Preaching to the Mexican Choir

 เฮลโล Hello!

Welcome back to my weekly TED talk. It's an honor to be here. So, I got transferred last week to the Alki YSA Branch in Seattle. It's pretty crazy, pretty awesome. There are/were a couple Springville High alumni over here, so that's pretty crazy. Also a piano player who sings and plays like he's a baptist in Alabama. Plus all of his concert lights and disco ball. It's pretty unbelievable.

UNINTENTIONALLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

So, a few days out of the week, we wake up early and go to the ZL's apartment to work out. There are a lot of missionary apartments in this complex, and they typically have pictures of Jesus on the front door when missionaries are there. The ZLs don't have one, but it's easy to remember where they live, because one of those doors with Jesus is right across from theirs. So when we got to the complex, we found the picture and started knocking on the door across from it, where the ZLs live. We knocked for about 15 minutes. Knocking, talking through the door, saying "let us in!" "Are you still asleep?" "If you don't let us in we're gonna break down the door!" Etc. At one point, Elder Knapp even unscrewed the peephole and started talking INTO the house. After about 15 minutes of this, Elder Knapp realized that this was not, in fact, the ZLs, but actually just a random apartment. So we booked it out of there and found the ZLs apartment across from another Jesus picture, on the same floor, just another building. So, we probably scared some random stranger to DEATH! Whoops.

FELIZ NAVIDAD

We were out on Sunday, trying to find some people we had met earlier in the week at this sketchy apartment complex (and there are a LOT of those around here). We get there, and we see in the parking lot there are about 25-30 Mexicans wearing all white. They're all just kinda congregated together. We decided that we would check on the person we came here to see first, and then drop some spiritual knowledge on the congregation. We knock on our friend's door, and we hear music start playing. And what song could it be, but Feliz Navidad. Our friend didn't answer and we see they're all singing this song and dancing together for one of their relatives who was inside and watching and dancing from a window. By the time we actually got close enough to them, they were starting to get into their cars and drive off, so we just wished them all a merry christmas. What I wouldn't give to be a Spanish Elder in that moment haha.

WE CAN'T STOP AND WE WON'T STOP

We have been GRINDING out here. We are both new to the area, and there is just about nothing to go off of. There are only like 15 active members of the branch. We are definitely going to try to make that better, because there's at least 100 members in the ward directory. We also have just been going from apartment complex to apartment complex and talking to anyone and everyone. We've met some really really cool people. Some who are actually genuinely interested. And I'm so excited to actually get back to teaching! We've gone to some super ghetto spots to try to find these diamonds in the rough. And it's working! Hopefully next week I'll be able to share about some experiences with our new friends.

LAST THINGS LAST

- We accidentally drove into the airport. These roads are confusing!!

- I am the dog whisperer.

- We stopped by a goodwill and I found a great sweater for christmas.

- We had a drive thru caroling thing at the church. So I got an excuse to scream at oncoming cars.

- Being hardened by the inner city doesn't change the irrefutable fact that I love you!

เอ็ลเดอร์ อย่าถูกยิง (Elder, don't be shot)

Elder Barrett