So this was quite the amusing week here in River Falls. I got the cops called on me for the first time as a missionary. This was Elder Berg's 4th time. So we were tracting this neighborhood when this guy came out and started yelling at us. He was in quite the fuss and had made quite the effort to make sure to get out in time to yell at us since he had no shirt on and half his face was shaven and the other half still had all the cream on it. So he started demanding to see our permits and whatnot. Elder Berg said yes I have one do you want to see it? The man said of course. So E. Berg pulled out his ministerial certificate and showed it. The man got pretty mad about that. He said it wasnt a permit and he ran inside his home with it and called the city offices to report us. He left his window open and I could hear him yelling about some "bible sellers going door to door" and we needed a permit to do that. He came back out and he told us to never use the certificate again because it was unlawful. We told him we were not selling anything and therefore didnt need a permit. He said he never said we were selling anything (E. Berg and I looked at each other and were like Wut. sure...). Anyway, he gave back the certificate and told us to get out of this neighborhood before he called the cops on us. Elder Berg simply stated we were allowed to be here and we would continue to work in the area. Tension started to rise so I was finally like alright sir, have a good day and we walked away. He kept yelling at us. So we knocked a couple more doors but needed to leave to get to a prior obligation. So he came back out and started yelling at us again and told us to wait on the curb because the cops would be here in a minute to haul us off or something like that. I just told him to have a wonderful day and we went on our merry little way. Well sure enough, the po-po pulled up. The officer got out and asked us how we were doing. He took down our driver's license information and told us he was pretty sure we didnt need a permit, but said we should head down to the city offices just to be sure. So we went downtown to investigate this permit business. We talked to the permit lady, Lu, and she just rolled her eyes and said we didnt need a permit but she wanted us to register with her. Basically we wrote our names and info down on a piece of scratch paper so that when people call to complain we can be OK'd by them. Then she wrote up, printed out, and signed an official letter saying we had permission to go door to door as missionaries. So basically we are legit now. Get at us River Falls. A member came around the corner and started asking us about what happened. We told him our tale and he said he had heard the receptionist complaining about the old man that always calls to report silly things. Apparently this time he was complaining about "annoying mormons". He then told us that the permit lady basically made up that letter and registration thing so no one gets hassled or has to waste time again. ha ha. then he invited us over for dinner. So basically we got the cops called on us and then we got dinner because of it. not a bad day at all. :)
Later in the week, we were at a member's house for dinner. The husband was not home so the wife was like here, take my dog for a walk until he gets home. So E. BErg and I went around the neighborhood with this tiny little dog. It was cute. Not too many missionaries get to walk dogs on their missions! At dinner, the wife made some joke about us beating up her husband or something because the husband almost killed the dog when the dog ate chocolate out of his suitcase (the dog ate almost 6 ounces of chocolate. 1 ounce can kill this breed). The husband was like," honey that is not what they mean when they said the laying on of hands." E. BErg and I lost it at that joke. Whether missionary humor has already consumed my life or not, I have stored that joke in my mind for future reference.. ha ha
Our third interesting story came on Saturday. Elder Berg and I have both popped our back tire inner tubes going over curbs too fast, so we always stop for curbs now. Well, Elder Berg wasnt going fast enough and when he tried to step over the curb, he lost his balance and fell over. And of course this being Elder Berg, he had to dramatize it just a little so he was there on the ground sprawled out next to his bike. I started laughing (he was clearly unhurt) and told him to hold on while I snapped a picture to record this fine moment of his existence. So I pulled out my camera and got a picture. He told me to get his camera out of his bag and take one. So I walked over, rummaged through his bag, and went back to my bike a couple feet away, and took the picture. Now the thought of how strange and suspicious it might look for one guy to be rummaging through the bag of another man who looks like he is unconscious on the ground next to his bike never fully hit me. All of a sudden cars started pulling up asking if he was ok. We were like oh, shoot. Yes! Everything is fine! One car pulled up and the man asked us and then was like,"I just wanted to make sure. I saw him on the ground and I saw you going through his bag. I just wanted to make sure he wasnt injured and getting robbed or something if you know what I mean." We assured him this was not the case and apologized. Then he got out of his car, opened his trunk, and gave us some blueberries. We thanked him, he drove off, and we went over the hill. When we got to the street on the other side of the hill we saw the man again! He was walking his dogs and he told us he had a pizza in the oven he could not eat alone and so he told us to be at his house in 10 minutes. So we ate pizza and talked. He is a super cool guy. waaay nice too. Hopefully we can teach him some time soon. We then walked a couple houses down and went to our dinner appointment. So. Much. Food. It was a battle. 2 dinners and a box of blueberries will get you.
But dont worry! We dont ALWAYS get ourselves into trouble.... We taught Jamie this week and showed her the talks "Safety for the Soul" by Elder Holland. This talk is money in the bank. Almost literally. After watching it Jamie committed to baptism. WE showed it to Sarah (the girl we baptized a couple weeks ago) and she committed to baptism. Elder Holland does WORK. The spirit was strong and the lesson went very well. Hopefully a week from saturday she will enter the waters of baptism and get one step closer to our Father in Heaven.
On a spiritual note, I read Alma 42:23 this week:
23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and amercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the batonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the cresurrection of the dead; and the dresurrection of the dead bringeth eback men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be fjudgedaccording to their works, according to the law and justice.
The atonement brings about the resurrection. Think of how powerful it must be to overcome and enable the separation of the spirit and body for all that has ever lived! It is not comprehensible. So if the atonement can do this, what else can it enable us to do? Everything, really. Allow the atonement into our lives by faith, repentance, and covenants and we shall be becometh saints through the atonement of Christ the Lord. The atonement can enable us to bring about all change in our life that will bring us closer to God and more. Turn to it. Cleave to it. Christ wants us to use it, He really does.
I love all of you! I do not know when my next email will be. Perhaps next wednesday, we have some P-day shuffling occurring. Have a good week :)
-Elder Damron
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