I think during that minute, 4 or 5 people called the ambulance and she was carted off in a stretcher. I felt really terrible for her.. That must be pretty hard.

At church though we had Mike and he was sitting by himself so I jumped up and sat with him and Elder Steggell was across the chapel, then his fellowship came Tessa and sat on the other side of me. One thing about single's wards it seems, is that it is basically a extension of a High School Lunch room. So everyone sits with there group of friends. Well Mike had to leave and that left me and Tessa sitting together. So Weird. I mean I didn't really feel awkward, just it was bizarre. I made sure to slide like 4 feet away. I'm not taking any chances at getting Emergency transferred out of this place! I love it.
Plus we got a new bishopric this week and the bishop is a guys dad that I love in Universal City! Instant connection. We are going to baptize the world.

Elder Steggell and I have been working really hard. We really didn't have many or any people when we got together and are working to build it up. We got three to church yesterday which was so great, but we want to always improve. We have a goal this transfer to baptize 13 people and have 4 weeks left to do it. Our philosphy has become "If you want to accomplish something that has never been done, you have to do things that you have never done!" So we instituted that idea this week and tried to talk to absolutely every single person. When we were driving away from an apartment complex there was a guy walking around and we rolled down the window and I said "Hey we have a message about Jesus!" He turned around, yep totally the same guy that the day before chewed us out for soliciting. He took a picture of our license plate and proceeded to chew us out for 20 minutes. I argued with him for a bit, and he said he took the BAR exam or something I told him that we were basically going to do what we were going to do and that was that. He said he was reporting us and that we might get fined and up to 6 weeks in jail or something. That would be one crazy transfer. It is what it is.

I also had another exchange this week with Elder Condie. We went and baptized a guy over on the east side of San Antonio and then went to a super fancy restaurant in Tim Duncan's neck of the woods. Of course, Timmy has bigger things to do then eat out this time of the year, but he goes to BJ's all the time to eat. I had a Bison Burger and Wings. So good for real.

However that was pretty neat, the greatest thing to happen on the exchange was that we went to dinner in his area we walked for an hour to get there and when we showed up this guy answered the door and let us in. We sat down and had dinner, his sister showed up and talked to us for a bit, she was kinda weird, the guy said he wasn't a member but grew up in Ogden so I pretty much taught him the Restoration. Apparently, the guy had just had his records removed and hated the church. Whoops, So Elder Condie and I were like dang... He is going to hate the pushy missionary's now and his family is going to be ticked. Then we got a Phone call from his sister and she told us how much she appreciated what we did and how much he actually had enjoyed it and that it meant alot to him. It was the first time anyone had been able to talk to him about the gospel in a really long time. All out of complete obliviousness. Miracles really do happen. The spirit is such a powerful thing. It has the power to penetrate the smallest of crevasses if we are willing to allow our hearts to be opened. I know that the spirit is what converts and that our personalities and love for others is what can allow them to open the door to the spirit. That is why it is so important to balance both of them together. Miracles do still happen!

Remember who you are and what He stands for!
Elder Paul Funk