Crossfit was today. The routine this time wasn't too hard, or at least it didn't seem like it was going to be too hard compared to some of the other routines we have done. But it was actually pretty brutal. I stuck through all the rounds, though I didn't do all the exercises. And then I almost puked for like 10 minutes, but I went and waited in the kitchen by the trash can where no one was, so I could preserve my pride a little bit. After I recovered, we made sure to head out and claim the parking lot for Ultimate, rather than soccer. If nothing else, I've left that mark on the mission. It always used to be soccer after Crossfit but I've displaced that, at least in whichever half of the mission I'm on.
There were a couple really good days this week for different reasons. The first was that we went on exchanges Tuesday night. I went to be in the Citrus Hills Ward with Elder Doi. Neither of my companions can be on bikes so I have to go on all the bike exchanges. But it wasn't too rough on me. We had service in the morning, and studies, and then we had to go to Riverside for Christmas training. Then we got back around 4, biked up the hill to their area, which killed me cause they live 2 areas away from their area. And then we walked around in that area, got picked up for dinner, and had splits that whole night and were given a ride home. So in total I only had to bike around 2.5 miles that day, which is really low compared to most days on a bike. It was really cool to be with Elder Doi and get to know him a little better, I hadn't really talked to him since we were together in Moreno Valley my first transfer there. That day ended on a rather unexpected note because our dinner appointment was in an accident on his way to pick us up. He was in a parking lot and he didn't have his seat belt on, so he cracked the windshield with his forehead. So then his wife came and picked all of us up for dinner.
Another good day this week was Saturday. Because of exchanges and the training and various other things, our week was looking a little rough by Saturday. So we decided to just buckle down and try and get all our stuff in. So we spent 4 hours that day walking around and talking to people, and we met some really awesome people. Two in particular that stand out are a really nice guy named Pepe, who we talked to for about 30 minutes answering various questions about missions and such, and the Perez Family. We caught the dad just about to go inside with a bunch of groceries, so we started talking to him about his plans and family and such, when 3 of his kids walked outside. So had just been about to share the video with him, so without us even saying anything, he told his kids to come over and watch with us, and they seemed really eager to talk to us and answer questions. So hopefully he saw that in his kids and is committed to letting us come back. We committed them to pray as a family that night, and left them with a pamphlet which talks about prayer in the back. We're hoping to see them this weekend if possible, so we're really hoping that will happen.
One last little miracle that happened was that on Sunday, we were out and about around 8, not wanting to go in too early, and partially just trying to get our last 4 contacts in so that we could hit standard. So we were kind of just driving around looking for anybody to talk to, because it was dark, raining a little, and late. But finally we saw someone, but by the time we parked around the corner, he'd shut his garage so we just started walking the block. Halfway down, we found 4 people sitting in their garage, so we talked with them and they said we could come back. But that's not the miracle. We contemplated just going back to the car at that point, but we figured we might as well finish going all the way around the block. When we had almost finished, we walk past a house where two cars had just pulled up. Elder Anderson recognizes it as the house of someone that our Bishop's wife had introduced to him last transfer, but they were never too committed to meeting with us, even though they were very open minded. But they let us in, insisted on putting in some pre-made cookies to bake, and had a lesson with us. They really enjoyed it, we just shared the scriptures about the Christmas video, and we're going back there next Sunday to show it to them. We came out of there having Elder Anderson tell us that she apparently has and is reading a Book of Mormon, and she's come to LDS church services before and things like that. And the kicker is that our bishop's wife texted us this morning and told us that the lady texted her and said she felt it was more than just coincidence that she keeps running into Elder Anderson.
Overall, it was a pretty awesome week, and I think we're getting this whole trio thing figured out a little better.
Since it is Thanksgiving this week here is what I am grateful for this year - good friends in the mission, ward members that are willing to help the missionaries, modern and ancient scripture, and the knowledge of the Gospel, as well as all the people back home who support me through letters and emails. I know it's brief, but those are pretty much the basics, and they're the things that matter most in the long run.
From the West Side . . . .
Elder Cornaby
Another good day this week was Saturday. Because of exchanges and the training and various other things, our week was looking a little rough by Saturday. So we decided to just buckle down and try and get all our stuff in. So we spent 4 hours that day walking around and talking to people, and we met some really awesome people. Two in particular that stand out are a really nice guy named Pepe, who we talked to for about 30 minutes answering various questions about missions and such, and the Perez Family. We caught the dad just about to go inside with a bunch of groceries, so we started talking to him about his plans and family and such, when 3 of his kids walked outside. So had just been about to share the video with him, so without us even saying anything, he told his kids to come over and watch with us, and they seemed really eager to talk to us and answer questions. So hopefully he saw that in his kids and is committed to letting us come back. We committed them to pray as a family that night, and left them with a pamphlet which talks about prayer in the back. We're hoping to see them this weekend if possible, so we're really hoping that will happen.
One last little miracle that happened was that on Sunday, we were out and about around 8, not wanting to go in too early, and partially just trying to get our last 4 contacts in so that we could hit standard. So we were kind of just driving around looking for anybody to talk to, because it was dark, raining a little, and late. But finally we saw someone, but by the time we parked around the corner, he'd shut his garage so we just started walking the block. Halfway down, we found 4 people sitting in their garage, so we talked with them and they said we could come back. But that's not the miracle. We contemplated just going back to the car at that point, but we figured we might as well finish going all the way around the block. When we had almost finished, we walk past a house where two cars had just pulled up. Elder Anderson recognizes it as the house of someone that our Bishop's wife had introduced to him last transfer, but they were never too committed to meeting with us, even though they were very open minded. But they let us in, insisted on putting in some pre-made cookies to bake, and had a lesson with us. They really enjoyed it, we just shared the scriptures about the Christmas video, and we're going back there next Sunday to show it to them. We came out of there having Elder Anderson tell us that she apparently has and is reading a Book of Mormon, and she's come to LDS church services before and things like that. And the kicker is that our bishop's wife texted us this morning and told us that the lady texted her and said she felt it was more than just coincidence that she keeps running into Elder Anderson.
Overall, it was a pretty awesome week, and I think we're getting this whole trio thing figured out a little better.
Since it is Thanksgiving this week here is what I am grateful for this year - good friends in the mission, ward members that are willing to help the missionaries, modern and ancient scripture, and the knowledge of the Gospel, as well as all the people back home who support me through letters and emails. I know it's brief, but those are pretty much the basics, and they're the things that matter most in the long run.
From the West Side . . . .
Elder Cornaby