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Website
of Elder Matthew Todd Bringhurst
California Long Beach |
Site
Hits
1832 |
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<![CDATA[To listen to music<a href="http://www.dearelder.com/media/music/Pie_Jesu.m4a"> click here.</a>]]>
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Mission Address:
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6500 E. Atherton St.
Long Beach, CA. 90815
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Current Address:
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1875 Cedar Ave. #6
Long Beach, CA 90806 |
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Current Area:
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Area Information: |
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Link to Mission Website: |
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Date of Return: |
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Birthday: |
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Latest Info:
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Are on bikes now instead of cars!
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Latest Adventure:
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Running into some really interesting characters after being transferred to what the other elders are calling the "ghetto" part of the mission. |
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Weirdest Food Eaten:
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Most Missed Food:
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Grandma's food, Lizzy's spaghetti! |
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P-day activities:
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*tapes up other Elders and hangs them on the wall
*takes pictures of other Elder antics
*writes letters, emails, journal entries
*Does laundry
*Scanns journal entries for family
*studies scriptur |
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Favorite Scripture:
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"For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known."
-1 Corinthians 13:9-12
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Neat Story:
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We already have a few solid investigators, one of whom we got to church last Sunday. His name is Brother James. He's a ~50 years old, blind, black man who lives on his own. He has like 9 kids, but must be divorced or something, I don't really know. All of them are grown up already. He has a caretaker though, and his family comes a lot to visit him. Our biggest challenge with him is helping him to get a testimony of the Book of Mormon, since he can't read it. He already has it on CD, but his CD player is broken at the moment. We gave a really good lesson on Saturday, which I think inspired him to come to church. Elder Newby said usually he says something like "I'll come if I can" when they ask him, but Saturday he said "You find me a way to get there and I'll be there."! We tried to find him a ride, couldn't, so we came down and took the bus with him. It was a pretty cool experience.
We also have a 25 year old named Justin. He's also black. Pretty much everyone in our general area is black, hispanic, or sometimes Asian (mostly Cambodian). Maybe 10% white people, probably less.
Justin is amazing. he's already read the Book of Mormon like 3-4 times, and already received a witness from the Holy Ghost that it's true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He's extremely smart, I'm really excited to teach him tomorrow for the first time (we just talked on his doorstep for like 15 minutes yesterday).
He's also got a lot of problems, hopefully we'll be able to help him overcome those. He smokes and drinks, and curses profusely. And he goes to an all black "congregational church"(what is that?) which his entire family goes to. he seems to have a really deep connection with his grandma especially, who also goes. He said that when he tried to tell his grandma about what he's found out, she said word for word "A bible a bible, we already have a bible, we need no more bible", which he'd already read in the Book of Mormon! Apparently that was also a testimony builder to him. One thing he said struck me. "What made the difference with your church was when I read that bold @#$ claim, I've never encountered anything like that before." (he told us about how he got his witness) "God moves for your church, your church has God on it's side."... "I'm afraid to ask God if mine is true, because I already know what the answer will be."
He also talked about how he's scared for his family. That's his main concern, from what I can see. He really wants to live with them forever, especially his grandma, and doesn't see how that's possibly if ours is true, since so far his family wont accept it (including his wife). They also have a few young kids, though I haven't met them or his wife yet.
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Music Courtesy of James Conlee and Ginger Fairbanks
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