Shalom.
Imma start with some bad news...I guess you haven't received my letter yet but I'm probably not leaving this week. They said beginning of October (which is this week but I'll still probably be waitin' a lil longer).
My week:
Friday we had a special zone conference with Elder Robbins from the Seventy. I met with him, spoke him, and we all got a stellar lesson from him and his wife. It was way legit. After a member took us to Five Guys (Baltimore's own In'N'Out). It was way good, then thirty minutes later I had dinner at an inactive members house for burgers again (that's where I gave my number to the awesome lady from South Africa - she asked if she could have your number and I was happy to give it to her. She has a son in Guatemala speaking the espanol as we speak :) and I'm glad she said nice things and I made a good impression.) [insert from Levi's mom - we received a call from a member who is originally from South Africa who lives in Idaho now and was visiting her inactive father-in-law in Baltimore. She said they had just had dinner with Levi and he was great and looked good. She was very impressed with him and could not believe he was a "greenie". It was wonderful words for a Mother to hear!]
I had a couple Spanish experiences Saturday :) I'm gettin' good at racial profiling. I went on 24 hour exchanges with the District Leader. We had nine appointments scheduled and only one worked (kinda), but I still had awesome experiences and hopefully the Essex area elders have some new investigators :)
Quick funny story: Saturday we were teaching a family from Africa who spoke French but one and a half of them spoke English. It was the best lesson. They weren't too accepting but we ran late and were about to be late to another appointment so we had to wrap up and leave. We said a prayer and tried to bolt. The mother/grandmother who didn't speak English and who couldn't really follow what was going on because of the language barrier stood up and said "you come into our home and bless us with the Spirit of the Lord and you don't even stay for drinks!" It was funny in the moment and our appt was the floor under them and he wasn't home so we returned briefly for a glass water.
Allison's week was good. I love watching her testimony grow! It's probably my favorite thing about the mission so far. Everything she experiences helps her grow stronger which in turn helps me. It's incredible. She went to the Relief Society General Broadcast and loved it so I'm feelin' General Conference will be good for her.
Elder Janke and I have a new investigator who is fourteen, frosh, plays guitar and violin, her favorite bands equal that of Tate's, she's cute...after baptism I'm thinkin' she should move out the PHX to meet the lil LMX...if ya know what I'm sayin ;) Any who, things are going well. The area is slowly improving. I'm workin hard and excited to hear some visa news in the next week or two!
Love you guys thanks for being amazing and for your support, updates, prayers, love and everything.
Talk to ya next week.
Love,LMX
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
First Baptism While in the Mission Field
The following includes the events of past week.
Monday we went to downtown Baltimore again and hung out at capitol hill, it was pretty cool but the best thing about it was the Russian guy we met. He flew from Russia to Oregon and has been traveling the United States hitting all the cool stuff he cans before he goes back home. How is he traveling? Hitch-hiking. He has seen Oregon, Washington, California, AZ, and everything else on his way and a week ago he was in Baltimore! So flippin' cool. He was reading The Acts in an English Bible so we chatted with him, gave him a BoM and later we saw him again and he was reading it. It was a way cool experience.
Tuesday I went on exchanges (intercambios) with the nearby Spanish elders. I've placed more BoM's and taught and taught more lessons in one day of Spanish work than three weeks of English work. I spoke to 26ish people on the street with no help. And during lessons and conversations I wasn't getting lost in their Spanish or anything. It was hXc (hardcore) legit, especially for taking a couple weeks off.Wednesday a man in the ward hooked me up with an Arizona Republic. His sister brings him back a newspaper from wherever she goes and she just happened to be in Phoenix the other week. It was muy capo (Argentine for cool/studly).
Skip to Saturday. Allison's baptism! It was incredible. I gave the talk on baptism and was a witness. We ended up changing the time like 26135679 times because she was afraid of people showing up. She wanted it private, and that's what she got. Bishop's family, one fellowship family, and missionaries were the only people there. Afterwards everyone was asking her how she felt and she kept saying "sorry, not that much different, I'll let you know if something changes." When I got home that night she gave us call saying something was different. She felt safe for the first time in a long time and calm and all the other good things. I was/am so happy for her. But that wasn't the end. Last night there was a fireside titled "Why I Believe" in which the mission president asks recent converts to give talks on why they believe. One speaker had been a member for a year, another four months, and the last, one day. She didn't tell us she was speaking until yesterday afternoon. And she did awesome. She didn't prepare a talk just spoke from her heart and she was the best one no doubt (but the whole thing was good). She also has this joke about her life being the Mormon version of Seinfeld, so she calls in Smithfeld, and embarrassingly enough she talked about that from the stand, but it was good.
It's been a good week, and I do have some visa news. I received my "permisso" which is basically a document saying you'll obey the laws and stuff and the consul will be signing my visa the end of this month, so I should leave the beginning of next month..my money had been on today though :/
Love you guys.
Paz fuera.
LMX
Monday we went to downtown Baltimore again and hung out at capitol hill, it was pretty cool but the best thing about it was the Russian guy we met. He flew from Russia to Oregon and has been traveling the United States hitting all the cool stuff he cans before he goes back home. How is he traveling? Hitch-hiking. He has seen Oregon, Washington, California, AZ, and everything else on his way and a week ago he was in Baltimore! So flippin' cool. He was reading The Acts in an English Bible so we chatted with him, gave him a BoM and later we saw him again and he was reading it. It was a way cool experience.
Tuesday I went on exchanges (intercambios) with the nearby Spanish elders. I've placed more BoM's and taught and taught more lessons in one day of Spanish work than three weeks of English work. I spoke to 26ish people on the street with no help. And during lessons and conversations I wasn't getting lost in their Spanish or anything. It was hXc (hardcore) legit, especially for taking a couple weeks off.Wednesday a man in the ward hooked me up with an Arizona Republic. His sister brings him back a newspaper from wherever she goes and she just happened to be in Phoenix the other week. It was muy capo (Argentine for cool/studly).
Skip to Saturday. Allison's baptism! It was incredible. I gave the talk on baptism and was a witness. We ended up changing the time like 26135679 times because she was afraid of people showing up. She wanted it private, and that's what she got. Bishop's family, one fellowship family, and missionaries were the only people there. Afterwards everyone was asking her how she felt and she kept saying "sorry, not that much different, I'll let you know if something changes." When I got home that night she gave us call saying something was different. She felt safe for the first time in a long time and calm and all the other good things. I was/am so happy for her. But that wasn't the end. Last night there was a fireside titled "Why I Believe" in which the mission president asks recent converts to give talks on why they believe. One speaker had been a member for a year, another four months, and the last, one day. She didn't tell us she was speaking until yesterday afternoon. And she did awesome. She didn't prepare a talk just spoke from her heart and she was the best one no doubt (but the whole thing was good). She also has this joke about her life being the Mormon version of Seinfeld, so she calls in Smithfeld, and embarrassingly enough she talked about that from the stand, but it was good.
It's been a good week, and I do have some visa news. I received my "permisso" which is basically a document saying you'll obey the laws and stuff and the consul will be signing my visa the end of this month, so I should leave the beginning of next month..my money had been on today though :/
Love you guys.
Paz fuera.
LMX
Monday, September 14, 2009
The DC Temple is Gorgeous
Just finished my second week in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. Things are still slow, like really slow, investigator wise :/ but it's missionary work and it'll get better.
Some lil deets I haven't shared yet. Church is in the opposite order here, it's a lil weird but I'll deal. They don't have any priests so the missionaries rotate on the sacrament blessing. I still have yet to receive any of your mail. I've gotten one piece from a sister in my MTC district. It was awesome :) it was from Hermana Barfoot (one of the coolest sister missionaries or people in general to ever live). She sent it from the SLC airport while she was waiting for her flight to Buenos Aires! She was stuck waiting for her foot to heal and a visa. She got her visa and the clear from the doctor and her travel plans all within three days. I was super stoked hearing about all that. Made me excited :)
Saturday the six elders covering my ward and two others assisted at this huge family history workshop. And afterwards we took Allison to the DC temple to see the Testaments. We took a tour of the visitors center with her and walked round the temple. It's ginormous. It's ridonculously gorgeous. As you're driving down the freeway to get there it all of sudden rises above the trees and it looks like you're driving straight towards it. SO cool. Maybe you'll see some pics. Anyways, at the visitor center that night there was a Hispanic Culture celebration goin down. Lots of people who didn't speak English and I got to conversate with them a lil bit.
That's bout it for the week.Hope y'all are doin' good. Don't forget to talk like a pirate Saturday.
Love,LMX
Some lil deets I haven't shared yet. Church is in the opposite order here, it's a lil weird but I'll deal. They don't have any priests so the missionaries rotate on the sacrament blessing. I still have yet to receive any of your mail. I've gotten one piece from a sister in my MTC district. It was awesome :) it was from Hermana Barfoot (one of the coolest sister missionaries or people in general to ever live). She sent it from the SLC airport while she was waiting for her flight to Buenos Aires! She was stuck waiting for her foot to heal and a visa. She got her visa and the clear from the doctor and her travel plans all within three days. I was super stoked hearing about all that. Made me excited :)
Saturday the six elders covering my ward and two others assisted at this huge family history workshop. And afterwards we took Allison to the DC temple to see the Testaments. We took a tour of the visitors center with her and walked round the temple. It's ginormous. It's ridonculously gorgeous. As you're driving down the freeway to get there it all of sudden rises above the trees and it looks like you're driving straight towards it. SO cool. Maybe you'll see some pics. Anyways, at the visitor center that night there was a Hispanic Culture celebration goin down. Lots of people who didn't speak English and I got to conversate with them a lil bit.
That's bout it for the week.Hope y'all are doin' good. Don't forget to talk like a pirate Saturday.
Love,LMX
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
It's Always Sunny in Baltimore
Hello everybody! Imma give you the rundown on my week...Okie dokie.
My area: Perry Hall.
Condition: nonexistant.
Goal: fix it up and get it going.
There is not a single investigator or recent convert in the area, and it's the biggest area in our zone. I know not what the elders before Janke and I did but I'm guessing it was nothing. The last time the area book was updated was 2005, and that is all we have to go off of. We've done a lot of contacting and a lot of tracting with no success, but I can feel it in my bones that we're about to hit a lucky streek. It's fun trying and talking to people and everything but I'm kinda jonsin' for a lesson to teach.
The only person I've taught is a wonderful woman named Allison. She isn't my area but is my ward and I've had the chance to visit her twice. She is an ex-ballerina, music major from U of Miami, plays guitar (she has a $800 Taylor acoustic), she can sing like no other, is crazy sarcastic, just super hXc cool, acts like she is 25 but just turned 50, and she is getting baptized Sept 19 ;). Instantly she liked me..probably a little too much and this is why. She gave two missionaries and I a gift the other night. A hand made Italian silk, one of a kind, two hundred dollar tie (she knows the guy who owns the label but still). I'm scared to wear it but I'm def throwin it round my neck on the nineteenth. I actually had a dream I got my visa the eighteenth and missed her baptism and confirmation and freaked out when I woke up because I thought it was real. Soo hopefully it comes the 21st :)
Yesterday was my first zone conference. Pres Belliston is flippin' awesome. His wife is super legit as well. 'Twas a good experience and I rather enjoyed it.
Life is going well. It's still beautiful here. Oh yeah, hehehe, the ward calls me Elder LMX because Lamoreaux isn't too simple and there is also an Elder Lamb. hXc legit.
I have no news on my visa, nor will I until I leave. Elder Godfrey (one of the elders in my apt) has been waiting for his visa for India for fourteen weeks. He is training someone and it's not even his mission. But the day my visa comes I get a phone call saying pack your bags, and I leave the next morning, but perhaps I'll be able to call again.
Love you all, talk to you next week :)
- Elder LMX
My area: Perry Hall.
Condition: nonexistant.
Goal: fix it up and get it going.
There is not a single investigator or recent convert in the area, and it's the biggest area in our zone. I know not what the elders before Janke and I did but I'm guessing it was nothing. The last time the area book was updated was 2005, and that is all we have to go off of. We've done a lot of contacting and a lot of tracting with no success, but I can feel it in my bones that we're about to hit a lucky streek. It's fun trying and talking to people and everything but I'm kinda jonsin' for a lesson to teach.
The only person I've taught is a wonderful woman named Allison. She isn't my area but is my ward and I've had the chance to visit her twice. She is an ex-ballerina, music major from U of Miami, plays guitar (she has a $800 Taylor acoustic), she can sing like no other, is crazy sarcastic, just super hXc cool, acts like she is 25 but just turned 50, and she is getting baptized Sept 19 ;). Instantly she liked me..probably a little too much and this is why. She gave two missionaries and I a gift the other night. A hand made Italian silk, one of a kind, two hundred dollar tie (she knows the guy who owns the label but still). I'm scared to wear it but I'm def throwin it round my neck on the nineteenth. I actually had a dream I got my visa the eighteenth and missed her baptism and confirmation and freaked out when I woke up because I thought it was real. Soo hopefully it comes the 21st :)
Yesterday was my first zone conference. Pres Belliston is flippin' awesome. His wife is super legit as well. 'Twas a good experience and I rather enjoyed it.
Life is going well. It's still beautiful here. Oh yeah, hehehe, the ward calls me Elder LMX because Lamoreaux isn't too simple and there is also an Elder Lamb. hXc legit.
I have no news on my visa, nor will I until I leave. Elder Godfrey (one of the elders in my apt) has been waiting for his visa for India for fourteen weeks. He is training someone and it's not even his mission. But the day my visa comes I get a phone call saying pack your bags, and I leave the next morning, but perhaps I'll be able to call again.
Love you all, talk to you next week :)
- Elder LMX
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Finally in the Mission Field - Nottingham, MD
Hola.
Glad you got a message letting you know I made it safe. And even though I made it safe I'm sure you're wanting a story of my travels. Here it is: After we spoke I had two hoursish before my flight. I was chillin chattin with Elder Lamb from Henderson, NV. Randomly a man asks us if we speak Spanish (in Spanish). I told him a little and he asked for some help because he couldn't find his gate. I was able to walk him around, talk a little and point him in the right direction. Totally awesome to use it in the real world. (Random thought: but the real world was scary at first). Then we made our four hour flight to MD, flying over UT, WY, NE, IO, IL, IN, OH, Pennsylvania and finally MD covering roughly 1930 miles. I spoke to a man who just finished serving as a mish pres in Mexico in Spanish while waiting for our luggage. Then my pres showed up drove us around and took us to our apartment. I'm serving in English :/ but Imma study hard on my own and hopefully the visa comes soon, even though things are good here. It's really pretty. And even though I'm practicing my Spanish as I'd like I did with my Spanish elders and spoke with them quite a bit and they were impressed. I also know the gift of tongues is real, I can now give the first vision in three languages: Spanish, English, and Ebonics. It's shorter and a lil more exciting in the third.
So yesterday I made a couple appointments taught the first lesson on a store step, did some service and placed a bomb, sorry, BoM.
Today was P-day we hit up the zoo and downtown Baltimore, ate some lunch, took some pics, it's been a good two days. Elder Lamb (from the plane) is also in the apartment with his comp, my comp and me. It's like a missionary party every day except quiet cuz we're studying and stuff.
I'm doin good, enjoyin myself, workin hard, and waiting to leave. So I kinda miss the MTC district but...I'm glad I can't see them anymore cuz it means I'm in the field!
I hope everything is going well back home. Keep me filled in. I get a lil extra time for email here than in the MTC, it's pretty legit.
Love y'all.
Paz fuera. (peace out)
Elder LMX
Glad you got a message letting you know I made it safe. And even though I made it safe I'm sure you're wanting a story of my travels. Here it is: After we spoke I had two hoursish before my flight. I was chillin chattin with Elder Lamb from Henderson, NV. Randomly a man asks us if we speak Spanish (in Spanish). I told him a little and he asked for some help because he couldn't find his gate. I was able to walk him around, talk a little and point him in the right direction. Totally awesome to use it in the real world. (Random thought: but the real world was scary at first). Then we made our four hour flight to MD, flying over UT, WY, NE, IO, IL, IN, OH, Pennsylvania and finally MD covering roughly 1930 miles. I spoke to a man who just finished serving as a mish pres in Mexico in Spanish while waiting for our luggage. Then my pres showed up drove us around and took us to our apartment. I'm serving in English :/ but Imma study hard on my own and hopefully the visa comes soon, even though things are good here. It's really pretty. And even though I'm practicing my Spanish as I'd like I did with my Spanish elders and spoke with them quite a bit and they were impressed. I also know the gift of tongues is real, I can now give the first vision in three languages: Spanish, English, and Ebonics. It's shorter and a lil more exciting in the third.
So yesterday I made a couple appointments taught the first lesson on a store step, did some service and placed a bomb, sorry, BoM.
Today was P-day we hit up the zoo and downtown Baltimore, ate some lunch, took some pics, it's been a good two days. Elder Lamb (from the plane) is also in the apartment with his comp, my comp and me. It's like a missionary party every day except quiet cuz we're studying and stuff.
I'm doin good, enjoyin myself, workin hard, and waiting to leave. So I kinda miss the MTC district but...I'm glad I can't see them anymore cuz it means I'm in the field!
I hope everything is going well back home. Keep me filled in. I get a lil extra time for email here than in the MTC, it's pretty legit.
Love y'all.
Paz fuera. (peace out)
Elder LMX
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Week 9 - Serving in Baltimore, MD until Argentina Visa arrives
Brother and Sister Lamoreaux,
I picked up your son along with another Elder going to his mission at the airport at 4:30 today, August 31. He looked great. He has been assigned to Elder Janke from Idaho Falls. They are serving in Baltimore.
Your son is a very impressive young man! I am confident he will be a wonderful missionary. We will do all we can to provide him with some great training and experiences while he serves in this beautiful part of the country.
Sincerely, President A. Brent Belliston
I picked up your son along with another Elder going to his mission at the airport at 4:30 today, August 31. He looked great. He has been assigned to Elder Janke from Idaho Falls. They are serving in Baltimore.
Your son is a very impressive young man! I am confident he will be a wonderful missionary. We will do all we can to provide him with some great training and experiences while he serves in this beautiful part of the country.
Sincerely, President A. Brent Belliston
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