The Sad Part
Before I say anything I would like to address the terrorist attack that occurred on Halloween. It makes me angry to my core that someone can do such an awful things to there own Brothers and Sisters. I know that rage is not an emotion that Jesus Christ wants from one of his representatives, and I'm doing my best not to let it control me in any way. But I don't have to tell you all it's hard when you feel like you want to help but you can't do anything from where you are. What we can do is make the good outweigh the bad. Keeping all the victims in our prayers (or your faith’s equivalent) is a good start.
All of this being said, death is nearly impossible for us to understand in our mortal state, because of this we fear it, run from it, and speak of it in a low voice. These events may have brought back painful memories; if any of you struggle through times like this, it's ok. I know literary nothing except for one fact, there is a life after death. And it's not just for the best of us; all of God's children will live again.
It's ok to fear death, we all do. It's ok if you don't know for sure about eternal life, It's the only thing I know and it took me 19 years to get that far. Heavenly Father loves all of his children who have left this world, and he loves you.
The Happy Part
Hey guys!
I went on exchange for the first time on Thursday. (Exchanges are when you and another companionship of missionaries swap companions for 24 hours.) We swapped with the missionaries serving in the YSA [young single adult] ward. Elder Nielsen went to their area and I stayed in ours. The missionary from the YSA ward I spent the day with is named Elder Foland. (Yes Foland and LaFond are anagrams) He and his companion Eder Shakespeare are great. We play basketball with them every Wednesday and Friday mornings and hang out with them on P days.
It was really fun to get to know Elder Foland better. He's such a fun guy. He's from Maryland, which is right next door to us. He grew up homeschooled in a big family. He has been out for almost exactly 2 years now. He will be going home in just a few weeks right after his 3rd thanksgiving in the mission. He will get to meet his youngest sister for the first time when he gets home. He is the best missionary I've met, and I'll be sad/happy to see him go.
After exchanges, we met back up with Elder Nielsen and Shakespeare. The four of us went out to lunch to a place called Texas de Brazil. It was a super cool all you can eat restaurant. The servers would come up to the table with a fresh out of the oven sheep leg (for example) They would ask you how much you wanted and cut it off for you right there. It was all fresh and delicious. Make sure if you try it you go when they have a deal going or it'll kill your bank account.
Later that day Elder Nielsen and I were looking to see if we had a Persian Book of Mormon for one of our investigators who is from Iran. We didn't end up finding one in our apartment, so we'll need to stop by the mission office to grab one. But what we did end up doing is labeling and alphabetizing all of our translated Books of Mormon. We have a lot of Spanish, a couple of Russian, a few eastern languages, some Sanskrit, some Latin-based, and some languages I've never seen before. It was pretty cool.
The other night we ate dinner at a member's house. Their name is the J____s. They have three kids. A Girl named Elise, who funnily enough looks like a 5-year-old Hannah (my sister, Hannah's, middle name is Elise), and a 7-year-old boy named Samuel, the oldest is named Madeline she is about 8-11, I think. It's difficult to tell Madeline's age because she is physically disabled. Her fine motor skills are nearly non-existent to the point that it greatly affects her grouse motor skills. Her movements are extremely jerky and she doesn't have the strength to hold herself up. She uses what looks like a backward walker to move around the house and a wheelchair everywhere else she goes. It is difficult for her to communicate, but if you listen very closely you can understand some of what she is saying. Her parents are very good at translating for her.
In talking to Madeline I could tell that she was a lot more then she looked; she is very smart for her age and has a good sense of humor. Nielsen asked the kids what candy they liked and Madeline said "All of them!" I asked Madeline if she likes school, and she told me about how she loves earth science. She said that she was learning about all the planets, and recited all the different kinds of rock formations to me. She also said that she liked to ride horses at physical therapy. When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up she said, "I want to train horses, and be a mom." Some people talk about things being enough to make a grown man cry, but they don't talk about things being enough to make a young man cry days later when he writes about them. There are few things I can remember praying for as hard as I am praying that Madeline's dreams will come true.
"I thought he said this was the happy part!"
This Sunday was fast and testimony meeting. (On the first Sunday of every month Mormons will skip two meals, and donate the money that they would have used for the food that they didn't eat too the church. The church then uses that money to feed people in the word that can't afford food themselves. In addition to that, it is also an opportunity for anyone to go to the front of our meetinghouse and share their testimony with the entire ward. (Sharing your testimony is to tell someone about what you believe in.)
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| Elder Nielsen and I enjoying a dinner appointment |
As a new missionary, I was expected to go to the podium, introduce myself, and share my testimony. Although I was emotional when I did it, I didn't cry this time. After I got back to my seat a girl who was no older than 11-years-old got up to the podium and said. "I believe in the Book Of Mormon and Joseph Smith and this is the true church and even though my daddy doesn't believe in the Book Of Mormon I know he will someday." Ya... I could not hold my tears after that one.
I'm sorry that this week has a lot of heavy stuff. I promise that I'll dedicate part of my email next week to talking about fluffy kittens. And always remember if any of you want to talk about anything feel free to send me an email.
Stay safe and take your vitamins.
From the true O.G. -Eli
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