Saturday, December 13, 2014

Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

"Hey all everyone! Hello from Poky!

So this has been a wonderful week! I love it here in Pocatello! The people here are super poor! It's a really dirty place; I am serving in Old Town Pocatello...the armpit of the mission! But I love it because I feel like a missionary here! It's so great :) There are homeless people everywhere and the train is constantly so loud! My area always smells like smoke and all of my stuff does now too.

We only cover two wards, which is nice. Church here is backwards?! They start with the classes and then Sacrament meeting is last. Odd. There are super old and dirty apartments that are falling apart that we teach people who live there. I sometimes feel like it's not healthy to be breathing in all this air...haha!  The people here are so fun to teach! I feel like I can share my little heart out with them and they won't judge me! I have grown so much these past few days being here. And Elder Miller is awesome! At first it was awkward of course, new situation and stuff, but now it is pretty comfortable. Our apartment is super nice though which is a huge blessing! It's really big and nicely kept. 

One of my Zone leaders is Elder Haws from Round Valley! I am pretty sure he requested me being here...haha! But he is super nice and is a great leader. In my zone is also Sister Brimley (my MTC mom/sister) and Elder Dunlap from my first transfer district. So it's been pretty nice here. :)

I just can't explain how different it is here from Ammon! Total opposites! In Ammon all the houses were the same, with white fences, and clean houses, and rich members. Here...weeelll I am always scared walking at night, because there aren't very many lights and there are creepy people always walking. But I really do love it here so much! They don't let Sisters serve here, if that gives you a hint of how creepy it is.

There was this one home we went into where it was just nasty. The kitchen only had like a sink and a fridge in a hole in the wall. It was pretty nasty. We met with this homeless man  there and we set a date with him for Jan 10

We are also teaching this one couple, S and T, can't say their names. But they are living together and have a baby coming. But they are kind of mentally unstable. We are working really hard to get them baptized, but they won't stop smoking and drinking unhealthy stuff. I promised them so many blessings and shared my lil heart out with them, but the only way they will get baptized is if THEY choose to. Which doesn't seem very likely. But I have faith :) And it's really complicated, because we went over the baptism interview questions with them, and they answered yes to all the questions that were supposed to be answered as no....so they have had quite the life! It was very awkward...haha

We have this ward missionary, and she wants everyone to call her Sister Weirdo. She is absolutely amazing! She has an amazing life story, of being beat by her husband and her family disowning her for being baptized. She is awesome! She is the happiest person I have ever met! She loves all these people and is very well known in Poky and is the taxi service, basically haha because she takes all these investigators everywhere!

There is this HUGE hill behind the poor area, and up there is so rich! The houses are huge and we had dinner with a few families over there. It's such a contrast. I felt like we were walking in Peru getting up that hill, haha! Because there were these stone steps called "stairway to heaven" and it was such a long hike! Just to get to dinner!

This is an amazing time for me, and I have learned so much! I love it here, even though it is difficult still. But I know that I can do anything! I have been called by a PROPHET to do this! Heavenly Father has trusted me with this calling and has endowed me with power! It's pretty exciting! Yesterday I realized how sad I was gonna be when i would have to take my name tag off. This is my life! I love my name tag with all of my heart!!! :) It means so much to me, and sometimes I take it for granted! I am so glad I still have 21 months left, because there is so much I can't wait to learn! And so many people's lives I have to bless! And so many people out there who are blessing my life! This gospel is amazing, and I can't imagine where I would be with out it! 

I finished the Book of Mormon again yesterday, and lemme tell ya-IT'S STILL TRUE :)

I love you all and I hope you are doing great:)"

No comments:

Post a Comment