This week has been a lot of fun! Full of adventures. So I'll go day by day on some fun things that have happened this week.
Tuesday- Got up and drove an hour and a half to Atmore. Which is north east of me. Drove there for District meeting which was really good. After district meeting we all ate together at the church. Elder Tate made me a southern classic sandwich, which consists of bread, mayo and banana... It was umm... interesting.It wasnt a bad taste it was just not something I would ever crave.
Later in the day we went up to Monroe and did an exchange with the Monroe Elders. I went with Elder Wilkes in our Tacoma to go contact some referrals. I told him not to worry about miles because we would just use ours since we are allotted a lot more. So we ended up driving through some like back roads, basically went off roadin. We had some fun times that day. We drove about 200 miles. We also contacted this lady in the middle of no where. She was nice and I guess they were having a festival this weekend and she invited us to it and said that she wants us to share our message with everyone and then eat some food and have a good times! haha it was so cool that she wanted us to teach an entire town!
Wednesday- We got up and got ready to head out. On our way out of Monroe we stopped at the Old Court house and took some pictures. Monroe is where To kill a Mockingbird took place. So to kill a mockingbird is like what the town cherishes. So we took some cool pictures there. They also have some gorgeous cotton fields! Like Cotton fields here are like snow for them. It is the only thing thats white and its everywhere! hahaha. We then Drove down to bay minette to go on another exchange.
I went with Elder Hawkins and my companion went with Elder Tate and took him down to our area and I stayed in Bay minette. Elder Hawkins is a brand new missionary and so it was fun being able to teach him some tricks. We were on the bikes a lot that day which was a lot of fun. We were biking down this one road to go see a potential investigator and I don't know what it is about this little town but they don't care to lock their dogs up AT ALL. So Elder Hawkins and I are biking down this street and all of a sudden on my left side 2 dogs coming chasing us! So I swerve to the right and then on my right side this big dog comes out of no where and starts chasing us too. So at this point i'm like hallin butt! Then 1 more dog comes chasing! So we have 4 dogs chasing us right now. Sadly at the end of the road it goes into a T and we have no idea if other cars are coming but all I did was pray that no one is there because I was not stopping! haha Luckily no one was there but the dogs continued to chase us around the corner. We were lucky enough that they got tired and gave up. Elder Hawkins and I just look at each other laugh then high five haha. Good times.
Once we got to the potentials home she pulls up just in time. She gets out and I meet her, she tells us that after they gave her a Book of Mormon last time her and her husband were talking about it and were really excited to read it. She said by the end of her conversation with her husband her family was fighting over who gets to read it first haha. So she was really excited to meet with us again and share more. #Miracles! Later that night we went to go see someone who was less active who just moved here from New York. Now in bay minette its sad the way it is because on one side of the train tracks its nice where a lot of people are well off. Then on the other side of the train tracks its very ghetto. Its kinda divided. But anyways so she is living no the other side of the tracks, the ghetto side. So we go and talk to her around 7pm. On the way there Elder Hawkins says to me, now when we are driving through here we cant stop and we need to just get straight to her place. Im like oh no here we go haha. So we get to her place and have an amazing conversation with her and her family. She really wanted us to come back and teach her family because her family is not members. #AnotherMiracle So its dark by the time we leave and as we are walking back to our car we see a group of people standing next to their car. Elder Hawkins quickly gets in the car but to be obedient I have to stay outside to back him out of the parking spot. So the group of people are saying some comments to me and I just keep ignoring them just minding my own business, until I hear these words come out of one of their mouths "oh this man is tryin to get shot." I was like oh no...haha In my mind i'm like Elder Hawkins hurry up and pull out! haha He finally does and I jump in the car because they are starting to walk over to us and I tell him "DRIVE!" So that was our adventure of a day hahaha! I love doing missionary work! So many cool miracles and crazy adventures!
Thursday- Elder southway comes and picks me up and we drive all the way to Chattom Alabama AKA Toxey Alabama. They Elders had a house up there and so us and the senior couple drove up there to clean out the house. So that took all day. From 10 am to about 5 pm. We loaded our truck up with so much stuff it was crazy! Then we had to hall it all around our zone to deliver some items such as beds and couches and kitchen items to different missionaries. We finally got home and it was late and I was just so grateful to be in my own bed again haha. I haven't been home for about 3 days. I think we drove about 600 - 700 miles this week. I am just so thankful for a car though! hahaha.
Friday- Drove down to foley to deliver a couch and some beds. Then we drove back and just did a normal day of missionary work. Which was nice. We did have to take a 20 minute nap which was approved. Thanks President! We were both so exhausted that we started to fall asleep while driving in the middle of the day. So when we got back home we took a quick nap to get us up and going again.
Saturday- Had coordination meeting, then we went to the church and had studies. We Had lunch then we went looking for some new apartments because our apartment is old and small. Way too small for me, it does not feel like a place i'm able to make my "home" like I was able to do in my last apartment. We later went to olive garden had some really good pasta. Then we went back to the church for game night but sadly had to cancel that. Its okay because it gave Elder southway time to prepare his talk, and gave me time to print out my talk for next week.
Sunday- Basically our day in a few words. AMAZING DAY! We had a great sacrament meeting. Our Bishop showed us the holy of holys aka the up stairs of the building where all the AC units are haha. Then went home and ate. We had some Police officers ask us some questions, some people were breaking into some cars in our apartment complex. Then went back to the church filled up the font for the sister missionaries. Their Investigator was getting baptized. After that we went over to the Amares home for dinner. Ugh I love that family! They are soo awesome! She has been treating me like a son I swear! She like got me shoes and saw that my shoes were getting all torn up and had them fixed for me. haha Like she is just so nice. Love their family, they are sooo funny too. They just roast each other all the time! Its never ending, I'am always crying laughing when I leave their home. We talked a lot about medical school because he is a doctor and talked about the gospel a lot because they are converts to the church. I would have never guessed honestly. We are all converts to the church really. But that was basically our Sunday!
Today (Monday)- We are going to go carve pumpkins. At lunch time we are going to go out to eat with a returned missionary who used to serve in this mission. He was actually the very first missionary I went on a trade off with when I got into the mission. He is like my favorite kid. So we are going out to lunch today to catch up on life and meet his family. Then later we are going out with a member to Five Guys so that will be good!
$ Just had lunch with Elder Renslows family, they are soo sick! haha I've missed that kid so dang much! Literally my favorite missionary in this mission! haha I hope you had a great time here man, Cant wait to hang out with you back home!
A little sneak peek on what this week will look like. Tuesday- District meeting in mobile and exchanges with the mobile elders. Wednesday- District Leadership council that Elder southway and I have to hold. Thursday- Exchanges with the Assistants to the President(AP). Friday-I have no Idea what we are doing. Saturday- 5k Run that a member is paying for us to do. #PrayForME. Also going to this thing called Sausage fest The fire department raising money by cooking meat all day! haha so that will be good day. Sunday- Regular schedule.
I love y'all so much though! I am really so grateful for all your prayers. They mean a lot to me. I just know that this church is true! I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and we have prophets and Apostles on the earth today! I love this work and I am excited for the new church initiative #LightTheWorld which will be starting up soon! I love y'all! Cant wait to talk to y'all next week. I hope you enjoy the pictures from this week! :) <3
Love,
Elder Graham
