Weekly Update

I’m starting to run out of ideas how to start these emails....... That’s bad, considering i still have another 21 months of mission left hahaha! (no that’s not me being trunky*, I’m just stating a fact)
*terms explained at the bottom of the email ;)

Anyway! This week was good! I guess I will just start on Monday!
So last Monday after all the emails and playing basketball for forever, we went to dinner at the Brondums. Now the Brondums are super cool people in the ward. These were the members I dug a 6ft hole for hahaha. Which we are probably going to fill that back in now that all the work is done hahah. But anyway, while we were eating, something startled Elder Taylor! He looked to his left and there was just a turtle crossing through the room! We laughed and asked them why there was a turtle there (mind you we have eaten at their house before and have never seen this turtle) They said they have 3 turtles who just wander the house!!!! WHAT!?!?! So freakin sick right! The turtles just wander around the house, when they are hungry they go to the fridge for food, they also have a turtle door so they can go hang out in the sun hhahaha. So of course I picked it up and took a photo with it! Now just a warning the first photo of when I’m looking at the turtle was a natural shot, I was just that freakin excited to be holding a turtle! WHOSE NAME WAS TABATHA!!! Come on!!! A turtle named Tabatha!!!!! Of course I’m going to be excited!!!  hahah Oh and they said I can have either Tabatha or the Tortoise when I am finished with the mission........... Looks like we have new family pet Mom!!!

On Tuesday, we had exchanges with the Zone leaders! Not sure why, but they wanted to go on exchanges with us. So I went with Elder Thom! Elder Thom is a super cool dude. He is from Arizona; he is super funny! We were laughing the entire time we were together haha. I have learned a ton from him in just the sort amount of times we were companions. Anyway! We had district meeting again, then we went and saw Debbie! Now while we were there we had a really good lesson with her! SO GOOD! So good to the point that we got her to pray! Thanks to Elder Thom! She was worried that she didn’t know how to pray good enough. So Elder Thom explained Prayer like a sandwich........ yes, when I first heard this i thought he was crazy too. but I went with it and continued to listen...... He said in all sandwiches, in most cases, what is the two things that remain constant. The top piece of bread and the bottom piece of bread. Anything in-between them is whatever you are feeling like. Like maybe one day you want a PB&J and the next day you want a turkey and Cheese sandwich with no lettuce because lettuce is gross right? ANYWAY! Prayer is just the same. We open with "Dear Heavenly Father" and close with ".... In the name of Jesus Christ, amen" Anything in-between is whatever you want to say. Or whatever your heart is wanting to say. THIS BLEW MY MIND!!! And it blew Debbie’s too hahaha. She said she would give it a try. And she gave a wonderful prayer! It was awesome! She actually started crying through the middle of it. It was wonderful! I’m so proud of her haha. She actually told us that she wants the missionaries to go over and visit her daughter in Wisconsin. She texted her and she said yes she would like them to go over. So we jumped on that really quickly and sent a referral out to the missionaries in her area, when we texted Apryl (that’s her name) She told us that if they are going to come over they NEED to text first!!! That they were not to just SHOW UP........... WELL!!!!! GUESS WHAT HAPPENED!! Even after we made it abundantly clear not to just show up.... the missionaries there just showed up anyway....... at 8pm....... now Apryl is having some problems with her husband.... let’s just say he isn’t the nicest of guys towards other people, including his wife. He got extremely mad at both her and the missionaries........ so I got a call from Debbie, who was extremely frustrated which is understandable, telling us this. We are very angry at them too. So while we were over there on Tuesday I asked her if she could video chat her daughter, she did and we apologized to her. She still wants them to come over though. But we are scared that the missionaries out their think it’s a lost cause now. SO!!! we are going to try to get Mission President to allow us to teach Apryl through Skype or Facebook or something. Hopefully that goes well!


Also that night we had a "Get real" lesson with Todd and Kathy. Now I’m pretty sure I have talked about these guys before, but they have been having missionaries coming over for I think like 3-5 years now and they aren’t progressing anymore......they have been taught all the lessons....... but still So while we were over there with Elder Thom I asked them 1 question. That’s all. I asked them "So you have been having missionaries over for a while now, and I’m sure you have seen a few that are dead set to baptize you, and I’m also sure you have seen some that just want to be your friend and hang out. Now I want to ask you a question. What are your thoughts on joining the church? Do you ever think you will be baptized?" Now they weren’t too caught off guard by it, but it definitely made them take a step back and think. Kathy told me "I guess my answer is Eventually, life has been crazy the last couple of years because of work situations but life is now starting to slow down again." I guess that’s an alright answer. But Todd gave us a really good answer actually. he told us that if he were to get baptized now he feels like he would be lying. He told us how whenever he went to Fast and Testimony meeting people get up and tell how they KNOW stuff. He just isn’t to that point of knowing. So if he were to be baptized, he would feel like he would be lien, he also told us that he feels like he is practically 75% a member of the church, He just isn’t baptized. (And while typing this out i just figured out what we will be teaching them tonight! hahaah) Elder Thom took that opportunity to explain the difference between Knowledge and Belief. And how they are both importance and awesome to have. So hopefully all goes well with the next lesson. Keep them in your prayers!

Wed, was pretty chill, nothing too exciting, did some service, had some massive steaks that a member cooked for us. SO GOOD then went on splits with the High Priests from the ward. That’s pretty much it hahah.

Thursday was crazy. Drove to Napa and had a meeting with Mission President which was cool, it was for all the missionaries that are in 12 week*. Then we got home just in time to get to dinner. Met another new family who moved into the ward. They are super cool actually! We will get along very well hahah. Our ward is full of Newly Weds and the Nearly Deads hahah. But I get along with all of them hahah. They are all so cool!!!!

Friday was pretty normal. Went and tried to find people to teach. Taught some less actives. And weekly planned for 90% of our Friday hahaha.

Saturday was cool. We drove to Napa AGAIN! haahah we had to go pick up a Samoan Book of Mormon and Pamphlets haha. The AP's* drove from Santa Rosa to deliver them to us as soon as possible. We were so grateful. It was an answer to a prayer. At first they said that we weren’t going to get them for another week. When all of a sudden they called us up the day before and told us that they realized how important it was and were going to drive to Napa for us. Heavenly Father is awesome isn’t he hahaha.

Sunday, was just another regular Sunday. Super crazy for us missionaries and what not haha. After our meetings and things of that nature we went to dinner with the Spanish missionaries. They took us over and we had Pa-Pusas the only way I can explain them is like, they are little tortilla pancake things with meat beans and cheese in them. then they are cooked on a griddle like a pancake hahaha. THEY ARE SOOOOOO GOOOOD!!! apparently only El Salvador makes them the best. So it was a privilege to have those hahaha. I also ate a Serrano Pepper......... My man hood was being challenged...... I had to do it. So I did. I felt like I was breathing fire for 4 hours hahaha. After that we went and had ANOTHER dinner with a member from our ward. (see how we gain weight as missionaries?!?) It was super good. So I actually didn’t even realize it was 9/11 until that night. So I just want to send a shout out to all of those who are Police, Firefighters, people in the military and everyone of that nature. Thank you for all that you do. God bless you and your families.
Anyway!! I think that’s all to report this week. Long email hahaha sorry guys hahah!!

Have a good week!!! I love you all!!! hope to hear from all of you!!!!

Love ya!
-Elder Riley Field

*Trunky - when missionaries have thoughts of wanting to go home and what not
*12 week - for the first 12 weeks you are being trained.
*AP- assistants to the president