Tuesday, June 12, 2012

June 11-First Week in Kentucky

Well this week was a very eventful week to say the least haha it was probably the hardest week of my life so ya.... Um.... Where do I even begin haha. I know you probably aren't going to want to hear everything.... but I'm going to tell you anyways. I'm in the zone Louisville Central, branch the rama quinta, or the 5th branch and I'm in an area called Okolona. Um.... hate to break it to you.... it is a very ghetto area. It’s the 2nd most dangerous area in the whole mission behind Arcadia, but I’ll probably go there later anyway haha because most Spanish people go there for a bit. Either a few weeks before me, or before my comp got in, I don't remember, and I don't remember if it was in Okolona or Arcadia, but a man went into a school and killed 4 people, so it’s kinda scary here, but I absolutely love the people already. My companion is fantastic!! I love him already. His name is Elder Warner. He’s been out about a year and he is from Morgan Utah. He’s our district leader out here too. Our district is weird haha so my comp is the DL and then the other elders are the ZL and then we have a 3 hermanas. So we have a great district.

My apartment.... ya.... haha.... worst apartment in my whole mission. I'm being dead serious. They’re thinking about moving us, but not anymore. They talked to the owner and there going to come do some things for us. We have cockroaches everywhere in our apt. We kill probably like 10 a day, but apparently it has gotten better so maybe they’re starting to die off, but who knows. They came and sprayed our apt the other night. Our neighbor is a drug dealer, so the smell was hard to get used to say the least haha but all is well don’t you fret!!! I'm a biking missionary, you probably saw that from my bank account haha. I actually thought there are more biking missionary, but my mission is transitioning to cars. There is only 1 other area besides mine like for Spanish that has bikes. I was a little sore the first few days to say the least haha and I feel bad like I'm working really hard, but my comp is just fit as can be. The part that's the most sore is my bum haha. Oh and then... Saturday I think it was... hm... maybe Friday... I don't remember, but I got 2 flat tires in the same day!! It was awful. So we had rode to a trailer park which was about 4 miles away and I was fine, then we were going to try and find an investigator, and I get a flat tire. So we have probably been riding for about 6 miles by now. We then have to walk probably 2 miles to a shop to get my bike repaired, like just to get some air. I ran over a nail so it was a huge hole. Then we were riding, and honestly, something amazing happened. It’s crazy how the Lord works. So since we had to walk somewhere else we decided to go to this little apartment complex that we never go to just cause it was close. There was a man there that ran straight up to us begging for help. He had a beer bottle in his hand and just begging for help and so we talked to him in Spanish and just saying that Alcohol was really bad and that the best help he could get is God, not beer. He agreed and let us throw his bottle away. We asked to teach him, but he was just too drunk to really want to, but we gave him a card and said he could call us if he ever needed anything. Oh and the bottle was pretty much full haha so it was great. We haven't got a call from him, but it was still crazy, like if I hadn't gotten a flat tire, we wouldn't have gone there, and he wouldn't have heard our message and something bad could have happened.

Another amazing thing happened yesterday... first time it’s ever happened to elder Warner. So we were sitting just getting ready for church and our phone rings. It was a random guy just saying he really wanted to go to church. We had never talked to this guy and he had never talked to missionaries, he just felt like he wanted to go and he found one of our cards. Needless to say, me and elder Warner were really excited because we really just wanted something to go  our way because our area has been really struggling of late. But when we got someone to go pick him up.... he had left and I guess was drunk, but were going to go find him tonight and talk to him, so hopefully that will be successful.

Spanish is really hard here. I can understand and the Mexicans, but we don't teach Mexicans, all we have is Cubans. You should look up on youtube and look at a Cuban talking.... ya... it’s not Spanish to say the least! It’s really ridiculous!! Like I just sit there and have to ask my comp any time they ask me a question cause they speak so fast and have a lot of slang and don't say all the words and kinda mumbles.... AHHH haha but if I can understand a Cuban.... I can understand anyone.

We have one lady with a baptismal date. We had 2 up until yesterday and cause you have to come to church 3 times to be baptized and there was a man that had his date on July 1 and now there are only 2 Sundays left and he hasn't gone once. The other lady I absolutely love to death. Her name is Darely and she is great. She needs to come to church 1 time in the next 2 weeks to be baptized. Were praying for a miracle. The missionaries have been teaching her for 6 months and she just kinda gets lazy, but she is really one of the funniest ladies ever haha even though I can’t always understand her. She’s Cuban too. But her mom had surgery this week so we have been in the hospital with Darely and her mom 2 this week just seeing what we can do. Honestly... I don't want to say this, but she hasn't gone to work in like 6 days cause of her mom.... so she might get fired.... THEN SHE CAN COME TO CHURCH. It really is amazing how the Lord is in all that we do.

We never get dinner appointments in this area I guess. Maybe 3 times if we’re lucky in a 6 week period haha so... were poor to say the least. We get about 120 for the month. My comp has about 15 dollars left to last him the rest of the month. So I might have to help him out cause he has bought a lot of stuff that we both use. We are going to the Louisville Slugger museum today so I am really excited about that!! I can’t wait. The zone leaders are going to come pick us up.

You can send things to our apartments. I’ll probably be in this area for about 6 months. That's about average for the Spanish missionaries. Um my address for my apartment is...
Elder Kyle Knudsen
508 Markwell Crt
Louisville, KY, 40219

It would be much appreciated if you sent us some food haha I told him about your brownies haha so hopefully you can find some time. You can send things to my mission home. It won’t take much longer unless you send it UPS or FEDEX then it will take longer because they can’t redirect it to our apartment. Like if you send it to them, it will take about a day longer, but either way you should be fine. Ill update you if anything else changes.

I had a really cool experience my first day out! We went and visited a lady named Mora. She’s from Cuba. I couldn't understand her and then my comp started talking and I could understand him and so then I added some things and then she just broke down and cried. She’s a member, but not an active member. But like I guess my words really touched her so that was great. My comp said my Spanish really is amazing for just coming out of the MTC like he said it’s much better than his, but understanding will just take time and stuff like that.

I don't really have much to add. We’re really going to hit it hard this week and try and find some new investigators because summer is the hardest time out here because they are all working in construction. So they don't get home until night and so we can’t see all the people we would like to. They are all really nice though and will listen to what you have to say.. Honestly the hardest part is getting them to come to church because Sundays are usually there day off and so they just want to sit and home and be lazy. This week I have decided there are really not enough time in the day. I still have some jet lag I think haha or I'm just really tired... I kinda dozed off in priesthood yesterday and the teacher Joel made fun of me and then we went and talked to a recent convert that loves us, and I kinda dozed off at his house. He almost fed us frozen ham!!! GROSS!!! Like I guess all the time he will just pull out this frozen ham and cut off some pieces and then give you crackers.... I guess it is disgusting. Also the Cubans love there mayo haha they put in on everything. Corn on the Cob, they will dip crackers into a whole jar haha it’s kinda really funny but ya...

We have our first dinner appointment on Wednesday with some inactive members. I guess they can cook really good. There cooking authentic Mexican food so hopefully I can handle it. You’re never going to believe it haha I had lettuce on my sandwich like the first day we got into the field because they all gave us these sandwiches.... AND I DIDN'T DIE!!! Amazing huh!!!! Um all I eat here is... PB&J um cereal... and frozen pizza.... and ya I think that is about it haha oh and I had mac and cheese one night

Oh and we get to email longer now that were in the field but my time on the library computer is about to expire but I would love some letters every once and awhile but I have to go and I love you all and I love Kentucky!!! Oh and pretty much where we all teach is in like the ghetto apartment complexes you see on TV. I haven't been into a house yet. Closest thing was a trailer. Everyone is always outside drinking and like look like gang member and just giving you a bad look haha but really I know I’ll be fine

Love
Elder Knudsen

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