This week was crazy! We had an Elder in our District, Elder Breedlove, who was waiting in our mission for his visa to Spain, and on Tuesday we got a call that it had been approved and he would be gone the next day.
It was also Elder Gish's birthday, so we baked a cake and had sort of a Happy Birthday Elder Gish/Goodbye Elder Breedlove party. We went over to an investigator's house and to our surprise they remembered that it was Elder Gish's birthday too, and they gave him a balloon and a tie. So the rest of the day he was riding his bike with a big "Happy Birthday" balloon on his handle bars! At night we got a call from our district leader, Elder To'o, telling us that his visa was expired so technically he was illegally living in the country! But he went down to McAllen to straighten everything out.
We are meeting lots of people, and I think it's funny how when sometimes when we "contact" people (basically going up to people and starting a conversation) some of them give us 1,000 excuses, but never actually say the phrase "Sorry I'm not interested." We contacted these two ladies the other day and we said, "Hey, how are you guys doing?" and the first thing one of them said back was, "We're (already) christians, she doesn't speak Spanish, and we're both pastors' wives." We talked to them anyways and gave them a "Finding Faith in Christ" card. I think it's so funny how people make up excuses when all they have to say is "not interested." Elder Gish said that one time they knocked on a guy's door and he said "I have to go to the bathroom" and then slammed the door and never came back!
This next Wednesday is transfers again. I think that Elder Gish and I are probably going to stay together, but he thinks that I'm staying and he's leaving. I guess we'll see on Wednesday. Tell Nana and Ron that I say Hi and I hope they are doing well! I received their postcard from Uganda. I can't believe that they have less than 4 months left of their mission! Time flies. Well Mom, I hope you have a fun time in Africa and I hope you don't get eaten or trampled or something. Write soon and say hello to all.
- Ryan