March 5, 2007
Happy Birthday, Heather Crowther! Sorry I don't have a present for
you. I would buy one and send it out, but we have so little time to
ourselves. Our days go about like this: showering, exercise and
breakfast (1.5 hours), study (2.5 hours), lunch (1 hour), dinner (1
hour), planning (1 hour), getting ready for bed (.5 hours), sleeping
(8 hours), and proselyting (8.5 hours). We have no time to do our
laundry, go shopping, write letters, clean the apartment, so we are
allowed 8 hours on Mondays to do all that. I'm still not quite used
to it yet. So, I hope you understand, but I wish you a happy 14th
birthday.
The weather's nuts. We have suitcoat season (in which we have to have
a suitcoat on) from Nov. 1 to March 1. The last few days of February
were hot. Like, 70s. Then the suitcoats come off, and it's sunny with
a cold wind, so we throw on our coats. Today it's finally warm (60s)
again. Oh, and last Wednesday I woke up at 3:11 in the morning to a
bunch of eerie-sounding sirens. Elder Erickson thought it was just a
severe weather warning, but as it turns out, yeah, it was a tornado
warning. We heard the rain come, and then the hail, and then it went
quiet. We heard that a few people turned on their TVs and heard a
report that the tornado was going down Gunnison and Rogers in Fort
Smith, which intersect about 4 blocks from our apartment. Apparently
there was a funnel cloud (which I missed...grrr), but the tornado
didn't touch down until Alabama. Anyway, the point of the story is
that I thought it was a tornado warning, but I didn't know what to do
about it, so I went back to bed.
My suits aren't doing so well. In Priesthood we sit in the chapel,
behind the pulpit, and a couple of my pants have gotten ripped from
me trying to sit and getting my pocket caught on the arm. They're
probably pretty dirty too, as most everyone has at least one dog,
smokes, and doesn't really clean their house (in the way of odors).
Elder Erickson and I have come out of appointments reeking of
cigarette smoke, and lay on the Febreeze trying to get the smell out.
So I'll probably be spending some time from now to November taking
them to dry cleaning places to get the seams fixed and the odors and
dirt removed.
This week has been a pretty trying week. I got sick of this area,
with people that don't seem to want to progress, who would rather
live in decrepit, smelly houses with nice cars, mooching off the
government rather than trying to get a job. There are people that
have experience here, but they just don't want to work. And I got
sick of myself being upset, uncharitable, and lame. Also, a bunch of
our investigators have either been dropped by us, or we've been
dropped by them. And we're running out of potential investigators
fast. So it's been a bit rough for me, but I've found comfort in the
fact that Elder Erickson and I are in this together, and are there to
try and strengthen each other up as much as we can. Basically, we
were just glad we were both having a difficult week together. I dunno
what this week will be like, as we don't have a lot of people to go
see. Looks like knocking on wood (doors).
On the bright side of things, we have an investigator named Daryl,
who isn't well off, but wants the gospel. We haven't actually taught
him the 1st lesson (about the Restoration), but left him a Book of
Mormon, which he says he's been reading, and believes it's true. He
says he's been to many churches, but one thing that has influenced
his belief as to why this church is the true one is that we are the
only ones that have come to his home to talk to him, which has really
touched him. Elder Erickson and I like to go visit him, because he
always makes us feel better.
Thanks for doing my taxes. I didn't get a return!? Ah well. I'll be alright.
Oh, and David said he had an article about dark matter or something
that he was going to send to me. Check up on that for me, if you
could.
Let's axe the thermal garments. Those thermals you sent me have been
sufficient, and I won't need them until next winter (which will be my
last one).
In the way of things I need, how about 3 or for more short-sleeve
shirts from Missionary Mall. Probably size 17, but I'll let you know
in a couple of weeks, as I'll be leaving Fort Smith on Friday of next
week. So I suggest you start sending stuff to the Mission Home, until
I can tell you my address in my next area.
Also, please be aware my $120 bike from Wal-Mart is a piece of junk,
so I may have you go and get a bike from Missionary Mall and send it
out to me (at a later point in time). I'll let you know more later,
but just a heads-up for now.
'Till next week,
Elder Bradshaw
