The Eighth Epistle of Elder Hobbs

Sketchbook Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gd9QLB9Et3ck3no49
Mission Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ffTdfUoqUfe9ysnD8

Monday:

It was raining all day and night. To start the P-day, we met the zone leaders and English elders at a Salvation Army thrift store where I was able to get a lovely outer-layer jacket, which should help when it gets chillier.

To remind everyone of the Elders, I am Elder Hobbs, and my companion is Elder Sadler. The English elders in Mankato are named Elder Clark and Elder E. Freeman. Our zone leaders are Elder Familia and Elder D. Freeman. Because there are two Freemans, I will refer to them as D Freeman (Declan Freeman) and E Freeman (Ethan Freeman).

I gifted Elder Familia (who is a zone leader) a Monster Energy. Then we returned to our apartment for a bit and partook in merryment. We ate a box of thin mints.

After this we met with the district's sisters, and with the STLs at a restaurant called Gillberto's; it was a Mexican place. I partook of a burrito that can best be described as a Walmart roll of ground beef, wrapped in cheese, then wrapped in a quesadilla, and finally cooked.

Then we went to the church to do sports and board games. Several members were there. I was practicing some songs on my 12 string, and a very old lady approached me. I assumed that she would wish for me to stop, as most do, so I did so. But when she spoke, she asked for me to play more; so I played a verse of Praise to the Man in its original tune of Star in the East. It was quite unusual for an old person to appreciate my lousy guitar playin' so that was neat.

Then we played some party pack Exploding Kittens; I got out first, so I just played some folk songs while watching the game. Finally, I tried to play a round of Command with Nature with Elder E. Freeman, but like literally every P-day we were unable to finish before P-day was over. The game's progress is described in my other record.

Then we returned to our apartment and we split up for a blitz. I was with the Dominican, Elder Familia, while my companion was with the white man Elder D. Freeman.

Elder Familia does not drive, so I, who have not driven a car in 2 months, and have not driven a gas car in over a year, was assigned to drive. Miraculously, none of us were maimed nor injured, and no property damage occurred.

We did some Walmart streeting, then went to Culver's for dinner where we coincidentally ran into the English elders and did some teaching roleplays with them. Then we returned to the apartment, where I summarized a great deal of folk music's history.

Anyhow I was thinking about record-keeping, and I think I've finally figured out what I'll do with all this stuff I'm writing on the mission. Once the mission is over, and I have some free time, I'll gather all of my documents, notes, epistles, and journals, then I'll abridge it into a single record of my mission, naturally formatted like scripture for fun's sake. Then once I have that record, I can look back on it and study it as a robust and full account of my mission. If I ever need to share an experience from my mission, I can quote my mission book like scripture. And if I'm blessed with children later in life, they could read the record as well, and learn of my mission experience, as I remembered it as it occurred, and not as hazy memories recorded decades later. Or perhaps it's some kind of training for a greater work; only the Lord knows I suppose.

Tuesday:

It rained all day and night. In the morning we exercised with the zone leaders, showered (individually), and then went to district conference with the zone leaders, the district, and sister training leaders.

After the meeting we got some Mexican food for lunch. Unlike the gringos around me, I got the only real Mexican food: a cheeseburger with fries & spicy fry sauce. I had the meat cooked medium. I finished like none of my fries though, so I had leftovers. My companion told me that for missionaries, leftovers were basically getting a bonus meal out of a meal you already paid for, already cooked, or already got for free.

Then we returned home for some studies. I studied a bit about prophets and the church throughout scripture, then for Spanish study I read from the cover of the Book of Mormon to first Nephi in Spanish. So basically just the introduction and testimonies.

Afterwards we went to teach a lesson in St. Peter, but the folks were busy so we didn't get to teach it. While there, we drove through a pretty massive puddle; it was as though our car was a boat. Then we drove to the Olive Garden for a member dinner.

I was thinking a bit of a song by Pete Seeger, Never Again the Atom Bomb. It has some nice descriptive, albeit depressing, language. The only problem is it's got a long intro, a chorus in Japanese, and only one proper verse. So I rewrote some parts; basically, its an entire new song using only the old verse.

Deadly Harvest
By Mario Hobbs
Original by Pete Seeger

1 Deadly rains gather poision from the sky,
And the fish carry death to the depths of the sea.
Fishing boats are idle, The crewmen are blind.

Chorus
Deadly harvest of atom bombs.
People of all nations, you must watch and take care,
That more atom bombs never fall.

2 Atom fire razed our homes all around,
Charred bones of kin now litter the ground.
None left to weep, none left to mourn.

3 Radiation spreads mutation through the land,
And cancers grow like the grasses in the spring.
Infants are silent, They are born dead.

At the Olive Garden, we ate with the Petersen family. I had a crispy chicken alfredo while my companion had a shrimp alfredo. Something interesting is that brother Petersen served his mission in Santo Domingo East like my dad. He served around the same time as my dad as well. When talking with him, he remembered an Asian elder, and I immediately knew that was my dad. Once his mind was going he also said he'd talked to my dad a few times and even may have had some inside jokes with him. I'll probably talk to him again on Sunday to see if he has any fun info about my dad on his mission. The world sure is a small place.

Then we did English Connect and then the day concluded.

Wednesday:

An abridgment of a diary entry. Predictions of imminent destruction are foolish save they be administered by prophets of the Lord. Great rains fall upon the land, the sunlight recedes.

We drove to a small town and did some knocking, we were doing it at apartment complexes. We'd planned to do it outside, but we were unprepared for the cold. Many latinos work at a cheese factory. Many apartments were locked. Then I neither logged events in my journal nor in the Gmail draft for this epistle. (For I was greatly forgetful).

Saturday:

Elder Sadler and I were viewing the district's schedules. We felt a bit pessimistic about the district's progress, and optimistic about our key indicators in comparison.

Sunday:

Elder E. Freeman and I were on exchanges. We went to Iowa. Then I hastily sent this email.