Hello Everybody!

 

Well this week has been very interesting to say the least.  lots of biking or walking should i say. Tuesday we had new missionary orientation. That was long and super and kind of boring. The talks were good in the beginning other than the fact that our ride was late so we arrived almost to the end of the first one of 3. President is super excited and our practice for the meeting was to see if we could do a restoration lesson in 5 min. Super Crazy right. they want us to be able to teach quickly clearly and plainly. so obviously 5 min lesson doesn't include time for questions but its the thought of getting it to the point is what president wants. the other hour and a half was for driving safely videos. most of them were like drivers ed all over again. Owell. then that night while we were at the ***. We usually don't lock our bikes up because there is a fence and they are way in the back behind another house, but if you remember the drunk guy a week or so ago. yeah he stole my companions bike. im still not for sure why he didn't go for mine,(probably cause he was drunk) but yeah so the rest of the night was walking in our areas we probably shouldn't. So lesson learned Lock our bikes up even in gated places. So my bike was locked up on a window for two days till we got the time to go there an picked it up.   

Then next day was completely walking. My companion does not have the money to buy a new or used bike. he is literally broke right now. So walking day was long. my feet were on fire! as much as we could though we would ask members if they would give us a ride from place to place. Thursday during our lunch hour, my companion decided to try and take the 2 broken bikes and put them into one working bike. I though he was crazy, and soon he was stumped. Thank goodness i'm a somewhat mechanically minded person. I guess more than i thought. I took the back tire, and gear changer off the one bike, and some how put it on the other. and It WORKED! its not perfect, and the gear thing likes to get loose so about twice a day i have to get down there and tighten it back up. When my companion saw me put it together he was super amazed. So yeah anything is better than walking. so by thursday we were back on bikes. then friday came, as we turned a corner all the sudden i hear a very loud hissing sound coming from my bike. at first i thought it was just something stuck in the brakes or around there but then i realized my tire was getting low. Yep a piece of glass went right through the tube no problem. After that the tire stayed somewhat pumped up and it was enough to get me around. then after another stop it was completely flat. so i pumped it up hoping it would get me home and it got me half way and then i walked the rest not wanting to do any more damage. We got to our apartment and my companion went to grab his keys and they were not there! we backtracked a little but no luck. knocked on the mangers door at 9:45 but no answer. we had no chance of getting in. all the windows are barred. our Zone leaders called us about this time and we explained the situation and they said if we had no chance of getting the keys to call and they would let us sleep at their place. So yeah we called them a few min. later and told them to pick us up. Needless to say it was a long night, didn't get to bed until 11 and this was after a super tiring day. they were nice and let us sleep in their beds, while they slept on the couch and floor. Then next day i fixed my tire then had District meeting and Interviews with President. Didn't leave until 4:30.  

So yeah it was a long week, and i'm just super tired. As far as it goes with investigators nothing is super new. Didn't get much of a chance to meet with them alot.  but the one who has a baptisimal date came to church again, and a baptism without us even inviting him. His Girlfriend i think basically told him, that if he didn't come to church continue to read and pray as a family that she wouldn't marry him. Owell I hope that it will still go though. And yeah there was a baptism yesterday, A teenage kid whos mom was a member, but dad was a muslim. His mom died 5 years ago and his dad gave him the choice of which church to join and he decided to be baptized. Super cool kid and he was super happy. And the ward found out yesterday that I play piano...... Needless to say I'm using my Hymn playing skills for the ward now. I played 4 songs For sacrament meeting, the one for priesthood meeting, and the 2 at the baptism. Then next step is organ. They asked me if i would play the organ but i told them i didn't know how. So if i get a chance i guess ill need to figure out how to play organ. Supposedly they have the hymns programed on the Organ but people don't know how to figure it out.... So yes i put my piano skills to work, I feel this will be a pretty often thing. So I don't know what else to Say. Other than I am tired and hope to take a nap later today.  

I love you all. Thanks for your emails, And Samuel Opie. I'm So excited For you, You will Do great. I hope your reading this or that would be weird. And Russia,...that's going to be Awesome. Ben Good luck. Enjoy you last week at home! and i Would like your Email and or Mission Home addresss. I love you all and wish the best for everyone. There is a scripture i would like to share but i done have my Book of Mormon with me, so it will be next week. And Yes i did get my package along with Kelcies Letter. Its nice to have a jacket now. I'm not used to this at all but the last week, every morning it is super foggy and cold, then  around 10 or so it clears out and then comes back around 7 or 8. super wierd. just very Humid compared to Arizona.

Love you all again, and your all in my prayers. Hope to hear from everyone soon. 

Elder Hollingshead