Birthday week!

 

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM ALL OF US TO YOU, WE WISH IT WAS OUR BIRTHDAY SO WE COULD PARTY TOO HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many birthday this month and coming week. Elder Allen's birthday is the 29th, Moms on the 13th, Braden's on the 31st, and mine on the 1^st.

 

So, this past week.....

    We went on exchanges with the zone leaders again. they go on exchanges with every companionship during a transfer and since it's second transfer, yes. last transfer I went to the murf, (people really call it the boro, even though it's murfreesboro) with elder Fore. so I was thinking/hoping that this time I'd be with elder L. (gotta love those pollies) But alas, nay. Elder Fo came and stayed in Smyrna with me. We got the car from the sisters and went up to la Vergne. We met a couple of interesting folks, got to read a chapter of the book of Mormon with Brooke, still have yet to get through the commandments with her since her 7 year old daughter keeps running in and out and slapping us for her attention, but we're trying to get her to the church or somewhere where she can feel the spirit and not where her 2 year old nephew keeps yelling at her and drooling Doritos cheese saliva on my pants, 3 times if you would like to know....sorry. I don't intend to complain but it comes out sometimes. Missions are stressful.

    Anyway, we also have a new "investigator". Taylor is a non member in a less active part member family who is starting to come back to church. The fun part, she's 10 so we have to simplify the lesson even more than necessary. It was hard enough getting through the restoration with her yesterday, It's going to be fun teaching the plan of salvation tonight. she's really excited though to get baptized. when ever we ask if she has any questions, she asks, "When can I get baptized?" to which we reply, "we don't know it's up to your parents and the Lord." It's really unfortunate that the parents make the whole family sit through the lessons and they don't want to be there. and they keep chastising her for asking questions. But I digress. we taught the restoration to the best of our abilities yesterday and she was getting most of the lesson. so onwards and upwards. At the end of the lesson, we were about to leave and we're shaking the families hand and Taylor comes up to us and gives us both hugs. at which point, my mind was being torn in half. "Awwwww that's cute" and AWWWWW SHE'S HUGGING ME!!!!! I'M BREAKING THE RULES!!!!!!

    that was actually the second time I've broken that rule this past week. during exchanges, we went to see a less active family in la Vergne and at the end of the lesson, (reading a chapter of the book of Mormon with them as well) I shook the mans hand and I face the woman's hand who is a non member and she says, "oh honey I don't bite" pulls me in for a hug. After she steps back, she sees the surprise on my face and say's, "oh I'm sorry, I'm hard southern and we hug everyone." It was at this point that I explained the mission rules to her to which she just bust up laughing. I then shook her hand and we left.

    Yesterday, we met an old guy who was the husband of a referral. we started talking to him and he kept saying he wasn't interested but then asked us even more questions. he then starts going off about how he goes bowling with a preacher and other friends on Monday's, he then invites us to come and we think, well we didn't have anything else planned. So this morning we went to Smyrna bowling alley and bowled with a bunch of 80 year old men. He actually had his brother there as well and his brother was just getting strike after strike after strike. We asked him what his secret was. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol. We think ok make sure your ball is clean? Nope, he takes off the top and starts drinking. southerners. gotta love em.

    That reminds me, people live forever out here. I don't know the average age of death out in Utah, but out here it seems like most people live well into their 90's. We have about 3 or 4 people from our ward in their 90's but they don't come to church often. We also go out and meet people tracting and when we see an old guy cutting his grass, (it's cutting grass out here and not mowing the lawn) we offer to help them. to which they reply, "No, no, no, I've been doing this for 65 years and if I stop, then I stop for good." they just keep working even though they are retired for the millennium.

 

that's all the stories I’ve got for now, so question answering time:

What do you usually eat?

Chicken. lots of chicken. 

Do you eat at members houses much?

almost every day. that's how I get so much chicken.

Are you careful what you eat?

I try to be. I eat the salad when they have it. and I bought a bag of salad for lunches.

Are you loving your bike?

Yes. Very yes. I named her Riley. Riley the Raleigh. 

Why were you making a goofy face in the picture Sis A sent?

I don't remember. I made it on accident and her daughter thought it was funny.

and why did you go out for dinner?

She lives with her parents who are Jehovah's witness and they try not to bring up religion so she just takes us out to dinner.
Are you doing better with your comp?

a little

Are you serving and complimenting him?

I try.

Did you get anyone to church this week?

Our church building was actually closed on Sunday. Apparently there was a building in Colorado that had its speaker system fall from the ceiling. and our building is the same design so we need to get ours inspected before we can use it again.

Have you gotten any letters from friends?

many. have I replied to them? no. I have almost no time.

What do you think of all the trees in Tennessee?

not that different from some parts of Utah. definitely green.

Where did you get your hair cut and how did it go?

Our district has the sisters, the hermanas, and us. Hermana McN is a beautician. So on P-days we go over and get our hair cut. she's leaving soon though so we'll see where we go from there.

Do you dream of winter?

oh only 10 times a week. you wonder how when there is only 7 days? I day dream while sticking my head in the freezer.

 

one quick story then I'll be off.

    

    On Friday, we had to bike to our dinner appointment in la Vergne. 5 miles straight up hill. which was a long way for me being a out of shape 210 lb guy. I felt the burn after 1 mile. by mile 3 I was in pain. at mile 4, I was ready to get off and walk the rest of the way. but then I heard in my head a line from a Mormon message we'd watched earlier that week. Keep going Utah!!! You can make it Utah!!!! don't stop Utah!!!!!. It was a line from a talk by Elaine S. Dalton. At first I thought it was kinda cheesy and funny that it'd popped into my head cause those lines were yelled at her when she was running the Boston marathon. but then I thought about it more and applied it to my mission. there's a lot of times I just think, I want to go home, I'm done. but then I also hear the voice of my sister who told me that if I quit, whenever I hear "Nashville" I would feel so low. And now I believe it. Thanks Malayna.

 

That's all for now. love you all, apologies for not writing y'all individually yet. working on it.

                                                    -Elder Felix