Excerpts from June 24 to July 22

June 24

To start off, the concert went very very well. I'm going to try and figure out a way to send you the numbers. I was very happy about it. Unfortunately we didn't have the turnout from the members we were expecting, but we did have more non-members than we were expecting. So that was good. A member who I have gotten close with told me she cried when her daughter and I sang. Her daughter also said, "I cried when you sang. I never cry. Ever. AND I got chills." So that made me happy. The daughter is a really awesome girl who plays trumpet and sings.

As for transfers, they haven't happened yet. They're on Tuesday, but we know I'm leaving. I kind of had a feeling I would, but there was always a chance I would stay. The next cool thing is that Elder Waidmann is now training!!! This, mind you, is immediately after he finished getting trained. I would like to take credit, but Elder Waidmann was pre-trained. Guess I didn't mess him up TOO bad. Darn... :P He's worried, but I'm really excited for him. He is definitely ready and will do great. Plus, I'm happy to be getting a grandson. :D So with that I've made about 300 cookies (that is not an exaggeration) for all the members that have helped me and gotten close with me. My week's been full of visiting and saying goodbye to all my members. I was really happy this Sunday because a Less-Active member I started working with 8 months ago finally came to church this Sunday. It was a wonderful last Sunday for me. I found that most of the ward was really sad I was leaving. A lot more than I thought would. It was really nice and I was able to take a lot of pictures. I'm sad, but I'm ready... sin the packing part, but when do I not pack the night beforehand haha.

Yes, we got to see the broadcast, but sadly I showed up late and didn't get to hear the actual part of the fb/tours thing. We're excited though. Also, I knew at least one person in EVERY SINGLE VIDEO CLIP. Did you see that one of the "missionaries" was Brandon Christiansen. Also, I knew the missionaries in the clip about the "drought" and a few in the choir. Crazy! I loved Elder Packer's talk. I thought it was perfect. I've found that just giving it up to the Lord when teaching is not 2nd nature but that when I do, it goes perfectly and the spirit really directs me in the way that is right.

I don't know where I'm going now, but we'll know tomorrow. I love you a lot. Going to try and send more pictures today. [the pictures didn’t come through]

July 1

So I ended up getting my ball that was stolen. Turns out it wasn't my ball that we thought someone had and one of the members picked it up because we'd left it and then they got it back to us. So woo. Haha nothing too big. 

To start things off, we'll talk about how my last day with Elder Waidmann went. After I emailed you last Monday, I went to my Spanish "family"’s house to say goodbye and to give them the cookies. It was a good time. Then I went and dropped by the Sonrisa woman to give her her cookie and say goodbye. She was surprised to say the least and cried a lot. Not sure whether it was because I was leaving or the gratitude for visiting her or both. Either way, I was really touched and of course there were many tears on my part. It was very nice and was a good way to end my time in Dyker Heights. 

Next day was transfer meeting. E. Waidmann got his "kid", my "grandson"; we got a posterity pic and sat down for the meeting. A lot of good stuff. I got placed in the place we all were pretty sure I was going. I am now in a place called Midwood. It is legitmately 2 miles from my last area, so I didn't move very far. In fact, many of the members in Dyker had been members here before boundaries got changed. So I'm really close haha. Now I'm with Elder Adams. He's really cool. I'm his "step-pops." We actually went to high school together. He graduated a year after me. We had never seen each other before but knew all the same people. In fact, his mom was once my boss. She was one of my referee coordinators. So that was pretty cool. Someone knew him before I became his comp and said, did you know Adam's mom. I was like, "why would I know her?" "She's a ref coordinator." I was like, "No I...... OH MY GOSH HIS MOM IS PAM!" So that was really funny. And then we became companions. Crazy. We get along really well. We're different, but in a good way. We're trying to get things started in this area. It's kind of hit a lull for a while, so we're trying to get it moving again. That makes it sound like it's me doing it, but it's just that I'm picking up where the last guy left off.  In my district here, I am with one of my friends who was in my MTC district so that's really nice. I'm friends with all the people here, so that's really good. I really like this district. 

Things have been pretty good otherwise. We do a lot of activities to try and find people to teach because this place had been worked over at least 40x and new things need to be done. So we did an activity called "family tree" where we put up a paper tree and ask people to write down the things they love about their family. It's actually pretty good. We asked a guy as he was walking and he pointed, snapped, and said, "SMOKE MARIJUANA BOYS!" And kept walking casually. It made our day. 

Well that's really it for now. On Thursday we're going to Coney Island for the 4th as our Pday. we're only emailing now because the libraries won't be open on the 4th, obviously.

July 8

This week has been pretty good. It's weird having a birthday on the mission. It doesn't feel any different whatsoever. That's ok cuz it was a fun day. My district did something really nice for me. They made me a cake and we had a good time. Cake, friends, and soda, what's better than that for a birthday? Nothing haha. That day we did service, which was a really good bday break. I love doing service. We just helped people put up insulation and dry wall. Very different than the destroying we had been doing just 10 months ago. So all in all, it was a wonderful bday. 

I got your guys' package the day after my birthday actually. Someone had picked it up from the office. It was great. I got some recordings down and I'm going to try and send them.

I got a very nice card from Barb. Tell her thank you so much. I really can use the subway giftcard because they are expensive here but are the most healthy and thing I am willing to eat on a regular basis.

[Steve: I debated about including this sad story in J.D.’s blog, but here it is]

As for my "grandparents", his son was a douche and threatened to cut him off from his grandkids if he didn't move to long island with him, and the son hated [the to-be wife] and wouldn't let him get married. [The son] is abusive. And I literally mean abusive. So he couldn't get married and stopped letting the missionaries come over, but he was very sad and crying about it; you can tell it wasn't his choice. Now I'm gone and I have no idea what's happened.

We went to Coney Island for the 4th. It was a wonderful time. I watched a man devour 69 hotdogs in 10 min.  I never thought I'd get such enjoyment from watching a grown man shove a lot of wieners down his throat. ;) De chiste, but it really was funny how into it you get when you watch them and want the reigning champ to beat his record. (he did btw, by 1)

Things are going well here. I had a really cool experience. I talked to this woman in Portuguese. We were just talking to random people on the street and she came up and was trying to speak English with the English missionaries so I went over to try and help thinking she was Spanish. I said something in Spanish and she went off speaking. I understood it all and thought it was in Spanish. She then stops and says, "you speak Spanish." I was really confused. Then she was like, "I'm speaking Portuguese." It was a really crazy experience and very cool. Luckily another missionary came over who speaks Portuguese, so I left it to him haha, but it was one for the records.

Well that's really it for here. We're still getting things started. Nothing much is new. Just having a grand old time. I'm happy. I think a new area really helps.

July 22

Lots of heat. It's cooling down though which is nice.  Glad Timberline was good, Dad.  And yes, I do know Joseph and Isaac. I love the Meacham family. They are so awesome. And yes, people still hang out on the streets in the evenings here. 

Life has been pretty great. We recently started teaching a new person and it's going great. This last Saturday I went to a wedding of a couple in my old area. I loved it. It was awesome. Everyone had missed me and they were so happy to see me. It was very nice to see. It reminded me that I am loved.  It's what I needed. I was able to see all the people I had affected, the fact that I had touched hearts, I had helped people in the way I wanted. I couldn't see it when I was there, but I could see it when I went back. That was what I needed. It reminded me of why I'm here; my original reason. It also gave me the fire to be my own missionary. So it was very good for me. It was good to be able to look back and say I really did do something and was successful.