It's Rainin' Pollen! Hallelujah!

Hmmm....

How is life everybody! I'm still livin' the dream, as always! So yesterday was probably the best Sunday I've had in the field! I got to talk to my mama and papa! How Rad! It was good to see your faces but seriously, I had everything planned out to what I was gonna say and then... blanked as soon as I saw you guys. I just didn't know what to say! I told   E l d e r  W o o d s  about that and he has the same problem. But yeah, it was great to see my mom on Mother's Day. I cherished the moment, I mean... yeah. You guys know what I mean.

So this week has been very slow. We were all over the place going to zone conference and driving to places and everything. We actually had a baptism this last Saturday for a little girl of the ward. Baptisms always renew a missionary's spirit! Later that day I had 2 interesting experiences...
1. Okay, so I eat hispanic food almost every day and they loooove their hot sauce! Like, they put it on everything and you don't know hot until you eat their homemade jalapeno sauce. Ridiculous! So anyways, that day we were eating a member's party, I put some Pica in my soup, and I was sweatin' bullets! So my companions told me to go inside and ask for some bottled water which I did. I came back and I had to finish my bowl. It's pretty much a rule. So my companions were cheering me on and I was sweatin' worse than before! It seriously felt like I swallowed Lava and my face was dipped in the fires of Mordor. No joke. Anyways, I finished it. It hurt to breathe, I kid you not. And then my companions told me they had added 3 spoonfuls of pica while I was gone into my soup! WHAAAAT!? So dumb....
2. So we met this guy named Michelangelo. Intense Right? He's from Argentina. We talked. We are gonna visit him again. Sweet.

I don't have much time to write anything today, but my spiritual thought is this: Stay Clean. Don't let Satan use your body against you. Respect yourselves and those around you and keep your thoughts virtuous. He will bless you for your efforts. Sorry this letter is weak in comparison to others, but I gotta Rock.

"It's impossible to follow Jesus Christ and not be happy. It just doesn't work that way". -E l d e r   W o o d s

It's true! When we follow Him, keeping our commandments and being just, we have NO reason not to be happy!

Click on images to  E N L A R G E

Haha, Este hogar es Catolico = This home is Catholic........ Challenge Accepted

A pine tree completely taken over by vines. Vines are errywhere!

Little wonder why they called it Greensboro

Sign in picture above enlarged below

Uh, yeah...that's North Carolina street signs for ya

"Always Stay Happy"

My Skypen' Face

JeHeez!

Pues, this week has been pretty cool, i guess. ;)

A few crazy things have happened so here we go. So on Tuesday, we were just having a normal Missionary day. We studied and ate and all that stuff and then at noon we went to go do some service. It's actually a very effective finding tool. :) Anyways, we were handed the norm mexican garden tools: an axe and a machete... Haha, man... So we went and we hacking at this garden for her that was just overgrown with weeds and vines. Now, knowing me and my cursed inability to use my hands effectively, I sort of shied away from using the sharp machete. I just kept picture in my head slicing off my finger and seeing it lying on the garden floor like Frodo or something... Anyways, I decided to give  E l d e r   W o o d s  to machete cuz he is pretty good at everything. Haha, bad choice. So I watched him do it. He looked down, saw a very large spider (there isn't any other kind here in NC) on his leg, and without thinking, smacked it with the machete. He missed the spider but found his leg and shin bone. Haha "Elders, I need stitches!" was the first thing he said. And he did. 9 in fact. Lol! So we drove to the emergency room and got that taken care of. But it took out our entire day and didn't even finish the service. Sad day. Haha.

There are SO many ghetto cruisers out here it's ridiculous! They are just like you see in the movies. All low in the back and shiny wheels with the front pumped up. Love it! haha, Which is completely opposite from the blacks who like their stuff super high with big ol' wheels. :D And while we are talking about things with wheels, Bikes. Oh my goodness. If anything else, let me describe my experience in one word: Hills. This place is FULL of them. Rolling Hills. We started using them because our miles on the car have been cut down. My behind is just killin' me! My companions are used to it. They'll make it to the top of the hill and then here come  E l d e r   H a n k i n s , Pantin' and sweatin', with the pedals squeakin trying to make it. Haha, man...

But hey, I'll have killer legs by the time I leave her. Which, btw, I decided to work out harder this week and told  E l d e r   W o o d s  to push me. Oh man... We have a bench press thing in our apartment and man I've felt the burn this week. Everyone is at a different plane of progression in every aspect and, well, let's just say my companions are on a higher plane than I at lifting weights. Haha, but I will get better! As  H e r m a n o   K e l l e r  said, "Nothing worthwhile is easy to obtain" and "A goal that isn't written down is only a wish". What a stud...

So last night in the middle of the night our phone just went off with the warning siren sound. It freaked me out. It was a flash flood warning. Haha, what in the world?! Too cool.

So also, this last week we went to a training in Charlotte and it was pretty sweet. I learned a lot. Something our mission always says is "We are atonement centered and baptism focused". We always stress developing attributes that we want to keep with us today, tomorrow, and forever. This week I really exercised my patience. It was another slow week and I learned that there is a difference between being upset and "divinely discontent" as  P r e s i d e n t   C r a v e n  puts it. Happiness is an attitude, not a condition. People say, "Well  E l d e r   H a n k i n s  is just always smiling. It isn't hard for him." It's actually hard sometimes. But I made a decision to be happy. To put that smile on my face and eventually I would be genuinely happy. I can be that source of optimism. It's contagious!

I've also learned that "When you know who you are, you act differently". It's totally true! Everyday I'm learning more and more about who I am and acting differently because of it. I'm a representative of Jesus Christ, the Son of God! Isn't that just something to awe about in and of itself? And as such, I need to conduct myself in the highest way I can.

OH! And my favorite saying we have developed: Let's eat our wheaties. Haha, basically means to say, "Let's review and evaluate" or "let's learn something awesome" or whatever is awesome. Haha, It's my favorite. :)

And finally, something I discovered is this: We fought for agency. I shouldn't be discouraged when other people practice it.

Anywho, it's been pretty fantastic this week. And what's with this Schuyler getting married shindig? I still can't get over that. Big gulps huh?

Whoever you are and where ever you are at, give 'em Heaven,

Invincible

Click on images to  E N L A R G E

I was eating a crawdad when...

"Say what...Gold Plates?!"

In the EM waiting room...

Hey, Mom!

"Aslan" reminds me of "Ren"

They call Carl's Jr.'s here Hardees...

Inside Our Mission "Ghetto Cruiser"

Giant Dresser? K...

Rockin the Helmet

Rolling Hills

Missions Are Sweet

So basically, this mission is the best thing of my life. I'm just livin' the dream out here. Building others up, learning new things about myself, and feeling the Lord's atonement playing an active role in every aspect of my life.

Okay, I got lots of stuff to say, so here we gooooo! (Mario)

There is Pollen. It's seriously like snow out here. I'll wake up and see a layer of yellow pollen on our cars and on the ground. When we are walking or tracting, my shoes turn yellow! It's incredible. And with pollen comes allergies. I'm basically dying. Not really. ;) But yeah I haven't been able to smell since I got here! Oh the hardships! Haha. Anyways, yeah there are bumblebees the size of T-Rexs and soon there will be fireflies. I'm looking forward to that!

There isn't a single person here that doesn't own a dog. And 95 percent of those dogs are... Pittbulls... Haha, Seriously everywhere! Most of them are chained up, but when they come chasing after you and you don't know they are chained up, you pretty much... well... let's just say, I'm glad I have dark pants. There are also A gazillion cardinals around here. Seriously, the prettiest bird eva! But Bald Eagles are still my favorite.

So... We have a bit of a food dilemma... Not that I can't make food or that we don't have enough, but that we are being fed too much! There is a rule that you never say no to members. EVER. And pretty much every night we get fed by a member. The thing is, hispanics are so nice, even if they are an investigator or a less active we are visiting, they insist on feeding you! You can't say no. Hispanics get offended far too easily, as  H e r m a n a   P l a t t  told me. So yeah, there has been many a time already that I'll eat at a less actives home, and they will PILE the food on me, and then I'll drive to another's house and go through the same process. Luckily, we work out hard in the mornings or I would be one big tub of mess...

So the other week we were walking back from a lesson and were walking fairly close to the projects, a.k.a the hood. As we were walking, we could hear this funky soul music from a far. We turned a corner and this black guy had HUGE speakers on his porch and he was just BLASTING it! hahaha, and he was just sittin' there bobbin' his head and mouthing the words. There were other people sittin' on their porches listening and eating too. We walked by and decided to share a scripture on music. He liked it and we just kept walking. Oh the South. I like it. Neighborhood MC's.

So my name is harder to pronounce for these hispanics than I thought. The hard H and A really throw them off. They say something like Onkeenz. So several of the members have taken to calling me Elder H. I can only imagine how tough it must be for  E l d e r   E n g e b r e t s e n !

The south is pretty nice, but the white people are so rude. Out of all the people that have rejected us, the white people are the harshest. One time we were walking and we saw this lady (white) helping a family (asian) and we walked by and simply said, "Hey, how's your day going!?" and she turned to us and said, "We are Christians. This family does not want to hear your 'message' (with sarcasm). Can you respect that?" I was so close to saying, "Well I don't know, can you respect me first?" But I just look at it as they aren't prepared yet. The Lord is still molding them.

There are all sorts of religions here, even Muslim. We have run into a few people from Pakistan and what not, so that's cool. The rule is to not preach super close to a church, but that's IMPOSSIBLE in the south. haha!

So I have some quotes from my companion,  E l d e r   W o o d s , that I wanna share:
1. Obedience is the only real way to be free. That's where real happiness comes in.
2. The atonement is a gift. If you throw it away, be prepared to get punched in the throat.
He also picked up a spider one night, and he was all, "I'm gonna flush ya, Elder - I mean Spider". Hahaha.

So I had this embarrassing experience... we were teaching one our investigators, and this guy is legit. He comes to church every week, he reads, he does basically everything. We were teaching him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and specifically, Enduring to the End. I had the perfect scripture. I had him read it, and... it was the wrong scripture. I told him that this scripture would tell him the blessings of Enduring to the End, and... well... the scripture I actually had him read was something about being lost to Satan... Dang it. I'm still new! Still learning!

So I've had a few analogies come into my head. Specifically with Lord of the Rings. Firstly, Frodo and Sam were missionaries and Gollum was their investigator. The ring was his addiction. They were able to help him change and become truly happy. Granted, he does turn evil and try to kill them again, but still! Frodo had mercy. He had CHARITY. He didn't look over him and deem him a lost cause. Also, Sauron (satan) is in fear of the Return of the King (savior) and he is doing everything he can. Sauron was taking over. It seemed like there was no hope. But good ALWAYS overcomes evil. We can choose to be on the winning side. We know who is going to win in this fight.

I've learned a lot about the priesthood this week. I've learned that we stay worthy of that priesthood when we live the principles of righteousness. Mercy isn't just forgiveness of sins. Mercy can be seen in everything. We receive mercy when we receive an answer to our prayers or, like I just said, can hold the priesthood. He is all-merciful. Because He did what He did, we can be that way.

Charity is probably the biggest commandment. When you think about it, the atonement is an act of Charity. The GREATEST act of charity on this earth. Christ exemplified all aspects: kindness, long-suffering, meekness, service, rejoicing in the truth. It was the greatest act of charity this universe has ever seen. And then we remember his counsel... "There is no greater love than this, that a man layeth down his life for his friends". True Love. Charity. It's everything. We need to use this miraculous gift. The Lord is so happy when you use it. Look at D&C 18:10-13. He rejoiceth! I mean think about it, if you went through a lot of effort to give something to someone you know they need, you'd want them to use it, right? You'd be happy when they use it, right? Man, I get so excited when I talk about the atonement. :D

Anywho, I gotta get goin. P-Day is busy busy. Oh! BTW. I have found my true love: Oatmeal Cream Pies. I wouldn't be heartbroken if I found a box of them sent to me... ;)

Love all y'all!

"We've had one yes, what about second breakfast" Or dinner in my case...

Soooooooooooooo Green!

North Carolina is so awesome! Have you ever been to North Carolina? It's soooooooooooooo green! Seriously, a tree every square foot or less.

The Raleigh  Temple is right outside my mission, so I can't go to it. Kinda bummed about that.

P-day is the only down time we have. We will be working all day and have 10 minutes until 9 o'clock, but we stay obedient and knock doors those last 10 minutes. I'm learning a lot about discipline out here. This mission really is teaching me how to be a man. I mean, I'm even shopping and cooking for myself! Who would have guessed it!

Not gonna lie, I was nervous first, but now I'm lovin' it! I love teaching real people. These hispanics are much kinder than anyone else. It doesn't matter how religious they are, they will let you in or give you a soda or at least talk to you.

The only lame part is my branch. It is so small!! There is no organist and our priesthood consists of maybe 15 men. That's generous actually. But we are meeting with inactives a lot and were able to get 3 inactive families to come to church this Sunday. Sometimes I feel like we are doing everything for the ward and can't focus as much on bringing others unto Christ. It's frustrating, but ya know, that's missionary work for ya!

Btw, we just got done bowling and I bowled a 112. That's not terrible! One of my companions bowled a 168 though...whatever.

I want to get a  Duke  Blue  Devils  shirt. I've always liked them, but now I have a legit reason to like them. :)

Anyways, I love you beyond belief!

Find someone in need and help them.  :)