Wednesday, May 29

Dear Family,                                                                                                        

     So today we did get to go to the temple, and unfortunately I might not have a lot of time for email today. 

     So last week on Monday night we met with J.  He’s about 50 and from Chile, been in US for like 15 years I believe.  He’s been a member for about 5 years.  He’s got some problems that make him semi-active.  He has schizophrenia, and has all sorts of theories on what it "really is” about some Russian x-ray testing thing from satellites and Bill Clinton and stuff.  He knows the voices aren’t really there and he does his best to ignore them, but he believes it’s not schizophrenia; it’s the satellite x-ray warfare experiments.  But they really give him a hard time even though he knows perfectly well to give them no thought, they just are solely negative and scare him and make him feel awful about himself. He’s found the only way to combat them at all is service.  So tons of families in the ward have him do yard work for them, because he’s an extremely humble hard worker that loves to do it.  For a couple of days out of a month he usually gets really bad headaches that make it impossible for him to hold a job.  He is provided with enough to rent a room from a member, and the families always feed him dinner. He’s not always at church but he tries.  He really has a strong testimony of the love and support of the good people of the LDS church, and cries when he talks about them and all they do, so we dropped by to visit with him Monday night, I didn’t know him that well. We talked and got to know him, shared a message, and he really loved it.  We’re going to swing by and meet with him like once a week in evenings probably.  He texted a few members after our visit telling how awesome it was, so that’s exciting to see the difference we can make. 

     Tuesday and Sunday we met with G.  He was a referral we got from a member we tracted into, that had brought him to church once, and to a Gladys Knight thing a couple of years ago.  He’s a 72 year old black man from southeast Georgia and then a long time in New Jersey.  He’s really neat.  He’s got a nice home where you can feel the spirit.  We haven’t met his wife yet. He’s been Pentecostal his whole life but is interested and likes to talk.  He apparently was really strong and went to New Jersey a little after high school to pursue a boxing career.  He said he started that type of training too late but still knew several professional fighters pretty well.  He worked moving cargo at I believe the Newark Airport and loves talking about how he could lift 100 pounds over his head with one hand easy.  Then when we has in his 40s (still doing that easily), there was a bag of luggage well overweight someone snuck on, and thinking it to be about 50 he scooped it up, and it was actually over 200, and he broke his back in two places but the x-ray didn’t show it so he kept working for another 20 some years, just as strong, even though his back bothered him. Then just 3 years ago they realized it was broken in two places, and there’s a surgery they were going to do that they never do on people that old but then they saw how great shape he was in and did it, and so he was kind of in a brace for almost two years but has it off and is walking and everything again.  He’s always saying how bad he wishes he could lift, but the doctors only let him do so much but he does have a bench in his backyard he still uses.  But because he couldn’t walk for a while, he had a bunch of unworn new shoes, and he gave me a pair of Rockports, that are super comfortable and conservative enough, and they’re like brand new, so they’re working out great.  But we’ve taught the first lesson and he definitely felt the Spirit strong but was kind of uncomfortable by what its telling him and the significance it all has, so that should go good.  He read some from the Ensign and is going to read from the Book of Mormon.  Unfortunately his wife’s not interested which is a big deal.  She’s not against but just doesn’t care.  The lesson part goes quick, he kind of likes to move fast and talk about what he wants, but he asks a few gospel questions that didn’t really have to do with the lesson but he’d been wondering about for a while, and he listens enough to understand the message of the restoration, but I guess isn’t comfortable enough to embrace that he wants it and all.  So  hopefully that all goes well.

     Wednesday night we had a lesson with P, the daughter of a member in our ward.  She’s recently gone through a divorce, and then her new fiancé’s death and been kind of depressed.  She’s a very good woman and has always been Christian and pretty active but denominations never appealed because she didn’t always agree with things, for instance she’s always believed Christ to be the Son of God literally.  So the lesson went great, she loved it, and is really excited to learn more, and just solid, but she lives in Henderson and will be getting the rest there. 

     S- I probably mentioned is now getting taught in Green Valley (other mission), but is going to church there and still progressing!

     Sunday we taught J, she attended church by her home in her rightful ward, alone.  At the appointment we taught the 3rd lesson and remaining commandments.  She’s done good with coffee and tea and all, and is sticking with it, and agreed to pay tithing.  She cried about having to leave this ward though, she knows it’s right and it’ll be fine, but said change is hard.  She’s going to be baptized there in a couple of weeks, (only because her fellowship family is going out of town for a bit), so we’ll probably go to that.  She even talked about teaching Primary, how great a way that would be to review things.  She also mentioned how all of her friends have had awful things to say about the church, especially about racism, and showed her some anti websites, and she shared those experiences, and how she prayed and they just don’t bother her because she knows what’s right.  She knows the church isn’t racist, so she doesn’t care to know if or why they ever may have been, it just doesn’t matter to her.  So it’s unfortunate we won’t get to teach her any more. 

     Yesterday after doing some service we were called to come see an inactive lady from another stake, staying in a rehab center in our area.  She wants to receive the lessons, and a member from her ward was going down to visit, and wanted us to come to be introduced, so we ran down there (in our P-days from service.)  We beat the member there to the room so we got to talk to the lady for a bit.  Her name is M, she’s really old and frail, and really funny/sassy, I guess.  We talked to her for a little, until the member arrived, and then told us we had to be wearing a mask and gloves and apron, but we shared a spiritual thought and set a return time.  So that was kinda neat, the lady was baptized in ‘96 in Alaska, is/was an alcoholic, and doesn’t know a whole lot about the gospel, and I guess her bishop’s plan is for her to be basically prepared to go through the temple when she gets out of rehab.  I’m not sure why she’s there but has been either for 6 weeks or since January, we heard two different things, but basically she’s been off coffee and stuff for a while, has loved Relief Society visits and stuff so is really prepared in that sense, and now is going to receive all the lessons.  So that’s pretty neat.

     And so that’s about what’s been going on here.

     I still love studying the scriptures and writing, it’s amazing how much there is to learn.  Elder R is doing good, learning.  Every morning he reads a Book of Mormon chapter, and then we review it hard,  then he has this journal we dedicated to the Book of Mormon, where I lead him, and I break each chapter down based on what happens every x amount of verses, and he records his little study guide outline according in this journal.  So we’re on 1 Nephi 9. It’s something he’s excited about, so it’s moving, and he retains some.

     Hope to hear from you all, love you, hopefully I’ll send the SD card soon.

     Love, Elder Pyron