Hey!!
I’ll try to go in order so I don’t miss anything. Yes, I’m in Huntsville, Alabama and my companion is Elder Lofthouse. He’s about 5 foot 5 and a great guy. We get along great and teach well together but at the same time we mess around and let some stress out. "Weatherly" is the Ward I’m in. We live with the Byrd Springs Elders, Elder Urry from the Mission Training Center and Elder Larson. They are both cool but Elder Larson needs to relax. He’s way serious all the time and it’s way funny because Elder Urry and Larson are so different.
There are a crazy amount of Mormons here. They call it little Utah so I have a strong support group. But at the same time there are so many Baptists and Presbyterians and they pretty much hate me haha. They keep saying they respect what I do and give me bottles of water, then a second later start telling me how I’m going to hell and they’re saved and stuff. It’s weird how different our beliefs are and that we read the same bible. Sometimes I wonder haha. It’s all good though not everyone is going to be prepared for the message out here.
For the most part they are all nice and I’ve met some crazies!!! I love meeting them! This one lady told me her first kiss when she was 16 was a Mormon missionary on his mission in her area.... what a punk. Then after that she tries to invite us into her house, “forget that” haha. So we just stand on her porch and talk to her about the gospel and her beliefs. She had no idea about what we really believed. Just what she had heard and it was crazy. She said how we don’t read the bible and how Joseph Smith was a "nut' and she can prove it haha. Oh, she and a lot of other people here keep telling me they know more about Mormons than I do. One guy said he had paperwork to prove Joseph Smith wasn’t a prophet. I was about to say, “shoot i got 530 pages of paper to prove he is! But I jist said, “oh wow that’s incredible. So far I haven’t gotten in an argument with anyone and I plan to keep it that way. I have to be a representative of the Church and be the best Elder Oppenlander as I can be. yeahhhhh haha.
I love it out here! My Ward is about 210 people and I love them. A lot of excommunicated members out here though. I met 6 since I’ve been here. They don’t mess around in the south haha. But I have been able to teach lessons to members and have some lessons with investigators.
I’ve had some good experiences out here so far. My favorite lesson so far was just a quick one we gave to a guy taking in his trashcans. We got talking and at first he was really anti-Mormon and telling us how we were wrong. But we started teaching him and I bore my testimony on the Book of Mormon and you could really see the spirit working on him and he was really thinking about what we were telling him. The main problem here is so many people have the wrong idea about why we’re out here. They think we get paid and are forced to come out and convert people. Just a lot of crazy-wrong ideas about us that they grew up hearing so they believe it. But there are a couple of people who are ready to here it and we’ve met some so far and we'll meet the rest as we go out and track.
About the pizza and not BBQ at the Mission Home the first day.... I hadn’t eaten any breakfast or lunch that day so i got a migraine. So in that picture I have a migraine and felt like throwing up. I took the blue pill and shut her down so fast :) I love that thing it works miracles!
There is no way in heck I’m going to get fat out here. I bike all day around 15 miles and it’s 95 degrees and super wet. My butt is chapped...no joke it hurts to sit down. So jacked up... You need to go to Kohl’s now and buy more of those Axis pants or whatever. Get black and the black with the grayish design on it. 32x32 because my gray pants I have right now are no bueno. You see all my sweat and its gross hahaha. Kneecap sweat, ankle sweat, butt sweat, lower back sweat. So yeah I need 4 pair shipped out here ASAP! Just send them to the mission house for now because I don’t remember my apartment address. I’ll send you a letter though and you'll get it then. And no, Dad didn’t tell me he got you an iPad! Lucky! Send me that package and some letters. I’ve gotten no love since I’ve been here in Alabama. Lone wolf status! Before I forget, the Sunday before I left the MTC I had the greatest fireside of all time. Jenny Oaks Baker was the speaker/performer! She’s Dallin H Oaks daughter and got her masters from Julliard in violin performance and bachelors at some music college in Philadelphia. She was so freaking good you would have loved it! She would tell a personal story then play a song that goes along with it. I seriously could have been there all day listening to her. So send me some classical music and EFY music and stuff like that. I would appreciate it momma. Good ole instrumental music.
Alright I only have 4 minutes left so I'll try to cover your questions. My bike is beautiful. I ran over a knife 2 days ago though so had to get a new tire and what not. It’s crazy the Baldwin’s are already moving!! What the heck! My blog sounds like it’s going to be the new Google. Hits left and right baby. That’s how I roll. People would pay to see my cute face and hear my story haha. Keep up the good work and know that you are loved and missed. Pray for me and the people down here that I can find those in need and have the spirit with me.
Love you
Elder Oppenlander
never fails to make me laugh!
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