Monday, 6/23/14 - Saturday, 6/28/14

Monday – Today was preparation day. It was a good day. Just relaxed for the most part. Need to figure out something to do a P-day to have some fun. Then in the evening we got our map completely finished! Now we can just work!

Tuesday – Today we had district meeting. It was pretty good. It takes so long setting goals so that makes it hard to get a lot of teaching in. I think Elder Shoemaker did a good job teaching about studies. Then we had some great role plays teaching about prophets and focusing on bearing testimony. Good to see Elder Smith and Elder Miller too. They were visiting the Spanish Elders district meeting. After district meeting we headed to the Stake Center to help them move the family history center from one room to another. Went to see the Carter’s but they fell through. So we hopped on the bikes and biked to see if we could see some people. Went to Cherie’s and her mom slammed the door in our face. That won’t stop us! Taught Sister Corona a message about family history work so hopefully we can get her going on family history. Left her place and got a little lost. Then we learned the Elder Shoemaker lost his scriptures. So we called Sister Corona and she went and looked for them and found them. We also did some research to find a family history event location that we could utilize.

Wednesday – Today we met the zone leaders and Pascagoula at our church so they could trade back after their exchange and then I could go on an exchange with Goula. Elder Musgrave was also there so he could go on an exchange with the zone leaders. So for our exchange I stayed in Theo with Elder Danner and Elder Shoemaker went to Pascagoula with Elder Owens. Elder Danner and I had a pretty slow day. We did get to have a really good lesson with a guy name Bryant. He is the guy Brother Dees told us to go see. He said he would like to come to church with us. Went to see Windy Davis who was a really old HQ referral. She wasn’t interested but we gave cards to all of the kids around the trailer park. They all ran up to us. Saw Larry Logan which went well. We got to talk to him about the possibility of teaching his grandkids. Then we hurried up to the Blackburn’s. Didn’t realize they lived so far from where we were. Really good dinner! They made pulled pork and put it on baked potatoes. Went to the church to do our family history class but no one showed up. So we went on a walk to some less-actives and met some great people along the way. Gave a Book of Mormon to a guy and I really hope he will read it.

Thursday – Today we did a second exchange with the Pascagoula Elders. This time I went to Goula with Elder Owens. It was awesome! Elder Owens is such a great missionary and he is going to do great things. We had lunch and then were called to go and help a member move into the ward. They were really nice and very appreciative of all 3 sets of young missionaries (English, Spanish and Sisters) showing up to help. Plus Elder and Sister Anderson came too. They said they would like to be coming back to church sometime. They also got drinks for everyone. Then we went over to Damien’s and shared a message about chastity. Then we had coordination and dinner at Taco Bell, which was not the best idea because next on the agenda was sports night. We had basketball. It went well! I felt a bit sick from Taco Bell. I schooled e’ryone! They were hackin’ the crap out of me though and I got a bit ticked and kinda yelled at this thug…or should I say child of God. Not the best moment for me but I had hand marks all over my arms. So now I suppose I am justifying now. The end of the night.

Friday – Today we ended our exchange and met a Bishop. He is the Bishop of the LSU Singles Ward and he bought us lunch! Such a nice guy. So us 4 ate at Waffle House. It was pretty good. I got the all-star meal. It is huge for like 7 bucks. Then we had a great lesson with Sister Jolley. She gave us some tomatoes so that was awesome. She is such a sweet lady. Then we went to Brother Madison’s. On the way we cut through a cemetery that had a bunch of statues of Christ inside of it. It goes through his entire life. Had a little meeting with Brother Madison all about the ward mission plan. Had dinner with the Willet’s and it was a great time. This ward is doing pretty great and I really like the people here. Then we headed home to weekly plan but ended up calling Brother Brown to talk about some of the things we would like to start doing to get the work going.

Saturday – Today was a really weird day. We went out to try to get an oil change but no place near us took payment over the phone. So we tried to see a few less actives with no luck. Then went to our appointment with a girl named Tiarra but her mom ended it quick but she was really curious and wanted to learn. Then we had lunch and then weekly planned because we never go to do it. That took us up to the Constantine’s baptism for their son Darien. It was a good service and was fun to spend some time with them. After that we had our fellowship night and played basketball. Good studff1 I got my right cheek under my eye cut open when I was wacked in the face. That didn’t stop me though! Shared a bit of a message about Christ after also. Good night!

Monday, 6/16/14 - Sunday, 6/22/14

Monday – Today was a good P-day. Visited Hibbett Sports and they had D-Will jerseys for 25 bucks but they were too big for me. Also met Anthony Davis’ aunt while we were looking around there. He plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. So that was pretty cool! Elder Shoemaker and I also played some sand volleyball 1 on 1 at our apartment complex. Had dinner and went over to meet Jake who is Micah’s brother and Sister Madison’s son. Then worked on our map for a bit. It’s almost there! I am so sick of working on it!

Tuesday – Today we had district meeting and had to drive to Pascagoula for that. It is such a long drive there. District Meeting went pretty well. Could have gone a bit better. There is never enough time to teach all I want to. During the day when we finally got home and finished lunch we had companion study and then everything fell through so we decided to get the oil change that we were told to get. So we took the car to Toyota and they told us to wait on the oil change. We apparently don’t need it so we told Elder Bell and he said wait. Later we got to go to the Greer’s with the Evans’ and they fed us again! They are so awesome! Lesson could have gone better. Brother Evans kind of rushed it and it wasn’t as powerful as it could have  been. But it was still good and I think we started a good friendship.

Wednesday – Today we went to see Tony but he wasn’t there. So we went to see a less active because his name was Jared Kerr so I was like ”we gotta go there”. He wasn’t home but we talked to a lady at his house who was telling us about his family a bit and someone he is related to is named Joe Kerr. We use to always joke about Shawn naming his son Joe because his last name is Kerr and it makes if Joker! Cracked me up a bit. Was driving by a lemonade stand and decided to pull over and get some and also give them a card. Then we headed to Daphne to have interviews with President Smith. Well only Elder Shoemaker had an interview because I already did. Had a lesson with LaVell that was all over the place. Could have gone a bit better. Had dinner and then we headed to the church for our family history class. No one came but we still did family history with Brother DaCosta who came to help out. That was actually really fun. Also brought Micah and his brother Jake on a church tour and that was fun to do. Jake is a great kid.

Thursday – Today we had weekly planning but it is a heck of a task trying to keep Elder Shoemaker on task. He is such a kind hearted guy and he tries his hardest and he will be blessed for it. We did finish our weekly planning though so that’s a plus. Also did just a bit of mapping in the day. Briefly saw Sister Batton. She is such a sweet lady. She gave us Gatorades. We went and had a little lesson with Jake and Micah and also their little brother Jayce. Before service for a lady their mom works with. Jake and I were speaking in British accents for most of the time and I think it nearly drove Sister Madison batty. It was fun though. Then we went with them to Cici’s Pizza and started an eating contest with Jake. I am sure I lost but it was fun. Then we got home and did the map for just a bit.

Friday – Today we started the day working on maps and printed some out for the Spanish Elders. Then we headed off to see Sister Jolley and taught her a bit. She said she would like to come to the family history class we are doing on Wednesday nights at the church. We met Stephen Kynaston who is a less active and it doesn’t look like he is going to have us come back over but we gave him our number so we will see. Sister Gignilliat lives nearby so we swung by there to talk to her because I hadn’t met her yet. We were going to go see a couple others but ran out of time. So we headed to the Salinas’ home to eat dinner with them. It was delightful. Sister Salinas can really cook! We also gave Brother Salinas a blessing because he was sick. Then we had volleyball which was pretty fun. The Constantine’s came and Tori, their daughter, brought two friends. So it was a success.

Saturday – First thing today we went to see Rick Piatt but he forgot so we rescheduled. Tracted around his area a bit to see if we could find someone. We did get a potential investigator out of it. Then I got to meet Sandy who they have taught a bit and she is very nice. Then we stopped by to see Sister Ford and she told us to go and see her daughter and her daughter’s husband. They are having a baby so she said it is a good time to teach them. Spanish Elders told us to go see Norma Rester so we went to her place. She was sick though so she said to come another time. Met Samantha Carter. She is a former investigator but it was kind of awkward because no one from the Church had stopped by since the missionaries stopped going by. Met Rhiannon Anderson who is a less-active but she told us to call her. Then we ate some dinner and then had basketball at the church. Heard about some of the rumors in the NBA. Carmela and LeBron talks. Interesting stuff happening. Basketball was good though. I decided not to play and it was hard to just sit there.

Sunday – Church was really good today. Brother Lahtinen was there so I was able to catch up with him a bit. Went home after for our studies and they headed out. Taught Marouf and his son Mo. They are Muslim and they have a ton of similar beliefs as us. They agree a lot with the principles in the Plan of Salvation. They don’t drink or smoke either. Kind of cool to find that out. Then we had dinner with Bishop Mills and his family. That is also who Brother Lahtinen has been staying with so I got to hear a lot about the Tallahassee 4^th Ward. He told me Brother O’Connor and Brother Bishop are both in the bishopric. He also said the Jessica Buyer married Chief Osceola, well the guy who dresses up as a Chief Osceloa. Then we stopped by and shared a message with Mark Hearn and his son Sheldon. They are less active but hopefully we can get them active and his wife baptized! Then we saw Bryant a guy that Brother Dees told us to “tract into” and he told us to come back so we hope to teach him. Then we saw Rachael and Steven Schwartz that Sister Ford told us to go see. Rachael is her daughter. So we taught them a bit and they want us to come back.

Monday, 6/9/14 - Sunday, 6/15/14

Monday – Today we had breakfast with the Champagne’s. They are a really cool couple and have a really sweet house! They also have a son on a mission, I believe in Sacramento, California. Didn’t really do anything too exciting. Looked for Elder Shoemaker’s scriptures with no luck and his wallet was in there too. We hope to find that. Then did mapping to finish the night. It is such a long process. Oh I almost forgot that we saw a yellow 1969 Dodge Charger. I got a really blurry picture of it and turned around to follow it but couldn’t find it.

Tuesday – Today was good! We had zone training and also had a meeting before with the zone leaders and all the district leaders. Elder Smith and Elder Miller are excellent zone leaders. It was a great zone training. I also got my glasses and I am not a big fan of wearing them at all. I feel like a hipster of sorts. Drove home after that and had a lesson with a less active so we had to jet. We taught Sherry Jolley again and her husband Gene. They are awesome! Really cool people. Brother Jolley doesn’t hear well though. Had to talk very loud and it made my throat hurt. Had a lesson with the Greer’s and invited Sister Evans to come. Her and Ally seemed to really enjoy one another. The Greer’s fed us and we had no idea they would. It was awesome. They are very very Catholic which I think is good. They have great faith in Christ. David and I talked about some sweet things like the Catacombs in Rome and things like that. We had a great day.

Wednesday – Today Brother Brown came out with us and we saw Nathanael, an HQ referral, and his friend, Sharron. They were in some sort of group home so that was interesting but they understood pretty good. Also as we were driving Brother Brown was messing around and said the “F-word” on accident. I laughed my butt off. It was so funny! I also left the phone on the tray at Taco Bell and Elder Shoemaker threw it away so we had to go all the way up to Taco Bell to find it. Helped Sister Madison move her friend’s mattress and got a potential investigator out of it. Set up an appointment with the guy. Saw Miss Innis and shared Moroni 7 on charity. She liked that. Then had a great lesson with Cherie! We taught the plan of Salvation and I think she really enjoyed it. She said she would be at church. We told her we would get a ride for her. That was the highlights of today.

Thursday – Today was a day of a lot of inside work. We really came to the realization today of how big the ward really is. We have so many members in this ward. We did a lot of mapping. I am so sick of it but it is going to be so nice to have when we are done. Did a bit of our weekly planning as well. Also had a lesson with LaVell. This one was better but he has some praying to do. He is a very spiritual guy so I hope he will recognize the truths we share. The Stafford’s also fed us at Cici’s Pizza. It is pretty decent there for way cheap.

Friday – Today I worked my magic to get our church tour with Cherie worked out. I got two members to help. Sister Gentry for a ride for Cherie and Micah for a third male. Then unfortunately something came up for Cherie and we couldn’t do it. We also did some work over at the food bank. Elder Shoemaker forgot his planner there. Then we went out with Micah to see Tony. Tony is a guy the missionaries use to see. Good guy that could do a gardening show because he can talk about plants for days. Then Micah took us back to our car and he wasn’t feeling good at all. We got home and Elder Shoemaker thought he lost the keys to the house but really he just never grabbed them and our apartment was unlocked. Then we found out he did lose his scriptures again. Just a bad day for forgetting. Had a good lesson with Donna Corrona who has been returning to church recently. Had a great dinner with the Vasquez’s and learned some Spanish. Then went home to do some #’s for the zone leaders.

Saturday – Today was a good day. We actually ended up working on our map a ton because we finally had no appointments to run around to so we had to take advantage of that. Finished up our weekly planning too. Had dinner with the Willet’s also. It was really fun to get to know them. I can’t wait to know them ever better. Brother Willet is the Young Men’s President. Then we had our fellowship activity of basketball. I rolled my right ankle again. It was very unfortunate. I played pretty good and I also dunked it for the first time in about 20 months. It was so sweet!

Sunday – Today was great! Church was pretty good! Brother Damron asked me to say the closing prayer in Sacrament. That is two out of the two times he has been at church since I got here. That’s also more times that I had ever prayed in Sacrament in my life. Two out of my three times doing it were here. Pretty funny! Had lunch with the Lohse/Hearn family and they have a lot of wayward/non-members in their family so it was good to share a message with them. Went to see someone that Brother Dees told us to see but they weren’t home so we tracted a bit and a Muslim guy told us we could come back. Then had dinner with the Webster’s and their daughter Sophia has been dating a guy named Chase. He has been to church a lot already and seems pretty golden. He is going to youth conference in Troy so. Anyway we were able to teach him the restoration. He is a great guy and already knows a ton of answers about things we believe.

Monday, 5/26/14 - Sunday, 6/8/14

Monday – Today we found out Elder Rasmussen would go to Destin and I will be going to Theodore in Alabama. It’s basically lower Mobile. Had lunch with Sister Linares and her new husband and also Andrew and Jeffery Linares. Played basketball at our church because Twin Hills was closed. The Spanish Elders came down and that made it pretty fun. We also emailed at the Burbidge’s and got to take pictures with them. Landon also ended up punching Taylor right in the face but they got it together for the pictures. Ate at the Hartwell’s also and that was good. They are awesome people. Tried to see Wes but he was sleeping so we said bye to Erika Campbell, Erica, Alyssa and Cameron. Then worked on transfers.

Tuesday – Today was pretty great! Started off by going to our district meeting and it was really good. Elder Urquiaga is a good district leader. He always prepares well. Had our district leader activity and played some kickball. That was fun! I decided to do a little flip when I scored and it went all wrong and I landed on my hip. It didn’t hurt too bad in the moment but later on my wrist and hip were real sore. Then we hurried over to see Theresa and Ariel. Ariel wasn’t home at first so we chatted for a while and the Sisters also showed up because they had an appointment with her. So we took some pictures and said goodbye when Ariel got there. We saw the Barbecho’s briefly and they wanted us to come by tomorrow. Then we ate dinner with the Cochran’s. It was a good time as always. Dropped a dish off to the Burton’s and he showed us his wife’s cool gun. Then we went to the Bissen’s for one last time. Andy told us we were the coolest missionaries he has known and that meant a lot.

Wednesday – First thing today Brother Dunn picked us up in his sweet Nissan Altima. Such a cool car! We taught Jerry Barnett and unfortunately he wasn’t interested in meeting any more. He told us he didn’t feel our church was right for him. He is a great guy and I got his email. Tried to see Daniel Curry but that fell through so we stopped by Pat’s but he wasn’t there. Brother Dunn also took us to Lenny’s to get a sub sandwich. It is a good place. Got dropped off at our place. Went and saw Chris Nichols for one last time. He is a great guy and the Gospel has really changed him. We also got to teach one last lesson at the Barbecho’s. I really hope Jamie keeps taking the lessons! They asked for the missionaries to go by tomorrow. Also stopped by Miss April’s briefly to say goodbye. Ate with the Taylors’ and it was so good! I will miss eating there. Took great pictures with them. Went to the church to see Wes and he wasn’t there. Said bye to some others. Then had our last coordination. Love the Boyd’s! I will really miss this ward!

Thursday – Today we swung by to see Andrew on the way to transfers as it was raining. Poured on and off all day. Got to Wendy’s and did the transfer thang. Sister Taylor and Jane came by to see me leave. Sister Taylor told me that Preston told her that he either “wanted chocolate or wanted Elder Foster back”. That was awesome to hear! Such a great little man! Then it took forever to get to our area in Theodore. They banished me and I am excited to be out here. We are going to get this area poppin! Met Elder Shoemaker. He is such a nice guy. He is a bit slow and awkward. So it’s awesome he is out here. He came out the same time as me and I saw him and never expected him to be that way but we will have fun. I unpacked and cleaned a ton when we got back to our apartment. It was so dirty here. It’s much better now.

Friday – Today we went out with our assistant ward mission leader Brother Madison. He is a great guy! We saw 3 less actives with him. Sister  Bell, Sister Strickland and Sister Batton. Very nice ladies and hopefully that little bit will help. Sister Strickland lived in a neighborhood called Crestview and when I saw the sign I thought to myself, I never left! Had lunch with the Lyon’s. Great young couple in our ward and hopefully we can put them to work. Started to create a map for our area so I know where to go. Ate dinner at the Tartini’s. They are really cool too. Sister Tartini is the Relief Society President and Brother Tartini is Ward Clerk. They are converts with a great story. Then we headed to the church for our fellowship volleyball which turned into basketball.

Saturday – Today we actually had to weekly plan because we never got to do it. That took just about the whole day and we have also been making a map so I know how to get around. I did get to meet one of our investigators named Cherie. She is a way nice lady. Then we had basketball. The hood came to play and we had some good competition but I have played against a lot better players. They all want to be fancy with no fundamentals or work ethic. At one point though a guy that looked like Lil’ Wayne blocked the heck out of a guy way bigger than him. It was a fun night. Hope we can get some baptisms out of it.

Sunday – Today we had Ward Council and church. It all went well and we seem to have good leaders in our ward. I hope we can work well with them. It was kind of a lukewarm welcome though. I met David and his wife who I can’t remember her name for the life of me. But anyway they were really cool! Ended up waiting around after church for a couple lists that we needed which took a while. Finally got them and headed home to study. Then ate at the Evans’ home. They are really nice and seem to have it together. After dinner we walked around a nearby neighborhood and met a bunch of really nice people. Most people seem to be really friendly in Mobile. Went home to start on our area map because I can hardly plan because our roster is 30 pages long. So the map will help.

Monday – Pretty good P-day. It was just normal though. We didn’t do anything active anywhere. I got my hair cut by a member who is a hair stylist and she did it for free. Her name is Delene Madison. Very cool lady and we actually had dinner with her. She fed us pizza and her sons Micah and Jayce were there. Micah is 24 and Jayce is 9. Very cool family that seems to be somewhat similar to mine. Dinner took longer than expected so we went and did some more mapping.

Tuesday – Today we had our first District Meeting since I got here. It went really well and I think it really set a good tone for this upcoming transfer. Had lunch with the Spanish Elders at Subway after and it was fun to talk to Elder Bravo again. After that we had a great lesson with Kelsey Stone and she is very willing to keep commitments and I feel like she will get baptized someday. She is very prepared and I think the Lord knows she is ready. After we got back into town Brother Madison (Dalene’s dad ) came to see Dekita with us. That lesson was like a roller coaster… all over the place! She is a really nice lady though. Cherie’s lesson fell through L. Tonight we met a really nice guy named David and he invited us back. We are excited about that. He is Catholic and is very active in that so maybe I can learn a bit about Catholicism.

Wednesday – Today we decided to just do the map a ton because I was sick of not being able to plan. So we got a huge dent into it and basically finished the main part of the map. Then we headed to the church for family history but ended up helping Sister Mitchel set up a projector for a film she is showing on Friday. Then she decided not to use it so she won’t have to hassle with all the complications that it will possibly have. Also helped Brother Willet with a buzzer system he was testing. It was a really weird day.

Thursday – Today we weekly planned and then worked on our map. Got the main part of the map finished so soon we will be able to start putting people on it. Had to call Elder Newby to figure out where a potential was. He is in Crestview so I got to talk to Ben Barbecho. They are heading out to South Carolina tomorrow for their move. Unfortunately everything else we did today fell through.

Friday – Today we started off our day going to the food bank with the Spanish Elders and working there. Cleaned/inspected food to make sure it was safe and clean. Had lunch and finished up our mapping. Well we are finished putting the maps together but now we need to finish putting all of the members on it. Then headed out to Grand Bay to see a bunch of people out there. We got to meet Sister Sherry Jolley and share a message with her. She is a great lady and we are planning on going back. We also went to see the Bosarge’s, an HQ referral, and were able to teach a bit and set up a time to come back. We tried some others with no avail. Then headed to Pascagoula to interview Krissy for baptism. She is so ready for it and I am excited for her. Very nice girl and baptism will really do a lot for her cause it does a ton for everyone. After that we stopped by the church to play volleyball but no one came except for the Constantine’s so we chatted a bit and then headed home and met the Zimmerman’s at the gas station. Also had a scare. No one could contact the Pascagoula Spanish Elders for a while but they were just in a lesson. So everything was okay.

Saturday – Today we started the day with our coordination meeting. The ward mission leaders Brother Brown and Brother Madison, have some…spunk! They are energized about missionary work. Talked with Sister Tartini about getting together with her and going over the roster. Had lunch and then headed out to see a referral named LaVell. He is a good guy! He does have some great faith! Hope we can help it grow even more. That took a while. We tracted a couple doors in his complex while he took out some trash. Then we went to try to see Raina an investigator. She wasn’t home though. Then tonight we had basketball at the church. I almost dunked it but just didn’t get quite high enough and had to just lay it in. I also blocked a guy who could dunk as he went up for a layup. I met him at the top! He is way athletic. A lot of guys came out so it was awesome.

Sunday – Today I set up chairs while Elder Shoemaker went to ward council. Elder Hummer, one of the Spanish missionaries, set them up with me. Had great meetings at church too! Then after church we had a sweet lesson! I felt we should have Brother Crohnin come with and he did. I had no idea but him (Bobby) and Brother Crohnin related really well. Both of them have had trouble having kids in their marriages so they were able to connect. Had brother Dees’ come out with us to see an investigator. The appointment fell through so he took us to go visit a couple members. We saw Brother Hart, great guy. He sadly broke his leg recently and can’t put any weight on it so that’s been hard for him. We also went to see Brother Holladay and that went well. He is a nice older guy who can’t get to church due to health. He also gave us food before we left.