A long, long week

Another week of traveling. This has been a long, long transfer. I have learned a lot and when I talked to President on Sunday, I told him I have grown more this transfer than any other one transfer of my mission. I have gained a lot of patience this transfer in ways I didn't even know I needed. At the beginning of my mission, my idea of a good missionary was one that rebuked every disobedient missionary he saw and always corrected others no matter what they thought of me. I did that for a little while and obviously it didn't work. I have no idea why I thought that was the right thing to do. My thought process was if I don't tell them I don't give them a chance to improve. My other thought was I should never lower my standards for someone else. I took that as meaning that I had to make every companion conform to my beliefs and way of thinking. This transfer I have learned that means my standards don't have to change just because I am being patient with a missionary that is learning. I have learned mainly this transfer that when missionaries are doing something wrong, they already know. I really don't ever need to tell a missionary that he isn't allowed to sleep in past 6:30, because they all already know that; they have heard it 1,000 times from their zone leaders and from the Spirit. The best thing for me to do, especially with a missionary for two days, is to develop a relationship and show them more love. I can have a better chance of helping them to repent later having had a good relationship with them rather than trying to force repentance now and ruining a relationship. It took a long, long time to learn that, but President Hiers and I sat in his office this Sunday laughing about it. He told me he knew it was always something I needed to learn, and that's why he had to be patient with me and do the same thing he was trying to teach me to do, that is be patient, develop a relationship with me, give me new experiences to learn on my own, lead by example, and just love me no matter what. He is a great mission president. I have never heard of anyone seeing him get mad, and I doubt that I ever will. I'm glad he taught me so many things in the past 18 months in a way I never thought would work. Now I am not saying I am very patient and passive or anything; now I have just improved a little bit and have a long way to go. The point I am making is that at least now I know what I am shooting for. I think it will help me a lot in the future with being a young men’s adviser for example, parent, things like that.

I love my mission. I passed my six-months-before-I-go-home mark, which means it’s time to stop checking what day or month it is. I think transfers/Christmas will make it hard. I am just excited to get back to a normal area again and have some investigators.

I have gone out with great missionaries this week. The past two days, I went out with two Spanish missionaries including Elder Larsen, Elder Ward's son. He is a senior companion in Clearfield now. They are on bikes and so was the companionship Elder Kipp was going with so he took the car, and I was on bikes for the first rainy day so far, lucky me! Of course, I didn’t bring any warm clothes with me. That didn't help the cough that still has never gone away. (I bought a hot air humidifier, and I really want to know the difference between cool air and warm air humidifiers, because the cool air one was more expensive, and the lady there couldn't tell me why.) Last night, I was with the two of them, and we knocked the door of a potential, and he let us in. There were like ten men and women sitting in a circle with Bibles. We sat down not wanting to be rude, and it became evident very quickly they were Pentecostal. The member that was with us (we saw him while riding past his house on our bikes. I was sick of riding and asked him if he would drive us around for the night to make visits, ha-ha) tried to make a couple comments which we all knew was a bad idea and got shot down pretty quickly. They said not to ask questions that are unrelated or something like that and went back to talking about good and bad fruits or something. We were only there for 15 minutes; then they wrapped it up. They all stood for the prayer and said things under their breath the whole time. Then they thanked us for coming and wanted us to stay to ask us some questions, but we said we had to leave since that would've just gone downhill fast, and it was almost nine o’clock.

The other days this week, I had once chance with some other Spanish missionaries that are currently assigned to an English stake. They miss being Spanish missionaries. There are a lot of missionaries that just need to get more excited about being a missionary and learn they need to be responsible and accountable for their own success. SO in most companionship studies, I read through create success, tell them all about Herschel Walker, and try to pump them up about missionary work. I learned I have no desire to be a motivational speaker; it's not a talent of mine, but Herschel Walker gets them every time.

So one day last week, we went to two Halloween parties at night after a huge dinner, and we weren’t hungry enough to eat any of the desserts that they had. The next day dinner was light, so I was excited to get to the Halloween party we had that night and eat the desserts there. We get to the Halloween dinner/and trunk-or-treat, and they had NO DESSERT. What kind of joke is that? The only way to get any sugar in your system was to go trunk-or-treating which of course we couldn’t really do. I learned I shouldn't have taken for granted all the desserts we had access to the night before. Then I got home and weighed myself and learned I have gained ten pounds in the past three weeks and was grateful they didn't have dessert. It's kind of weird; I don't feel heavier, but it does make sense, I have been living off of chocolate, protein shakes, shakes, soda, and whatever I can find in missionary apartments (not much) for three weeks. 

Another story of the week: Elder Kipp and I were on the way to a meeting with four Spanish sister missionaries to re-split their boundaries with them (mainly just watch while they do it). On the way, we stopped at McDonald’s and were dying of hunger. Due to some great marketing, severe hunger, and yolo, we bought 40 chicken mcnuggets, two double doubles and fries. Worst mistake of our lives. We regretted it so much...by the way for those of you that are interested the McRib is back!!! In Ogden, the second one is only a dollar, highly recommend it.

I got a package from Mom and one from Jessica. Thanks! I am going to love the kneader’s soooo much! And I am feeling better by the way. Have a good week everyone.

Love you all!

Elder Bassett

PS Mom, What kinds of things did you bury under the tree to represent your weapons of rebellion? BTW Awesome story (about Cache Valley and our dog from when I was a little girl named Cache)! I need to hear more stories from your childhood. I don't hear them enough…and no worries if he (visiting authority) chastises us. I will be happy; I love to get rebuked... just because it doesn't happen enough to us. I can’t think of anything I want for Christmas. Maybe ties and protein? You could get something little for Elder Salazar.

About the weight gain, I weighed myself two days ago. I have gained ten pounds in the past three weeks... no weight gain since junior year of high school and three weeks of fast food later…unbelievable. Dad weighs less than I do, and I am a couple inches shorter than him.