I'm Still Alive...

DUNCAN, OK

Well check you out fam! Y'all are just one amazing bunch!! I'm glad to hear that you were able to go to the temple with Tod and Lexee Mom and Dad. Wish I coulda been there. And Mom did I hear you say 24th Anniversary!!!!!! My goodness!! CHECK IT! Before you can blink and say whipper snapper it's gonna be 50 and then eternity & there you go! Congrats though, that's awesome.  And I would say going to the temple would be a great place to celebrate! A date night to Charlestons wouldn't hurt too... Man, all I remember about that place was their dinner rolls and the honey butter. And B-dog! Jeez I knew you were gettting old but 7th grade! Gosh dang. That's exciting... 

This week has been good, better than last week.  We've had some good success with the less active members of our ward, and we were also able to get in touch with many of the potential investigators that we've been trying to see for a while now. This week we've got some good appointments set up with them so I'm excited!  It definitely was a faith builder for me that as we hope for the best and give people the benefit of the doubt the Lord provides!  Every single situation where we contacted our potentials it was one of those situations where we showed up at just the right time and the events leading up to it (forgetting something, or stopping by someone else first, or taking a different route than usual for no reason at all {well yes for a reason the spirit!}) put us in the path of them to show up at the same time!  Haha I have no idea if that made any sense at all but suffice it to say, miracles happened this week, and I witnessed them! 

We were able to teach a woman named D., and that was a neat lesson.  She had met with missionaries in the past, only a time or two though.  This time we were able to set some expectations and get more of her background.  We had a member with us, he's a junior in highschool, and he was able to bear his testimony about how the gospel has blessed his life and his family's life.  It was really neat to see how his testimony affected her more than anything that we really said. She was struck by how young he was, and how he spoke with such conviction and with the Spirit!  It was super cool.  It's another evidence as to why members are so so so important in this work!  Because yeah she enjoyed all that we had to say, but she was floored most by our member's simple but powerful testimony. 

I'm sure you're wondering what the subject of the email is about though. Let me tell ya. We were going to try some former investigators that we dropped, and their dog was out in the front yard barking at us. It was on a leash, and I've seen the dog before, it's seen me, so I pulled the Cesar Chavez "Be the dominant one and don't show fear."  So I didn't and walked right past it!  Well the dog walked around me and it went out of my sight. The other two missionaries ( I was on splits with them, E. Lott was with our WML) were behind me a ways just stayed back because they were scared.  Well I'm about to knock on the door when it goes quiet for a split second and then all of a sudden I feel teeth on my calve!! THE FETCHIN DOG HAD THE NERVES TO BITE ME!! Btw it was like a pit bull size dog, not sure what type of dog though. I yanked my calve away and backed up and walked off, about ready to throw down!  Well the dog backed up too and I had a chance to evaluate the damage.  No blood was drawn, so that was good. Just some skin was taken off.  It didn't look that bad but it hurt like heck. Few days later it turned all black and blue and purple.  I'm still alive though! So all's well that ends well. However, I do re-affirm my statement. Dogs are of the devil. At least while you're a missionary. 

Haha well I love you guys, thanks for the the package of Rx's mom that you sent! Let me know if I can do anything for ya. I pray for you each and every night! My partings words of wisdom come from King Benjamin. Mosiah 4:9-10. Came across it in my studies this morning. That man was a stud!

Love,

Elder Traasdahl