Last Monday, I was able to have the
opportunity of visiting Mount Rainier. As we traveled higher and higher, we
found the snow slowly piling higher and higher alongside the road. We reached
Paradise to find that everything was closed...so the only option was to take a
little hike. Try to imagine hiking up a steep hill covered with two feet of
snow...without snow shoes. Every step could mean sinking knee deep in the snow.
Needless to say, I received quite the workout! We decided to walk right by the
side of a very steep hill, you could consider it a double black diamond, and
walked toward panorama point. All I could think about was how this would be the
dream hill to sled down! No trees, no rocks, just snow! I guess it's a good
thing my parents taught me to think these things through, because I was about
to slide down on my jacket! Throughout the whole hike I took a bunch of
pictures, so I will have to send a few. This whole trip I was just excited to
be on such a tall mountain! On the drive back down, we crossed a bridge that
went across what registered to me as where a river used to be. Upon my
companion telling me how it looks like the bridge breaks away, I finally
realized something, lava flowed down there, not a river. It all made sense,
then I thought to myself, "I'm on a volcano!" It's kind of weird
to be on a volcano, which has the potential to explode....
That was one of the many things that
I was able to do this past week, but had to be my favorite. The other
experiences just made me realize that my companion is crazy, because he just
loves to bike! I biked in a suit to zone meeting and showed up being all sweaty
and having a bunch of weird looks, no to mention, my legs felt like jello from
the constant uphill that seemed to be endless. It was all my companion's idea.
Then my companion wanted to bike to our follow up training meaning, which was
25 miles one way and 25 miles back...biking is great and all, but I ain't
trying to get the cycling merit badge, so my zone leaders had my back and told
him that we couldn't do that...what a relief!
On friday, we had our Christmas party
thing for the part of the mission that I'm in. We did a white elephant gift
exchange and my companion and I forgot the gifts that we were going to bring,
so he reaches in our car and grabs the pine tree shaped air freshener and then
reaches in the zone leader's car and pulls out there pine tree shaped air
freshener. We proceeded to wrap them in napkins and place in a plastic grocery
bag. The best part is that the zone leader that bought the air freshener, ended
up with the air freshener that HE bought! We told him that we would give him
the gift that we were actually going to bring, so I don't feel so guilty. This
other companionship took a pair of boots and put one in a box and the other in
another box. There were also some musical numbers and I was in the choir. I had
forgotten the sheet music for the second song and was looking off an Elder's
music while the two elders next to me tried to look off of someone else's music
since they forgot their music too. They decided to lip sync the song/mumble
it/sing? They definitely tried their very best though!
Some other highlights were the
baptism of Gerardo who is sixteen and wants to serve a mission. The service was
in spanish, so that was quite special. Gerardo and Iain were confirmed on
sunday, which was a great experience as well. There hasn't been too much going
on besides that. It is a difficult to find people to teach and no one has the
desire to talk to us. It is definitely a trial of faith, but we continue to try
and do everything that we can. I hope all is well. I love all of you!
Love,
Elder Moody
P.S. GO CATS!
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