This week has been really good as far as missionary work goes. We have seen a good amount of successes and some new investigators we have are really promising!
On Monday, we went to the Hicken's house with the Plymouth Elders and played basketball and pool. I found a real football in their closet so I got to throw that around for a while. I was so happy and as Nacho Libre said: "It felt goood. Reeeal good!" Haha so I was a happy camper on Monday for sure. We had dinner with the Keepmans on Monday night. They are an older couple in our ward and they love the missionaries. So they fed us dinner and Brother Keepman updated me on all the NFL stuff that's been going on (God bless that man), and then he came joint teaching with us. We had like 5-6 less actives we wanted to stop by, but the first 4 weren't home so we were looking through our ward map and I saw this guy named John. So we were like let's go see him. We knocked on his door and no one answered so we knocked again and this old guy with a huge lizard just chilling on his chest opens the door! I was like, "What the heck?" So we started talking and he let us in and told us how he had joined the church in Wilmer, and the first Sunday he went to church after he was baptized he realized it was "the worst decision he had ever made in his life." So we were like, "Why do you think that?" And he said because "we aren't allowed to eat candy or drink coffee." My companion and I just looked at each other like, "What the fetch?" I still don't know how he even got baptized in the first place because he hates the church and has never read the Book of Mormon and didn't know who Joseph Smith is haha. So yeah, I'm still scratching my head over that one. We had a nice chat about how he is a bus driver and the kids tick him off sometimes but he just puts it in God's hands to chastise the kids. Haha it was super weird. After we left, the guy we were teaching with says, "Well, that was an interesting visit!" I just died laughing!
On Tuesday evening Brother Hunsaker went joint teaching with us. This week we had joint teachers almost every night because we didn't have the car this week. So we walked and biked a lot during the day and had members drive us to appointments at night which was great! So we got a media referral named Billie who lived right by us in another apartment complex. So we went over to see her and weren't really sure what to expect. She was AWESOME! Haha She was the nicest lady ever and was super outgoing and had a great personality. She said she had had a college roommate that was Mormon and just wanted to learn about the church because she had heard a lot about it recently. She was a flight attendant for 20+ years and her step-son played point guard for the Jazz right after John Stockton. Anyway, she said she was raised Baptist but her family has gone all different religious directions since then so she was kind of looking for a church. She asked what we believe in so we just went through the articles of faith with her. She absolutely loved them! She said she believed the exact same things! Then she asked us about where we came from and where we go when we die and we told her and she said "That makes my heart happy that you believe that. That is what I believe too!" I almost died. Because most people don't believe the plan of salvation stuff haha. It was a great lesson and the Spirit was definitely there. We had to pass her off to the Minnetonka Sisters because she is a single lady, so they can visit her without a joint teacher. Billie is great though!
On Wednesday, we did exchanges with the Plymouth Elders. So I got to go to Plymouth with Elder Vaughn who was in my MTC district! I was hyped. We had a good time. We did a lot of stop by's and tracted some apartment building, but didn't really find anyone. We got drenched by a huge rainstorm. We were biking and it just started pouring haha. Then we thought there was going to be a tornado so we almost went into Wayzata High School to hide, but it quit raining and luckily there wasn't a tornado. The clouds were doing this huge swirly thing and it was crazy! We biked home really quick to get the car and go to this investigator appointment they had set up. Then it really started raining once we got the car so we drove to his house and it was raining incredibly hard. It was nuts. So we waited till right at 8 pm to run into his house and try not to get to drenched. Well... we got drenched and muddy haha. We knocked on the guy's door and he opens it and looks at us and goes "Is it raining?" And we were like, "Yeah, bro." And he says "Oh man, I'm really sorry, but can we reschedule?" Elder Vaughn and I looked at each other like what? I almost said no, but Elder Vaughn was like, "Yeah, that can work." So we ran through the waterfall of water coming off his roof and then through the torrential downpour back to the car and it's like 8:15, and I was like, "Let's go to Taco Bell!" So we did! They had a 2$ meal deal where you got a cheesy beef burrito, loaded nachos, and a drink for 2$!! I was hyped! So then it quits raining right when we get to Taco Bell and it's like 8:40, so we drove home and right when we get home it starts pouring rain again. So we just sat in the car and ate our food and then ran in and got soaked even more, and then lifted some weights and went to bed. It was a fun day haha.
On Thursday we met Brother Dam, who is this super old Vietnamese guy in our ward. We go visit him once a week because he lives alone and loves the company. He is the nicest guy ever but he speaks like no English, so it's a little tough to communicate. We usually just read the Book of Mormon with him because he loves it! He can't speak English hardly at all but he can read it which is weird, so it works I guess. The gift of tongues must come into play when we read because he usually can understand what we say and we can understand when he reads. So it all works out! I love seeing him because he always is so happy to see us and it makes my day. That night we had dinner with the Francis family and Sister Francis is the Primary President, so she gave us a big list of members to go see who are less active and stuff. I was like "Thank you so much!!" Haha because that helps us out a lot with knowing which less actives to go see. Then her husband was our joint teacher for the night so went to see this less active named Brother Armstrong. Easily the coolest visit I've had with a less active. He has a ton of WWll memorabilia and guns and knives and all kinds of stuff. He gave me a WWll marine knife and a Black Legion pocket knife thing. He said "All Elders that come to my house get knives!" So I was like uhhhh okay! He was an interesting guy and thinks people at church try to frame him for stuff so he doesn't ever come. He also has like really bad social anxiety, but he loves talking to the Elders, so it was good to build a relationship with him!
On Friday it rained really hard all day and my companion's bike had a flat, so we walked around Hopkins and did some finding in the rain all day! It wasn't too bad, and you think of stupid ways to make it fun haha. That night we had a visit set up with this guy named Foday who has been an investigator for a while. He lives about 2.5 miles away so we walked there and when we got to his apartment no one answered. I was a little chapped, so I texted him and was like, "We are here where are you?" And he texts back and was like, "Daaamn I'm in Minneapolis." I died laughing, so I wasn't as mad. Then we walked home and on the way this guy named Anthony stopped us and asked if we were JWs and we were like, "No, we are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," and we told him about it. He said he was a free mason, and I said "Masons make great Mormons!" because I had heard that somewhere. so I said it! He thought it was funny haha! So we gave him a Book of a Mormon and he said he and some of his friends would be interested in learning more about the church so we are setting up a meeting for this week sometime!
When we got back to the apartment we were sitting in the lobby planning for the next day because there is wifi in the lobby so we can sync our area book app. Then this lady and her boyfriend walk in the door and she just starts yelling at us! She's like "No one wants to join your religion! Why are you always hanging out in our lobby? It's creepy. Go somewhere else! You don't even live here!" And I was like, "Yeah we do live here." She was like, "What floor?" And I said, "The second floor." And she's like, "What number?" And I was like, "1207." She's like, "I'm gonna talk to the landlord about you hanging around here." I was like, "We know the landlord and she knows us, too." Then this other random lady walks in and is like, "Are you Jehovah's Witness?" And we were like, "What the heck? No!" She then proceeded to keep thinking we were and told us to leave the building. So we have two ladies yelling at us to leave and thinking we are JWs and we live in the apartment and aren't JWs.... so interesting experience to say the least.
On Saturday we had a great lesson with Jaelen. Brother Hamilton gave us all a ride to the church and we did a church tour with him. When we went in the chapel he was like, "Man. I can really feel the Spirit here." It was so cool!! It was like a moment from the District videos. Then we showed him the baptismal font and we were sitting there looking at it for a minute and he says, "I think I want this. I want to work towards baptism." I was just like, "Heck, yeah!" I was so hyped. He then told us his dad isn't really for him coming to church and he actually lied and told his dad he was with friends so he could come with us. But he really wants to come to church and stuff. He is a great kid and he is so funny. He is doing an improv show at his high school and he raps as well. He said he loves Drake and he always texts his ex girlfriend Drake lyrics and I was dying haha. He's a funny kid. We said a prayer that his dad would allow him to come to church. I got a feeling that it may not be this weekend, but it would be soon, and his dad's heart would be softened. It was a neat experience, and I have high hopes for him!
It's been a fun week! I miss all my brothers who are serving the Lord and at college. You are all the best and we are gonna be Brothers for Life! I love you all and pray for all of you daily. Family, I love you,and thanks so much for all you do to support me! I love you all so much and hope all is well with you. Thanks for all the emails and support I get each week, they always brighten my week and I love them! This is God's work and I'm grateful to be a part of it!
Much love,
Elder Beach
#10 #MavUp
We saw an albino squirrel!
Rainbow in Hopkins.
Fall is in the air!
Taco Bell mustache at District Meeting...
My new knives!
My daily lunch - salad, grapes and veggies.
