Ok, no more having fun until I get home!! No more! You have to sit inside all day and do math problems until your brain turns into potato salad! (That will be pretty easy for Mac... being that there's only potato salad between the ears, but we can figure something else out ;). I love the pictures!! That just looks like to much stinkin' fun. Funny you should mention that you saw Ice Age 3, yesterday at "Dinner with the D's" (said in a British accent for effect.. and also because Sis. D is British) we got the rundown of Ice Age 3 from their 8 year old daughter, sounds like the squirrel was the funniest part haha
That's way fun, seeing a picture of Spokane from the skywalk makes me realize how much of a small town feel we have there. Nassau isn't a big island, but it's HUGE as far as people crammed onto one little rock and downtown with all the fancy stores and cruise ships and such, Spokane because home more and more each day- sure wouldn't mind coming back there after school and such. That negatives equipment thingy sounds legit too- I don't think I've ever seen pictures of Grandpa Bruce back in the day- that will be fun! Crazy wit the water flooding your area. It has been kinda dreary here the past couple days (thankfully, you will understand in a minute).
So this week was pretty good. No 'tisms this week, we hit up the Hard Rock Cafe on P-day... talk about dying and going to heaven. If the Celestial Kingdom is anything like the Hard Rock- oh my I just get giddy thinking about spending eternity with my family there! ;) That was cool, nothing super crazy Tuesday, but Wedensday.. oh Wednesday. After District Meeting (which happens over Skype) we get a call from Elder Randle (one of the assistants to the president). He's the man, super cool, great missionary. Well Elder Randle is talking to Elder Worley and proceeds to tell us that the Dominican Republic (who is over this mission) did an audit and wasn't pleased with the amount of miles the off-island zone was driving a month, particularly the Nassau Elders and that until further notice and until they could figure out what they were going to do, we have been required to park our car and walk. Ok, that wouldn't be a huge deal in Jamaica- you have taxi's, smaller areas, the people you teach are generally surrounded by someone else you can visit- NOT how it works out here. We are teaching people spread all over the island, and having a whole island to proselyte in... walking is a huge hinderance to the work. We weren't sure what to think, if they were gonna take away the car permanetly or whatever, but all we knew is that Thursday we had to walk all day. So we planned it out, and we had already scheduled to see a lady who came to church and Thursday was pretty much the only day we could see her, and of course, she lives clear the heck out past downtown. This was going to be at least a 5 hour journey there and back. We were kinda excited to get back out on the two feet dem... but mostly not. So we set out, takes an hour and a bit just to get to the church, have a nice lesson with a guy who's getting ready for baptism the 29th, then we realize we didn't pack a healthy lunch or any lunch at all... So we trek out 45 minutes to Wendy's (gotta carbo load for the journey- very important) and meet this AWESOME girl in the mall. We were actually going to check an investigator who works in the same store, and Elder Worley was looking at something on the shelf and she just looks at him and says "You're a Mormon". He's like "Uh... yes. How did you know?" She then proceeds to tell him that while living in Halifax Nova Scotia, she was taught by the missionaries from last September all the way to this April, preparing for baptism and everything, and 12 hours before her baptism... she called it off. Got cold feet. Shortly after she moved back to Nassau and didn't know there was a branch here or anything and was SO excited to see that there was.... what are the chances??? We just happen to be walking that day and just happen to decide to go into that store and she just happens to be working and just happens to want to meet with us again?? No sir. Talk about a blessing from Heavenly Father.
So we left that store baffled and happy as a clam, realizing maybe this is the way the Lord was working- taking away our car so we could meet this girl. We continue the walk, visit another couple investigators- the daughters of a member, funny little girls, they are all under the age of 12 and little fireballs. talk talk talk talk talk! Our super star T couldnt meet with us, thats a story of its own. Long story short he's born of Hatian parents in the Bahamas and raised by white Mennonite missionaries. Met the missionaries after he jumped ship on the Mennonite church, was preparing for baptism about a year ago and three days before the day he had to go back to Andros (the island he was from) he lost contact with the missionaries. He's back, and he's a boss, getting ready for baptism the 29th. He is super smart, very educated, and is another testimony on how Heavenly Father prepares his children for the gospel. From what he said, the Mennonite culture is very sheltered. He never had a phone or TV, never talked with anyone outside of the 10 families n the congragation, knows his Bible much better than I could ever know it, he's incredible. How he met the missionaries was pretty cool too. He said that his whole life he's just been around white people, and he his very dark, but that he felt weird being around Bohemians for long periods of time or going a couple days without seeing a white person. He was sitting in his friends garage and the Sister missionaries were walking by- he hadn't seen white people in quite sometime so naturally he bolted out just to talk to them. Crazy, eh? He was kept in an environment that was so good for his learning of the scriptures and kept him out of trouble, he would make a solid missionary or branch president- just really got his head screwed on straight. So he couldn't meet with us, so we start the TREK out to see S. The chaff was in full swing, the sweat was getting in my eyes, I broke my sunglasses so I was borrowing a pair from my companeiro, my dogs were wailing, legs giving way, it was traumatic. Almost to S house and she calls and cancels... well, we didn't just walk 11 miles to get shut down, so we roll over there anyway. That finishes up and we start the trek home. Get home, wiped out, walked about 17 miles, crash hard and sleep like a rock. The next morning: We get a call from Elder Randle saying "We have some news about the car, put it on speakerphone", we are thinking "Oh shnikes, we are toasted." His exact words were these "Well, we've got some information on the car situation..... We made it all up." Yep, punked by the Assistants. I should've guessed, he's also the same Elder who snagged my toilet seat, all my ties, and a shoe on a visit to Junction when Elder McLeod and I were serving together. So all that walking and the DR and God have no problem with our miles.... pretty funny stuff. If this girl we met in the store on this excursion gets baptised, that will go down in history as one of the coolest stories of my mission- turn a prank into a dunk in the tank! haha
and YES, we finally got through to the Wendy's lady! Holy smokes, talk about a relief. We were calling her everyday, went over to her house almost every other day, she didn't keep any of her return appointments, wasn't answering the phone, we were slightly wiggin' out because we just knew that she had been prepared by Heavenly Father, our first lesson with her was to fantastically led by the Spirit for her not to be. So Saturday rolls around we realize we've never tried to go over there in the morning, so we drive out there, honestly expecting to get shut down again, but sure enough she was home and had another amazing lesson. She litterally had the book thrown at her right after our first lesson. Seemed like everything went crazy in her life. We are now scheduled to meet with her three times a week (by her suggestion) and things are fantastic. I love how Heavenly Father will test and try and stretch you as a missionary until you think you can't hack it anymore, and then gives you the biggest blessing. We knew she was prepared, and understood that Satan would oppose her in everyway because she is such a precious soul and is so ready for the gospel- count your blessings name them one by one!!
We are having zone conference next week here in Nassau and we are sooooo pumped!! It is going to be probably one of the coolest things that happens on my mission because of the all star line up of missionaries coming. You got Elder Taylor (comp in Spanish Town and Sav, my second companion aka mission mother) and Elder Hitchcock (MTC) who are the Zone leaders from Freeport, they will be here, then you got Elder Nelson (trainer aka mission father) and Elder Stubbs (MTC) coming from Turks, and the Assistants Elder Randle (the Godfather) and Elder McReadie. We are sooooooo excited!!
I can't wait for us to all come back here. That will be weird coming back not as a missionary but having memories all over this island. Pretty rad.
Sounds like everything is going well on the homefront. give Josh and Justin my congrats, everyone is growing up! Soon its gonna be the whole Dally Wally, the Cody's, Brayden crew coming out here.
Well momma, thats about it. Elder Worley and I are trying to take our missionary work to the next level and not plateau. We've been blessed beyond belief in the first three weeks we've been serving together, blessings always come from hard work, something you and pops instilled in me. So thank you :)
I love you!!
Elder Romney
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