New Area & New Comp

Good Afternoon Family and Friends!

 

Its Elder Crapo Reporting here and I'm doing pretty good.... I'm in a new area now! Simi Valley! And I am still serving in two wards! ON BIKES! Its a huge area and it is super slow right now.  As of now we have 0 investigators and 0 potential investigators.  All we do is hit doors and talk to EVERYONE  we see.  This area hasnt had a whole lot of success but that's why they sent me here! ;)  Anyways, we cover the Santa Sussana 3rd ward and the Simi Valley 3rd ward.  And yes, it is like Bakersfield here right now.  Its been around 90-110 everyday, i'm sweating bucket loads here!  But let me tell ya how my week went!

 

Monday 8-22-11

We were going to monday funday when we got the call.  We pulled over and answered the phone, they white washed Tehachapi ward which means Two new elders are serving there! Funny thing is, is that both those elders served in my old wards so they've been to tehachapi before... funny thing again is, they both only have 1 transfer left so as soon as they leave they will have to white wash Tehachapi ward again! So Crazy... i dont know if this was inspired because the kid i replaced here in Simi took my place... we just switched companions and switched areas... it was way weird. But i found out that my new Companion was Elder Jenkins from Starvalley Wyhoming! And he said he had heard of Ben, but never really met him.

 

Then basically all day i packed my things and saw as many people as possible.  I love Tehachapi so much, i'm going back some day.  People just love you there. I miss it a lot already.

 

Tuesday 8-23-11

Brother Moffatt took us to transfer meeting, that was pretty cool.  Didnt think he would do that but he did and it was a lot of fun.

 

Took us about... 2 hours to get to Ventura.

 

We got all switched up and met my new companion. I found out there, that i would be riding a bike! And since i didnt bring the bike Pulham left me, Elder Campbell (the elder i replaced) left me his bike and told me we could switch later.  I felt bad because the bike he lent me is a $350 bike! If that gets stollen or damaged... i'll feel so bad.  So i'm doing my best to take care of it!  Maybe the parents could sent me scotts bike that he sent home? That would be nice, because i dont have the money to buy a bike at all....

 

Anyways we left for our apartment... which is a garage.  And it is tiny.  I pretty much leave my things in a suitcase because i have no place to put them.  The apartment is really hot and the people who own it hate it when we put the AC on.... plus there is a vent that connects from the garage to the house so when she cooks her stinky food, it flows into our room, its such a great surprise after coming home from a hard days work to walk into your apartment and smell death.... ok its not that bad, but its not good!  We also have bunk beds which stinks... i dont think they're ment to be bunk beds, they are just two beds stacked on top of each other that are REALLY wobbly, but its ok i sleep on the top bunk so if i fall i have a really nice soft tile floor to catch me! haha

 

My companion Elder Jenkins is a... cool guy?  He wants to be a composer when he grows up so he listens to a lot of movie music.  He's been out 20 months and i guess he suffers from severe depression...  He's kind of odd when he talks to people and is kind of a moocher, trying to make people feel bad for us so that they will give us rides or feed us... But for the most part he has a good heart and does the work... so i dont care, as long as we are working that is all i care about.  But as you could probably guess we have to have talks every now and then to set him straight...

 

We went shopping with the other elders who are actually the spanish missionaries.  Elder Graff who is way cool and he is training Elder Coles who reminds me of Cousin Landon a lot!

 

We came back to the apartment after shopping and did some planning then went to dinner, and stopped off at a few places.  Got me a helmet from a member and walked around and spoke to people.  Actually ran into a Paranoid Scitsofraniac who was SUPER DRUNK and not on his meds... i kind of feared for my life because he had a big group of friends riding around us on bikes and the Scitso wanted to fight us... haha i just kept looking at my wristband that says W.W.J.D. (what would jesus do) and i just was trying to be nice even though my insides were saying "knock this sucka out" haha  Or i could just cause him to be swept away by a wave of the ocean... jesus would do that right?  Anyways the guy was WAY crazy!  and doing some way weird things and saying really in appropriate things about ladies and stuff that made me want to hurt him.  But we kept our cool... elder Jenkins kind of froze up... so i kept my cool and just left.

 

Then he had me plan our next day... why would i do that? I know nothing abut this area? haha but i guess its easy when all you have to do is tract right?

 

Wednesday 8-24-11

We had district meeting and that went well.  The Zone Leaders live close to us so they are always around, there is one from New Zealand who is way cool, his name is Elder Peterson.

 

Then my companion showed me how to solve a rubix cube so if you'd be so kind as to send me one that would be awesome ;) So i can practice!

 

Then we just contacted people and ate dinner at an old couples home.

 

We got a ride home in a way cool old Ford Truck... REALLY old.

 

Then we went on splits with the ward mission leader.  I think splits are stupid... but oh well.

 

I guess they think that i was "Chosen by got" to come to this area because there is a lady they are teaching and her maiden name was Crapo... My last name is not going to get her to join the church...  but i can! :D

 

My comp got kind of depressed later that night... when i started working out... he got jealous cuz he says he has no motivation to do it, but i've got him on a routine now that gets him up and working out every morning.

 

Thursday 8-25-11

Woke up and played frisbee with the district, it was a lot of fun but too easy.  They think i'm a pro or someting? They are just noobs ;)

 

Then we came home and showered and did our studies, shower  by the way is TINY! haha you have to turn the shower on and of to get all washed.

 

We went to walmart for elder Jenkins, he had an optomitrist appointment, appearently his vision is changing and his glasses are giving him bad head aches... kind of hindering the work. He found out his new prescription and the presidents wife called his parents but they dont have the money to pay for it.  So i told him i'd do it... i know i cant really spare the money to do it for him but i guess a little act of charity wouldnt hurt.

 

We went tracting as usualy and got way sweaty, and my legs hurt and my bum is getting saddle sore but i love it, being on a bike you get excersize and you get to talk to everyone you see! So i like it a lot.. maybe not the sweaty part though...

 

We stopped at the church to cool off and then left, but when we left Jenkins realized he left some things at the church so we had to go back, making us late for dinner which was at the other end of our area! So needless to say i've never ridden a bike so fast in my life through traffic and stuff. it was crazy! I'm so slow though, haha i need more bike endurance because i'm used to sittin in the truck!

 

We ate a strange dinner and then went on splits AGAIN, and then we got some shakes and came in.

 

Friday 8-26-11

It was a long, hot and humid day, it rained a little in the morning and then when it got hot it was just STICKY NASTY!

 

we did our weekly planning at the church, didnt take long because of all the investigators we have.

 

Then we had lunch at some other elders apartment and took a little nap.

 

Then we did TONS of contacting, no one was home.

 

And that's it... all we did was tract all night.

 

Saturday 8-27-11

My bike was broke... like the chain broke off so i needed to get a new master link.  But i got a quick link instead it works though.

 

We pretty much ran errands all day with one of the ward missionaries.  He is really cool.

 

Then we went to Costco's where i bought Elder Jenkins Glasses... they were pretty pricey... but just think charity! His family is having a hard time putting food on the table i guess so they cant help at all... i felt bad what else was i going to do? He was really appreciative though.

 

So for dinner there is this member that i guess is super wealthy.  He asked me where we wanted to go for dinner, and i heard that five guess had just opened so he took us there.  And i learned more about this guy.  He is so loaded! His son gets $500 a week for allowance, he'll buy you anything and everything if you ask, his house is huge, his swimming pool changes colors and he's sick of his car so he's just going to go buy a Nissan 370 Z! CRAZY!! But he is a way awesome guy, he reminds me of some people i've met... i dont know who? But he's kind of stuck up just because he's so rich, like at five guys he said our food was cold so he made them re cook everything! haha  But that's his job, he's like a restaurant inspector kind of guy.  He travels all over the states all day.  Like he hits at least 2 different states a day.

 

And then he took us home

 

Sunday 8-28-11

Sunday was long, not as long as Tehachapi but i like tehachapi so this felt longer because i didnt like it.  The Members are kind of flakey they dont really like missionaries... 

 

I wish we were in the YSA ward because they look like they have tons of fun.  One of our wards is PACKED and the other is Barren.  We had to speak for a few minutes at one of them, about prayer... that was easy i guess?

 

We ate dinner at a nice little families home... And then we went out riding our bikes contacting people and then we went to a members house.  So yeah.. it was an ok day?

 

But that is it for my main letter!  Sorry its long, i cant write this long too often anymore, we have to be on a certain time limit now :(  But i love you guys! I hope you are all doing well and i will see you all in a little less than 18 months! BYE!!!