Week #50 Letter

Hey everybody!

So this past week, some of us in the district have been sick. We have had all different kinds of sicknesses or it affected each of us very differently as some had sore throats, others were too weak to get up, and other were throwing up in the back of our car. But thats a story you can read about in a sec. but yeah, that was our week mostly. But we did say goodbye for now to a dear Elder who has since gone home. His 2 years were up and we shall miss him. Love ya Messi! P.S. I think you got everyone sick 😷🤒

8-8-16

"I'll see you in another life, brother." Well every time these transfers come to a close, I always get depressed with the missionaries going home that I know. Especially this one as I say good bye to a district member that has been here for the 3 transfers I've been here. Good bye elder messenger! You will be reading this in 1 week from today but I miss you, probably! Anyways, we got up and did studies and got transfer calls. Elder messenger is the only one out as he is going home, but everyone else is staying. We went to Breezy Point for our district activity which is way out on the peninsula at the end of our area because that is where the ocean is. Took a lot of photos and had a fun time collecting sea shells and sea glass. Afterwards, had lunch and all met again at the park for slack lining. Then went and emailed at home and got ready again as we smelled like the ocean. We went and tried to visit some less actives and also Babatunde. He was super sick so we just said hi and bye. Went and visited Iderle as she is back in town and we talked about her baptism later this month. Then went and picked up elders Messenger and Roland but ended up eating some Spanish food at one of their member's home. Super good stuff and headed out. 

8-9-16

"Three hours! Three hours you kept me waiting here."

"Yep, now we are waiting on you, lets go." 

Well, interesting day as it didn't turn out anything like we planned. Didn't need to go to Rego till late in the afternoon to drop off elder messenger and I needed to talk to some of the office staff about somethings but we didn't end up having leadership meeting so we left after a half hour. We got back to our area at 3 and made calls at the church and contacted by the church until we had dinner. After dinner we went to a lesson scheduled with a kid we taught last week at night but we didn't have his apartment number so when we got there, he didn't answer his phone so we couldn't teach him. Which was weird as we called him an hour earlier to make sure we were still good to come by and he said yeah but we didn't realize we didn't have an apartment number. So we went knocking around Arverne and after a while of that, tried to look up a less active but no one was home. Contacted by the church and headed home. 

8-10-16

"When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay. Oh,I wanna be there in my city, oh-oh-o." It was a green day today. Meaning it was a finding day. We did our studies and lunch, went and got to the car cleaned. Got our mail key copied for our landlord to keep for backup, and some clerk stuff. Then we went and visited Edwin, our 9/11 survivor and he broke his leg. Funny part is he is paralyzed from the waist down so he doesn't feel anything down there so he does everything normal like before but with a shattered leg. Brought me pain just thinking about it. Shared with him a message and a passage to read before our next visit which is Friday. Then did look ups but nothing. Dinner and knocking in Inwood. Met this cool family, all older, but the problem was they all went through 3 beers each when we were talking to them and they had plenty before we got there so we aren't sure if they will remember everything we said to them. Afterwards, we went and taught sister Siddoway and had a good lesson with her. Headed on home afterwards. 

8-11-16

"Who puts pineapple on a pizza? It's something you don't do."

Well today was pretty good. Woke up with a sore throats but not too bad. Did personal study and went to service for an hour. Then had the conference call with the mission. We went home for that and then had lunch. We got halal for lunch and went back to service. Went and got cleaned up at home and the office elders came by to pick up a vacuum. Then went to the Clavines home for their daughters party. She is getting baptized tomorrow and the assistants said we can go! Sweet. Went to visit a potential and no one was home. Contacted a little until we went to the church for branch presidency meeting. After, contacted until the end of the night. I was talking to Elder Roland on the car ride home and he isn't feeling well. He said it all started with a sore throats yesterday and woke up dead. So he is super sick and couldn't do much today besides sleep. So he said that's what I'll be like as my sore throats has gotten worse as the day goes on. So I've taken some vitamins and medicine to hopefully slow it down and fight it but it keep getting worse. Great, hopefully I'll be able to do some work tomorrow. 

8-12-16

"You seem a little defensive there, cap'."

Well, I was sick today, but not as bad as Elder Roland was. I had to sleep all morning as I had no energy at all to get up but I had enough energy around 11 to get up and prepare for district meeting. We did a skype district meeting with everyone as Elder Roland was still recovering and Elder Liljenquist is worse and slept through district meeting. So we just skyped from our apartments, except the sisters who were at the church. It started off really bad, the song did not work out, but as long as only one person is talking, it worked out great. Then we had lunch and went to see Edwin. He asked for us to come back a different day as he was putting on his cast for his leg he broke and was in tremendous amounts of pain. And he is even paralyzed from the waist down. So we said ok and went to the church to weekly plan but didn't get very far as we had to change for the baptism tonight. Changed and went to Lynbrook's chapel just in time as it started 5 min after we got there. It was nice to see and well organized. I learned a lot from it. Afterwards, we went to see a potential but no one was home and so we contacted by Stop and Shop till the end of the night. As the day went on today, my sickness and sore throat got worse so tomorrow will be another fun day to deal with this.  

8-13-16

"What are you doing?" 

"I'm distracting you ya big turd blossom!"

So to continue on with my sickness update. I felt a little worse today than yesterday as I am now super weak and don't want to move. But nevertheless, I still went out. But I was not as bad as some people in sickness which I will talk about in a sec. But we had sort of studies. I ended up sleeping through personal and companion study and was able to do some 12 week but not really effective 12 week. We then had lunch at McDonalds as we were on our way to Woodside for a meeting! Yay! I didn't like how it was on a Saturday but hey, what can you do. We went to the meeting and it was only for district leaders and their companions so didn't get to see some friends as they are now zone leaders but I got to see others there. It was awesome to see them and talk with them. The workshops given were good and liked them but they are having some changes to district meeting like now we have to wear suits to district meeting. So not the most ideal attire as we are in a heat wave right now, but we will make do. On the way home however, was an adventure of itself. Elder Syme asked for a ride home as we drive right by his home on the way to our home. So we agreed but just before he left, he was not feeling good at all and ended throwing up at the woodside chapel a few times. He was good for a minute and then felt sick again. But didn't throw up there so we left and tried to hurry home. He ended up throwing up in Elder Messenger's old shirt we had in our car as we were going to burn it in memory of him but instead served the purpose of puke bucket in our car. Thanks for the shirt Messi! It smelled pretty bad but we made it to their home before he puked any more but he was in a lot of pain and did not feel well at all. So hopefully he feels better. We went to the church and made calls all night and cleaned out areabook as I was getting worse at this point and didn't want to cough all over people as i talked to them so we staye din the church for a while and did what we could. Did some online proselyting and whatnot. Went to the store as well and bought some ibuprofen too. But yeah, fun day and let the sickness adventures continue on tomorrow, hopefully not though. 

8-14-16

"You better call it soon Coulson. Im starting to root for this guy." Well, today felt the same as yesterday. I don't know what it is but the medicine helps for a few hours then I go right back to the way I was before. So we think it is a virus that has to run its course first before it will get better. But anyways, getting up was super hard today as we had branch council so early but we made it there a little late and got everything ready for today. Fell asleep during sacrament meeting though. The rest of the day went fine. No crazy stories of church this week. We did tithing and went home and I crashed instantly on my bed and so did Elder Johnson. We were asleep for an hour and then woke up. We quickly ate lunch and took the sacrament to sister Harvey and went back home. No time for studies today and had dinner. We went out to a lesson in Inwood with the family we taught earlier that had 3 bottle of beer each but they weren't home tonight. Try again later. W knocked around them to find rejection and signs that say No Peddlers, which is us I came to find out a while back. So we went to visit some other people in the area and find no success. We wen to visit another lady by the church but nothing so we went to the church as my allergies or something was acting up bad and I needed tissues. Then contacted around the church till the end of the night. So much fun being sick. Especially on the mission. Also made calls tonight and the numbers for this week were not good but the Zone Leaders understood as most of the district was sick.  

Well, I tried to figure out a way to change the font on my iPad so it doesn't come in like this but nothing so far. But Iderle is back in town but she didn't come to church yesterday so we are pushing her baptism back a little so we can get her on a regular routine and progressing again before it. Then that was it this week with investigators. We just were out of commission for part of the week. But I am now feeling better and hopefully that is now behind me and Elder Johnson doesn't get sick. Cause that would stink. 

Anyways, that was our lovely week. Hope everyone else had a better one! 

-Elder HĘÅTØÑ