September 20, 2010 Letter

Hey Family,

     So yes I got that wonderful package!  Thank you for all the letters!  All your stories are hilarious!!!  Patrick, your picture that you drew is hanging up on my wall...just so you know.

So this week has been pretty crazy.  I got my first blessing, first home dedication, and my first ordination to the priesthood. So my first blessing was to help J.  He broke his foot recently and asked for a blessing to help him heal.  He can't work so he can't pay for his truck. That was a really cool experience.  You seriously just go into it not knowing what you are supposed to say and then...the blessing is over. 

The home dedication was at a family called the F.  The dad and mom had been struggling with things for a while but have finally fixed everything and come back to church.  The dad didn't have the priesthood yet so he asked me to dedicate the home. The son of the family is the one that we are working with.  During the parents inactivity he was never baptized and is kinda hardhearted towards the church.  

So my first priesthood ordination was yesterday.  This kid Jose got baptized like three months ago and was going to be getting the Aaronic priesthood.  President Walker pulled me out of Elder's Quorum to be apart of the circle.  I asked him right up front, "I'm not doing the ordination, right?"  He goes," No no.  We just want you part of it so that he remembers."  We get in there and President Marble asks him who he wants to ordain him.  He looked straight at me and said," Can he do it?!?"  Goodness.  

So last but not least is my surprise underwear door knock.  OH DEAR.  So we're out tracting and this girl answers the door in seriously her bra and thong.  When she answered I just looked up at the doorframe and was like..."We're missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, would you like to go put some clothes on?" (said as fast as I could)  She goes, "ugh (teenage sigh) you're just like my dad."  I was thinking in my head...WHAT?!?!  So she goes back and puts on this little tiny robe which only made things worse, so we were just like obviously you are busy so we'll just come back another time.

On a more positive note we found 4 new investigators so that is cool.  We've begun the discussions with all of them so we'll see how it goes.  I'll send ya'll updates next letter.  

Okay so my favorite scripture is Ether 12:4, I like long walks on the beach, and going to the temple. (ad for a Mormon dating site)  So I got an e-mail from Zach.  He'll be out a year in October...weird.  Jordan is almost done.  More weird.  I'll have been out almost 2 months on wed.  It's cool though.  Tell Taylor I'm dang proud of him and that he is a baller.  

Alright so I need you, DAD, to send me my line of priesthood authority so that Jose can have that. =) and...that's about it.  

I hope Shannon got my most recent letter...please write back when you do get it.

I love ya'll and hope that all is well,

-Elder Michael McNinch

September 13, 2010 Letter

Dear Family,

     There have been two tornado warnings this week and a tropical storm that came through...guess who tracted through all of it...yeah that would be me.  So this week has been kinda crazy.  The president came out with a new challenge.  It's to be a 14 point missionary.  You get 1 point a day for 10 contacts.  That means to get 14 points in a week as a companionship we need to make 140 contacts a week!  Yeah, that's crazy.

     So today was interesting.  I got hit by a car again.  No I am not kidding you.  This is the fourth time in my life that I have been hit by a car.  We were running past this "T" intersection and there was this lady in a mustang coming towards us.  I was out in front because Elder Harrison doesn't like to run.  Anyway so she didn't have a turn signal on so I thought that I was good to go.  Well I'm like in the middle of the street crossing and she turns!  I jumped forward to beat it and the front right fender caught my left ankle and flipped me onto the grassy patch in front of me.                      

     So yeah that was fun.  Other than that this week was relatively boring.  That lady C still wants her baptism date on May 1st so...YAY I have a baptism for next year planned!....We found a new investigator though.  His name is Joe.  He is a refferal from a couple of sister missionaries.  He is like my size, black, and buff as can be.  He's a Jehovah's Whitness so it's really weird that he would want to talk to us...we'll see how the next visit goes.  Sorry this is so short but I have to go.

Love you all,

-Elder Michael McNinch

September 4, 2010 Letter

Hey ya'll

     So the libraries are closed on Monday because of the holiday so I have to write today.  We have TWO baptisms today!!! So sweet!  One kid's name is L). So the other kid is Jo and he's the giant. He's so big that we had to go into Allen to get some baptismal clothes for him because the church in our area didn't have a big enough clothes.  He's a XXL as a thirteen year old.

     So we met this lady yesterday.  Her name is C.  She has been coming to church for the past couple weeks and wanted to take some more lessons from the missionaries.  We didn't know that she hadn't taken any prior to our visit with her.  We challenged her to be baptized and she accepted!!!  The only problem is that when we said okay well we'd like to set a date so you can have a goal in mind and be baptized on that day, she said, "MAY 1ST!!!"  We were like....May 1st?  We're thinking in our heads....that's like 8 months away.  She is so set on May 1st we don't know what we're going to do.

     I went on exchanges with Elder Davis this week, (Elder that was in my district in the MTC) because my comp had to go to a leadership training for three days.  We met one of Elder Davis' investigators.  His name is T.  T is so tight!  He knows everything from the Bible.  I MEAN EVERYTHING!  Symbolisms, laws, you name it.  He didn't think that any of the churches were performing ordinances and rituals correctly.  He decided that he was going to live every law that he could find in the Bible and that would bring him closer to God.  He lives everything from the Mosaic Law to the Code of the Nazerite.  He's so awesome.  I don't think that he sacrifices anymore...we kind of convinced him that it wasn't necessary anymore because of Christ's sacrifice....that was a fun conversation.  So he's talking with the bishop and should get baptized soon.

     We also met another one of Davis' contacts, Sister Y.  Sister Y believes everything about the Gospel but the word of wisdom.  She will not give up her alcohol and cigarettes.  She is HILARIOUS!!!  Wow she is the biggest Republican that I have ever met.  She gave Elder Davis a box that said "DON'T FEED THE ANIMAL"  inside was a black pet rock with googly eyes...she calls it her pet "BARROCK" HA HA HA HA HA!!!  Wow some people are just so crazy here that you have to love them.  She called me handsome as well, and ya know... coming from a 65 year old alcoholic and chain smoker I thought that it wouldn't be as flattering... but she was just so nice about it. Ha ha ha I'm just playin!  But really, she did call me handsome.

     But that's about it for this week.  I'm excited for the baptisms today.  I miss you all so much.  I wish you could serve a mission with your family.  That'd be so fun!  Love you all!

-Elder McNinja (nickname given to me by everyone who can't say our last name)

PS- Send me Music!!!  I need Benton Paul- Look For the Light; Andy McKee- Rylynn, Africa, Art of Motion, For My Father, Drifting, and Into the Ocean; Ben Harper- Forever and Walk Away; City and Colour- Forgive Me, Confessions, and The Death of Me.  Kaite Borden should have most of them except for the Andy McKee ones.  These songs are okayed by the president. =)