Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Time to get to work - July 27, 2015



 
Well the MTC time is done! I have lots of good stories I wish I could share but don't have the time. You'll just have to wait for the mission video! Just know I whistled Utah Man with honor and dignity!

Looking back at it I kind of miss the MTC just because of the friends I made there and the family I got to see, everything else kinda sucked. Lucas compared the teaching fake investigators to the Monsters Inc. movie where they do the scaring/training thing with the fake kid.

SOOOOO TRUE

It really was a cool place though, spirit was very strong! My teachers were cool, but nothing like Brother and Sister Vichrilli (sorry for butchering that name). Thanks again for mission prep class, it helped so much. ANYONE even considering a mission, go to their class. Goal is to wife a RM so I can teach mission prep Sunday mornings. I want to help future elders/sisters as much as Mike and Hillary helped me!

So Tuesday we packed up and headed out! We took Front Runner to the airport and this sparked a slight emotional breakdown as we stopped at the Murray station. This was hard, REAL hard. Seeing the school (go sprntas), the park (#OperationABRO - greatest slip-n-slide ever - sorry for the damaged grass), the hospital, just made me think... It hit me that I'm leaving this place, like a hard hit too. Talking about a Brian Blechen - Devin Funchess type of hit.  Got to the airport, called mom and she added Lala to the line. I got to say hi to Z - it was rough, but I know he's got my back!

Like I said, it was starting to hit me. After a whopping 54 minute flight we got to Billings and to the mission home and once again I couldn't help but think of my family EVERYWHERE I looked. The rest of the day was being grilled on rules. Apparently I can't even a wear a Utah shirt to sleep in, whatevs. It was a hard day but that next morning we went to the Temple and it was awesome, exactly what I needed. Power of prayer is absolutely incredible, I have truly learned that out here.

Really some cool experiences whether it's promptings for someone else or for me. Pray peeps, I promise it'll help.

Then came the Wheel of Revelation. A wheel with the different zones of the mission. Didn't actually determine where we were going, but just a fun way to see if we spun the right place or not. I got the Bozeman Zone, Belgrade 1st Ward. I was pumped!
 
Next day we all we went our separate ways, I drove 4 elders to Bozeman. It was fun driving even though I couldn't jam to Kenny Chesney and wasn't in the sex Panther with Lola (Hawaiian dancer on my dashboard), beautiful drive though, only about 3 hours. Got there, met my comp Elder Jaques and we headed to our.......residence....which was in the middle of nowhere, gravel road and everything! On the way there he made a distinct effort to drill a gopher. He let out a blood curdling laugh as we heard the thud, never seen someone so happy to kill something.  I was laughing hard!!!

So yes, the residence... An old, small yellow trailer. Surrounded by chickens!
 
WELCOME TO MONTANA

I thought it was awesome! Not the ideal living conditions but I didn't care! That's what a mission is all about! Heavenly Father must have noticed my good attitude cause later we found out we will be in a different trailer. And this one is sweeeeeeeet, so nice!! Freakin awesome. Air Force 1 of trailers!  Still a little tight but I love it.

We did a little training, a member bought us some pizza then we went tracting!

What an experience!!! I have never had so many people tell me I'm wrong and bash on my testimony! The whole time I was smiling cause I was like wow... I'm actually doing this! They looked at me like the one shop manager dude looked at Buddy the Elf because Buddy was smiling.  I was having legit fun with it! We were standing on the porch in the pouring rain getting grilled by some dude, I had my UA rain gear on so I didn't really mind it. If they aren't ready for the gospel then that's ok, our job is to simply offer it to them. Lots of doors slammed in my face but I was having fun with it. This one lady had a SICK R2D2 cooler that we talked about. She didn't want to hear about the restoration, but that's ok, she was still fun to talk with! It was a fun first day, we even got 1 investigator out of it! So that was the first day summed up!

Fun things that happened since then:

I saw a cow

We made homemade fries, first potato we pulled out was covered in mold... It was from Idaho... SO SUCK ON DAT KURT!

I saw a cow

We were standing in the trailer and heard a giant bang, went outside to find a bunch of kids shooting rodents with legit shotguns about 10 yards from the trailer. #WelcomeToMontana

I saw a cow

Made chili flavored ramen AND added microwaveable hot wings to it....MIND BLOWN. So good.

I saw a cow

We go jogging in the morning and it is incredible. Out in the middle of no where, just a few homes, animals everywhere, the fog, the sun rise. SOOOO cool.
I saw a cow

Jimbo (the dead rodent) is still sleeping peacefully on the gravel....We drive past and/or over him everyday... I had to name him!

I saw a cow

At church I felt prompted to go sit by a deacon during priesthood...sat down and he has drum and feathers plastered all over his tie....CHURCH IS TRUE. Cool kid, likes to golf too. Told him I'll grab some field passes for him in 2 years

Met a kid named Nate while tracting who plays competitive basketball on a Special Olympics team!!! He's awesome! Dad wasn't interested about the gospel but we talked a lot about Nate and he started to open up to us! My comp feels like it was a total bust cause we didn't meet any goals with him but I gained a good relationship with him, he's my new friend! Hopefully I'll be here in October so I can watch Nate ball it up!

I saw a cow

Went to visit a member Sunday night and met a D-lineman and QB for Montana state at their house! QB said he knew Nate Cloward while serving in New Mexico! Good talking football with them, talked about the upcoming season, fall camp, Utah - MSU '11, offensive schemes etc..

I'm out here to bring others closer to Christ, and in some cases that's simply starting off by being a friend. That's what I feel I need to do.  My missionary purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ and sometimes that means simply showing you care.

Well that's about it. I still miss my family a lot. I see them even in the littlest things. Mornings are the roughest cause I dream about them all night long! I know that it's this experience that will shape me into the father I need to be so I can have a family like ours someday. This is hard work, but rewarding work. No better feeling than climbing into that bunk at night, taking off that name tag, and knowing you gave it your all that day.

Coach Scalley said back in 04 - before the holy war - that "if you aren't giving it your all - if you aren't getting up early - if you aren't pushing yourself - if you aren't studying the playbook(and/or preach my gospel) then you got it all wrong. This stuff doesn't happen to everyone.... this is a dream, a dream come true."

- yes that's a ULegacy reference, go watch it -

I'd a never thought that living in a trailer would be a dream...or constantly being shot down about my religion (almost as bad as coach shooting me down on Twitter about the date... #AskCoachWhitt) but this really is a dream come true. I'm doing His work. And as hard as it gets, I know this is where I need to be.

I miss shootin hoops under the stars, I miss the late night frosty runs, I miss being able to go poop without telling someone... Most of all, I freakin miss my family.  But someone out there needs this gospel. They are missing something FAR greater than  jamming to Kenny Chesney and making highlight videos. They are missing the gospel of Jesus Christ, the key to eternal families and happiness, so despite how hard it may be, I gotta remember that.

I love you all so much. I can read emails throughout the week on the iPad but can't respond. KEEP the emails coming.

A lot of missionaries get homesick from hearing about home, but it's my friends and family that fuel me to do this work, so thank you. I can't respond to all of the emails but please know how much I appreciate the support!

Love ya guys! Watch ULegacy and my Disney vids for me, wish I could watch those!

- Elder K

Pics include some MTC fun (Elder Thompson is the one in shades) and my first week In Montana!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

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