02/16/2021
Weeks 1-3
The first week was tough for Seth. Going from home MTC which was a bit relaxed to a strict missionary schedule was a big jump. Things have gotten a lot better for him. He’s been there for three weeks now. Here’s part of an email he sent mixed with me retelling some of our conversations.
When I first got to Detroit, I met the mission president, the AP’s, and my two companions. Each of them either brought me something or asked me for something. The AP’s brought me a blanket. The mission president asked me for my passport, which I didn’t have on me, so I had to open all my luggage on the floor looking for it. It was overwhelming doing all that at the airport. It was about an hour drive to my apartment from the airport.
My apartment is rough, but it will do. We have a heater that doesn’t work and one that has black mold. Fun times. Our dryer doesn’t dry very well so we hang our clothes up all over the room. There are no sister missionaries allowed in this area because its a high crime area, but people treat us with respect and know we are missionaries. The first week we went to get fast food and I noticed they have bullet proof glass at the register, and we have to hand our money in a drawer. Speaking of food, the members don’t provide meals, so we have to cook all of our own meals. Thankfully, one of my comps likes to cook. We have a lot of chicken and rice. I even made rice one day. We go buy groceries once a week and all pitch in for the food. Every so often we get pizza from a local place called Jet’s.
One cool thing we do is workout with weights that we made ourselves out of milk gallons, a pillowcase, and a bike lock. We also have a pull up bar. We can’t go run outside because its cold and we aren’t allowed to go play basketball at the church. We are making it work! For service we like to shovel our neighbor’s driveway. It’s good to get out and be active.
The people of Detroit are a very God-fearing and religious people. Most people are kind, but I did get my first rude phone call the other day. I was told never to call that number again. There are three sets of three elders assigned to the branch I attend. There’s 9 elders who are like one quarter of the congregation. Lol. It’s epic. Our ward is very unique. Most members are converts so they aren’t super strong in the gospel yet. When we pray with people on the phone or zoom we get a lot of “mmmm huh” as we are praying. They always thank us for the “fellowship”.
I love teaching the gospel. The first couple weeks I was mostly watching and learning from my companions but now I have started to teach more. I am learning to teach things in simple terms because many don’t read very well and have never heard of the things we are teaching.
From his first week email: “I won’t lie. Can’t quite say I love it quite yet. I miss home, family, the boys, and my best friend and Especially face-to-face interaction. Lol. But, that being said, I know nothing good in life comes easy. We learn and grow tremendously through hardships and trials. If I stick with it with a positive mindset, I know blessings will follow! 2 Nephi 2:11-25
