Hey, I found another station! Haha, well instead of looking at Arthur books, I am looking at a book right next to me called The Remarkable Respiratory System, with an 8 year old playing the sax and two cartoon lungs singing. I kind of like being down here.
So I will try to answer more questions here and tell some of missionary life too. 26 minutes left.
So my ward is called the Gateway ward, and as I said, not a lot of people. So I showed up and was asked to bear my testimony about the commandments, taking about 5 minutes. I did, but I have come to realize that I am SO like Mom in that I have begun to start crying before I go up. Don't tell her I said that. But it's nothing to be ashamed about! It's the gift of tears or weeping or something. Anyway, there are....3 sets of missionaries IN MY WARD. Ya. That's why the mission is going to be reducing the 92 missionaries out now to 56 in a year. Ya, hard core cuts. But the members are really giving their all into missionary work. We really take for granted our beliefs. Please do all you can to help the missionaries! Even if it's only 1 set in our ward. Ok, back on track. Our ward is about 1/2 Phillippino, 1/3 white and the rest are a bunch of things. I have not gotten fed yet, but I hear the Phillipinos frequently serve something called Beillut, which is an underdeveloped duck, beak and all. So, naturally I'm freaking out. But I have to let Natalie know that I have tried a lot of things and I actually sorta like them! Like sour cream, perogies, some weird stuff in the salad line in the MTC that I still don't know...I even had salad dressing--twice. Ya, so Natalie, I now love more food (She thinks I am picky, which may or may not be true).
So mission life...the first day in the field was rough. Oh, I missed family, friends, BYU and mountains so badly. Not that I wanted to leave, but everything was so foreign and I knew no-one in northern Winnipeg. My first 2 appointments were to people that took the gospel as something of a joke and my first stint tracting really discouraged me. I have never felt the adversary grinding on me so much, never. It seemed he wanted to break me. It was tough. At the end of the second day I had some success though. We tracted 3 really great and interested people who we are meeting with tomorrow. I taught someone who was genuinely interested and I was just filled with great feelings! Gone was the burden on my chest. Take that Satan. I was smiling at it all. Something I have learned is that if I smile, it's really hard to be sad, so I smile much more now.
The apartment I live in is termed "the ghetto" by some, but not me. Granted everything is retro 80s (or actually 80s), and the air conditioner is sometimes taken as a hair dryer because of how loud it is, the apartment is cool. It's my pad, my spiritual party place. I have been really humbled by a number of things. One person I taught had a dream the night before we arrived of him eating a white fruit. Ya, we zipped to Lehi's dream. Miracles occur out here! I cannot describe them all,but they occur! Something else that has humbled me is my living conditions. I have never eaten off Mac and Cheese, homemade burritoes and perogies so much before. But the living quarters of the people I am around are so humble. I used to think I was humble (saying that recognizes I am not) by the "frugal" way I lived. Many of these people...well, it suffices to say that I have always had it good. Let's just say I see a lot of shopping carts in people's yards. Ya, and this is no 3rd world country. Its really humbling. Mom, remember when we went shopping in Calgary next to Grandma Jeannette's place (the Renoir) and all the shopping carts required quarters? Well I now know the reason. Think about it.
I always saw the missionaries as perfect people. Ha. I always thought they were totally grown-up. Not true. But I do feel that this experience has already been a growing experience for me. I wonder how much more growing is in it for me. Probably quite a bit. It was about 38 degrees here (Celcius), which is upper 90s I think. It's scary to think I will see temperature about 150 degrees (Fahrenheit) below this. Yes, -50 is not unheard-of. But I am excited for growth. I want to grow, that's one reason I'm hear. Ya, this is the Lord's mission and I am here to serve him, but I get something out of this too. At this point, I am being semi-selfish in why I am being obedient. I intend on binding the Lord through my obedience (DC 82:10) and forcing him to give me blessings. I am working my tail off and am exhausted when I go to bed. Until I develop a genuine love of the people (which I think is already coming) I intend on binding the Lord through my obedience. It's hard not to look past my mission; all the missionaries talk about the end of their mission as if it were tomorrow. Mom, you know that that has been something difficult for me, and its a small trial I have now. But I persevere because the work is true and God is real. Love you all, need to go. Please write. I will email again next week.
Love
Elder Galbraith
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