Back to the Street Where We Began (South Cole Road)

This week went all over the place. But it can be broken into 3 major events.

Exchanges in Gooding:

Right after Preparation Day ended last week, I went to Gooding Idaho with Elder LaVin. We had a good time. Their area used to be covered by two different sets of missionaries, but it currently just has one since our mission is low on missionaries. The result is that there are a lot of people there who are ready to learn more about the gospel for the missionaries who are there. 

The Gooding missionaries also cover a small city called Fairfield. It is closer to Bellevue (where we live) so we planned the exchange to end on a day that they would be working up there. As we drove to the top of the hill between Gooding and Fairfield we saw a sign and a cool view, so we pulled over to take a picture.

We got out of the car and saw that the rear passenger tire was flat all they way to the rim. Don't know how we missed that all day.

Don't judge my priorities, but the sun was going down and I wasn't going to miss out on the picture, so I got these:

Then we had to put the spare on. This experience has taught me many things. One of which is to always keep gloves and hot hands nearby in the winter. Also, Jacks that come with cars are actually torture devices that are designed to only work if you drag your knuckles into the gravel.

Happiness.

Other than that, it was a good time!

Halloween:

The other thing that happened this week was Halloween! So we were asked by the Librarian in town if we could participate in the community trunk or treat. Luckily, Mom sent me some Halloween decorations last year that didn't arrive until the day after Halloween, so I kept them in my suitcase. Turns out they did come in handy. We had to be in our houses at 6:00 (to avoid confusion) so shortly afterwards we had to return home.

Do you like our costumes? 

 (Look closely at their name tags) 

Boise:

So, on November 8th of last year (almost a year ago) I spent the night in Boise:

Boise Trips are rare.  

But we got another one this weekend! Elder Silva had to take a test at BSU early in the morning, so we went up the night before.

Back to the street where we began.

IBM HQ

I have become acclimated to the Magic Valley. So Twin Falls (Pop. ~49,000) seems like a booming metropolis to me now. Boise feels like one of the 10 largest cities in the world.  

While Elder Silva was testing, I was with Elders Anderson and Walker. We contacted people on the street. It was actually kinda fun. One of the people we talked to said he just didn't believe the same as us and that he wasn't interested. We talked to him for just a little bit but then he said he had to go. 

Then about 2 minutes later as we were walking away. We heard the same man shout "Hey! Wait!" So we turned around and ran about a block to talk to him again. He asked us "Do you got one of them books?" 

It was pretty cool to see how the Spirit was working on him as he thought about the things we had told him. He said he wanted to read the Book of Mormon and they put down the phone number of the missionaries where he lived. 

Sorry for the long email!

TL;DR

Life is beautiful! Have a good week!

-Elder Hazeslip

bonus:

Don't Do It! 

Q & A:

1. How did p day activities work out last week with miles and all? What do you have planned for today? 

So they actually just got cancelled. Everyone else was in Twin and couldn't make it so we just canned the idea last week. The Gooding Elders had a lot of extra miles so they just drove up to Bellevue and met us there.

Today we are going to Twin to do our Shopping. On Thursday (after zone conference) we are going to pick up some meds at your favorite pharmacy in Twin. So I will need some money for that.

2. Elder Silva’s dad? President of... Sister Bartlett shared that pic of him with a “hello to President and Sister Silva”

Elder Silva's dad, President of the Republic of Peru. He doesn't like to mention it though.

jk. He is actually the President of the Huancayo Peru Mission. He was called at the same time as President Bartlett so they were in the MTC together. So the Bartletts know them.

3. Do you need anything? New jacket is going to work?

Nothing right now except the DRUG MONEY. The jacket is really nice! Thank you!

4. Any questions for me? 

Am I the only missionary from the Jax ward now? Who is next  

5. Best day this week? 

Oof. I will have to say the Boise Trip. It was a fun road trip. It was hard adjusting back to a normal schedule after we got back. But we have returned to our "groove".

6. Best meal this week? 

We ate out almost every day this week. There is a Mexican restaurant in Hailey owned by some members so we ate there. It is called Chapalitas. I like Mexican food too. This was already known before I got here though. I had Taquitos Rancheros.

7. Best teaching moment this week? Best learning moment? 

Easily it was the guy we street contacted in Boise. We could have left when he told us he wasn't interested, but we just stayed a bit longer and explained a bit about what we believe and that was all it took. 

Best learning moment was at stake conference. The Stake President was talking about how Satan's attacks on truth never change. He said something along the lines of: "How often do we hear: 'Religious people are either indoctrinated as youth by their parents or are blinded by religious leaders who manipulate them for their own gain' or 'How can you believe in God? There is no evidence for it! You are delusional!' and 'People should just live to enjoy as much of the world as they can before they die' " Then he read word for word what Korihor said in Alma 30. It is basically the same thing. Korihor was like 75 BC. So none of these attacks or ideas are anything new.

8. What made you laugh this week? 

I can't think of a specific story. There was a good amount of laughter though. This I can promise you. I'll get better at writing them down.

"That Bass is weak." -E.S.

9. Best thing about serving in the Hailey area? 

It is really pretty. The members are very helpful. Most important--->We have hundreds of people who are very polite, humble, and want to learn more about God and Jesus Christ.

Also, I like Peruvian food. I learned that this transfer. Lots of potatoes. They fit in well in Idaho.

10. What are the service opportunities there? 

We actually haven't found to many yet. We offer to move things for people if they are moving things, but no major projects yet. That is until the snow comes (dun dun dun...)

Just a heads up: Next preparation day will be a Tuesday! Love You! 

-Spencer