December 15, 2014

Another week in the life of NYUM Troy missionary...

Shalom y'all...

Dis week was realllllllllllllllyyyyyyy sweet! 

1. Christmas spirit is round bout us.

2. Had a mad solid week teaching a bunch and finding a lot of golden investigators.

3. FOUND S to the T to the double R again.

4. Brand spanking new transfer!

I love Christmas so much! Especially as a missionary. We don't get to see family except over Skype, but that's totally fine. We get to talk to people about the true meaning of Christmas, we see more people on the street shopping, and people generally around here kinda have a sucky holiday because they are poor and try so hard to please their kids...so that means GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!! TRUE happiness! 

We actually went over to a members house (well technically he's not a member because his third wife made him get his records removed)  and we started reading from the beginning of The Book Of Mormon. A quick background story on this guy....he grew up a member and went a mission. While he was on his mission his mom died so he went home. Came back out and then broke the law of chastity with his so called "mission mom" and got sent home. From that point until now he has somehow landed himself in New York, has become and alcoholic, and has had 4 wives. OH and hes been to Mesa!!!!......we he was homeless.....pretty sad story right? Alright so back to the story. We go over everyday and read the Book Of Mormon with him and his girlfriend, friends acquaintances or whoever shows up at his house. So on Tuesday Elder Winkel and I trek on over there and start teaching him. I look up at him and he has a black eye so I try to ignore it but my curiosity kills me and I ask him what the dump happened to his eye. He says the following " Elder Neus I will be honest....as you know I am a huge alcoholic and can't function without booz *insert loud hiccup here* Well Jeff here and I was drinking a lot last night and I hit on his wife because she is very sexy" And right then in the middle of him blurting out this mistake infested story I look around and that dude Jeff is SITTING RIGHT FREAKING THERE!!!! Jeff obviously wasn't listening to him call his wife "sexy" and then I just hear the last part of the story "and so he decked me right on my eye"....ugh I was pretty uncomfortable at that point because I knew someone was about to die if he keeps talking so I just hurry up and ask him what his favorite scripture is. He then says the following " Can I call you machine gun Neus....you look very strong and you have broad shoulders" he then gets up and pretends he is holding a machine gun and walks around the room in a drunken stupor  and chants "MACHINE GUN NEUS MACHINE GUN NEUS MACHINE GUN NEUS" Then tells me to get up and gives me a hug and drowns his face in my chest and starts crying like a baby saying that he has issues.....this went on for about 5 minutes. He cried his life away on me and all I could do is stand there and wish I was someplace else. The look on my greenie companions face put me into instant sorrow....he looked as if he just witnessed a homicide. And then we left.....BUT not without a prayer and a commitment to never drink again. Brilliant huh? Wow life is good yanno?

We found Starr....yeah she went missing for a while. We really missed her great sense of humor and true intent to get baptized. She is da bomb. My favorite thing she said was right after we gave her a blessing once she looks up and says to us " My mohwak will never be da sameeee" Bless her!!!

I love you all so so much. This church is true! There is a living prophet on the earth!!!!!

Love,

Elder Hunter Neus