Howdy, y'all!
What's up?
The big news of the week is that I'm getting released from the office. At the end of the transfer, I'll be going back into the field. I have some mixed feelings about that, but I've come to realize that whenever the Lord asks me to do something, it never turns out as bad as it seems. So I've been turning to getting excited to be truly back out there. It's like getting a mission call all over again.
My replacement is Elder Sosi. I met him on the second day of my mission and he's been serving in Abilene for many months. He has been in the Abilene zone for over a year! I would hate to get "stuck" in one place for so long, but he didn't seem to mind that much. He's already been in Lubbock for a few days and the training is underway.
To welcome him to the office, the Robisons took all of us to Smoothie King and got each of us a smoothie. That place is pretty good. We also drove around at the Texas Tech campus. His companion, Elder Tuttle, came with him to Lubbock and he's just going to serve with Elders Craven and Pitts until the end of the transfer. Their old area is temporarily split between the other Abilene missionaries. (There's only four in the whole city now!)
On Monday, I got to meet my Missionary Granddad! There were a couple of RMs touring the mission and visiting people. One of them was Elder Webb, who trained Elder Jenkins, my trainer! He told us of some things that happened on his mission and afterwards, too. The other was Elder Grider, who was actually one of Elder Northey's old companions, so it was a cool day for all of us. Elder Webb's a big guy, Elder Jenkins was a little smaller than him and I'm smaller than both of them - I highly doubt this trend will continue, though (if there's anything to continue). We also went to the Lubbock 4th ward's Memorial Day picnic. There was a great turn out and the weather was perfect. ... and we had burgers.
Oh, and this Sunday, I'm giving another talk. At the picnic, Bishop McCauley and Brother Sybrowsky came up to ask if I could speak. During the 5th Sunday third-hour lesson, the assistants are coming over to introduce to the ward the "Family Mission Plan", which is actually very exciting - it has great potential to accomplish a lot. So they want the speakers during sacrament meeting to set it up and get everyone excited about doing missionary work. With about 300 active members, I would have thought that I would not get the chance again to speak, but here I go - and just before I leave, too. (Incidentally, both the bishop and Brother Sybrowsky were absent when I spoke the first time around. And, sadly (or "fortunately"), President and Sister Robison will be out of town in another ward.)
On Tuesday, we took Elders Blackmer and Olsen to the airport. Elder Blackmer is from Alberta and his visa was going to expire about a week early; so he just decided to go home rather than go through all the trouble to even find the possibility of getting a week's extention. Elder Olsen had a job opportunity back home that would not be available if he waited, so they both went home (only about four weeks before they were supposed to). It was tough to see them go; it seems like this is every time. I can only imagine what it's like for the Robisons.
On Wednesday, Elder Newman's back was really hurting. So we went over to their place and Elder Sosi gave him a deep tissue massage. He used oil and everything. He's pretty talented.
On Thursday, we went to the mission home and I re-imaged the computer (backed up files, wiped everything and reinstalled the programs) there. We also went to the old apartment, cleaned the place up and did the final inspection. I'm going to miss that place.
On Friday, we had interviews. In mine, President Robison and I mostly talked about getting back into the field. We also helped the Petersons move. They got a big U-Haul and we loaded it up. Then they gave us pizza.
Maybe that's one thing I'm going to miss about the office. I don't remember this many different and crazy things happening in just one week before coming to Lubbock. I don't know.
Anyways, I'm sending some pictures; let me know if you didn't get them.
There's something I get to do often, but I still don't do often enough, and that's bear my testimony. I know that the Church is true. Only here do we have God's official messenger and Christ's true and complete gospel.If it's not here, it's not anywhere. That gospel is not just a message, it's the power of God unto salvation. Isn't that amazing? Power - the difference between night and day; between ignorance and joy; between eternal stagnation and chaos and exaltation. The power to change yourself and get rid of anything unwanted about yourself is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love you! Have a good week!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: that no matter what the outlook, things never turn out so bad.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009 - The Rich Life
Hello!
How are things going?
It's been a good week here. Elder Northey baked for the first time in his life and made a cake. Elder Newman made it for Sister Robison on Mothers' day and we got to try some, so we had him show us how it was made. We gave some to investigators, some to the Sisters (because Sister Bingham was going home and Sister Jarrett is always making snacks for us), some to the Hansens, some to Elders Newman and Tripp, and still had enough to eat more than we should have and the rest to go bad in the fridge.
Also, we got to meet all five of the Robison kids. They were here for the weekend and we got to see them at church. President and Sister Robison called it a "day off", but they've never had so little sleep their whole mission. They were running around doing everything.
We also met a really crazy lady at a nursing home. We've been visiting a member there who's been sick for a while. His roommate has a girlfriend that was paranoid to death of demons and being possessed, etc. I guess it didn't help that she was wearing a shirt with a demonic pattern on it, or that she had black piercings up and down. So we taught her about prayer and how we have more power than Satan, and so on. It was more for fun and to satisfy her than anything else. I thought it was funny.
In other news, I've really begun to appreciate soups sold in microwaveable bowls. Several companies, including Chunky, have these bowls that you just pull off the metal top and it goes right into the microwave. It's really cool.
On Tuesday, we were at the Sybrowskys' having a delicious homemade spaghetti meal and Brother Sybrowsky asked if we could help move a family after dinner. So we went with him and the other Elders to the new house to unload. It is a big house. Absolutely gi-normous. There's a built-in aquarium in the front lobby, a library, a crafts room, a secret food storage, a sun room attached to the master bedroom, and (get this) a full-sized regulation racquetball court connected in the back. (Didn't I say I wanted one in my dream house? I've never actually seen it done.)
They had P.O.D.S. (Portable On-Demand Storage units that you rent) out in the front and, needless to say, it took a while to unload all their boxes and furniture.
The other day, as we were at the mission home fixing their computer, the zone leaders were bringing someone who's getting baptized over for dinner, and so the Robisons invited us to stay too. They made steak on the grill. It was good.
On the way to the bank to make a deposit, I had over $1000 in my hands. That's a weird feeling. Big houses, steak, large deposits... I guess that's a theme for this week - just... lots of money.
Anyways, I'm off. That's my life this week.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to better expect the unexpected.
How are things going?
It's been a good week here. Elder Northey baked for the first time in his life and made a cake. Elder Newman made it for Sister Robison on Mothers' day and we got to try some, so we had him show us how it was made. We gave some to investigators, some to the Sisters (because Sister Bingham was going home and Sister Jarrett is always making snacks for us), some to the Hansens, some to Elders Newman and Tripp, and still had enough to eat more than we should have and the rest to go bad in the fridge.
Also, we got to meet all five of the Robison kids. They were here for the weekend and we got to see them at church. President and Sister Robison called it a "day off", but they've never had so little sleep their whole mission. They were running around doing everything.
We also met a really crazy lady at a nursing home. We've been visiting a member there who's been sick for a while. His roommate has a girlfriend that was paranoid to death of demons and being possessed, etc. I guess it didn't help that she was wearing a shirt with a demonic pattern on it, or that she had black piercings up and down. So we taught her about prayer and how we have more power than Satan, and so on. It was more for fun and to satisfy her than anything else. I thought it was funny.
In other news, I've really begun to appreciate soups sold in microwaveable bowls. Several companies, including Chunky, have these bowls that you just pull off the metal top and it goes right into the microwave. It's really cool.
On Tuesday, we were at the Sybrowskys' having a delicious homemade spaghetti meal and Brother Sybrowsky asked if we could help move a family after dinner. So we went with him and the other Elders to the new house to unload. It is a big house. Absolutely gi-normous. There's a built-in aquarium in the front lobby, a library, a crafts room, a secret food storage, a sun room attached to the master bedroom, and (get this) a full-sized regulation racquetball court connected in the back. (Didn't I say I wanted one in my dream house? I've never actually seen it done.)
They had P.O.D.S. (Portable On-Demand Storage units that you rent) out in the front and, needless to say, it took a while to unload all their boxes and furniture.
The other day, as we were at the mission home fixing their computer, the zone leaders were bringing someone who's getting baptized over for dinner, and so the Robisons invited us to stay too. They made steak on the grill. It was good.
On the way to the bank to make a deposit, I had over $1000 in my hands. That's a weird feeling. Big houses, steak, large deposits... I guess that's a theme for this week - just... lots of money.
Anyways, I'm off. That's my life this week.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to better expect the unexpected.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - The Usual Unusual
Hey,
It was great to hear from you on Sunday! Even if it was only an hour. I got the pictures you sent, and I saw that you pulled out that stupid Harry Potter toy again...
But I also didn't have time to write last time, so now I'm a week behind.
Which reminds me, I've lost my journal-writing habit. The last day in my journal I think is January 4th. I've still been writing down what happens every day, including what I ate and how many steps I took, but it's all in my planner, or on different bits of paper, which is kinda sad. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up one day.
But anyways, we had transfers. It was fun as usual. This time though, we had an incoming group of nine - my largest one yet. When Elder Hewitt was first made the mission secretary, his first group was twelve - my group. I'm not quite there yet and I'm not sure I ever will be, but we are getting more big groups. The next one is supposed to be eight, and after that, ten. Also, President commented that that group (the one coming in July) will be the first group where the missionaries will go home after they (the Robisons) will go home. That's a weird thought. It also means that President and Sister Robison have almost been out a year.
Speaking of the Robisons, right now, and for the rest of the weekend, the whole family is here! All five kids (no grandkids, though) are in Lubbock. One of the sons is living in Africa, helping kids with AIDS, came to visit. So he called the rest of the family and told them to come too. So they're all in town. They went to stock up on diapers and other American commodities, they went golfing, out to eat, more golfing... It's funny; even when they "take a day off", they're still super-busy. I told President not to wait another year before having another P-day.
On Wednesday, Elder Northey and I were really hungry because we (as usual) were late in having lunch. So we stopped at a fast food place called Taco Villa. As we were walking in, someone who was walking out saw us and said "hey Elders". Turns out he was a member from a different ward. We spoke for a moment (and he was surprised that missionaries had a pick-up truck), then walked inside. While we were looking at the menu, a lady walks up to us and gives us each a five. Turns out she was a member too (ironically, of the same ward as that other guy). Not only did she pay for our lunch, she gave us each a chocolate bar before walking off. We were really touched by that. We thought something like that only happens in Utah.
Also, the other day we were speaking with Brother Peterson, who is the one who runs all the Quick Quack car washes in West Texas. He told us of his mission and about the technical details about car washes. It's a lot more complex than meets the eye. But he also told us of his love for pure cane sugar Coca-Cola. So Elder Northey decided we should get him some to thank him for the car wash passes, etc. (They're only sold as imported from the Mexican supermarket.) He really loved it.
On Saturday, the Sisters in Snyder put on a mini-EFY for the youth in their branch. They asked us and the assistants to help out. So we went out there to present a workshop. Ours was "the whole armour of God". Elder Northey made one out of cardboard and aluminum foil. There was a good turnout, too. For a tiny branch as Snyder is, there were quite a few people. They really put a lot of work into it and did a good job.
At Chief's house, Elder Northey and I had the whole place to ourselves for a while since Elders Rasmussen and Philpot moved out. After a week, though, we now have Elder Craven and his greenie, Elder Pitts. Elder Pitts is from Nevada and very big. He also doesn't act as "green" as most new missionaries. In any case, things are back to normal in the basement. Well, as normal as normal is. (Which reminds me, did I tell you that the rat problem in the ceiling is pretty much gone now?)
On Sunday, we got to deliver the Mothers' Day scrapbook to Sister Robison. Elder Sosi (in Abilene) had the idea of getting everyone to make a special scrapbook page with their own picture(s), their testimony and a short message thanking her for being their missionary mother. A lot of missionaries made one and mailed it in. I was surprised at how many submitted something. Sister Hansen put it all together in page protectors in a binder. On Sunday afternoon, we went over to the Hansens' and Sister Hansen was just finishing her own page off, we wrapped it up and went to the mission home. Sister Robison loved it so much, she cried. She read every page by the next day. Anyone who was late but still wanted to give something are planning to bring it to zone conference (or already did).
The weather has been its usual unusual. It's been really hot most of the week; now it's humid and getting ready to rain.
I would also like to take this opportunity to once again express my love for vanilla soft serve ice cream. There's nothing better (ice cream wise).
Also, we got new cars! Actually, we got two and neither are cars. The first was the new Colorado. We went to the dealership to get the new license plates for the new Silverado. The rep said that our new Colorado was ready that afternoon, so we went and drove home with it. ...and, it's maroon. We were both weirded out by that. I never expected to see a maroon mission vehicle.
About an hour later, we went to pick up the new passenger van at the Ford dealership. We got about six miles away from it before it overheated. They sent a mechanic to look at it and the tank of coolant was empty. He topped it off and we got another mile before it was gone again. So we had it towed back to the dealership. The next day they found that it was a faulty temperature sensor, causing it to use up all the coolant. It's fine now. We had to walk home, but we needed the exercise (and it wasn't far).
Speaking of vehicles, Elder Northey just got a new DVD in the mail from the Church. It's the new vehicle safety training video. We just watched a bit of it and they're really modernized. They're still kinda cheesy (I don't think any training video can't be), but nowhere near that of ten years ago. The AV department went all out on these. There's live action scenes, demonstrations, even jokes. It'll keep missionaries paying attention and from falling asleep, that's for sure.
Lastly, I finished memorizing 2 Nephi 2. The whole while, I've learnt a lot. That chapter is a treasure trove of knowledge about the Plan of Salvation. Now I'm looking for the next thing to work on.
Anyways, hope y'all will have a great week!
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: that memorizing scriptures is actually fun! Who invented TV, anyway?
It was great to hear from you on Sunday! Even if it was only an hour. I got the pictures you sent, and I saw that you pulled out that stupid Harry Potter toy again...
But I also didn't have time to write last time, so now I'm a week behind.
Which reminds me, I've lost my journal-writing habit. The last day in my journal I think is January 4th. I've still been writing down what happens every day, including what I ate and how many steps I took, but it's all in my planner, or on different bits of paper, which is kinda sad. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up one day.
But anyways, we had transfers. It was fun as usual. This time though, we had an incoming group of nine - my largest one yet. When Elder Hewitt was first made the mission secretary, his first group was twelve - my group. I'm not quite there yet and I'm not sure I ever will be, but we are getting more big groups. The next one is supposed to be eight, and after that, ten. Also, President commented that that group (the one coming in July) will be the first group where the missionaries will go home after they (the Robisons) will go home. That's a weird thought. It also means that President and Sister Robison have almost been out a year.
Speaking of the Robisons, right now, and for the rest of the weekend, the whole family is here! All five kids (no grandkids, though) are in Lubbock. One of the sons is living in Africa, helping kids with AIDS, came to visit. So he called the rest of the family and told them to come too. So they're all in town. They went to stock up on diapers and other American commodities, they went golfing, out to eat, more golfing... It's funny; even when they "take a day off", they're still super-busy. I told President not to wait another year before having another P-day.
On Wednesday, Elder Northey and I were really hungry because we (as usual) were late in having lunch. So we stopped at a fast food place called Taco Villa. As we were walking in, someone who was walking out saw us and said "hey Elders". Turns out he was a member from a different ward. We spoke for a moment (and he was surprised that missionaries had a pick-up truck), then walked inside. While we were looking at the menu, a lady walks up to us and gives us each a five. Turns out she was a member too (ironically, of the same ward as that other guy). Not only did she pay for our lunch, she gave us each a chocolate bar before walking off. We were really touched by that. We thought something like that only happens in Utah.
Also, the other day we were speaking with Brother Peterson, who is the one who runs all the Quick Quack car washes in West Texas. He told us of his mission and about the technical details about car washes. It's a lot more complex than meets the eye. But he also told us of his love for pure cane sugar Coca-Cola. So Elder Northey decided we should get him some to thank him for the car wash passes, etc. (They're only sold as imported from the Mexican supermarket.) He really loved it.
On Saturday, the Sisters in Snyder put on a mini-EFY for the youth in their branch. They asked us and the assistants to help out. So we went out there to present a workshop. Ours was "the whole armour of God". Elder Northey made one out of cardboard and aluminum foil. There was a good turnout, too. For a tiny branch as Snyder is, there were quite a few people. They really put a lot of work into it and did a good job.
At Chief's house, Elder Northey and I had the whole place to ourselves for a while since Elders Rasmussen and Philpot moved out. After a week, though, we now have Elder Craven and his greenie, Elder Pitts. Elder Pitts is from Nevada and very big. He also doesn't act as "green" as most new missionaries. In any case, things are back to normal in the basement. Well, as normal as normal is. (Which reminds me, did I tell you that the rat problem in the ceiling is pretty much gone now?)
On Sunday, we got to deliver the Mothers' Day scrapbook to Sister Robison. Elder Sosi (in Abilene) had the idea of getting everyone to make a special scrapbook page with their own picture(s), their testimony and a short message thanking her for being their missionary mother. A lot of missionaries made one and mailed it in. I was surprised at how many submitted something. Sister Hansen put it all together in page protectors in a binder. On Sunday afternoon, we went over to the Hansens' and Sister Hansen was just finishing her own page off, we wrapped it up and went to the mission home. Sister Robison loved it so much, she cried. She read every page by the next day. Anyone who was late but still wanted to give something are planning to bring it to zone conference (or already did).
The weather has been its usual unusual. It's been really hot most of the week; now it's humid and getting ready to rain.
I would also like to take this opportunity to once again express my love for vanilla soft serve ice cream. There's nothing better (ice cream wise).
Also, we got new cars! Actually, we got two and neither are cars. The first was the new Colorado. We went to the dealership to get the new license plates for the new Silverado. The rep said that our new Colorado was ready that afternoon, so we went and drove home with it. ...and, it's maroon. We were both weirded out by that. I never expected to see a maroon mission vehicle.
About an hour later, we went to pick up the new passenger van at the Ford dealership. We got about six miles away from it before it overheated. They sent a mechanic to look at it and the tank of coolant was empty. He topped it off and we got another mile before it was gone again. So we had it towed back to the dealership. The next day they found that it was a faulty temperature sensor, causing it to use up all the coolant. It's fine now. We had to walk home, but we needed the exercise (and it wasn't far).
Speaking of vehicles, Elder Northey just got a new DVD in the mail from the Church. It's the new vehicle safety training video. We just watched a bit of it and they're really modernized. They're still kinda cheesy (I don't think any training video can't be), but nowhere near that of ten years ago. The AV department went all out on these. There's live action scenes, demonstrations, even jokes. It'll keep missionaries paying attention and from falling asleep, that's for sure.
Lastly, I finished memorizing 2 Nephi 2. The whole while, I've learnt a lot. That chapter is a treasure trove of knowledge about the Plan of Salvation. Now I'm looking for the next thing to work on.
Anyways, hope y'all will have a great week!
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: that memorizing scriptures is actually fun! Who invented TV, anyway?
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009 - It only has 11 miles on it!
Hello!
How has your week been? Is the school year almost over? Is it hot?
It's been typical Texas - up and down. The other day, it was really hot - almost 100 degrees. That same evening, it got pretty chilly and the next day, it looked like it was going to rain. It looks like that again today.
Too bad it wasn't like that on Wednesday and Thursday. We closed our final apartment for the transfer. Not a moment too soon, right? Just in time for the next. (Fortunately, I don't think there will be that many this transfer.) Anyways, we went there (it was here in Lubbock) on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave until late at night. The next day, we went early and didn't finish until the apartment inspection at 2:00. And the whole time, the air conditioning didn't work. That place was nasty. When I tried to pull out the vegetable crisper tray in the fridge, it was stuck because of some gooey stuff spilt in the back. There were shoe scuff marks on the wall five feet above the floor. Elder Northey wouldn't have used that bathtub if it meant his salvation. All in all, we've had that apartment a long time, no one does the regular cleaning that they should and it all builds up. Life lesson, check.
And a bit of good news: there's a family that we've been visiting that hasn't been going to church for a while, but now they just got their temple recommends! For one reason or another, they stopped coming regularly and even when invited all week and Sunday morning, they still don't come. Then, Bishop McCauley invited them at a Wednesday mutual activity and they've been coming every week since. What the difference is, I don't know, but that was several months ago (not long after I got to Lubbock) and they haven't missed a week. Now they're preparing to return to the temple. Hopefully, we'll be able to go with them. Right now, they're just worried their white clothes don't fit anymore.
Several months ago, I got my hands on a collection of over 3000 pictures of temples around the world. After looking through them, I've had an unmatched interest and enthusiasm about temples. I'm really glad that I'm in Lubbock, so that I'm able to go. The temple is literally the university of God, the airlock into heaven, the gate of the celestial kingdom. If you can go, you need to go. Learn everything you can from it.
It seems like there's always a little kid upstairs in the Mortensens' home, but one of their kids has just moved in this week and so now, there really is a grandchild or two around the place. We helped unload their cow trailer (which they used for the move) and bring in all of the kids' toys (only one of them is old enough to have toys at this point). All I can say is, *I* never had that many toys. With everything Nathan and I had over 20 years, it still wouldn't add up to all the stuff that filled the playroom. I'm actually glad about that. All I need now is just a computer. ;)
We also visited Brother Peterson, in our ward. he and his father-in-law run the Quick Quack car washes in Lubbock and Amarillo. He hooked all the missionaries in those cities with unlimited passes, which let you go as many times as you want. He is always so busy. The evening that we visited, he was on a laptop and was checking emails the whole time we were chatting. Recently, one of the locations' managers quit or something, so he now has two jobs.
Speaking of really busy people, President Robison did transfers this week. On Wednesday, he and the assistants went to the temple. It doesn't seem to be as crazy as last transfer, but there's a few changes. We also have nine new missionaries coming out. A slight increase from the four of the last group. I took a picture of the updated transfer board so I can update the computer. Transfer time is always exciting.
My shopping list for today is longer than ever before; I hope I'll have enough food for the week. It seems like we never get the chance to properly do shopping. I haven't had water in several weeks - I've been siphoning off other sources.
President gave me a letter from the Church headquarters on preventing the spread of the swine flu, which he asked me to send to all the missionaries. They're taking it seriously. The letter is mostly about proper hygiene and not panicking about global pandemic. It's sad how terrible diseases can spread so far and so fast, and mostly because people don't wash their hands or stay home from work.
We're also getting new vehicles in the mission. It's been promised to us since before Christmas, but this time is seems to be real. We've been asked to pick up the first one (a truck) today. Soon, we *should* be getting more cars and a van, too. Too bad I can't drive and help Elder Northey pick them up from the dealership. Also, for each car we get, we have to retire an old one.
-----
Okay, speaking of which, just as I wrote that last paragraph, President pulled up and we left to go get that truck. We now have a brand new Chevy Silverado. It's a silver one and it's going to replace our old green one (our mission only gets one). Pretty soon, we're going to get seven more (I think) cars.
Anyways, there's never a dull moment in the TLM. Especially in the office.
The Church is true! Especially in the temple.
...
...and especially in a new pick-up truck.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to buy enough food to last a week.
How has your week been? Is the school year almost over? Is it hot?
It's been typical Texas - up and down. The other day, it was really hot - almost 100 degrees. That same evening, it got pretty chilly and the next day, it looked like it was going to rain. It looks like that again today.
Too bad it wasn't like that on Wednesday and Thursday. We closed our final apartment for the transfer. Not a moment too soon, right? Just in time for the next. (Fortunately, I don't think there will be that many this transfer.) Anyways, we went there (it was here in Lubbock) on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave until late at night. The next day, we went early and didn't finish until the apartment inspection at 2:00. And the whole time, the air conditioning didn't work. That place was nasty. When I tried to pull out the vegetable crisper tray in the fridge, it was stuck because of some gooey stuff spilt in the back. There were shoe scuff marks on the wall five feet above the floor. Elder Northey wouldn't have used that bathtub if it meant his salvation. All in all, we've had that apartment a long time, no one does the regular cleaning that they should and it all builds up. Life lesson, check.
And a bit of good news: there's a family that we've been visiting that hasn't been going to church for a while, but now they just got their temple recommends! For one reason or another, they stopped coming regularly and even when invited all week and Sunday morning, they still don't come. Then, Bishop McCauley invited them at a Wednesday mutual activity and they've been coming every week since. What the difference is, I don't know, but that was several months ago (not long after I got to Lubbock) and they haven't missed a week. Now they're preparing to return to the temple. Hopefully, we'll be able to go with them. Right now, they're just worried their white clothes don't fit anymore.
Several months ago, I got my hands on a collection of over 3000 pictures of temples around the world. After looking through them, I've had an unmatched interest and enthusiasm about temples. I'm really glad that I'm in Lubbock, so that I'm able to go. The temple is literally the university of God, the airlock into heaven, the gate of the celestial kingdom. If you can go, you need to go. Learn everything you can from it.
It seems like there's always a little kid upstairs in the Mortensens' home, but one of their kids has just moved in this week and so now, there really is a grandchild or two around the place. We helped unload their cow trailer (which they used for the move) and bring in all of the kids' toys (only one of them is old enough to have toys at this point). All I can say is, *I* never had that many toys. With everything Nathan and I had over 20 years, it still wouldn't add up to all the stuff that filled the playroom. I'm actually glad about that. All I need now is just a computer. ;)
We also visited Brother Peterson, in our ward. he and his father-in-law run the Quick Quack car washes in Lubbock and Amarillo. He hooked all the missionaries in those cities with unlimited passes, which let you go as many times as you want. He is always so busy. The evening that we visited, he was on a laptop and was checking emails the whole time we were chatting. Recently, one of the locations' managers quit or something, so he now has two jobs.
Speaking of really busy people, President Robison did transfers this week. On Wednesday, he and the assistants went to the temple. It doesn't seem to be as crazy as last transfer, but there's a few changes. We also have nine new missionaries coming out. A slight increase from the four of the last group. I took a picture of the updated transfer board so I can update the computer. Transfer time is always exciting.
My shopping list for today is longer than ever before; I hope I'll have enough food for the week. It seems like we never get the chance to properly do shopping. I haven't had water in several weeks - I've been siphoning off other sources.
President gave me a letter from the Church headquarters on preventing the spread of the swine flu, which he asked me to send to all the missionaries. They're taking it seriously. The letter is mostly about proper hygiene and not panicking about global pandemic. It's sad how terrible diseases can spread so far and so fast, and mostly because people don't wash their hands or stay home from work.
We're also getting new vehicles in the mission. It's been promised to us since before Christmas, but this time is seems to be real. We've been asked to pick up the first one (a truck) today. Soon, we *should* be getting more cars and a van, too. Too bad I can't drive and help Elder Northey pick them up from the dealership. Also, for each car we get, we have to retire an old one.
-----
Okay, speaking of which, just as I wrote that last paragraph, President pulled up and we left to go get that truck. We now have a brand new Chevy Silverado. It's a silver one and it's going to replace our old green one (our mission only gets one). Pretty soon, we're going to get seven more (I think) cars.
Anyways, there's never a dull moment in the TLM. Especially in the office.
The Church is true! Especially in the temple.
...
...and especially in a new pick-up truck.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to buy enough food to last a week.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009 - Temple Trip! (and big feet)
Hey!
How's it going?
It's been yet another crazy week in the TLM.
Thanks for the cooking ideas. We've been asking around and we got some more. The other day, we had sauerkraut and wieners, which was a nice change from the regular penne.
And how can you have 26-degree days?! It's only April! Not only that, *we're* having 80-degree weather...
That reminds me, we got to help Brother Mortensen trim some trees and bushes in his backyard this morning. He took us to Taco Villa for breakfast, and then we sawed away and carried away branches and tall grass stalks. Fortunately, there was a cool breeze all morning. It also felt humid, so there may be some rain today.
Also, we got to go to the Temple on Thursday! The Mortensens go every Thursday morning and they invited us. Elder Northey hadn't gone his whole mission (20 months or so), so we definitely had to go. We thought they go through each week, but it turns out that they work there those mornings. They've been working there every since the temple opened. It's amazing every time. I'm starting a list of how often I get to go and when. This week was my fifth time. I also re-read that little booklet by President Packer, "Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple". It's cool how the temple is yet another good fruit of Joseph Smith; testifying to his calling. Also, it's yet another thing that he definitely could not have done on his own.
On Monday, we drove over to Amarillo to close another apartment. All the neighbours knew the missionaries and were really friendly to us. Elder Northey used to serve there, so we visited some people that he knew and went to a small diner that sold giant breakfast burritos. Oh, and we took some pictures of some really big feet.
After what I think was three weeks without the time/chance to do proper grocery shopping, we finally went to Wal-Mart and got some food. Even after all that, I didn't get that much. But this is the first time I bought hot dogs on my mission. That was cool. Also, Elder Northey picked up a George Foreman grill in Amarillo that he left behind and made some burgers. That was good.
And, I'm not sure if I've told you, but Elder Philpot has been so excited the last few weeks that he was teaching someone who agreed to be baptized on his birthday. Sister Jarrett, serving in the singles' branch, had the same thing. Turns out, their birthdays are on the same day! I thought that was pretty cool. That, and Elder Rasmussen gets to give some birthday beats. We'll probably help him.
Last weekend, President Robison went to a mission presidents' conference in Arizona. He said it was good and he came home with some ideas from the conference and from the other mission presidents. He asked us to pick him up from the airport Sunday evening, so we decided to make a big sign that said "President Robison" on it and hold it as if we were the valet parking. Sister Robison suggested that we make a big "Welcome Home President Robison!" banner, as if he were a returned missionary - if we had more time, we would have done that.
Despite going to the wrong airport exit (how were we supposed to know that tiny airport has more than one exit!?), he loved it. Before he arrived, a stranger walked up and jokingly said, "Thank you; I'm President Robison". Another walked past us, met the person there to pick him up and after she asked him how he was, he said, "I'm fine. I'm definitely not President Robison, that's for sure". Maybe being a valet is more fun than it looks...
Umm... anyways, that's all I've got this week. Tomorrow, we're speaking in sacrament meeting in Brownfield.
I'll talk to you later, and hope that none of us get the swine flu.
The Church is true! If you don't believe me, go to the temple.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: what sauerkraut tasted like.
How's it going?
It's been yet another crazy week in the TLM.
Thanks for the cooking ideas. We've been asking around and we got some more. The other day, we had sauerkraut and wieners, which was a nice change from the regular penne.
And how can you have 26-degree days?! It's only April! Not only that, *we're* having 80-degree weather...
That reminds me, we got to help Brother Mortensen trim some trees and bushes in his backyard this morning. He took us to Taco Villa for breakfast, and then we sawed away and carried away branches and tall grass stalks. Fortunately, there was a cool breeze all morning. It also felt humid, so there may be some rain today.
Also, we got to go to the Temple on Thursday! The Mortensens go every Thursday morning and they invited us. Elder Northey hadn't gone his whole mission (20 months or so), so we definitely had to go. We thought they go through each week, but it turns out that they work there those mornings. They've been working there every since the temple opened. It's amazing every time. I'm starting a list of how often I get to go and when. This week was my fifth time. I also re-read that little booklet by President Packer, "Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple". It's cool how the temple is yet another good fruit of Joseph Smith; testifying to his calling. Also, it's yet another thing that he definitely could not have done on his own.
On Monday, we drove over to Amarillo to close another apartment. All the neighbours knew the missionaries and were really friendly to us. Elder Northey used to serve there, so we visited some people that he knew and went to a small diner that sold giant breakfast burritos. Oh, and we took some pictures of some really big feet.
After what I think was three weeks without the time/chance to do proper grocery shopping, we finally went to Wal-Mart and got some food. Even after all that, I didn't get that much. But this is the first time I bought hot dogs on my mission. That was cool. Also, Elder Northey picked up a George Foreman grill in Amarillo that he left behind and made some burgers. That was good.
And, I'm not sure if I've told you, but Elder Philpot has been so excited the last few weeks that he was teaching someone who agreed to be baptized on his birthday. Sister Jarrett, serving in the singles' branch, had the same thing. Turns out, their birthdays are on the same day! I thought that was pretty cool. That, and Elder Rasmussen gets to give some birthday beats. We'll probably help him.
Last weekend, President Robison went to a mission presidents' conference in Arizona. He said it was good and he came home with some ideas from the conference and from the other mission presidents. He asked us to pick him up from the airport Sunday evening, so we decided to make a big sign that said "President Robison" on it and hold it as if we were the valet parking. Sister Robison suggested that we make a big "Welcome Home President Robison!" banner, as if he were a returned missionary - if we had more time, we would have done that.
Despite going to the wrong airport exit (how were we supposed to know that tiny airport has more than one exit!?), he loved it. Before he arrived, a stranger walked up and jokingly said, "Thank you; I'm President Robison". Another walked past us, met the person there to pick him up and after she asked him how he was, he said, "I'm fine. I'm definitely not President Robison, that's for sure". Maybe being a valet is more fun than it looks...
Umm... anyways, that's all I've got this week. Tomorrow, we're speaking in sacrament meeting in Brownfield.
I'll talk to you later, and hope that none of us get the swine flu.
The Church is true! If you don't believe me, go to the temple.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: what sauerkraut tasted like.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009 - The Travels of Wilbur the Pig Head
Hello!
How's it going?
Glad to hear about the good weather you're having. We've also been having some interesting and good weather. More on that in a moment.
First of all, a lot of my pictures won't make sense unless you have the story behind it. Either that, or the other parts of it were taken on Elder Northey's camera. With the two of us together, we probably take more pictures than any other companionship in the mission. It's a good thing that I got that hard drive, since I've collected over 13GB of pictures and especially videos from him alone (and that's just what he took since coming to Lubbock on the same day I got here). I'd send it to you, but... it's over 13GB and we have no space for that. Although, I think I will try to send a few cool things.
Speaking of the pig's head: I'm not sure if I told you about it yet; I thought I did. Anyways, back in December, when Elder Hewitt was still here, he was having trouble walking, so he asked Elders Pugh and Bringhurst to run to Wal-Mart for him and gave them his card and a list. When they got back, Elder Hewitt was in the other room. The two were putting the groceries away. Elder Bringhurst pulled out of one of the bags with a big pink thing, vacuum-sealed in plastic, and quickly stuffed it into the freezer. For a moment, I thought it was a turkey. They finished really fast, said bye and ran out the door. Elder Hewitt came out and looked over the receipt. "Cookies, chips, ... hog's head? ... oh, no!" He ran over to the freezer and there was a giant pig's head staring him eye to eye.
We all had a big laugh, took pictures and everything. Then Elders Pugh and Bringhurst gave it to one of the Sister missionaries in Roswell who used to be a vegetarian. Ever since then, it's been passed from freezer to freezer. Eventually, Wilbur (that's the pig's name now) made his way back to us in Lubbock and we gave it to the same Sister who was transferred here last month. Then we decided that Wilbur needed to see more of the world.
On Wednesday, we drove down to Abilene to close an apartment there. Elders Sosi and Allred had the keys to that place, so we stopped by there to get it, but not before they got a mystery package. We packed Wilbur into a box with ton of shreddings (that box has a prank history of its own), dropped it on their doorstep, rang the doorbell and ran off. After they took it in, we managed to walk in just as they were about to open it. Long story short, they loved it and Wilbur's being passed around in Abilene. (Do you know how many times that thing has been thawed out and re-frozen?)
How does Survivor at school work? And to answer your questions: I didn't get the card with the missionaries, but I got the one with the camel.
I'm not sure, but I think the record for time [served] in the office is 11 months. Elder Johnson (not the one from Canada) said that his trainer served in the office for several months, went back into the field to train him and then went right back to the office after that for the rest of his mission. President Robison wants to change that; he wants people in the office for less time. Elder Rasmussen has the record for shortest time in the office: barely two months! I love serving in the office and I think President knows that. He always asks to make sure we're doing alright and so on.
When I leave the office, I only hope I'll have enough time each week to send my pictures home. That's why I'm trying to keep it up to date now. If I fall behind, I'm going to need to have plenty of space on my memory cards to hang on to them, at least until they can be sent. I have more pictures of my time in Lubbock than the rest of my mission combined.
We have almost no meat. Right now, the only meat we're getting is from McDonald's. That, and the pig's head, but there's probably a ton of poisonous bacteria in there by now. We also have six pounds of ground beef which we bought for hamburger helper, but we haven't had the time to actually make it. Allotments do carry over to the next month. Somehow, I have about five months' worth built up. Just kidding. I wish. Even if I did have a lot of money, what would I buy? We have very little time, and we have no oven. When we go shopping today, we're going to get cheese and hot dogs.
And yes, there are certain kinds of people that are more likely to be home during the day, when the missionaries are out tracking. That's part of the reason why President Monson said that there's no substitute for a member-oriented missionary program. Where are all the "cool" people? Duh, they're at work, making a living, providing for their families, etc. Who else is there but members of the church?
Anyways, as we were leaving Abilene, it started to rain a bit. All of West Texas was getting some moisture. We started driving home and we heard that Lubbock was starting to get hail. Down the long road, on the horizon and in the middle of the blue sky, we saw the darkest clouds you ever did see. We finally reached them and it was raining hard. Then, further up, we saw tons of cars stopped on the side of the road. As we were wondering what that was all about, the truck started getting pelted by golf ball-sized hail. We stopped too, but only for a minute. We kept going and the rain really picked up. The hail hit the mission home hard. It punch holes in two of the three skylights in there. No one was hurt, though.
Last night, there was a ward talent show. We couldn't go because we were having dinner at the mission home, but it's a good thing we didn't. Elders Craven and King just told us that they went and they were asked to come up to present something - totally unplanned. They went up and sang this really dumb song. They were pretty embarrassed.
We also had interviews with President yesterday here in Lubbock. He did them slightly differently this time. Each companionship rotated between being interviewed, to being trained by the zone leaders, to being trained by the assistants. It was pretty interesting.
Well, we have to go. Hope everything goes well.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to cook and eat a pig's head.
How's it going?
Glad to hear about the good weather you're having. We've also been having some interesting and good weather. More on that in a moment.
First of all, a lot of my pictures won't make sense unless you have the story behind it. Either that, or the other parts of it were taken on Elder Northey's camera. With the two of us together, we probably take more pictures than any other companionship in the mission. It's a good thing that I got that hard drive, since I've collected over 13GB of pictures and especially videos from him alone (and that's just what he took since coming to Lubbock on the same day I got here). I'd send it to you, but... it's over 13GB and we have no space for that. Although, I think I will try to send a few cool things.
Speaking of the pig's head: I'm not sure if I told you about it yet; I thought I did. Anyways, back in December, when Elder Hewitt was still here, he was having trouble walking, so he asked Elders Pugh and Bringhurst to run to Wal-Mart for him and gave them his card and a list. When they got back, Elder Hewitt was in the other room. The two were putting the groceries away. Elder Bringhurst pulled out of one of the bags with a big pink thing, vacuum-sealed in plastic, and quickly stuffed it into the freezer. For a moment, I thought it was a turkey. They finished really fast, said bye and ran out the door. Elder Hewitt came out and looked over the receipt. "Cookies, chips, ... hog's head? ... oh, no!" He ran over to the freezer and there was a giant pig's head staring him eye to eye.
We all had a big laugh, took pictures and everything. Then Elders Pugh and Bringhurst gave it to one of the Sister missionaries in Roswell who used to be a vegetarian. Ever since then, it's been passed from freezer to freezer. Eventually, Wilbur (that's the pig's name now) made his way back to us in Lubbock and we gave it to the same Sister who was transferred here last month. Then we decided that Wilbur needed to see more of the world.
On Wednesday, we drove down to Abilene to close an apartment there. Elders Sosi and Allred had the keys to that place, so we stopped by there to get it, but not before they got a mystery package. We packed Wilbur into a box with ton of shreddings (that box has a prank history of its own), dropped it on their doorstep, rang the doorbell and ran off. After they took it in, we managed to walk in just as they were about to open it. Long story short, they loved it and Wilbur's being passed around in Abilene. (Do you know how many times that thing has been thawed out and re-frozen?)
How does Survivor at school work? And to answer your questions: I didn't get the card with the missionaries, but I got the one with the camel.
I'm not sure, but I think the record for time [served] in the office is 11 months. Elder Johnson (not the one from Canada) said that his trainer served in the office for several months, went back into the field to train him and then went right back to the office after that for the rest of his mission. President Robison wants to change that; he wants people in the office for less time. Elder Rasmussen has the record for shortest time in the office: barely two months! I love serving in the office and I think President knows that. He always asks to make sure we're doing alright and so on.
When I leave the office, I only hope I'll have enough time each week to send my pictures home. That's why I'm trying to keep it up to date now. If I fall behind, I'm going to need to have plenty of space on my memory cards to hang on to them, at least until they can be sent. I have more pictures of my time in Lubbock than the rest of my mission combined.
We have almost no meat. Right now, the only meat we're getting is from McDonald's. That, and the pig's head, but there's probably a ton of poisonous bacteria in there by now. We also have six pounds of ground beef which we bought for hamburger helper, but we haven't had the time to actually make it. Allotments do carry over to the next month. Somehow, I have about five months' worth built up. Just kidding. I wish. Even if I did have a lot of money, what would I buy? We have very little time, and we have no oven. When we go shopping today, we're going to get cheese and hot dogs.
And yes, there are certain kinds of people that are more likely to be home during the day, when the missionaries are out tracking. That's part of the reason why President Monson said that there's no substitute for a member-oriented missionary program. Where are all the "cool" people? Duh, they're at work, making a living, providing for their families, etc. Who else is there but members of the church?
Anyways, as we were leaving Abilene, it started to rain a bit. All of West Texas was getting some moisture. We started driving home and we heard that Lubbock was starting to get hail. Down the long road, on the horizon and in the middle of the blue sky, we saw the darkest clouds you ever did see. We finally reached them and it was raining hard. Then, further up, we saw tons of cars stopped on the side of the road. As we were wondering what that was all about, the truck started getting pelted by golf ball-sized hail. We stopped too, but only for a minute. We kept going and the rain really picked up. The hail hit the mission home hard. It punch holes in two of the three skylights in there. No one was hurt, though.
Last night, there was a ward talent show. We couldn't go because we were having dinner at the mission home, but it's a good thing we didn't. Elders Craven and King just told us that they went and they were asked to come up to present something - totally unplanned. They went up and sang this really dumb song. They were pretty embarrassed.
We also had interviews with President yesterday here in Lubbock. He did them slightly differently this time. Each companionship rotated between being interviewed, to being trained by the zone leaders, to being trained by the assistants. It was pretty interesting.
Well, we have to go. Hope everything goes well.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to cook and eat a pig's head.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009 - Starving with Aliens
Hey!
How's it going?
We've been really busy the past little while. I haven't had the chance to do emails for a long time! I checked the "Sent Items" folder and it says my last one was on the 21st of March? Is that true?
Well, I have some catching up to do. I might repeat myself, since I've forgotten what I wrote, but don't worry.
Transfers had come and gone. Elder Johnson has been moved to Odessa, and Elder Philpot is now with Elder Rasmussen and they're living with us at "Chief's". He [Elder Philpot] was serving in Plainview, TX just before. He came out one transfer after me (in fact, he was Elder Rasmussen's MTC companion! Now they're serving together again!), yet he's been in the Lubbock zone his whole mission. There's a lot of missionaries that have hardly moved in their entire mission. I'm kinda glad that I've been able to move around and see more of the mission.
Also, we got four new missionaries from the MTC. One of them was delayed for medical reasons. He had really high potassium levels. Don't ask me how. Anyways, he came a couple days later. It was the first time I did a new missionary orientation as the finance guy. It was a lot shorter, but it was fun since I got to give them their credit cards. We also took them to go bike shopping. It was funny. Since there was about nine missionaries leaving, half of them wanted to sell their bikes, but only two of the new missionaries needed one. Everyone kept lowering the price to make a sale, and eventually, one of them won at $150 for his used bike.
We also said goodbye to the departing missionaries. Because we no longer have the party van, we had to help take all nine of them and their luggage to the airport. I knew almost all of them and it was tough to say goodbye.
At the transfer site, we had a lot of people come through Lubbock, either passing through, or getting off.
We also opened a new apartment in Snyder, TX. Sister Bingham and Sister Jones were sent there to re-open the area. So we hauled a trailer full of furniture, unloaded it, got all the paperwork signed and all the money delivered. The next day, we opened an apartment in Odessa. Elder McKeen and Elder Beesley were sent to cover West Odessa, TX. So we drove with the trailer to Snyder to deliver a check for the application fees and then to Odessa to unload. We did a lot of driving; Elder Northey did a lot of driving. Note: if you get to design a house or an apartment, MAKE SPACE FOR A COUCH TO GET IN THE DOOR! It took us half an hour trying to wedge a couch in the door and around the stupid corner at the same time, before we decided that it wasn't possible. We even scratched up the wall in the process. Let's just say that a washer and dryer never would have been an option.
But now these two companionships are all settled in and already doing great work. Then came closing apartments. More on that later. Anyways, by the time we got back, we were tired. Thank goodness for Sister Robison who fed us the leftovers from the meals for transfers. Seriously, we knocked on their door with a tired face and she didn't let us leave until we've eaten something. We should go more often. Just as a side note, it's cool doing big errands like that because we get our meals paid for with our office cards. Since we're on the road, we can't eat at home and it costs too much to eat out, so it's paid for. It's tithing money, so we always go for something cheap, like McDonald's; but still cool. Even so, that doesn't hold a candle to Sister Robison's cooking.
Zone Leader Conference was on that Friday [March 27th]. We went with them to the usual breakfast at IHOP. Still so expensive, but the "country sausage browns" are really good. I also got to talk a little bit with Elder Larson and Elder Valenzuela, two new zone leaders. This transfer, they split the Midland and Odessa zones. These two are the leaders of the Odessa zone. And get this - they're both really young missionaries. Elder Valenzuela came out about 11 months ago and Elder Larson, about 6 (he's still in his greenie area and serving with his follow-up trainer!). President is showing that he really values good missionary and leadership traits over length of time in the field and experience.
On Saturday [March 28th], we had our mission audit. Two "Melchizedek Priesthood holders" from the stake (as prescribed by the audit rules) came and went through all the receipts, all the checks and all the records for 2008. Then President Robison came and they interviewed him. Long story short, we passed....and they gave us Krispy Kremes.
On Sunday [March 29th], we went to the Brownfield Branch again. We're probably going to go more regularly. Testimony meeting consisted of five people, all over 60-70 years old, getting up and giving their life story or conversion story. There were almost no gaps the entire meeting. After church, we went back to Lubbock where the Fourth Ward was having a Linger-Longer. This was the first ward activity they've had in a long time, but it was a success. There were a lot of people (it's a big ward - contrast that with Brownfield: 10 vs. 100), and lots of food. I enjoyed that.
We also visited Brother Smith, a member from Hobbs, NM, who was in the hospital and in need of a blessing.
The next week were zone conferences. We weren't travelling to those, but the Hansens were; so they can meet all of the missionaries. Also, our mission got a "hardware upgrade" from Sprint. All of our cell phones were being switched out for new ones. I guess that was just part of the deal that the Church has with Sprint. Elder Hansen gave out new phones and everyone now has rectangular indestructible bricks. No joke - Elder Northey and I got our hands on an old one that didn't work properly and we dropped it down the staircase in the office from the fourth floor. It just bounced at the bottom and it was still completely intact.
I also got a haircut from Sister Sybrowsky (the ward mission leader's wife). She sharpened the blades on the clippers, so, unlike last time, it didn't pull any hair out. She did a really good job.
Elder Philpot had an appointment with Dr. Farrell. He needs to lose weight. When they were done, Dr. Farrell commented that Elder Northey should lose weight too. They agreed to help each other lose a few pounds. The next day, Elder Philpot and Elder Rasmussen went to United and saw a special: 3 half-gallon tubs of Blue Bell ice cream for $11. They each got three. They finished it in that week. Elder Northey, not one to be outdone, went to United and got his own. I'm thinking it's hopeless. Meanwhile, we're still just as busy; so I'm missing meals here and there, but I got a 3-pound tub of Virginia Peanuts at Sam's Club to leave in the office. I've had several all-peanut meals since then.
Speaking of Sam's Club, we went back to stock up again. They ran out of macaroni, so we got penne rigate. ...penne and cheese just isn't the same as macaroni and cheese. It doesn't cook right, and after what seems like double the cooking time, the inside is still hard. I miss macaroni. I've also discovered what a canned salmon-mayo sandwich is like. Despite the stink, the picking out the bones and the disgusting look of it, it tastes pretty good. I'd have another. Also, Elder Tripp introduced us to a place called Smoothie King. They make smoothies from fruits, milk, ice cream, etc. and add protein or whatever other stuff a health place sells. Even though it's only liquid, it can actually fill you up for a while.
General Conference was great. We watched one session at a member's house, two at the Stake Center and the rest in the office. It was really special watching conference with the temple visible right out the window. I especially liked President Uchtdorf's talk in the priesthood session.
On Monday, we had a clean-the-storage-units project. The whole Zone was there. President Robison was there. We pulled everything out and he told us what to keep. It really needed a cleanup. The rest (couches, etc.) was destroyed in the funniest way possible (jumping on it, hammering it, throwing it). Afterwards, we went with the Assistants to the Lubbock city landfill. Going to the dump was actually a lot more fun than I would have expected. It's a giant pit in the ground, just outside the city. We just drove into it, threw whatever we had on the ground and the tractors pushed it away, ready to be covered in dirt to become a mountain. Then we took that opportunity to get rid of whatever garbage we had in the truck. It was cool - throwing garbage out the window *wasn't* littering!
Tuesday, we had district meeting - Elder Northey's first as District Leader. He did a really good job. Later on that day, Elders Craven and King had car problems (their key was too worn down to start the car). A couple hours later, Elder Craig (newly serving in Lubbock - he's from Canada too (and the only Canadian to not serve in the office (yet!))) had his bike stolen, so we had to pick him and Elder Humeniuk up and take them home. On the way home, we stopped at Velocity Bike Shop to order two bikes for two Sisters in the mission.
Thursday, we hooked up the trailer and drove to Ft. Sumner to close the apartment there. It was the first time I had ever been in New Mexico. When we got there, Melton, a local member, told us that most of the furniture came with the place and that he would get someone to clean it. Basically, we had nothing to do there. He gave us a tour of their small chapel (they have 10 active members) after that. We decided that instead of making the whole trip a waste, we would drive on to Roswell where there was another apartment to close. So we did.
My first time in Roswell. That city is famous for the whole alien-UFO thing and they really take advantage of it. Half of the lamp posts have alien heads on top. There is a UFO Museum "and research center" (just to satisfy the nuts). Most of the businesses have aliens drawn all over their buildings. Wal-Mart has aliens. McDonald's is shaped like a spaceship. It's crazy. We moved all the furniture out and spent the next few hours cleaning. Then we drove home. It was a long drive.
When we got back, President Robison told me that he's switching the housing responsibilities back to my position. It was too confusing before, since I'm in charge of paying rent, utilities, etc. and he's in charge of managing leases, starting and stopping utilities... Anyways, now I have to learn yet another thing. After this, all I have to do is learn how to manage vehicles, referrals, and cell phones, and I will know how to do everything in the office. I can't imagine what it's like for President Robison.
Finally, I've been asked to update the mission website. Right now, there's hardly anything and it's been like that since before my mission. President wants a site that newly called missionaries, family or RMs can go to to learn a little about the mission. I was already planing on making something like that for you, but now I get to do it for everyone. If you have any suggestions of things that you think people would want to know, tell me.
Anyways, I hope that's enough for make up for the past weeks.
I hope you all have a great Easter.
The more I learn each day, the more it all points to the fact that the Church is true and it's the way to go.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: the value of Virginia Peanuts when you're hungry and there's nothing else to eat.
How's it going?
We've been really busy the past little while. I haven't had the chance to do emails for a long time! I checked the "Sent Items" folder and it says my last one was on the 21st of March? Is that true?
Well, I have some catching up to do. I might repeat myself, since I've forgotten what I wrote, but don't worry.
Transfers had come and gone. Elder Johnson has been moved to Odessa, and Elder Philpot is now with Elder Rasmussen and they're living with us at "Chief's". He [Elder Philpot] was serving in Plainview, TX just before. He came out one transfer after me (in fact, he was Elder Rasmussen's MTC companion! Now they're serving together again!), yet he's been in the Lubbock zone his whole mission. There's a lot of missionaries that have hardly moved in their entire mission. I'm kinda glad that I've been able to move around and see more of the mission.
Also, we got four new missionaries from the MTC. One of them was delayed for medical reasons. He had really high potassium levels. Don't ask me how. Anyways, he came a couple days later. It was the first time I did a new missionary orientation as the finance guy. It was a lot shorter, but it was fun since I got to give them their credit cards. We also took them to go bike shopping. It was funny. Since there was about nine missionaries leaving, half of them wanted to sell their bikes, but only two of the new missionaries needed one. Everyone kept lowering the price to make a sale, and eventually, one of them won at $150 for his used bike.
We also said goodbye to the departing missionaries. Because we no longer have the party van, we had to help take all nine of them and their luggage to the airport. I knew almost all of them and it was tough to say goodbye.
At the transfer site, we had a lot of people come through Lubbock, either passing through, or getting off.
We also opened a new apartment in Snyder, TX. Sister Bingham and Sister Jones were sent there to re-open the area. So we hauled a trailer full of furniture, unloaded it, got all the paperwork signed and all the money delivered. The next day, we opened an apartment in Odessa. Elder McKeen and Elder Beesley were sent to cover West Odessa, TX. So we drove with the trailer to Snyder to deliver a check for the application fees and then to Odessa to unload. We did a lot of driving; Elder Northey did a lot of driving. Note: if you get to design a house or an apartment, MAKE SPACE FOR A COUCH TO GET IN THE DOOR! It took us half an hour trying to wedge a couch in the door and around the stupid corner at the same time, before we decided that it wasn't possible. We even scratched up the wall in the process. Let's just say that a washer and dryer never would have been an option.
But now these two companionships are all settled in and already doing great work. Then came closing apartments. More on that later. Anyways, by the time we got back, we were tired. Thank goodness for Sister Robison who fed us the leftovers from the meals for transfers. Seriously, we knocked on their door with a tired face and she didn't let us leave until we've eaten something. We should go more often. Just as a side note, it's cool doing big errands like that because we get our meals paid for with our office cards. Since we're on the road, we can't eat at home and it costs too much to eat out, so it's paid for. It's tithing money, so we always go for something cheap, like McDonald's; but still cool. Even so, that doesn't hold a candle to Sister Robison's cooking.
Zone Leader Conference was on that Friday [March 27th]. We went with them to the usual breakfast at IHOP. Still so expensive, but the "country sausage browns" are really good. I also got to talk a little bit with Elder Larson and Elder Valenzuela, two new zone leaders. This transfer, they split the Midland and Odessa zones. These two are the leaders of the Odessa zone. And get this - they're both really young missionaries. Elder Valenzuela came out about 11 months ago and Elder Larson, about 6 (he's still in his greenie area and serving with his follow-up trainer!). President is showing that he really values good missionary and leadership traits over length of time in the field and experience.
On Saturday [March 28th], we had our mission audit. Two "Melchizedek Priesthood holders" from the stake (as prescribed by the audit rules) came and went through all the receipts, all the checks and all the records for 2008. Then President Robison came and they interviewed him. Long story short, we passed....and they gave us Krispy Kremes.
On Sunday [March 29th], we went to the Brownfield Branch again. We're probably going to go more regularly. Testimony meeting consisted of five people, all over 60-70 years old, getting up and giving their life story or conversion story. There were almost no gaps the entire meeting. After church, we went back to Lubbock where the Fourth Ward was having a Linger-Longer. This was the first ward activity they've had in a long time, but it was a success. There were a lot of people (it's a big ward - contrast that with Brownfield: 10 vs. 100), and lots of food. I enjoyed that.
We also visited Brother Smith, a member from Hobbs, NM, who was in the hospital and in need of a blessing.
The next week were zone conferences. We weren't travelling to those, but the Hansens were; so they can meet all of the missionaries. Also, our mission got a "hardware upgrade" from Sprint. All of our cell phones were being switched out for new ones. I guess that was just part of the deal that the Church has with Sprint. Elder Hansen gave out new phones and everyone now has rectangular indestructible bricks. No joke - Elder Northey and I got our hands on an old one that didn't work properly and we dropped it down the staircase in the office from the fourth floor. It just bounced at the bottom and it was still completely intact.
I also got a haircut from Sister Sybrowsky (the ward mission leader's wife). She sharpened the blades on the clippers, so, unlike last time, it didn't pull any hair out. She did a really good job.
Elder Philpot had an appointment with Dr. Farrell. He needs to lose weight. When they were done, Dr. Farrell commented that Elder Northey should lose weight too. They agreed to help each other lose a few pounds. The next day, Elder Philpot and Elder Rasmussen went to United and saw a special: 3 half-gallon tubs of Blue Bell ice cream for $11. They each got three. They finished it in that week. Elder Northey, not one to be outdone, went to United and got his own. I'm thinking it's hopeless. Meanwhile, we're still just as busy; so I'm missing meals here and there, but I got a 3-pound tub of Virginia Peanuts at Sam's Club to leave in the office. I've had several all-peanut meals since then.
Speaking of Sam's Club, we went back to stock up again. They ran out of macaroni, so we got penne rigate. ...penne and cheese just isn't the same as macaroni and cheese. It doesn't cook right, and after what seems like double the cooking time, the inside is still hard. I miss macaroni. I've also discovered what a canned salmon-mayo sandwich is like. Despite the stink, the picking out the bones and the disgusting look of it, it tastes pretty good. I'd have another. Also, Elder Tripp introduced us to a place called Smoothie King. They make smoothies from fruits, milk, ice cream, etc. and add protein or whatever other stuff a health place sells. Even though it's only liquid, it can actually fill you up for a while.
General Conference was great. We watched one session at a member's house, two at the Stake Center and the rest in the office. It was really special watching conference with the temple visible right out the window. I especially liked President Uchtdorf's talk in the priesthood session.
On Monday, we had a clean-the-storage-units project. The whole Zone was there. President Robison was there. We pulled everything out and he told us what to keep. It really needed a cleanup. The rest (couches, etc.) was destroyed in the funniest way possible (jumping on it, hammering it, throwing it). Afterwards, we went with the Assistants to the Lubbock city landfill. Going to the dump was actually a lot more fun than I would have expected. It's a giant pit in the ground, just outside the city. We just drove into it, threw whatever we had on the ground and the tractors pushed it away, ready to be covered in dirt to become a mountain. Then we took that opportunity to get rid of whatever garbage we had in the truck. It was cool - throwing garbage out the window *wasn't* littering!
Tuesday, we had district meeting - Elder Northey's first as District Leader. He did a really good job. Later on that day, Elders Craven and King had car problems (their key was too worn down to start the car). A couple hours later, Elder Craig (newly serving in Lubbock - he's from Canada too (and the only Canadian to not serve in the office (yet!))) had his bike stolen, so we had to pick him and Elder Humeniuk up and take them home. On the way home, we stopped at Velocity Bike Shop to order two bikes for two Sisters in the mission.
Thursday, we hooked up the trailer and drove to Ft. Sumner to close the apartment there. It was the first time I had ever been in New Mexico. When we got there, Melton, a local member, told us that most of the furniture came with the place and that he would get someone to clean it. Basically, we had nothing to do there. He gave us a tour of their small chapel (they have 10 active members) after that. We decided that instead of making the whole trip a waste, we would drive on to Roswell where there was another apartment to close. So we did.
My first time in Roswell. That city is famous for the whole alien-UFO thing and they really take advantage of it. Half of the lamp posts have alien heads on top. There is a UFO Museum "and research center" (just to satisfy the nuts). Most of the businesses have aliens drawn all over their buildings. Wal-Mart has aliens. McDonald's is shaped like a spaceship. It's crazy. We moved all the furniture out and spent the next few hours cleaning. Then we drove home. It was a long drive.
When we got back, President Robison told me that he's switching the housing responsibilities back to my position. It was too confusing before, since I'm in charge of paying rent, utilities, etc. and he's in charge of managing leases, starting and stopping utilities... Anyways, now I have to learn yet another thing. After this, all I have to do is learn how to manage vehicles, referrals, and cell phones, and I will know how to do everything in the office. I can't imagine what it's like for President Robison.
Finally, I've been asked to update the mission website. Right now, there's hardly anything and it's been like that since before my mission. President wants a site that newly called missionaries, family or RMs can go to to learn a little about the mission. I was already planing on making something like that for you, but now I get to do it for everyone. If you have any suggestions of things that you think people would want to know, tell me.
Anyways, I hope that's enough for make up for the past weeks.
I hope you all have a great Easter.
The more I learn each day, the more it all points to the fact that the Church is true and it's the way to go.
I love you!
-Elder Brandon Wong
Something I wish I knew before my mission: the value of Virginia Peanuts when you're hungry and there's nothing else to eat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
