Right now I am cooking my usual breakfast, an omelet with milk and cheese and today I'm going to add ham. I have gained a little over 5 pounds at the MTC and I'm motivated to lose it all and gain some muscle doing it (just a little excerpt just to let you know I haven't changed that much). Let me tell you protein powder is hard to find because my area might be one of the biggest in the mission, but it is mostly made up of countryside and small townships.
Protein powder costs an arm and a leg so, I get all my protein needs from food like eggs (which are way cheap) and meat (which is way expensive). So that is my food and physical life, which is only a small portion of any of my days in my first full week of my time in the mission field.
It has been a spiritual and physical roller coaster this week. Plus this was my first full week in the field. So last Tuesday, I had my first Zone Conference. It was awesome, the training and spiritual moments. I was super excited to see old friends from the MTC! I saw Elder Tolman who I flew over with and Sister Benson who lives in Sandy Utah. I also saw my friend from back home,Elder Joe Hawkins!!!! Seeing all of them were like seeing my brothers and sisters, I was so excited.
I found out that there is genealogy line in the mission field. My trainer, Elder Kalabonko is my dad and my mother is the oldest sister in the mission area, which is sister Gomes. I was supposed to figure it all out but my uncle on my dad’s side had kept up on his genealogy andgave me a copy.
After the Zone Conference we took our car into thedealership to get its annual inspection and they said it needed its 60,000 kilometers inspection. So I called and made an appointment which was hard by itself (For some reason no one can understand me when I'm talking on the phone. It’s a weird English culture that if person can't understand you in England they will basically just count it that you aren't speaking to them and hang up on you,even though you are still talking to them.) I found out that when you take your car in you don't have a set appointment, it could take 1 hour or 3 days in our case.
We just got our car back today and it's been there since late Friday. Brandon is one of the smallest townships, full of retired people or newly weds. So wetracked for miles and miles, we probably walked as far as 16 miles a day. Sometime we wouldn’t see a soul for 3 miles.
But the Lord works in mysterious ways. I am gettingused to tracking and trying to 1st testify of the Book of Mormon, 2nd challenge them to read it, and 3rd get any referrals all in about 15 seconds before, they slam the door in your face. Most people are polite and talk with you;others just open and then close the door. A guy did pull a "good day
sir, I said good day!” On us. Either he is a boss or a total jerk, either way props to him for doing that.
But we met people who are definitely ready to hear the gospel. We met Liam last night that basically challenged me to a philosophical debate (which we all know
I could not pass up, it was just too good of an opportunity).We ended up talking with him for 1-½ hours about our testimonies and life experiences and our relationship with Jesus Christ. He believes God had abandoned and forsaken him. My companion bore solid testimony as well as myself that, God loves him personally and knows Him personally and loves him.
We watched a church video with him, I didn’t even watch. I prayed so hard that Liam might just feel a twinge of the spirit testifying these things were true. In thatmoment I realized why I came on my mission. In that moment I wasn’t praying for my family, my companion, or me. I wasn't praying for myself to feel the spirit. I was praying for a stranger to feel what I have felt basically my whole life; that Gods love never wavers with us. We make mistakes, fall, and sin, turn our backs on Him. But, He willnever forsake us, not even in our most rebellious moments.
I realized I came here to do that, to share God’s love with everyone I saw. We ended our message and left with a prayer.
Liam is a big 18-year-old young man he started to cry, and I almost cried with him. I know the spirit is with me and that Liam felt it. I did my part sharing the message and now it's his part to act on his spiritual prompting. Hesaid he wanted us back and that he will investigate the things we said. I left our number and the website but he didn't want the Book of Mormon.
I've never wanted in my life for a stranger who I never met to read the Book of Mormon so bad. I love all of you and miss you but I wouldn't trade this for the world, I am meant to be here to change lives.
Zone Conference 
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