Monday, October 29, 2012

New Area, New Companion, New Investigators.

MONDAY - Well we had our last pday together, Elder Chappell and I and I wanted to cry so many times! I'm going to miss this area SO much. We got everything done, everything packed and emailed to give us some time to go play some ball with Gilmer and with the other Longview elders. It was a lot of fun. We shot for teams and a couple times I ended up on Elder Chappells teams and we just dominated haha. We played, went back and showered and headed to meet brother Sellers to head to Lindale to swap missionaries. We got there and only 5 of us were going back but a whole lot came out. We drove back into Dallas and Elder Witbeck and I sat in the back of the big van and looked at pictures from the MTC laughing and enjoying the past experiences we had. Elder Williams wanted to take us out to eat so we decided on In-N-Out my first time at this "Place of the burger gods" in which everyone claimed it to be (mostly the prideful peeps from California :)) I have one word to explain my thoughts on my first time there. OVERRATED!!!!!!!! It tasted like any other burger in fact five guys is SO SO SO SO SO much better. I was disappointed. We went to the church and met up with Elder Lee and Elder Browning and went and stayed the night there. I slept (if you can call it that) on the hard floor.

TUESDAY - We got up showered and headed to Meandering way to get our new companions. It was, as it always is, amazing to see all the familiar faces from past times. Elder Drake, Rodriguez, Scott, Falk, Willman, Beatty (New assistant) and many more. We waited quite some time before the member came to pick up Elder Virrueta, Jorgensen, Henze and I to head back to Irving. We got back and spent almost  the rest of the day unpacking and getting the area explained to me. We had dinner with la familia Barraza. It was good! We then headed to visit a few more people but didn't have a whole lot of luck with that. Not a lot today. I also gave my companion a blessing tonight. Love the Priesthood.
 
WEDNESDAY - Today we had district meeting, I got to see Elder Dominguez again! Yeah I'm so stoked he is in the same ward as me! 6 of us in one ward! We had a good meeting and went back and my companion was really sick. We had to wait for everyone to get their commissary orders which took forever!!!! We waited till about 4 to do it and then had to go fax them! By the time we got done we headed out to dinner. Dinner was good, seems really tex mexy here though! We had BBQ chicken with rice and beans haha. It was good! Afterwards we went to the church for a baptism and I met the wonderful family that was just referred to us by a member the day after transfer calls... this is where my testimony of revelation comes in and that we really are called to our missions and the areas in our missions for specific reasons. So President Durrant has a saying. "If something is good, I'm not going to change it. UNLESS the Spirit tells me" So Elder Chappell and I were in the highest baptizing zone in the entire mission. A zone that used to be despised and no one wanted to go out there! We changed it around and baptized in the incredibly difficult East Texas area. So why would President "change something that's good" well, because the Spirit told him. So transfer calls were on Saturday and on Sunday Elder Crosby and Virrueta received this referral of this family and I met them this night and I saw the wife and I swear to you I have seen her somewhere. It was the strangest thing! I feel like I have talked to her somewhere. My solution is that it was before this life and that I was preordained and chosen to teach her and her family the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church is true, I know without a doubt and I love this work! Anyways the baptism was great! I got to meet the 300 members and their names that I now have to remember and memorize and know their likes and dislikes and how they can best help us, gotta love the mission! The first week in a new area is always a brain blower. I always have a head ache trying to remember everything that's been said to me. But I'm excited, this is my 6th time doing it so I should be good :)
 
THURSDAY - Today was yet ANOTHER day spent inside as we planned and talked more about the investigators we have and again by the time we finished we were heading to dinner. We had dinner with the... uh oh I'm already forgetting names! We had ribs with beans and rice hahahaha, TEX MEX! We ate and then went to our lesson with the Villatoro family (the awesome referral we got) and we had an amazing lesson with them. They are so prepared and we talked about the Restoration and had to rush out the door to head to Oak Cliff. It was crazy to see the bright lights of downtown Dallas again! We went and did an interview for a young boy named Erik being taught by the one and only Elder Rodriguez! Its going to be great to be around him again! Love that kid! We did the interview and headed to drop them off. We stayed and talked for a bit and headed home getting home at exactly 10:30. Z Z Z Z Z Z Z
 
FRIDAY - 4 days in a row of having to do something till dinner and we finally got out and worked today!!!......jk we had to do stake presidents report! Inside all day again! But we had some time before dinner to knock some doors! It was good! There are some... haha very ghetto apartments here. We went to dinner and had enchiladas. SO SO SO GOOD!!! I love Mexican food! I want a Mexican wife! hahaha. We then went and visited a less active member and he was leaving so we visited Orlando and only got in for a bit but it was good to meet him. He will probably be baptized when I'm here. We ended our night talking to Hector, a big cowboys fan, and if your wondering anyone out there the only think that really hasn't changed in me is the burning passion of hatred I have for the stinking cowboys :) So don't get your hopes up Davis family ;) We talked a lot about Jordan and the Mavs and sports just so I could easily get on common grounds with him. Elder Virrueta over here didn't even know who Michael Jordan was... But after we got into church and had a very good talk with him about his future and things like that and then we headed home, not a lot happening haha we also gave a blessing to somebody in his family that was deathly ill, Jasmine. 
 
SATURDAY - Today was our first day to really get out and work. We quickly emailed the SPR off and went to work. We had a lesson with Raul and talked about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. There are a lot of great investigators here! We headed to some Laundry mats and left some pamphlets and did some knocking before going to dinner. One of the first doors we knock was so funny, I love being part of the true church because no matter what they doubt there is a scripture to back it up! Its so funny how we love the Book of Mormon and we share it, not because we put it above the Bible, but because it is what makes us different and yet we follow the bible more than ANY other religion yet they all claim they do haha, the world is full of pride and greedy people that think religion is a business. I guess pastors need some kind of income to pay for their BMW's and mansions huh? Why not the tithing of all the poor people that THINK its going for a good cause. Okay I went a little too far there :/ There are so many great religions out there I just wish they could see the truth! We talked to a guy that at first was arguing with us and I backed up every doubt with a scripture... In the Bible. By the end of the contact he accepted a Book of Mormon cause he realized that his beliefs were nothing but a big circle of contradicting confusion and apostasy that formed after the death of the Son of God himself. It was really good. That's why I love this work! I don't mean to offend anyone by all means. I love everyone I meet! So many amazing people out here and they all have just such great faith in Jesus Christ, all we want to do is add to that, so please don't take it that way. We headed to dinner and had some amazing pasta with the Errazo family and had a lesson with the Villanueva and Villatoro families. They both canceled though so we had a boss lesson with a young man named Santiago. We taught the word of wisdom and Law of Chastity. We ended our night and my companion is still sick! 
 
SUNDAY - CHURCH ALREADY! can you believe its already been a week! I'm stoked for church, we went to the meetings before hand and got to know everyone, I'm super excited to be here. All Spanish baby! We sat down in Sacrament and had all our progressing investigators (7) at church! The place was packed with pure Hispanics and I just was soaking it up with a big smile on my face! Time flied and before you knew it we were heading out to dinner after church. Dinner was good, we had Chicken and rice and green beans and yum yum yum! We ate and had a lesson with Vannessa and Kimberly and set dates with them. We drove to do numbers and ended our week. Thanks for following, my new address should be up if you want to write me! Thanks,
 
love,
Elder Aaron Jackson
(")> Penguins rule!

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