10 Months

Good Day, Fam!

My week was another amazing one! Besides just getting soaked going from the apartment to the car! It was pouring like crazy a minute ago. Maura, the girl who is doing the report on Mormonism will be getting baptized this Saturday at 1:00. And she has asked me to do it! :) Shoot, first one. We just had lunch with her at Bryant dining hall on the University of Alabama campus. It’s where all of the athletes eat and it was sooooo goooood. Had me some grilled zucchini, chicken, rice, grapes, smoothie, and granola. It was so bueno I can’t believe it. I’m super full right now though. And it sounds like the missionaries in our ward are getting fed well, too. Dang, you never cooked that stuff for me when I was home....and Elder Halsey is going to Compton?? Thats quite a change from Los Alamitos hahaha. That’s funny.

And Uncle Bill has a new BMW?? Man, he has some good taste in cars, those things are so cute. Did Nick and Steven go for spring break or what? And I think its so funny how other churches’ mission trips are like a strait vacation! Man, I want to go to Mexico and build houses and stuff haha.

Garret has his braces off? That handsome devil. I’m going to have to write him and Steven. How old they is?? And now you’re in charge of the missionary board as well --- put some classy pics up. Make me look good, edit some pics if you have to ;) also your idea for stake conference of putting pictures of the missionaries up with the hymn lyrics sounds good to me. 15 minutes of fame for us missionaries. Oh yeah, and Tess is always taking pics of me now all randomly and sending them to Jackie. I'll just see her smiling and be like, “what?” And she says, “I just took a picture of you and sent it to Jackie”. It’s kinda weird, but it’s funny at the same time. And she reads the blog and says it makes her crack up. I’ve been here way too long haha. Everyone knows me... I’m leaving Tuscaloosa. Haha but seriously, I’m 99% sure I am. I got a call from the assistants to the president this week saying I’ll be leaving Tuscaloosa and training another new missionary. Then they called like 4 hours later and were like, “never mind, you aren’t training anymore ... but you’re still leaving. Said president received some revelation and I needed to be elsewhere. So it was an exciting week getting all of those calls and wondering where I’m going and things. But I’ll probably just stay here haha. Its never a for sure thing. We'll have to wait and see.

We aren’t really teaching anyone legit besides Maura, and Robert and his girl Latonya. They just need to get married so they can get baptized. There are some legal complications though for her hip surgery if she does get married. So we've been teaching them about faith and just telling them to trust in the Lord and not worry. Robert’s ready, but Latonya isn’t there yet. So pray for them to gain the desire to do what they need to.

What’s up with you, Mom, getting all of these weird medical things since I’ve been gone? Artery tears, possible ear drum hemorrhaging, what the heck. You need to eat healthy, exercise and stop it. How are you feeling though? Do you feel horrible or just ear infection or what? And what can I do for you? I have some good news for you. Dark chocolate is healthy! And I know how to make bomb granola with dark chocolate in it. You should try it, it’s a good snack :)

Are you excited for Lauren’s graduation??? Shoot, I am! I can’t believe she is going to graduate college before I ever start ... messed up. And how is Dad enjoying his vacation? Should go fishing or something. Allison is getting her gall bladder out? What were the symptoms of needing a gall bladder out? What does that thing even do? Haha.

Woah woah woah, hold up....Addy is getting married. Matt is getting married, and Courtney and Jeffy? Hahahaha that is so weird. Everyone is leaving us missionaries behind in the dust. I’m gonna come home and Addy and Courtney are going to have like 5 kids a piece! That’s so weird. That’s just life though, and I’m sure a bunch more people will get married within the next year and 2 months. I still can’t believe its been 10 months. Time has been flying by and I learned so much. One thing I learned this week is that there are crazy Mormon-type people here in Tuscaloosa. Dude named Nick came up to me on A-day, the hugest crowd I’ve ever seen for a football team to play itself, no joke there were like 200,000 people walking around campus and it was crazy. But yeah back to this Nick guy, 21 years old and a member of the "all reds". I’m not making this up by the way, he starts quoting the Doctrine and Covenants at me and the Book of Mormon and I’m all, “hold up”. “Are you a member?” and he says no. He believes the church fell away from the truth and God’s commandments when President Wilford Woodruff came out with the Manifesto ending polygamy!!! Aka, I met my first polygamist 2 days ago!!! It was awesome! Haha he was saying how Jesus was a polygamist and all this crazy stuff. He doesn’t believe Thomas Monson is a prophet or anything. Pretty much just Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. He says you can’t be exalted unless you’re celestially plurally married. It was an experience for sure. It made my day though! It’s just so interesting to meet people like that who have totally different beliefs but are close to being the same. So yeah, the “all reds”. Who would’ve known. Everyone in the South bashes on us for having 78 wives when we only have one, and he’s all for it haha. So I read Doctrine and Covenants, section 132 and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Nuff said.

My week was super exciting and it’s the best. Weather has been nice and I still love Tuscaloosa. Been here more than 5 months...cuh-razy. Transfers are in 9 days and I’m excited for that as well. This will be Elder Taggart’s, Hardy, Lofthouse, Konold, and Holley’s last transfer! All of my companions are going home!! It’s so weird. When I came out, they had been on their mission only a year and a month. They are all signed up for school, except for Elder Konold, and ready to rock when they get home. It must be so weird to them. I don’t even know what it would feel like to almost be done. Shoot, I still have forever left. Plenty more crazies to meet and people to love. Does it feel like 10 months for y’all or what? Let me know! I don’t know what else to say haha. I’m rambling ... so yeah.

Have a great week and get better! Be safe! Be happy! I love ya!

Outties,

Elder Oppenlander