Just Chugging Along

Eric wrote to Seth this week.

Good to hear from you.  The Toronado is in the barn wrapped in plastic.  It is good to go. Conference was a good watch. First time I have watched all 10 hours of it.  What are you doing for work> Describe a normal day.

We are in the last week before departure mode.  Buying groceries, packing UAB and getting crappy tickets on Delta.  Yeah we can't fly United anymore, the contract is with Delta.

How is the biking going?  I liked it, it was kinda fun just getting into your  head and turning the crank.   Send us some picture of yourself.  It is always nice to see you.  I saw the ones you sent mom, I hope you are happy. You looked happy, So I guess you are since you are a what you see is what you get kind of guy. How is the teaching. Don't just say "yeah, just chugging along." Tell me how it is going.  Do you have investigators?  Any families?  Who are you working with, names, descriptions!!  I love you. Have a good week.

This is Seth's response to Eric’s letter:

Well, we get up at 6:30, then exercise, shower, eat, 8:00 to 11:00 studies, and then 11 to 12 lunch, then we go out and knock, talk to people etc. Then 6:00 usually is dinner, either at home or at a members house, and then either 7 or 7:30, depending when we get out of there, we either knock or street contact until 8:30, and then start biking home. We either get in like 8:55 or 9:00 and that's our day, usually. And I tell you, “just chugging along” because that's all we do. We have had one lesson since getting here. This lesson was with a Ukrainian man named Victor V, so we had a translator who would just answer questions without telling us what they were or what was really going on so we don't really know how the lesson went. We stopped by on Thursday and his daughter translated for us which was much better because she translated word for word so it was better. I am still working on my teaching. I do very well at the talking to them to get to know them and stuff like that, and I am good at putting it in ways that they can understand, with analogies and stuff. But I am still learning how to teach it well to people, but I am getting better, Preach My Gospel helps a lot and so do the pamphlets. We found a less active priest age boy who wants to start coming to church again so we are going to start with him this week. I don't know much about him since Elder Miller and the Elders Quorum pres. went there on splits. So I haven't met him yet but he sounds awesome, I think his name is Enrique and he is 16. No families yet, we do have a potential investigator who is a mom with a daughter that is 8. But the mom is in school, a mom, and a nurse so we can never find a time to teach her and when we do, something comes up that makes it not able to happen. But she seems very interested. Yes, yes, I am happy and right now those are the only photos of me so far, really I’m not one who is in front of the camera often, I like being behind it. And uggggggggghhhh stupid Delta why did they go with that? United is so much better and we have all of those miles with them. Oh is the bike just in the garage or in the barn too? We work with Brother Nelson, he is the ward mission leader, he is like 6 foot ish and then pretty wide, but not really fat, kind of an old white guy though, ummm Brother Thwaits, he is like 6 foot, red hair, trained tenor, and then plays a lot of instruments  he is the assistant ward mission leader. Brother Ravitch, he is Elders Quorum Pres. tall,30s, starting to bald. Brother Grover, 5'8" 25ish maybe 30, bio engineer, 1 year old kid, and wife. ummmmmmmm yeah that’s about it, oh the Sister missionaries help out a lot yeah Sister Bishop, 5'6" dyed black hair, smiley ummm yeah and Sister Rhodes, um 5'7" brown hair, nice kinda, serious-ish yeah.  

Elder Hyde with his MTC district

Q & A with Elder Hyde

Q-How has your week been?

A-Our week went by really fast and it was good we found a less active we are going to work with and stuff so it’s good.

Q-Did you get your package? If so remember to gush appropriately to your mom :-)

A- No I have not received my package yet but gush gush gush gush gush gush gush

Q-Did you enjoy Conference?

A- Yes I enjoyed conference it was amazing

Q-Where did you watch Conference?

A- Since everyone has cable it was pretty much just all of the missionaries at the stake center on White Oak Ave. so it was cool 

Q-Do you cook breakfast every day?

A- No actually Elder Miller mostly does cause I don't know, it just happens that way

Q-What do you eat for breakfast?

A- German pancakes biscuits and gravy pancakes bagels stuff like that 

Q- Are you learning your way around? Do you use maps, a Thomas Guide, or a GPS to find addresses?

A- We bike and we have a little map because our area is tiny.