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This was a good week. It's just been pretty solid overall. We're going to the temple today, so pday was moved to today.
Sadly Elder Tillman had to go home for medical reasons. I will miss him, but he said that he'll visit in December, cos he's already made some friends in the ward. Another missionary came in to replace him from a trio, Elder Nelson. Not to be confused with Elder Nielson, who is a mandarin speaker.
Also it's quite a chunky email. Good luck!
Missionary standards dictate that wake up time is 6:30. One of our flatmates was sleeping in, and we needed to go shopping, so I picked up the guitar and went into his room and serenaded him with a rendition of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". As we were leaving the flat, one guy noticed that we were Christian and as we waited for him to cross he took his hat off and did the catholic thing where they make the cross with hand gestures. You know what I'm on about.
These Americans (love you guys) have this really weird game called four square, which I'd never played until I was at the MTC. It's basically like four player tennis, up close and personal, where if there's a 2nd bounce whoevers square it bounced last in is out. It's strange but fun.
THE LEGEND OF THE WEETABIX
We had Mini Zone Conference, where two zones (big areas full of missionaries) meet and have a conference. That was cool. The Mission Presidents wife, Sister Sherman, had a Scottish companion, the now called Susan Nicholson (I think), so she's said that she'd keep an eye out for any Scottish or British foods for me. She found some Weetabix somewhere and gave it to me. For the unversed, it's basically Wheaties, but British. I used to have the knockoff tesco version for breakfast for the last few years, so it's nice to see it again.
Also, when I was calling our friends I encountered an AI voicemail, which required you to state your name and reason for calling, then either it or the person would decide if they wanted to take the call or not. I said "Missionaries" and "Jesus Christ and Institute invites". The bot misinterpreted this and read aloud saying "Thank you, Jesus Christ. Please wait one moment". After me and my companion recovered from a laughing fit we realised that our friend never even picked up the phone, which made it even funnier.
Speaking of AI, the first counsellor in the bishopric of the YSA ward has made a group chat of his BFTMs (beloved full time missionaries), mainly for his daughter serving in Hong Kong, but he posts mission approved AI songs based on scripture and hymns. In all seriousness, there are some good songs in there, and it's nice to have something like that happen on a mission.
WEDNESDAY (THE BULK)
We had our interviews with the mission president, which heavily ran over time. I was supposed to have my one at 9.30am, but instead I had it at 11.30. I think they went on until about 10pm. It was my companion and my flatmates' birthday, so we went and got lunch at Dicks, without realising that Sister Sherman had already got us lunch. So we had two lunches. We usually go to a gym at a nearby missionaires building, and I've been eating a lot more, so I've put on a bit of weight/muscle.
THURSDAY
I literally can't remember anything that happened on Thursday so MOVING ON!
MANDARIN EXCHANGE
On Friday I went on an exchange with the mandarin speaking elders in my district, and we had a very eventful day. When we went contacting on campus, we would come across someone from Taiwan or someone that speaks Mandarin, and Elder Nielson goes into action, speaking mandarin with them and I'm just standing there trying not to look out of place. It was a good day though. We made friends and gave a good lesson.
It was also Halloween, and they take it a LOT more seriously than we do in Scotland. We were walking around campus, talking to people, and as we're getting someone's contact information, this massive inflatable gorilla enters my peripheral vision, and I almost explode in disbelief. Someone is just sauntering around campus in their costume, and im trying not to die. THEN, someone in onn of those big inflatable T rex costumes wanders by, and by this time I'm already losing it. I swear this place is not real. We got a photo with someone who was in costume, and tried to teach him, but it was like he changed his mind halfway through the conversation, or we accidentally said his sleeper agent activation word, because he was not interested after we said something. It was a crazy day
Also, a member gave us Samosas, which was really nice of her. I was later asked by one of my flatmates "Do you guys have Indian food in Scotland?"
I've no idea how I'm gonna put up with this for two years. If someone asks if we have something like McDonald's, or if I've heard of Harry Potter, there will be blood.
(Just for the record, I've been to the bridge that the Hogwarts Express goes over. I've touched it. I know what Harry Potter is. I've read all the books, watched all the films, played the Lego games and Hogwarts legacy. I know what Harry Potter is)
I FOUND THE FASTEST WAY TO A DIVORCE
We played Uno no mercy after bible study on Saturday. It's probably one of the most brutal games I've played. +10s and other cards are unforgivness in their purest, most carnal form. You can also be put out from the game when you get 25 cards. It really tests the second great commandment, to love your neighbour as thyself, when the person next to you straight up cheats and you let them get away with it, then they eliminate you from the game in return for the compassion that you just showed them. Not bitter at all, but this is what being a missionary is. Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and doeth no evil. But I don't think Moroni was envisioning Uno when he wrote those verses.
But all is well now. I totally skinned him at pool after, so all is forgiven and balance has been restored.
MANDARIN EXCHANGE II: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO
Imagine this. You're waiting for your friends to show up at church, talking with the Elders Quorum president about getting scurvy (long story. I don't have scurvy), and your companion comes up to you and says "Hey do you wanna go to the Chinese ward today?" I'm like, yeah, why not. Then literally two seconds later, as if on cue, the mandarin speaking elders come round the corner, one of them grabs me and takes me to the car, and the next thing I know is that we've left the mission boundaries and I'm staring at a hymnbook in Chinese, humming along to "There is Sunshine in my Soul", because they don't have any English hymnbooks. It was a fun experience, except for the fact that I was really hungry (it was fast Sunday, so we go without eating for two or three meals), tired (6.30 am ughhhh) and confused, because I don't speak mandarin. Hungry, Tired and Confused should be the title of my missiom autobiography. I can count to six, say hello and thank you in mandarin, but that's it. Other than that, the day was pretty uneventful
NOT PDAY
Not much happened today. Didn't get to play basketball because none of our friends showed up. Other than that, Monday was meh. Elder Tillman gave me a bunch of his clothes, which include a blue suit. Paired with a blue and white tie I have, I feel like Scotlandman or something. It feels very patriotic. I can hear the bagpipes in the distance playing Scotland the Brave, I can smell the haggis in the air, and I will deep fry your mars bar.
Also, nobody has saw of heard of Ben 10 in my flat. I feel morally superior knowing that I had a better childhood than my american compatriots.
This week's spiritual though is something that Elder Tillman said during one of our exchanges.
"Sometimes life isn't that pretty, but that doesn't mean that it isn't beautiful"
There's a few scriptures that relate to this. It's found in the in the Bible, in the New Testament, in James 1, and it's verses 2-4
"2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
Sometimes we just gotta wait for stuff to pass. When trials come, that's God testing our patience, and our commitment to him. That's him testing our resolve and our faith
Just keep that in mind
Also, that entire chapter is a banger. Everyone talks about James 1:5, but that whole chapter is really good scripture.
Read it
Also, if anyone has news from from home, or wants to add anyone to the mailing list, let me know!
Elder Black
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