Week 73...Rivalry Week = Complete Craziness!!!

October 27, 2014

 State College district with Pres. & Sis. Johnson (left) 

Elder Muir & Elder R (glasses) are on the right next to senior couple

 The GREENIE initiation meal...green turtle meatballs

 Parking fields at Beaver Stadium

 Beaver Stadium

Parking lot for game day...just stripe the lawn

     Hey, Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow.  Thanks for all that you do for me.  You are one awesome mama!!! You have a card coming but I keep forgetting to put it in the mail.  So it will be a few days late, but whatever.  At least it will get there this week.  Also, just wondering if you’ve watched either of the new Mormon messages?  Both are pretty awesome and I recommend you watch them. 

     I think I told you last week that the Ohio State Buckeyes are coming to town and it’s a big rivalry week for Penn State.  Even though Penn State isn’t very good this year the fans still gear up for each and every game.  Boy, do they ever party.  We were up at the hospital yesterday taking the sacrament to someone and I got some pics of the stadium and campus near the stadium.  We live about 3 ½ miles from the stadium. 

     ***Sidenote…After coming back from a 17-0 deficit Penn State tied it up and forced an overtime, not just one but double overtime.  Unfortunately, they lost in double OT.

1. How was your week?  What are the highs/lows?  It was a pretty awesome week.  Unfortunately, a lot of the appointments we had this week again fell through and we didn’t have any investigators at church.  But, even with that it was still a good week. It has been kind of rainy and cold, but I know it’s going to get worse so I should not even be complaining.  The highs were watching Elder R give a few lessons interspersing bits and pieces in Chinese.  It was pretty cool to see him progress and be able to communicate with our investigators.  Another high was dinner and a lesson with a new investigator at a member’s home on Wednesday.  Her name is C, she is from China and she has been to church a few times.  She has classes with a bunch of people from the ward that are in her same program.  The lesson that we had with her was awesome and we have another lesson set up on Wednesday.  Those are a few of the highs and lows, but I will write a letter with some more because I don't have a lot of time left today. 
2. Is Elder R still with you?  Is there any news about his VISA?  Yes, he’s still here and no news yet.  We are hoping and praying any day now that we will find out what his status is. 
3. Can't believe it's transfers this next week.  Any gut feelings on what will happen?  I don't know, we are hoping to find out on the VISA situation ASAP.  I am thinking if he does end up leaving that I may still train, but I have no idea we just need to figure if the VISA is coming. 
4. Do you have plans for Halloween?  We are going to the ward Halloween party on Friday night.  We’re having a pot luck dinner, games and trunk or treating.   Thursday night is the “official” day that State College has designated for trick or treating.  We have to be in by 6 pm that night.  It’s weird, in PA each area/borough is allowed to designate a specific night for trick or treating.  It’s based on what’s best for the community and what other events might be conflicting with Halloween.  Penn State has a home football game at noon on Saturday (11/1) so in an effort to promote safety they decided on Thursday night.  Friday night all of the drunks will be arriving in town to party it up for the game the next day.
5. How were exchanges last week?  Who did you go with and where did you go?  I stayed here both times.  I was with Elder J last week and this past week I had an exchange with Elder L.  Exchanges were OK, unfortunately that is when a lot of our appointments fell through. 
6. What are 5 positive things for the week?  1)  We have a new investigator.  2) The game was a night game so we were in bed for most of it and didn’t have to deal with all of the crowds.  3) We used the ColdStone cards you sent...yum, Thanks!!!
7. Have you seen or done anything exciting in State College?  Well this past weekend we experienced rivalry week in State College.  Boy… it is quite sad and different than rivalry week in Provo.  We pretty much saw young adults my age running around with cases of beer and girls sporting clothing that wouldn’t meet any of the For Strength of Youth guidelines.  It’s amazing how a game can change the population of a city within hours.  State College doubles in size on game day.  I’m getting my on campus housing experience living in State College J  I have a few pictures of fields and areas where they park all of the cars.  It was crazy on Friday night and Saturday.  There were people everywhere and parking all of those cars is no small task.  The pictures were taken Sunday (so after game day) because we were at the hospital, but it will just show what they have for parking all around the stadium.  They use every available space and markup the lawns with temporary parking lines.  Kickoff wasn’t until 8 pm Saturday, but we were downtown at noon for a bit and the mess had already begun.  We have a bunch of the frat houses in our area and we were walking by some of the houses in the early afternoon and they had music blasting and it was still 5 hours before kickoff.  I wished I could have been up by the stadium Saturday just to see the mess but it was probably for the best that we weren’t anywhere near there.  I’m sure the game was a crazy madhouse to be at.  It was sold out with 107,000 people and it went into double over time…my kind of game J   Not sure if you watched any of it but I think it was on ABC. 
8. How are your investigators?
1. W?  Boy, she’s a treat.  We’ve about dropped her.  She is very academic and likes to bash with us.  She gets off on random things that are weird very easily.  I don't even know how we got on this, but somehow she was talking about Christians and that their in the military and they kill people.  She accused us of being murders because we were Christians.  She made no sense, but whatever.   She also is getting one last attempt before we drop her. 
2. YL?  We had a lesson with her husband while she was helping her son with homework.  It is still hard with them because their English isn’t great.  We’re still hoping to get someone from the student branch that knows Chinese better than Elder R to come with us. 
3. B?  We have not seen him in a month.  He is kind of busy so we are giving him one last attempt this week. 
4. People that came to church last week (neighbors of member)?  Did they come again?  Names?  Her name is R from India.  No, she did not come to church again because she started dying her hair and did not finish it in time.  But she likes everything that she has read and so hopefully in the future we will meet with her. 
5. Any new leads/investigators?  No, not really just C who I mentioned earlier.
9. Any good member/dinner stories?  Yes, so a lady in the ward does something called a GREENIE dinner for new missionaries.  It is pretty funny, she picks odd things to do that are kind of green.  So she made turtles out meatballs and hotdogs and used green bacon for the shell.  I have pictures of it that I will send before I leave.  You might have to pick up on this idea once you see the picture and we have greenies over for dinner when they come into our home ward. 
10. Tell me something that will make me laugh?  So I got you a birthday card but I hope you don't mind a belated bday card.  I keep for getting to put it in the mail L but I promise you it is coming.  I know this does not make you laugh, but I hope the card will. 
11. Are your blisters better?  Kind of, the problem is they close up but then it rubs in the same spot so it splits again.  So I am hoping they get better soon. 
12. Any opportunities for service so far in State College?  We work at a place like DI called St. Vincent de Paul.  It is the Catholic version of DI.  

Well I hope that brightened your day.  I have pictures on the way, so keep an eye out for the next email in a minute. 

Also random 2 random things… 1) the senior couple in our district are the inlaws to Melissa Ringwood, small world, huh.  2) another cool thing about the ward here is the head wrestling coach for Penn State is in our ward and his brother is an assistant.  Their names are Cael and Cody Sanderson (http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/cael_sanderson_410597.html).  Cael is the head coach and won the 2004 Olympic Gold medal in Athens, Greece.  

Love you all,

Elder Muir