July 28, 2014

I don't know how much you all remember about how Missionaries work, but basically a District Leader has to go on an exchange with every Elder in his district. This means that his companion also goes on a ton of exchanges. That is exactly what I've been doing! Elder Massey is the District Leader, if I haven't mentioned that before. And each time I'm in Cumbernauld. It's been absolutely terrifying!! I'm getting used to it, but I have to take these elders everywhere, and act like I know what I'm doing! It's scary.

Anyhow, how are you all doing? I hope everything's going well. I tried my first Black Sausage this week! Elder Massey and I were at Stuart and Teresa's house (I'm certain I've mentioned her before, right?) and Stuart is a professional Chef! We were having Brunch, and part of the meal was a slice of Black Sausage! I thought it was fine. It wasn't good, it wasn't terrible. He also made us deep fried Mars Bars! I could literally feel my teeth rotting in my mouth... lol jkjk...but seriously, it was good. A Mars Bar, btw, is basically a Three Musketeers bar with caramel inside. It's really good, but too sugary for my taste. I can't eat more than one a day. But it was really good fried too! Stuart taught us how to fry things, and Elder Massey's been on a frying craze haha...the other night we had fried oreos!! That was good too! 

Two cool stories: there's this Less-Active woman that's always invited to eat at with the Footes family whenever they also invite the Elders! How odd! ;) Anyhow, last time we invited her to read the Book of Mormon again, and she said she would! So we were excited to see if she had when we were invited by the Footes again this past week. So we get there, we ask her how much she read: "Yeah, I read! I'm in Mosiah 8 now." Wait, what!? MOSIAH EIGHT!!! That's reading through all of Second Nephi, and Jacob 5, not to mention everything else, in one week!! "I had forgotten just how good it is!" That it is, Morgan, that it is. :)

There are two football teams in Scotland (there are more, but these two are the only ones that matter). The Celtics and the Rangers. Celtics are green, Rangers are blue. They do NOT like each other. You'd think that they wouldn't because they're rivals. That is true, but there is a deeper and darker reason. The Celtics are Catholic, and the Rangers are Protestant. People take such things so seriously, that a member, who supports the Celtics, was once shunned by a man who knew nothign about him other than the fact that he was a Celtic fan, and so assumed he was Catholic. He's worked with the man for ten years, and he hasn't said a word to him because of it. People's attitudes about the two teams is so strong, that we aren't allowed to wear a tie of either color. Solid, I mean. If a tie has blue, I'm allowed to wear it obviously, but if it's solid blue, no. It's sad that such things are still happening in this day and age, but it's been so ingrained into the hearts of the people, like the Lamanites of old, to hate the other side. 

I have to get going, but I love you all and I really enjoy your emails! You're in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope you all have a great week! 

Love you!

Elder Bates