I'm going to try and get caught up so I'm going to summarize a bit- so you might have to use your imagination to fill in some of the gaps.
Monday (the 15th) was a good p-day. It was productive but I was also kind of lazy so it was a bittersweet kind of a thing. Being lazy just isn't really all that fun anymore. We did stop by Piggly Wiggly which we learned was actually going out of business. Kind of sad but we looked around and found some deals. It's a nice chain that's all around here in the south. I was impressed as all the workers there were still nice. Knowing I was losing my job in a few days, I don't know if I would be as cheerful.
I got some good stuff done like de-puckering pants and shining shoes, cleaning, and that kind of thing. I learned that Subway actually sells cinnamon rolls. And they're a buck. We went in to fill up water bottles but they had a cinnamon roll on the counter. It was actually a decent size and pretty good.
Tuesday (the 16th) was mostly district meeting. We had some advice given to us by President Cottle through Elder H. We then played a game called Moose Moose which is kind of like signs except there isn't someone in the middle trying to figure it out and it's all animal sounds. I did a unicorn and I wasn't sure what noise they made so I made a shiny noise if that makes any sense... I was a little disappointed it wasn't a more spiritual meeting but I'm hopeful for next week. We all had lunch at Steak 'n Shake since it was the last district meeting before transfers and we usually do something fun. I got a salted caramel pretzel shake along with my bacon cheeseburger which was quite good. Someone even payed for the meal which was really nice of them. We used coupons to help them out but we all felt very blessed. Afterwards we helped someone who was working on the ward building replacing a door. We also stopped by a thrift store to see someone there but we walked in and someone said, "Perfect- grab some boxes in the back and sort them out" and directed us back into a closet full of boxes of stuff that had been donated. I guess the Elders used to volunteer there. So we sorted books. It was kind of fun. We were super thirsty afterwards and had an interesting lesson with Jim (one of the Sister's investigators). He waved us over as we were biking by so we sat down and he just wasn't getting the Book of Mormon. He couldn't see how you could have both of them. Elder S got a little frustrated. That day I learned it's hard to teach someone else's investigator. We did have a great lesson with a nice young man named D that Elder K and I met in the ICU at the hospital. He works 7 days a week so it's kind of hard to catch him. We taught the restoration and he understood what we were saying. He has a lot of faith which is great. Real true faith.
Wednesday (the 17th) I was tired. We met G and J though. We knocked on their door as a potential or less active member used to live there. She answered and invited us in. We explained we couldn't unless there was another man there. We told her a bit about the Book of Mormon though and she seemed to be interested. We had a lesson with J as the Sisters invited us there since J wants us there. I was blessed to have a better explanation for the Book of Mormon. We explained it through the gathering of Israel of all things. It's evidence that the Lord is gathering His people. We stopped at Dairy Queen for a quick cool down. Then it was back to J and G. We sat outside as she thought we couldn't come inside period. It was funny- Elder S explained "The Lord has restored His true earth...I mean, church". They got a good laugh. It's great when you can be a little funny- I find it really helps make a lasting impression as well as breaks the ice that some people have. There's such a thing as too much humor though- so it's best to use it with prudence. Zaxby's for dinner and coordination meeting concluded the day.
Thursday (the 18th) we biked a lot. 28 miles actually. We were upbeat and optimistic. We tried to visit M C but he wasn't home. We had dinner at the F's. It was Tilapia and veggies which was quite good. We taught M the Gospel of Jesus Christ as his girlfriend wasn't feeling well.
Friday (the 19th) we had an amazing lesson with D and JC. It was a great lesson as we finished the second half of the plan of salvation. They really liked it. They haven't read the Book of Mormon yet as they're just really busy (busier than they've been in a while) but they promised they would. I'm very hopeful for them!
Saturday (the 20th) was a fun day. We did a bit of exploring as we found a bridge out in the middle of nowhere that didn't really lead anywhere. It was super slick so Elder S tried to brake when coming to this ledge from the opposite way but had to lay his bike down almost to get off (it wasn't stopping).
We had a pioneer day celebration which was really fun. I enjoyed it.
Sunday (the 21st) was good. The major events of the day were excellent talks in Sacrament about enduring well, getting escorted out of the hospital by the police, and dinner with the C's (they're awesome).
Monday (the 22nd) I vacuumed up my shoe on accident and it kind of ate up the shoelace (I got new shoelaces don't worry)
and making banana pudding.
It was delicious. I ate half of that in a sitting. =)
I love and miss you all! I'm doing well and enjoying serving the Lord. I'm excited to come home and see y'all in a bit and show you how much I've grown. But for now, I've got a bit of time left and I'm going to try and get all the growing in I can.
Elder Matthew Carlson
PS: Here's a map of the mission:
