One Month Mark!

I can't believe it has been a month since I entered the MTC! I love being out in the field:) the people for the most part are great! You ready to hear about me week? I don't think so!

Monday was good until our lesson that night. We worked on a song for zone conference and played basketball until we had to head back to get ready for dinner. Oregon State has some sweet facilities! Anyways, we had a lesson with Jonathan set up for that night. However, he decided that although he believed in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, he just couldn't stop drinking coffee and smoking among other things. We were super bummed to say the least.

Tuesday we did exchanges with the Zone Leaders. We tried to see Ted and Kayla but they weren't home. Our dinner appointment fell through so Sister Nielsen made us pancakes and buttermilk syrup to take home. We read some scriptures with Charlie (a recent convert) and he is pretty solid! We went tracting that night and we knocked on the door of this one house and I glanced though the window and I saw a Children's Songbook on a piano! It was a widow in our ward! We'll we didn't know that until she asked us to come in and Elder Anderson asked if her husband was home and she told us "I don't have a husband. He's dead!". I was like ummmm ok? Haha!

Wednesday morning we went over to see Bob to see how his nephew was doing. Our prayers were answered and the nephew was out of the hospital (although they don't know what's wrong with his heart). He was super grateful and it sure strengthened my testimony of prayer! After we exchanged back, me and Elder Flora were walking when a member and his wife from Junction City stopped us and wanted to treat us to ice cream at DQ. When we got to DQ (it took us a little while since we were walking), there was a four-car accident! That might we had an awesome lesson with the Ericksons, one of the families in our ward.

Thursday was Elder Flora's one year mark! Some lady gave us money on Monday (she ran off before we could even react) so we went to a local diner to celebrate! I got a haircut from Mel and we worked on getting a stump out for one of our less actives. We had a lesson with Brad P**** and his family. He went to church for 19 years as a non-member and was only baptized a little while ago! We talked about the Title of Liberty and then he helped us wash our car because Philomath doesn't have a car wash place and we didn't have a hose!

Friday was bittersweet. It was President and Sister Young's last zone conference with us. He talked a lot about being equally yoked with our companion and we need to be Nephi and Ammon-like missionaries. We practiced different role plays and had a testimony meeting before saying our good byes. After zone conference we had a lesson set up with Ted but it fell through. However, he told us that if he was in Philomath on Sunday he would come to church!

Saturday was by far the best day of the week!! It marked my first month as a missionary and we had some awesome experiences. We decided to take a different route from what we usually do after teaching Adrian so we were walking past this out and this lady comes running out and asking us if we were Mormons. We told Jennifer that we were and she asked us for a Book of Mormon. She asked us when our services were and other questions that made our jaws drop! I had never had someone ask us how to join our church! It turns out that she was contemplating what direction she needed to go with her life and she happened to look out her window and see us walking by! Although we had to turn her over to the sisters, the sisters had a referral for us! It was so cool

Sunday was packed full of meetings! I don't know how Dad does it! We had both Jennifer and Mitchell (the investigator that the sisters had for us) come to church and stay for all three hours! After church we had a lesson with Mitchell and he told us a lot about his life and his feelings about church. Something funny that happened during Elders quorum was when the ward mission leader was talking about doing a fishing trip as a quorum (we can't go obviously) and Brother Mooney called it a "cocaine fishing trip"! Haha oops! We also helped Jennifer out with something so it was a good day! We also tried to see a referral from a non-member but the house he was talking about was the home of a guy who LOVES to bash with missionaries.

We have been reading out of the war chapters in the Book of Mormon because of a speech done by John Bytheway that Elder Flora listened to. It really applies to our day because we are constantly battling for our freedom from temptation and sin. I love Captain Moroni! I only wish I could be as faithful as he was. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary!

I love you all and I miss all of y'all!

Elder Tonini