Phew.
I thought I was lucky in my last area.
Well, the Lord has sent me to a flourishing part of His vineyard!
SLO life is the good life. It has been an amazing week, and I couldn't be more happier. Elder Gemar and I get along swimmingly. Our apartment is sweet. We are teaching 11 people right now. 7 of them are investigators and 3 of them are recent converts. Great ward. And just busy busy busy. This next week we have about 3-4 appointments every single day. Oh, and I am down to two pairs of slacks. #youknowitsbeentwoyearswhen
Here. Imma tell you about the week!
Monday was a bittersweet day. I really did love Arroyo Grande. I can honestly call that place home. I had a lot of tender and spiritual moments there, and will always remember the people I met. We had our District Activity, and then we went to the Hursts for dinner after saying goodbye to the Gonzales family and Alex, James, and Mireya. That night, Elder McLawhorn had a huge headache, so I just quietly packed.
Tuesday. Traaaaaaansfers. Last time I will have to deal with that. SLO is only 20 minutes away from AG, and so it was an easy move, but we had to wait for our new Zone to arrive, and we helped them out with bringing luggage. Went well, and then we went to work! Had a lesson with Shannon, one of our investigators, and it went really well! We taught her about Temples and Family History work, and she loved it. She is going to another church right now, but is very intrigued by ours and says that she will be baptized when she finds out it is true! Had dinner with the Pearson's at Buffalo Wild Wings. I ate some VERY spicy wings. I can take spice pretty well after two years. But, these were craaaazy.
Wednesday. I did MyPlan in the morning. It asked me to sign up for institute, and the closest one was in Ottawa. So, I signed up for it, but not sure if I will ever go. We saw Gayne, one of our recent converts, and taught her some of the new member lessons. Had to move some missionaries that night, and then had an awesome lesson with the Francis family, and Sister Francis came to church!
Thursday was Weekly Planning, and then we went to see Barbara, who is another recent convert, and taught her about going to church, reading scriptures, and praying. It went well as well. Then went to a pass-off lesson with the YSA Sisters, with Evan and Hayden. It was in Evan and Hayden's apartment, and we were going to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and then their roommates came in. Three of them. And it turned into a semi-bash. It was nuts. Just a lot of Restoration-type questions... But I loved them! One of my most favorite things that happen is when I get super deep questions, and answer them super simply, but powerfully. The looks on their faces are priceless. Had dinner with Sister Thomas, and then had a lesson with Richard, our 92-year-old recent convert! He is hilarious.
Friday was District Meeting. Went well, and then we did service over at the DeGroot's family home. Helped Sister Thomas with her truck battery, and then had a sweet lesson with Brandon, a 15-year-old investigator! Taught him about missionary work. Had dinner with the Cooks, and then had an interesting lesson with Aaron Farber, a less-active. We invited him to take the lessons, which he accepted. He has some learning issues it seems, but as we were leaving, three people biked up to us and started talking with us. Dennis, the guy in the front, was super weird. Aaron is weird too. It was funny though. Aaron asked him if he wanted to go check out the meditation garden. Dennis' immediate reply was "Nah. We don't want that. We just want to go make sandwiches." What the what. We got outta there.
Saturday. In the morning we had a lesson with Elisa, another investigator, and talked about the Ten Commandments. Evan and Hayden (the guys we saw on Thursday) invited us to a pancake party. So we went. Pictures will be attached. It was awesome. I don't know if I have told you, but SLO is a total college town. Cal Poly is here, and so kids are everywhere. So, it's almost like I am back in YSA. But not. It's weird. It was a fun time though, even found a potential for the YSA missionaries! Had dinner that evening with the Sainsbury's, and then went around trying to see people. Ended up walking on a street around 8:45, and there was a naked man just standing on a porch. He said to us "Hey I'm butt *** naked right now." And we said "Oh, that's cool." I couldn't control myself. I just busted out laughing as we just walked right past him. It was funny, but I regret not giving him a Book of Mormon. That would have been a better story.
Sunday was great. Everyone has been saying I look familiar, because Elder Bradley was in this ward not too long ago. Church went well though, everyone is very welcoming. Went by some people after studies, and then had dinner with the Wiens! Ended up walking in some apartment complex, and this old guy named Arnold wanted us to play pool with him. He's crazy. But it was fun!
Yup. Fun, busy week. I have loved it here, and I wanted to share a quote from President Monson's article in June's Ensign:
"As you serve, you will build rich eternal memories and friendships. I know of no field which produces a more bounteous harvest of happiness than the mission field."
This is the place to be. I am hitting my stride with the Lord, and I know that He is working miracles here in this part of His vineyard. Nothing else matters now. 30 seconds on the clock, and we're marching downfield. Time to dig deep, work hard, sleep hard, and eat REALLY hard.
Love you all! Have an amazing week!
Love,
Elder Harvey
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| Pancake Party |
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| Richard, the 92-year-old |
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