Blake-June 11, 2008

HEY HEY HEY…HOW’S IT GOING? THINGS ARE AWESOME HERE IN DC, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT IT IS FREAKING HOT AND HUMID. THE TEMPERATURE IS JUST BARELY OVER 100, BUT THE HUMIDITY IS SO HIGH THAT I REALLY CAN’T WALK OUTSIDE TO OUR CAR WITHOUT SWEATING. I’VE NEVER REALLY BEEN IN ANYTHING THIS BAD…GOOD THING WE GOT OUR AIR CONDITIONED CAR!! HAHA…I’M PRETTY DANG THANKFUL FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF DRIVING IN IT THIS WEEK…WE HAD TO GET SOME STUFF TAKEN CARE OF OVER IN CAPITOL HILL AND UP IN NORTHWEST DC ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, WHICH TOOK LOTS OF BOTH OF THOSE DAYS. WE HAVE BEEN TEACHING OUR RECENT CONVERTS THE NEW MEMBER LESSONS AND WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO SIFT THROUGH OUR OTHER INVESTIGATORS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. TIERSA ACCEPTED A BAPTISM DATE THIS WEEK AND WE’RE HOPING TO GET HER MOM ON THE BOAT WITH HER. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO…TIERSA IS SCHEDULED FOR THE 22 OF JUNE, SO WE’RE PRETTY PUMPED!! OTHER THAN THAT AND A GOOD FAMILY HOME EVENING AT THE STAKE PRESIDENT’S HOUSE THIS WEEKEND, WE HAD A COUPLE OF OTHER WILD EVENTS. ON THURSDAY ONE OF OUR ROOMMATES GOT JUMPED…HIS COMPANION, WHO IS A LITTLE TALLER, DIDN’T GET TOUCHED. ELDER WHITE GOT SURROUNDED BY ABOUT 10-12 FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD KIDS AND GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE ABOUT 10 TIMES. IT’S PRETTY BRUISED, BUT NO MAJOR DAMAGE WAS DONE…HE GAVE THEM ALL PASS-ALONG CARDS AFTERWARDS…HAHA. THEN ON SATURDAY THE ANACOSTIA DISTRICT DID A CAR WASH, WHICH WENT REALLY WELL. WE WASHED ABOUT 20 CARS AND GOT 13 SOLID REFERRALS FROM IT. A COUPLE OF US HELD SIGNS, WHILE 1 WAS INSIDE THE CHURCH BUILDING PROSELYTING, AND THE OTHERS WERE OUT WASHING THE CARS. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE FINDING ACTIVITIES I’VE PARTICIPATED IN ON MY MISSION. LET’S SEE: 1. THEY ONLY SIGN UP IF THEY REALLY WANT US TO COME 2. THEY HAVE A CAR!!! (THAT’S A BIG PLUS) 3. THEY KNOW WHAT THE CHURCH LOOKS LIKE AND HOW TO GET THERE IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT!! THEN ON SUNDAY WE CAME OUT OF STAKE CONFERENCE AND HAD A FLAT TIRE, SO WE HAD TO TAKE IT TO PEP BOYS ON MONDAY AND GET IT REPAIRED…IT WAS LOTS OF FUN TO CHANGE THE TIRE IN A SUIT IN THIS SUPER HOT AND HUMID WEATHER…NOT!! NO REALLY…IT WAS ONE OF THOSE EXPERIENCES THAT WASN’T VERY FUN IN THE MOMENT BUT NOW LOOKING BACK IT’S PRETTY COOL. ANYWAYS, LAST CRAZY EXPERIENCE OF THE WEEK, WHICH IS BY FAR THE CRAZIEST. YESTERDAY WE WENT UP TO SHADY GROVE HOSPITAL FOR ELDER COATS’ DOCTOR APPOINTMENT. WE WENT OUT TO LUNCH AFTERWARDS, THEN WENT TO THE MISSION OFFICE TO TAKE SOME EXTRA STUFF AND PICK UP SUPPLIES FOR OUR ZONE, AND THEN DOWN TO THE VISITOR’S CENTER TO DROP OFF SOME PAPER WORK. SO WE GET TO THE VISITOR’S CENTER A LITTLE AFTER 4:30, AND RIGHT AS WE TURN THE CORNER I SEE 2 VERY FAMILIAR TOUR BUSES. WE GO IN, AND I ASKED THE VISITOR’S CENTER DIRECTOR, ELDER CHILD, ABOUT THE TOUR BUSES. HE SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE FROM, BUT THAT THE MOVIE THEY WERE WATCHING WOULD BE OVER IN A FEW MINUTES. I TOLD HIM I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT I KNEW HALF OF THE PEOPLE DOWN IN THAT THEATER, SO HE TOLD ME TO STICK AROUND. WELL, I DID, AND IT WAS A PRETTY COOL, BUT TO BE HONEST, A MOSTLY AWKWARD EXPERIENCE. I GOT TO TALK TO A FEW PEOPLE FROM MY HOME WARD, MOSTLY YOUNGER SIBLINGS OF MY FRIENDS, AND THEN TOOK A PICTURE WITH A COUPLE OF THEM THAT STUCK AROUND. WE ONLY TALKED ABOUT 10 MINUTES, TOOK OUR PICTURE, AND THEN SPLIT, BUT IT WAS JUST CRAZY THAT THAT WOULD HAPPEN. IT WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM AND SOMETHING I WAS DEFINITELY NOT EXPECTING…IT WAS PRETTY COOL THOUGH. I’LL SEND THE PICTURE THAT WE TOOK…THAT’S ABOUT IT FOR THE WILD EXPERIENCES THIS WEEK. THIS COMING WEEK SHOULD BE AWESOME TOO AND HOPEFULLY WE’LL GET TO DO LOTS MORE TEACHING THAN THIS PAST WEEK…I LOVE YOU ALL TONS AND KNOW THAT THE GOSPEL IS TRUE AND THAT THIS WORK TRULY IS THE WORK OF THE LORD…HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!
LOVE,
ELDER BLAKE HARBER