Post pageant

July 21st, 2014 Hello all! You know the feeling the day after Christmas when everything is over and your parents are only thinking about taking down all the decorations? Well, that's kind of what it feels like right now, now that the Hill Cumorah Pageant is over. It's probably the biggest and best event worldwide that really brings the community into a non threatening environment that is still chalk full of the spirit! I loved telling people about before it started, but after actually being there it's so easy to tell everyone about it, because of the spirit that is literally unavoidable when you watch it. There's nobody I've met that really doesn't like it, especially the first time they watch pageant. So we were able to go 4 total nights out of 8, and we brought J, a 19 year old, J, 20 some year old, D, the man who lives in the hobbit house, and D's dad, who is 88, and definitely a trooper for this one, handling the crowds like a champ! Pageant overall was great and a real catalyst for me. I loved seeing the cast members be missionaries, and have opportunities to do things that full time missionaries get to do on a daily basis. There were also a lot of missionaries who had finished their missions but returned to go pageant. I saw my grandpa, who is my trainer's trainer. He's got a full beard and looks like a hobo, but I love him anyways haha This week went fast and was eventful, especially one investigator who went missing. We saw him in traffic court the other day, and haven't seen him since...we think he moved to Texas to avoid the police and court system here... One fun thing was going to teach Brother B and Sister G with a member who gave us a tour afterwards of the houses on Canandaigua Lake, which are taxed higher on that lake than any other in the nation. Supposedly. The family who owns the biggest grocery empire in the Northeast called Wegmans, lives in a huge mansion lake house...mom and pop retirement locale? I love the ideas that the Red Bridge ward comes up with the do more missionary work. Do the elders come to these gospel discussions or is it just the members together? That might seem less threatening. We're starting a new system in the Canandaigua in order to help members talk more to their friends abut the gospel and introduce them to us. Missionary work is so much less effective if the missionaries are left on their own, and it was never supposed to be like that. Once the mindset of the people is geared towards sharing the gospel because they want to, not because they are just told to, we will have unity in missionary work between the members and the full time missionaries. It's amazing how many truly trivial things are focused on in our day to day lives! It's crazy! Once we have an eternal perspective life is so much fuller! Well, that's all folks! I'm glad the S's had a good time! Yeah they pretty much followed a trail of missionaries across the country...love it. Johnny your braces will be missed greatly, but your teeth look fantastic! Ps the Suprenants said that not everybody calls you Johnny! Is this true? SMEGS when were you born girl? Mom thanks for the care package. Elder. Brindley was the one texting the Surprenants and we're not actually poor. I appreciate the packages anyways! Yes I got them both haha granola bars each time! Love, Elder Hirschi