Week #15 (September 21, 2015)

Quotes of the week:
#1) Elder Malpartida, my district leader from Peru, during a split in my area:
Me: "Elder Malpartida, do you want to marry a girl from America or Peru?"
Elder Malpartida (in awesome accent): "I don't know man, the Latinas
just have so much PASSION! I love it!!"

#2) Vladmir, homeless Czechoslavakian man, outside of African market:
"You guys look good, like FBI."

#3) White man, outside of Golden Chick (the white man chicken place):
"I'm not interested in you and your HERESY!"

#4) Very obese white woman, in the Colonial apartments (rough area)
Talking to her 4 year old about an incident with his teacher (heavy
Texas accent):
"Well did you tell her he touched you? Did you..? Well I'll you what
I'm gonna do, I'M GONNA TOUCH THAT TEACHER!"

#5) Ridiculously drunk man in a garage:
"Glory to God!!" - followed up with the most drunken salute in history

This week was fruitful with the quotes, plenty of crazies in Garland.

On the other hand, so many people are ready to hear the gospel here.
Me and my companion are teaching up a storm. The challenge is getting
people to church. Nobody will just dig in and take an hour out of
their week to do that.

I could update you all on every other need of my investigators, which
is what occupies your mind all the time as a missionary, but it won't
have any real meaning to you all. So I'll share an experience to give
you all a good thought for the week:

We contacted a lady from the Bronx who speaks Cuban Spanish and New
York English (both fluently). She began describing the 3 miracles she
had seen in her life (not uncommon, most people want to prove their
spirituality/or discuss it with us -- something really cool). The 3
experiences were very powerful.

We talked to her about her relationship with God. She essentially said
she knows her drinking and smoking have really pushed her away from
Him, and she needs to change those things. As we began to teach a bit
about the gospel of Jesus Christ and change, she stopped us. Took the
pamphlet and told us what day to come back.

She said that she really doesn't like talking about Christ while she's
drinking, but wants the message when she isn't.

My challenge to you all is not to bring up the Savior in every
conversation, but ask yourself, could I feel comfortable talking about
Him in the situations I'm in this week? If you feel a little iffy
about some of those places you hang, or with some of the things you do,
rethink them. Feeling honorable in His presence is the goal.

-Elder Cox

District pictures: