Life in this area is preaty laid back, people complain all the time that during the winter months from January to about April theirs absolutely nothing to do, and their probably right, no fishing, no hunting, no virtually anything, it's just too cold. So a lot of people just end up hanging out in the nice warm bars (and we all know what happens then) a lot of people just go to work then stay home with their families and their precious TV's that manage to stay on pretty much at all times (most people, even some members, don't turn the TV off when we come over, and only some turn the volume down)
There's really only one ward in Bismarck and it covers Bismarck, Mandan, Lindon, New Salem, and a few other small towns in the area. The ward is big enough to split, we just don't have enough active members, there is constant talk of splitting so it may someday soon have a second ward. But because the area for this ward is so big we actually have two sets of missionaries in our ward affectiontly known as the Bismarck and Mandan missionaries, even the dinner calender is split into two so you don't have to have four missionaries destroying your house all at once! (haha) the people that are active, are way active and nice people, but there still could be a lot more improvement. The work is a little upsetting, we see the same couple of people much more often then we probably would, because we need to be something of a constant support to help people get out of their addictions, as they can't be baptized if their addicted to ciggerettes or alchohol, most people don't have so much a struggle with the alchohol as they do with the ciggerettes though for some reason, but I have no complaints there.
In Bismarck we just have the 2 missionaries, but in our ward 4, the next closest missionaries are a set in Minot, about 2 hours north, and another set in Dickenson, about 100 miles west. So the church is much more spread out with less people per square mile.
We normally have transfers every 7 weeks, the last transfer was only 5 weeks long which was a little annoying, but yeah the transfers this time around are happening on the 31st, I doubt I'll get transfered but there is a chance, I think Foulger might get transfered or else he will stay for one more transfer but I don't think it will be much longer then that.
Yeah actually I did get transfered right before Christmas, It made the bishop in Gillette upset, because he has planned a whole Christmas thing with the missionaries and I up and said "bye" bassically right before it.
Curiousity may have killed the cat, but it got the missionary a new investigator!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
weather and car keys
Haha, Don't worry too much about the temperature up here, the worst should be done with, we had -55 degrees with windchill and the next day we weren't allowed to go out unless we had an appointment. At first I really started to hate all the cold and snow, but I'm totally used to it and even enjoy it sometimes. It really isn't the cold that bothers you so much out here, its the wind on top of the cold that makes you go HOLY COW PLEASE LET US IN THIS DOOR. Its funny that we had that -55 with wind chill (-33 without, but trust me you feel the -55 ) just a few days ago, and yesterday it managed to get above freezing for a few minutes by some random miracle. This whole week is supposed to be in the 20's-30's so its one big heat wave.
No, we never managed to find the keys to our car, we had to bring all our information out to the car dealer, using the Mandan missionaries car and had to buy a new key for $50 it was not a pretty buy... but at least we have a car now, so no more bumming around with the Mandan missionaries, getting almost nothing done.
You know the interesting thing about being in my mission. I still haven't seen Graffiti, I mean there are lots of trains and walls that Gangs might see as perfect for spraying their messages, but there is no Graffiti anywhere, and then it dawned on me, It's way to cold for that! Who would want to hang around outside and paint a wall in -30 degrees? I thought that was pretty funny, the reason they don't have too many gangs in North Dakota is because it's too cold.
No, we never managed to find the keys to our car, we had to bring all our information out to the car dealer, using the Mandan missionaries car and had to buy a new key for $50 it was not a pretty buy... but at least we have a car now, so no more bumming around with the Mandan missionaries, getting almost nothing done.
You know the interesting thing about being in my mission. I still haven't seen Graffiti, I mean there are lots of trains and walls that Gangs might see as perfect for spraying their messages, but there is no Graffiti anywhere, and then it dawned on me, It's way to cold for that! Who would want to hang around outside and paint a wall in -30 degrees? I thought that was pretty funny, the reason they don't have too many gangs in North Dakota is because it's too cold.
Monday, January 4, 2010
WEEKLY NEWS
But anyway today was a decent week, we had a lot of good lessons with different people and a few new people that I had yet to meet until now, so I feel like this week was a good week for missionary work. We have a recent convert named Curtis (actually he's the foster parent of Mohamed) and he is really cool, it's
funny every time we go over to his house he always asks me "So! Elder Kissner, Ask me any question" because I suppose I just don't know him as well as Elder Foulger who did all the work with him basically, So I told him I was going to fill a few pages in my notebook with random questions that I should ask him.. So
I thought I would pose that question to you all... Come up with any question, ANY question in the world that you would possibly ask someone, and if I like it I will put it in my book of questions to ask Curtis. He will get a kick out of it. Also, interesting thing, he wants to call Elder Foulger's mom and talk to her, which is kind of weird if you ask me, however if we do end up having a slightly better relationship over time, he may ask to talk to you guys... which in fact... may also be weird. But I don't know, I doubt it, but if you guys get a call from a guy named Curtis Mertz, or Bro. Mertz, or something like that (maybe even Mohamed) you now know who he is! But anyway things have been going alright, we have been teaching Mohamed a lot, we've been trying to read the book of mormon stories out of the children's book of mormon with him and he seems to be enjoying it. We also taught him a really interesting little finger game to remember the 10 Commandments;
1: point 1 finger up to God, there is only one God
2: pointer finger and pinky extended, thumb over two middle fingers to make bull skull, no worshiping things that aren't God
3: put three fingers over your mouth, no speaking bad things
4: touch your pinky's and your pointer fingers to the opposing pinky and pointer to make a steeple, Remember the sabbath
5: three fingers up on one hand, two on the other, three fingers bow to two, Honor thy father and mother
6: make two guns with your hands 3 fingers used on each hand, don't kill anyone
7: one hand has 5 fingers up, the other has 2 and the 2 fingers go in between the other 5 like breaking up a family, don't commit adultery
8: one hand has 5 fingers up, other has two and the thumb, thumb hand steals the thumb off the other hand and now they both have 4, Don't steal
9: 4 fingered hand goes into the shape of a bear claw and you say we don't bear false witness, and you have the other hand act like a mouth and talk behind the bear claw, like going behind someones back, don't lie
10: both hands reach everyone and grab at the air all over like they want everything, don't covet
So yeah... it's a little weird, but it works for a family home evening lesson! and this time I planned it and organized it (kinda) from really far away! I just need a proxy to go and do the work for me (kinda like missionary work and Christ hmm... not that I'm trying to compare myself to Christ, that might just be a
little bit blasphemous) anyway... this letter is long enough, time to go see what books I can find.. kthxbai!
funny every time we go over to his house he always asks me "So! Elder Kissner, Ask me any question" because I suppose I just don't know him as well as Elder Foulger who did all the work with him basically, So I told him I was going to fill a few pages in my notebook with random questions that I should ask him.. So
I thought I would pose that question to you all... Come up with any question, ANY question in the world that you would possibly ask someone, and if I like it I will put it in my book of questions to ask Curtis. He will get a kick out of it. Also, interesting thing, he wants to call Elder Foulger's mom and talk to her, which is kind of weird if you ask me, however if we do end up having a slightly better relationship over time, he may ask to talk to you guys... which in fact... may also be weird. But I don't know, I doubt it, but if you guys get a call from a guy named Curtis Mertz, or Bro. Mertz, or something like that (maybe even Mohamed) you now know who he is! But anyway things have been going alright, we have been teaching Mohamed a lot, we've been trying to read the book of mormon stories out of the children's book of mormon with him and he seems to be enjoying it. We also taught him a really interesting little finger game to remember the 10 Commandments;
1: point 1 finger up to God, there is only one God
2: pointer finger and pinky extended, thumb over two middle fingers to make bull skull, no worshiping things that aren't God
3: put three fingers over your mouth, no speaking bad things
4: touch your pinky's and your pointer fingers to the opposing pinky and pointer to make a steeple, Remember the sabbath
5: three fingers up on one hand, two on the other, three fingers bow to two, Honor thy father and mother
6: make two guns with your hands 3 fingers used on each hand, don't kill anyone
7: one hand has 5 fingers up, the other has 2 and the 2 fingers go in between the other 5 like breaking up a family, don't commit adultery
8: one hand has 5 fingers up, other has two and the thumb, thumb hand steals the thumb off the other hand and now they both have 4, Don't steal
9: 4 fingered hand goes into the shape of a bear claw and you say we don't bear false witness, and you have the other hand act like a mouth and talk behind the bear claw, like going behind someones back, don't lie
10: both hands reach everyone and grab at the air all over like they want everything, don't covet
So yeah... it's a little weird, but it works for a family home evening lesson! and this time I planned it and organized it (kinda) from really far away! I just need a proxy to go and do the work for me (kinda like missionary work and Christ hmm... not that I'm trying to compare myself to Christ, that might just be a
little bit blasphemous) anyway... this letter is long enough, time to go see what books I can find.. kthxbai!
Bismarck Temple
The Bismarck temple is cool, but it's really small, it doesn't really have any temple grounds and is staffed by 3 families. It's only open like 3 days a week and only has 3 sessions on those days, so not a lot of people get the opportunity like we do to just go whenever they want. Our District Leader Elder Callor, wants to visit the temple often which is good, he is trying to get approval for us to hold District meeting there each week or every other week or something to that affect. There are a lot of cool pictures of the temple, in fact (I dont know if you can look it up but...) in the Bismarck Tribune, on I think New Years day or Eve, there was a story about how we had a Blue Moon up here (a second full moon in the same month) on New Years, and the picture they used for the front of the newspaper was the angel Moroni with the moon in the background, I don't think the photographer really knew too much about the Mormons or anything, and there was absolutely no reference to the temple, but the picture was a pretty good one, especially to make it on the front page. fun.
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