The Countdown Begins

The Boston Temple

 

The John Adams house and library

The ORIGINAL Dunkin Donuts in Quincy, MA

 Some Brazilian hot sauce with a fantastic name.

 A guy we talked to in Providence... he turned into his backyard and ran after a bird on the ground (couldn't fly), chased it behind a shed, caught it, and brought it back to show us. In Spanish we joked, "are you going to eat it?" He looked back at us and just... smiled...

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... as we prep for the craziest transfer of all time in 3 weeks!

This past week was slightly less intense than last, so the update today will be much shorter. Thanks for all your responses, especially to mom for sharing her experience.

Monday after emailing we went to the Adams National Park, which we actually went to before the mission on family vacation! Don't know if you remember. I remembered everything from before, but this time the experience was a lot more.... inspiring? Something about being a missionary makes you appreciate history and leadership and the nations early period, when everything was in flux and a few key players like the Adams changed the world. 

Wednesday we had our mission leadership council, which was largely focused on how the leadership can help the mission transfer from the Packards to the Millers. It was a great meeting with tons of the counsel process and discussion. Elder McCann and I led them as we talked about the trending needs of zones across the mission, based on their feedback, and helped plan ways to address them. How to increase our unity with the ward leaders and ward council, how to stay under our miles, how to extend baptismal dates and explain baptism right, etc. The best part was the testimony of the departing missionaries, esp. the Packards. They want to sprint to the finish. We have to keep reminding them they need to find a house in texas to move into...

Went on exchanges in Providence on Saturday and I spent most of the day with Elder Shibuta, who's from Ponta Grossa, Brasil, and is 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 Italian, and 1/2 everything else in Brazil. He's a great missionary and it felt AMAZING to be walking the streets in a city again talking to everyone. Their area is growing rapidly and experiencing amazing success; they meet on rented out second floor in an office building in downtown Providence, and the majority of their members are Liberians. First time I ever met, let alone talked to, a Liberian person in my mission. We have several missionaries here who were reassigned with Liberia and Sierra Leone were shut down, so I've heard some crazy stories about those countries. 

I'm happy and feeling very healthy. I'm grateful for the hand of the Lord in my life, which had become inescapably evident these past few weeks. He's dropping signs left and right to show me that He's there. I can't do much to thank him, other than thank him, and keep  on working. 

I love you all! Have an awesome week! 

-Elder BDJ