I think a lot of missions have really strict rules about emailing. Mark is definitely the assistant. I told him to send me a blank email if he was the AP and he sent a blanker- Mark the AP! That's pretty cool. I can't believe Zach is on the homestretch! He's the one that started out all of the crew heading out. He's only got two transfers left I think... yeah... close enough to that. Awesome!
We hit the gym every day last week and I lost two pounds and my chest measurement went up an inch- nice. A little disappointing that the gut didn't get any smaller, but I'm in no hurry. One week can't get you the body of a roman god... the throwers coach for track said it best. He came up to us sprinters while we were doing abs and says "You know guys, girls love a 6-pack, but they beg for the keg!" Do they? Do girls beg for the keg, Mom? ;) jokes. All the big fellas in the Book of Mormon had lots of wives and concubines... King Noah, Laban, I'm sure Zeazrom had a girly or two.... they were also the most wicked... hmm.. deep doctrice, over my head! I'll stick to the gym and eating right. We got a nice deal on chicken breasts and bought like 15 of them, that will be good for protien because we ran out of protien powder this morning :/ That stuff is ridicoulous expensive out here! And if you were to send some out it would probably be just as much because of the duty and shipping and such- gonna have to get creative with out eating. I eat lowfat cottage cheese in the morning with strawberries or blueberries in it and then some Kellogs All Bran on top- its about 280 calories, 14g of protien, 13g of fiber- think thats a good breakfast? I thought it was pretty healthy. Any suggestions? We are salad fiends already, got tuna fish, we are pretty healthy eaters.
Your new workouts sound like butt kickers! I realize that I am going to be swimming like a dolphin when I get home. Swimmers are yoked! Why was I so stubborn when you would try and get me to do laps? I do not know. I can't remember the last time I did a squat or leg press. It's been nice, we get up at like 5:55 and are to the gym by like 6:10. So far so good!
The farm is a never ending project! What year is this now of you doing it? 2 or 3? I remember when we were laying the "horse pipe", that was fun. Me and mom, horsing the pipe! :)
This week was another great week. It had a few downs though, one being that C, our investigator we met at Wendy's my first night, we had to stop teaching her. Our original plan wasn't to drop her that night, we had a BOMB lesson planned out on the Atonement. We were ready to have the Spirit just rock her world and testify of truth. Well, the Spirit was definitely there, one of the most spiritually led lessons of my mission I think, but she really just didn't get it, and by it I mean understand why we were having these lessons or who Jesus Christ really is. She read the homework we gave her (which was all chapters from the Book of Mormon and Bible about Christs Atonement) and she totally missed the boat. Her questions she had were COMPLETELY of no importance. Is knowing what swear word Peter uttered when the Bible said he blasphemed pertain to your salvation? No. Does it matter if the woman who anointed His head with oil was a virtuous girl or a prostitute? Nope. We talked for an hour, and it wasn't until she stopped asking these kinds of questions where the lesson actually went anywhere. When we brought up the Garden of Gethsemane and how Christ suffered there for our sins and pains and everything we go though her response was literally "Oh. Well anyways...." Elder Worley and I were almost in tears by the end of the lesson. People don't know what Christ did for them. "Jesus died for me". You're right, He did, but He did SO much more than just hang on a cross so you could worship Him every Sunday. I think as missionaries, and I am no exception, we get so caught up in teaching about things pertaining to the restored gospel, about Joseph Smith, about having a modern day prophet, about all these great things that make The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Christ's true church restored on the Earth again, but we fail to explain the Atonement and that everything that the gospel is based around is that Atonement. The Bible hardly mentions Gethsemane. Maybe like 15-20 versus in the whole book. I am grateful for additional scripture revealed through Joseph Smith that explains exactly what went down that dark evening in 33 AD and the joy that comes from it. So anyways, we had to drop her. She wasn't coming to church or praying and she told us she wasn't going to. Can't make any progress without the foundation- read, pray, church. Simple as that.
BUT that was probably the only sour thing that happened this week. Sunday was maybe the happiest I've been since watching M and N pass the Sacrament in Junction. T was assigned to give a talk, and he was sweating BULLETS all week. He's a really shy fella but has opened up so much since we started meeting with him. The topic was the love of the Saviour and he had a couple ideas and had written it out, said it was going to be good. We joked with him as his opening line he should throw out his digits so the Ms. Ladies in the branch could jot it down- didn't happen haha He's super shy around girls still, BUT ANYWAYS, he was the first to speak. He starts off by talking about how Christ loves us and shares John 3:16, talks about how everythign we do is out of love, and then he starts talking about how Christ left the streets paved of gold, left His home, His father's presence, to come down to an Earth to be rejected by men and be killed by His own creations. THEN! Oh yes, then he basically says "I'v been thinking a lot about a mission, people have been telling me how great of a missionary I will be and how in a year I can go, and at first I really didn't want to. I have desires! I have dreams! I can't leave those behind! Two years? That's a long time to leave everything behind! But, after completing this talk I realize that if the Saviour was willing to leave His heavenly home to save my soul, I can leave the little possessions He's given me to show my love for Him." Then he shares a BOMB testimony and I tell you momma, your boy was tearing up. Complete joy. Absolute, complete joy. I couldn't stop smiling. Elder Worley and I exchanged like three knuckle pound its in the congregation after he sat down. We were/are SO happy. T is truly converted to the gospel. Not the church, no no no, not converted to the church, but to the gospel. It was so awesome. I couldn't help but give the fella a big ol' bear hug afterwords. And he's only been baptized two weeks??? Ya mon! Bookit starbwoy!! T is a stud. That night there was a home teaching meeting and we dropped some ties off to him earlier that night and he showed up, tie and all, and he hasn't even been assigned a home teaching partner yet. Yes. Yes yes yes. We have a winner.
Being that we have now baptised pretty much our entire teaching pool or three people, we are down to just M. Needless to say this week we are on the hunt! The find! Knock knock knockin' on Nassau's doors! Prayed about where to hit the find this week, got a spot all lined up, and gonna go knockin. Also a mega bonus, we have a lunch or dinner appointment everyday this week! Meals with members = natural way to seek referrals. Speaking of referrals, another HUGE blessing happened this week. We were at the church Wednesday morning for district meeting and our branch president was there finishing up some business and he proceeds to explain to us that the wife of a long time member whose been coming to church for 20 years, feels its time for her to be baptized.... YES. Nailed it! Of all times she feels ready, of all the preparing of her by the Spirit, Elder Worley and I have the chance to teach this wonderful older lady about the gospel. She's been coming to church for years but still doesn't know some of the basic principles. She knows most of it, but we are honestly nervous for it. Her husband (who is in the branch presidency) started this branch way back when, they are from the States, and so this is finally their shot to be sealed together in the Temple, this is the first white person we've ever taught, and they are very wealthy and educated. We realize that the Spirit is the same, we are still going to teach simply like always (KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid) but its such a different environment for the both of us. I'm honestly much for comfortable sitting on a cinder block teaching in the hood rather than in a humongous mansion. Gonna be a cool experience!
Nice ride!! The bikes look good. Have you put the straight bars on it yet? You thought your workouts were hard, wait till your cub scouts are running around pouring glue all over everything for thier artsy arrow point! That will be a lot of fun :) Speaking of the Stuarts, Elder Stuart is doing really well out here. He's been out two transfers, just finished being trained and he's training himself.
When the Bahamas won the 4x4, people went nuts. Honking their horns and carrying on, it was cool. We were with T (and he doesn't care a lick about the Olympics) and he says "Yeah, I think we actually won a medal or something. I don't know why everyone is carrying on a screaming, its one medal." haha His sence of humour is rather dry, but hilarious.
Well this is the longest letter known to man! Have a great week! I love you!!
Oh, PS- just finished this massive email and didn't even tell you about our epic P-day today! We went back to Cabbage Beach, hardly a soul on it, and we start our walk out to the tip where the One and Only Ocean Club beach begins. We walked all the way around that beach! The whole thing! This is where Oprah, Tiger Woods, Barry Bonds, Nicholas Cage and others have their massive houses. Got some nice pics! Pretty epic- didn't get bothered by security or anyone. The other pictures are of the scripture box I made- now you guys are with me everywhere I go! I love you!!
Elder Romney
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