Hey there! It’s been a while, I know, but I was just going through some older drafts I had saved and thought I’d post one. This was written on March 20, 2020, just a few days before I came home from my mission. Hello all. I’m here with another post, apart from my weekly emails you all were so used to. I have just been thinking about these effects of Coronavirus and missionaries and just the overall state of the world right now. ...

You know you’re doing something right when you get yelled at for doing that thing. Welcome back to the weekly, the only thing at this point that won’t give you Coronavirus (probably). Lunes was wack. Usually, I talk only about what happened after p-day ended but it was really wack. So first, missionaries get a certain amount of money for two weeks of food. We usually split this pretty evenly and buy the things we need every Monday. However, we were told by our mission president to spend it all today. He advised us to buy a two week supply of food in the event that people are quarantined. Okay, so we did. ...

So, I purposefully left out some details in my weekly, as I’m sure you figured out. I’ll cut straight to the point. For those that don’t know, I’m now home. So what lead to this? Well, over the course of my time here in the mission field, I’ve been meeting with a counselor to help with some emotional concerns that I had beginning this new adventure. Well, the other day, I received a call from my mission president and he wanted to know how I was doing with all that has been going on. I told him that I was doing fine but as we got to talking about all that has been happening, he expressed concern for my well being. He then asked me to call my parents and counsel with them about it. So I did, and I figured out in that call that it might be best for me to come home during this time for the emotional support that I need. I will still be seeing a counselor about these issues while I am here at home. ...

Well, well, well. Look what the cat drug in. It’s my weekly! Here’s a secret: the weekly email is like a delicate dish, you have your specific ingredients that need to all be cooked to perfection. Different temperatures, different times, you get the idea. Well, my dish involves throwing it all together at once, messing it up with a spatula (aka slap whacker), nuking it in the microwave for safety, and seeing what the end result is. And look at that, you’re reading it. ...

Pssst! Hey, you! Yeah, you! You there reading this. Guess what? It’s that time of the week. Welcome back to the weekly, where I (sometimes briefly) recap the things that happened during the week. This week was…interesting, as most weeks here in the mission field are. Lunes was a weird p-day. We had a lesson at 3pm so we stopped our p-day for these lessons. We taught Yuli, and taught a guy named Nico who was quite interested. Then we met a lady who is not having a good time and was so glad to see us. That’s all I’m going to say on that matter. ...

It’s not everyday you have to try to run with a booted leg (don’t tell my doctor. Also, more on that later). Welcome back to the email. I know you love to see this notification pop up on Mondays. It’s a joy writing these and getting to tell people about my week! This one’s not as long as last week’s (thank goodness, am I right?). Lunes, not a lot happened. We full sent it up to Bridge City after p-day ended and found a potential investigator. ...

Fun fact: Port Arthur is blowing up…with investigators! Welcome to the email, the one I send every week even though it always feels like I just sent one yesterday. This weeks is a large one, so grab some candy, lean back in that chair you’re sitting in, and get ready for this. Before I start off this email, I’ve noticed something being down here in Port Arthur. According to literally any Spanish missionary that has served here, Port Arthur has not really been a place to find new investigators. It’s usually kind of a stale area. But since I’ve arrived, we’ve completely blown up with new people we’re teaching, new investigators, references from place you’d never expect (more on that later) and all the sort! I don’t know if it’s something I did or the area is just ready, but all of Port Arthur is suddenly interested. Let’s see what happened this week. ...

Goodness, I just barely wrote an email, did I not? Anyway, welcome to Port Arthur, banishment for Spanish Elders! (It’s considered banishment because it’s the farthest you can get from the mission office as a Spanish Elder. Lousiana doesn’t have any Spanish areas.) My new companion is Elder Trent and he’s a homie :). It felt like this week was crazy fast so things are a bit hard to remember. Also, this week we had at least one miracle every single day! It’s been lit down here in Port Arthur. But I do miss Broadway. Broadway will always be my home here in the mission. ...

You thought I wouldn’t send an email this week? Psych! Also, didn’t I just write one? It sure feels like it. It’s the week of transfers so our p-day gets moved to Tuesdays (this is only for the week of transfers, so every 6 weeks. The rest of the time, p-day is Monday). A little confusing, I know, but let’s not dwell on the past too much. Monday we met with a part member family and it was pretty good. There are some things going on that I cannot tell about because of privacy but we’re hoping to get those resolved and start progressing. ...