The Indecisive Not-Squirrels

Good Morning!

We've had some wonderful weather this past week; many days the temperature barely broke 90°! I consider that a success, today's high is like 82°, but it feels somewhere around 66° this morning. We took a hike on a nearby rise, it was pretty cool. You could see the St. George Temple and a good bit of the city from up there. My companion and I still get along quite well, he's surviving the consistent questions I have and helping me learn and think for myself out here, rather than following with glassy eyes. It's very appreciated. 

Elder Bailey was sick Monday evening, some heat exhaustion combined with a dramatic water intake left him out of it for the rest of the day. So I soloed two Zoom lessons. I did pretty well, except I never shared a spiritual thought in the first one so we couldn't count it as a lesson. Oh well, you learn from your mistakes! 

Another cool thing was I went on my first exchange this Thursday! We share the apartment with Elder Sargent (the other assistant) and Elder Fiame, another missionary who started training the same time as I did. So we have a combined 2 weeks of experience! Because our companions had to exchange with some nearby Zone Leaders, Elder Fiame and I were together after lunch. 

Driving in St. George is a bit scary, and I'm still grasping the flow of things, but the car is fine (mostly, there's a scratch but don't tell my companion) and Elder Fiame and I are now more comfortable around each other. We had some really great lessons, and we were productive all evening, and the only way I was so cheerful was because the Spirit was there helping me to be confident in those situations. It was a bit nerve wracking at first, but since we were jumping in with both feet I was determined to swim, and the Holy Ghost made that happen! 

Now, there are two things you need to know about St. George. First, there are no squirrels. (Except the one we saw on the hike today, but sorry, no picture.) And second, birds have replaced squirrels as the typical road hazard. 

Now, I haven't seen a dead pigeon or dove as roadkill while here. But, I did run one over a mourning dove on Thursday. Well, I say run over. Really I ran OVER it. Here's some context. 

I'm driving up to an uncontrolled neighborhood intersection during the exchange, and Elder Fiame and I notice this dove strutting his stuff in the roadway. This bird stands and stares at us, almost like a challenge, so I edge forward. I'm curious how close I can get before he flies away. 

This mourning dove, though, doesn't move. He's totally owning his position. So I get closer, because he's obviously going to fly away. Then the engine blocks my view, and we're driving forward, but no bird has taken flight. I keep going, all while Elder Fiame and I are just staring at each other going 'did that bird just sit there and die?!' Turns out he did move a bit, so instead of squishing the dove with my tire, we just rode right above him. I could see him in the rear view mirror, still staring at us as we drove away. You can tell he does this often. 

Now, in Texas, squirrels will play this dance with death on every roadway they can. They'll bound into the street, sit down, stare at you, and then dart away a second before impact! We know what would happen if the squirrel didn't move, and some drivers actually slow down for them, but in life, we don't usually get a 'slow down' option. 

Take, for instance, the exchange I was on. I could have sat around and wondered what to do, but instead I jumped in and went to work! There have definitely been times throughout the week where I was less confident, and the proverbial car left me paralyzed with fear, but I know I need to speak up, and speak out. As Elder Bailey told me; 

"You've got two years to do this full time. Every word you don't say you won't get back and every word you do say prepares you for the next."

Even in these situations of indecisiveness, I need to say something. Pick a direction and go with it. The Spirit needs a willing heart and action. If I don't speak up, the Spirit can't support my words. If I do, then at least there's something to work with! Consider this scripture:

2 Nephi 1:27 But behold, it was not he, but it was the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut it.

If we are willing to speak, and willing to act, the Spirit can work with us. We can be decisive to utterance, and choose to speak over silence. I'm still working on my confidence in some lessons and in some ways, and this principle is not one I'm perfect at, but we're all working on something. It's rare that someone is 100% on a skill after one week of experience! Elder Bailey has taught that even at 19 months, he still doesn't know everything. We're all still learning, and this is an area I can seek some remarkable improvement in. 

I'm loving the mission so far, the Washington Stake is doing amazing right now! I managed to get some baking done, so I've been eating healthy-ish cookies for breakfast. The exchange helped prove myself to myself, and was an amazing experience. We have a nine year old friend, Kutler, who's getting baptized tonight which is amazing! I'll be confirming him, so that'll be new! Lastly, one of the Bishops out here has a flock of chickens, and they let me hold the wacky one! 

Gosh I love chickens too much. And I'm glad I didn't run over the dove. There's some pigeons with a nest above our stairway . . . Come to think of it there's a lot of birds out here. But I'm having fun, and I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything! Even the harder days have their own form of fun. 

I'll keep an eye out for more chickens, or squirrels. I'll snag a photo of a St. George squirrel someday. It's happening. 

Till next time!

- Elder Williams

P.S. There are supposedly some tortoises on the ridge we hiked, I'll find one of those someday too. 

Mailing Address: 

881 South River Road,

St. George, Utah 84790

Pictures:

1. A butte (or mesa, someone correct me) inside our Stake boundaries. I see it all the time, and finally found a good angle.

2. The pigeon couple that lives above our stairwell.

3. It's the crazy chicken!

4. The view pt. 1 (right half, looking West).

5. The view pt. 2 (left half, looking West). You can actually see our apartment, but barely. It's a few blocks to the screen from the Temple, but you wouldn't know it's an apartment. 

6. Rocks and trees while hiking.

7. More hiking rocks.

8. A roadrunner! I'm proud I got a good photo.