Dear Family & Friends,
This week has become immeasurably better than the previous 2 weeks. I finished my final dose of Doxycycline Hyclate, and I'm not walking around with a headache/feeling nauseous 24/7! The Lyme Disease is hopefully out of my system, but I don't know until I go see the Doctor.
Monday: We played Monopoly with the Salem Elders again. I lost horribly this time. I kept landing on the "go to jail" space and by the time I finally got past the "go to jail" space, everything had already been purchased. I lost all of my money and the 2 properties I had bought before I landed on the "go to jail". I didn't mind though, I hadn't finished emailing so I went and did that.
Tuesday: We went and visited a lot of people. A lot of them cried... Elder S cried... We ate at least 5 dinners, and our phone was like unto Grand Central Station. It was like every member in the ward and their dog was trying to get us to come eat at their house. I felt kinda sick at the end of the day, but there had been a lot of fantastic foods!
Wednesday: Last day with Elder S! We spent most of it cleaning our apartment and sending some of his stuff home. Then we went to a party for Elder S. I caught a trapdoor spider, and had a blast scaring Elder S with it!
Thursday: Transfers was today. We got to Springfield 2 hours before the Transfer Van got there, so we went to the Bass Pro Shop with the member we rode down with. We had a blast looking at the Animals that were on display. They had a live Alligator Snapping Turtle that was 3-feet in Diameter! It was in a tank with two 5-foot Alligator Gar!
Elder S went to Tulsa and my new companion, Elder D, came here. He's about 6'4", but I'm still taller with my 6'6". I can't believe I grew another inch since I came out here! Some of pants aren't long enough to touch my shoes, I would better describe them as "waders". I say "some" because I went and bought some longer pants. I wonder if there is a good way to get shorter...
Friday: We saw a bunch of people, and got a bunch of referrals! All in all, it was a really busy day! I had to go off of my memory of where everything is, because Elder S had a GPS. When he left, it went with him. We got lost a couple times during the day, but nothing too serious!
Saturday: We were driving out in the boonies trying to find a referral's house, without the help of a GPS. We were seriously and utterly lost. As we drove past a pond we saw a bunch of swans, some turtles, a squirrel, and an Alligator. We stopped and looked at the Alligator. It was basking on a concrete slab next to the pond with it's jaws open and eyes closed. The Gator was about 4 feet long, but we couldn't get a closer look cuz the pond was surrounded by a fence and a "NO TRESPASSING!" sign. I didn't think that gators were this far north... I'm gonna be a little more cautious around murky ponds and rivers from now on. Eventually we found County road and got back to town.
Sunday: Elder D got a wonderful (he left out the word... guess! surprise, maybe?)! Our ward's Bishopric is out of town, and the High Priest Leader likes to pick on the missionaries. Elder D got called on to: pray for Sunday School and Priesthood, tell everyone where he's from and bear his testimony in Sacrament, Sunday School, and Priesthood. I would have let it be after Sacrament meeting, but it was great to watch him testify under pressure.
Plans for Today(Monday): Chill with Elder D, maybe go Hiking...
I love being a Missionary, and I can't imagine anywhere else I would rather be right now! I feel the spirit on a daily basis, and I see our Heavenly Father's had in all things. I know he loves his children, and he desires all of them to return to him. I am so grateful that I have been called to help bring the lost sheep back into the fold! I love the people I serve, and I know that this is where I need to be.
Love, Elder Hegsted
This week has become immeasurably better than the previous 2 weeks. I finished my final dose of Doxycycline Hyclate, and I'm not walking around with a headache/feeling nauseous 24/7! The Lyme Disease is hopefully out of my system, but I don't know until I go see the Doctor.
Monday: We played Monopoly with the Salem Elders again. I lost horribly this time. I kept landing on the "go to jail" space and by the time I finally got past the "go to jail" space, everything had already been purchased. I lost all of my money and the 2 properties I had bought before I landed on the "go to jail". I didn't mind though, I hadn't finished emailing so I went and did that.
Tuesday: We went and visited a lot of people. A lot of them cried... Elder S cried... We ate at least 5 dinners, and our phone was like unto Grand Central Station. It was like every member in the ward and their dog was trying to get us to come eat at their house. I felt kinda sick at the end of the day, but there had been a lot of fantastic foods!
Wednesday: Last day with Elder S! We spent most of it cleaning our apartment and sending some of his stuff home. Then we went to a party for Elder S. I caught a trapdoor spider, and had a blast scaring Elder S with it!
Thursday: Transfers was today. We got to Springfield 2 hours before the Transfer Van got there, so we went to the Bass Pro Shop with the member we rode down with. We had a blast looking at the Animals that were on display. They had a live Alligator Snapping Turtle that was 3-feet in Diameter! It was in a tank with two 5-foot Alligator Gar!
Elder S went to Tulsa and my new companion, Elder D, came here. He's about 6'4", but I'm still taller with my 6'6". I can't believe I grew another inch since I came out here! Some of pants aren't long enough to touch my shoes, I would better describe them as "waders". I say "some" because I went and bought some longer pants. I wonder if there is a good way to get shorter...
Friday: We saw a bunch of people, and got a bunch of referrals! All in all, it was a really busy day! I had to go off of my memory of where everything is, because Elder S had a GPS. When he left, it went with him. We got lost a couple times during the day, but nothing too serious!
Saturday: We were driving out in the boonies trying to find a referral's house, without the help of a GPS. We were seriously and utterly lost. As we drove past a pond we saw a bunch of swans, some turtles, a squirrel, and an Alligator. We stopped and looked at the Alligator. It was basking on a concrete slab next to the pond with it's jaws open and eyes closed. The Gator was about 4 feet long, but we couldn't get a closer look cuz the pond was surrounded by a fence and a "NO TRESPASSING!" sign. I didn't think that gators were this far north... I'm gonna be a little more cautious around murky ponds and rivers from now on. Eventually we found County road and got back to town.
Sunday: Elder D got a wonderful (he left out the word... guess! surprise, maybe?)! Our ward's Bishopric is out of town, and the High Priest Leader likes to pick on the missionaries. Elder D got called on to: pray for Sunday School and Priesthood, tell everyone where he's from and bear his testimony in Sacrament, Sunday School, and Priesthood. I would have let it be after Sacrament meeting, but it was great to watch him testify under pressure.
Plans for Today(Monday): Chill with Elder D, maybe go Hiking...
I love being a Missionary, and I can't imagine anywhere else I would rather be right now! I feel the spirit on a daily basis, and I see our Heavenly Father's had in all things. I know he loves his children, and he desires all of them to return to him. I am so grateful that I have been called to help bring the lost sheep back into the fold! I love the people I serve, and I know that this is where I need to be.
Love, Elder Hegsted