I figure this week, instead of going into the details of lessons learned, I will share some missionary stories.
We'll start with last night, just because it is fresh on my mind. We made a movie! A fun movie! Elder Rose was the star and Elder Clark and I were the bad guys. Elder Ferrin was in charge of the cameras. Before I go into details with the movie, let's go back to where it all started. A long, long time ago, way back at the beginning of this transfer--I found out that my companion, Elder Clark, loves movies. In fact, movies are pretty much his favorite thing. Just as Nathan and I would always go out and get food and watch movies together, so would Elder Clark and his friends. (On a side note: Elder Mcfarland also did this--I really liked him). One of Elder Clark's favorite movies to watch was "Batman: The Dark Knight". The Joker was his favorite character, and he loved the Joker's role so much that at one point he went online and printed off the script. He spent days practicing in the mirror so that he too could be the Joker (I guess I left out one key factor: when Elder Clark goes home, he wants to go to school, get a job, and then spend his days doing all he can to become a professional actor). Over time he finally got the hang of it, and he began to put on shows for his buddies just before he left on his mission. Needless to say, Elder Clark knows the Joker. Now that we have established the fact that Elder Clark loves movies, loves to act, and loves Batman, I can tell you the story.
Elder Clark has the soundtrack for both Batman movies, and it just so happens that we have several sets of speakers in our apartment. It also just so happens that we have a creepy attic as well. To enter the attic, it requires that you pull down the latch so that the makeshift ladder attached to to it can extend downward so that it can be climbed. The attic is filled with junk, most of which is left by past missionaries. Blankets, ties, shirts, pants, hangers, towels, boxes, and whatever else you can imagine are scattered about the attic floor. Wooden support beams are the general make-up of walls, with insulation packed carefully between. The heater, and water softener (or whatever thing it is) are found in the corners. There are lights, but they are the same thing you would find on a Christmas tree. The floor is plywood, and nails occasionally stick out here and there. This attic was apparently once the study area for missionaries, which later became known as the "tie closet"--where missionaries would donate a tie or more so that it could be used as a tie exchange for other missionaries. Eventually, the mission president declared that it was an "apostate" tradition, and that it needed to be taken down. And so it was, and therein lies the reason junk is scattered about. The attic provided the perfect place to make a nice little horror film. :)
And so the movie begins...
Elder Rose enters the apartment on a dark and stormy night and finds the power to the house is off. He tries the light switch again, but it fails to work. As he searches for the flash light he hears a noise in the corner of the room. He finally grabs the flashlight and shines it round about the small area. the light crosses the path of some unseen being which somehow miraculously disappears. Elder Rose is now in a panic, but does his best to remain calm. He walks down the hall a few feet and makes a left turn to where the ceiling latch to the attic is found. The power generator is in the attic. As he pulls down the latch and the ladder makes itself known...music begins to play...As he ascends the steps and reaches the top, the music grows intense, and suddenly his light goes out. He reaches for the attic lights, which run on another power source, but they only seem to flicker on. As the music continues to grow, as if the sound of danger lurking somewhere in the dark seemingly comes closer, Elder Rose attempts to unlatch the power generator cover, but cannot. He hears another noise in the corner, and gazes across the room. to his ultimate fright there is a body in the corner of the room, with its eyes open, seemingly staring directly at him. He panics, and does his best to escape back down the ladder, as the once lifeless body begins to creep toward him. He turns around and the beast almost has him in his grasp, and the lights go out. He makes it down the ladder just in time. Breathing heavily, and thoroughly scared, he backs into the room behind him. He hears a voice forcibly whisper, "I've been watching you!", and the light flashes on his face only to have the other monster directly behind him, knife at throat. Lights out. Movie over.
I guess you could say that is something missionaries don't normally do, but it was fun. The music was the Batman CD, in case you didn't catch what I implied earlier. I was the monster in the attic and Elder Clark was the monster on the ground floor. Elder Rose, the unfortunate victim.
Anyways, now that I've been writing this story forever, and my time is just about up, here are some last few words. Missionary work is going forward and backward constantly. Just as we find someone, we lose someone else...I think you're right about sharing a smile with everyone you meet. It leaves an impression. I've been trying to be more cheerful and friendly with everyone we meet and it seems to help. It certainly has as far as the members and neighbors go--we've been fed almost every night this transfer. It has been amazing to me to see the support of these kind individuals and families. We are definitely provided for and taken care of here in Orange Park. I know things will continue to progress over time so long as we remain diligent, and more importantly diligent with a positive attitude!
...I love you and am excited to call home in a few weeks. We'll talk soon!
Love,
Austin
P.S. Elder Clark and I are starting "basic training" at 4 o'clock in the morning with ex-military Brother Jarvis tomorrow. It's time to get in shape. Or go psycho. I'll let you know how boot camp goes next week.
I also ripped a pair of pants, but more on that later...
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