Motorcycles, non-Jews, and Mexicans2

Subject:	Motorcycles, non-Jews, and Mexicans2
Date:	Mon, 16 Apr 2018 11:16:14 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

What a week!

Tuesday. Tuesday night we had a lesson with an investigator. We originally went with the intention of teaching her and not setting up a return appointment, to have her call us when she's ready. Well, we get there and the house is all crazy there's extra people there, and they're in the middle of doing a bunch of other stuff. She babysits and 2 of the moms for whom she babysits were there. One of them was very impressed by 2 white guys speaking good Spanish, and was pretty curious about the whole situation. The other new about missionaries and Mormons and such, because she had lived in Rexburg, ID for 2 years with a Mormon family. What are the odds?? She wasn't particularly interested in any religion, but we were talking and gave the first lady a Book of Mormon. They both said we could come back though. They all live in the same complex, so we will going back tomorrow! 

Wednesday. We have been going on splits (each one of us goes with a different member for visits and lessons that night), and Hermano Roberts is one of the guys that comes out with us. He's an American guy that served his mission in Argentina, so he's been called to help the branch. He takes us in his 1969 Chrysler Newport convertible. It's awesome and people love it. People on the street offer him money for it, and our investigators think it's awesome. And it's awesome to ride in.

Thursday. On our way home for the night were rear ended! Like less than a half mile from our house.  It was a kid with a truck (1999 Ram 1500 to be exact lol), in the exact situation that happened to me that time I (supposedly) rear ended someone. We were at a stop light and it turned green and he started going before I did. I think he hit the gas though, because he dented our bumper pretty well. After we exchanged information and everything, we talked for a sec, and he said missionaries could stop by his house and share the message. We hope he's actually, at least, a little interested and not just saying that because he didn't want us to get him in trouble haha.

Saturday. So Friday night by we were walking through downtown Lufkin. Surprisingly dead. Well there was this guy on a really loud but cool motorcycle. He stopped at a stoplight and we offered him a card, he shouted over the engine "I'm Catholic", we told him to have a blessed day and he sped off. Well Saturday comes around and we are walking near that same neighborhood where we found the Russian Mexican, and the other borrachos we talked to Super Bowl Night. We went back to where he was and knocked, and it was the Motorcycle guy! We noticed it outside but couldn't tell if it was the same bike because the the first time we saw it it was night. He opened that door and said the same thing, but we asked if he was the same guy we saw the night before and he said yes. We asked him a question or two about this motorcycle, and he says  "hold on a sec I'll let you hear it". He closes the door and comes back out with the key and turns it on and even lets us sit on it and rev it. He said it was a limited edition one from the factory, they only made 100 of them and he can get up go to 90 mph and still have 2 gears left. He was spouting off a bunch of other jargon I didn't understand,  but it was awesome. He said we could come back and share some stuff with him, and even let us give him a pamphlet. 

The set up of his place was really weird, but in the weird house building behind his was the drunk guy that started talking to me, in the middle of the Russian Mexican experience, about the Virgin Mary in Mexico, that could supposedly be found in the Bible. So we found him and set up a time to come back, nice guy. He said he didn't know where the Russian lived, and hadn't seen him since that night. So we are still on the hunt for him haha.

A little bit down the street we felt prompted to knock a door, it had that jewish prayer thing they keep on their door frame. A kid answered and we chatted, turns out they are Non-Jew Jews! I think because they weren't ethnically Jewish, they refer to themselves as Torah-followers. But they also believe Jesus to be the Messiah, but he didn't really say they consider themselves messianic jews. I was a bit confused, but it really interesting. He had the little undershirt prayer tassel things, but I couldn't tell if he was wearing a Yamaka. Super neat. He said missionaries used to come by forever ago, and that we could stop back again another day. Really interesting!

Sunday. So Sunday we had expected a ton of investigators to make it to church. I mean, we invite people every week, and if everyone came who we invited, we would fill up the chapel. Our Branch President said on his mission in Veracruz, he had 50 investigators at church one week! Mexico missions, what the heck?! Anyway, this week we had made plans with them all and it all felt really sure, but alas, only one of them actually came. I think last week I told you about that big tree that fell down in one of our investigator/less-active's yard? Well earlier this week we stopped by with the other missionaries and helped take care of/clean up a bunch of it. We invited them to church and they said yes! She is already a member, baptized in Mexico, and when she came here, 20 years ago if I remember correctly, Lukin didn't have its own Spanish branch yet, and she didn't understand a thing in the English, so she just kind of went in active, remarried a very Catholic guy, and now goes the Catholic church. Her husband is super nice, but is out of town for work most of the time. We taught him The Restoration and he's been taught a little bit before, but he happened to be in town this week for something with his health, and we were able to help him with his tree and invite him to church. It was awesome when they came. He's never been and super Catholic, and she hasn't been probably about 20 years and now effectively Catholic, so that was neat to see them come. I think they were a little shocked at how small the congregation is. I think they used to go the Catholic church.

Also Sunday night we had a couple cool lessons. One in particular was with a guy we've been slowly teaching. Him and family are learning Catholic. The kids are getting ready to be baptized and stuff, and they're going through classes to get Catholic married (they're already legally married). Usually we teach him outside, but it's been a little cold, so he invited us in, and his 10 y/o son joined us. We taught the plan of salvation, and the son was asking a ton of awesome questions, and kept calling us Sir. lol. He asked questions about Jehovah, Angels, Spirits, etc. He's a super smart kid! We also had to explain that when we pray we don't use pre-written prayers (Matthew 6:7), and that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are 3 distinct and individual people. And the week before we talked about why we don't baptize infants. Then afterwards they fed us Espaghetti! Hispanics are the best at random acts of food.

Anyway that's about it for this week,
Love y'all!
Elder Hogg

PS: All the other Elders were pretty blown away by all the snow pictures. Particularly Elder Hadley from Arizona. He keeps the heat on in their apartment lol. Elder Nelson says they get snow up in Utah but never that much haha. Making me miss home haha

We've been trying to be more healthy around here, but its super hard when we get fed 2 dinners sometimes. And we were lucky this week, we even had 2 lunches this last wednesday lol.

By the way, my official come home date right now is September, which is only like 5 months away! I get a bunch of anxiety just thinking about it!! I've started applying to UVU and BYU-I. I'm going to apply to BYU Provo too, don't think I'll get in but its the same app, so might as well. If I don't have to pay out of state tuition I'm really considering UVU. Did you know Dante is there now?? I think I'll be starting January 2019. So I'll get home for a couple months, go up to Christmas then probably leave right after. Its really weird to think about!! 

PPS: Elder Mears caught this cool lizard that stuck around with him for several hours. Then he said "if you love something, let it go" and the lizard at that moment suicide jumped off his arm and ran away. His name was Grirmelgoren (prounced Grimel-gorn). He pooped in his pocket shortly after the photo. 

(I didn't get a photo yet unless it was this one... which I thought was just a stump. -Mom)