Elder Nathan S Moser: Temple Trip and Craziness

Friends! Family! Other people!

The work is slowly progressing here in Washington! Getting new investigators is not easy in small secluded towns, but we have managed to meet a few new people within the last week. Also, I always notice the stupid grammatical errors in my letters after I send them, but ain't no one got time for spellcheck. So please forgive me.

Last Tuesday, I were on exchanges with the Omak Elders again. But this time, I was with Elder Colunga. So far, I've gotten along really well with every missionary I have had to work with, and Elder Colunga was no different. Most of our day was spent tracting, trying to follow up with investigators that weren't home, and trying to stay warm in the freezing weather. There isn't any snow yet, but the wind will kill you. Anyways, our day was extremely average until our dinner appointment came. We were scheduled to eat with a young couple with two kids, and they totally forgot until we knocked on their door. They were also in the process of putting up a Christmas tree and all that jazz, so we caught them at a bad time. I felt bad, but we helped them get set up and they made us some spaghetti anyways. I spent the rest of the time talking with the family and making pretend soups with their 3 year old son, Owen. It was a blast.

When I was back in Coulee Dam that night, I needed to do laundry but didn't have any quarters, so Elder Coy and I ran back to the store to get some. While we were standing in line, I noticed a man with a bag full of liquor shots staring at our tags. He came up to us and explained how he had taken a tour of temple square the previous week with his family and was very impressed by the Mormon Church. He said that he was especially interested in missionary work, and while he was there he learned how we are called, what we do, etc. He finished by saying that we are doing a "dang" good job and that he hopes to see us around town. Heavenly Father prepares everyone in different ways and it is so cool to see how he gets you to cross paths with those that are willing to hear your message.

Elder Coy had an ear infection Wednesday night, which was not fun for either of us. We were in by 5:00 because he had a really bad headache, so I basically just sat around and watched some church videos. Missionary apartments are not designed for entertainment. They are only for studying, sleeping, and eating. And in our case, we don't even have a trash can. So trying to keep your mind from turning into mush when you have to stay inside is rough. That is why missionaries have to stay engaged in the work. If you don't get out and teach, things will get boring quickly.

Friday was our zone temple trip! We had a member, Brother Bond, drive us all the way down to the Columbia River Temple in Kennewick. Going to the temple as a mission zone is a special experience. The spirit is extra strong. It's also nice to have the opportunity to interact with the other missionaries, because being a missionary in Coulee Dam means that the nearest companionship is an hour away. Going to the Temple is something that we only get to do every 6 months, so I was grateful for the opportunity.

That night, we met with a man who Elder Coy had met while knocking doors before I came here. This was only Elder Coy's second time seeing him, because he works odd hours. He is an amazing guy. He told us about how a little while ago, he and his girlfriend used to drink, smoke, and do every drug imaginable; but one morning, he woke up and told his girlfriend that he didn't want to live like that anymore. So that day, he drained all of his alcohol and threw away all of the drugs and paraphernalia. He also tacked a sign to a tree that says, "there is always hope", and its been there ever since. He said that it was that easy for him to quit abusing drugs and alcohol, and that he is now devoting his time to helping others in the community to do the same. He is the perfect example of action. If we all acted on our promptings the way he did with his to change his life, imagine how much better our lives would be! God has already shown miracles in his life, and I can't wait to teach him tomorrow about the plan our Heavenly Father has for him.

On Saturday, Brother Bond went with us to help move a family in town. It took a few hours of heavy lifting, and by the end of the first load, Elder Coy's elbows were toast. So in order to make it to our dinner appointment on time, Brother Bond and I summoned the strength of 1,000 oxen and moved 2 washers, 2 dryers, a canoe, and all manner of miscellaneous heavy things in record time. After that, we had to rush to Sister Bashor's house to make it on time. Sister Bashor is a sweet old lady with a thick Ecuadorian accent that the missionaries found a few years ago. She made us some delicious chicken and rice stuff. She said that next time she will make pasole, and I'm pretty amped about that.

We met some strange people this week, including one lady that was drunk and wanted us for something other than the gospel, and a man that is a recent convert but won't come back to church because the bishop stole 375 million dollars from him. Yep.