Before I say anything, I know you already know I'm gonna say I'm tired and that I'm not having fun, whilst these are true.... I'm feeling better right now an I don't want to be a debbie downer!
I thought things were supposed to get EASIER after six-months?!?! whatever happened to that part? sure I'm USED to being out here but I'm still not a fan of how trippy things are. I still think dad would have been a better missionary that I am, we shoulda just traded places! he'd have whupped some of these guys instead of letting them be the way they are... I dunno how to let out some of this frustration, I'm not even a legitimate adult yet but I feel like I'm almost thirty, I still have time to be a kid!!!! just because I came out here doesn't mean I have to change... but I get UBER frustrated by things lately, me, the area, people, me, my thoughts, the scriptures, ME, the fact I can't imagine, ME.... did I mention Me?
crap... I can't remember anything that happened this week.... it was kinda dull, I haven't had too many opportunities to use the washing machines -.- Williams used to travel all the way to Lincoln but leaving the area is against the rules so I stopped doing it... well washing them there, it costs MONEY to use it and... well actually I have a ton of quarters now. so... that will be good.
by the way THANK YOU For the package! it was great I enjoyed the little gooey frankenstien head. I got a bit of goo on Williams thank you card by accident though so he got a tiny bit annoyed with me.
got darcies post card! that was fun. thank you for that, still haven't heard from orange though so I'm a little worried.
thank you dad for the letter! it was nice I greatly appreciate it - I'll hang up the water spigot..
OH WAIT! HA look at me, I'm a goof ball, so guess what folks, today is TRANSFER day!... Williams is leaving, it looks like my hopping around days are done for awhile.... kinda got mixed feelings about that. I'm gonna send home a package today hopefully ya'll will get it, as well as something special for someone.
people here are putting up Christmas lights, its only the beginning of November and they're ALREADY putting up lights, Christmas music is playing... like what the heck man!!! give thanksgiving a chance!
so I got a question, I read that bit that dad sent me and.... why is laughter a bad thing? maybe its just because I feel iffy all the time, but lately I have been getting angry and frustrated pretty much about EVERYTHING, is this what life is about? it jus doesn't seem right to me. (you can edit that part out if you want from the blog)
you'll read in my letter that I need a new watch, I want you to know a lot of that is said with comedy because for the past FOREVER I haven't been able to remember to ask for a new one!.
OH! and there have been some rule changes so MAYBE I'll FINALLY be able to write all of those I have missed! =D I have a list of people who need to hear from me and I'm working on catching up to you all!
Something I want for Christmas might be:
well one my sanity, and I would like new gloves, but I might see if I left them at a ladies house.
have santa get me somethings to stay home and you can all surprise me when I get back, things that I can use to recooperate after all of this, I've been so wound up in thoughts that I don't remember what it even means to be me or what that even means anymore.
as for me? send me what you think will make me happy.... I miss you guys a lot and I feel even weirder, I think my voice has changed and on top of that my eyebrows have gotten bushier! I wish I was normal again. send me memories... something to surprise me with. I would like to get some punching gloves so my knuckles don't get all messed up when I go at it on the punching bag.
I might be here for awhile so that will be... new, APPARENTLY I'm getting an Australian companion his name is tomlyson... not sure how its spelt, but he should be nice... hopefully, I hope I can finally take a break from all the leading!!!!!
Sorry I didn't write more about people this week, it's been really slow and there wasn't much to write about.
well, that's all for me folks!
till next time, Love
Elder J Smart
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Questions I asked Joshua
Questions I asked Joshua and he sent back the reply:
1. For your 6th month mark did you burn or destroy anything? Like a tie . . .
You were right Mom, I didn't!
2. Are you till Studying Preach My Gospel?
Yes, but I'm not a good studier!
3. Are you still losing weight?
I'm at 210 (He was almost 240 when he went out)
4. What is your greatest strength on your mission?
Long suffering?? Aside from that, I honestly don't know.
5. Can you tell that you have grown as a man? Are their any positive things that
have happened that make you want to be an adult?
(He as always said that he didn't want to be an adult because adults don't
have any fun!)
Not in the ways I wanted. I am still struggling with growing up, life is hard.
6. What is your favorite meal that you have learned to cook?
Chicken and Pork and Papa Murphy's Pizza
7. Have you eaten anything strange?
Seaweed
8. What is the best lesson you've learned to teach?
The restoration and the plan of salvation
9. Do you still have nerf gun wars?
Sometimes, but not lately. Sometimes we do, anderson likes to shoot us
but I get shot less since I have a bigger gun than them!
10. On a daily basis, are you usually happy. What can you do to continue to stay
happy no matter what happens around you.
I don't know about happy, I'm not sad though, I just survive till the end of
the day. I don't know, I just want things to feel normal and I get more and
more anxious as change happens, it really scares me. But there are some
good times too.
11. Has your testimony grown? Only answer this if you feel it has and not just
because you think it's something I want to hear?
I guess it really has - some things don't feel as special but I know a lot
more things.
1. For your 6th month mark did you burn or destroy anything? Like a tie . . .
You were right Mom, I didn't!
2. Are you till Studying Preach My Gospel?
Yes, but I'm not a good studier!
3. Are you still losing weight?
I'm at 210 (He was almost 240 when he went out)
4. What is your greatest strength on your mission?
Long suffering?? Aside from that, I honestly don't know.
5. Can you tell that you have grown as a man? Are their any positive things that
have happened that make you want to be an adult?
(He as always said that he didn't want to be an adult because adults don't
have any fun!)
Not in the ways I wanted. I am still struggling with growing up, life is hard.
6. What is your favorite meal that you have learned to cook?
Chicken and Pork and Papa Murphy's Pizza
7. Have you eaten anything strange?
Seaweed
8. What is the best lesson you've learned to teach?
The restoration and the plan of salvation
9. Do you still have nerf gun wars?
Sometimes, but not lately. Sometimes we do, anderson likes to shoot us
but I get shot less since I have a bigger gun than them!
10. On a daily basis, are you usually happy. What can you do to continue to stay
happy no matter what happens around you.
I don't know about happy, I'm not sad though, I just survive till the end of
the day. I don't know, I just want things to feel normal and I get more and
more anxious as change happens, it really scares me. But there are some
good times too.
11. Has your testimony grown? Only answer this if you feel it has and not just
because you think it's something I want to hear?
I guess it really has - some things don't feel as special but I know a lot
more things.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Letter #29
hey momma!
... its weird I haven't heard anything from you this week.... odd. =/
WELL I have some pretty good news, I HAVE been doing better, ESPECIALLY last Tuesday, we started having loads of success, we ran into three people whom we have been trying to work with, my main target is mikey, a nice black dude who works at home. at the capri we gave an AWESOME lesson but aside from that he actually didn't show up to church this week like we had been hoping, we taught him the first lesson which seemed to spark a little interest in him but he didn't answer for his appointment after church either. Today we have a scheduled church tour for a guy named tomas Guy who actually met the guys back in Lakewood first! he's got some kids but he was divorced (in fact I think the guy who took over as his wifes spouse pulled a gun on him...) anyway he seemed pretty cool.
unfortunately we are sure we got dropped by a lady named Jen'e. we walked into her on Tuesday during knocking we talked too her.
I wish I was better at being a journal writer. I've been so out of it that by the end of the day I just lay down in bed and wait to start all over again. Also, I lost my gloves!!! I dunno where they went, the FIRST TIME I start wearing them they disappear! I was so P.o'ed!!!!
AND I've started working on boxing during our time in the YMCA, a guy taught me some cool stuff so I've been working at hitting hard... which brings me to my next statement... can you guys send me some punching gloves? not boxing gloves persay but those MMA ones maybe? I have a tendency of tearing my knuckles up also, my hair has been acting weird -.- I miss Ranee cutting it.
Williams and I have been working on staying sane. He talks about movies a lot so that's kinda what keeps the silence away, he says the plot of lost will last us a good couple of weeks.
we went and visited the naftels last night... not gonna say I enjoyed it much they watched the seahawks game... an I sat in there kitchen petting there dogs... who one of which has flee's I believe XP. I struggle with standing up and saying things, and I've been holding in a whole lot of frustration towards my... well mostly the other companionship... okay mostly holt. he has a tendency of getting on my nerves the most due to the fact he back bites and gets huffy and says mean things when he doesn't get what he wants... I don't exactly agree with a lot of his philosophies on the church either.
also about rough stone rolling, ask dad to read it so he can tell me whats true and whats not, I don't wanna read it cuz honestly I can only handle so much info at one time and I already have too much on my mind as it is.
OH! so I have some funny stories XD
first off we met MR. French, I've been working on talking to people on the street so when I saw this dude in a jacket and suspenders I was like 'alright!' so he was VERY eager to talk.... I originally thought it was for the sake of bashing... but I was WAAAAAY wrong. this guy talked about his injury that he was thrown from a car and had to be rehabilitated and left him with some issues that I won't share cuz they are kinda gruesome. but he cussed like a WHOLE LOT... I was actually kinda intimdated cuz he gave me most of the crazy looks... he reminded me a whole lot of what an EVIL person during the apocalypse would be like.... yeah. he was probably a nice guy with too many struggles. he punched himself HARD in the face like three times.... it was scary. but that's not the funny part, the FUNNY was when afterwards we were talking later (me and Williams) and he's like:
W:.... I kinda hoped he would have hit one of us... well . . . you, and that way I could get up and punch him.... is that bad?
Me: I was actually thinking about that!!!
so we got to laugh and talk about how crazy guys are normally a whole lot stronger that normal people.. but hopefully we still could have taken him !
on top of that this place is CREEPY!!!! at least at night!
We talk about stratagise about how not to get snuck up on and When people warn us about being careful at night I normally tell them.
Its alright! I have a pen... cuz so help me if something tries to eat me I'm gonna shank the ever living... you get the idea.
SO I'm gonna tell ya'll my story about the creepy lady.
SO we are knocking this creepy neighborhood... okay it was actually a really nice neighborhood but something about that night was just plain creepy, so we knock into the one house, the ONLY not nice house.. okay maybe the second, anyway, I see this cat run under the porch and I had already been thinking about how spooky and sketchy everything was so I had my pen ready, but being the ever determined and crazy elders that we are, we knock it.
the door opens and this wide eyed wild looking woman walks out and stares at us.
later Williams tells me the first thing he thought was that this woman was POSSESSED. and as we talked to her I was getting flash back of finy fin (Elder Finlayson) telling me about being cursed by a pagan woman, so before the door opens I had rested my hand on the railing ball thing on the fence using it for support, my pen in hand incase I needed to use it... for writing!
but we start talking to this lady and getting weirded out by her so as we're talking all that can be heard is this silent (click) as I cock my pen... just incase she lunged at us... or I needed to write down an address.
well I'll tell ya this has been fun week in someways... I wanna send a special thanks to the sampsons for their wonderful package I will be working on writing you all VERY SOON...
and one to my lovely savannah who I think is the most wonderfully lovely thing of sweetness I have the pleasure to know.
also to Aaron who I hope I will be able to see... sometime before the end of my life and to everyone else whom I will see sooner. ^^ also, has anyone heard from hayden? has he gone out? and someone tell micheal to send a letter, we all know each others email so he has no excuse.
Well that's all for now!
Love,
Elder J Smart
... its weird I haven't heard anything from you this week.... odd. =/
WELL I have some pretty good news, I HAVE been doing better, ESPECIALLY last Tuesday, we started having loads of success, we ran into three people whom we have been trying to work with, my main target is mikey, a nice black dude who works at home. at the capri we gave an AWESOME lesson but aside from that he actually didn't show up to church this week like we had been hoping, we taught him the first lesson which seemed to spark a little interest in him but he didn't answer for his appointment after church either. Today we have a scheduled church tour for a guy named tomas Guy who actually met the guys back in Lakewood first! he's got some kids but he was divorced (in fact I think the guy who took over as his wifes spouse pulled a gun on him...) anyway he seemed pretty cool.
unfortunately we are sure we got dropped by a lady named Jen'e. we walked into her on Tuesday during knocking we talked too her.
I wish I was better at being a journal writer. I've been so out of it that by the end of the day I just lay down in bed and wait to start all over again. Also, I lost my gloves!!! I dunno where they went, the FIRST TIME I start wearing them they disappear! I was so P.o'ed!!!!
AND I've started working on boxing during our time in the YMCA, a guy taught me some cool stuff so I've been working at hitting hard... which brings me to my next statement... can you guys send me some punching gloves? not boxing gloves persay but those MMA ones maybe? I have a tendency of tearing my knuckles up also, my hair has been acting weird -.- I miss Ranee cutting it.
Williams and I have been working on staying sane. He talks about movies a lot so that's kinda what keeps the silence away, he says the plot of lost will last us a good couple of weeks.
we went and visited the naftels last night... not gonna say I enjoyed it much they watched the seahawks game... an I sat in there kitchen petting there dogs... who one of which has flee's I believe XP. I struggle with standing up and saying things, and I've been holding in a whole lot of frustration towards my... well mostly the other companionship... okay mostly holt. he has a tendency of getting on my nerves the most due to the fact he back bites and gets huffy and says mean things when he doesn't get what he wants... I don't exactly agree with a lot of his philosophies on the church either.
also about rough stone rolling, ask dad to read it so he can tell me whats true and whats not, I don't wanna read it cuz honestly I can only handle so much info at one time and I already have too much on my mind as it is.
OH! so I have some funny stories XD
first off we met MR. French, I've been working on talking to people on the street so when I saw this dude in a jacket and suspenders I was like 'alright!' so he was VERY eager to talk.... I originally thought it was for the sake of bashing... but I was WAAAAAY wrong. this guy talked about his injury that he was thrown from a car and had to be rehabilitated and left him with some issues that I won't share cuz they are kinda gruesome. but he cussed like a WHOLE LOT... I was actually kinda intimdated cuz he gave me most of the crazy looks... he reminded me a whole lot of what an EVIL person during the apocalypse would be like.... yeah. he was probably a nice guy with too many struggles. he punched himself HARD in the face like three times.... it was scary. but that's not the funny part, the FUNNY was when afterwards we were talking later (me and Williams) and he's like:
W:.... I kinda hoped he would have hit one of us... well . . . you, and that way I could get up and punch him.... is that bad?
Me: I was actually thinking about that!!!
so we got to laugh and talk about how crazy guys are normally a whole lot stronger that normal people.. but hopefully we still could have taken him !
on top of that this place is CREEPY!!!! at least at night!
We talk about stratagise about how not to get snuck up on and When people warn us about being careful at night I normally tell them.
Its alright! I have a pen... cuz so help me if something tries to eat me I'm gonna shank the ever living... you get the idea.
SO I'm gonna tell ya'll my story about the creepy lady.
SO we are knocking this creepy neighborhood... okay it was actually a really nice neighborhood but something about that night was just plain creepy, so we knock into the one house, the ONLY not nice house.. okay maybe the second, anyway, I see this cat run under the porch and I had already been thinking about how spooky and sketchy everything was so I had my pen ready, but being the ever determined and crazy elders that we are, we knock it.
the door opens and this wide eyed wild looking woman walks out and stares at us.
later Williams tells me the first thing he thought was that this woman was POSSESSED. and as we talked to her I was getting flash back of finy fin (Elder Finlayson) telling me about being cursed by a pagan woman, so before the door opens I had rested my hand on the railing ball thing on the fence using it for support, my pen in hand incase I needed to use it... for writing!
but we start talking to this lady and getting weirded out by her so as we're talking all that can be heard is this silent (click) as I cock my pen... just incase she lunged at us... or I needed to write down an address.
well I'll tell ya this has been fun week in someways... I wanna send a special thanks to the sampsons for their wonderful package I will be working on writing you all VERY SOON...
and one to my lovely savannah who I think is the most wonderfully lovely thing of sweetness I have the pleasure to know.
also to Aaron who I hope I will be able to see... sometime before the end of my life and to everyone else whom I will see sooner. ^^ also, has anyone heard from hayden? has he gone out? and someone tell micheal to send a letter, we all know each others email so he has no excuse.
Well that's all for now!
Love,
Elder J Smart
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Letter #28
Joshua's 30th Letter
I always have so much on my mind that I forget about all of the wonderful things and I get more and more antsy that I'll never be the same.... I HAVE been getting better all the time but I still worry a lot. I also have been dealing with a iffy temper that only seems to come out when I think of my loved ones.
I WISH I could be more vocal and firm...
I thank you all so much for the love you've all sent. please keep it coming
OH we did run into a couple Saturday night! we invited them to church and they said they had just been talking about it.... they didn't show but hey! its a good experience.!
folks, I hate to admit but its kinda slow in this crazy city. I'm sure its mostly my own dang fault BUT, I'm working hard to talk to EVERYBODY its weird cuz lately I've been struggling with it, so much time in mental shut down that I've been unable to pick up my ol wacky nature. sometimes this world just aint any fun but we're working on it the best we can - me and Williams too.
to savannah:
I love what your doing. I'm not upset about any of your work so keep going and try hard, lemme know if I can send stuff to help the blog! =3 something I can work on on my preparation days.
to travis:
hey, so I'm having a difficult time with something, there are MILLIONS on perspectives of the missionaries out here and I don't know how to sort them all out, twixt the work aholics and the junkies I don't know where 'I' fit in.
so I look over at the screen on this ladies computer... and theres a little link that says 'Mormons believe in christ'..... lemme just say that now even the random link people are even on our side. I've grown too comfortable thinking that everyone thinks we're wrong and that everyone hates us. maybe I need to... -shrug- I dunno maybe I'll figure it out.
remind me to remember some of my Lakewood stories there were some funny times there. like with lonas, one time he was standing in the door way of the bathroom singing... about how he was going to go to the bathroom when he finishes he closes the door and with perfect timing I come up to the door and start a tiny applause (you know, finger tips to palms, the fancy kind) and he starts going
"thank you thank you, no your too kind" and so forth XD
well I'm not big on how short this letter is XP
I'll let ya'll know when some... oh yeah.. we almost died XD
EVERYONE in our area is a TERRIBLE driver -.- like seriously.. I'm starting to think that 'I' could drive better than them.... I know right?
which actually lead to one of my first promptings for my companions.
so Holt is driving on prep day and its feeling kinda fast and reckless (don't know if it was or not but I felt nervous.)
so I turned off the music and said.
"holt, theres something I need to tell you... I love you, your a great missionary.... but if you crash this car so help me I will beat the ever living crap out of you."
-silence-
so I'm working on it.
Love,
Elder J Smart
I always have so much on my mind that I forget about all of the wonderful things and I get more and more antsy that I'll never be the same.... I HAVE been getting better all the time but I still worry a lot. I also have been dealing with a iffy temper that only seems to come out when I think of my loved ones.
I WISH I could be more vocal and firm...
I thank you all so much for the love you've all sent. please keep it coming
OH we did run into a couple Saturday night! we invited them to church and they said they had just been talking about it.... they didn't show but hey! its a good experience.!
folks, I hate to admit but its kinda slow in this crazy city. I'm sure its mostly my own dang fault BUT, I'm working hard to talk to EVERYBODY its weird cuz lately I've been struggling with it, so much time in mental shut down that I've been unable to pick up my ol wacky nature. sometimes this world just aint any fun but we're working on it the best we can - me and Williams too.
to savannah:
I love what your doing. I'm not upset about any of your work so keep going and try hard, lemme know if I can send stuff to help the blog! =3 something I can work on on my preparation days.
to travis:
hey, so I'm having a difficult time with something, there are MILLIONS on perspectives of the missionaries out here and I don't know how to sort them all out, twixt the work aholics and the junkies I don't know where 'I' fit in.
so I look over at the screen on this ladies computer... and theres a little link that says 'Mormons believe in christ'..... lemme just say that now even the random link people are even on our side. I've grown too comfortable thinking that everyone thinks we're wrong and that everyone hates us. maybe I need to... -shrug- I dunno maybe I'll figure it out.
remind me to remember some of my Lakewood stories there were some funny times there. like with lonas, one time he was standing in the door way of the bathroom singing... about how he was going to go to the bathroom when he finishes he closes the door and with perfect timing I come up to the door and start a tiny applause (you know, finger tips to palms, the fancy kind) and he starts going
"thank you thank you, no your too kind" and so forth XD
well I'm not big on how short this letter is XP
I'll let ya'll know when some... oh yeah.. we almost died XD
EVERYONE in our area is a TERRIBLE driver -.- like seriously.. I'm starting to think that 'I' could drive better than them.... I know right?
which actually lead to one of my first promptings for my companions.
so Holt is driving on prep day and its feeling kinda fast and reckless (don't know if it was or not but I felt nervous.)
so I turned off the music and said.
"holt, theres something I need to tell you... I love you, your a great missionary.... but if you crash this car so help me I will beat the ever living crap out of you."
-silence-
so I'm working on it.
Love,
Elder J Smart
Friday, October 11, 2013
Letter #27
Take me home these people are nuts!
I swear I feel like I entered the GQ district, lots of folks like in high school, social stuff . . . I mean, their missionaries but... I dunno sometimes I have a hard time believing that people really change and grow up after school...
the first couple of days were kinda rough because they were pretty much wasted.
I felt like all we did was drive around and talk crap about elders or talkabout rap songs. granted we had excuses for it, our battery kept dying in our car every morning so we had to get a new one, but that's just excuses. they don't really talk like missionaries.
I don't know if I like that book rough stone rolling. (ask dad to read it and tell me what he thinks.) I keep trying but sometimes the gospel just doesn't feel as special as it used too.
I know I was pretty blown away this conference! it was like several of them were specifically for ME! it was crazy!
Stadium is cool as far as what it looks like, its the closest to big city as I've ever been in my life and it is SLOPEY as crap! its got loads of hills and such and it ends up over looking this part of the inlet and all of these lights, that mixed with the smoke of the factory over there, it is crazy.
I still struggle with the social part of it, its gotten better after I'd talked with the ZLs and our companions. we have another companion ship whose in our area and we kinda have to share a whole lot of stuff since the other guys trashed their car....
Me, Elder Smart
elder williams from my MTC group.
elder holdan I don't know who he is.
and elder larson the guy who drove the bus when I first got here.
its quite interesting just how DIFFERENT it is from AZ... I just wish things would feel some form of familiar, good news is I'm getting pretty close! bad news is I think I just kinda accept it. there have been times where I feel like I'll be forever stuck with this and when I go back everything will be ruined,but, when i heard Elder Holland speak.... it was funny because I felt like I had some hope. sometimes I wonder if I should have come in the first place, if the family services guys were right, I mean look at me I sound like I'm falling apart at the seams all the time. but I'll keep going even on those days where I hear things that sound really sketchy, I still keep going and praying that it will feel special again. I often worry that I'm going to conform to my companions ways of thinking and the like... I hope not, but I miss my old strength and masculinity to feel strong again would be great... now I just feel like I wanna be left alone.
I hope all of your guys stuff comes soon I would love to hear from you all so I can get some form of escape. you guys all know I can't re-read letters right? I can only read them on Preparation days.
I thought it was funny when dad wrote me about OCD and was talking about trying to pay attention to my senses because thats EXACTLY what I do! I have been trying to control everything and make it they way I want but I can't FORCE it or I get the opposite result, I even fight with MYSELF!
I forgot to mention! I cannot use the usb cord you sent me! its TOO SMALL! XD I forgot to mention that!
alright I gotta go, OH! I got to give a blessing to a pregnant woman! which was fun,
however some of our sisters are crazy... okay sister mcquivy is very eccentric but she means well... but I think she's got Aspergers, or something of that nature. she went a little nuts this Preparation day.
I miss and love you guys SOOO much! I hope I'll survive! good news is I 'm close to the year mark!
I remember when I first saw the spirit store in lake wood I avoided it like the plague cuz I didn't wanna feel those familar feelings on my misison... I think I need to rethink somethings about being out here.... anyway thats all from me!
funny thing... I actually just met with a member family that was all about the stuff that our family liked.... they even had quelf.
alright thats all!
Love,
Elder J Smart
Monday, October 7, 2013
Letter #26
MOM!!!! I'm being transfered!!!
I am going to stadium to be with elder williams, I was kinda sad but in funny news Mossbrucker is the new zoneleader replacing lonas XD
he didn't sound very excited but he'll do a good job.
I'm not very good at being tidy or on time with things and lonas and anderson have a tendency to lose patience with me in some ways.
this transfer has been rough because that mixed with thoughts and the feelings that come with them...
Lonas says that I WANT to be miserable, (I talk to he and anderson frequently about my problems) and they give me solutions that to me don't feel like they relate....wait wait wiat forget all this!
I Got the coolest story ever!
okay fans here we go!
SO, this transfer we have had little to NO baptisms in lakewood which is crazy because its SUPPOSED to be a very high baptising area.
BUT yesterday we walked in to church just me and elder Toni because anderson and Lonas don't like meetings so we did the ward meeting.
that ended and we were walking around talking to the memebers in the ward being nice an all and a member of older age asks us to come to the foyer to talk with us, he asks us to sit down on the couch.
of course my first impression was that we were going to get chewed out for something we had no idea of, but president eely sits down and tells us this story.
he had been teaching in china for 7 years prior to being back in the states, he told us that one of his students was coming whom he hadn't seen in FIVE years, so he told us about china's rules and laws and how you can't talk about your religion there if your a foriegner etc etc etc, BUT this morning he had been talking to zhong mou (jon meowis a close pronounciation) and he said that he wanted to becoem a memeber!!!!! so we quickly walk in to the bishops office and make this crazy plan!
chase (jon meow) was destined to be a historiean in china's eyes to which he refused and went to president eely who really didn't have that much time to teach him and... crap I gotta fast forward here!!!!
okay so we came out after planning to skip the other two hours of church to sit and just teach jon all that we knew, wehn we came out we told anderson and lonas and naturally we were all freakishly excited.
(I was actually kinda surprised at how eager we all were I thought maybe rules would get in the way but skip that man!!)
we taught him (I giving out what I could betwixt anderson and lonas)
and then we quickly went to the elly home (which was amazing...!!!)
it was all so cool!
we taught him some of the commandments and gaaaaah so many details guys!!!
so etc etc etc.
I GOT TO BAPTIZE HIM!
it was unconventional... which come to think of it is everything I do so what the heck.
I had to redo it because he would tuck his knees in and he didn't quite 100% get the procedure so when I baptised him for the second time I saw his knees start to go up to which I pushed all of him down before he went back up.
funny thing is he's a member of the communist party!!
but thats just because of his job which is part of the biggest news paper in the world AND biggest T.V.station.
he says the only time he remembers he's a communist is when he gets the bill to pay the membership XD
GAAAh so many cool stuff!
BUT thats all I can give via email folks!
Elder J Smart
I am going to stadium to be with elder williams, I was kinda sad but in funny news Mossbrucker is the new zoneleader replacing lonas XD
he didn't sound very excited but he'll do a good job.
I'm not very good at being tidy or on time with things and lonas and anderson have a tendency to lose patience with me in some ways.
this transfer has been rough because that mixed with thoughts and the feelings that come with them...
Lonas says that I WANT to be miserable, (I talk to he and anderson frequently about my problems) and they give me solutions that to me don't feel like they relate....wait wait wiat forget all this!
I Got the coolest story ever!
okay fans here we go!
SO, this transfer we have had little to NO baptisms in lakewood which is crazy because its SUPPOSED to be a very high baptising area.
BUT yesterday we walked in to church just me and elder Toni because anderson and Lonas don't like meetings so we did the ward meeting.
that ended and we were walking around talking to the memebers in the ward being nice an all and a member of older age asks us to come to the foyer to talk with us, he asks us to sit down on the couch.
of course my first impression was that we were going to get chewed out for something we had no idea of, but president eely sits down and tells us this story.
he had been teaching in china for 7 years prior to being back in the states, he told us that one of his students was coming whom he hadn't seen in FIVE years, so he told us about china's rules and laws and how you can't talk about your religion there if your a foriegner etc etc etc, BUT this morning he had been talking to zhong mou (jon meowis a close pronounciation) and he said that he wanted to becoem a memeber!!!!! so we quickly walk in to the bishops office and make this crazy plan!
chase (jon meow) was destined to be a historiean in china's eyes to which he refused and went to president eely who really didn't have that much time to teach him and... crap I gotta fast forward here!!!!
okay so we came out after planning to skip the other two hours of church to sit and just teach jon all that we knew, wehn we came out we told anderson and lonas and naturally we were all freakishly excited.
(I was actually kinda surprised at how eager we all were I thought maybe rules would get in the way but skip that man!!)
we taught him (I giving out what I could betwixt anderson and lonas)
and then we quickly went to the elly home (which was amazing...!!!)
it was all so cool!
we taught him some of the commandments and gaaaaah so many details guys!!!
so etc etc etc.
I GOT TO BAPTIZE HIM!
it was unconventional... which come to think of it is everything I do so what the heck.
I had to redo it because he would tuck his knees in and he didn't quite 100% get the procedure so when I baptised him for the second time I saw his knees start to go up to which I pushed all of him down before he went back up.
funny thing is he's a member of the communist party!!
but thats just because of his job which is part of the biggest news paper in the world AND biggest T.V.station.
he says the only time he remembers he's a communist is when he gets the bill to pay the membership XD
GAAAh so many cool stuff!
BUT thats all I can give via email folks!
Elder J Smart
Monday, September 9, 2013
Letter #25
Joshua's 25th Letter
Hellooooooooooooooo mission fans!
tis your beloved elder smart! here to discuss this weeks progress!
hmmmmmm whats happened this week.
well, for starters I am feeling slightly better! ocd has been a real plague but this week I am starting to see rays of sunshine!
we've met quite a few crazy people!
so we went to probably the sketchiest place I had been in awhile.
(surprisingly more sketch than chocolate city... and thats the technical ghetto of lakewood.) anyway the complex's are kinda stashed away behind the burger king like two minutes away from the apartment.
so we were going along knocking on these particulary sketch places and for once (maybe it was because I was with the new guy) I felt actually kinda.... uncomfortable.
so we started knocking on the doors and we come up to these two that are side byside, and from the one next to the door that we are about to knock I hear this woman talking from the open door.
"oh those guys better not knock on my door... they wouldn't be dumb enough.. they better not!" and of course my first thought is.
"lady, why the heck would we knock on the door? its open already..." of course I refrained from actually saying so.... even though I really really wanted too!
so of course when theres no answer we walk up to it and I say high, to which this woman says something relatively crude to us and then reaches in to try and pull her busom out to which I quickly turn and say 'okay have a nice day.'
so yeah, fun.
HOWEVER this was also the first time I ran into a NICE manager!
we knock further down and I see th managers door open and a lady standing and of course my first thought was.
"aw crap.... she's gonna kick us out."
so of course we say hi and we start talking
I told her we had had some interesting experiences with some of her clients and she was like.
"which one? the guy next door?" Then the overweight drunk lady who had tried to expose her self to us was walking around outside her house now so I nodded toward that lady and the manager was like;
"oh! yeah, she's not a believer, I've been trying to talk to her about it but she's' pretty adamant"
and I was like
"AH! she's religious!" so to our surprise we actually set up an apointment with her.
crazy right?
hmmm aside from that not a whole lot has been happening unfortunately
BUT we are still at work, we're doing the perfect storm thingy this month so we're trying hard.
also I made a discovery, preach my gospel is like a frigg'n homework book!!!! like there's activities and stuff to do in it!
I was reading some parts of it and was like.
"oh... that looks kinda fun to do...."
oh how I learn.
well thats all from me to day folks remember, drunk people are weird.
Love,
Elder J Smart
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