11 April 2011

Sooo.  Yeah, my comp is awesome.  His name is Elder Giesick.  From Greeley, Colorado.  He's friends with the missionary who's companion got shot in this area.  Weird coincidence.  He's a convert of 19 months and his story is incredible.  He's really a trooper.  His family wasn't supportive of him joining the church in the first place, but they kind of got over it, but then when he decided to go on a mission, they completely disowned him.  In the MTC they sent him 1 email the entire time and it was just telling him how disappointed they are in him and how they don't want to hear anything from him while he's here.  But he's a champ and knows why he's here and that it's where the lord needs him.

  This week has been pretty rough.  NOt a ton of success seen this week, but we're laying the foundation for a great work.  We had a really cool contact with these two guys yesterday.  They called because they want to come to english class  but didn't know how to get there, so we took a map over to their apartment to show them adn we started talking about the church and it turns out they're from Idaho Falls(well, not originally) and they always saw the Idaho Falls temple.  Also, turns out their bosses are LDS.  So we're talking and they tell us how they're super bored waiting here for the rest of the crew to show up and how they don't have a TV, so we gave them both Books of Mormon and they were like "We'll totally read these and let you know how it goes when we come to english class."  Pretty cool.

   So on Saturday we showed up at one of our RC's house here and  he was acting kind of weird and I got the feeling he was a little tipsy, but he wasn't showing any real signs of being drunk, so we go inside and he sits us down and just starts going off about how he's never really been able to overcome his drinking problem and he feels horrible for it.  He starts crying because he doesn't have any family here and no one to support him and it was just super sad, and he tells us "I need my patriarchal blessing.  That's what is going to tell me what I need to do.  I feel like I'm slipping and I don't know what to grab onto!"  So we helped him out and we go home and then on Sunday he doesn't go to church.  So we go over last night and we see him and he's surrounded by a bunch of people adn so we walk over and he's got blood all over his pants and a bandana tied around his arm and he comes stumbling over and goes "Hermanos, I'm not doing so hot tonight..."  Turns out he got drunk and elbowed a window and a shard of glass stuck in his tricep past the muscle and left about an inch long slice in his arm, and his friends (all drunk) are trying to tell me that it wasn't them, but that he did it to himself.  So we call his home teacher to get him a ride to the hospital. So while we're waiting, everyone except one guy leaves.  And I want you to think about Korihor in the book of mormon.  Remember how he was super smooth with his words and whatnot?  Yeah, this dude starts talking to Marco and he's like "Listen to me.  I'm the truth.  What did you believe in when you came up here?  When you came up here from mexico, Who were you?  And what did you believe in?"  and he starts sayin some stuff and the spirit just DISAPPEARED.  It was scary.  Like, this guy was working some really bad stuff, and me and my comp just got this horrible, sick feeling.  So I look at Marco and was like "Hey, come to the car with us." and his buddy goes "What, am I offending you?  Is there something you dont' like?"  and he's tryin to pick a fight with me, so I just grabbed Marco and get him to our car and his home teacher pulled up and took him to the hospital, he had to get like, 6 stitches or something.  Kind of messed up.  So he's kind of  been a mess these last few days, it's  been kind of rough.

   But other than that, things are going good.  I'm not rollin in a new car yet, but they said the mission is getting its next set of new cars in April(this month), so I should have one by next month :) hahaha

  But yeah, that is the big news from here in Chesapeake.  One of the English elders got ET'd (emergency transferred) on Saturday, but we dont' know why.  He didn't do anything bad, I think it was because he has a really bad stuttering problem that he had gotten over in his last area, but here it just came back with a vengeance, so he said he needed to get out.  I miss him though.  He was sweet.  he's a 6' 8" red head.  funny guy.  Elder Beus.

   I'm sleeping surprisingly well.  I hit the pillow and I'm out within about 5-10 minutes and I sleep straight through the night.  I'm almost sleeping through the alarm too! haha never thought that would happen.  My last few companions have complained because I'm sleeping so well that I'm snoring REALLY loud and it wakes them up sometimes.  I think it's pretty funny.  

   Well, I love you all, hope you're doing well and you keep trusting in the Lord.  

  Alyea informed me that I have 79 days left.  Will someone beat her for me? haha

    Elder Campbell