Dinner was a trap.

 Well

This week was: 'service'

But it started with a dinner immediately after preparation day ended. Understand, on P-day I don't put as much effort into my hair and I'm at the very end of all my proselyting clothes. So I usually end up with a blue shirt and pants that are wrinkley. It's always been fine because we only work 3 hours after pday ends and it's usually dark.

But this meal. . .oh boy. It was with our ward mission leader. We got there (me wearing a blue shirt and having poofy hair) and then they let us know, "Hey, we invited the Perries"

. He's in the temple presidency and everybody who knows him expects to hear a talk from him in general conference soon. He's a legend. And I'm wearing wrinkly blue shirts AND blue pants that don't match plus you can't even tell which way I parted my hair.

For the first time in a while I was nervous. 

Luckily it ended up being fine. He was mega nice and even gave me 2 hugs! One before we ate and one after! We gave a really powerful message about "love is the motivator" especially behind missionary work. I got to mega bear testimony and DANG there is not a feeling I love more than the mega mega feeling of the spirit being in the room because of my willingness to be an instrument in God's hands and say what he needed me to say. I especially love it when I look at my companions and can can see the amazement they have at the amount bofm pure spirit that is present.

No other feeling is better than the companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

Well, Tuesday wasn't worth sharing except for one part. A little bit ago we got a call from a woman named Irene. Her brother had recently died and she was left to do all the paper work and tale care of the house. She found out about the Clothing Swap our ward was doing and wanted to donate everything to us. So multiple times this week and last, almost every day. We've been going over and picking up the stuff. I've gotten so many cool ties and vests and even a new study chair! Plus we got cool mountain pictures to put up in the apartment!

Also we spent 2 hours planting giant flower bushes in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY at PEAK SUNSHINE. But it's fine. I guess.

Then the next day we drive all the way up to San Francisco. And we even went on the Golden Gate Bridge (I think that's capitalized I'm not sure though) unfortunately, it was purely and completely surrounded by a cloud. I looked up and it literally looked like just huge cement walls going up and down. So that was brutal on my expectations. 

But we met with a bunch of Deaf people up there and I would tell you more but I have no clue what happened. Except inside good morning( in ASL ofc) to some guy ( I think his name was Michael?) And it was 4:30 and he just looked at me like 'bruh' (he said it with his face, although there is a sign for 'Bruh' [kind of]) also he was easily over 60. And at the end I said "nice to meet you" (in ASL ofc). I learned a few things from that trip, the main one was I need to get better at ASL.

The rest of the week we helped with the clothing swap. Basically 2 times a year our ward has the mega huge giant thing where people donate all their stuff that they don't need and others who do come in and take whatever they want. It's all 1000 percent free. The gym just gets full of all sorts of ridiculous things and we have to set up every table we have to hold all the clothes. It's crazy. So many people came! Afterwards all the leftovers were donated to a textile recycling thing and they give money based on the weight and then we donated all that to a food bank. I'll let you know how much money it was next week. Remind me if I forget.

We also weeded 2 members' yards. 1 hearing 1 deaf. Both inactive for frustrating reasons. But we still love them.

Also I got to go on a blitz exchange with my ZL, Elder Taylor. And, just to let you know, I'm not doing mega well at the moment. Comps are radiating trunkiness and prompting thoughts that create homesickness and trunkiness in me and I don't want that, they're also just really difficult sometimes, ASL is a whole new language and I'm struggling with that. . .alot, and many other things. Anyways during the blitz I just dumped everything on Elder Taylor and after giving wonderful advice he was like "Elder Owens, would you like a Priesthood blessing" and I was like ". . .ya" 

So we parked the car and he went to the chair behind me, took the headrest off and gave me a blessing. In the car. And it was exactly what I needed.

I know that the priesthood is real. Priesthood holders really hold God's power. Priesthood blessings are real too. It's not just a special way to give advice, its truly a way to hear what God would have you know. What an amazing gift God has given us through His Priesthood. 

Another epic gift he's given us is the Book of Mormon. Nothing else can bless your life more than a habit of studying that book every day.