At the end of a week I feel like I should get stats of how the week went, like I'm looking at my career stats in a video game or something. Something like,
New people talked to: 168
People who responded: 40
Successful conversations: 17
Book of Mormons handed out: 7
People who actually met with us again: 4
Times nearly fell asleep: 16
Times had to explain/repeat what I said: 43
Grade: A-
There's also been a lot of movie quoting, especially from my flatmates. Lines from Brave, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings and How To Train Your Dragon are said multiple times every day. But they've still not saw a lot of films, so some of my references go over their heads. Shame.
Anyway, Monday was great. My phone stopped charging, but thankfully it was pday, so I didn't need it that much. I can see myself getting better at basketball, thanks to some tips from another missionary. It's good to learn in a church environment, because there's a lesser chance of being criticised for your performance.
Tuesday we spent a lot of time traveling up to the mission office to get a new phone, so not much happened that day. One of the Admins' (the tech guys) favourite films is Braveheart. I told him that the Battle of Stirling took place about 15 mins from my house and he got really excited. I don't have the heart to tell him that it didnt happen like that in real life. It actually happened on Stirling Bridge, which is also about 15 mins from my house, and I've walked across it a few times. The other missionaries were also really surprised when I told them that I'd never had cheetos before. They're quite hard to find in Scotland, I think, cos I remember seeing them somewhere but I just always went for Wotsits instead, which are much better. So the next time we were at a shop they bought me some cheetos, and I confirmed that wotsits were indeed, better.
I also knocked my first door! There's not much house to house contacting, because everyone lives in flats, and we're in a YSA ward. The most effective thing we can do is wander aimlessly around campus and try to talk to people. The door knock was unsuccessful.
Wednesday was good. I'm the reigning pool champion so far. We sometimes play with either members or our friends, and it's fun. Sometimes I let people beat me if they're feeling down, because that's what being a missionary is. It's dropping the gamesman in you and being nurturing and comforting.
By far some of the best questions I've been asked are:
"Do you guys celebrate christmas?"
(Yes, duh)
"What do you know about the American revolution?"
(Just the stuff from Hamilton)
"Why don't Scottish people celebrate thanksgiving?"
(Umm sorry what!?)
"Is this your first time in America?"
(No. I've got family in California and I was in utah last year visitng friends (big shoutouts to my american family and friends!))
And, my personal favourite
"Do you guys celebrate 4th of July?"
(bro what.)
I also never really thought about shortbread being a purely Scottish thing until my flatmates had no idea what I was going on about.
Thursday I had another exchange, so I was paired up with Elder Tillman again. We had a really good lesson with a member about temples and the ordinances that you perform. We went to Chipotle for lunch with another member and that was fun. I don't know what they put in that though, because everyone had the same experience on the toilet later on.
Friday we had the ensign symphony and choir. The mission president encouraged people to invite our friends to go. It was so cool. The pieces they played were like a mix of spiritual pieces and stuff that was straight out of something like Skyrim or Halo. So cool. Some other elders gave us a ride and we got to talking about driving. I had to explain how a manual car works, how to parallel park and how to hillstart. Twice. I also showed them some Scots poems, and they couldnae make heads or tails of it. So funny. I might actually write one of the emails in the best Scots I can.
I also ran into Sister Black on Friday! I got sent her travel plans back home sometime last week, so we were able to bond over that. She's finishing her mission in a few weeks and I'm just starting mine, so maybe when I finish there'll be another Black coming in to the mission.
Saturday and Sunday we had Stake Conference. I ran into someone who had just come back from a holiday in Scotland and had attended the homecoming talk of a return missionary in the Glasgow ward! It's amazing how small the church community is, but how large it is, that these connections can take place. Not much else happened on these days.
This week you're getting a spiritual thought. When we teach people about the Atonment of Jesus Christ, we teach that he took upon him our sins, that we may be saved by his grace. When we say that we are already saved, people think that they can just get away with anything and do whatever they want in this life. Yes, everyone is saved, but Jesus Christ asks us to still follow in his teachings and be baptised. Imagine it like this. Jesus bought a really nice car for you with his money. He paid for it, now he asks us to drive it. Some people don't know how to drive a car, but he's given us the instructions on how to. But it demands a lot from us. It asks for discipline, practice, commitment, sacrifice and the knowledge that we may get hurt. This puts a lot of people off. Maybe they're not ready, but that's one of the reasons why I wanted to serve a mission. Is to teach people how to drive the car that Jesus Christ paid for.
Also, if anyone has any updates from home, or wants to add anyone to my mailing list, let me know! I'd love to hear from you guys!
Elder Black
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