Tuesday, May 23, 2017

May 8, 2017 - Travels, Training and Mercy...Mostly Mercy!

This week flew by faster than anything in the whole world. They say time flies when you are having fun but time really flies when your are busy!

Monday we played some basketball to start off P-Day! We had to end early though because we had to go to Saskatoon. On the way there we stopped in Yorkton and took the Elders there out to a buffet! As the assistants we get extra allotment each month because of the amount of travel we do. |this month though we had some extra so treating those Elders was pretty fun! After leaving Yorkton we continued on toward Saskatoon... or so we thought. It was a series of unfortunate events, a missed turn and an untimely need to fill up with gas that caused us to make a 2 hour detour. Making an 8 hour drive 10 hours and arriving well after 11:00pm Saskatchewan time. Midnight our body time! Pretty pathetic conidering we both have an I-Pad with an unlimited data plan and a GPS. No excuses for getting lost there hahaha. Oh well, we did not crash!

Tuesday was exchanges with Elder Moore (My MTC Companion). He is 6'8 so we looked like Stockton and Malone in the streets. We did some finding and taught 2 recent converts. We also attended the EQ Presidency meeting and revamped the home teaching using missionaries as home teachers. It is genius and it is approved. Their stats will go up like crazy. the only stipulation is that missionaries need to have a member companion and that we cannot home teach active members. Their EQ presidency is super good!  Geoff Vaz is one of the counselors and he is great. Most people in Saskatoon have moved from southern Alberta recently so I know a bunch of the members there. The Zone Leaders actually live in he Vaz' basement. We did not find any new investigators that day but set some lessons with people who became new investigators a few days later. It was a good day. We also played ball that morning so obviously that was a plus.

Wednesday we played ball in the am again. That morning we drove to Regina to exchange with the Zone Leaders there. I was with Elder Quinton and we did some finding before lunch. After lunch we had to move some mission vehicles around the city so all 4 of us had to go because we cannot drive alone. The cars we parked at the temple. The Regina temple is getting a renovation done but not getting rededicated so all of the workers have to be worthy temple recommend holders. I talked to a few of them. They are from Kelowna right now but the head guy is brother Olivers brother or nephew or something. They are replacing the font and some other stuff. Interesting to know that they still must wear white. they are just there in white overalls and white gloves and stuff. Pretty neat honestly. That afternoon Elder Quinton and I met this Muslim guy and I just started talking to him asking how his day was going. He said he was doing well and that he just finished BBQ'ing. He invited us over and we taught the restoration over some stake and Potato! It was super good. We had a meal appointment that night and wouldn't you know it... As we are sitting outside this guys house eating stake who drives by but Sister Clarke, the member who is taking us to dinner that night. We still went to dinner. Sister Clarke is married to a non member and every week they take 12 missionaries out to dinner and son't go cheap. it is over $500 every week! I guess that is what  you do when you are insanely rich haha, I ordered a soup but Elder Wright and I had to leave early because we had a meeting with President and Sister Craig, Elder Smith, and Brother Paul who is the vehicle guy from Salt Lake. Brother Paul trained us on the TIWI which is a box that goes in your car and grades you on you driving and coaches you. Ultimately it makes you not do stupid things in the car. 

Thursday was Zone Conference from  9:30-4:30. It started with brother Paul Training everyone on the TIWI and then we got into the missionary part of things. Elder Wright and I trained on Effective follow up kind of like we did in MLC last week. We did a practice of morning Planning with a specific investigator in mind and planned how to follow up that day and link them with a member. We also practiced how to make the follow up phone call. For the demonstration in Regina, Elder Wright was the missionary and I was the investigator. After the Demo we asked for comments and everyone just ripped on Elder Wright with things he did poorly and what to improve on. It was pretty funny but eventually I was like "OK, now what did he do well? We can't wreck his confidence here". You could then hear a pin drop haha. It is a good thing that Elder Wright is such a good guy because that was pretty embarrassing.  After Zone Conference we drove up to Saskatoon with President and Sister Craig. We had the chance to discuss the needs of the mission just the four of us. That was a good drive. They are just amazing individuals and a great couple. BTW this was also my birthday. Awkward part was that I forgot that it was until the mission office called in the morning to sing to me haha. The i got sang to at Zone Conference. That was a bit embarrassing, pretty awkward honestly. When we arrived in Saskatoon we went to the church to meet a Sister who had been re-assigned to our mission and had flown into Saskatoon earlier that day. When we got to the Zone Leaders house they had the Melfort Elders there. that was Elders Romeril and Sheen. Elder Moore had made me a birthday cake and we had cake with them and the Vaz Family. It was a good time. 

Friday was Saskatoon Zone Conference so we gave our training again there. We had to leave after lunch from there to get back to Winnipeg at a reasonable time. We don't get the privilege of flying like President and Sister Craig do. Right before we left President pulled out hi bank card and said "Elders I need a favor". We were like for sure an he said "Its May 5th, that is Cinqo de Maio. Can you go get some chips and also for the zone?" So we did and apparently they celebrated after Zone Conference. President is such a good guy! We drove as far as Brandon that night and I was going a lot slower because of the newly acquired TIWI. We stayed in the Brandon apartment that night. It is weird though, They are in a new apartment and it is way different than when I was in Brandon. It is sad to see things move on. I think i am beginning to have separation anxiety with the mission. 

Saturday we finished the dive back and had some service in the morning. We had a good lesson in the afternoon with Yong. He is from China. 

Sunday was Stake Conference. We had Elder Priday (An area authority there). Yong came to it. The sound was pretty bad so that was too bad. We could barely hear anything. The spirit was there though! That afternoon we had a meal appointment and stopped by everyone that we did not see this past week. 

Now for the mercy! 3 weeks ago i went and contested a parking ticket and got it down to $0. That same day i learned of a $221 ticket I got on exchanges. This week Elder gregson who i was with went to fight it in traffic court. He is the first missionary in recorded history to do this to a photo-radar but he got it down to $0. It was a perfect example of Pure mercy and no justice haha. 

Love Elder Stewart

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