HHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYY BBBBBBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHDDDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MMMMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well this week was a good one. We were blessed with opportunities to preach the gospel and the Lord is watching over us. Sounds like you guys had a good week too. About the scout camp y'all had last week, they showed President Monson's video about 100 years of scouting at the regional scouting event up near Kansas City back in April. President and Sister Keyes went to that in the pouring rain. I don't think she was a happy camper after that, haha! That's awesome that Cody's getting his senior pictures tomorrow! I remember when I got mine. That is my mission picture, as I'm sure you are aware of.
All right, let me tell you about my week. I have been praying recently to be able to have the courage to talk to everyone I see. I hate walking up to people and talking to them. But tracting is fine! So the past few days have been better but I have realized over the past week or so that Heavenly Father won't simply just give something to me like that but I have to work at it. Put forth some effort and then he'll help me. So that was cool to see for the past few days.
Monday last week after e-mailing, it was approaching the time that we normally leave and the daughter of brother Brundage was coming to give Elder Dansie and I haircuts. She arrived super late. I decided to take a shower (I like to get it cut THEN shower) and right in the middle of my shower I heard that they had arrived. I wasn't happy but got upstairs and got my haircut anyways. It was a pretty bad haircut, to be honest. She left the top way too long including the part that hangs over the forehead. She was like: "Oh, you can just leave it flat or spike it up." But when have I ever done that? Yeah, never. We then rushed to do groceries and were 20 minutes late to dinner in Conway Springs. That night we talked to this one lady I was too shy to talk to. She finally offered us a soda to which I had to accept in order to get inside her house. She turned into a potential investigator. We then talked to this one strange lady who is married to an inactive member who goes to the local bar literally every night and gets drunk. I feel bad for both of them.
Tuesday was our last day in a trio. Elder Dansie was also snoring for the first time since we've been together. So that brought me back to memories of Dad. Good memories. So I couldn't sleep and I checked my watch to see what time it was and it was 11:30. I felt prompted to say a prayer. So I got out of bed and said a prayer to stop Elder Dansie's snoring or to help me sleep through it. I felt peace and calm as I crawled back in bed. I don't know what happened after that because I quickly fell asleep. My prayer was answered! Anyways, Tuesday night, Elder Dansie and Elder Hellbusch burned a tie to celebrate Elder Dansie's 6 month mark. I choose not to participate in those foolish traditions. My ties are too precious to me.
Wednesday was transfer day. Sister Brundage took us up to the 13th street building in Wichita an hour away. We were super late and the AP's were after us. But we got there and the transfers left on time. Elder Hellbusch returned to his own area in the Maize second ward and it's just us two now. My new trainee is Elder Evans from Salt Lake City, Utah (really, Holiday, Utah). He is the youngest of 3 boys: all of whom have served missions. He is a visa-waiter to Forta Leza, Brazil. He and I often battle as to what language is better: Spanish or Portuguese. The two are very similar. Anyways, to answer your question, Mom, that night we saw that younger couple. They told us that they studied it out and weren't really interested in the gospel. But I told them that they had to come to church to be able to make that decision. So they said they would skip one of their services and come to our church. I was like "YES!" We have an appointment with them this coming Wednesday. They didn't come to church yesterday, though. So we'll see what happens in the future. Also, that 17 year old that I was telling you about last week, I have no idea what happened to him. He lives up in the Maize 1st ward and I was on exchanges when I talked with him.
Thursday we had weekly planning. After doing so, we saw a part member family: an older couple that live here in Argonia. She is a member but he's a non-member. They both committed to come to church should they get a ride. They didn't come yesterday because they didn't have anyone to take them. Sister Brundage went to a ward up in Wichita for a missionary farewell so she couldn't this week. We'll try to get them next week, though.
On Friday, we had our zone meeting up in Wichita. Grandpa told me about a missionary who got transferred there from Honduras due to stomach issues. He's from their ward in Santa Ana. Well I met him on Friday. He's companions with Elder Neeley: who is from the Del Mar stake. He is a little different of a person. maybe it's because he misses Honduras a lot, but I don't know. There are also a lot more sister missionaries here in the zone. They just added like 2-3 new companionships to the zone. So hopefully this spices things up a bit. The zone leaders are in my district now along with the Auburn Hills sisters. So still just 6 of us. Later that day, we had another one of those experiences of one of our investigators saying that he's studied about it and isn't interested in changing. I think it's just because these people have only done one thing their whole lives and don't want to change at all. They're just set in their ways. Good thing we have the truth!
All week it has been super hot. I love the hot better than the cold, so I'm not complaining. Saturday we studied until noon and then went down to Caldwell. I feel like we have like no time down there now that we're staying home for so long. We only got to see like 3 people before it was time to go to dinner in Wellington around 5:30. We did, however, talk to a world war 2 veteran. So that was cool. His wife passed away 4 years ago. Sunday we were expecting a lot of investigators to go to church but only a couple less actives came to church. That's still good, I guess, but doesn't satisfy my craving for investigators at church. Hopefully we'll get some this Sunday. We will do our best to get them there. Ward council this morning was actually productive for once. It wasn't Bishop story time, it was down to business time. He proposed that the Elders quorum come out with us and go bring back less actives. One at a time. That's how our ward will grow just like it did last fall when they had families move in like crazy due to the oil boom. Hopefully the Lord can bless us according to our humble level.
It rained a ton yesterday AND today. I don't really like it when it rains in the summer because it gets super muggy when the sun decides to show his face again. But we didn't have too much success that afternoon/evening so got home and prepared for P-day today. But YEAH! That's my week this week.
So I hope it's okay if I send some stuff home that I don't need/want. I might send it in a package. There's a nalgene bottle I've never used and some clothes and stuff. That 94 year old woman didn't seem bothered when we were there. The only hint of it was when we showed up one day and when we approached the door, her sister and wife to the baptist preacher showed up as well. She thne said "Well I'm a baptist" to which I responded "That doesn't matter." After that, her baptist preacher showed up the following week and we got shooed off.
Dad, that's awesome that you enjoyed the trip even though you said it was awful. Hopefully President Stapley can get the Kung Fu Panda quote right next time, haha! How's Cody's eagle coming along? Is he still waiting for letters of recommendation? That's what took the longest time for me. How's Caitlin's new job? Hopefully I didn't forget to tell you anything. Is there anything you need from me or want to tell you about? Well I best be off. I hope y'all have a great week and especially Mom have a great birthday! Love,
Elder Sutherland
PS: "The light bulb! Without it Roger won't be able to keep warm!"
"Roger! Without him the light bulb will have nothing to warm!"
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