This has been such a fun week yet frustratingly slow. Because of illness, we had to stay inside over half the week and then little obstacles kept popping up that prevented us from working. Most of the time it was a flat tire that needed to be replaced, which meant that we spent the rest of the day on foot walking to the bike shop to get a new tube. Bikes are more maintenance than I thought. Even though this week had its frustrations, we never stopped smiling and had many fun things happen along the way.
To start the week off, I decided I needed a hair cut. Out of pure curiosity, and a little pride, I pulled out Elder Allred's buzzer and courageously walked into the unknown. To my surprise, it actually looked decent. With a little more practice, I think I may be pretty good at cutting my hair. After seeing how easy it was to cut your own hair, Elder Talbot decided to try. That was a mistake. After a good laugh, he gave up the buzzer and let Elder Allred fix his hair. I wish I had pictures of us right after the hair cut; however, any pictures I send home this week are post-cut photos.
The next morning, we woke up and Elder Talbot was convinced he had strep throat. After a couple of calls to the mission nurse, she decided we should visit a local clinic so he could get professional help. They swabbed him for strep throat and luckily that came back negative; however, they weren't finished. They then decided to check for mono... You know that moment, when your in a room filled with guys who call each other "companions", live together, and dress similarly, and request being with in sight and sound of each other, and then a nurse feels its necessary to check for mono... That was probably one of the funniest experiences of my life! I wish I could convey the awkwardness we all experienced, including the nurse. Thank goodness that test also came back negative!
The next day we were hit with a huge storm! We had 8 tornado warnings on our phone, which technically means that a tornado touched down. I never saw any tornadoes, but it was extremely windy. It was so cool looking out over the James river and seeing huge waves crash against our shore. I will also say that I know for my self that it was very very windy and rainy. ;)
To end of the week, transfer calls came on Saturday. To much surprise, both Elder Allred and I will be leaving and Elder Talbot will remain in Newport News. I have mixed emotions about this. I'm excited to experience a new area with a new companion. Im also devastated to leave this area. I truly love the people here and it has been an honor to serve them for the past 3 months. I will be going to Greenville North Carolina, which I hear amazing things about.
Things I learned this week:
- Every discussion can in some way be related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ: I heard a quote somewhere, about every thing and investigator says can be tied to a principle in the gospel. So, I decided to try it at a dinner appointment. During our dinner discussion, we started talking about how much chaos is in the world. When it came time for us to give our spiritual thought, we used the dinner discussion as a spring board into our lesson. It was so much more powerful, because people saw the way the Gospel works. Looking back on what I said, I know I had in no way planed any of that. I have know idea how I was able to string together those thoughts. I know that the spirit was guiding my utterances.
- Take life's trials head on with a smile: Even though this week was full of disappointments, we did a fantastic job keeping everything optimistic and entertaining.
I love y'all,
-Elder Shill
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