7/2/2012 Story Time

I found out about Charles' mission call from Chan's mom...she sends me all kinds of stuff... UGH that's so much better than California. JEALOUS! Elder Mercy is from Brooklyn btw. Oh and when I'm done with my mission, I don't care if we come back and visit, there really isn't anything to see or do. It's just palm trees and smog. That's all California is. Elder Mercy says the smog in New York isn't as bad as it is here. 

I was thinking about New York the other day for some reason...not because I was trying to guess where Chucks going, or because Elder Mercy is from there, but I was just thinking about walking down the street and in my imagination, it started raining! I wish it rained here. It's just hot. Rain is exciting. That's why I'm moving to WA!!! maybe. 

We are not teaching anyone...as far as I know...Elder Mercy doesn't really tell me anything we just get in the car and drive all day. I don't play the organ in church because they have a video come up every time with someone signing correctly...and it has its own music. 

Anyway, I guess I have a couple stories I can share. First, Elder Mercy and I were at the church playing basketball waiting for other people to show up (which never happened) and some lady was knocking on the door outside...so I opened the door and she seemed very troubled. She said "Um, I was just wondering if someone could pray with me, I'm just having some problems." I replied "Yeah, we can. Come on in" So we were in the lobby and she said "I only have one arm, so lets put our hands like this" (Almost like we were going to do a cheer after a soccer game or something) I wasn't going to tell her "NO!" so we did. Then we just sat there and her eyes were closed and I could tell she wanted me to pray. So I started praying. I prayed that whatever problem she was having, would be resolved. And that she would have no bad feelings towards anything. And that she would be happy. And I said some other things. But we finished and she got up and left. As she walked away she said "That usually works right?" I said "Yes". 

This next story is shorter but it's kinda funny to me. So Elder Mercy and I were in the desert (Palm Springs area, which is over an hour from riverside) contacting some Deaf people. Most of the people we contact live in apartments. This specific area looked like trash. I half expected to see a body on the side of the road. But we knock on the door...even though he's deaf...and we wait. Maybe 30 seconds pass and we knock again. and we wait. No answer. As we took a step away from the door, I heard someone knocking on a window. I looked and beheld a hand, sticking through the blinds signing "wait". I thought it was funny. 

um...OH I almost forgot I have a pretty good story...Elder Mercy and I were going somewhere and realized we were almost out of gas. So, we were on our way to a gas station in our 2010 silver chevy malibu. I was just about to make a left turn. So (as any simple minded person would) I put my left blinker on. *blink blink blink* then I slowed down (which is usually the next step in a turn) then I looked in my side view mirror. I saw a car moving towards us that did not seem to be slowing down. I thought "Oh heck, here we go." The next thing I know, our car is going sideways and then jerks to a hault. I look around (not registering what had just happened) then I looked at the car that hit us. It was a silver 2010 Saturn Vue, with a suprised looking older mexican woman in the driver seat. 

My next thought was "What an idiot" (talking about the woman) Then I hear some very discouraged moans coming from Elder Mercy. He was pounding the dashboard and rubbing his forehead in agony. We were both ok, but he was just upset that someone had hit our car. This was now the third wreck he had been in since he came to California. I guess he is bad luck. 

Then the mexican woman exits her car and walks towards me. I open the door of my car and before I can say anything, she gets up in my grill and starts pointing at me and shouting in understandable spanglish "It was YOUR fault" again and again. Not once did she say "are you okay" I said "We'll see what the cops have to say about it" feeling quite confident. She said "Ok, go ahead call the cops" I said "I don't have a phone" (Elder Mercy had it hahaha) 

Then some boy (maybe around 15 or 16) walks up and says "yeah! I seen the whole thing!" Ah, at last! A witness to the horrendous occasion! he continues: "he was parked over there and swerved out in front of you!" I was shocked! What kind of sick, twisted...ugh!! were my next thoughts. At that point, it was time for my special quality: keeping quiet. I'm sure if I said anything it would only turn into a nasty argumental fight. Then a few other neighbor kids came over claiming they "seen" the very same thing that the first boy had said. It was like a nightmare. Two weeks into my mission and I've already wrecked the car. 

The police finally showed up and he happened to be a mormon. But it didn't matter. Me (all alone - because elder mercy can't stick up for me) against a 60 year old mexican woman and her army of white trash neighbor kids. The cop was convinced that the whole thing was my fault. He also said he's not allowed to decide whose fault it was at the scene of the "crime" So I jokingly said "we could go over there" pointing to a random location. He decided to tell me anyway. He said "yeeeaaaahhhh......looks like your were the one at fault. It is what it is" By that point I didn't care anymore. I was done. So we called some other elders and they came and helped us put a spare tire on because the wreck flattened the good one...

We went back to the mission office and they gave us a new car just like that. Now I'm driving a 2011 red toyota corolla. These California drivers are going to kill me. I've gone over and over the accident in my head trying to see how it could have been my fault. Either that mormon cop was on drugs or I'm the one losing it. I don't know anything else about the wreck...we'll see what happens. so that's my story for the week. Just wait until next weeks story. just kidding. well there might be something good I don't know yet. Okay well, I don't know if I answered all your questions but tell chuck congrats on the call! he's lucky to go somewhere interesting.