March 26, 2012

Hey family and friends,

Well here it is...  First email session as a 26 year old...  man those two numbers really do look very weird next to each other.  I have been having a hard time lately thinking of anything miraculous to share...  There are so many small miracles that we see each day so it's really hard for me to think of cool things to share that are beginning to seem so ordinary to me. 

A few things:
We have been helping an investigator family move.  They are a slightly older couple, who have taken in a homeless man a few years ago.  They are very nice and have had a desire to follow Christ more fully, and being charitable to someone in need has helped them grow.  They are not to the extreme of some people but I may categorize them as "Hoarders."  They have had their friend living with them for a few years and he doesn't work, and is the worst of the three about holding on to junk.  The ward came and helped move them a few days ago, and they weren't even close to being ready.  We also had a mishap with some money going missing...  The money was never really missing it was misplaced in all the JUNK around and the ward members that came to help got blamed.... even though they didn't take it they apologized and tried to grin and bear the bad comments that were flying at them from this guy....  Well we went back a few more times through out the week and helped load up box after box after box....  We worked way hard and it was very rewarding to see their hearts being softened by the service we were providing.

On the other hand we have another lady that is simply using us for the service we are rendering.  She is also taking the time to listen to us and halfway keeping her commitments that we leave.  For instance: We left her to watch the Restoration DVD... She had recently broken her toe...  Or claims she did...  HA!  She called us the other day and cancelled our appointment, and then quickly asked when we were coming to do service.  I wasn't going to just be used so I asked if we could work out our next teaching appointment and then we would look at service.  She got a bit defensive and said that "Mormons are supposed to help!"  I felt my blood pressure rise slightly and then I said that we would schedule time to come and help some more... and that we'd love to continue to teach her as well.  She didn't want to reschedule our next appointment because she wasn't able to watch the video, she didn't have time.....  SHE'S DISABLED!!!  SITS AT HOME ALL DAY!!!  SHE DOES NOTHING ALL DAY BUT SIT IN THE FILTH OF HER DOGS!  UGH  I mean really you don't have time to SIT DOWN!?   People and their lame excuses.  I've begun to learn that these are the people that God won't have any patience with and he'll  @#!*%  them to the Terrestrial Kingdom!   It's so true though...  People who aren't willing to unplug their ears, or commit will be spit out! 

Sometimes being a missionary is so frustrating!  and yet I'm most always happy about it!  :) 

Well other than that.... my birthday was great!  We got to eat with another sweet family, The Jensen's, they fed us these Thai tuna wraps!  Good stuff!  and then had chocolate lava cakes for desert.  It was great I got a call from President and Sister Collins, they are some of my favorite people and such a shining example of gospel living, and how a marriage should work!  I also got a call from the Jensen family of Crawfordsville!  What a pleasant surprise!  I almost teared up because it made me think that if you all could call and sing it would have sounded just the same.  Those Jensen's sure are like family to me already! 

So far, I've gotten a package from Grandma Gwen: an UBER awesome sweet fantastic B E A Utiful tie!   Mom sent a bunch of Randomness... Cheetos and Breath mints... :)  and some really nice slippers :)  A good friend sent me a card with some Swedish Fish!   For all the emails thank you!  it was good to have such a full inbox this afternoon! 

I love you all,
Love Elder Rees