Our area is MASSIVE. It is supposed to be a full car area, but Salt Lake took the car so we were sharing it with English, but before I got here one of the English Elders "hurt his knee" (he can sure dunk just fine off his "wounded knee") so they have full car and we have full bike. I could easily cry wolf like him based on all my knee problems, but I don't like to think of myself as a baby and I know I'm fully capable of riding a bike.
It is extremely difficult. It takes two hours just to get into cape coral on bike (3-4 to get to certain points), but there's hardly any spanish there so we only go if we can get a ride. We basically have 3 or 4 areas we can knock.. and they ALL know who we are already. The biggest, most concentrated area is very very ghetto, and it's really hard to find someone who isn't drunk at all hours of the day. Like needle in a hay stack hard. trying to find someone ready to receive the gospel? needle in a hay field.
It is extremely difficult. It takes two hours just to get into cape coral on bike (3-4 to get to certain points), but there's hardly any spanish there so we only go if we can get a ride. We basically have 3 or 4 areas we can knock.. and they ALL know who we are already. The biggest, most concentrated area is very very ghetto, and it's really hard to find someone who isn't drunk at all hours of the day. Like needle in a hay stack hard. trying to find someone ready to receive the gospel? needle in a hay field.
Hence the title of this weeks email. The Elder in this area before me was disobedient, lazy, and didn't want to work. He also refused to Speak Spanish. My new comp, Elder Warren, is very much the opposite. He's a hardworking farm boy from South Central Utah. He loves to hunt fish and all the things I love! but most importantly work hard. We made a gameplan my first day, and have attacked the area this first half week.
Coming into the area, my spirits were a little down. I was homesick for Miami, I had white people yelling at me and throwing me off their property (it's really hard not to punch people sometimes), rednecks doing the straight armed hitler salute as we drove passed, and riding bike full speed for an hour just to get to a spanish area. To hurt my pride a little more, I was feeling sorry for myself due to news from home. Not to mention, it has done nothing but RAIN since i've been here. There first few days we worked SO hard and were so diligent.. but we had no one to teach, no new investigators, and nothing to show for our efforts.
Then I got sick. Sooo sick. I couldnt breathe, my throat was on fire, I had diahrea, the whole nine yards. two days in and I was just feeling sorry for myself. As I sat there in the apartment, I started thinking about why i came out on my mission. I read in the Book of mormon about the importance ofgiving ourselves over the lord, like ammon and amulek and alma, in order to convert the people over to the lord. I was reminded of how much this Gospel has blessed me, all the lord has promised me, and all the times he has carried me from the dust into the light. I got up from personal study, but on my rain coat, and told Elder Warren we were going out. Despite the Flood Warning issued, we got on our bikes and road down to Pine Manor (where all the drunks are) and we knocked, and knocked, and knocked. The efforst paid off.. we got 6 new investigators this week! The most this area has seen in as long as any of the Leadership in this area can remember.
Sorry my email has been all over the place.. I'm pretty much out of time too. But we have big things coming in this area. If there's a will, then there is a way. We can either choose to acted upon, or we can act. Elder Warren and I are determined to see success here, and we know that we can and we will. We have a couple getting married soon named Alma and Icidro! there super boss, and all they're waiting on is marriage to get baptized.
Oh also... i forgot to mention. Half of our investigators dont speak Spanish... or English... or even creole. They're brazilian. And they Speak Portuguese. But they want to be baptized. Somehow, we understand eachother and communicate. The Gift of Tongues is real. The Church is true. I love my mission, I love this Gospel. I love the people here in Ft Myers. Even the ones who yell at me and cuss me out and tell me they hate me hahaha. Hope everyone has a great week! I will be more organized next time.
love,
--
Elder Johns
