Brock's Orlando Mission: Winter Park and Homeless People and Brock's birthday week!

Brock wasn’t able to send any pictures this week because he said he didn’t have time and he was only on his Ipad. After this week that should never happen again because I sent him wi-fi camera for his birthday!!! He told me he didn’t know what to say in his email because he was still trying to figure out his new area, it didn’t sound like he had really settled in yet. He is just outside of Orlando now and he’s excited to be where he is. He loves being a district leader and training a new missionary, he thinks that’s pretty fun. He did send home his suit pants this week so that I can take them in and get them altered, his waist is down about 4 inches! That’s crazy.

Since he didn’t add any pictures to his email, I decided that it’s because it’s his birthday this week, I’d add some of my favorites from when he was just a little kid!! I’ll sure miss having him home with me on his birthday! Please send him an email or letter or something for his birthday on Friday, he'd love it!

Friends and Family,

Hey guys! It's the beginning of a new transfer here in the FOM a.k.a. "The Promise Land" and I am now in the Winter Park Ward! It is about 3 minutes away from downtown Orlando! How cool is that? I've been pretty blessed to serve in awesome areas throughout the mission.

- The East Coastline (Palm Bay)

- The Disney World area (Buena Vista)

- Downtown Orlando (Winter Park)

My new companion is Elder Honda! He's from Colorado and he's doing great! He turned 18 October 31 then came out on his mission right after. It's awesome to see his desire to come out as soon as possible and serve the Lord. He knows a lot a lot for only being 7 weeks now, and that makes it fun. I'm looking forward to this transfer!

This area has a lot of good things going for it. I'm blessed to come in at such a fun time. About 2 months ago, the Ward boundaries were reassigned, so they lost some members, but also gained some. Members are still trying to figure out just how things work, and get into a routine. The chapel we meet at on Sunday's was the first LDS church in Florida! It's pretty old and rickety. There isn't much organization to it, and I feel like I'm walking through a maze when I'm in it.

We are going to have a baptism this Sunday! I've only talked with her a couple of times, but Elder Honda and his previous companion were almost done teaching her! So that's some good news!

I love this area because I am able to talk with so many different people. Being downtown, there are people everywhere. Even if they aren't from this area, it is still fun to talk with them. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of homeless people here. It's sad to see, and it continues to humble me every time I see one on the sidewalk. As a missionary, we can’t be giving money to them, so I'm not really quite sure what to do? It's a tricky situation! But to explain the subject line of this email, I'll share a story that happened this week!

We were biking home Tuesday night (woohoo! Biking Again!) after transfers, and we are stopped at a red light. This homeless guy is beginning to approach us and we were going to have to turn him down. This was my first interaction and I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to say. He walks up to me and asks if I had a cigarette or two I could give him? I was totally shocked. It was evident that he was homeless, but he didn't even ask for money. Just a cigarette. We explained to him that we didn't, and he stumbles away with his head down. We bike another 3 blocks and the same thing happens, but with a different guy! It's so sad to think that they are so wrapped up and focused on their addictions, they would ask for a cigarette rather then asking for a few dollars for a meal that night.

To end on a good note, there is a recent convert in our ward we were going to go visit Friday night. I was excited to see him, then on the way, Elder Honda told me He had autism, and I was even more excited. We knock on the door, and the first time he saw me he just gave me a giant hug for like a minute straight. I absolutely loved it. I hadn't ever me the guy, but he was so happy to see Elder Honda and I. It made me appreciate the simple things in life. That one guy, and the one action he did changed my entire outlook for the rest of the week!

I hope everyone has a great week, and enjoys life! Sorry I couldn't

upload any pictures this week! We were on our iPads! I'm loving my mission, and having a great time! Have fun!

Elder Doman