July 9, 1997, Wednesday
We went to East New York mostly just to see Cindy, and she wasn’t there, but we got to see Jazmin and Josephina. That was cool. And the Jacksons live over by her, so we went there and chilled for a few. Nice.
July 10, 1997, Thursday
Our only Apt juked us. Oh well. Gabriella, a very cool girl.
July 11, 1997, Friday
We watched a very cool movie[…]. It was chill. I’ve worked so hard these past days, I’m so exhausted. I keep needing to go take a 5-minute nap at the house, or I couldn’t function. I guess that’s not bad. Some days we don’t come home to eat or anything all day. We are allotted 1-2 hours for that, but still don’t take it.
July 12, 1997, Saturday
We had a very successful street meeting and got a lot of referrals, but we’re having a hard time getting good ones. Mariana came and helped us. We ditched her because we had an appointment and [then our appointments] juked. We did find a very cool Mexican family the other night. They are so cool. They knows it’s true, [but it’s] just [those] freaking traditions. I pray.
July 13, 1997, Sunday
We couldn’t get anyone to church. We tried and tried, but to no avail. So we went, and Metalhead was there. He’s a good kid. He’s really trying to be good. We just read to him. We were trying to give a little self-esteem.
July 14, 1997, Monday
We planned and we slaved and it was so hot. I melted. Oh, today we tried to get a hold of Gabriela, and [Elder] had an appointment with her. [He] found her walking down the road […]. We let [him] keep [her] so [Elder] could baptize and look good. You know, she’ll get baptized Sunday.
July 15, 1997, Tuesday.
Holy cow, it’s so hot. I couldn’t sleep. I sat up, sweating. My pillow was as hot or hotter than the outside. It was hotter than it was in the house. Wow. You know, it’s weird living in the most righteous pad in the mission.
SOME THOUGHTS
Eating – I honestly don’t remember eating a lot on my mission unless it was at a member’s home. I remember in some areas never shopping. You would go home hungry, and all there would be is a salt and pepper shaker in the pantry. If I purchased food, it would be communal food, and I didn’t want to pay to feed all the other missionaries.
Naps – I remember being tired my last month. I also remember being so tired from walking all day that I would go home at night, kneel to pray, and wake up still kneeling on the side of the bed in the morning. Also, getting home, sitting on the edge of the bed, lying backwards to rest a moment, and waking up in the morning, still in my proceliting clothes. It was exhausting work.
Righteous Pad – This was obviously sarcasm, and I was taking a potshot at the other elders. I didn’t need to do this. I was a worn-down elder who had served his two years, and I was ready to go home. I should have done more to make it a better experience for the other missionaries. This was bad on me.