Mission Life in the NWP: Week 11

This week has been pretty interesting and pretty tiring. Not as tiring as all the missionaries up north who got to do lots of service because of flooding, but having a chiropractor for a dad I guess I just got used to certain things (#priviledged). This next week will be my last one in training and I can't even imagine transferring to another area right now so hopefully I can stay. Well, here are the stories of the week:

Banding a Cow - I didn't really do anything, I just stood there. As soon as they saw that I was a stick and that Elder Fuluvaka was tongan they told him to get in and help. So I just handed them stuff and watched as the young bull walked around funny afterwards.

Tiana - She is still the same, and is kinda bible bashing, but is really just being super skeptical so hopefully she can have an open heart next time we go back and explain why those scriptures aren't talking about the Book of Mormon.

Cool riddle - Someone told me a cool riddle, email me the answer if you figure it out. There is a house with no way to look inside. On the outside are three light switches, one of which turns on a light inside. You can only enter the house once and then you have to know which one

Seth - We gave him a church tour.. of the wrong building, but it worked out and most are similar so it was still good. Then on Saturday we went with a bunch of young men and elders to chop wood for him. I was using an axe and I was not making much progress but we got all of it done in two hours and it was a lot. But we invited him to church... and he didn't show. But he called and promised us he would come next week so we are so excited!! While we were chopping wood I handed an axe to a 14 year-old, Rickel, (he knows how to use an axe, he lives in Washington) and I told him not to tell his mom that I gave it to him. The first thing I heard when we got to their house was "Elder Tolman, how could you!" Literally the first thing he did was tell on me. But don't worry I got him back (p.s. his mom was joking)

We got Clapped - (That means we got in trouble) On Wednesday we were up in Oak Harbor for most of the day and apparently we had planned a dinner with a member at 4. Stuff happened, but the moral of the story is we got there real late and the husband came out and told us we can't be late, not even 5 minutes late. It was very much needed and I've definitely done better and making sure we leave on time and all so although it was a terrible memory it was an experience I needed to get better. Plus, I think we're good now.

Koran - So we were driving and saw this man holding up lit signs that read Christ saves, or Emmanuel, and stuff like that super cool. So we stopped to get pictures and this man saw that we were missionaries and started to tell us we were brainwashed, but in a nice way, then one of my companions started to try and defend what we believed and it kinda turned into a bible bash. So that was interesting and funny, and sadly I never got a picture because his signs were pretty cool.

Fast and Testimony - This was really fun. One of the teachers, Rickel, was sitting at the front with a mic for anyone who didn't want to walk up, and we were sitting in the back, but he kept motioning for Elder Fuluvaka to go up and bear his testimony. I thought it was so funny because the whole ward could see him shaking his head when Elder Fuluvaka told him to go up. Eventually Elder Fuluvaka went up and said that Rickel would go up if he did. Rickel's head turned so fast . Two more people went up and spoke and he still hadn't moved so I went and said, "I just wanted to give Rickel a bit more time to collect his thoughts..." and after me he went up! His testimony was so good and afterwards it was so funny when he came up to us and punched us in the arm But his dad came up to us after and said he was so grateful that we did that.

One thing that got me thinking was Koran, when he told me I was brainwashed, because I have been taught this since I was young. And I was so confused, just because we have been taught from a young age doesn't mean we are brainwashed. We are all taught math, and english and all of that, and I guess you could call it brainwashing, but that isn't taking into account my decision. I made this choice, I chose to come out on a mission. I was born of goodly parents, having been taught the gospel, and I know for myself why I am out here. I wanted to share with you my testimony and my conviction because it is something that matters to me. And I wanted all of you to look back on a major decision of your life and look at the reasons you did it. Would you make the same decision? Would you change it?

I asked myself that same question after talking with him and I know the reason I'm out here, I know that what I've been taught is true, I know that for myself. Because of that I am out here helping and serving others.

I love this part of the year because people show their love more and I hope each of you can see that too. I want to encourage all of you to look at the #LightTheWorld challenge and either do the challenge each day or come up with your own. I know that as we share our love more, that others can see it. And we will start to notice it more not only from the people around us, but from our Father in Heaven. He loves each one of us, and I say this every week because I don't want any of you to forget.

I love y'all too and I hope this last bit made sense. Have a good week!!!