Family!
Sorry for not emailing on
Monday! I wasn't aware that P-day got pushed back to Wednesday on
transfer week, but now I know... Anyways, I got the call this morning,
and both Elder Graf and I are staying here in Dayton. This
is what Elder Graf and I figured, because I’m still in training. We will
be getting two more Spanish missionaries in this area tomorrow, so the
area will most likely split, so there will still be changes, even if we aren't
leaving.
Well, this past week I
got to go on two different exchanges in different areas, which means that I was
an English speaking missionary for two days! It was weird. The
first exchange I went on was with our zone leader Elder Elquist. We did a
lot of walking in the humid weather (last week had some of the most humid days
I've had here), and we talked to a guy about how his baptism would go. I
haven't got to do that yet, so that was cool. My second exchange was on
Monday with Elder Sunderland, and we went down to Dayton for that
one. I had a member teach me what a buckeye is during my time
there. Basically it is a poisonous nut covered in a spiky shell.
The member thought it was funny that the state mascot of Ohio was "a
useless nut" (his words, not mine). I also got to offer a home
dedication while down in Dayton, so that was pretty cool. It was in
English though, so that diminished it's coolness by a bit. =)
Last Friday we had a
meeting especially for the Spanish speaking missionaries. It was
specifically geared to help us better understand the nature of Spanish work in
a predominantly English-speaking area. It was amazing! President Porter
shared some scripture for us for a while, and then our Spanish zone leader
Elder Coranza (who is the only native speaker in the mission) led the rest of
the meeting. I learned a lot about how to better connect with the people
and how to adapt to their culture. We were given a strict charge from
President Porter that from that day forth we were to be Hispanic and no longer
Gringos. So yes, you are currently reading words written by the Hispanic
version of Elder Foote... But seriously, I think this will really help
me. It will force me to be more outgoing and it will help me to learn the
language better.
We had a branch picnic
last Saturday, and it was a lot of fun getting to know the members
better. Our investigators that were supposed to be coming didn't end up
making it, which was a huge bummer, but we still had a good time. I got
to try some super spicy chorizo, but since I'm Hispanic now, it didn't burn my
tongue at all! (I wish...)
We found an amazing
new investigator this past week. She is probably the most prepared person
I have met, and I couldn't even believe how blessed we were to find her.
She has a ton of questions, and we are so excited to meet with her in a few
days!
That's about all I've
got to report for this week. I hope everything is going well at
home. Thanks for all of the emails and letters! Happy Birthday on
Sunday Trevor, hope it goes great!
Love,
Elder Foote