As ya know,( being assigned to an English area), I was kinda struggling not getting to use my Spanish, I was just being selfish, but I have been praying and praying and praying for an opportunity to use it... I stopped focusing so much on it and just decided to try to serve my best and that is when the Lord answered my prayers directly. I have no doubt that that this was solely in answer to my prayers.
Elder Richins and I went to a guy named Miguel Mendozas to try to contact him, but he is always working so it never works. Him and a bunch of other guys who have families back in Mexico or somewhere else live together in an apartment. As we were checking on him, we started talking to another guy and then I saw this man walking down this little hill thing towards the apartment and then Elder Richins said, "Hola"...then this guy started speaking Spanish! I probably looked like a total idiot, sitting there smiling so big... and I began to talk with him. My Spanish was a little rough, but still actually wasn't bad. Then we went into his apartment and started teaching him The Restoration! That's when I really felt the gift of tongues take over. It was amazing and I made sure to tell my Heavenly Father how grateful I was.
I've had some pretty humbling experiences this past week. We got to go to Lake Arrowhead and see some people up there. Seeing how some people lived was jaw dropping. It's just a trailer or just a little tiny cabin that they built. A lot of time they don't even have electricity or running water and trash is EVERYWHERE. There's dirty diapers in the road and mounds of trash everywhere you look. We got to go up there because a recent convert was fighting with her husband who is taking the lessons. These people were practically homeless before coming here and since they have taken the discussions and one has been baptized there has been so many blessings coming their way. Jobs, they practically got a car for free, and more. They have an adorable little daughter named Penelope.
It's a really rough place. Independence (called Spindependence) was at one point pretty much the meth capital of the world. It's very sad because tons of people out here are trapped into that life. Cigarettes are also the cheapest here and so we are trying to get tons of people to stop smoking so they can come back. Anyways, it was so humbling to see these people who have turned their lives around but still have it very rough. I always knew I have been blessed with what I have, but I was blind or ignorant to how blessed I really was. In this same trailer park sort of thing, there is a guy named Brother Horner. I don't believe he is active, but his only source of heat/cooking etc is firewood, so on Saturday we got to go to Adam Ondi Ohmn and get tons of firewood. I don't even think his trailer is insulated or isn't insulated well so he goes through that wood like nothin'.
The towns where I'm serving are called Excelsior, Kearney, and Holt. It's a fairly small area. Holt is a town with less than 500 people. The stake covers a huge area. The stake center is about an hour or more away and I believe that's the center of the stake boundary. There aren't a lot of members out here.
I'm slowly getting tight with people in the ward. They are super cool and very nice and very missionary minded which is awesome. Also there is a place here called JJ's Diner like parks and Rec. These are some cool little towns with some great people.
Elder Ogden
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