Elders come here!

Hello!

So this week has been good! Biking at least five miles gets easier every day and now that it's warming up I'm sweating a lot. I never realized I could sweat so much but what can you do? One day it felt like everyone had something to say to us when they drove by! It was interesting to get so many opinions and most of them make Elder Savage and I laugh and give us something to talk about so that's good! We had to get Kevlar bicycle tires because we kept getting flats from these little thorn things called goat heads. So far no flats!

We met a RM (return missionary) the other day while we were going to contact someone and he was just standing on the street corner yelling "ELDERS COME HERE! ELDERS! ELDERS! ELDERS!" When we spoke to him he had been back from his mission in Portugal for a whopping seven HOURS. He had been home seven hours and here he was walking down the street at eleven O'clock looking for something to do and apparently talking to himself. It was a little weird like "Guy, you just got home at four O'clock and you got up at six thirty to go tracting in your own companionship. You're crazy." He was practically begging us to take him with us to go do contacting which was actually pretty funny. So we are going to get in touch with his dad so that we can get together since he doesn't have a phone of his own.

Oh my goodness so many blessings. It was weird because this past week I realized that before my mission I absolutely did not care much for talking to people. And then I think about what even motivated me to serve a mission. I'll be honest with you. I'm not doing it for myself. If this was about me I'd be out of here. I'm on a mission because I love God and in turn am obligated to love his children and that is what nobody around here seems to understand. They act as though you are trying to be sneaky and trick people into doing the wrong thing. Behind this badge is a person and he cares. I'm not a robot, just in case there were any doubts. If I could somehow make people understand my intentions I think they'd be a lot more receptive. All of the time we get people who want to use baseless facts and words that have been taken out of context and I wonder "What are they trying to accomplish?". They want to confuse me or shake my faith because I don't know why. Don't you know I have a big 'ol rock that I sit on? Don't you know that Christ is the foundation? You will never break me as long as I've based my faith on Christ. If all you want is to confound me, what do you accomplish? Did Christ himself not say that a tree that brings good fruit is good and likewise a tree that brings forth corrupt fruit is corrupt itself? Did he not say that if the blind lead the blind that they both fall into a ditch? Sometimes we are too busy focusing on little things that we fail to see the big picture. Are you or are you not trying to bring others unto Christ? Don't worry about who has a degree in whatever or who claims to know what's best for you. Do what YOU feel God wants you to do and always pray to know if what you are doing is correct. If it brings you closer to God it is right.

Sorry about my ranting! I meant it in the best way possible and in no way is it directed at any one person or event. You all are wonderful and I know that our Heavenly Father looks out for us and wants us to be happy. Just accept Him into your life, live the gospel, love your neighbor, and know that I love you. Do what is right, not what is easy.

Love,
Elder Norrell

P.S. I've given up on correcting people about the pronunciation of my name. It can be whatever you want.