I've already learned some very important lessons since being here - always give your best effort, your attitude is the only thing you can control in a given situation, you always have more to learn...hmm, these all sound really familiar...maybe my parents DID know what they were talking about! Just kidding, Mom and Dad. I am so grateful for all you both have taught me and helped me to understand. These lessons are just being applied in new situations now.
So, transfers are tomorrow. I guess the Cambodia Phnom Penh mission's transfers are two weeks earlier than the Massachusetts Boston mission's...so everything seems to be evening out now. Elder Wayne and I are staying here, since he's my trainer, but Elder Ang is getting transferred to Lowell. The trio only lasted for 2 weeks, but that's alright - I think this will force me to do more and work harder, which is good! I have a lot more to learn, and I'm stoked for it. I don't always get along with Elder Wayne that well - I think the Lord enjoys teaching me patience and love. Hopefully things will get better as I work one-on-one with him.
Elder Phillips is getting transferred too - to Hartford, CT. He's been a great friend, I'll miss him. Thank goodness for emails and the postal service! And eventually, facebook. Wait, what's that? I forgot. ;]
Every Tuesday, we do service at a retirement home in Swampscott, which is right by the ocean. We play Pictionary and Hangman together; it's so great to spend time with them.
It's crazy how many languages I have spinning around in my head - English, Spanish (from our roommates), French (from our investigators Benedetta and Haura and talking with them a bit), and Cambodian! I've been getting headaches and getting really discouraged and frustrated with learning Cambodian - it's so difficult to study and learn anything when we teach in English most of the time. Then, the few times we do use Khmae, I barely understand what's going on, if at all, and I can't catch most of what they say. I don't know what I'm going to do, other than continue to try my hardest, and work even harder.
One of our investigators, Cotter, is getting baptized THIS SUNDAY. I've only been here for 2 weeks and we've got a baptism! I'm so excited and happy for him, and I'm so glad that I got here in time to see this change in his life. It's been way cool to see how my love for our investigators (and for the members here!) has really taken root and grown!
I get letters from friends and family every so often, which is really nice! I love getting mail, and I love writing letters back! Thanks to everyone who has written me! Keep them coming and I'll keep replying. =D
If anyone prefers email, we can do that too! Ask my Mom for my email address if it's not on the blog or on my facebook already! =]
We had an interesting experience with an African woman named Sophia the other day. She was a referral from the missionaries who share our apartment, and she seemed interested in meeting with us, so we set up an appointment with her. We got to her apartment building at the scheduled day and time, but apparently, she thought it was HER duty to be teaching US. She's a "born-again Christian", and she read the Restoration pamphlet that the other missionaries gave her. We started trying to teach, but she soon went off about how Jesus Christ was the ONLY foundation we can build on, and how the Bible is the ONLY thing to guide us, and how she pities us and how she promised herself she would correct us. We kept trying to testify and make points, but she wouldn't have it. She'd interrupt us and go off again. She said she read the pamphlet and liked it, and then she read the back page, which has an invitation to read the Book of Mormon and attend church. She said that ruined everything, because if we're talking about the gospel and about Jesus Christ, then it should say to read the Bible, not "some Mormon book" - it didn't matter to her that we said that we believe in and worship Jesus Christ. We testified multiple times that the Book of Mormon is from God, that it testifies of Christ, and that we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. She wouldn't have it. It didn't matter to her that we also believe in Jesus Christ, that we also have faith in Him. After a while we had to leave because she refused to listen as we testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and of our Savior. It made me really, really sad, and left me with an awful feeling inside. I had to quote scriptures to myself and sing songs to myself from Rob Gardner's "Lamb of God" to try and bring the Spirit back into my heart.
I found out this week that Revere's only claim to fame is that it's the home of America's first public beach. Fascinating, right? It's been really cool being here though. Like, this is THE Boston. I've been on THE Bunker Hill, and we're planning on going to THE Salem on an upcoming P-day. It's so awesome how much history is here!
This morning, we got up WAY early, and our entire zone went to the beach in Nahant to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean. We got there a little late, the sun had already started rising, but that's ok. It was so beautiful! I got tons of pictures Mom, no worries.
I'm loving it here. We are constantly busy - the work moves forward, and I'm so psyched to be a part of it! It keeps hitting me that I'm a missionary now, a "real" missionary! I've been that for about 3 and a half months now, but now I'm in the field! I remember having the missionaries over for dinner and stuff, but now that's ME going and having dinner with members every night. It's so surreal, being here and teaching people every day. It's really hard sometimes, but I absolutely love it.
Much love and best wishes to all of you!
- Elder DeLong
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