02/25/2019 Two More Weeks!

Until we get out of our current apartment. The apartment is being renovated in May and we contacted the mission office for arrangements to get us out ASAP. The move out date is March 8th. As far as I know we'll stay in the same complex. 

This apartment has been an absolute ride. The rat. The twice clogged shower. The dysfunctional AC. The smell. The Sunday morning visitor. The police. The creaky floors that probably bothered our ground floor neighbor. It's the end of an era. This apartment has been in the mission for a long time. Lots of history. I may someday miss its quirks. Probably not though.

This week has been rainy. Every day rainy. Two pairs of socks per day rainy. We started out determined to beat the rain, but the rain beat us by the end of the week. Elder Jolie's umbrella broke in the wind, and the Memphis sidewalks are not kind if it's raining. So our finding efforts were not super fruitful, but other efforts were fantastic, which I'll get to. 

Those other efforts were surrounding one of our friends and some less active part-member families. The shining star of Midtown, a young man our age, has been doing quite a bit with us. He came to Book of Mormon class (held at the Memphis 1st Building), has been to church two weeks in a row, and participates in lessons and discussions. He is really awesome. He's been working on his music and dancing. He's got some legit good dancing skills. He has been going through some tough trials in his life, but he is determined and optimistic. It's been great to work with him.

We had two great contacts with some less active members. We had some pretty spiritual moments with them and got return appointments to teach their families. Both appointments have been postponed, but the visits we did have were great, regardless.

Pics:

1) tracting one time we met a guy who gets all of Panera Bread's extra food, and he delivers them to various places that need them (Teen Challenge or other places that help struggling teens). We've done some service with him and have grown a good relationship. One time while waiting at the bus stop in the rain, the man stopped by and gave us a ride back to the apartment. Then he gave us two plastic bags and said "take anything you want." We feasted 

2) us at a service thing in Collierville. They were doing a fundraiser for a refugee organization. Pretty cool!

3) at Paradise Center. It was the performing venue that people like Elvis and BB King got their start. I'm hanging at the bar. We were there for a service project with the mid south food bank

4) Elder Jolie with BB King at the Paradise Center

5) went to the Rock n Soul Museum of Memphis. We just listened to tunes.... Isaac Hayes, Elvis, BB King, Aretha Franklin, Anne Peeble, Ike Turner, and others. Good museum for missionaries who are missing music.