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| Da Big Flag |
This was a crazy week. So many things happened. Where do I even start?
For starters, my new area in AF is epic. Like super epic. Like top 10 areas in the mission epic. We cover 3 stakes here (28 units), and it's basically the area between the I-15 and the Mt. Timp temple. It's around AF High School too. There's some classic Utah stuff, like old homes and lots of church buildings, but there's also tons of new housing. Like tons. We have like several apartment complexes that are all pretty new, and houses packed in as close as they can be, and tons of stuff still going up that people are moving into like every day. It's like Vineyard, but I had no idea this was even here. It's the hidden gem of the UOM.
There's so many people to talk to, and so many people to teach! We can knock doors all day every day cuz there's so many people, and I showed up here with already so many people being taught. People in all stages of progression, and lots of people close to baptism. We're whitewashing one of the stakes we got, so we inherited a bunch of people to teach from them too. I feel honored to be here for my last 6 weeks. It kinda feels like a 6 week exchange haha. It's also so nice being in family, the default demographic, because there's way more people you can actually teach. As fun as YSA and Polynesian was, it's a very niche thing.
My final comp's name is Elder Petersen. He was born and raised in South Carolina, and you can tell by the way he talks. He doesn't have an accent, but he's got a really deep voice and says, "Yes ma'am" and "Yessir" all the time. It's pretty epic. He's only been out like 6 months too so he's got a real fresh take on everything.
The main person we're working with right now is Marianne. She lives in a care center, and she wants to get baptized really bad but can't until she stops smoking and drinking coffee. Her baptism was going to be last Sunday, and when we told her we'd need to push it back she was really disappointed. The next day when we visited her before the care center sacrament meeting, she was about ready to give up on getting baptized. I looked and E. Petersen and he didn't know what to do, I just bore my testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I told Marianne that because of the Atonement, it's never too late. There's always second chances, and there's always more time. I told her just because she didn't get baptized today doesn't mean she can't ever. She's really in a tough spot right now, so please pray for Marianne. I've only met her like three times but she is the sweetest lady and I feel like I've already known her for a long time.
Also, an epic update from E. Barney from my last area: NANAKA IS ON DATE!!! She is planning on getting baptized on the 18th. E. Barney said it was an amazing lesson. E. Barney and I had never really felt prompted to invite her to be baptized, and in some of our earlier lessons she expressed a lot of hesitancy about it. After all, she'd moved to Utah from Japan at the beginning of May and only started meeting with us like 2 weeks later, so a lot of change. E. Barney and I had gone really slow with her to make sure she understood things like the Atonement of Jesus Christ, faith, repentance, and the plan of salvation. She was also praying and reading the BOM every day, and going to church every Sunday. But E. Barney said that this time they finally thought it was the right time, and when they invited her to be baptized on the 18th, she said, "Let me get my calendar to make sure that works!" She also was worried that the missionaries would stop coming after she got baptized! I think once she recognized the Holy Ghost, she figured out that this was something she wanted for a long time. I'm so excited for her. I love that our mission is small so that going back to Vineyard for a baptism is no issue at all haha.
A lot of the members have recognized that I'm new here, but when I say how long I've been out I'll also say, "So you don't have to remember my name." They usually think that's pretty funny. People don't heckle me about being trunky anymore which is kinda nice. Months 20-22 people were always like, "Almost there!" or "Don't get trunky!" The worst is when they just look at my comp and ask, "Now is he trunky?" But here in month 23 they're just like, "Wow. You did it!" and I'll say, "It aint over it till it's over!"
Pday today was epic. We played pickleball in the morning for like 2 hours, got food, then checked out the giant flag they hang in the canyon left of the G on the mountain. If you haven't lived in Utah Valley, that description probably didn't make sense, but it was really cool. I'll add pics. They had all 50 state flags leading up the trail to it. Then we played pickleball for another hour.
Lots to do in American Fork! I'm lowkey disappointed I'm only gonna be here for 6 weeks, because it pops off.
Love you all!
Elder Snyder
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