WEEK 14- Misionaryness

This week was another week! Of course it was, but this one was another week of missionary work!! I look forward to every week, and it saddens me that they're slipping by so quickly. I hit my 3-month mark this week, which means that - to everyone else in the mission - I'm officially not a greenie. :)
District meetings were good this week, and it seemed we were busy with something every day, but we don't have much to show for it. A lot of doors that never opened. Oh, well, that happens the last few weeks of summer. There will be more people home soon. ;)
Since I don't have much to report in way of missionary work, I guess I'll take the chance this week to talk about some missionary life.
Tuesday was the last day of the month, which means we all get our monthly allotments of money. That means that a bunch of boys who were broke, aren't anymore! So, we take some time out of P-Day, shift it to Tuesday, so then we can do shopping with money that we actually have. Long story short, District Meetings end Tuesday, and the entire Zone swarms the Walmart trying to get all the things they've been going without. It's quite the sight.
Work happens most of the week, with some small transition times in our apartment as we wait for rides, meals, etc. These are usually spent without shoes, shirt or tie to air out the sweat and heat, but we have t-shirts right next to us for when the door needs to be answered, so we don't go parading around in naught but our covenants.
N left out of town this week, so we're not really sure what to do. He's on vacation, but his baptism is scheduled for two days after he gets back... We're not sure how much to bug him. We want him to be ready, but we don't want him to feel pressured.... Must... Find... Balance...
Thursday was a busy day. We spent the entire thing doing service again. In the morning, we went and helped J's grandma do some stuff in her apartment, then that night we helped move someone in the ward. We tried to visit a few people between, but nobody answered and the time just snuck up on us. Next thing we know we're rushing to make it to the next appointment (rushing is a common thing, particularly in a bike area). This move we did in the ward amazed me. Yesterday in church, a priesthood leader described it as "ten pounds of dirt in a five pound bag." I honestly don't know how it all fit, or will fit into the new place (she's down-sizing). Nevertheless, we did as we were told and moved it all quickly and efficiently and didn't break anything we know of.
Friday, Brother P, the A ward mission leader took us to the D.C. Temple ! We get to go once every three months, so we took it. I missed the temple, so it was great to go again. I got some pictures (from the outside obviously), but it's even more beautiful on the inside, and I wish I could just stay forever. BUT, there's work to be done outside the temple too, so we headed back home.
Saturday is kind of a funny story. Some guy with Utah license plates offered us a ride. He was pretty built and was wearing a Redskins t-shirt.... Turns out, he plays for the Redskins! He served his mission in Toronto, attends the ward our zone leaders serve in, and his wife just had a baby. Sound like a good mormonad? I think so! It was pretty sweet to meet him, get a ride from him, and everything. Afterwards, Elder Ravia was just freaking out. "We just met Bryan Kehl!!!" It was pretty funny.
Sunday was another busy Sunday. Most of Sundays is church, especially when we cover two wards. It's kind of a bummer because Sundays are great days to contact, but meetings, meals and services take most of the day....
Today, we went to a BBQ at the mission home.  It looks slightly different due to the new owners, and we were fed pretty well. It was fun to get to know the New mission President and his wife  a little bit better, particularly in a less formal place. We played volleyball, talked, ping pong, all sorts of stuff!! It was a blast. It's really funny, their youngest daughter  (9) seems to love the idea of having an extra 250 big brothers. She was hanging around with us like she'd grown up with us! It was really funny. No shyness, reservations, anything. I was pretty impressed by a 9 year old who was that welcoming to a change like that.
Other fun facts from this week in missionary work:
-The police department has not called us back yet.
-I cut my own hair with a haircut set I bought.
-President Riggs is pretty good at Ping Pong.
-I ran two miles without my leg siezing up.
-We had dinner with a British family (I love the accents).
-I LOVE my mission.
Today, during the BBQ, President R finished up the day with a spiritual thought. He started out by asking us which kingdom of glory we want to end up in. Which one we REALLY want to end up in. We talked about valiance and what we have to become here in our lives. He talked about how what we say we want and what we really want can be different things, and that we need to live our lives in such a way that they are one and the same. If we are ready to live our lives in a Celestial way, then that's when we really want to be celestial. We may want to be the best sports player there ever was, but if we aren't willing to practice, do we really want it? Not really. If we REALLY WANT it, we will do everything we need to to get it. He shared some great scriptures too, and many more insights, but I loved that little bit.
It's really interesting to see the balance between the two mission presidents. President A was more of a "number-pushing" guy, but President R is very "becoming" sort of guy. Everything is about who we become as missionaries and who our investigators become because of our work with them. It's really cool to see the changes and the balances. One thing I know though: I love President R. He's an amazing man and I'm excited to have many more months to serve with him. :)
Love you all. Keep praying for people to hear the truth.
-Elder Hodgson