It Was A Really Great Week!

February 12, 2015 - One Year Mark

What’s up! Hey how’s everybody doing? It was so good to hear from you all this week. I am always very excited for Mondays so I can read the emails and never send any back... haha jk. Well as you’re all aware with yet another holiday, the libraries aren't open so there are like 1.3 million missionaries here at the Stake Center so I hope to get some time today.

Well, this week was freaking sweet! As you know it was my birthday. Whoo! It was so fun! The whole day was just great even the lessons we had were really good so that just made it that much better. So to celebrate my birthday we worked! Yay, haha.  Elder B** did make me a b-day breakfast and set up all the packages I got around my desk while I was in the shower so that was pretty sweet. At 8 pm the H** family surprised me with a b-day party.  I know you already know about this from all the photos and videos they posted on Facebook. I guess I don't really need to say a whole lot, haha.  It was amazing, they are the best! When we got there Elder O and Elder B were already there which was a big surprise since their area is super far away from ours and they are on foot.  It was good to be able to have them there for it. 

Elder B made breakfast and put out b-day presents!

The H** family started off the night by giving me three gifts which I couldn't believe they did that.  They got me this super nice California beanie, a card, and a big poster with tons of pictures on the front and back of all the memories I had with them over the past six months that I have been here.  It had pictures of the old district crew!  I was so happy to receive these gifts.  Words really can’t describe how much it meant to me to have people show this much love and kindness to just some random white guy they have only known for six months. After that, they brought out a chocolate cake with fresas (strawberries) on top. I know from past experience that Hispanics like to throw people’s faces into the cake before they actually eat it, but it’s supposed to be a surprise. I wasn't really sure when or how they were going to do it, but they did catch me by surprise, haha.   My giant head took out literally half the cake, haha. I had frosting up my nose, in my eye and all over my hair, etc.  It was hilarious and I have never had that happen to me! So for the rest of my life, now ya’ll better watch out because I am going to be doing this from now on, haha. I’m turning Hispanic!  The cake, the gifts and all the photos we took really made the night awesome! So glad I have been able to know them and spend time with them.  They are so awesome.

Also this week was my hump day! Whoo! Nothing too exciting, but I did burn a really old shirt that was like black in the pits and had pen stains in the pockets and who knows what else on it.  haha.  I will send more pics later.

Is this a cake or cookie?  

This week was a really good week for teaching also! We had more lessons as a companionship than I have ever had here in the total six months while serving in Long Beach!  However, nobody still came to church....Oh well, they have their agency and I can’t force them to do anything. We did have a miracle find! While we were looking for a potential who lived on a street called Dawson, we were standing there looking like fools looking for a place that didn't exist. I saw a young girl walking towards us. I decided to ask her if she could help us find this address. It turns out she knew who it was and pointed us in the direction where we needed to go. However, before we left I decided to talk to her instead as a first contact, haha. I am so glad I did too because it turns out she has already been to church before and LOVED it. She is Catholic and said "I rate the Catholic church a 6 or 7 and you Mormons a 9," haha. Whoo! We never ever hear that! What’s also great is that she is best friends with a young member in the Branch named A**, so it all works out. We had a great lesson with her and she had some of the best answers and questions I have ever had any investigator ask me on my mission. Some of the questions she asked really made me wonder if she really was 15, haha. We had a lot of success teaching her and D** this week! Sadly, D** is moving back to Mexico so today we went by to meet him and take photos before he left so that he can show us to the missionaries down there, haha. Also this week, we dropped L** and C**. Both have been ignoring us for the past 3 weeks so it’s not worth our time, we don't really know what else to do with them. Things are starting to look good here and the transfer comes to a close this week! Can you believe it will be over this Sunday? I’m scared I might have to leave, but who knows.

Mom sent a cake mix, just missing a cake pan!!

Oh...haha, also before I forget, we had the craziest experience happen to us this week. I know I say this every week, but it’s true. On Friday Elder B and I were walking on Dawson Street as before and we came across a cat lying in the middle of the sidewalk. As we got closer and got a better look, the cat had both of its ears bitten off and its leg had been chewed up! It was all bloody and was just lying there licking itself and clearly couldn't hear us since it had no ears. We were concerned and felt bad for the poor thing so we decided to call Animal Control. They told us to wait there for an officer to come so we could help him find the cat. From here, the story only gets even crazier. After about 30 minutes of waiting on the curb, this ghetto white pickup truck pulls up and a huge fat white guy with a mullet jumps out and his first response was, "Are you waiting for me?" We asked him, “Are you animal control?  Really? Haha. He said, "NO! You called them!? This is my cat and he has ear mites and doesn't like to wear his cone..." What are ear mites!? And his cat had blood all over its head and no ears... Anyway, he grabbed the cat and threw it inside the house got back in his truck. He rolled down the window, looked me in the eyes and said, "I’ll see you on Sunday," and smiled and drove off. Haha. AHH!!!  So long story short, Animal Control came and hopefully the guy got ticketed because I’m pretty sure he did that to his cat. So yeah crazy stuff here!!

Well that's about it from me this week! Things are good, it was a great week. I just hope you all have a great week as well! Love you, and thanks for all the b-day surprises everyone!

Hasta luego,

Elder Woffinden