Checking off the Bucket List

IOWA IS HEAVEN!

What is up?!

Crazy to hear about all the boys getting home!! So exciting! Proud of them and everything they did out there. Give them some love for me. And a s/o to everyone that's heading out soon and those who have headed out already. Welcome to the best team!!

We had quite a solid week out here. Elder Richardson came and joined Elder Clark and I in a trio until I take off for back home. Father and Son back at it again. You can't write it much better than that! Transfers are coming up so we are dealing with that stress case. The Sturm's are handling it like champs though so that makes it a ton easier. In the middle of all of this, we headed down to the wonderful paradise of Havana!! Not the tropical, beachy, communist led city in Cuba but Havana, Illinois. A dumpy, meth filled, tiny river front town in the middle of Illinois. It's been a dream of mine to visit a Havana so I can finally check that one off the bucket list! We were cleaning out the missionaries house down there to close the area and we were greeted by their neighbor, John, who was pretty bummed to see us leave. As he kept coming back to visit us, he progressively kept getting more drunk and drunk as the day went on. By the time we were on our way out though, our man John planted Elder Clark with a big ol' kiss on the cheek, was trying to make it out to church and promised us he would read the BoM. He's got a heart of gold. One day some missionaries will find and baptize him.

Ray came to church again! "Straight miracle!" - Eli Straight. We had a bomb lesson with him and he laid it all out on the table for us. Before we got into it, he remphasized his deep concern about not wanting to be baptized. At all. Of course our reaction is "okay Ray, whatever you say. Just you wait." We then ended up getting down to the deep stuff. He ended up having a lot of guilt just clinging to him and he didn't know how to let it all go. Good thing we know the answer to that! Right there, we invited him to say a vocal prayer and ask God to relieve him of that guilt. The Spirit was mighty strong in that room. There was no denying it. At church the next day, he acted way more comfortable and seemed to enjoy seeing people come up to him and introduce themselves. This is a super non social guy who is making strides in his life the past 2 weeks that will change him for the better. Pretty sick to have a front row seat to it all!

Earlier in the week, a random homie walked into the office while we were there. Just "happened" to walk in... He had a question about parking in the parking lot at the church but we ended up striking up a nice convo with the man. His name is "Pastor" Charles Evans. What a guy. Said our byes and told him we would stop by his house sometime soon (lives right across the street). 4 hours later we run into him again and talked some more about the good word. Coincidence? Nah, I don't think so. He was very open and so stoked to see us again. We're heading back over to help him set up a swing set and talk some more about the BoM we left him. He sent us on our way with a classic, Southern Baptist, howling prayer up to the big man upstairs... Gotta love it.

Enjoying to the end.

Mucho amor.

Elder Christensen

Pastor Charles Evans

John of Havana

Huayong's Squad

Frat Lord