30 May 2016

WELCOME EVERYONE!!! To the weekly email of Elder Levi A. Windham!!! This week hasn't been TOO cray, but it was still pretty aight :) So for starters, I think I told you guys about the native kid who had some questions about the Book of Mormon. Well we were goin to have a lesson with him on Tuesday, aaaannnndddd he didn't answer.. Like how lame is that?? But later that day, we were trying to knock some doors in an area that potentially could have Spanish peeps, and after like 3 doors, these kids started following is around and talking to us about Star Wars and stuff, and would NOT stop following us, even when we'd go up to a door.. Like that pretty much knew everyone on the block, but they would go up to the door with us and be like "can we talk to the people with you?" It was pretty funny/cute/annoying, but the most of those 3 would be funny for sure because they kept wanting to go to the doors with us. Haha! So we didn't get much done there unfortunately :P Also, do you guys remember the guy who we were gonna help him with bending his leg? Well, we had to return on Wednesday to give him a blessing (which tbh isn't so bad. I'm just glad we didn't have to bend his leg). It was actually really nerve racking though because we were talking with him an he was saying how he wants to be up and walking out of there by FRIDAY, and he had just barely gotten his surgery a few days prior, and when he would hit try to move in his seat, he would wince in pain... So we talked some more and told him how whatever happens, it'll be the Lord's will and time. But he insisted that we bless him, and he honestly helped my faith, because he was telling us how yes, it is the Lord's timing, but how we have also been given that authority and we could wield it to bring to pass healings and miracles like that. So it was scary but comforting all at the same time, and I'm glad we got the chance to do that for him :) Ok, so the craziest thing that happened this past week by FAR, was when we went to help ​this​ lady with her yard. We had previously met her once before when we helped them move their daughter out. She is the friend of one of the Spanish members and he told us to come over because he ​would​ be mowing their lawn, then he ​wanted​ us to share a message afterward or something. So we got their, and he apparently was expecting us to HELP with the yard.. So we went back an changed, and when we got back, elder Bailey was outside, and I was inside with her and the Spanish member/friend. Like as soon as I got to the door, he tells her "ok, we're ready for you to come back to church. We want to see you there, and we're ready for you to change your life and start going." I was like oh shoot, what did I just get myself into.? So had like a good 5-10 minute discussion between us, and she kept saying like "you are really opening a can of worms with this one." And "I hope you know what you're getting into" and she told him "if this doesn't work, then I'm never talking to you again." It was NUTS I tell you! She's having problems with her marriage and whatnot, and after talking,cache just told me about some other issues in her life. Soooo I only hope we can help to some degree with all this. BUT, that's the thing, and I told her that too, but WE can't help her. He has to want the help, and she can only find it in Christ. If you want help with something in your life, turn to Him, and come closer to him in all ways possible (i.e. Scripture study, personal prayer, church attendance, etc.). Anywes, we had gone back by yesterday while they weren't home and started finishing up their yard, and she got home while we were like midway through and was like "you guys are hilarious. Did Guillermo tell you to do this?" Nope! We decided ourselves.. Haha! So we are hopefully going to have a family home evening sort of thing with them tomorrow! We'll see how it all goes :) So some fun things to note for the week! ;) on Friday night-Saturday morning, there was a ward campout. We had previously obtained permission from our mission president to go to either the dinner, or breakfast, and the English elders in the ward would go to the other. So we decided to go to the breakfast since a Spanish member had told us that he had some Chilean friends who were going to that and not the dinner. So we headed up there, and (not very surprisingly) neither Spanish member NOR his friends were there.. So instead of doing missionary work, we got to eat a ton of breakfast sandwiches, play bacci ball, and come back.. That was a downer :/ then like an hour later, we went to Firestone with some members who take us there every once and a while, and had ANOTHER huge meal!! However, that was some dang good steak.. Haha! So between then and lunch, we had 2 appointments set up, and they BOTH fell through!!! Like for reals, not so bad when one falls through, because then you contact some people until the next one.. But BOTH?? Oh well, eese all good :P Oh yeah, yesterday the bishops son gave his farewell talk for going on his mission (he leaves next week), and that thing was CRAZY good!!! Like he talked about his conversion story and just what it was like for him the past year or so, and the changes he's made to get to this point.. It was flippin crazy to hear it all, and it made me tear up pretty good. In high school, he was the basketball star and like super popular, and there was a TON of nonmembers there! It was cool though because when he was talking about the changes he had made and how happy he was now, I could see several of his nonmember/less active friends crying too, and it was awesome to see the affect he could have on them. We're all hoping that some of them were touched, and maybe it would trip something I them that would make them want to start changing too. Who knows! But all I know is that was probably the best farewell I've ever seen :) Anywes, that's about it. I've been writing in my journal lately, so I'm actually remembering the stuff that happened throughout the week.. Haha! But you guys should write in your journal. Doesn't have to be like detailed for every day, but just a little something that you can keep for laterz :) have a great week! Love, Elder Levi Windham Oh and p.s. So we have this amazing recipe for chocalte chip cookies, we made some earlier this week and had given some to the sisters, and upon getting home, we both ate a cookie, and realized wow, this is very salty.. THAT would be because instead of a teaspoon of salt, someone added a TABLEspoon of salt.. Yummmyyyy..... So we told the sisters that they can throw them out if they want and we'll make some more another time to make up for trying to poison them ;) haha!

23 May 2016

Good morming everybody!! So our mission president asked the zone to help out with a 5K this morning, and it was FREEZING!!!!! And raining, which was super lame, and we just stood there and gave people water, and most of them didn't even want any.. So we were just wet and freezing our buns off :P Anyways though!! This week though was FULL of weird/crazy/fun experiences!! So for starters, let's talk about some tracting experiences ;) So we've been continuing our search in Highland Park, and we actually found TWO Spanish people!! The first one was in his way out to work, so we just got his number before he left. But the other one like said hey to us on the porch, we noticed he had a shirt with some Honduran company thing on it, so we started talking in Spanish, and he just let us right in!! We talked with him for maybe 10 minutes, but he too had to go to work, so we just got his number. So we called him Saturday to see when we could go by, and he was like "well, i don't work tomorrow (Sunday)." we didn't know if that meant "i don't work tomorrow, so come over" or "i don't work tomorrow, so call me then." So we decided to go over, and he opened the door and let us right in!! We ended up just chatting with him for like an hour and a half just about his country, and some of the other Mormon friends he knew back home, and some of the ones here who are Canadian but speak Spanish because they served Spanish speaking missions, and just other stuff! So it was nice to just talk with him (especially in Spanish), and invite him to come play soccer with us and some other people throughout the week (which is something else we do), and he was like yeah sure, if i can. So we'll call and set something up for later this week. I think he likes us because he gave us milk and homemade bread and almost looked like he didn't want us to leave when we were leaving. Supa cool guy :) Also, we were out tracting in a DIFFERENT area that hopefully has some Spanish people, and the first lady was an Afghani lady (I think that's what they're called..?) and she said the lady next door used to be Mormud (neither of us could understand her), and she couldn't do all these things and whatnot, so she left it, then went to another church and found Jesus there. So we talked a bit more and were like well, have you ever heard of the Book of Mormon? And she was like oh yeah! That's what she talked about. We were like oh snap, she wasn't Mormud, she was MORMON, and she found Jesus in another church..? Haha but we went ahead and knocked her door, and she let us in!! She was really nice, and she has come a long way from how she used to be. The ONLY problem with where she "found" Jesus, is that she found it in a church that just doesn't have the proper authority.. But she's happy and doing better than she used to, and that's awesome :) we'll probably go back by later this week to talk with her some more. Well those were just some of the nicer tracting experiences. We met several native people, and one of them just would not accept the Book of Mormon, and was like "no, that's for the people down in Arizona and Mexico. They're a different tribe from us. We've been around for over 30,000 years. We didn't come over on ships or the land-bridge like the others did. We were the originals." Oh por favor! But whatevs! Another native kid though, when we mentioned the Book of Mormon, was like "oh yeah! See I have some questions about that thing, so you guys should come back some time.." So we went back by on Sunday and talked on a bit on his porch, explained what the Book of Mormon is, a bit of how it came to be, and set up an appointment for tomorrow!! He's a pretty nerdy, weird guy, but doesn't seem bashy, but more curious than anything, so we'll see. So yeah, besides the tracting, we got to do some other pretty fun/interesting things too!! Like on Friday, we got a text from the zone leaders telling us that someone in the hospital needed help "bending his leg"... Like what?? So we went to the hospital and asked the nurses and people, and apparently he had surgery that morning and was going to need some therapy or something, and he wanted us to do it..? Not entirely sure, but the nurses told us that they were already gonna have some REAL therapists do that stuff for him. So we ended up not having to do it :P then LATER that day, we got to go to a TRAMPOLINE PARK!!!! Lemme tell ya, that was SO MUCH FLIPPIN FUN!!!! For the entire hour, I was just bouncing off the walls with excitement (see what I did there? ;) hahaha!!) but seriously, I haven't had that much fun on trampolines in my whole stinkin life. Like fo reals, SO many back flips, front flips, twisty trick flip things, slam dunks, dodge ball, you stinkin name it!! The guys we went with were just like man, did you do gymnastics back home or something? "No." Ok, then parkour? "No." Your dad is a doctor "no." Your dad is a dentist "no." Your dad is rich "no." Haha! I don't even know why those were the questions, but I was goin HAM at that place!! I'll send you guys a couple videos in a bit ;) Anywes it was a fun week, and we worked a lot trying to find people to teach, and hopefully we'll start finding some. It's pretty boring having nothing to do :P but you guys rock, and I shall address you again next week ;) take care! Love, Elder Levi Windham