Hello Family! I'm still doing great! So Vegas was awesome! It was a really long day! We got up at 4 and left the MTC about 530 then we caught our plane at about 8 45. It was really weird being out in the real world. There was a noticable difference in how people treated me. No longer was I just another person, I was a representative of Jesus Christ and people just kept watching. People are always watching, Ive just got to make sure I am being the best example as possible. The plane ride there was pretty good, little shaky at first but then it was a smooth flight. I feel like a little kid when Im in the plane though, when were taking off I just couldn't stop smiling and I chuckled a little bit. The Las Vegas airport was a little different then the Salt Lake airport. When I say a little I mean, a lot. You get off the plane and theres slot machines right there. Lots of people.
A missionary was waiting for us and picked us up and took us to lunch. Out of
all the places we couldve gone for lunch the Elder in charge made us go to DEL
TACO! Why? he said it was just easier that way! It was so dumb, like seriously,
there was a cafe rio next door and In N Out right next to the institute but he made us go to del taco. Dumb. But there was something good about going to del taco. After everyone got their food they went out and waited in the car. Elder Murdock (just another elder not in my district) and I were still waiting for our food. There was a man there that looked at me and I just smiled and asked how he was doing. He said good and asked us if we were gods people or something. I explained to him that we were "missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". He smiled and said "wow, you're professional". He then asked if we were missionaries just for a few months or what. And I explained that it was a 2 year deal. Then I asked "What role does religion play in your life?" he said that he was just looking for the truth and that he went to a lot of different churches but didnt know which one was true. I then asked
him "How is your relationship with your Heavenly Father" he said that he believed that God was there but that God is mad at him a lot. I told him that God is a loving heavenly father and that he wants to hear from him. We taught him the steps of prayer. I then looked into his eyes and told him that Heavenly Father loves him, that he wants the best for him, and that he listens to him. I could see a noticable difference in his eyes, he knew that I was speaking the truth, he felt his Fathers love. We then gave him a passalong card and told him if he has anymore questions to go onto Mormon.org or to call that number. This conversation only lasted about 5 minutes and I wish I couldve talked to him longer. It was a really neat experience to acually teach a real person. In the MTC we teach "actors" and its good practice, but going out and teaching a person with real needs was so awesome and I am so excited to teach the people from Guadalajara Mexico.
Bishop Parry and me all the places we couldve gone for lunch the Elder in charge made us go to DEL
TACO! Why? he said it was just easier that way! It was so dumb, like seriously,
there was a cafe rio next door and In N Out right next to the institute but he made us go to del taco. Dumb. But there was something good about going to del taco. After everyone got their food they went out and waited in the car. Elder Murdock (just another elder not in my district) and I were still waiting for our food. There was a man there that looked at me and I just smiled and asked how he was doing. He said good and asked us if we were gods people or something. I explained to him that we were "missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". He smiled and said "wow, you're professional". He then asked if we were missionaries just for a few months or what. And I explained that it was a 2 year deal. Then I asked "What role does religion play in your life?" he said that he was just looking for the truth and that he went to a lot of different churches but didnt know which one was true. I then asked
him "How is your relationship with your Heavenly Father" he said that he believed that God was there but that God is mad at him a lot. I told him that God is a loving heavenly father and that he wants to hear from him. We taught him the steps of prayer. I then looked into his eyes and told him that Heavenly Father loves him, that he wants the best for him, and that he listens to him. I could see a noticable difference in his eyes, he knew that I was speaking the truth, he felt his Fathers love. We then gave him a passalong card and told him if he has anymore questions to go onto Mormon.org or to call that number. This conversation only lasted about 5 minutes and I wish I couldve talked to him longer. It was a really neat experience to acually teach a real person. In the MTC we teach "actors" and its good practice, but going out and teaching a person with real needs was so awesome and I am so excited to teach the people from Guadalajara Mexico.
After that we went to the consolate and literally all we did was get finger prints, took a picture, waited for thirty minutes, and got our visas. We went and had a long lesson at the institute building and then went to the airport. At the Airport I saw Bishop Parry, it was so awesome! It made my day and it was so weird to see him but I was so glad that I had the opportunity to talk to him! The flight home was hands down the scariest flights I've ever been on. It was so windy. The plane was shaking back and forth really hard. There was even one time that the plane dipped and I literally was out of my seat, if I didn't have my seatbelt on I would've died (okay maybe not died) but after that we all prayed for the winds to calm. Heavenly father answered our prayers and we had a smooth landing. It was awesome. Vegas was a fun trip and a really long day! I'm learning a lot and I'm so excited to go out into the real world in a few weeks! Love you all!
-Elder Summers
-Elder Summers