Hello...my name is still Elder McNinch,
This week sounds like it was a lot of fun for you guys. This week was
pretty good for me as well. I am happy to report that all of the biking was not
in vain. We now drive one of the four trucks that are in the mission! It is a
beautiful thing! Anyways, this past week was a little crazy. We had to move
out of the McDonald's house temporarily because they are having that family
reunion, so we are now residing at the Branch President's house. Boy oh boy do
we love it there. Sister Schwerin (Branch President's wife) is probably one of
the kindest ladies that you'll ever meet. She also loves to
share...everything. I think that I have eaten more food in the 4 days than I
did all last week. That includes all of fast Sunday as well.
Anyways...now on
to cool things that happened this week.
We were out tracting in the boonies on Wednesday when we came to this
really run down house. We saw a bunch of tv's sitting out on the front porch
and thought, "Hey, our investigator's tv just broke. I wonder if this guy is
going to give those tv's away." So we went up to talk to him. Oh goodness.
His name was Don Sylvia. He was a hoot. Turns out that he was a tv repair man
back in the day before he retired. Well, when he retired he still had a bunch
of people's tv's that he was fixing in his garage. He planned to just give them
back one by one after he had fixed them, receive his payment, and be that much
closer to being done working. Well, none of them came back to pick up their
tv's after he had fixed them. Some of them have been sitting for 10 years! He
showed us all the tv's that he had in the house and it was ridiculous. Some 20
odd televisions that he had repaired and were just sitting there. We asked what
he was going to do with all those tv's. He said, "All THESE tv's? THESE tv's
aren't the problem. It's THOSE tv's out there that are the problem." He then
took us out to two different workshops out on his property in the which were
over 200 television sets each! A sea of televisions. I'll have to take
pictures the next time that we go out there. It was ridiculous. To make a long
story short he is going to sell our investigators a tv for really cheap. Tender
mercies? I think so.
Friday I got to exchange with the zone leaders, so I was back in
Longview. It was really weird to be back in an old area. All of the members
that we went by to see remembered me, so that was pretty cool. I got to eat
dinner at CiCi's pizza which always brings back good memories from New Mexico.
Just wish that I was allowed to go in and play the arcade games like Dad and I
used to play. But alas, I am a missionary and probably shouldn't play games
that you have to kill everyone that pops out at you to win the game. My first
thought when someone pops out at me is, "They need the gospel too, right?"
Saturday we exchanged back and that is when we got the truck. Ever
since then we have been the talk of the town. We actually fit in now, it's kind
of funny. People respect us a lot more just because we drive a truck. Ha ha
ha. It almost makes me want to get boots just to see people's reaction. But
then I think to myself, "Worth it?....NAH!" Saturday was also the day that we
got to meet with Vanessa Mothersell again. She was the lady that we saw in the
hair salon that said, "Are y'all Mormon missionaries? I think that y'all have a
book I need." Well, she and her 3 children decided that it was time to get
going with the lessons again. I couldn't have been more over-joyed. As we left
the appointment the youngest of her children asked, "Umm...so when are we
getting baptized?" Ha ha ha. I love being a missionary.
Sundays always seem to be the best around here. We had 15
investigators come to church. That is the most that I have ever seen in my
entire mission. On top of that we had one of them go up and bear his testimony
of what he had been taught. He said, "I'm a little different than most people.
A bit more country than most folks. I don't understand any of them fancy
scriptural words or nothing, so don't expect me to use any of those today. I
might not be the smartest man in the world, but I know when something's right or
true. I know that what the missionaries have taught me is true. I know that
what they teach changes peoples' lives. It's changed mine forever, and I thank
them for that. I love them more than they know." As I sat there just bawling
away I remembered the quote by Brigham Young about "a man without
eloquence." It was one of those experiences that you just can't accurately
describe. At least in attempting you don't do it justice. I wish that y'all
could have been there to see him.
This week is going to be even better. John Jacklick is getting
baptized on Saturday and I just can't wait. I will have to tell y'all about it
next week. Stay safe while you are up in Wyoming. Don't let Alisha ride the
ATV. Tell Shannon that she is a poophead and I miss her. Tell all the kids
that I miss them and love them.
Tell the WHOLE family that I love and miss
them. Can't wait to talk to you next week, still as ELDER MCNINCH.
Love,
ELDER MCNINCH
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