Hello!
Yesterday was a great birthday. Really, this whole week has been quite the celebration. Elder Adamsons birthday was Friday the 24th, so we celebrated his birthday eve, his birthday, then my birthday eve, and my birthday- all with home made ice cream in the blendtec. Yeah, safe to say the diet was totally off this weekend. We let loose and we let loose hard on that one. It's alright though, today is Monday and we are back on track.
But like I said, it was a wonderful birthday. This was the first birthday of my life it hasn't really felt like a birthday (welcome to being old I guess?). I was so certain I was going to be floured! Bro. M floured Elder Adamson Friday and I knew it was coming. I was on pins and needles at church- President D faked me out a couple times and got a good laugh out of watching me bolt out of the office like I stole something. We have a great time in this branch. After church two of our investigators cooked us birthday dinner! I will talk more about them in a bit, but dinner was delicious. Oxtail, potato salad, rice and peas! Oxtail is really good. Not a ton of meat on the bones but very tender with the meat you do get. After a lesson with them, we dropped off Bro. M and had ANOTHER dinner appointment, this time a fatty plate of curry chicken and rice and peas. SO full at this point. We get a call from a member telling us she cooked us dinner and we are to pick it up whenever we want. Round 3! It was crazy. We could hardly even touch round three, so it's saved in the fridge. Great birthday for sure.
Things in Santa Cruz are looking up. We had such a busy week. Tuesday we went to made the 2 hour drive to Negril and did a trade off with them. They are stellar missionaries over there. After a full day of that we drove up to Montego Bay and stayed the night there to attend their district meeting. Both companionships up there are training and both are doing very well. After district meeting we drove home and holy smokes, I was soooo tired driving. Much to tired to drive, which is saying something because we drive so much as it is. For some reason I felt dead to the world. I thought about pulling over and taking a quick nap but we pushed on and made it in one piece. Thursday was Labour Day so we got to help paint a school! It was a hoot, it was with the branch of the Jamaica Nation bank because one of our investigators (same on who cooked for us) works there. We met some awesome people and got a few contacts, well worth the time. I think that was the hook, line and sinker also for our investigator. We were painting machines!
We are working with some awesome people, two in particular who now have accepted baptism dates. C and S. We met C while doing our 'drive-by finding'. After 2 weeks of not having any contact with her we were finally able to swing by and say hello. Married, works as a banker, and has the cutest 9 month old baby boy. She was a little stand off-ish at first but when we met her it was a few days before the service project at the school so we offered to help and pulled through on our offer. The reason we met S was because we called C's phone once and S answered. We thought we had dialed the wrong number but asked if we could come and see her also. Turns out she just answered C's phone! We were very surprised to find out they were sisters. S has her degree in teaching. Yeah, awesome! They are honest seekers of truth. In our lessons they are always asking the right questions, they understand things they read and then it causes them to think and act on it- wahoo! We're very excited. We met C's husband yesterday also, he's a busy man and hard to catch, but got his number and are going to start meeting with all of them. I have a testimony of working effectively. It may seem more frustrating at times or like you're not doing as much but working effectively is always better than masking true progress by trying to fill a number. Simple as that.
This week is going to be great. We have a mission conference with Elder Cornish of the 70 on Friday in Kingston. Yep, that means Elder Romney and Elder Adamson are playing the role of bus driver Thursday and Friday! The office elders are dropping off the mission bus today (it's not a huge thing, more like an astro van with a bunch of seats) and Thursday we are picking up Mo Bay and Negril Elders (6) then sleeping in Sav, leaving Sav (with 4 more elders in the bus from Sav) by 6AM Friday morning, picking up Hopeton Elders (4 more) and the conference starts at 11AM. We're trying to see our investigators all before Thursday. Thing about it is that they all have jobs and get home at the same time, well worth the juggling of schedules though!
Saturday we had a funeral for a lady in our branch. Elder Adamson conducted it and I gave the dedicatory prayer at the graveside. It was a good experience. Of course, it starting pouring right as we got to the grave site. Giving a dedicatory prayer was a humbling experience. That's a priesthood ordinance I've never performed before. My outlook on death has changed drastically since my mission. Death is never an easy thing, that hasn't changed. When you told me about Sis. Farman my heart just sank into my stomach. I feel for that family and the hardships that this causes especially the ordeal that must have been in the way she passed. But President Hendricks gave some powerful insight in a ZLC. He told us that the day we die will be the happiest day we've ever experienced, so long as we are keeping faithful to our covenants. That's so true. The reason we fear death is because it's unknown what's on the other side. But really, there isn't anything unknown about it, so long as we are keeping our covenants. We are overjoyed at the birth of a child and saddened at the death of a loved one, but from an eternal perspective it should be the opposite. We are still saddened by the temporary separation from our loved ones, but that's all it is - temporary. Not to say that if any of you passed away right now I wouldn't be sad, but it brings comfort to me to know that we have a Heavenly Father who's plan makes it possible for us to be happy eternally even if we experience sadness temporarily.
When it comes to our diet and working out, this is crunch time for you and me Momma! No more slacking! haha I put on a fantastic suite the other day in Kingston- whoah, fit nice! Slim fit, tailored 38R jacket and 32 pants- I may buy it so I don't have to come home in the circus tent I have for a suit now haha I'm really glad we bought a cheap one. You were right yet again!
Crazy about my friends! Zach and Allie, A and Tiffany, Augie is coming home?? When he gets back makes sure to tell him hello for me! Which mission is Cody going to? Elder Worley's brother just got called to the Texas McAllen mission, Spanish speaking. He even goes to the Mexico MTC, that's how Spanish McAllen is.
Well I love you Mom! Have a great day working out in the yard!
Love you!
Elder Romney
No comments:
Post a Comment