This place is amazing.. Ok so like picture that dream vacation and wherever you're thinking, that's where I am. It's amazing here... Well not quite like that. There is no beautiful beach, no white sands, and definitely not those spectacular mountains.... but there is some pretty sweet sunsets, some pretty cool people, and even better, some brothers that know how to ball.... Louisiana has to be like the basketball capital... It's rare to find a bad player down here.
Ok story time to start it off.
This week has been filled with crazy stories, adventures, and pretty awesome spiritual experiences. I'll start with an Adventure. So we are riding our bike down the street and what do I see? A man in his driveway just ballin' up.. I would say the color or stature or ethnicity doesn't matter, but in most situations in Louisiana you will find that the majority of the good basketball players are of a different race than caucasian. I'm trying not to sound bad or anything here, but when they see a white boy who thinks he can play, they kinda just shrug you off... Well this guy had some skillss.... I say to my comp.. "Hey let me contact..." He says "No On the way back.." I kept riding kinda annoyed but I knew there would be pletny of opportunities following..
Well we turn the corner and keep riding... A man on the side of the road is dribbling and practicing his crossover moves... I biut my lip and decided not to say anything... Well we ride be and he starts screaming at us.. "Ayyy ayyy get back here ayy"
I was so pumped! I'm sure Elder Brosnahan was't that thrilled that the guy stopped me but we stopped and started talking... He said he had seen us like 7 times this week.. We talked to him and he said he didnt believe in God, but that he had been praying for signs to know if he was there. We testified that we were that sign... That kinda pumped him up and things started to really open up. He keeps on dribbling and I asked.. "So, you like to ball?" He says "Man I ball 24/7, that's about all I got around here... My friends have either been killed or moved away.. That's all I got" We kept talking to him and it was a really cool experience... Well he asked if I played. I said I sure do, and he said "ok lets go." We walked about half a mile to the closest park where he wanted to challenge me to a game of 1 on 1... As we walked we taught many principles of the gospel in which he seemed very intrigued about. Well, as we would teach these principles, he would slip a little line or too in there about how he was about to woop my butt at basketball... I agreed with him and things got to the point where i said "Alright, here's what we are gonna do.. So since you think you're gonna beat me so bad, and that there's no chance you're gonna lose, then we are gonna make a deal." He said " Come on"(Something someone says when they like or agree with what you're saying) "I say " If you lose, WHICH isnt gonna happen... then you come to church with us. Deal?" I held out my hand for the hand shake... He thinks for like 2 minutes and says "deal" Well we ball up and to make a long story short.... I won 15-6... Game winning shot I stared in his eyes and said "gotya" as I released the ball... i did not move my eyes.. He turned and looked as it went straight in and he looks back at me where my head and eyes are still staring directly into his... He said "Comeon, I want my rematch." I said "Maybe after church.." "Next time we will play for Baptism"....
Haha Ok i didnt say the last part, but that would've been kinda cool...
Ok so this email is gonna be huge..
I'll try and keep things As Short as Possible!
We had the opportunity to teach someone in a Jail. Woah was that cool. Just seeing the light in his eyes change from before we got there and when we left. It really was an awesome experience getting to see someone really want to change their life around!
A few zones have now been split up and we now have a separate spanish zone. It is pretty cool how things will work. The purpose of this is to help all the new missionaries to get better at spanish as quick as possible. We will practice teaching in spanish and have the majority of the meeting in Spanish except for the important instructions. Just in case people dont miss the most important things that are being taught. One thing I am super pumped for is that I am in the same District as Elder Joubert.. Elder Joubert was in the same building as me at BYU. He is a homie!
So with one of our investigators we had a super powerful lesson with the word of wisdom! We taught about prophets and about Moses and the brass serpent being raised up. When the people were bitten by the snake all they needed to do was to look at the serpent raised up. We compared that with us in life, whenever we needed to be healed all we need to do is to look up to Christ, who also was raised up... We compared the two photos of the brass serpent and Christ up on the cross. The spirit was super strong and she started testifying of all these things. We committed her to baptism and to the Word of Wisdom. She handed us her Cigarettes and Lighter right then and there. It was so cool to have the spirit direct the lesson like that! It was was a dope lesson!
Well I have a few other funny stories. So we decided that the contacting at basketball courts works pretty good down here.. We saw someone else who was playing at the courts so we stopped and talked to them. I pulled the same thing. Ok one on one and If I win we get to teach you a certain principle of the Gospel.. He said "Whaaaaaa" I said "If I win, we will teach you about Jesus" The conversation took a quick turn when He said "Ill tell you about my Jesus" and then pulls out his phone and starts showing us all this videos of him smoking marijuana... It was hilarious not gonna lie.. but we had no idea what to do.. Next time we will have to talk about how Satan brings Pleasure and Christ brings Joy... Which would you prefer???
Well that's my week fro yall! Love yall heaps and hope things are going good back home..
Btw... Go Duke!
love,
Elder Whitmarsh
Ok story time to start it off.
This week has been filled with crazy stories, adventures, and pretty awesome spiritual experiences. I'll start with an Adventure. So we are riding our bike down the street and what do I see? A man in his driveway just ballin' up.. I would say the color or stature or ethnicity doesn't matter, but in most situations in Louisiana you will find that the majority of the good basketball players are of a different race than caucasian. I'm trying not to sound bad or anything here, but when they see a white boy who thinks he can play, they kinda just shrug you off... Well this guy had some skillss.... I say to my comp.. "Hey let me contact..." He says "No On the way back.." I kept riding kinda annoyed but I knew there would be pletny of opportunities following..
Well we turn the corner and keep riding... A man on the side of the road is dribbling and practicing his crossover moves... I biut my lip and decided not to say anything... Well we ride be and he starts screaming at us.. "Ayyy ayyy get back here ayy"
I was so pumped! I'm sure Elder Brosnahan was't that thrilled that the guy stopped me but we stopped and started talking... He said he had seen us like 7 times this week.. We talked to him and he said he didnt believe in God, but that he had been praying for signs to know if he was there. We testified that we were that sign... That kinda pumped him up and things started to really open up. He keeps on dribbling and I asked.. "So, you like to ball?" He says "Man I ball 24/7, that's about all I got around here... My friends have either been killed or moved away.. That's all I got" We kept talking to him and it was a really cool experience... Well he asked if I played. I said I sure do, and he said "ok lets go." We walked about half a mile to the closest park where he wanted to challenge me to a game of 1 on 1... As we walked we taught many principles of the gospel in which he seemed very intrigued about. Well, as we would teach these principles, he would slip a little line or too in there about how he was about to woop my butt at basketball... I agreed with him and things got to the point where i said "Alright, here's what we are gonna do.. So since you think you're gonna beat me so bad, and that there's no chance you're gonna lose, then we are gonna make a deal." He said " Come on"(Something someone says when they like or agree with what you're saying) "I say " If you lose, WHICH isnt gonna happen... then you come to church with us. Deal?" I held out my hand for the hand shake... He thinks for like 2 minutes and says "deal" Well we ball up and to make a long story short.... I won 15-6... Game winning shot I stared in his eyes and said "gotya" as I released the ball... i did not move my eyes.. He turned and looked as it went straight in and he looks back at me where my head and eyes are still staring directly into his... He said "Comeon, I want my rematch." I said "Maybe after church.." "Next time we will play for Baptism"....
Haha Ok i didnt say the last part, but that would've been kinda cool...
Ok so this email is gonna be huge..
I'll try and keep things As Short as Possible!
We had the opportunity to teach someone in a Jail. Woah was that cool. Just seeing the light in his eyes change from before we got there and when we left. It really was an awesome experience getting to see someone really want to change their life around!
A few zones have now been split up and we now have a separate spanish zone. It is pretty cool how things will work. The purpose of this is to help all the new missionaries to get better at spanish as quick as possible. We will practice teaching in spanish and have the majority of the meeting in Spanish except for the important instructions. Just in case people dont miss the most important things that are being taught. One thing I am super pumped for is that I am in the same District as Elder Joubert.. Elder Joubert was in the same building as me at BYU. He is a homie!
So with one of our investigators we had a super powerful lesson with the word of wisdom! We taught about prophets and about Moses and the brass serpent being raised up. When the people were bitten by the snake all they needed to do was to look at the serpent raised up. We compared that with us in life, whenever we needed to be healed all we need to do is to look up to Christ, who also was raised up... We compared the two photos of the brass serpent and Christ up on the cross. The spirit was super strong and she started testifying of all these things. We committed her to baptism and to the Word of Wisdom. She handed us her Cigarettes and Lighter right then and there. It was so cool to have the spirit direct the lesson like that! It was was a dope lesson!
Well I have a few other funny stories. So we decided that the contacting at basketball courts works pretty good down here.. We saw someone else who was playing at the courts so we stopped and talked to them. I pulled the same thing. Ok one on one and If I win we get to teach you a certain principle of the Gospel.. He said "Whaaaaaa" I said "If I win, we will teach you about Jesus" The conversation took a quick turn when He said "Ill tell you about my Jesus" and then pulls out his phone and starts showing us all this videos of him smoking marijuana... It was hilarious not gonna lie.. but we had no idea what to do.. Next time we will have to talk about how Satan brings Pleasure and Christ brings Joy... Which would you prefer???
Well that's my week fro yall! Love yall heaps and hope things are going good back home..
Btw... Go Duke!
love,
Elder Whitmarsh