Elder Justin Thiel

November 9, 2014

This week was very interesting. I was transferred to Phoenix City, Alabama.  I am serving in the Fort Michael area of Phoenix City.  I live in a trailer that has a cockroach infestation. I have an elder that sold pest control before his mission and he sprayed the place and that helped but it is starting to wear off.  When I got to the trailer, it wasn't very clean and looked like it hadn't been vacuumed for weeks, so I got to work and did some basic cleaning and now it isn't so bad, but the heater doesn't work.  We are going to be moved into an apartment before the end of the month, so we shouldn't have to endure much of the cold. A sister missionary also gave me her electric blanket to use until we move out.  My new companion is named Elder Sorenson.  He is from Grace, Idaho and he has been out for 6 weeks, so I am finishing the rest of his training.  When I got to this area, we were out of miles on the car, so we had to bike and I don't have a bike. I borrowed a member's bike and the one that I am using is a racing bike.  It is super nice and it can get going pretty fast. Over all, I think this is going to be a good area.  We are struggling with people to teach, but we can change that.  Every one in our area either lives in a trailer park or in a giant house.. and most of them are military.

This week we didn't get to teach very many lessons, but we did bike all over the place.  My part of the area is out in the country, so there are some dirt roads and everything is very spread out.  We did run into a woman, named Debra, while we were trying to see a less active, and we stopped and talked to her.  She and her husband have been looking for a church that they can both agree on.  They have had bad experiences with churches in the past.  I told her about the Book of Mormon and how I can help both of them in there search.  She seemed very excited to read it and we will be meeting with them now.

We had a "Trunk or Treat" at the church this week on Thursday.  They had a pretty good turnout and before they had a big chili dinner.  During the meal, the sister missionaries in our district sneaked out and TP'd our car with one of their investigators...I couldn't just let them get away with that, and I remembered that we did have some shaving cream our car, so we put it to good use.  We covered their windows with it (making sure not to get it on the paint because it would damage it) and wrote "clean up" on driver's window along with some other messages. They were not very happy to see their car in that condition, and they had some trouble getting the cream off, but on the up side, their car did smell like Old Spice haha!!

So the woman that hit us was supposed to buy us new bikes on Friday, but when Friday came along she said that should couldn't get the money.  I don't have any control over the situation now, and my ward mission leader is working with my last companion to get our bikes replaced.  They are going to go after the insurance to get our bikes replaced and I don't know how that is going to work out.

I'm sad to hear about your hands, but at least you now know what was the cause of all of that.  I hope that the treatment will work. I will keep you and dad in my prayers.

Who's name am I going to have for Christmas so i can plan for it?

Just so you can be looking.. this Christmas I would love it if I could get a camera...unfortunately mine is lost and also all the pictures that I had along with it for the first half of my mission...I had it with me to take to church one day in my last area and I think that I left it in a members car, and when I went to find it, it was gone.

I hope that you all have a good week!

Love,
Elder Thiel