First Georgia P-Day

Leaving Elder Williams at the MTC. He was such a bro he got up at 1:00 AM with us to go and see us leave!

What's up everybody? How y'all doing?? Ha ha. Georgia is wild. The humidity is ridiculous, I'm so not used to it. I sweat my butt off every time that I go outside or anything. Ha ha. But anyways, I am doing good. Other than I ate at a members house last night and I have been sicker than a dog ever since. This real southern food ain't doing me any good. Both times that I have ate at a members house I have got super sick. And this time it is worse than the last. My stomach is just twisting and turning, but anyways who cares about that. Ha ha. I'm doing great.

The people down here are so much different than the people anywhere else. Their southern accent is to dang thick it ain't even funny. Ha ha. The lady's house we ate at last night sounded exactly like Paula off of Paula's home cooking or whatever that food channel show was called.

But anyways, so right after transfers like my very first day in the mission field, we get to our area and head out to go tracting. And we are just going door to door and then we see these two girls sitting out on their porch. SO we go up there and start to talk to them and one of them had to leave but was pretty interested. Then the other one stayed and we talked to her for a long while. We just gave her the spill and then I shared a few experiences and told her a couple stories. Then we got to pray with her and everything and it was super good. Then we set up an appointment with her.

So we leave and she was super excited to hear more. So we go to her house for the appointment and we knock and no one answers and we knock again and no one answers. So we sit down on her porch to start writing a note and her dog starts barking up a storm. So we go to put the note on the door and she comes out and says that she is sorry. She fell asleep and her dog woke her up. She asks us to wait a minute while she gets dressed so we can come in.

So we wait then we go in and we teach her the first lesson and we give her a Book of Mormon and stuff. She is just loving everything and then she says, "Can I tell you guys something?" And we were like of course. So she says, "The day you guys showed up on my porch I had been praying that God would send me some help and then you guys showed up!" And we were like that is awesome. Then we asked her if she would like to come to church with us and she said she had to work on Sunday, but she had already gotten two Sundays off this month, so she could attend church with us - and that was even before we taught her for the first time. So the Lord has prepared so many people for us - we just have to find them! Anyway, our next lesson with her is today at 2, so it should be really good!!

This area is super sketchy. There was a huge drug bust where 30 people were arrested and it was like a block down from where we live. We were going with a member to teach a less active and we drove by and SWAT was there and there were like 40 police cars and everything. It was pretty crazy. Then this week it was in the paper. And then on the other side of town where one of our potentials lives there was a shooting and stuff. It's pretty wild.

Man, everyone around here is black. Everyone you see is black. Everyone you talk to is black. And everyone you teach is black. It's just crazy. The only whites are the members and they don't even live in Jackson. They live in Monticello. Ha Ha. So this is crazy stuff that I'm not sued to but I have the Lord on my side so I'm not afraid.

The dogs are scary though. There are pits and boxers and crazy looking dogs everywhere. I've already been chased and there is nothing like the adrenaline pumping through your veins after a dog chase. Ha ha.

But anyways, I learned how to read notes for the piano and stuff because they said I might have to play. I learned how to play "Choose the Right" and "Keep the Commandments." Ha ha. I'm pretty excited. Just the right hand though, not the left - yet.

So Elder Barraclough's bike tire popped so we needed a ride. We were telling this potential about it and he said he would take us to Locust Grove so we said okay. This guy is like 300++ pounds and has all kinds of medical problems and stuff. Ha ha. It was crazy and he had to make like a million stops and then he stopped to eat. Then he asked us to help clean his car, so we stopped at a car wash and it just went on and on and on. So like 10 hours later we finally made it back to Jackson.

Buy anyways, the spiders out her are FREAKIN RIDICULOUS!! They are GIGANTIC!! SO GOSH DARN SCARY!!! We went to knock on this one person's door and no one uses their front door, so there was just this huge web over the whole entire door and the spider that was in the middle was black and yellow and long and fat. It was probably the size of my hand. It was so dang scary. I took off and booked it back to the road and Elder Barraclough just laughed. Ha ha.

But anyways the coolest part of my letter today is definitely this. I FOUND OUT THAT FIREFLIES ARE REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were biking home really late, like 9:00 from a lesson and they were everywhere. I freaked out and tried to catch them, but I didn't have anything to catch them in. Ha ha. That is like my life long dream to have a jar of them, but I didn't have a jar. Like, I always thought that those were fake because they are on like Disney movies and stuff. But, nope. They are real and THEY ARE THE COOLEST THINGS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But, anyways, let me just leave you with a couple quotes. "COMPARED TO GOD, MAN IS NOTHING . . . BUT YET, WE ARE EVERYTHING TO GOD." Ain't that the truth!! I love this quote and just thinking about it definitely keeps me going!!

And then another quote from one of the Elders. It's hilarious. Ha ha. He said this is how a talk went with him and a Baptist. "How do you know Joseph Smith saw God?" and the Elder said, "WELL, IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, ASK GOD. HE WAS THERE!" Ha ha ha. Super funny, right?!

Well I am glad that Jordan is just going beast at football!! I knew that he would!! And I'm glad that Kolar is liking it! They are both STUDS!! I think about you guys all the time. Hope y'all are doing alright!! I sure do love you!! Let everyone know that I love them and tell them thanks for everything. Love all of you guys. I know this church is true and I love this gospel more than anything!!

Love,
Elder Blake

Send everything to the mission home.
Elder Dylan John Blake
112 Governors Square, Suite A
Fayetteville, Georgia   30215-4864

And my apartment address:
Elder Dylan John Blake
124 Cedar Street, Apt A2
Jackson, GA  30233

But remember to send everything to the mission home.

Is all I can say is this humidity. WOW! Yea, that's after an evening out tracting and teaching. Ha, pretty crazy!

In the plane. I got so dang sick on the plane rides. Like my ears plugged up so bad, then finally I was able to get some sleep. :)

Church Building.

Georgia.

My favorite person now is Adam Baswell. He is a less active and we had to bike 15 miles on the highway to get to his house, but when we did, we just talked it up. He is super into hunting and so I told him I was too. And we talked forever! He asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him, and I told him I can't. Then he said in two years I better come out and hunt with him. He showed me all of his guns and took me in his man cave and everything. And here is Georgia, it's year round bore hunting season and during deer season, each person gets 12 tags - 10 doe and 2 buck because they are just over run with them.

P.S. Oh yea. We are on bikes, ya know? Yea, we have to bike to Flovilla and stuff and that's like 15 miles away on the highway. Ha ha. Thank heavens for Gramps taking me on bike rides all the time!!!

P.S.S. I forgot to add something. When we pray with the people around here, they just butt in the prayer whenever they feel like it and share their feelings also. It's super weird. But it's funny, too. The first time it happened I almost started laughing, but I didn't. Ha ha. They say Lord and Jesus so much it ain't even funny. But, anyways, I love you guys so much and hope y'all are doing good!!

This is Dylan's mission area.

 

 

Then Dylan forwarded this letter to me from the church.

 

 

Dear Elder Blake:

 

Visa Status

 

By now you are aware that your visa to Brazil has not yet been approved. While this is undoubtedly a disappointment, please know that we are doing everything possible to secure your visa. We will notify you immediately when it is received. We ask that you and your family members not do anything, such as call or e-mail the consulate, to try to secure your visa more quickly. Such actions may actually slow down the visa process already in place.

 

While you are waiting, your mission experience in the United States will prove to be a great blessing in your preparation to serve in Brazil. We encourage you to work hard, remain focused, and be involved in all aspects of missionary work. As you serve the people in the Georgia Atlanta Mission, your testimony and ability to teach will increase, you will set the pattern of study and hard work for the rest of your mission, and you will come to love the people.

 

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family as you dedicate yourself to preaching the gospel to those who are seeking and ready to accept your invitation to come unto Christ.

 

Sincerely,

Eduard Gavarret

Assistant Executive Director

 

 

Apparently someone is causing waves - I promise it is not me!!! I have done all I can - sending in the papers, fasting, and praying. I am relying on the Lord and realizing that it does not matter when WE want his visa to come. It is all on HIS time, not ours. First comes the test of faith - and then the miracle!