N's email 5/18/2015

area: Baytown Ward (Texas)
zone: Pasadena
companion: Elder Leftwich

This week was busy and interesting, but also good. Transfers being on Monday made the first week in a new area better because you don't miss basically 2 days of week 1, but it also makes p-day super confusing and busy. I guess that's how missions are though.

I'm super grateful that I'm able to serve with Elder Leftwich! He's a great missionary and knows so much about the scriptures and teaching from them. My companionship studies have definitely improved because I'm with him.

Baytown is super great. All the members I've met so far are very missionary minded and are excited to share what they know with their friends. We've found going over "the importance of members" section in chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel with the members really brings the Spirit and gives them guidance. We also have asked them to volunteer us (missionaries) to their neighbors and friends for service after going over the "go about doing good" section in the same chapter. Brother Files, the ward mission leader, is incredible at his calling. The best I've ever seen. He loves the missionaries, fulfills all his responsibilities, and definitely magnifies his calling. He also reminds me of my grandpa.

Quick Story:

We got a text from a guy on Tuesday asking if we could have dinner with him. We had already had dinner so we said "no thanks, but we'd love to meet up." So he texted back "sure, meet me at Buc-ees (Texas sized gas station (96 pumps (I think)) in 10 minutes." We ran, got in the car, and raced up there. On our way we got a text from the Port Arthur Elders saying some guy would text us, and that he was super nice, loves the missionaries, and would buy us anything. When we got to Buc-ees we met him outside and he introduced himself as Derek, we took a couple pictures and set up a lunch for the next day.

At lunch Derek tells his story that he met missionaries a while back, took all 5 lessons, and doesn't agree with our doctrine (he's a Pentecostal), but he loves the missionaries, and because he works for a security company that takes care of the security systems in a bunch of banks around the Houston area, whenever he's in an area he tries to meet the missionaries there. He's had a meal with about half the missionaries in T.H.E. mission. He'll also buy missionaries whatever they want because he makes pretty good money, doesn't have any loans he's paying off, he's 22, and he's Pentecostal (who have stricter rules than Mormons) so he doesn't use it on himself.

We also had lunch with him again today.

I love all of you. But I love Jesus Christ more. And this is where He wants me. So this is where I want to be.