Inguieta

October 4, 2010


Hey fam.... Que paso?

Well this week has somewhat of a high note. We have two investigators with baptismal dates, one a 9 year old girl of some less actives and one way old lady whom everyone in the ward thought was a member, missionaries have been teaching her on and off for the past 6 years but we finally got a date for december (when her son-in-law get's back from Iraq). I don't know if I already mentioned this the last time. So that's about all that's going on.

My companion ran out of his St. John's Wort pills and is back to his usual nasty self. I can't stand him anymore, now at least we can get out the door without too many problems, and he will follow me around well enough but he complains unceasingly. About every single thing, from the mission rules to the amount of light bulbs in the bathroom. And he won't stop critiquing everything, I can't buy so much as a tube of toothpaste without him informing me why I'm wasting my money and why I should buy whatever he's buying, it's like that with everything, especially food, he goes on and on about how unhealthy my diet is and how much saturated fat/calories/carbs/etc, etc, etc, etc, is in everything. (And all of this coming from a guy who used to weight 255 lbs, and probably still would were it not for a month of constipation). (That and he doesn't eat healthy at all now). He thinks he knows everything, it's driving me absolutely insane! Last night when I called in our weekly stats I was almost begging our district leader asking him when we are to go on exchanges. It's getting that bad, he offends the members by refusing to eat certain things that he doesn't like or refusing to eat at all if he's not hungry. And if I glare at him and whisper very threateningly at him to eat the stinking food, he gets mad and then starts to eat by eating really fast, just shoveling it into his mouth and making little snarling noises while he does it. It's ridiculous! Afterwords I tell him to freaking grow up... Man.... He is so self centered, he doesn't care about anything other than his own well-being, he didn't even want to watch Conference, he wanted to stay home and sleep.... It's weighing heavily upon me, I wouldn't be surprised if I have a few gray hairs by the end of this transfer. I don't know what to do with him, In my e-mails to president he just counsels me to have the spirit more, have more companionship unity, etc. Vague stuff, but interviews are next week so hopefully I can figure something out with him.

Yet all of this grief has kind of been a blessing to me, I look back and this transfer with Elder Lamoure I think has been the transfer where I've grown the most, this transfer I've made more effort to work hard and be obedient than I ever have before on my mission. I have this really cool Book of Mormon study manual and in this one section there's a quote from Hugh Nibley where he talks about how it was a blessing for the Nephites to have the Lamanites always attacking them, it kept them on their toes and reminded them they needed to rely on the Lord more and more. That's how it's kind of been for me this last transfer, with a horrible companion I've definitely been more on the ball with missionary work and have been relying on the Lord much more to get me through this horrible experience. Still though I want to be rid of my companion.

Other than that things are pretty much the same. I'm tired of this area despite being here for only almost 2 transfers now, I'm tired of these rich sub-urbs. I want to go downtown where all the fun is, and where there are no white people. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get transferred. Transfers are in two weeks. General Conference was great, it was a good one and I took good notes, I can't wait for the November Ensign. And do you think that when it comes out you could send me a copy? And a spanish version in the Liahona? Here we get the Ensigns but we only get one copy for the apartment, we have to share and it stays in the apartment so I'd like my own personal copies to mark up. If you could do that when it comes out that'd be swell. Well that's all I got for today. The weather has been great, feels almost like Utah and I've been loving it. So have a good week, I love you all, peace out...

-- Elder Rice