This week in Saint Maries was really good. We cover a couple small towns as well but they are pretty far out of our way and we haven't had a chance to really explore them so we took a member up with us who grew up here so he knows the area really well. While we were up there he helped us out a lot in showing us where lots of people lived. But most of the stuff he pointed out was really random and didn't really help too much.
"I saw a herd of deer in that there field the other day, sometimes that field has elk n' moose in it"
"You see that house up there on that hill? Yeah its a real crappy one, looks like someone threw it together real fast"
"This is the turn where I crashed my truck back in '09"
"Yup, there's lots a crappy houses up here"
While we were up there we decided to visit a couple inactive members of the ward. One family in particular was a very different experience. In order to get up too there house we had to go up one of the steepest dirt roads I have ever driven on. We definitely would not have made it up if it weren't for 4-wheel drive. It was muddy and slick but we made it up just fine. As we pulled up in front of the house, there was a dog that that came out and started barking at us. I was about to get out but the member said, "Now hold on a sec, this might be the mean one." So we just sat there for a while while the dog went nuts just barking at us. At one point the member pointed and said, "See? the nice one is over there. So yeah, that's the mean one" We decided that the dog seemed a little too mean for us to just get out without the owner there so we came to the conclusion that if we just sat there long enough, the owner would eventually come out to see what the dog was barking at. Finally she came out and the called the dog back but at the same time she let out three other ones. We visited for a few minutes, the whole time the dogs were barking at us.
They had rows of old refrigerators and freezers that were turned on their side and were being used as gardens, and there was just piles of old broken stuff all over the place.
While we were talking, her husband pulled up and so they invited us in. It took us forever to get in the house because the whole walk towards the door they would stop to point out one of the random objects in their yard and to tell the whole story behind it and why its there. And of course the whole time the dogs were barking at us so we were practically yelling at each other. The only dog that wasn't barking was "Max" he spent the whole time with his head pressed against my leg and drooling on me.
Finally, we were able to get into the house I had to duck on my way to the couch because their clothes line stretched the width of their house cutting straight through the living room. As soon as I sat down I found myself holding two cats and lap dog curled behind my head. We had a good visit with them, invited them to church and then shared some scriptures.
Then when it was time to head out. We let them show us a round a little bit. Which was kind of cool and it resulted in them given us a dozen eggs from their chickens. The whole time though we kept on having to flick little beetles off of us,
All in all it was a good visit and we actually had a good time. Plus they actually came to church yesterday so that was cool they seemed really excited and kept telling everyone that they finally came.
I think that all but one of the people we visited that day were living "off the grid" But I think i've gotten use to that.
Other than that we had a couple really good lessons with some inactive members and some of our investigators, We have one woman that we are hoping to put on date to be baptized during our appointment tonight. So hopefully that goes well.
That's all folks
-Elder Rebalkin
From another letter:
My companion is Elder V. He is from Farmington Utah and has been out for about 8 months, he's cool, and we get a long really well.
I love our members and the people we are teaching. I'm hoping that i'm in this area for a while. Plus the scenery is incredible.
Kind of a funny thing is that we actually live in the oldest house in Saint Maries, It was a hospital that was converted into a house that was converted into apartments. I find it funny because that's the exact same as the apartment I lived in with the Timberlake elders. The downside is that the walls are paper thin, so we always hear the neighbors baby crying, which it does a lot of.
one of the ward's recent converts lives upstairs, we are in the process of teaching them the new member discussions. So its funny because one time we called her to confirm our appointment and the whole time I could hear her end of the conversation coming from the ceiling. At the end of the phone call we laughed becasue we easily could have just walked next door and had the same conversation.
Things are going good, hopefully everything gets all squared away at work.
Love ya
-Elder Rebalkin
My companion is Elder V. He is from Farmington Utah and has been out for about 8 months, he's cool, and we get a long really well.
I love our members and the people we are teaching. I'm hoping that i'm in this area for a while. Plus the scenery is incredible.
Kind of a funny thing is that we actually live in the oldest house in Saint Maries, It was a hospital that was converted into a house that was converted into apartments. I find it funny because that's the exact same as the apartment I lived in with the Timberlake elders. The downside is that the walls are paper thin, so we always hear the neighbors baby crying, which it does a lot of.
one of the ward's recent converts lives upstairs, we are in the process of teaching them the new member discussions. So its funny because one time we called her to confirm our appointment and the whole time I could hear her end of the conversation coming from the ceiling. At the end of the phone call we laughed becasue we easily could have just walked next door and had the same conversation.
Things are going good, hopefully everything gets all squared away at work.
Love ya
-Elder Rebalkin