February 8, 2010

Well the happy holidays keep coming. We are all looking forward to Valentines day here in Bloomington. Elder Madsen informed us that we are all going out and doing something special for that day. He is weird. Last Valentines day I was on the University of Minnesota so we went contacting by the rec center because we figured all the single people would be lifting weights or working out or something. The great thing is taht we had some great contacts taht night! Anyway, I hope you will all have fun on that holiday.
Things in Minnesota are great. It was a busy week. Right now it is snowing and we are expected to get 6 - 10 inches, which is alot. But we love it becuase it gives us a chance to shovel peoples driveways! We had transfers and they went well. We got a great group of new missionaries, there were none from Washington so that made me a bit sad. But there were two sisters who got mission transferred, one from the phillipines mission and the other from finland. That is pretty crazy. I don't know what I would feel if I got mission transferred. Anyway, now we are getting ready for zone conferences, and that will be really good.
Work: We had a great experience teaching with a member these last few weeks. There is a young couple named the Wilsons and they are awesome. Bro. Wilson is a Marine and Sis. Wilson is Tongan and way out going. They both served missions and Sis. Wilson just got called as a ward missionary. So they had us over for dinner and we wanted to practice teaching a part of the plan of salvation. When we got there we found out they had a friend staying with them who was visiting from North Carolina. So we had dinner and we still felt like we should teach what we had planned. We taught about earth life, the atonement and the spirit world. We focused on how people who have never had a chance to hear about Jesus Christ will be able to hear the gospel in the spirit world, and not just be condemned to hell because of the time period or place they were born. We asked their friend how she felt about learning that and she said "you know, that was the reason I was not confirmed Catholic, because of that doctrine." So we set up another tmie to teach her before she would go back to North Carolina. The members were super excited, so they invited us back over for dinner and we taught their friend again. It was really awesome, and I wish that their friend wasn't going back to North Carolina, but we challenged her to meet with m issinoaries there and she said she would!
You never know...: I heard a funny missionary story this last week. A missionary wanted to see if he could talk in a british accent for a whole day. So he went out and was doing it and he got on a bus in St. Paul. He turned to a lady and said "Hello ma'am how are you doing today?" in a thick British accent. She got really excited and in a perfect British accent said "ARE YOU FROM ENGLAND?" A little shocked, but quick on his feet he replied "Why yes I am!" And she said "Oh great! Where in England are you from?" He said the first city that popped into his head was Liverpool, so he said "I'm from Liverpool" and the lady replied "NO WAY! I'M FROM LIVERPOOL! Which part of Liverpool?" The Elder said the first thing that popped into his head again which was "Oh, I live down by the docks." The Lady replied "NO WAY! I LIVE DOWN BY THE DOCKS!" ( I mean really, why would the elder say "down by the docks?!") At this point the missionary realized he was getting too far in so he said "Well, this is my stop, but we're missinoaries from a church so here is our card." and he got off the bus. After that he stopped talking in his accent. What are the odds that would happen? The lady really lived "Down by the docks!" haha. But it is a true story. I promise. And the moral is not to talk in british accents in public, especially as a missionary.
Well, I ohpe you all have a great week! We are excited to get some more snow here. Whoo hoo! I love you all! -me