I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

Hi everybody!
This week has been much less eventful than last week, but super busy!
Lots of biking, service, fasting, teaching, biking, service and talking to people. Oh and biking. But today I found out that I am now authorized to drive when necessary! Hopefully that means I get a car soon! Not necessarily likely, but I can always hope, but then again, so can my somewhat torn pant legs.

Last pday after we said bye, I got to write letters, and play sports with other missionaries in the zone. We played marshmallow dodge ball for the majority of the time we had. it was pretty ridiculous and fun! And apparently marshmallows hurt when thrown! it was way fun though!

Elder Lyden and Elder Griffin

This week we had a special missionary training with Elder Johnson (there are about 8 of them in my mission) of the Area 70. It was way good and he emphasized how if someone isn't progressing, you don't need to keep teaching them! We had been praying about what to do with several investigators who weren't progressing and there it was plain and simple for us. Now we have been working on getting the ward to help out more and a few other investigators.

One family that I'm really excited about is the Mitmas. They're a part member family. The mom is single and has been inactive for a few years, but she is working on coming back and we're super excited for her! She has two daughters, ages 8 and 10, who have almost no church background, but they are super excited to be learning about the gospel and I'm so excited to teach them. They taught Elder Lyden and I a lesson on how we need to teach much much much more simply! We had to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ discussion 3 times before we finally made it simple enough! But it was a great learning experience for them and now we're really helping them to progress! They even came to church! I'm so excited!

We have dinner appointments almost every night and the members in the ward are so giving, even though many of them they don't have much.

So the other day I found a package on my door step and I was so so excited! I thought I finally got my package from Marlee! But guess what! I decided to refrain from opening it till after planning time that evening! And the anticipation was killing me! But guess what! It was JCPenny's giving me short sleeve Sunday shirts -- still exciting, but I have to admit I felt a bit foolish for thinking it was from Marlee! I love the shirts though, it has been such a huge blessing! Thanks Mom!

The Cuevas are super amazing! They're like home away from home! And they always have someone to help us give service to. Last week we helped them clean up their neighbor's yard (I think you have pictures) and removing a tree trunk! We have also been helping them with different things and they even coordinated our media blitz.

This morning we were getting ready to go to the store for pday and guess who shows up? The infamous JW's! Ahhhh!! But guess what, my companion was in the bathroom and so I was just polite and they realized that it wasn't going to help them any to bother us and so they left. But unfortunately the Spanish Elders came to pick us up at the exact wrong time and so the JW's decided to bother them in the parking lot, keeping them from helping us take out all of the garbage we cleaned out from the last several months of trash build up (my apartment was kinda gross, but not anymore). We ended up talking with them for an hour and pretty much established nothing except they have some weird translation of the Bible and that our faith is founded upon solid personal revelation and there's... isn't.

Spokane, Washington LDS Temple

It was a big faith builder for us and really showed how true the gospel is to us and how happy it can make us. And also that some people think God is confusing, but he isn't. so yeah. my first run-in with the JW's and I came out with unshaken faith!

Sunday morning we helped move out some of our favorite members. It was really sad. They used to always feed us and were just the most fun and best inactive members ever! haha. pretty much they believed everything, They just didn't like the ward or something. Part of it was that the son (28 yrs old) had his wife cheat on him and went through a messy divorce and so he didn't like going to church and having people ask him about it all the time. It was sad to hear.

A few things that I've noticed about Spokane: Everyone smokes. I mean everyone! Many of the LA members are LA because they feel guilty about their smoking habits. Also, most people we meet are on their second marriage. A lot of broken homes. It's really sad to see.

However, most of the second marriages are really happy together and seem like things will be okay from now on. It rains about once a week and when it does it's just beautiful. something interesting is that it always feels like the sky is closer here than in Utah. It's hard to explain. Oh! And the Spokane temple is tiny! like two of it could fit in the St George temple! I couldnt even believe how small it was! Basically the size of the Telegraph chapel!

Today we cleaned our apartment for most of the morning, went to the store, went bowling for free and ate pizza at a bowling alley outside Cheyney and now we're at the stake center emailing and stuff. This evening we get to meet with the Mitmas again and hopefully it will go really well!

That's about everything that's happened! Oh, and I got my first relic from my mission! a little cast iron toy truck! it's super cool! When I get the chance Ii'll send pictures of it!

Hope everything is well at home! Things are great out here and the work is moving forward so quickly! I find myself sometimes dreaming about teaching now! it's the funniest thing! I love you all and I pray for you often! be safe and know that this church is so true!

-Elder Bryce Griffin