[from July 16, 2018]
this week has been weird and there are a lot of things going through my mind. i am gonna miss the mission a ton. i`ve been feeling a little nostalgic looking at all the stuff as i put it in the suitcase. Lots of goodbyes. I`m gonna miss Saba a lot. It is bittersweet. i can`t wait to be home and see you guys though. that`s what makes me so excited to be going home. i`m gonna focus on that so i don`t feel sad haha. It`s gonna be awesome to see you guys again. I`m gonna have to tell you guys a bunch of crazy stories.
It`s really weird to think I`ve been here for two years! It sure felt shorter. The time flew! All I have in front of me is some last last testimonies and a dinner and interview with President. All stuff that`s cool, but not super exciting haha.
This week there`s been a bunch of last testimonies shared by me. I`m so glad my heavenly father`s given me the chance to serve a mission. There`s a quote that i shared this sunday in my last testimony in sacrament meeting. it`s in preach my gospel from Lorenzo Snow (arguably the prophet with the best beard) he said that “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children” 100% true. Heavenly Father has helped me in every step of the mission. It hasn`t been easy, but he`s always been there for me. I am so grateful to have a supportive Heavenly Father, just like I have a supportive earthly father.
it`ll be cool to get to know the people in the branch. i`m sure it`ll feel weird to be in a bigger sized branch after so long in saba. i was ready to give a talk this upcoming sunday but it`ll be fine if not. i am used to last minute talk notifications at this point. i`ve kinda gotten to be johnny on the spot with a lesson or talk, but anytime sounds good.
I PROMISE to not be like the sister missionary who missed her flight twice. I`m gonna go to the airport in the morning to say a last goodbye to Elder Reyes, so I`m gonna have lots of time to check my bag and get ready to leave. I do have a crazy day of travel. I`ll do my best to rest of the plane. But not too much. I`m not gonna sleep the whole time either. I don`t want to get home a zombie! if anything crazy or weird happens, church travel is always ready.
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| farewel-evator |
Thanks for getting the blog up to date. I haven`t kept a mission journal, even though i made various attempts. Most times I had other stuff to do or was to tired to write in the evening.
Tell Emma she better be ready to have a new alarm clock. It`s super big and comes in Big Brother style. He`s loud, annoying and tickles to make sure any sleeping girls have to wake up.
Not too much longer now you guys! Just three days! Then the star wars marathon begins! Buuuuu buuuu buuu buuu booo bumm bbuuum bum bum bum doo do doo dooo doooooooooooooooooooo do odo do do do do do do do do bum bum bum doooooo. Que la fuerza te acompañe..... [May the force be with you.....]
I love you tons! See you soon!
Elder Stoddard
[from July 9, 2018]
Whoa, this is super weird. Maybe my last or second to last mission email. Yeah, I for sure am gonna miss it. I´m gonna go right up until the end. I´ve enjoyed it, even the kinda crummy parts. I gotta make the most of it cause it´s about over!
Yeah Saba is officially a branch. I am branch President, but not for too much longer haha.
This week was good. Denis is our mission leader of the branch, which basically means that he leaves with us a ton. He is super cool. We left with him for the first couple days this week, but then he got pretty sick, so he couldn´t on thursday, friday and saturday.
We had a super contact with the whole district in saba, the missionaries from sonaguera came and helped us out for just 2 hours.
What else? We had a baptism on saturday (Sara Martinez). A super cool lady who has a school supply shop. She made a sign for the church, but the ex-missionary stake calling guy (the one who´s house i called from) said we had to take it down because it has to be an official church made sign. I think she got a little offended but didn´t show it too much... Alls good here.
Also, while we were in seminary a kid thought it would be cool to stop my fan with his finger. He ended up breaking the thin plastic rotor and now I don´t have a fan anymore. I asked the mission for a new one, but it won´t get here before I leave. Some sweaty nights!
My companion is super cool I wish I could have been with him longer, but my time is up doh! He is super funny. His english is really good. In the street we speak a weird mix of spanglish. He wants to teach english after the mission so I try to correct him as much as I can. But it´s weird because I want to correct him for the way he pronounces stuff, but I have to think how someone from england would say it. It´s weird.
You bet I´m eating lots of baleadas. I learned how to make them so I´ll have to make some when I get home. They don´t come out perfect, but I´ve got the general idea down and I´ve practiced a ton. Whenever we go eat with somebody I offer to help make the baleadas too! The thing that will surprise you is how bad tortillas are for you! SO much fat hahah.
Yeah it´s weird eating with silverware. Like here, any meat is a hands food.
Those movies sounds really cool. I want to see those, but I want to see Star wars too! I´ve heard there´s a Han Solo movie, sounds awesome! Have you seen it?
Yeah I carry a picture of you guys. Lots of times people are interested in seeing what my family looks like. I didn´t take a picture of the cabbit, but my comp did. I´ll make sure to have him pass me the picture.
I am gonna make sure and eat some US American food and then some Frankfurters. Sounds good about the stake president and the release. Does he speak english?
I´m gonna do as much as I can to stay super busy. And I´m gonna try and keep the other kids busy as well. From what I´ve heard they are already bored!? Maybe I´ll make some local friends. I´m not ashamed to look like an idiot with a foreign language anymore, so I´m ready to go! Yeah that sounds cool about visiting with the missionaries! I had no idea that they would be looking for any english speakers in the mission boundaries. That is a way cool assignment and gives them huge areas to look in! That´s cool about chinease people. I didn´t think there would be that many in Ukraine, but CHinease people are everywhere. If they are in Saba, there in Ukraine for sure haha.
I´m gonna do all I can to appreciate every one of these last few day I have here. I´m gonna miss it, but I´m excited to start something new too!
I love you guys!
-Elder Stoddard
[from July 3, 2018]
Haha, I'm excited to see you guys too, I've been trying hard to not count down the days, but it is getting really close.
Saba is doing good. Denis got a calling in the missionary work, so he's been leaving with us to visit a TON! Elder Bohorquez is awesome. Did I tell you that he already knows english from his house? He learned in a british academy so he speaks almost perfect english, but with an english accent. He's a quiet guy, but once you get to know him he talks a ton and is super funny.
I am excited to see grandma and grandpa too! It will be super cool. I think I'll be fine in Frankfurt. If there's problems I have the church travel number and they'll figure it out.
Oh I'm not too worried. I'll feel super weird I know. But I'm gonna try to be as occupied as I can. I'm gonna see if I can leave with the missionaries too. I doubt I'll be too much help, but it would be cool.
I don't carry a lot of things around with me when i go out to visit. But one of the things i never leave without is the laminated picture of the family you sent me with. I talk about you guys a lot too!
What kind of music are you listening to? I'm gonna need some recommendations after two years out of the loop! I can't wait to hang out with you at home either... it will be awesome.
I have lots of end of mission thoughts. Weird things are always happening, and over the last two years I've started to take them more in stride. Today I saw a bunny cat. A cabbit. Half rabbit half cat. Didn't know that existed but cool anyways.
