Still Winter

As Single Awareness Day hits on the 14th...Eh, I don't know what to say after that, it just sounded like a good way to open up an email. This week was exciting when I experienced +2 C---let me say that again---it was above freezing! I haven't seen above freezing since early November. I think it was on Friday...pretty sure, anyway. After Weekly Planning, Elder Morris and I went to help a member with some snow shoveling. (I probably do a couple of hours of shoveling a week and it still is fun) Shoveling at this member's place is so fun! His name is Bro. Frarck, and he is something like 6'6" and in his 70s and he is a teddy-bear, let me tell you. He always helps us out with fellowshipping on appointments, and we missionaries are told to give service each week, so we help him shovel snow. So, he had some people shovel the snow off his garage roof (everyone's garages are seperate from their houses here), so there were huge mounds of snow blocking this door we had to get to in order to get this really good snow-rake. Since Sis. Frarck had driven off with the only garage door opener, I got to try to dig my way to this door. It was sheer ice! Sheesh. The drifts were above my head, so I shoveled-in stairs and just took the fluffy snow off the top (its the slippery snow) and just essentially carved a path on top of the snow to the door, and then dug straight down about 5 feet to get to the door handle. I pretty much made my own snow fort!

Investigators...Jeff and Desiree seem so prepared, and they agree with everything, but they don't come to church! I don't understand, but people are just like that. You can only bring the message "unto" their hearts, not "into" their hearts. Similar to bringing a horse to water, but you cannot force a horse to drink. Agency is still involved. Sometimes I just want to make them do it. Agency...a blessing, but sometimes....Our investigator Zack...well, he and his family had some kind of feud and he packed up and left for Wichita. Agency! But, on a brighter note, we have essentially reactivated a family over in Fort Frances, the Osters (they come to I-Falls branch though, so we still only had 2 members at church in the Fort), and they would like their 9-year-old son Boden to get baptized. Their only hesitation is that they want him to be absolutely sure that it is his decision to get baptized and that he is not "riding anyone's coattails". They are so adamant because Bro. Oster feels that he fell away because he did that. So it is more a matter of convincing Bro. Oster, whom we are teaching too. It will come. To sum that up, Boden is doing great.

Oh, I need to tell you about the moose meat! We took it over the border and they asked us if we were bringing anything back, and we told them we had moose meat, and they told us to pull over to the side to inspect us. Yikes. The guy came over and he took the meat in his hand and said, "you know, this isn't all that much...normally I wouldn't do this, but I will let you take it over, just don't do it next time". I got moose meat LEGALLY over the border, how great is that? So the senior missionary couple here, the Cutlers, made us moose burgers. Moose puts beef to shame, so good! It is lean meat, and it tastes better. Then, as we were tracting, a guy said "I don't want to hear your message, but you are nice guys, so I'll give you some deer if you want it". I had deer that night. Deer is kind of tough and has a unique flavor, but its still good. The only downside is that our apartment smelled like deer for a week.

Speaking of deer: The same day Elder Morris and I helped Bro. Frarck, we decided to skip supper and use that time to play in the snow, so we did. We made a maze outside the apartment for the deer to go through, and we littered it with food scraps, with a big prize at the end. Oh, and we made a tunnel too! (See the picture at the top of this post.)


A fun week for sure. The work is somewhat trying, but is progressing.

I met the most racist man of my life too. See how eventful missionary work can be? He was totally normal when we tracted into him, but when we came back he said some unspeakably racist things and we got out of there. He was a sick twisted man. I mention this because this week the Spiritual War really came to life, in that I am beginning to realize how real it is. No bailout teaches the morals and spirituality NECESSARY to turn the world around. The only thing that can reverse the world's course is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In it, we learn our divine worth, and through repentance we change things about us that are not in line with God's will. Morality is key to change too.

I know I have shared these scriptures with you before, but look up 2 Nephi 25: 23, and 26. In them lay essential doctrines of Christ. "...there is no other name whereby ye may be saved..." At baptism we take upon ourselves his name. "...if not (do not take His name upon us) ye must be known by some other name..."

After reading emails and letters from my family, I want to point them to a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 90:24, which basically says keep doing the basics and everything will work out. I love my family.

To answer my parent's question from last week, I do not need a tuque (?) or scarf or anything, thanks.

As far as mail goes, I am heading into Winnipeg next Monday night for a District Meeting and can pick-up mail. I have not seen mail since early January, meaning that people may have sent things in December and I may still not yet have them. So, please be patient with me and mail!

Car news: Chrysler has a 200? What the...? There is one sitting on a lot up here and I did a triple-take. The car guys that came to church today drove up in an unreleased Hyundai Veloster. Dad, you may have to tell me about that one, I am guessing that it is supposed to take on the Mazda 3...

Love you all, Elder Galbraith