Excerpts from emails on 8/12 and 8/19

August 12, 2013

So this week we have __'s baptism. We're excited. 

I really only speak Spanish when I'm around members or Spanish people... or when Elder Erickson and I want to speak and don't want anyone to understand haha. We do a district language study everyday where Elder Erickson and I teach the others Spanish principles. 

This past week at transfers president announced something cool. We now get to go to the temple every 6 months instead of year and 2 years. I get gypped out of 1 trip, but that's still 3 more. Erickson and I are irked cuz now we have to go with the 6 monthers and 1 1/2-ers. We want our year trip to be special dangit! Oh well.

We do service every Wednesday in a place called Prospect Park. Some of us wear our vests; others don't. I don't because I'm doing this for service, not to bring attention to myself. Plus it looks like a group of convicts picking up trash as a punishment.

I MISS KYE SO BAD. I take advantage of every single dog I see! I miss my puppy... who isn't a puppy anymore.

August 19, 2013

[In response to a comment I made about how my comps and I didn’t ever see other missionaries during the week and sometimes only once a month.]  Yeah, Dad, it is interesting how in other missions you are never close with the other missionaries. We see each other every day for long periods of time.

Well things here this week have been worth it.  A lot of crap happened, but it was all made worth it by the fact that __ got baptized on Saturday. It was hectic and stressful, but it worked out. There was drama about who from the ward was doing what, but it all turned out fine. Sister Franklin and I sang a musical number, and I gave a talk; Elder Adams baptized and Elder Rogers confirmed on Sunday. Now it took me till Sunday to really realize that everything had turned out alright. Before sacrament meeting (and the confirmation) __ came up to me and said, "Elder Goates, I brought my tithing!!!" We had only taught about tithing briefly and definitely did not tell him to bring tithing. The kid is 11 and wasn't even a "member" yet and wanted to pay tithing. He really is amazing. He then went to tell me that "last night I prayed and I felt something really different! It was so cool!!!" I love him so much. He is truly amazing. He is the true definition of what missionaries want. I am incredibly lucky. Later his mom talked with Elder Adams and told him how when she was watching her son get baptized she felt something amazing and knew this was right. The next Sunday she was there and paid her tithing too. The truth is that during the baptism I was worried because it felt hectic, and I didn't feel calm and spiritual, so I thought that no one else did. I was wrong. So this is a reminder to me not to sweat the little things and how this baptism was for them and in no way for me (which I never thought it was in anyway before, but just a reminder.)

The other day we went stopped at the beach on our way home. It was incredibly relaxing and wonderful to just get my feet wet and walk on the sand. The serenity of the night sky with the sound of the ocean was really nice. Of course not as nice as it would be with the family, but it was a good reminder of times at the beach. It is also really cool because there is a nice little boardwalk with shops and restaurants. The specific area we were in is a fairly Russian area, and when we came up and washed our feet off, we saw a large group of people on the boardwalk and music. We went over and there was just a bunch of people of all ages dancing to the Russian music. It was awesome. People talk of the cool cultural things that happen in their missions, and I realized this was the one of those things that I would talk about and never forget. It was really cool. It was also recently the Muslim holiday, and it was really fun to see all the festivals and attire. It was just awesome. I'd always wanted to attend one of these festivals, and I did haha!

correction

I couldn't get the video or voice recording to upload.  I will try later--J.D.'s dad

Excerpts from letters, transcripts of voice recording, one short recording, and pictures

July 29

We are teaching this kid. A less-active member's son. He's super cool and really cool. He is going to be baptized a week from Saturday... we think haha. It's not so sure, but maybe. The problem is that he's young and comes with his next door neighbors (of his own will btw.) He shows up knocking on their door telling them it's time to go to church. He's 10. Awesome. But we want his mom to come so it's easier for him to keep coming. 

Anyway, transfers are next week. This transfer has gone by in the blink of an eye. It's crazy! I have no idea what's going to happen. I could stay, go, get a new companion. ANYTHING! I want to stay, so we'll see.

I also had a cool experience where I was able to talk to a woman on the bus. She had been having a really hard time and felt alone in the world. Thanks to a guy named _ who knew the English missionaries, we got talking to her and gave her the names of the people who could help her and the missionaries. I briefly talked to her about things that had happened in my life and how this had really helped me get out of a downward spiral of depression. She wanted to know about our church and knew exactly where we're located, seeing as she lives down the street. So that was incredible. She said that this had happened for a reason. She had almost missed the bus, but knew this was supposed to happen. That was really amazing. Who knows what will happen with her, but what I do know is that I influenced someone for the better that day and hopefully helped her realize that there are people out there, even strangers, that care. 

Yesterday the presiding bishop over the entire church attended our ward with some building people. Kinda cool. More important was the (gossiped) "reason" they were there. Supposedly they're thinking of rebuilding. I hope not. The current church is an old Catholic church that the LDS church bought and refurbished. You would love it, Mom. It's very nice on the inside. I like because it's not a standard cookie cutter church. It reminds me very much of the old St Francis.

August 5

I'm not getting transferred and neither is my companion. So we are staying together for another 6 weeks at least. Our district is mostly staying the same with exception to one sister leaving. So we'll get a new sister but the other 5 of us are staying.

I really liked your talk, Dad. I also like when you said things would change that we didn't quite see yet.

A member brought the subject of gays up to me. It's funny because my district weren't surprised that it would happen to me. Anyway, the member asked what we do if someone confesses that they are gay. I simply replied, nothing. As long as they are living the law of chastity the church has no problem with it. He then asked about therapy and I explained that aversion therapy was no longer supported by the head of the church. It was a very good conversation.

A short voice recording is posted, but from two others I have just put in a transcript of parts of them:

We do service at a place called Prospect Park most Wednesdays.  I’ve tar on my legs now.  Tar on the legs hurts because I have harry legs.  Harry legs plus tar equals unhappiness.  Afterwards, the missionaries do Wendy’s Wednesdays.  Today on the way there we got caught in a downpour; I was wetter than I’ve almost ever been, but it was fun because I wasn’t in a shirt and tie—what we call pross—because we had just done service.

Right now I am just waiting for Elder Adams to shower so we can out and do something productive.  Things are pretty good here.  I really like it; I like my district a lot.  We do this thing we call elliptical.  The point of it is that we mainly work around the church.  We don’t go far away but try to find people around the church.  We do this so that a) they are more likely to come to church and b) so that we can strengthen the area around the church and expand outwards and eventually start building more churches.  So, to do this, we do things we call elliptical activities or street sweeps, which are things where we go out and set up a table an do interesting little things and talk to people.  One time we painted a tree onto a big board and called it the family tree.  We asked people, what do you like about your family and will you write it down on this leaf and tape it to the tree?  And then, if they are interested, we talk to them about families and stuff like that.  All in all it works pretty well for English but not so well for Spanish, so we’re trying to figure what to do for Spanish.  We are probably going to start teaching English class here.  It hasn’t been done here, and I am a huge fan of it.  I feel like that is where I’ve learned most of my Spanish. 

Not too much happening; Elder Adams and I just having a good time doing good things and teaching people.  We are working with the members trying to get them to like the missionaries again.  They haven’t all been the biggest fan of missionaries.  We can understand why, because missionaries can be idiots.  I recently had an amazing exchange with a kid who I was with in the MTC, an Elder Erickson, whose is now my district leader, and I really like him. 

We went into Manhattan for a doctor’s appointment and ran into a lot of people.  We were on the subway switching trains, and I accidentally took us down the wrong side of train tracks, and it was actually really good that that happened because this guy stopped us and said, hey, are you guys Mormons.  And we were like, yeah, and he said, my great great grandfather was Brigham Young.  And we were like, what?  No way.  That’s crazy.  And he said, yeah, and pulled out his ID to show us that his name is Young.  Adams and I were both thinking, do you know how many people have the last name Young, but we didn’t say that for obvious reasons.  Anyway it was cool, and he talked to us and said have you seen the Book of Mormon musical; how do you feel about it?  And I said, eh, you have to be able to laugh at yourself.  He says, that is very true.  If someone were to make a movie of my life, I would have to laugh at it too.  There would be some parts that would be offensive, if you took it that way, but I’d have to laugh at myself because I do some stupid things.  I said, that is a good attitude to have.

So, as we were talking to him, he says, so you guys know you’re on the wrong side of the track.  And I tried to play it off like yeah we have to go into Manhattan for an appointment [ah, pride], and Adams is like what, we just finished the appointment.  And I am saying, no, no, we are from Brooklyn, we’re not going to Brooklyn now.  So, then he pulls out his phone and starts to look up the route.  And this is when it is better to just suck up your pride and admit that you are wrong.  But I was just like, no, we’re good; we know what we’re doing.  Because you know me; I don’t like looking like an idiot.  He just kept trying to help us out, and so I finally looked at his phone and said, oh, you know what, you’re right, we are on the wrong side, thanks.  Then he said, do you have a Book of Mormon?  We used to have one, but when we moved we lost it.  So, we gave him one, and then he gave Elder Adams his card.  We called him to see if we could give his information to the missionaries in Queens.

Most of the pictures are from the district P-Day trip on the Staten Island Ferry.

 

Current compaion, Elder Adams, on left and Elder Erickson.