W40: McMillan Show

 I've decided my sector might just be part of the Truman Show but like pt 2 called the McMillan show.  Some of the people here might be paid actors. This week while walking two guys on the side of the road started a conversation with us asking us where we were from. They then proceeded to split us off so one was talking to me and the other to my Comp. My conversation was pretty chill, but apparently the other guy told my companion that the only reason he is here is because he was brainwashed and doesn't actually live his own life and stuff. Pretty much told him to "Eat, drink and Be merry" (2 Nephi 28:7) By that point we just cut off the conversation by seeing if they wanted to read a flyer, then all of the sudden they get this huge rush and need to suddenly leave. So that's how we took care of them. 

I got to do a intercambio with Elder Duryea this week. He's in the second cambio of his training. And man I do not envy being at the start of the mission. I mean in general terms I'm still pretty young in the mission but just starting the mission lowkey stinks. Looking back everyday was just a fight to make it to the end of the day with the whole learning Spanish...its rough. His dad and my dad graduated from the same high school....Gooo Layton Lancers so that was cool.  

As a testament that my Spanish is improving, I was able to have a conversation with a member about why his car wasn't working. I was able to figure out that it was most likely a blown head gasket. This was all done talking in Spanish and I feel like me and the member were on the same page most of the time even though I don't think he understood the gravity of probably having to machine the head thing. But that's another problem for another day. It's easy to have normal conversations but conversations about random topics like car mechanics is another level of speaking.

Elder Benson said something this week that summed up how our week went using the spinning plates analogy in our Zone. Pretty much we had all of these spinning plates on a set of sticks and the only plate we were able to attend to was the one that was one the verge of falling down. That's pretty much what we did. Just a bunch of spinning plates making sure none of them crashed. We had an emergency transfer so 2 members of our zone had to go to two different areas and we got two new missionaries from other areas. We had to figure some things out but in the end it just ended up not really being our problem which is kind of nice. We have to figure out if everyone in our Zone will have Christmas service in their area or not.  We are working with a lot of our members to share messages of the Savior with them and their family and friends which is great during Christmas. We also get to do another musical number and one of the new sisters in our area has great plans for us.  She might not be totally aware of our musical talent level but thats ok.  The Elders aren't going to be happy but we are going to persevere. I am in short sleeve shirts most days so it is feeling more like summer.  Lots of work to do!  Elder Benson is great.   

Anyways hope you all have a good week. I hope everyone is feeling some added love during the holidays.  I am grateful for our Savior who brings peace and love. There are people in my sector who work really hard just to make ends meet. It makes me realize how fortunate we are and helps me work a little harder to bring joy to people who really need it. 

A member had a skibbidy-toilet man that one of her students gave to her so even a skibidy toilet man has made it to the bottom of the world.  Below is a day in the life of calendaring when you are supposed to go on intercambios.  Sadly one of our stalwart AP's got sick and missed out on the mission grind in our sector but it shows you how we plan our time.  Always something to do and people to help and then changing it all up because plans change. That's mission life. Love you all.  Elder McMillan