Mon 7/13/09 9:52 AM
Hey, I was good reading your emails today! I'm glad to hear you are working to do good missionary work at home, and Dad, that was crazy to see that guy's bicep picture. That definitely would not be fun to have happen. I will be writing letters to Jordan and Hannah today because I feel bad about not writing after their last letters. Well this week went well and was eventful! The Safehouse was pretty cool, but I hear it would be a lot more fun at night when more people are there. The people who don't know where the secret passage is or know the password have to do funny things before the restaurant will let them in. The room has a camera in it, so everyone eating can watch it, and laugh. It's spy-themed, so there is a lot of James Bond posters and a bunch of different spy-related things in the restaurant. Decent food too.
Tuesday and Wednesday were highlights of my mission I think, so far. We went on exchanges again, this time I went with one of the zone leaders (Elder McCoy) to his area - West Allis and South Milwaukee. That area was so much fun to work in. It was a very different type of neighborhood than my area. Everyone is outside walking on the street or sitting on their porches, and everyone we talk to and teach are very interested in our message, and they even thanked us for talking to them. One lady we taught saw the missionaries before and said she was hoping so much that they would come talk to her. They decided to talk to her the day before I was there, and they taught her about the restoration of the Church and she said she wanted to be baptized and has a date for that and everything. So that was really cool. We got to teach her and her family when I was their, and it looks like the whole family will be following their Mom (Rachel) with that too.
We also met with a guy named Peter (small Philipeano guy)... On Tuesday, we had an amazing lesson with him. It was the first time Peter wasn't drinking while the missionaries were teaching, so he was coherent and understood everything and was very excited to learn. After the lesson, he was in tears while he said the prayer. We had set a date and he was for sure going to church and everything - probably the most powerful lesson I've been involved in so far, Elder McCoy is an awesome teacher. Anyway, so the next day he calls us, and he confesses that he lied to us about his Mom being killed by a drunk driver. He said he felt like Heavenly Father wanted him to tell us that. And he said he talked to his mom, and she wanted him to take us to lunch. So we went, and when we got there, he was drinking... And it was pretty uncomfortable. He told us he wanted to pray outloud because we were all "Brothers in Christ" (which is cool, but he said that over and over) and he didn't care about the "physical people around". He told the waitress, "Treat these gentlemen well, they are my brothers, my brothers in Christ." He was so happy, telling us alot how he loved us and appreciated us, and he loved everyone and everything. Then, something snapped, and he went completely opposite - which made us even more uncomfortable. He all of a sudden went silent and was just staring. Elder McCoy asked him what he was thinking about, and he said, "suicide". It was a little scary. Then he started staring down people and mouthing swear words at them. Started swearing alot all around actually, at the waitress too. So when we finished up and he was paying, we told him we had to get going, and he said, "Yeah, whatever.." So as we were walking to the car he runs out after us yelling and swearing at us saying he wasted his money on us and stuff. It was crazy! I thought he was going to punch McCoy, so I was getting ready. But anyway, it ended up working out. I think he completely forgot about all that or something, because he was at church yesterday. Haha.
So, that took up all my time writing that, but it is the craziest story I think I have so far. We got to see a baptism last night of someone Elder Vance used to teach. And we had 3 people at church. So that was good, the work is always improving. I'll talk to you next week!
Love you!
Elder Vogan
Ps. Mom, I will be forewarding my emails to the President to you as well, so I can go back and read them at the end of my mission. And so you can see more of what's going on inside the mission.
