Week 43: In which I make my way to The Dalles, consider the gift of "fire hands", and drive back to Yakima for a conference

TD (not the bank)

Written 20 Mar 2017
 
Hola hola hola! Aqui estoy, mis paisanos. I'm super excited to be writing you today from... (...) (wait for it...) The Dalles, Oregon! It's basically a completely different country from Othello! It's weird; it feels a lot more like home, as far as weather and foliage is concerned. It's like a weird mix between Wenatchee and Massachusetts. Imagine if a town from central Washington (Wenatchee) sprang up randomly in the middle of northern Massachusetts, and then got picked up and plopped down in northern Oregon instead. That's kind of like The Dalles. Yes, the name of the city is actually "The Dalles", it's not just a name for the area (like "the Salt Lake Valley" or "the Valley of the Shadow of Death"). It's just the name of the City of The Dalles. It's pretty different, but super cool as well.

I got a huuuuuuge surprise when I got here. As it turns out, The Dalles Spanish (my area) is actually pretty huge. There are not many members of the church here that speak Spanish, so we're actually working on starting a Spanish Group here within The Dalles 2nd Ward. However, our area covers a really large part of the Zone/Stake. We cover everything Spanish in the entire city of The Dalles and all the way up to Goldendale, although we don't normally go there unless someone else finds someone who speaks Spanish there. It's pretty exciting! Because our area is so huge, we have a car here for the first time in my mission! I was pretty excited. However, I was surprised when my new companion handed me the keys. Normally, the more senior companion drives, but I was surprised to learn that he never got a license! Haha! I guess I'm driving for the first time in 10 months! Hahaha, we're going to die!

Seriously, though, I've been remembering pretty fast how to actually drive a vehicle larger than a bicycle. It's been an adventure, especially since the day after I got here I had to drive 2 hours to Yakima for a huge meeting and 2 hours back. Talk about a baptism of fire! It was pretty terrifying, but I remembered how to drive pretty quickly. After all, I'm still alive to send this email today. Let's hope our luck keeps up.

We had a crazy meeting with Elder Juan A. Uceda from the Seventy this last Thursday. He came in and we had a big Zone Conference. Sister Uceda, Sister Lewis, and President Lewis all spoke briefly, and then we got to learn from Elder Uceda for 2 1/2 hours. It was crazy. First of all, he expressed his gratitude for us and told us we're doing really well with a lot of things, and that he can feel we have a really strong mission here. However, he then told us that of course, we aren't perfect. We can always do better. He told us all the things we should do better as missionaries in this mission, that we aren't doing very well right now. Mainly, we're not super good with doing things with people if they haven't done them on there own. We need to be a lot more bold with our invitations to pray and read the scriptures, and we need to not give in if people don't want to pray with us in the lesson, but really be bold. We also need to work more with members to get rides for our investigators to church. He also promised us that if we study a video from the District 2 (missionary training videos) as a companionship each day, we will become more persuasive teachers.

It's going to be an awesome 6 weeks, and I'm super excited to start applying what Elder Uceda invited us to do more! Let me finish with a short excerpt from my letter to President Lewis:

I'm still trying to really get to know the people here, but we got a new investigator since I've been here: Lili. She seemed incredibly open to our message, and incredibly open to act! She prayed with us, even though she didn't have much experience praying before. She promised to read the pamphlet we left her, and we are both excited to go back tomorrow and teach her again! I haven't been able to meet some of our other current investigators still, but I'm excited to meet them and work with them. There is another lady, Rosa, who wasn't really excited to pray with us, but we tried to follow Elder Uceda's council and not back down with our invitation to pray. Eventually, she did! It was awesome! I know that what Elder Uceda shared was exactly what we needed to hear in order to continue progressing as a mission. I'm excited for what the future holds, and I'm extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity Elder Tapia and I have to be a part of that!

I love you all a ton, and wish you the best! I am very grateful for your support and prayers.

Love,

Elder Adams

 

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Quick funny story from Othello...

 

Once in Othello, we were trying to teach the daughter of a less-active member. The member has some mental challenges (like schizophrenia), but is a really nice lady. As we were teaching her daughter about Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we asked the daughter "Did you know God gives you a gift when you are baptized?"

Right then, the mom piped in and said, trying to help out, "Yeah, after baptism, they give you the... the... um, the Gift of Fire Hands!"

Ever since, the Gift of Fire Hands has become a bit of a running joke between those of us who know. Hey, I think the Gift of Fire Hands would be pretty awesome! I mean, who needs a roaster?

 

 

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Questions from Editor Mom:

Tell us about your companion. Are you speaking more Spanish than you were before? - He's awesome. Elder Tapia is from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. His English is fantastic, even though he didn't speak any before joining Elder Steadman in Othello. Yes, that's right. You may have already known this, but when Elder Tapia was transferred to The Dalles, I took his place in Othello. Now, I've joined him down here! We're definitely speaking more Spanish, but it's still a mix, since we work with a LOT of English-only speakers. Almost everyone (except our investigators, claro).
 
What did you learn/talk about at zone conference? - HOOLLLYYY COOOOOWWWW!!!!!! IT WAS NUTS! Elder Uceda is awesome, and told us exactly what we're all doing horribly wrong and how to get more people to progress. It was crazy. Basically, don't let anyone get away with not praying. Don't let people squirm out of saying the prayer with you. Be bolder! Don't talk so much! Read the assignment with them if they didn't do it themselves! IT'S GONNA BE NUTS!
Whom did you most enjoy reconnecting with at the transfer site/zone conference? - Elder Wunderlich, Elder Steadman, and Elder Woodfield. Definitely. Elder Steadman was being transferred to Rocky Reach in Wenatchee, and Elder Wunderlich and Elder Woodfield (my MTC compa) are both in the Yakima Valley Zone, so I saw them at transfers and also at Zone Conference.
 
When is your temple trip? - The temple trip is a week from tomorrow.  Portland Temple, here we come!
Awesome!

What's your apartment like? Are you living with just your companion or others as well? - Our apartment is suuuuper nice. It's just Elder Tapia and me there, and it's the biggest, nicest apartment I've been in yet. Well, except Mattawa, but that was never MY apartment. I just stayed there once, when I was in a tri-pan with Elders Steadman and Garcia and we went to work in Elder Garcia's area for a day and a half.
 
Have you run into anyone we know, like the bishop of the Stevenson Ward or Sister Jensen's sister or her daughter's in-laws? - No... wait, you know the bishop from the Stevenson Ward? Who on earth is it?!? That's totally in the Zone! Also, I don't remember any of those other people super well... what ward are they in?
Bishop Zimmerman is the bishop of the Stevenson Ward. We were in the same branch when Dad and I lived in Oregon. You wouldn't remember any of the other people. I don't know them either, but our best friends from our Oregon days are from the Dalles. Their sister, and their daughters-in-law are still in The Dalles.
 
What's your teaching pool like? - Really, really big. Our entire goal here is to start a Spanish Group in The Dalles 2nd Ward. That means that even if someone prefers English but can speak Spanish, we teach them. I don't know a ton of people still, but I'm working on it. We got a New Investigator named Lili. She seemed super cool and open to our message. It was amazing.
 
Any dogs? :-) - Actually, yes! They are very friendly. My first night here, on Wednesday, we got greeted by two huge, muddy, friendly dogs. I was reminded of them the rest of the evening whenever I looked at my formerly white shirt or blue/brown pants.
 
How were your trips down to The Dalles and then back up to Yakima for Zone Conference? - Exciting, terrifying, and awesome. Down to the Dalles was kind of boring, but alright because we had some nice conversations. I am in a driving area down here in The Dalles, and I am the designated driver. That means I drove to Yakima and back for Zone Conference. I haven't driven for at least 10 months, so it was a bit of a baptism by fire.
 
Finally, can I ask a really, really big favor? I get kind of lost now that I'm driving. Can I have a simple GPS? As long as it doesn't access the internet/interwebs and stuff, it's approved. I just don't want to keep having to ask if I should turn at almost every intersection.



Pictures from the Yakima transfer site on transfer day:

Pictures from Zone Conference with Elder Uceda, the next day:

Week 42: In which Brenda and Crystal start their journeys, I am transferred, and I consider how much I will miss Othello.

Ecclesiastes 3

Yo yo yo! Hey there! It's time to homey it up! Okay, writing that made me sick. Let's never do that again. Starting over...

Hey there, mi familia! Que tal? Estoy aqui, y estoy muy agradecido por el progreso de Brenda y Crystal. Ellos han crecido mucho, y quiero regresar cuando van al templo. Por su puesto, lo hare. Tambien estoy animado por ir al templo tambien, porque este proximo traslado voy a tener la oportunidad de ir a un templo diferente. Si. Esta vez, no tienen que esperar por esa informacion, pero lo doy en Espanol! Jajaja! Gabachos. No, no, no le creas. Les amo, claro.

Hey there, my family! How's it going? I am here, and I am really grateful for Brenda and Crystal's progress. They have grown a lot, and I want to come back when they go to the temple. Of course, I will do it. I am also excited to go to the temple also, because this next transfer I'm going to have the opportunity to go to a different temple. Yeah. This time, you don't have to wait for this information, but I'm giving it to you in Spanish! Ha ha ha! Foreigners. No, no don't believe it. I love you, clearly.

Well, good luck with that. I just did something super evil. For more details, however, stay tuned.

Juan is awesome. He has a sister, Rosa, who was investigating in Las Vegas, but didn't want to get baptized (she believes it doesn't matter which church you belong to, a very common idea). She just likes the Church a lot. However, Juan is a lot more open to our message. He came to church, and he loved it! He's really cool, and was apparently super engaged in the classes. They are going to love teaching him!

Brenda and Crystal are doing really super. First of all, Sunday night (just after Brenda got the Gift of the Holy Ghost), she was driving into her new job. Thing is, she told us later that she "just got a feeling" it wasn't the right job for her. She wasn't super bummed when she lost it later (due to having to take care of her family), because she new she needed to keep looking anyway. She's doing really great, especially when it comes to following the promptings of the spirit.

Remember Patty, who Brenda hated with a passion (and vice-versa)? Well, we challenged Brenda while leading up to her baptism to pray for Patty. Brenda has a super strong testimony of prayer. Well, she did. What's more, Tuesday they started talking again! In fact, Brenda gave her a ride to Moses Lake. She later told us again she "just got a feeling" she was supposed to try to help Patty out. On the way, she testifed about the powerful experience she had when she was baptized, and how much it changed her life. She wants to help Patty get rid of an abusive boyfriend (who is Brenda's now-ex), and she also wants to help Patty make the changes she wants in her life. They're both pretty good friends now, and Brenda has shown real friendship to Patty. She even went out with the other Elders to teach Patty! It's been crazy. She's already doing missionary work. Patty's boyfriend, however, has since caused a lot of trouble for both of them. It's been a really crazy week, and Brenda's gone through a lot of really tough times with a lot of drama. However, things are now looking really up for Brenda and her family!

So, you're all pretty much going to be wondering where I'm getting transferred. Oddly enough, I'm going to be companions with Elder Tapia, whose place I took here in Othello 2nd and 4th! It's funny how things work like that. I'm apparently going to one of the most beautiful places in the mission. That narrows it down a lot, huh? We're pretty much down to 2 places: Chelan or the Dalles. Well, Elder Tapia is in the Dalles now, so you should have already figured it out by now: The Dalles Spanish, here I come! That's right; I get to go to the Portland, OR temple this upcoming transfer! Elder Klossner is also leaving to be in Quincy West with Elder Boren (Elder Gaeta is taking his place), Elder Favila is going to Yakima Valley to be with Elder Wunderlich (Elder Kiser is taking his place), and Elder Richardson is taking my place. It's funny; Elder Richardson was actually just here to watch Brenda and Crystal's baptism. He is coming from being Elder Steadman's companion. Hehe. Yep. Little did he know that person he was watching being baptized would soon be his recent convert... hehehehehehe.

That's most of this week. The thought of leaving Othello is honestly super hard for me, and I'm not sure it's really registered yet. I don't want to go, honestly, but I'm also excited to meet new people and do good in another part of the world and the mission. I know the Lord has a plan for me there. For sure, though, I'm coming back to Othello after my mission, if nowhere else. Hey, I might even be transferred back sometime in the future! It has happened before.

Anyway, I love you all. I hope you all have the best week ever. Peace out.

-Elder Adánes

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Some pictures

All in order from left to right:

Me, Asai Villarreal, Sister Villarreal, Kai V. and his brother (whose name escapes me) and Obispo Mike Villarreal.

 

Hna Luz Dominguez, Alonso, Rey, Frankie, Elder Ramirez, Elder Klossner

Hna. Ramirez, Hno. Ramirez (Saladmaster) and me

Me, la familia Marroquin

Me and the Gentry family (2nd Ward)

Me, Rosa, Crystal, Brenda

Love,

Elder Adams

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Questions from Editor Mom

Que tal? - Bien bien, gracias!

Hope you've had a good week and are OK with whatever is happening with transfers this week. I know you love Othello. - Yep. I did. I also am. I also definitely do.

Are you involved in the Daily Dose program? Do you ever teach any classes or participate in any way? - We don't really participate in Daily Dose, since they want to keep it kind of separate from the missionaries. They don't want people getting scared away from the program. However, we definitely refer people to participate. Ana, one of our investigadoras, is going pretty regularly.

Editor's note: the "Daily Dose" program is a Church-sponsored class to help people learn & improve their English.

Have you used your Ironworks coupon? (There should be enough there for you to have treated, or to treat, your companion to lunch.) - Oh, we used it. I treated myself, Elder Fordham, Elder Favila, and Elder Aguirre. I had actually been once before. It was delicious, thank you! It's a super hip restaurante.

How are Brenda and Crystal doing? - Pretty good. They had a rough week, for sure, but they're doing super awesome!

How are you holding up / enduring? - Well. I am still alive. No, there's no reason I wouldn't be.

Any more encounters with funny/scary animals? - Nope. All is good!

When you DO leave Othello, what/whom will you miss the most? - I don't know everyone I'll meet, for sure, but pretty much everything. Brother Gentry, Bishop Risenmay, Brenda and Crystal, Yolie and Nikita, The Giles twins, Brother Orsen Giles (dad of the twins, Brian and Brent), Obispo Villarreal, Lion's Park, Little Mexico, Hermano Serna, Presidente and Sister Villarreal (Obispo's parents), Death Mountain (the hill down to Little Mex; it's awful to ride back to city on a bike), and pretty much everything.

Why are you asking?... >;-D

Week 41: In which I review our schedule, Elder Fordham lassos the vacuum, and Brenda & Crystal are baptized!

A Thousand Words.

Esta semana fue loca, pero tambien milagrosa. Estoy agradecido que todavia vivo.
This week was crazy, but also miraculous. I am grateful that I’m still alive.

First of all, a quick overview of the schedule.

6:30-10:00 Get ready, Personal Study (1 hour), Daily Planning (30 minutes), Exercise (30 minutes)

10:00-5:00 Normal missionary stuff like find/teach people, Companionship Study (30-60 minutes), Language Study (30-60 minutes)

5:00-6:00 Dinner

6:00-9:00 Missionary Stuff (again)

9:00-10:30 Ready for bed, Write in journal, get to bed.

Pretty much, the schedule is a lot more flexible now. I'm getting about the same amount of sleep, but if I can get faster at getting to bed and everything else, my companion and I could choose to go to bed as early as 9:30. It's awesome.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who helped make my birthday and Valentine's Day special. My grandparents never miss a beat. I am so grateful for them. And thank you to everybody who remembered my birthday on Facebook. I don't have access to Facebook right now, but my parents passed on your good wishes. Thanks!

This was a crazy awesome week. It was kind of like a miraculous roller coaster. At the end, miracles happened. Here's a picture and an excerpt from my letter to President Lewis. After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

In order, left to right:

Elder Fordham, Elder Steadman, Crystal (she's 10), Brenda, Rosa (she's 4), Christopher (he's 13), and Bishop Risenmay.

Brenda and her daughter Crystal got baptized Saturday and confirmed yesterday. Brenda was baptized by Bishop Risenmay and confirmed by Brother Gilbert (1st councilor). Crystal was baptized by me and confirmed by Elder Favila, another missionary in the district who talked to her for a little bit of time while his companion, Elder Aguirre, interviewed Brenda alone.

It's been a crazy, crazy week.

It started last week with the experience I described last week. Something felt wrong, and we thought it had to do with an enmity between Brenda and another lady, who is ironically one of the other missionaries' most promising investigators. Brenda and this lady had a lot go on between them. Basically, we began to feel that the enmity between them might be just a wee bit too much. While we can't expect anyone to be perfect for baptism, the hatred between them was almost to the point where it was holding Brenda back from having a broken heart and contrite spirit. We went by the next day, talked about forgiveness and repentance, and things felt a lot better. We went by the day after that, too, and set up the baptism for Saturday. We spent the entire week focusing on forgiveness, repentance, and the meaning of the baptismal covenant. Every time we went over, things felt better and better. She was contacted every day, though not always by us. 

Of course, the nature of things is that the greatest trials often come right before the greatest of blessings. On Friday, Brenda had an extremely stressful experience and was greatly tempted. While she did resist the temptation, it was so great that she began to worry that she was unworthy or unready for the next day. She was in tears, she was so distressed. However, we felt completely at peace. We knew that she just needed that extra week of preparation and time. We couldn't even talk to her face-to-face, because she couldn't bring herself out of her room. However, we invited her family to pray and ask her to do the same. She later texted us apologizing that she couldn't talk to us, but we invited her to pray to know what the Lord wanted her to do and we also invited her to simply come with Crystal the next day so we could prepare Crystal and talk with her.

The next morning, she didn't come early. In fact, she later told us she almost didn't come, but that she took our invitation and said a prayer. That gave her the strength and comfort to come to the baptism. She felt ready, like Crystal, to make that great promise. The service was truly beautiful, and the spirit was very strong.

I personally experienced mixed emotions when I heard that between the baptism and confirmation, after nearly 3 weeks, she began to relapse. She gave in and lit a cigarette. When I heard that, I was devastated. However, it is very interesting that as she began to take a single breath of smoke, it tasted completely disgusting to her. It was, to her, utterly abhorrent. She didn't even finish that first breath, but immediately stopped. That experience, for her, gave her the resolve she needed to fully put that challenge behind her. It is a testimony to me of the power of the spirit. The spirit basically just said "Nope!" and it was what Brenda needed at that time; she needed that last, final confirmation. The spirit comforted both my companion and I, and we knew that everything was going exactly as the Lord had planned.

Yesterday was an incredibly special day. Both of them were given the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and that was followed by a very tender and spiritual testimony meeting. Earlier in the week, 2 people had passed away in the ward, and one of them was relatively young. That Sunday, a baby was also blessed just prior to Brenda and Crystal's confirmations. 2 8-year-old children had also been baptized Saturday night in the ward.

The whole ward was filled with the spirit with all that had taken place, and it was almost as if the wonderful Plan of our Father in Heaven had been shown in part to those blessed participants in that meeting. It had been lain out for view in simple glory. Birth, Gospel, and Death. Everything fit together for one short time, and it was truly beautiful.

I love you all, and am so grateful for your support and prayers!

Love,

Elder Adams

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Questions from Editor Mom:

 

Have you sent the extra quads back and ended up with a good set? - Nope, but I plan to today.

What birthday gifts put the biggest smile on your face? Did you play the game? - I don't know, but my mouth about dropped open when I opened the tie clip. I also loved the ice cream, wow! Thanks! I loved all of them. I've also been working on putting the scripture stickers in my new Spanish Quad.

How are Brenda, Crystal, and the others doing (MES, I know--(main email stuff)? - Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

How's life in Othello? - Pretty much the bomb.com!

What's your favorite go-to meal these days? - Hmm, I don't know. While I do like cereal for a really fast thing, I prefer bologna, Monterrey Jack cheese, Miracle Whip, and mustard sandwiches. Fast, easy, filling. Also, if I have a little more time, grilled cheese sandwiches with Miracle Whip. A little less healthy, but still yummy.  

Do you have dinner appointments most days? - Almost all the time this month, and every day for the first half.

Are you totally focusing your efforts in Little Mexico, or are you working in other areas of town, too? How do you decide where to work? - It honestly depends. In the past we've only gone to Little Mex Wednesdays and Saturdays, but we're going to go more often now. We usually pray at the beginning of a planning session, then think about where feels right to go. We usually try to focus on areas that haven't been worked in the longest. There are also some trailers in the opposite direction from Little Mex we are trying to visit more often.

What is the most interesting thing you have learned about your companion? - Hmm, good question. He likes to lasso things, I guess. He has tried to lasso me on occasion. He's much better at lassoing the vacuum, though.

What percentage of your time do you end up speaking Spanish do you think? Do you speak Spanish to your companion most of the time? - It depends. We speak English probably most of the time, but we also try to use Spanish when we can. We plan in English. Maybe 70% English? 75? Something like that.

How does the change in missionary rules affect your schedule? Are you getting enough sleep? - Uh, big question. I also don't have a ton of time. I think I might just have that be most of my big email.

Do you check your email every day? - No, we don't have access to email except on Mondays. We do try to check the mail every day, though.