Where do I even start this week haha. Like it’s been a really funny week, you just have to laugh when everything goes completely wrong haha. Um let’s start with... Tuesday haha that’ll be a good place to start. So Tuesday.... we were doing our own little thing and all and then we decided to try and get in contact with a man named Ronal. He’s a friend to Vicente and Dinely and he was a referral from the English Elders and so we really needed to get in contact with him. He lives in the same area of Vicente and Dinely, it’s like the scariest part of our area. But anyways, we knock on the door and he’s home. He’s probably the most legit Cuban man I have ever seen/met. Like if you didn’t talk to him you would just think he’s a way classy black man. He’s been here in the United States for under a month and speaks pretty good English. He’s probably in his late 20's and he was a dentist in Cuba. He wants to become one here too, but it will just be a lot of work. But something really cool that happened to us when we were in his lesson, we did the message of the restoration, and I shared the first vision and when I said how Christ responded, like how he said that many honor them with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him, he stopped me and was like what did you say, so I repeated it, he said it doesn’t really read in the bible very much, but that day he decided just to open it up and read a bit of it and he actually read those same exact words in Isaiah (Spanish has destroyed my spelling I’m sorry) but like he was really blown away. So we were in there a little over an hour, we walk out and look to where our bikes should be.... to our surprise.... all we see is our helmets. Like first thing that came to my mind was... did we lock them to a different pole or something.... then like elder Warner and I just sit there in shock for a few minutes, then I finally say "Are you kidding me?" So.... ya.... our bikes got stolen this week :) SURPRISE haha so that was something bad that happened, but on the bright side at least the people who stole them didn’t believe in safety so we saved 40 bucks there haha. Um so Wednesday, the mission office had bikes that missionaries that went home didn’t want so we went up there to see what they had, they had 2 decent bikes so that’s what were using right now. Elder Warner’s is really nice, mine.... not so much. 3 and 5 gear doesn’t work haha and I think the crank is going out but we will see what happens. But ya so that happened. Then were up at the mission office and the bikes have flat tires so we can’t ride them, the bus had bikes on it, so we had to walk like 3 or 4 miles down to the next bus stop, then all those buses had bikes so we had to take a bus that would like take us half way to our house and walk another 3 or 4 miles, so to say the least that wasn’t a really good day either and I wasn’t in my good walking shoes haha, but all is well in Zion.
Oh and you know the one guy that I told you about that like broke into our house pretty much, ya he always does it now. Like we will open the door and he will just barge right in and start playing with our stuff and things. Like were really getting sick of it. He comes to us for any problem he has and he’s not interested in the church at all or anything like that so that needs to change. He really just kinda creeps me out.
Oh and our bikes aren’t the only things that got stolen too. Elder Warner’s mom sent 2 packages and they were both stolen. One of them had his new credit card in it and they went and tried to spend 500 dollars on it. They red flagged it though, but she had sent like home made cinnamon rolls and his grandma and sent some stuff in the other package, like that kinda sucks. Were thinking it was the people that live across the hall, like one of his friends (he’s the drug dealer) but were not really sure haha.
So what else is new in Kentucky haha. Our investigators are doing great on the other hand. Vicente and Dinely are progressing really great. Were pretty sure Vicente will be baptized soon. His wife just got a job on weekends so she can’t come to church, but he’s reading in the Book of Mormon, like he read up to 1 Nephi 6 in like 3 days and right when we get there he just is like alright lets study. He’s such a great guy. He accepted a soft bap date, like he accepted to be baptized, we just haven’t really set a date yet, but we will be doing that this week. He came to church again this week and really felt the spirit and just loved it. I really feel like I know him from somewhere though. Like he looks so dang familiar and I don’t know where from, it bugs me haha.
Rolando and Yasmin are doing great too. We had a really good lesson with them.... Friday I think it was. Ya Friday. They are the nicest couple ever. I love their family so dang much. Like they fed us hot dogs and corn and stuff. It was pretty good. Hispanics eat there corn with mayo and hot sauce (it’s pretty great) They also gave Elder Warner and I each a tie. Like mine was brand new and it’s a really good looking tie. They are so nice. They came to church too and I think they are really starting to feel comfortable. They’ve been to church 3 times now and are living all the commandments and stuff so pretty much there ready and eligible for baptism, they just have to accept it. We tried to extend it with them and we had a really good lesson about the apostasy to show that our church really is the same one that Christ established and they understood it, they were just like we’ve been Catholic for 30 years and it’s just hard to change. But then they started asking if the water is cold in the bap font, so they are a lot closer then they think they are haha they should be baptized next month I’m guessing.
Eufemia.... we haven’t really been able to get in contact with her this week because we’ve been so busy and so has she. She wanted us to come by yesterday, but we were stuck in a meeting all day and then she wouldn’t answer our phone call. She is still trying to change her schedule so she can come to church, but it hasn’t happened yet. She knows the church is true and we're really trying to go and see her this week. We might ask if she will quit her job and look for a new one, she said she would the other day because nothing is going to come in between her and baptism, but we will just have to see when.
So at church yesterday we had 4 investigators there so it was really good. It was Vicente, Ronal, Rolando, and Yasmin. They really liked it. Members are just so stressful though that’s for sure. We were in priesthood and Vicente and Ronal were making comments about how they felt when we came in, and Jose (crazy Cuban man) was just like then why haven’t you been baptized!!!! YOU NEED TO JOIN JOIN JOIN!!!! Like, I love him to death, but he’s crazy that’s for sure. Like the zone leaders have taken him to lessons before and he like commands the investigator to repent and then goes into temple work and just random stuff haha he’s way funny though. But something Ronal said at church was really sweet, in sacrament he felt the spirit really strong and he leaned over to Elder Warner and was like " It wasn’t a coincidence that you showed up at my house was it?" And he was like "No Ronal, It wasn’t." Like it was a really cool experience.
Elder Warner and I decided that Louisville is just a wicked city haha, great city, but really wicked. I love it, but it’s really great. Like the other day Elder Warner stopped to help this old lady and she just started rebuking us saying they don’t need 2 books and how were wasting our time and how really Joseph Smith saw the Devil and she saw the same thing when she was in a store one time. She said a huge light came into the room and was trying to persuade her not to buy something. Like she was just a crazyyyyy person. She also enlightened us that it is getting hotter outside, because God doesn’t want people outside either preaching the gospel or doing anything else. That He wants them inside reading the bible and so that’s why it is so hot... haha Soooo great!!!!
Well today we went and ate at Buffalo Wild Wings with a member. It was Elder Warner and I and then the 2 elders in Arcadia because they have endless wings from 11 to 2 so we had a competition, Elder Warner had 23, Damien had 28, I had 35, and Elder Howard had 50!!!!!!! It was more than the waitress has ever heard of, needless to say, he’s regretting it right now haha. It was way fun though!!! Oh by the way, I think we’re moving apartments at the start of September, so you might want to send things to the mission office from now on until you know, but I’m not sure. It’s just our landlord is a jerk and were in the ghetto so they are trying but we will see.
Oh haha one funny thing that I just thought of. So.... apparently cough drops are candy for Hispanics. I was really confused like Yasmin was like oh do you want a piece of candy, so I said sure, haha it was a cough drop and Elder Warner said its way common. Um about elder Warner and the orange tie.... like that’s his favorite tie he’s ever seen, but you could get him just a different cheap tie, or really just anything if you want to. Just whatever. Like he would just be happy with waffle crisp haha like that’s what he asked someone to send him on his year mark but he never got it haha oh and he loves trail mix!!! Like beyond belief haha.
Well I hope all is well in the SOJO
Love
Elder Knudsen