God has given us so much to be grateful for

Greetings from the North Pole,

 

It.

Is.

Freezing.

 

Brrrr. emerton.  I am having a hard typing right now because I can't really feel my fingers.  Outside it is grey as a field mouse and very very not warm.  There is rumor that it is supposed to snow.  Yuck.  It snowed really, really bad last thanksgiving.  The cities were without power for about 4 days and you couldn't be out driving the streets were so bad.  Hopefully that doesn't happen to us because that would slow missionary work down a lot.  And make it more painful.  I'm going to quote my old District Leader who is quoting Batman: "the night is darkest before the dawn."  Good things are approaching.  They have to be, because things couldn't get any darker.

 

But on a lighter note, who wants to hear some fun facts about my life as a missionary lately? Ok, so there is a member of the bishopric that has had us over for dinner and another time has had us over for breakfast.  Both times...BOTH TIMES...we had venison.  Yes, I ate deer for breakfast.  Gulp.  He is part of our tour of people we are stopping by to see on Thanksgiving and I would be more suprised if we actually had turkey than if he is sharpening his electric carver to mince up some Bambi.  My comp had never had venison before or had never even heard of it until she came on the mission.  I told her that it was baby cat.  So now we have this running joke that every time we go to this guy's house we better bring the meow mix. 

 

Speaking of cats...we were out tracting one night and we changed our mind about these apt complexes that we were going to go knock.  We drive out of the complex and pull over on the side of a nearby street so that we can look at our map and pick a new spot.  The street was pitch black.  Not a soul in sight.  The car was in park, the E brake was on, the street was level.  All of a sudden the car lurches forward.  Hmmm. That was really creepy.  I looked at my companion and she felt the car rock too.  We decide that we are both freaked out and that we should leave immediately.  I throw the car in drive and make the fastes Uturn of my life (second only to the one I made the catch the guy in the wheel chair ie last week's email).  All of a sudden we hear this scratching and thumping on the top of the car.  I slam the breaks.  A giant feline had jumped on top of the car and slid down the back window and ricocheted off the bike rack.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I floor it forward hoping that the cat would launch off the front when I soon after hit the brakes.  Nope.  The devil cat just scampered up on the roof and dug its little claws in even tighter.  So then I try the swerving technique and try to shake off the dang thing.  You can hear it sliding around like butter on a hot skillet.  Alright, that's it.  I'm over this dumb cat.  I put it in reverse, gun it back and then hit the brake one last time.  It flew off so fast I died laughing for like 5 minutes straight.  The craziest part of the whole story was just imagining what the whole scene looked like to someone watching from inside their house. 

 

Thank you Sister Rondo for sending me the yummy pumpkin bread!  Wow, what a nice surprise to receive after a long, hard, cold day of missionary work.  You're the best!!!!

 

Our fridge sounds like a clucking hen.  We will be either trying to fall asleep at night or studying together in the morning and you would think that Farmer Joe just sprinkled some chicken feed in our kitchen the way it sounds.

 

Tracting in the dark, freezing cold is getting more and more painful.  A ward member bought us some pepper spray because they were worried that it was really dangerous for us to be out there at night.  Honestly, I think we are the only ones brave or dumb enough to be walking the streets of Bremerton at 32 degrees.  If we do see people walking they are not strolling, they are hurrying as fast as they can to get to wherever it is they are going.

 

We had our first anti experience last night when we were out finding.  Waayyy bad energy coming from this guy.  He was a Jdub (Jehovah Witness) Tag team attacked us with his wife.  Even got his little kids involved.  We confounded him a couple times with some doctrinal truths and he would pause for a second and then just change the subject and go off on something else he hated about us.  Ridiculous.

 

We found the coolest Samoan family! (figures right?  got to put my poly comp to use somehow) Well, actually they were a referal from my last zone leaders.  I'll have to tell you guys about them in my next email.  My internet time is almost up and my fingers are locking up.  But anyway we are going to stop by their house for thanksgiving.  Brown town.  Hey what is Royce's family's name that is up here in Bremerton.  Maybe they know eachother!

 

You can see the Seattle skyline in the distance from the hilltops of Bremerton.  It's way neat.  Especially at night.

 

Our investigators are slowly progressing.  Slowly but surely.  None of them came to church yesterday which was a big bummer but it happens.  They all have really varying circumstances but a few experiences I had this week involving me questioning a lot about what I really do believe and why I am on a mission shed some light on the fact that I have more in common with these people then I originally thought.

 

My comp and I were invited to bear our testimonies on Sunday before the High Councilor spoke.  It just so happened the chapter that I left off on for my reading from the Book of Mormon was Alma 26.  My favorite chapter ever.  All about one of the greatest missionaries ever, Ammon.  I think it was verse 35 and 36 that I read at the pulpit about having so much to rejoice over.  And not just during this thanksgiving season, but in every season of our lives.  That God has given us so much to be grateful for and that lately I haven't been happy because I haven't been grateful.  I haven't been as good at looking for or recognizing how much Heavenly Father has given me in my life and what He continues to do for me and bless me with.  What are you thankful for?  Your lists are very long, I'm sure.  Love you guys.  Hope home for Thanksgiving is warm.  Warm in the sense of love and hope.  Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.  Probably gain 5 pounds from all the food I'll have to eat.  Smile more.