(Also before I start, I want to apologize to people who may have sent me emails this week....... I've got a very crunched PD today because we're going up to a Broken Bow Lake at 12 o'clock with some investigators............ I'll email next week.!)
I wish I could simply share the sheer happiness I feel right now over email! I've just lived through, BY FAR, the happiest week of my life to date! I can't express how much I love what I'm doing here on my mission. It seriously brings me so much happiness and joy every second of the day! Being immersed in the spirit 24/7 and sharing this gospel with everyone I see is best thing I've ever done, and I'm truly so grateful to be here in the hick town of Idabel, Oklahoma! I love every second of this experience! (You would think that feeling would change when you get every door slammed in your face at the end of a long day, it's bitingly cold, and you just want to be done, but those moments just make me love this work even more!)
Okay...... Now for the good stuff! Welcome to the furthest, most dangerous, most hick town part of the Dallas Texas Mission, Idabel,Oklahoma and De Queen, Arkansas! This is one of the only only areas in the mission where sister missionaries are not allowed, the crime rate is sky high and the drug use is higher than that! (Pun intended.......) I seriously feel so blessed and excited to come up here for my first area! (I sound like I'm kidding, but I'm not......... I'm seriously so pumped!) This is one of the few areas that I really wanted to serve in while here, and look, now it's my first area! In a couple sentences and words let me try to describe my area (Which happens to be the largest in the mission........ I'm serious it takes like two hours or more to cross!). This is the most hill billy, hick place you can find! The people here have crazy accents, and hardly any teeth what so ever! (I'm serious!) They love their overalls, and are content to talk about the strangest things for hours! Now, don't take this the wrong way, I seriously love the people here and I'm growing to love them more and more each day, but the are a very strange lot........... Socially and appearance wise. Most are terrified of cities and dislike even going to the local (WAY overpriced!) Walmart! (One of the only grocery stores in town.......) They love their overalls and they love to smoke cigarettes. Everyone here smokes, even many members which is interesting. They love to tell us about their neighbors nasty smoking habits while smoking one as the say it. The branch here is Idabel is tiny and people drive often for an hour to get to church! Now the small size of the branch and how far spread it is poses a problem for the missionaries here......... We hardly get any dinner appointments! (Muy triste......) Another interesting thing here! There arehardly any Hispanic people in my entire area! (I can tell it's going to take a toll on my Spanish........) Instead there are TONS of Marshallese people here! (We have more Marshallese pamphlets and Book of Mormon's to give away than in Spanish!) (I'm working on picking up some of their language........) People here are obsessed with Big Foot! (Especially up in Broken Bow, a town north of Idabel.) One of the worlds resident Big Foot researches and believers is a member of our church and lives in Idabel! Every single building here looks run down like it's about to fall over, and it definitely has a small town feel. The accents here are AWESOME! They are different from your standard Texan accent, and often range all over the place. That's that's a small glimpse of the Idabel and De Queen area for you! It has a reputation for strange people, and isolation from the rest of the world! (It was a five/five hour car ride to get here from Dallas!) The area covers all of Mccurtain County and De Queen if you're interested......) We do a crazy amount of driving here to get to all the little towns and places across the county.
One other interesting thing......... Missionaries who are "born" (Meaning you start your mission in Idabel.......) tend to stay here for a VERY long amount of time! The last three Elders to come up here,were here for a year, eight months, and six months! So I'm planning on the long haul up here in Idabel!
Okay now for a near death story! (Just for you mom!) So on the ride back to Idabel from Dallas, we were driving with Bro. Fackrell, a member in the Branch. Major hill billy, 83 years old. Bit of an odd fellow, but I love him! Anyways we started the long drive, and soon it started to rain an get dark. First we ran out of gas on the free way! Awesome! Luckliy,this awesome Baptist man stopped and helped us out! Next we got lost and almost drove into a lake! Now during all of this it's raining like there's no tomorrow! Okay, time for the best part! We're FLYING down the highway, it's raining like crazy and we can only see about 10' in front of us, and Bro. Fackrell has taken his hands off the wheel to demonstrate to us how to cut down a tree. Well at the time the road started to curve and let's just say Bro Fackrell did not turn the wheel with it.......... WE FLEW STRAIGHT OFF THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH!!! We flew down into the grassy part along side the road, Bro. Fackrell grabbed the wheel and instead of stopping or even slowing down the old man just KEPT DRIVING in the ditch! We car felt like it was going to fall to pieces it was bouncing around so bad! We sped along the bottom of the ditch for easily 150 yards until right before we hit a pole Bro. Fackrell yanked the steering wheel and we FLEW back up out of the ditch, caught some air, and landed on the road. He never even stopped, he just kept on driving............... There were a couple of near death experiences on the same trip, but none quit as dramatic. Let's just say that when we finally reached our super ghetto, cockroach infested apartment, there was a huge prayer of gratitude said. I love missions! It's a memory I'll never forget!
Now, let's talk about my companion! I freakin love this guy! We get along perfectly and work super well together! His name is Elder Frampton, and he spent most of his life in Hawaii, but recently moved to Utah where he played Basketball for Lone Peak high school! Some interesting things about him.......... He's a twin (His brother is serving in New Hampshire!) and he has Hemophilia meaning his blood doesn't clot when he cuts cut or bruised! (He has some medicine to help control it, but he still has to be careful!) He's super awesome, and is only five months into his mission! (This is his second area, but he still considers himself a "Greenie". I seriously love this guy! I want to talk more about our progress next time, but for now know that just this week our "numbers" (Our statistics on new investigators and people with baptismal dates......) has SKYROCKTED! Both the members here and other missionaries have dubbed us the "Dynamic Duo!" I'll tell you about some of our members and investigators next week! (One of which is a convicted felon who just got out of prison after 20 years! Awesome guy, we suspect he killed some one........) That also reminds me of Willy who told us about the time he "cut a guy up" with a knife! (He's another awesome guy!) People tell the missionaries the craziest stuff!
Everyone, life is INCREDIBLE here! I love what I'm doing so much and look forward to next week where to where I'll have more time to respond to you all! Miracles are real, I see them everyday here! This church is true! I love you all!
~Elder Fox
(The Marshallese people seem to really like my name for some reason........ I can't tell why.........)
P.S- I'm running out of time, so I didn't have to to proof read this email. Sorry about that.
P.P.S- We're going into the worst of the tornado season here, so if you don't hear from me next week, that's probably why. We don't have a storm shelter at our apartment.
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