The Start of a New Day

I am finally back behind the controls of the blog. I've taken some time off since I've been back but I feel this blog is good and mainly for me anyways. This will be a place where I can vent and share how I feel and all of you folk can see it too. I'm hoping to give updates each week from my life, but will primarily focus on how things go after serving my mission. It was a big part of my life, a right of passage if you will, that has deeply affected me and always will. Life is a bumpy road and this will be my way of tracking it.

Since I've been back I've caught up on movies and shows, read some good books, given 5 talks in church, been to the temple, made some new friends, rekindled old friendships, saw family, spent time with family, look for a job, looked some more for a job, looked at going to school, etc, etc, etc... Most importantly I've striven to keep the good habits I developed. I feel a bit overwhelmed some times but those habits keep me going and saying "it's the start of a new day."

Dear Fam,

 

Hey it's been another long week. We had a lot going on this week. I had to exchange with the other Elders from monday to wednesday. It was a lot and a lot of finding. To be honest I really hate finding. We spend far too much time knocking doors and talking to people on the street and then have our members tell us, "Why do you go work in nicer areas?" Well if you don't like the people we find then you can go and find someone for us please. We then had a blitz with the zone leaders for half the day on wednesday. That was after the district meeting the I had to do. I have to do another one this week too. I then had a District leader council meeting on saturday that I had to report about the district and the individual missionaries etc... crazy stuff.

 

I feel a lot like I am hitting the wall lately. Like I'm trying to sprint to the end but something  keeps getting on my way. I don't know what it is. I want to do better just lacking something. So ya. Things will hopefully start looking up this week. It needs to this week. We got to get people to church or they won't be able to get baptized before I go.

 

Elder Brown is difficult. He's up and down. Some days he's really good and other days he's just not bothered. He'll find some potentially people and then forget about them and not mention them to me. Ugh. I know he wants to but he doesn't show me much support. It's difficult when you have a load to do and to report upon.

 

Well I don't know much to report upon this week. We had some little miracles here and there but no luck with getting people to church. We have such great and nice people we are teaching and finding but they aren't going forward like we want them to. So this week is going to change. We'll fix it. I know that it'll be way better.

 

Thanks mom for the £££ so I can get a new suit. Devin I hoped you had a fun birthday. It sounds like a blast. I'm jealous of the snowboarding. I hope the snow is still good. Myranda... you should look up a SNL skit that Taylor Lautner was in. It's him and someone else trying to get the sibling to surprise their parents that they are expecting. One of the siblings (Kristen Wiig) just goes completely nuts. That should've been my reaction. ;) I remember it from before I left. It's hilarious. Anyways I hope you all have good weeks.

 

Love Elder Dudgeon

Dear Folks at home,

 

Well so this was an interesting week. We had new years which was alright. Everything just full working days still. Kind of tough with how crazy people are. As well as Grimsby Town had a football match on New Years Day so you can imagine how rowdy people were, how cranky they were, how drunk they were, and how much they wanted to talk to us. Well not too much that last one.

 

It's a bit of a struggle to keep everyone excited right now about the work. It's trying to keep them positive and excited for the right reasons. It's hard during this holiday time but I know that it will get better. I can't think of many crazy exciting stories right now. Our zone leaders want to do a nerf gun war for our zone pday. Elder Brown and I are a bit dissappointed because thats kind of lame and we don't want to waste our money. Plus I would rather go do something really enlgishy for my last p-day as a zone. Oh well. Luckily Elder Brown and I have some flogged guns in the flat that we can use so no worries. The other elders in the district just went out and bought some for like £40 or $75 really. No way would I ever do that. So ya thats not too exciting.

 

Oh I do remember a story. We got back in contact with the couple I found on exchange and so Elder Brown and I are teaching them. Well this last weekend the Louth Elders had a baptism and since they just have a rented hall and not their own chapel they come to us for the font. So it was easy to get people there for us and we got this couple to come. They showed up and looked really nice. All in their Sunday best and they really enjoyed the service. It was pretty neat. So we have them scheduled for baptism our last weekend in the mission and we hope they will achieve it. We got a couple more people we are working with too. I hope to have at least one before I leave. Then it'll be a baptism in every area.

 

Well I hope you are all good. Thanks everyone for telling me how much longer I have left and that the time will go by really quick.. Cheers. I am excited about seeing all of you though. I miss you. Ta for now

 

Love Elder Dudgeon