Week 1 back in civilization

Heyo, everyone!

Real quick, (or as quick as you want to read this) happy birthday last month to 

Stephanie

Gabriel

Becky

Sarah

Grandma!

Hope it was awesome!

For this week, I found out that as I covered downtown El Paso, now I cover most of downtown Albuquerque.  I guess there's something that I need to learn by making my way downtown. ;)

Elder Schraedel is awesome- he's so funny and it makes for quite the conversations when we're tired. Example 1: Scenario: we are laying on the ground in our study room at 9:30 at night, trying to tell ourselves to get ready for bed.

Me: "We need to make sure that we always have people to visit during the day so we don't stay here and stare at the wall like we are right now."

Elder Schraedel: "... That's the ceiling."

Me: "The ceiling is just a wall resting on other walls."

Elder Schraedel: "The ceiling looks a lot scarier now."

Me: "Yeah it does."  

Anyways, I cover 2 wards, the Sage ward and the Ladera ward.  The two missionaries who were in this area before Elder Schraedel and I were two missionaries who have both finished their missions- so they were getting trunky during the time they were in this area. (Trunky=ready to go home, but in missionary terms)  It's taken a toll on the members here.  I met a couple members on Wednesday night, and I was asked the question, "Are you nearing the end of your mission, too?" and the brother who asked it said it almost forlornly.  I knew right then that it had had quite the effect on the members here.  That's alright, the work is cut out for us (Elder Schraedel's been out for only 10 months, so if either of us get trunky while we're here, something is very wrong!)

So, I am still a district leader, and the only elders in my district just barely got switched to a bike area, so we have had a fun time helping them out.  They called us Friday night, saying they got a flat tire two miles from their apartment at 8:30 at night, so we went over to help.  Because we have a little car, not the truck like I was used to, this is what we did.  We managed to fit the bike into the car, along with the missionary who was riding it, which left his companion outside of the car.  As missionaries, obedience brings blessings but exact obedience brings miracles.  That missionary, Elder Blanchard couldn't be by himself at all, we're supposed to stay with our companions...  So we ended up driving the car alongside him while he biked until we got to their apartment.  The best part? When we got to their apartment, Elder Blanchard's bike got a flat tire as well. XD

Here's some pictures of the Laguna area, that's me standing on the baptismal font in the Laguna chapel,

then there's me and Elder Cornelison with an investigator couple, Claudia and John, 

and then there's me with Alva and Theresa, an active member and an investigator. 

I'll send a couple more pictures in a different email!

Talk to you all next week!  Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!

Elder Eli James Dial