19 February 2019: "Where'd you get those shoes?"

Hey everyone!

Its been a crazy week, not to mention the awesome announcement from the First Presidency about the communications policy. I'm excited to see the blessings that will come from this! 

We had a cool experience on Friday. Rewind about a month ago, and I was on exchanges in another area. We were at a stoplight on the crosswalk, and there was a guy with cool shoes flipping a sign for work. I said to him " Hey man! I like your shoes! Where did you get them?" "Mississippi" and that was about the extent of the conversation. Fastforward to about Thursday night, and we get a referral to go visit someone. We call him that night and visit him while I was on exchanges with an elder in my district. Turns out, it was the same guy that I had talked to several weeks ago! And the night before when we called him, he had been praying to have help from God. Such a cool experience. It was a fantastic lesson. 

We went proselyting way on the other side of our area, out close to Fremont street, and we went to contact this guy who lived in the sketchiest senior living center, and seriously it looked like a converted insane asylum, or maybe it was one. Anyway the guy at the desk had the most manly beard and dreadlocks, and had the most feminine voice I have ever heard. That was interesting. 

Hmmm. What else happened. When the First Presidency announcement came out about communication changing for missionaries, I literally had to think, to make sure it wasn't April Fools Day. But nope! No one saw it coming, not even the Assistants to the President, or President Youngblood. We all found out at the same time. It was a good time. 

 

We had dinner with a recent convert in our area, which was really humbling for me, because they lived in a really small apartment, and barely had anything, but were so giving to us. I love the people here. 

We have this family mission plan for one of our wards, and that's where a family helps us out for the week, and we help them be missionaries. We gave the family each a picture of Christ to give to one of their friends, and the dad, a return missionary literally invited them and promised blessings, just like a full time missionary does. It was pretty cool. 

I also found out that one of the members of one the wards in my area used to be an interrogator for the US and served in Russia and Ukraine. What makes it cooler, is that this woman, now older, is so quiet and peaceful, almost in a lethargic way. It was pretty funny for me to hear her stories. 

We got one of the guys we are teaching to come to a baptism that is happening this weekend. We are excited for him. His name is Connor, and he is a super intelligent kid. He is only 11, but has a desire to be baptized. Now its just getting his parents on board with it. 

Spiritual thought for the week: I was listening to a talk by Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called "The Cost of Discipleship" he talks about the sacrifice that it takes to be a disciple of Christ. In an extreme sense, some people have died for their faith in Him. In the mission field, some people are spit on, or sworn at, or have rocks almost thrown at them (remember that one?). In everyday examples, we are defending our standards, and our faith in a more quiet way. It takes work, but the blessings are endless. I invite all of you to read that talk. It is a great one. 

Love you guys!

Elder Lovell

Pics

-It rained pretty hard this week, which was surprising. According to the locals, this has been a really cold winter, and rainy winter, but it should be warming up soon here. Here is a picture of my shoe after it sunk into the mud.

-Elder Castañeda and I on exchanges in my area with someone he baptized while he was in my area. The tall girl is Kayla, who I actually referred to them while in Washington Avenue, and she ended up getting baptized. We had a dinner with them in the Caguicla home

-Some paintings in the Caguicla home