This week has been full of crazy awesome things, and crazy crazy!! We'll start with the awesome!!
On Tuesday we went tracting down a street of apartments. We weren't getting much of any success until we got to an Alabama fan's door! I thought this is probably going to be interesting considering Georgian's flippin hate Alabama in the Fall! We knocked and a younger man answered the door and asked if we were there for religion. We said yes, we are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. He asked isn't that another name for Mormon? We obviously said yes, that is was a nickname and instantly he got super excited. He went on to tell us that he had recently moved there from Pennsylvania where he was meeting with some other missionaries. We talked with him for a few minutes and made a return appointment. Right before we were about to leave he said that he couldn't wait to be baptized!!! Holy Crap! Even me, a greeny would know that that does not happen very often. In fact, I think Elder Lusko said it was his first time that that has happened!! Long story short, we have met with him twice going over the Plan of Salvation and the restoration! He is so solid. But there is also a glitch in the system. He is actually on parole until 2020 so we are trying to figure out if he could still be baptized or if he would have to wait for a few years.
Just a little side note to that. Elder Lusko screwed up our dinner appointments for that night and accidentally scheduled two for the same day. One of them was actually a less active member. I think she was really confused about how she was put on the list of feeding missionaries when she hasn't been to church for a while. It was really funny tho!!
The poverty here is really weird. There is the really high class neighborhoods, then there is the scrap dirt poor ones. We went to go visit a member who lived in a trailer park the other night. I couldn't feel much but sadness for these people. I never knew there was so much poverty in the US. Seeing all of it just made me grateful for the house and the gospel that I grew up in. But at the same time, these people were in such poor conditions that they were actually willing to speak with us! I could feel the love that God has for each one of them.
On Wednesday we had our first zone conference. It was way cool! The main theme of the day was how to become more consecrated missionaries! Funny thing is, the previous week, that was the only thing I was praying to God about....pretty much! I kept asking him to make me more consecrated, and I think that zone conference helped!
Thursday was a day of Shelob (Spider from Lord of the Rings). Every single house we knocked on had a stupid yellow/red spider chillin on the wall or above the door frame. It was so flippin annoying!!!! We were tracting and finding for the whole day and I can definitely say that I was exhausted at the end. I have never loved my bed so much! But there was also such a fullness of Joy knowing that you devoted the whole day/the next two years to the Lord! It is so cool! Also, the same day we found a mini fridge on the side of the road, so we fixed it up and took it back to the apartment. It actually works really well!! People just leave stuff in front of their yard for anyone to take. It is so awesome!!!
The next few days was full of service, tracting, and sweating on bikes. I have never felt so wet and yucky in my entire life. But it is such a relaxing feeling taking the sticky white shirt and nasty slacks off at the end of the day. It is definitely worth it!! Oh ya, I forgot to talk about the Lopez family last time. We have been teaching their two kids Elijah and Tausai. The mom is a member but the dad is just a non-believer. The family is so awesome! I love them to death! The dad Ron Lopez has a sister named Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez that was a singer in 'TLC' until she died in a terrible car crash in Honduras. I'm sure some of you know 'TLC' but I had no idea who they were.
On Saturday we were tracting and we found a dog that would just not leave us alone. It kept following us everywhere! We made a vid of me trying to give the dog a Book of Mormon and it is the funniest thing! I'll put it in another email!
While we were tracting down that road we knocked on a Hispanic families door. A man opened the door and invited us in. We gave him a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. It is amazing to see how ready and willing the Hispanic families are. I love them so much!!!
I love the people here in Georgia! There are a lot of people that disrespect us and try to throw us under the bus. But there are also a few that have broken the barrier and thanked us for being willing to serve the Lord. It is weird to have that mix. One of the days this week we went to go visit a potential investigators house. Her three grand-daughters were outside and they are the cutest things on the planet. One of them is a black girl that looks exactly like Gretchen. She acts exactly like Gretchen. And she also does gymnastics. It is so funny!! When we pulled up and got out of the car, all of them started screaming "YAAAY the missionaries are here!!! WHoohoo!!" It made me so happy!!
Being a missionary is so hard but so fun! I love it here and I love working hard. I implore all of you that have not served YET to serve a mission. I can already see the blessings in my life and I have only been out a month. I love the Lord, my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful to be able to share this message about him everyday for the next two years!!
Love y'all!!
Elder Northrup
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