" So just to make myself clear, I can actually speak really hick if I want to. The problem is that I don't know how to spell a lot of the words down here and I think I sound really stupid, so I'll just stick to modern English. Some things that I forgot to mention is that before coming down here, I thought that Popeyes was going to be on every corner, but to my surprise it's on every other corner. Subway is on every corner? I guess it is really big in the south. We went shopping again. That is probably the saddest part on a mission is when you come to the conclusion that shopping is what you look forward to each week. Kidding? Not kidding...Elder Knebel and I found these two air mattresses so now my bed is 3 layers big and is actually quite big! The problem is that the second layer keeps moving so my bed ends up lopsided during the night, but it is so comfy!
Now I will start with my journal entries. They are edited down because I write a lot and it is late at night when I write in my journal. Late at night is 10:30 on a mission. Last Monday we biked everywhere because we only had 30 miles for 3 days, which is very little. We found out on Tuesday that we did the math wrong and we actually had 130 miles! We were contacting this potential investigator in these apartments and we forgot our bike locks and the person lived on top. We carried our bikes all the way up the stairs while praying that they would answer the door because it is not easy carrying your bikes when you are way tired. The Lord has a sense of humor. We knocked and knocked and they weren't home. We were tired and my companion started to go down the stairs and I had the impression to knock on the other door. I thought maybe it was because I put in all the energy and I might as well knock, so I my companion and I knocked on the door. Within three seconds a guy answers. I am then prompted to share with him how we are how we are missionaries and have a message to share to you about Christ. I testified that having faith in him can help you with trials and bring your family closer. He invited us in and told us how his family is going through some bad trials. His mom works 24/7 just to keep the apartment. We taught him a short lesson and encouraged him to read the Book of Mormon intro. He agreed and told us to come back later so we could meet his mom. He said his mom needs this message the most. After a couple of hours we came back and met his mom. She was really nice but really stressed out. We shared a message of hope and she said she would read the Book of Mormon. We asked her son Hairy( note from mom: I am pretty sure he meant to spell Harry :) if he read the introduction. He said yes and more. He pulls out the Book of Mormon and he is in 1 Nephi 22. He is such a cool kid and he watched general conference with us. He is progressing nicely.
We also have this investigator named Will who is a way cool guy and has a baptism date. He has been 'chewing' since he was in the 6th grade and we were teaching him the Word of Wisdom. He went inside, grabs his chew, and came back out and poured it into a half full Gatorade bottle, thus completely ruining the chew. We asked him if we could give him a blessing. He said yes. After the blessing he takes the chew in his mouth that he had and throws it out and said, "It just didn't taste good anymore" He is such a cool guy and has been clean for about two weeks now. We have others but I am short on time.
General Conference was so good, but it went by so quick. After General Conference we went to the Evens house and hung out till Priesthood session. It is so fun there. In Texas, people have a lot of land and small houses. He has a ton of land with a zipline and a lake. We are going to hit golf balls into it. They have a bonfire pit and horses and pretty much anything else redneck. I have had beans so much! For anyone who knows me, I hate beans but I eat what I am given and hope to like beans in the future.
Now for the teaching of how to be Texan: Lesson 1: Say 'like I said" after everything. Example: I was talking to this guy in the apartments and he was explaining to me how Islam and Mormon is pretty much the same faith and he said "like I said" after every phrase. He said both believe in prayer-like I said. Both just have different views-Like I said. They are the same thing man, like I said. Now you may think I am exaggerating this but I am telling the truth. I actually under exaggerated this. I got a headache typing that word so much. This ends the lesson for the week of how to be Texan.
The steaks here really are as big as a plate if any of y'all were wondering. I just wanna close on how it is weird because there are so many Spanish speakers her but for some reason I am able to understand them. It has happened at least four times when we meet a person who speaks no English and understands few English words. When we meet them they talk in full Spanish and I can understand them almost perfectly. However I can't talk back to them. Somehow I can understand Spanish and we are able to help them out. I thought about this yesterday and I figured out that the spirit is helping me. I took Spanish in school for two years but lets be honest, that doesn't mean anything. I can understand Spanish even when they talk fast and I am able to teach the gospel to them. In a store if a person is speaking Spanish, I can't understand them. It is only when I when we are tracting. The other thing is that our district agreed on is that we will mever live in a trailer home. We don't care if we have to work two jobs, there is no way any of us will live like that.
Now as a farewell, I will tell you one last thing. Eat healthy! For the last month I haven't eaten healthy at all and not only am I bigger, but now I actually want carrots and broccoli and cauliflower. How weird is that?
Amen brothers and sisters. The church is true.
Your brotha from the South,
Elder Saundaas
bonfire w/my district @Bro Evens in Orange ,TX
Sounds like Elder Knebels Math. I fear he got his math skills from his mother!
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