August 15, 2016 "Wowzaz"

What a crazy crazy week! Does the stress ever end? I don't think so. haha I think a mission is just a big chunk of your life where you deal with having stress permanently for 18 months. You just learn to cope with it. One way I cope is by just working hard and getting more organized so I've been color coding and making notes of everything. It makes me feel a little more in control of my life even when it's actually in chaos but it's been fun working in both wards! We had 9 hours of church again and we got to give talks in Stanwood ward. I always like giving talks when I get into a ward. It feels like it breaks a barrier between us all somehow. It's also nice because I don't have to have that same missionary convo with a hundred people separately about where I'm from and what my family is like. It's a one and done thing. I got to speak about The Book of Mormon. I think I'm turning into a crazy Book of Mormon fanatic. I love that thing so much. Please go read it if you haven't or if you haven't read it in a while. You will come to know God and Jesus Christ even more when you do. Okay now that I'm done with my missionary Book of Mormon rant, I got to hold a hairless cat! 

I've only ever seen these things in pictures but I got to hold it and it was so weird because it pretty much just has human skin. It blew my mind.

I got to hang with the Young Single adults in the Armar YSA ward on Thursday for exchanges! My dream is to be in a YSA ward out here. Pray for me. I was able to be with Sister Dalley! She's a legend. She is training for the 5th time in her mission right now (I think.. don't quote me on that). She was my very first Sister Training leader! I love her! She goes home in a couple weeks and I'm way sad about it. There are actually a ton of missionaries headed home lately. It's turning into a big group of baby missionaries I don't know. It's super depressing. That's okay though. We went to go visit a member in the YSA ward and the mother of the guy came in and asked if we wanted some cinnabons and homemade pineapple sherbet ice cream. After that she comes in and asked us if we knew what a yoga...something.. was and we were like no..? never heard of it.. So she runs into the kitchen and comes out with two of these beauties that she just whipped up real quick. She was the cutest woman ever. Love the people here in Washington. They are so nice to make me so fat. It's awesome. 

Another huge perk of exchanges other than getting spoiled by a YSA's mom is that I got to teach SHAYLA FROM ARLINGTON!!!!! AHHH!!!! I just about screamed when I saw her and just full sprinted towards her. I love this girl. She was baptized just a few months after I left. She is amazing. She doesn't have like any support from home about her joining the church but her faith is outta this world. She says she is excited to be "real friends" when I get home. haha She's kinda right though. Missionaries make the worst friends.

I forgot to tell you all about something that was pretty hilarious last week. Our investigator Dee came with us to go watch the Women's broadcast Saturday night. We were pumped because we finally got her to come to the church with us. We were sitting there listening to the talks and I pulled out some tic tacs (you know, for fresh breath and stuff) and asked Dee if she wanted one. She took one little tic tac. After a few minutes she turned to me and asked "was that tic tac sugar free?" I was like "yeah.. probably.." and she goes "oh no, I'm allergic to artificial sweeteners!". She started to get a reaction to it but she at least stayed for the whole thing but I just felt so bad. Our investigator finally comes to church and I poison her with a tic tac. New equation I found: tic tac=satan.

Well that's about it for my week! I'm just island jammin.

Love you all! Have a great week! Return with honor!! lol

Love,

Mozart

​ps. this week it looks like I'll be Elder Sanchez Cruz serving in the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission. Get it together missionary portal!

Note in email to parents this week:

I can see why things happen and why we have hard times. I have definitely been humbled this week. I have been praying pretty much not stop for help and strength and I feel 100% better this week. There are just those really rough times in my mission that help me to get back to where I need to be. Please don't worry about me haha I just feel like my parents want to know how I'm feeling. I got a blessing from Bishop the other day and I feel a lot better now. My bishop here on Camano is seriously the most amazing man ever. I love his family so so much. I will have you meet him when I take you back here to meet everyone. Bro. Medinger wants to meet you both too and I love love love that family as well. Camano definitely has my heart. ahh I love my mission. Its freaking me out to go home help me. ahhh Okay i love you tons!! HAve a good week!