This is Elder Maupin from St. Anthony. He's the bigger one and my District Leader.
Then there is the skinny Elder Phillips from East Wenatchee...he played Walla Walla a lot when he played for Moses Lake in basketball. He's my favorite of the guys I live with.
This is Elder Provard from West Jordan....not too far
Another little puppy that always follows me around whenever I am in the trailer park.
This is Elder Varela from Moreno Valley, California. I was with him for 2 weeks in Farmington before I got switched Spanish. He crashed into me on bikes our 1st day together and he flew like 20 feet, it was insane.
Some cool little arches that people made around here.
Thats my izzzit shirt....we went hiking today and all the Natives say izzzit...and actually say I know without trying so I'm native.
Thats one side of the canyon.....
.....and the opposite.
Elder Maupin "the pack horse" holding down the rope so we can kinda repel down the side to get to the ruins.
There's the rope descending....it wasn't that steep.
Some really old ruins....probably kivas of the Gadianton robbers
Me in shooting form. I could just see myself hiding up there from opposing armies and stuff...
I have started to grab hold of a little twang in my speech here. There are tons of Jeff Foxworthy type of rednecks here its so funny but kinda scary. The other day we helped move this massive fridge into a different trailer and the wife was waving around with a big .45 magnum and a cigarette in the mouth just cause she can. Hopefully it wasnt loaded but oh well. Then I saw one of the best signs of my mission so far that just kinda explains people that live in the country around this area. I need to take a picture of it but it said...."I'm here unless I'm haulin moonshine to Dove Creek." That sign is serious to, it isn't a joke. Dove Creek is a little town in Colorado with a bunch of rednecks and old people like Cortez. I'm still trying to get used to houses bigger then 15 sq. ft. and lots of food. My companion and I took a bit of time for him to show me where all the members live and our area a bit.....ya it took like 1 hour total. On foot. I swear I don't feel like a missionary here sometimes. I cross 2 streets and find out I crossed 2 ward boundaries. I have no idea why there are 8 missionaries here. Kinda ridiculous. We've been handing out a ton of Book of Mormons to people though. I ask EVERYONE if they want one. My companion is really self conscious and scared to talk to people and struggles hard so he has never knocked on doors around here until I came to kick his behind in to gear. About half of 1 of the wards we cover is Navajo and trailer park so I feel a lot more comfortable going over there. Many missionaries that are in Blanding have never been to the reservation and they are scared to go into the trailer parks or around all of the Natives its embarrassing to me. my companion just kinda sits back and enjoys the ride when I walk over there....which is ok cause I love to talk and I love to talk to natives. We have handed out 37 Book of Mormons so far this transfer....all but 1 or 2 to Navajos.
We had stake conference this week as well and Elder Villareale of the seventy (I think its how he spells it) was here. He is from Mclaren? Texas. He was a mission President in Bogota, Colombia. He's aweosme, by far one of the most entertaining speakers I have ever listened to besides Elder Holland. He mentioned a couple of things I would like to share. First, he is a convert to the church and he is a commercial builder. He said when he was about 21, only a couple of years into the church he was talking to some people that owned a hotel where the General Authorities come when they speak in that area. They were coming that week to speak at their conference. Its an Embassy hotel, the nicest and most expensive one in that area. He knew that they rented out the most expensive floor with the suites and the rooms above them and below them as well. He found that kinda of fishy naturally and wondered why the church would spend all that money just for 1 night for them. But he said that "the church is true so I don't need to worry about it." He blew it off and didn't think anymore of it. 18 years later he met a man when he was a mission President that actaully owned all the Embassy Hotels across the country. He asked the man about that situation and why the church paid so much money to stay for 1 night. The man said that he lets them stay in all of his hotels for free and he gives them the nicest floor and the rooms above and below them so nobody will bother them. Ohhhhhh....Elder Villaraelle said he could have taken offense to that so many years ago and made a big deal out of it, when come to find out it was someone being kind and hospitable to the leaders of Christ's church.
The other quick one was he said that he was in his work office at in Texas one day and at his office he ALWAYS leaves the door open for anyone at any time. The door is never closed. One day though he said his secretary came in and closed the door....immediately he knew something was wrong and he noticed that she had been crying. She walks up to him and says...I have a big problem but I can't tell you what it is. Elder Villareale just asked her..."does your problem have anything to do with your salvation?" She said...no. Then he stated...."then its not a problem." She then just turned around and walked out all happy. Awesome little story. Amazing how many "problems" we think we have when in reality they are just insignificant things in our worldly lives that should have 0 weight on our journey to become like our Heavenly Father. Good stuff. Go Broncos.
Love Elder Christensen
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