I’m still in Camden

A missionary from Wetumpka, I know where that is. If he says he’s from a small town it could very well be a VERY small town haha. I’m happy to hear that. There’s a kid here named J.P., he’s going to Brazil here in the next little bit so that’s super cool. He’s super excited, little does he know with all the excitement comes about twice as much disappointment ;). This week was a good week, but it was a really hard week... again. I’ve had to go to bed at about 9:40 to get the sleep I need or I’m just tired and grumpy, and you can’t be a missionary and grumpy... it just doesn’t work. But we’re moving along. At the start of the week we got rained in/had p-day. Also it’s been raining cats and dogs down here let me tell ya. I took a few videos of it to send y'all, the lightening blew up a power box down the road and all of Camden had no power for about 5-7 hours. So it’s been hard to get out and do anything when it’s like that but we just stay in the stores and talk with everyone or eat something for lunch/dinner. 

I was just wondering if I could get something from y'all mom and dad. There’s an action bible that’s super cool, it’s like black cover with some pictures and looks like a comic book. It’s super great and I was just wondering if I could get one. They’re super nice and I just found out that I’m going to be in Camden for another 6 weeks so I was just hoping you could send one right here. I and Elder Anderson are staying together for another 6 weeks. We’re starting to work a little bit better together. We’re like super similar, but like deep down were like 70% different. It’s really strange. Like we get along good but when it comes down to like things that bug each other and like, making changes to what we normally do is really hard. 

Elder Anderson started in the drug capital of Alabama so he’s worked a lot with the black ghetto, and projects, and is kind of turned off with working with them. One of the reasons is that when you’re talking with people, they don’t really understand you or really listen. They just kind of let you in, let you talk, and then have you leave, so no one really goes anywhere. Black people like I don’t think ever feel awkward, so sometimes you ask them a question and they don’t want to answer. For example, “Hey we’re Christian missionaries, could we share a quick message about our savior?” And they just look at the ground and won’t say anything, and they can do this as long as they need to. (Trust me) so you kind of have to play it out as it happens. 

Yesterday, we were out store contacting and I had recognized this girl we had met a few days ago named L. And she was just sitting in the front seat of a car. so we were like "HEY What’s up!' and she was like "not much", so we went on to ask her if there was a good time this week we could stop by, and she kind of shrugs and says "you’re going to ask the people I live with and rolls down the back window. and these windows are BLACK, just so ya know, SUPER TINTED, and THERE’S LIKE 10 PEOPLE in this car, all just kind of look up at me and then down to the floor of the car or out the other window. So I’m just like "HEY......... .. . Could we stop by sometime this week? And NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING. They all just sit there and look away from me and kind of start laughing at each other. IT WAS THE WORST. I didn’t want to stand there super weird like so after a minute or so, I was just like “alright then well stop by sometime next week alright?” And no one says anything..... 

It’s the worst haha. And super scary, because you don’t know what all everyone is thinking because no one will look over at you or anything. So that’s one thing that happened, and kind of why we haven’t really gone to the black part of town, but like 80% of the town is black so we have to go in.... we’ll see what all goes on this transfer, but if we don’t, it’s going to be a LONG 6 weeks. But today was really fun also, this morning we go down to the nursing home to sing with the old lady's and such. Today the nurse that plays the piano and the one that sings didn’t show up because of the rain. So me and Elder Anderson tried to run it. But we don’t play the piano at all, and all the hymns are the Baptist hymns, so we more of less just yelled out random hymns and then tried to sing really really off key and such. It was great haha. But all the old lady's loved it so it was a lot of fun. 

The last few weeks I’ve been getting really into my studies and have really grown to love my studies. I’ve been reading all about Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and I’m in Mathew in the Bible. They’re just sooooo good. Most of the time they’re talking about, just like be a good person love everyone, serve everyone. It’s just been really good to read about and like just strengthen my testimony of what we’re doing is the right thing and that it’s all going to work out. I’ve really been trying to understand the Book of Mormon as best as I can and so I can teach it super well. But it’s just been really good to read them. Jesus is just the best person ever, like he’s just so good to read about. He’s amazing I’m so happy we get to read about him. I just wish we had more. I wish I could talk with him face to face, feel him. Be with him, and learn from him. It’s no wonder everyone down here loves him. You just got to read the New Testament and I don’t know why anyone would not want to believe in him. He’s just so good, he’s our savoir and we know it. I know it. He’s God’s son sent to show us the way and be our guide. hmmmmmm just makes me smile thinking about him. 

But anyway, I’ll get off my soap box. I’m in Camden for the next few weeks. Still with Elder Anderson, he’s the best, and I’m still alive for the most part. 

LOVE YOU GUYS LOTS 

Elder Aldana

P.S. I totally forgot about Friday when we were in Selma. But Friday we were in Selma for a district meeting and after it we were thinking about having our last district B.B.Q. but no one had any money, so we decided to just play some street ball with the black kids, it was SOOO MUCH FUN. We haven’t been able to play anything down here, just because there’s no one down here, but up there we started playing and about 40 minutes latter there’s was about 20 of us playing. It’s crazy. But that’s the most of it. Selma is not super racist, there’s just no white people. 

Well this week was great..!!!

Well this week was great..!!! It was just a lot of riding up and down but at the end of the week I’m super pumped and ready to go back out there and work as a missionary. All the last 4/5 weeks so far have been super hard down here. It’s a super small town, everyone knows who we are, and most people just don't want to talk with us. But by the end of the day it was more I just didn't feel very good and my companion didn't either so we just wanted to stay inside. We had been going out for a little bit ever now and then but for the most part we had about 3 hours we had to kill every day and we did from the house. Talking, studies, lying around. It was a long and not so fun last 4 weeks.

Tuesday we were able to go to Zone Conference where we were able to get some super good training and got to hear from President Hanks. After sitting down and talking with him for a little bit he said something that punched me right in the face. He was talking and he was like "you got about 8 "may we teach yous" last week that stinks. I know you guys can do better than that" I've never wanted to stop a conversation and leave more in my entire life. These last few weeks we were not working as hard as we could and my President knew it, and I knew it. I then committed that I was never going to make an excuse or use anything that was slowing me down to try and justify me doing poorly.

Later that day President Hanks went on to give a super good training on NO Excuses. He offered A-Z of reasons not  to go out and do missionary work. All super real, but were all still excuses. I was thinking super hard about that and he gave us a quote "any excuse for non-performance valid or not weakens character" I think that this is 100% true. I decided that day that I as no more going to give any reasons to not be working as hard as I could in whatever area I was in. The rest of this week has been some of the best times I've had here in the last 4 weeks. Not that we were doing much better, but the mood that I was in was just so much better. I've been way more happy here the last few days even when we have a hard day than I have when I've only gone out for a little and had fun at home. If there's one thing that's true to missionaries, the more obedient you are to the mission, the happier you’re going to be as a missionary.

 A funny story this week. We were teaching this less active lady named Sister C. SHES SOOOO FUNNY. And we were reading the Book of Mormon with her and all of a sudden she just busts up laughing. We’re both sitting there looking at each other like... "What’s so funny?" Sister C. then goes on to tell us a story from yesterday that she was sitting in her house because it was super hot, and she had her fan going on. Her sister let her dog out and it had wandered into her house and walked over by the fan, and started to pee on the fan, blowing all the pee into Sister C. and she was telling us she saw everything happening but she was too slow to yell at the dog until the pee had flown onto her. haha she then had to chase the dog out of her house and call her sister and explain what had happened.

I haven't laughed more in my entire life then when I was listening to this super nice lady tell me what had happened to her. Alabama sure is a trip, the people here are some of the best people that you are ever going to meet. And as I've set a goal to talk to as many people as I come in contact with. I've found a better peace in my life and a better mood as I go about the day. I’m still worried about next week because that's transfers and I don't know what's going to happen. I know that if I had any other companion then Elder Anderson I might have gone crazy by now. But I know everything is just much better when I get up on time. Get to sit down and study for a few hours, and go out all day or as long as I can. Camden Is SMALL, but I’m in love with it!

Mothers Day Skype!

     He's volunteering at a Nursing Home singing and painting...he's doing good!

We're doing alright

The work here is alright; we have not have very much luck as far as finding people, because the town is soooo small. But we're doing alright, we have an investigator this week that we started teaching and were hoping that we can continue to teach her. Most of our time is trying to work with the less active members of the branch, and also working a lot with the branch with family history, and other activity's in the branch. We started a bible study last week and are going to try and get both members and nonmembers to start coming to that with us. We have also just been doing a whole lot of service everywhere that we can find.

So this week we did a ton of digging up old investigators. We called everyone in our phone and started to really look at everyone in the area book and call everyone that had a number or an address that we could go and see. we got a few appointments set up so were hoping that we are able to teach some lessons because it’s been a while since we have taught one haha. It’s really hard to find good people that you can talk with and be able to have a conversation with.

There are a few places here that we have not been able to go and see yet but we're hoping that we can go out and find somewhere that hasn't been tracked in the last few weeks. But it’s been super fun getting to know all of the members of the branch here and just the people here. A few days ago we were helping out in the library and some ladys came over and asked if I could help them work the computer.... hahaha, so I was more than happy to come and help out. So I went over to help and they were just super upset at using the internet. They were trying to sign up for something but couldn't figure out how to use the internet. So I went over there and was able to help them get all set up and get everything figured out.

There’s something that everyone should know about being super far down south, in the middle of nowhere. It’s like time travel, like the internet, IPods, tablets, all of this stuff is still like super strange, it’s like Japanese down here, so if you know how to use a computer like everyone needs your help haha. You just have to think about where the world was about 20 years ago. And that's where Camden Alabama is at right now. So it’s super fun down here. Yesterday our neighbor shot his bow and arrow into our tree yesterday on accident haha, so that kind of gives you an idea of the people down here haha.

Anyway, everything is going smoothly down here for the most part. This week we're going to try and go to the farthest southern part of our area and work down there. Some food for thought, we are the most southern part of the mission, so if we go too far south we might end up in the Florida mission, and that would not be too good haha.

Alabama Rocks.

Elder Landon Aldana

shoot whatever moves, and then eat it

I'M NOT LURPEE....... not as much, haha ya I would take some more pictures but I think that the camera that I brought broke a few weeks ago.... this small town is stealing my heart, its just so different from anything that I've been used to before I came out. Yesterday we were out looking for less actives to talk with and we starting talking with this fellow Chuck. He was telling us about when he first starting building on their house he found a huge rattle-snake in his backyard so he shot it... and it scared him so bad he thought that he would cook it to get back at it...... so he took the snake boiled it and ate it, because that's the thing to do down here, just go into your back yard shoot whatever moves, and then eat it. We try to avoid tracking because its such a small town that its been tracked about 4 times now since the first missionary's came in 5 months ago. Sounds like everything is moving along just fine over there on that side of the world. Yesterday we had 10 people at church! WOOOOOOOT. its just different to be down in a small town. You really have to not get upset down here but just enjoy the little things. We have a big ghetto that we can work in and we tried to last week. We were able to teach one lesson and the 3 dudes were sooooo high, I don't even think they remember us at this point so we just decided to work more on less actives haha. But I'm enjoying it. Still wish I was in japan, going crazy in a huge city, just losing my mind having to much fun at all the stores. But Alabama is the place for me.

 

Love Elder Aldana