River Falls Week 4

This week was full of interesting stories and excitement. At the beginning of the week we had no dinner appointments and Sister Taylor called around and got us some (I love her, she is so awesome. We seriously have the best living arrangements in the mission). So we went to the Sedos. We thanked them for having us over and then things got.. interesting. Their daughter is about 6 and she is.. high energy. We walked in and she mauled Elder Berg. Jumping on him, dragging him to the ground, hanging on him, the whole works. Then she came and attacked me. Elder Berg ran to the table and sat down so that I was the one sitting next to her during the meal. After she finished eating she started climbing all over me, she sat on my lap and I was trying to push her off the whole time. The parents tried to get her to stop but she just growled at them. Yes, growled. She didnt say a word the whole time we were there, only growls. Anyway, she latched onto me and then popped me one on the cheek. I stood up and basically threw her off me, Elder Berg shared a scripture and we ran out the door. We thanked them for dinner and we were very kind to them. But yeah... i have never been so uncomfortable in my entire life. ha ha

So while we were at dinner with them we got a call from a strange number. We returned the call, but no one picked up. At around 8 she called back and Elder Berg said we were missionaries. She was like yeah, whatever and hung up. Half an hour later we got a text asking if we were messing with her. Then at 11:00 pm she called again. we decided we wanted to finish this once and for all, so Elder Berg picked up. He explained we were missionaries and then she said, "alright, stop joking around now Jeremy. I know Wanda put this up to you." we were like wUt. she told us she knew we were lying because when we called her friends Facebook picture showed up. we again said we were missionaries and that was impossible. I told Elder Berg to jump right into the restoration lesson, and he started but then stopped for some reason. lame. anyway, she then proceeded to get mad at us for calling her that late and making her worry about her friend. we reminded her that she called us and she just continued to get mad.She eventually hung up and that was that. 

I also went on exchanges with the assistants this week. I went out with Elder Johnson. He is The Man. I love that Elder and basically want to be him. While tracting we ran into a family in the ward that just moved in. We talked with them for a few minutes and Elder Johnson found out that he played with the member's brother in high school football and the member's mother substituted long term in his art class. Small world, right? Later we did a teaching evaluation (where we teach a member/less active and pretend like they are investigators and then they give us feed back. but we do it with less active members so they can feel the spirit) with a woman named samantha. The first thing she said when we came in was there would be absolutely no prayer in her house. it only got worse. we started the teaching evaluation and tried to teach the restoration. She then basically ate our souls. jk, it wasnt that bad. we conversed for about an hour and she said she didnt believe any more for a number of reasons and then we responded. at the end she said alright, lets evaluate. she told me i need to talk more. im too thoughtful sometimes. she liked my answers because they were well thought out, but i didnt give enough of them. she then said we were not good listeners because if we had payed attention we would have realized that the key to her heart was the ward members. She talked fondly of them often and we didnt realize that was our way into her heart. she was super nice and invited us back for dinner any time. it was a very humbling learning experience. 

I also taught a lady from Kenya with elder johnson. that was really cool, but i couldnt understand her because her accent was so thick. she was really nice and humble. super ready for baptism. 

So while riding our bikes around Elder Berg and I stopped at this house and talked to some people at a picnic table out back. we walked up and the wife, Unis, was like look! mormons! (not in a mean way, they were VERY nice). So we talked with them. The wife was from Gilbert Arizona, thats why she knows so much of mormons, and the Husband, Thomas Two-Bear is a native from Glasgow Montana. My jaw dropped a little. What are the odds that a married couple from both states i grew up in were sitting in front of me asking me about the gospel? crazy. sadly they had to go somewhere, we will go talk to them later. 

So the girl, Grace, whom I mentioned 2 weeks ago (the one that LOVED church) dropped us this week via text. But we still kept going back and we finally found her again and we are now teaching her again. yesterday, we were biking around and Elder Berg said lets go see grace. I was not happy with that idea because we had to be at the house for accountability in 20 minutes and it took 10 minutes on bike, going downhill, to get there. but we went. when we got there, she wasnt feeling well so we just shared a scripture, Hel. 5:12. Right as we finished she said well that answered a prayer, thanks guys. she had been feeling down since we had left 2 days prior and she realized satan was attacking her. this was a truly humbling experience for me. i cannot complain about things like this any longer. 

So Thursday we went to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Minneapolis!!!!!!! Sick, right? We were allowed to go if an investigator came with us. our investigator told us 25 minutes before we were supposed to leave that she could come, so that was a nerve wracking day. But the choir was flipping awesome and so spiritual. the crowd was moved. the orchestra was amazing. ive had a pretty good first transfer on my mission.

That night there was a thunderstorm unlike anything i have ever before seen/heard. I woke up in the middle of the night to the house shaking from the thunder. it sounded like bombs were going off over the house. Yet it was so majestic, beautiful, and somewhat peaceful as well. I got up and watched the pouring rain that was being lit up by the lighting as the thunder boomed across the city. I should write a poem or something. (also, to the Lord of the Rings nerdbombers out there, i kept thinking of the scene in the hobbit where the mountains fought to create thunder. ha ha).

then, friday night we were in an apartment complex teaching someone when all of a sudden sirens started going off everywhere. the storm sirens, tornado sirens, flood warnings, and the whole deal were freaking out. the sky turned from light to black in about 15 minutes and an absolutely torrential rainfall ensued. a loving member of the ward called us and said she would absolutely not let us ride home on our bikes in this. my companion said i was being a baby and that we could ride home in this but i was like im not dying out there, and wouldnt leave. once we got home and drove through it he was like yeah, good thing we didnt go home in this storm... lulz. they also got us dairy queen. he liked that too. ha ha. 

On sunday i forgot my name tag at home and our church is 15 minutes away so i couldnt go home for it. i felt so naked and vulnerable. also, of course this was the day our stake president visited us. she shook my hand and his eyes bore into my soul when he saw my tag missing. my companion said, "he is still a little green". president latch said "clearly". oh man, so awkward. Sister Taylor saw me with my tag later at home and said," oh good, you arent Elder Green anymore." That was pretty funny.

Anyway, i loveth thee all! Have a great week and i hope you find my tales from this week somewhat amusing. be safe. study the gospel. pray to your Heavenly Father daily.

Love, Elder Damron