Being a "Preach My Gospel" missionary

February 4, 2013

Dear Family,

We had a safe trip to and from Pittsburgh it was just really long and boring.  The truck that we ride in is too small and the seats are really hard and we do it all while sitting in suit pants which is terrible!  Anyway, we drove down on Thursday at 3, stopped and had dinner with a senior couple in a place called Johnstown and then went the rest of the way to Pittsburgh.  We arrived around 9:00 at the AP’s apartment and found that everyone else was also staying in the AP’s apartment.  10:00 of us missionaries ended up staying in one apartment.  It was pretty crowded, especially when it was time to shower because there was only one shower.  People started showering at six am and we all were done by 8:00 and ready for our breakfast with the senior office couples.  After breakfast we went to the chapel to have our Zone Leader Council.  It was my favorite council thus far.  President Topham taught about being a “Preach My Gospel” missionary and then the APs taught us how to better use our area books.  Lunch was provided by President and Sister Topham and that evening, after the council, we went to dinner at the one good Mexican restaurant in Pennsylvania.  We ended up getting home from Pittsburgh around 11:30 pm.  We were both really tired. I was pretty much exhausted from the whole week.  

Wow, it sounds like Tess is doing really well and having an eye opening experience.  That is cool that she has all Spanish investigators and she is in a Spanish ward.  Elder Rivas is from Far Rockaway, New York really close to the Bronx.  

One of the less active men that we have been teaching called on Thursday before we left for Pittsburgh and told us that we needed to come and see him as soon as possible.  He sounded very distressed.  When we got there we asked him what was going on.  He told us that he had had cocaine the night before for the first time and he didn't know what to do.  He told us that he went down to visit a friend of his and she convinced him to smoke some cocaine.  He was scared.  We didn't know what to do so we called the mission doctor.  He told us that there was nothing that we could do and that our friend needed to rest until the drugs wore off.  Keep in mind, he is 62 and the doctor said that that was probably not the first time that he had had cocaine.  Anyway, we left for Pittsburgh and we later got a call from the less active’s mom telling us that he was going to the hospital.  Crazy stuff!  Hopefully we hear from him again soon.  

I love you!!!! 

Elder Mouritsen