Deep In the Heart of Texas

This week was pretty sweet! Went by really quick because I did a few exchanges with other missionaries and had zone conference on top of that.  I got to practice my Spanish during one of the exchanges because I went to the Spanish area. I basically couldn't understand anything, however, at zone conference, we had a training where all the missionaries were taught some basic things to say to those who speak Spanish so that we can communicate and give referrals to the Spanish missionaries. It was actually quite fun and President approved all the English speakers to have 15 minutes a day to study Spanish till the end of the transfer. I'm already doing better, One of the big things at zone conference was that President changed our policy on Temples. Beforehand, a missionary was only allowed to go twice during their mission (going with friends for their first time does not count with those two times). And I have been really missing the temple on my mission, however, I have been tryin...

Howdy, y'all. Out here, I feel like I'm finally in Texas, and it's awesome. We are hours away from other missionaries except for a couple Sisters who cover our same area. So we just have each other out here.  One thing that I've come to really enjoy is the long driving. Elder Van Leeuwen and I just talk for hours, sing our hearts out, and share stories, and it's honestly so fun.  We have been grinding a lot out here. And it's weird. Like we keep run in into people who seem interested, and we share a message, get their number, and set a time to come back. But then we'll come back, and there is no answer to our texts or knocks. So like, technically, we found 8 people this week, but 4 of them didn't answer when we came back for a lesson, soooo yeah. Just flaky people, haha.  We had someone at church, which was awesome!! And it's funny because we actually haven't taught her ANYTHING yet. Like it never really happened, and we just talked about church ...

Howdy Y'all. I think I'm finally in Texas. We got ranches, cows, horses, oil pumps, oil trucks, oil refineries, a beer company, large churches, a huge courthouse, western towns, ghost towns, barbecue, breakfast tacos, rednecks, country music, country singers, guitars, beards, cowboys, cowboy boots, firm handshakes, fun Texas accents, guns, deer, wild hogs, coyotes, bunnies, turkeys, chickens, along with farm fresh eggs, big houses, large properties, country windmills, big trucks, horse trailers, and even peacocks throughout the surrounding area that is now my new home. And I couldn't be happier. I love being out in the country.  We got to spend a day with Brother Dalton because he used to live down here, so he showed us around everywhere and met some cool people. He's awesome. He drove an hour and 30 min from Woodlake to here. He has a ton of friends here though, so yup. My new companion seems awesome! He's a super hard worker and very diligent. I love it, it's ...

This week was awesome! We got to say goodbye to Elder Eldredge and became a trio! I was pretty excited because Elder Jackson is an amazing Elder and a lot easier to get along with which I have been missing a bit. We had some fun lessons across Woodlake and Converse. I'm also being transferred out of my baby area. I feel like I'm almost a full-grown maAn! (Please imagine a voicecrack when reading the word maAn) But I am headed out to the boonies! Basically the middle of nowhere in a town called Cuero. Our area is HUGE, and we get to drive a truck which is cool. I think we cover around 20 towns? Most of them are tiny, while Cuero is the biggest at 8,000 people. I'm sad to leave the area but at the same time a bit relieved to have a new comp. At Woodlake, though, we have a friend that's 14 who's super close to being put on date, and his mom is a member and it's just great. I'm sad I'm leaving so I won't be able to see him get baptized. Woodlake is just ...

Merry Christmas! Wow, it has been a crazy week! My bike brakes were funky, and we took it to get it fixed. Stuffed my face at Panda with a member. I live for Panda.  It dropped below zero with 30 mph winds. So that was fun. To do. While riding a bike. I loved it. My body was so numb that it didn't even hurt after a while. I've begun wearing thermal leggings under my pants to keep my thighs warm. Zero regrets.  But like the cold weather was a huge problem here. Everyone was told to drip their faucets and open the cupboards under the sink to protect the pipes from freezing and breaking. And let me say that there are many pipes that broke in San Antonio. The apt the floor above us had theirs break, and there were 2 inches of water in their rooms. Super rough for them. I had my interview with President. He's an awesome person. I'm excited to see what the next transfer will bring. Might be leaving my first area. I also had comp exchanges which was cool. While I was gone, the...

Texas has land. Lots of it. We met a lady named Kim and actually organized a service activity for her so the ward could help, and we attempted to consolidate her storage units into one big one. However, she has a TON of random...umm, I'm saying stuff, to put it nicely (it was really mostly junk, I'd say). So that went well, and she loves us so much for helping her and what we do as missionaries. She said she's definitely coming to church, so maybe she'll come. Idk though, I've heard that a few times.... This week was a bit eventful! Played pickleball with my roomies, which was fun.  Had the mission Christmas party, where we were given fun Texas ornaments and listened to missionaries sing. They also had some bussin smoked brisket. It was so juicy and succulent. Tried out that fancy toilet again. I'm a changed man. It twas a magical experience. It even has a drying feature lol. Mmmm, that was a good day.  Now to the part where I smashed someone's taillight.......

Howdy! Texas got over the little cold bit, and it's back to 80-degree days, haha. Plus, it's pretty humid too. It's nice, though. I got to have exchanges with my guy Elder Leung Choi! He's super awesome, we click so easily and we are going through some similar stuff. Got to really talk a lot and grinded out some work. And then we stopped by a less active member, but she wasn't home. However, the grandmother and her 3 grandkids were there, and I was like, "Well hey, would y'all like to hear a Christmas message anyway?" And they were so excited, and all came outside. There was an 11-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl, and an 8-year-old girl. We started just asking some questions and found out that the grandkids' mom died, and they live with their grandma. They are literally the sweetest kids ever. After hearing this, I KNEW that I had to share the plan of salvation with them. And it was just so cool, and they were so involved with the lesson and just pr...