Palm Sunday

Mom and Pop!!!

How are y’all doing this week! Did you meet Miss California? She has a profile on mormon.org!!! And why don’t y’all have one yet? And I want to go to a Long Beach State volleyball game so badly. They sound like they would be super fun and I would be down to have a 70’s dance off!!! Haha, We are going to have to go see one of those when I get home! That is good that Jackie got an Easter basket, too! I love mine ... besides all the candy! Are you trying to fatten me up or what!? I love the peanuts and other things, though! Thank you so much! That boating shirt is super classy as well!

My week here was great. I thought I was leaving then they changed it up on me. I’m still with Elder Jensen and they split the zone to Birmingham Central and Birmingham Northeast Zones. So I’m the Zone Leader for the Birmingham Central Zone, and it’s only 4 units. We have 16 missionaries, 8 Sisters and 8 Elders. We got 24 new sisters this last on Wednesday and only 1 Elder haha. So it has been kind of crazy, but fun. We had to give our car to the new sisters, so we have been biking everywhere and Elder Jensen isn’t diggin’ it too much. I love riding around, but he likes getting rides haha. I also tracted into this lady who works at a nice salon, and she is going to cut my hair today! Super excited about that.

So Dad, you want a story?....Here’s one for ya!

So there is a less active member in the branch I have been working with since last April. I’ve gotten pretty close to the family, and this past week the husband died because of heart failure. We stopped by their house and found out he died, so we got their home teacher and came over to give them a blessing. And the daughter is also having surgery today, so she wanted a blessing for that. We are sitting down visiting, and then we do the blessing. And as we are standing there getting ready to go, the wife says ..."Elder Oppenlander, you'll be home in a year, right?" and I say "Yes, ma’am" then she drops a bomb on me! She says, "Can you come back to Alabama in a year and stand in for my husband, Rod as his proxy in our sealing ceremony?".... haha! I freaked out, and so did their daughter! She was all, “Mom, we need to talk about this”! And then the mom says, ''Your Dad and I talked about it before he died, and we had it settled between Elder Oppenlander and another missionary, and we made our decision and chose Elder Oppenlander!".... so what I’m trying to say is that I guess I know when we are coming back to visit Alabama hahaha. Next year, Spring Break! That threw a big one on me! That is a super big deal!!!!!!! And of course I couldn’t say no, so I said yes. And right after that, we left, and we got in the car and I said "Oh, Dear..." and our ride, Bro. Sadler, Elder Jensen and I just started laughing we were so excited! It was so unreal. We laughed the whole way home and I just kept thinking, did this really just happen? So, Mom and Dad --- I need to come back to Alabama a year from now to help Sister Sokolowski get sealed to her husband for time and all eternity. There is a story for you, Dad.

Things have been going great, I have investigators to teach, I have service to do, and I have to come back to Alabama a year from now.  : )

Elder Oppenlander