All I Want For My Birthday

Hey Hey Hey! It was yet another great week in the greatest mission on earth. I am starting to feel like an old man! Twenty years old probably has felt better before. We had some great experiences that  I won't soon forget. The work was a little bit more frustrating this week, but of  course we did some other things to make it fun! I apologize in advance for this email. 

My birthday was one that probably won't go down in any history books. Elder Milligan is reaching the end of his mission so he and the other missionaries going home soon had their departing temple trip. So instead of celebrating with my pal Elder Milligan I spent the day in another area. There is a companionship who is turning around training (training a new missionary right after finishing training) in our zone and they are kinda struggling so I decided that I would conduct a blitz in their area. I know all too well what it is like to be training a new missionary too young with a struggling area.  It was a pretty successful blitz. We had three companionships working in their area and we found a plethora of new investigators for them to work with. We are excited to see the fruit. 

So that was definitely an interesting part of the day. There is a ZL in Ankeny (a suburb of Des Moines) whose companion was also on the temple trip so we exchanged for the morning. He hurt his foot the day before so he decided he needed to get it checked out. When we got there I decided I might as well get my sinuses checked out. It turns out the Elder I was with had a fractured foot, I got the treat of a sinus infection. So I guess all I want for my birthday is a sinus infection. Don't worry though I got the proper medication and it seems to have gone away already. No complaints.

There has been a possum hanging out right by our apartment. A couple months ago we were sitting in our apartment and saw this possum chilling on our porch. We named it Marvin, a couple weeks ago we got back from a long day and saw in our headlights our guy Marvin just chillin. Elder MIlligan jumped out of the car and decided he was going to try to kick this possum. It has kind of become a thing that when ever we see him one of us has to kick Marvin. I am grateful that this week I joined the Kick a possum club. Poor guy. He ran off like he was fine, I didn't get him too hard. Kinda fun though haha.

Just an update on our investigator S. He is doing so good, that man is pretty much in the font already. He finished the Book of Mormon this week. He read it so fast! He knows that it is true as well. What a guy! He came to church again yesterday and announced to everyone that he met that he is getting baptized on the 23rd. No complaints! We are stoked for him and his wife.

Some other highlights include, going furniture shopping with E,  celebrating at Texas Roadhouse with the boys, an excellent birthday dinner from my favorite family, the Collinwoods, holding hands with an African American woman while we prayed together, and getting a high priest handshake from an Ethiopian gang member. 

Transfers are this week, we are almost positive that I will be sticking around for another to kill off Elder Milligan. We will probably be in a trio for a couple weeks until he goes home, but I guess you never know. I really don't want to leave this place. I love it here. I will keep you posted.

I hope you all have a great week this week! Take it easy! :)

Love you.

The Elder in the kick a possum club,

Elder Obray