Heat, Humidity & Enthusiasm in Houston

Hey Mom!

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. :)

It's very hot and very humid down here. We had better weather this week though; more cloudy and it rained a few days.

 

 

Clouds = The Grace of God

 

 

Ha ha! I've been surviving. Other than the weather, I'm enjoying my time in this area.

An investigator of ours is getting baptized next Tuesday! I'm going to baptize him. This'll be the first baptism I've performed. I'll be sure to send you pics.

 

And we had another random person just come to church yesterday, wanting to learn more. (He lives in the sister missionary's area though, so we had to hand him over to them.)

 

 

The ward that I'm in is really nice. The members are really active and enthusiastic about missionary work. 

 

 

 

Elder Carter and I get along great; our sense of humor overlaps. My favorite quote from him is: 

"I'm still trying to have charity for that idiot"  Ha ha!!

I can't believe my year mark is coming up!!!!  When did that happen?!  I'm remembering that my original departure date was July 3rd. Crazy.  [He had a delay in his departure last year; he left in mid August.]

Not much else to say; I'm doing good! Glad you and everyone else is too!

Love you Mom! Thanks for all you do for me!

Talk to you next week!

Elder Duffin

 

[Here's the comic he drew on the Father's Day Card he sent to Jim earlier this month] 

Still Biking Around---Interesting Investigators This Week

Hey Mom & Dad!

I'm doing well! It dumped buckets of rain today, which means tomorrow will be very humid. The joys of being in a bike area.

Bike areas in Houston make you give up on maintaining any semblance of a good appearance. We're always drenched in sweat and there's not much one can do about it. On the bright side, people who see us have pity on us and offer us water readily. :)

I got your package today! Thank you! :)  Tell Grandad thanks for the pickled beans! (I let my companion try one and he didn't like it--hooray!!!) :D

[We sent him some plum jam and pickled beans and Jim threw in some goofball nerf swords]

Me and my companion, Elder Carter

We have a few investigators who are really prepared to be baptized. We taught all of them at least once this week. That's the real highlight. I love teaching--especially people who are prepared. Elder Carter and I taught a very drunk girl and her sober guy friend on Wednesday. She said her plan in life was to go to Oklahoma and grow pot. Some plan. She needs the gospel really bad; the sister missionaries are teaching her now.

We are teaching someone who is from Brazil who only speaks Portuguese, so I've been able to practice the language a bit; that's been exciting.

A few days ago we were biking along and came across some guy carrying a shofar (a Jewish trumpet made from a ram's horn) along a bike trail. We stopped and talked to him for a bit. I got video of him playing the thing. That was pretty cool.

Shofar image from Google

Not much else has been going on. I discovered a few months ago that I'm not sensitive to wheat, I'm sensitive to oats. It's cereal that has lots of oats that upsets my system, not wheat. Glad I found that out! 

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Did Dad ever get my father's day card? I hope that made it home okay. If not, I took a picture of it and I can send it to you. [We did get the card and it's pretty funny.  I'll have Jim take a picture of it for next week's blog post.]

Love you Mom! Thanks for writing me! 

Talk to you next week!

Elder Duffin

Tales of Sweaty Biking and a Father's Day Message

Hey Mom!

I'm doing great. It's very hot and humid here, though I'm sure Jon has it worse! [Ben-Daniel's brother is in the Air Force, deployed "at an undisclosed location" in the Middle East.]

I was laughing to myself all week about how before my mission I had prayed that God wouldn't send me anywhere cold; now look at where I am! Ha ha.  I've been biking in the 90 degree heat every day for the past two weeks :P  I've literally been soaked with sweat at the end of each day.  

 

 

 

 

I've also acquired a wicked farmer's tan. I forgot how brown my skin can get.

Things have been going well here. We're doing good work. We've been blessed with two new investigators who are progressing well. One of them we met yesterday; this guy who is a ballroom dance instructor just decided to come to church that morning and sought us out! We're teaching him tomorrow.

My companion and I are having a lot of fun together.  I did meet the sister missionary from Hemet [Sister Greaves] during transfer meeting; we talked for a bit. She's friends with Sarah Duffin. The Church makes the world smaller!

I got your package today and the new suitcase! :) Thank you so much! The dill pickle chips were thoughtful. I had no idea they made those.

 

 

Sounds like you all enjoyed a good Father's Day. I've inherited Dad's fondness for ties; I left on the mission with 6 ties and now I have like 20.

 

I sent Dad a Father's Day card in the mail two days ago, so it's gonna be a bit late; sorry. Hope you all get a good laugh out of it!  Sounds like you had a good Father's Day back home. Sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with you. But I am doing good work down here in Texas. I have seen how the Lord needed me here and I'm happy to be serving here; I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I should in order to be worthy to go when He needs me in Brasil.

During my language study, I've been reading my Portuguese copy of the Book of Mormon. I am able to read every word and understand it. I've gained a better testimony of the gifts of the spirit.

Dad, I wrote you a note in the card I sent you for Father's Day, but I'll write another to you here.

Thanks for being the world's greatest father, Dad! I really mean that---of all the people I know, I know of none other who has been a better father than you have been to me. I owe everything I have and everything I am to you and Mom. Thank you for teaching me in all aspects of life. 

I'm grateful for the example you've set for me of being a good husband; there aren't enough of those in the world, but you've ensured that I will be one someday. Thanks for bringing Zion into our home.

And thanks for being my friend! I'm glad that we have a good relationship with one another and have fun together. I'm looking forward to hanging out with you again when I get home.

This goes the same for Grandad and Grandpa. Tell them I say Happy Father's Day and that I send them my love and gratitude! 

I love you, Dad; thanks for all you do for me and for being the person you have chosen to be! I'm eternally grateful.

Not much else to say; things are going good!  Glad to hear all is well back home.

I love you too, Mom! Thanks for writing me.

Talk to you next week!

Elder Duffin

"I'm Thinking of an Animal that Begins with a T..."

Hey Mom!

I'm back in Richmond again. And I'm in a bike area. :P  Sooooo, I bike around everywhere in the heat now.  But I prefer that to biking in freezing rain, like I did in Sugarland.

My new companion's name is Elder Carter. He was Elder Shuler's companion before I came to the mission. He's only 4 inches away from being 7 feet tall.  I'm dwarfed by him---ha ha. He's a nice guy and we get along well. :)

Still getting to know the area. We've been teaching a lot---which is good!

I've been out on the mission for seven transfers (one transfer is six weeks ) and I've only been in one area for longer than one transfer; I get bounced around a lot! haha. Maybe the next place I get bounced to will be Brazil!

Me with Elder Rogers at Transfer meeting

Speaking of, I'm officially now the last person in my MTC district who hasn't gotten his visa yet.

I like all the flower and mountain pictures you took Dad! I really like the purple flower. Some people have some nice flowers in front of their houses and I want to take pictures of them but then they come to the door and I forget. I'm surprised you got a picture of a fox on Mt Rainier! They'll usually run away if they see they're being watched.

I'm afraid Houston isn't as scenic as Mt Rainier, but I did encounter some wildlife the other day.

One of two turtles I rescued from off the road the other day.

​After I saved the turtles, I met a tarantula! It was about the size of my palm (no, I did not pick it up).

We're having an impressive thunder and lightning storm right now. Unfortunately, the rest of the week is supposed to be sunny :P  ha ha!

Glad to hear everyone is doing well.  Tell everyone I say Hi and that I'm thinking of them!

I went to the mission office today, but no packages are in yet; maybe next week. I'm glad the suitcase can be fixed, too.

Anyhoo, I'm doing good; just enjoying the work! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Pray for my visa, too; I don't think I'm allowed to wait longer than a year. 

Love you Mom! 

Talk to you next week! :)

Elder Duffin

An Apartment Flood, a New Area, and No New Alligator Sightings

Hey Mom!

I'm doing good. I found out this morning that I'm being transferred again this Wednesday. I'm a little bummed about that because I like this area and my companion, but oh well. So when you send the package, please send it to the mission office. :)

I didn't know about the Butler family origins; that's interesting! [We've been reading about one of Jim's family lines that goes back for hundreds and hundreds of years in Ireland---the original ancestor having come over with William the Conqueror from Normandy.]

No, we never did get to go to the alligator park.  I did see a few alligators though; one at a golf course and one in a lake. I'm hoping my next area will have more to see than this one did. 

As for my suitcase, the extending handle is completely broken off. I left it back in Provo because I couldn't get it back inside  If it's that important, I will need a different suitcase.

The Spanish speaking missionaries who live in our complex had a pipe burst and their apartment got flooded. We helped them take their stuff out and they're now living with us in our apartment.

Not much else going on here. Tomorrow is my last day in this area. I can't believe I've been out almost 10 months now!  It doesn't seem like that long at all. My trainer, Elder Shuler, goes home tomorrow.

Nope, haven't forgotten Father's day! I'll be sending a card :) 

Not much to write about this week; I'll let you know what my new area is like next Monday. I'll be the senior companion in my next area. (I've been in Texas too long; they're starting to give me responsibilities!) 

Glad to hear that you and everyone else is doing well! I'm a bit jealous of you and Dad going on trips to see scenic places---I miss hiking. I miss beautiful scenery, too. McCleve says Brazil is pretty, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to walking everywhere in Brazil. 

I want to go river rafting again when I get back, too! :D

Love you Mom! I appreciate your prayers and support. :) 

Talk to you next week!

Elder Duffin