Elder Nelson

So what do you do as a missionary when you hit your second year mark?  Hudson was able to get his companion to take a 2 year photo shoot for me!  Hudson also put together a rap video, and got a picture of him with contacting people.  Just another day at the office.

 

Our last missionary Google Duo call was a bit difficult to say to say the least.  Ellie and Ridge were at the Powder Puff game and called at 8:20 for a ride.  Hudson called right at 8:30 as we were going down the Franklin draw.  Our connection lagged and cut in and out the whole way to town and home.  Oh man, not the best ending.  On the plus side Hudson was doing well heading into his last week of missionary service.  I was able to ask what he had pictured in his mind at the airport, and the following few hours.  Elder Cuff stepped in and told him not to get trunkie, but I told him I couldn't put this off any longer.  

Hudson starts his podcast while loudly chewing an apple.  As he starts Phyllis calls to cancel her lesson today, the only one they had scheduled.  She was put on date 4 weeks ago, but they have not had a lesson since.  The baptism is obviously not going to happen.  Elder Cuff gave Hudson's posterity a priesthood blessing and a fortune telling of where Hudson will be in 30 years.

Sunday, September 4:  Break the fast potluck at the church was a big letdown!  Tons of green salads and NO desserts.  The highlight of it was Nabin Nepal showed up.  He is a man Hudson friended on Facebook months ago and this is their first in person meeting.  He came from Nepal in 2008 as a house cleaner for an insurance company and now he is the CEO.  He is also in Senator John Rose cabinet for education.  He told the Elders he wants to take them to India for a month for $2000.  Hudson feels it might be so he can human traffic him.  Very SUS!

Trip to Extended Stay Apartments.  The people living there are not self sufficient.  A month ago they spoke to Tausha in room #139 and gave her a Book of Mormon, but haven't had contact since.  They met Daisy while walking up.  She was spaced out and flailing her arms and asking the Elders to give her a minute.  Hudson assumes she was on meth.  They knock on Tausha's door and a large man walks out in full clean construction clothes.  They ask if Tausha is home and he says, NO.  Daisy makes her way to the door of Room #139.  The Elders ask if she knows Tausha she says, NO but she walks inside the room.  A man drives by and tells the Elders they are "flirting".  A short black man now appears in Tausha's doorway, wearing a flask on his belt and holding a plastic cup of hard frothy liquid Hudson can smell. He jabbers at the Elders.  The door opens 1 more time, this time Tausha comes out of the apartment.  She has multiple Ritz crackers in her mouth and spits them all over Hudson as she is talking to him.  Daisy comes back out and Elder Cuff shows her the pictures in the Book of Mormon.  She leans against his chest, hugging him and starts to cry.  The man shows the Elders the homemade shirts he makes.  All 3 of them are talking at the same time to each of the 3 different Elders, while giant airplanes are taking off from the nearby airport.  It is insanity.  Inside Hudson can see 8 mattresses on the floor in the living room.

A former member who has left the church is also at the Extended Stay Apartment and is all about Gay Pride.

Lessons with Jesse who is a 66-year-old black man who is 6'5" 310 pounds.  He seems to have more of a problem with GOD than the beliefs of the church.  He doesn't think we would have chosen to come to Earth for this awful experience.  Jesse asks where Eden is.  Brother Howell, who was there teaching with them, told him it was near Independence Missouri.  Hudson felt that is a bit controversial to say!

Lessons with Elizabeth who has a 5th grade intelligence. She is in a wheelchair and weighs over 300 pounds.  She is the Grandma Odey of her apartment complex.  The Elders have 2-3 lessons each week with her, but she always brings in new neighbors, so the Elders have to reteach the same lesson over and over.  She came to church last week and said she liked it.

Monday, September 5:  Visiting Former people who have had lessons who are mostly African American.  They went to visit a man named David and an elderly Grandma in her 90's meets them outside. She doesn't speak English.  She high fives and thumber up everybody.  Hudson has noticed when you go into a refugee home, they don't have their lights on.  This apartment was no different.  The Elders go in and it is dark with a Swahili music video showing on the television.  The elderly woman dances around the room and then hugs each elder with a kiss on each cheek alternating lef to right twice.  David does not speak English either, so his daughter comes in and translates for him.  He asks what the problem with the Bible is and why the church reads the Book of Mormon.

Elder Cuff can speak Spanish!  It has helped with Hudson's street contacting.  Hudson feels he is doing so well as a missionary.  He is months ahead of where Hudson was in his first transfer.  All three of the companionship is over 6 feet and 200 lbs.  Hudson is referring to them as the three Nephites!  The Elders have received soda from people they visit, but they don't drink it.  Elder Cuff found a creative way to use it by giving it to strangers and being good Samaritans.  He also offered an orange to a homeless man along with the diet coke.

Monday, August 22:  Zone Conference.  President Galland asked if he took a space travel in the future what would he see regarding missionary work.  Hudson said he feels missionaries will become influencers on Facebook.    He then told Hudson he doesn't want to make him feel "trunky" but since he is leaving the mission, he won't be able to be part of it.  He then asked all the Elders who were there for their last zone conference to come up and bear their testimony.

They have been finding a lot of people, but they don't currently have anyone on date or in other terms progressively taking the lessons.

Zenna that they were teaching has gone to jail.  When they went over to her house her mother was having a phone call with her, so the Elder's counted that as a contact.

They are planning a temple trip with new convert Cassandra.  They have been working on names for her to take.  She will be speaking in sacrament 08/28/22.

Friday, August 26:  Went to see Thomas George, a self-referral, in the corner of the area.  His caretaker Alex, which was a large black man, answered the door. He brought Thomas into the room who was wearing an oven mitt and Thomas freaked out yelling No Jehovah Witness'.  It was obvious that he was special needs. Hudson apologized and explained Thomas filled something out online and they were there following up with that.  The Elders had dinner with the Hendersons and Welchers on Percy Priest Lake.  It was beautiful to watch the water and Hudson can't wait to go swimming.  

Hudson has been drinking lots of apple juice and eating lots of kiwis.  Especially before bed.  The Elders have been putting a jalapeno and onion blend in their eggs each morning.  It turns the kitchen into a gas chamber, but it tastes good in the end.

Wednesday, August 31:  Hudson called tonight while walking across the yard of his apartment complex.  Apparently, the AP's live in the same complex and had stolen his laundry detergent.  He had gone to get it back.  Earlier in the day Hudson had called while he was in downtown Nashville for PDay.  He was trying to buy some clothes and only had $19.21 on his personal debit card.  He asked if I could put some money on it for him so he could check out at the store.  I politely reminded him we leave 15 minutes from town, but I would get it on his account.  While in downtown Nashville he ran into some return missionaries.  One of them had served in the Utah Ogden mission and even got to cover the North Stake here in Idaho.  Hudson asked him if serving in Idaho was considered outer darkness of the mission.  I was relieved to hear that is not the case at all.  In fact, it is the coveted spot to be placed while serving in this mission.