From bikinis to biking

Hola y'all!

I've added a bunch of people to my email list in the last year so I thought I would explain why I open with that phrase. Real quick flashback: I get to the mission field. At transfer meeting, Elder Robison and I are sent to whitewash Simpsonville 2nd Ward. The elders we're replacing are Spanish elders. The Simpsonville Spanish area was closed and they put English elders (us) to cover the large area that is the SV2 Ward boundary. The Area Book on our iPads shows that EVERYTHING is Spanish. Spanish investigators, etc. So my first weekly email in the field I opened with "Hola y'all!" because of the Spanish situation, and you know, South Carolina. Just thought I would explain/remind that to everyone, I don't just do it because I'm a weirdo. It's a self-imposed tradition.

I don't have much to say this week. We have an investigator on date and he's great. His name is William and he's a humble and ready dude. He's a big Clemson fan too. Speaking of which, right when I get to Myrtle Beach/Conway, Coastal wins the college World Series. And then I return to the upstate and Clemson beats Alabama! I'm more of a Carolina fan, but I guess I'm good luck for college sports. Obviously not professional sports, because I got to SC days before the Panthers
lost the Super Bowl.

I'm still recovering from living beach life for the last 7 months. Spartanburg is very different. It's a lot more like the rest of the mission. What I'm really recovering from is biking. Because I do it every day and it never gets easier. (I hope you're happy elder Staker) And I couldn't be assigned to one of the many flat areas in the mission. But the white handbook says I can't say anything negative about my areas in letters home. And honestly that's my only complaint. The snow is gone. How about this: I LOVE SPARTANBURG! (95% true, and rising)

It's funny, we don't have wifi in our apartment but I check every once in a while for an open network just in case. But what I love about doing that is someone has named their wifi network "NOT THE MORMONS". Haha, not yet!

We are hanging out with the Spartanburg Spanish elders and Sumter elders today so here's some pictures of one from each companionship

 

 Have a good week and don't go riding on that long black train — Josh Turner

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Literally whitewashing

Hola y'all!

I have been transferred to Spartanburg 1st bike area. I am whitewashing with my companion, I would have said that in my email last week but here's the thing: they didn't tell me. Usually they give those kinds of calls on Saturday before transfers and I did not get one. It's funny because the assistants even came to the beach and brought us new beds (which we really really needed, I was sleeping on the floor because it felt better) and they didn't tell me any news.

That's ok. My companion is Elder Kempton and I already know him. He came out with me. We will hit our year mark on the 20th! We're doing ok so far. There's been a couple things that came up that have slowed our work.

We had a mission conference in west Columbia. That wasn't bad, that was great! Elder McArthur, our area authority, Elder Clayton of the seventy, and Elder Stevenson of the quorum of the twelve came and spoke to us! We took a picture as a mission which we don't get to do very often. Elder Stevenson is really funny too, I love seeing apostles in person

The other big thing that's happened is: SNOW ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️

This isn't funny, the temperature going below freezing was bad enough. But why would it happen that the weekend I get sent back to the upstate (I was here last winter), it snows for the first time in a billion years? And it stuck too! It started probably Saturday morning and it's still here. We are on bike so that's awesome, the roads are icy and impossible and dangerous to bike on at night.

But I honestly am not that mad. I mean it's the coldest it's ever been on my mission and I'm whitewashing (haha literally the ground is covered in snow) but it's not that bad! I miss the beach but I can complain or work in the area where I'm supposed to be right now.

It's funny because our ward is right above my first ward, Simpsonville 2nd. And on the way back from transfers I recognized some stuff. I recognized an exit onto I-385 that I have taken a ton of times, but this time we went onto I-26 and headed towards the Burg. Just weird how that happened, I have a picture so you can understand what I'm saying.

I hope everyone is doing good, oh also church was canceled yesterday so we haven't met the members of the ward yet. Snow is dumb

I hope everyone is doing good though 👍🏿 👍🏿

Also here is one of 9 billion pictures Sister Fox took of us back in the MB district

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Beachy keen

Hola y'all!

Happy new year! Everyone prepare yourselves for the first year of the Trump. The Tabernacle Choir will be performing at his inauguration so the spirit will be there when he is sworn in. I'm not worried. Well, not about that.

This transfer is shorter due to Christmas and scheduling with the MTC and whatnot. If it was six weeks long, the missionaries coming in at transfers would have to go to the MTC the week of Christmas, so this one was five weeks and he next is seven. Basically what this means is the bad news has come a week sooner: I'm getting transferred!

Yeah I really didn't want it to happen but the fact that I've been feeling it would for the last like 3 days made it so I wasn't too surprised. I love this whole area, I've been blessed to serve in both elder areas, Surfside and South Myrtle Beach, back-to-back. I got to train a brand new missionary, and speaking of which, Elder Edwards is going to have to take over. Well I mean he won't be senior comp but he will be senior in the area. I know he can do it, he's leaving the nest and I guess that means I'm taking the nest with me.

Sayonara Dirty Myrtle, you filthy wench! It's been fun but I knew it couldn't last. Dang it I never got to go to the wax museum. That's fine it's like $30 and it probably sucks. But I have no idea where I'm headed, only that I'm going somewhere. I'm trying to imagine my dream area, but it's a lot like the area I'm leaving behind so I guess I have to be open minded. I'll let yall know next week of course

We had one of our best weeks work-wise, we got three new investigators and three progressing! So of course right when things get good I get pulled out of here. But I know I'm in the Lord's hands and I know Myrtle Beach is in Elder Edwards's.

I hope everyone has a good week and that you all will make the most of the time given to you. One day soon each of us will no longer be able to play football on the beach on p-day. Oh wait that's just me

Oh I almost forgot, shoutout to Carrie Fisher and her mom Debbie Reynolds, they were/are pretty cool. If they're reading this I hope they know the church is true. The LDS church btw

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Below is an actual real life photograph taken of me crying when I got the news

 

I've been a sweetie all year

Hola yall!

I won't pull you away from your Christmas presents too long.

There's a giant chess set right by our apartment in the Market Common. I started playing chess for the first time in a while and I'm a bona fide murderer

We got a bunch of gift cards from people, so that's basically the best gift I could ask for. We're going to Chick-fil-a for lunch today.

The work is about the same as it was last week, we couldn't really visit anyone this last week because I guess missionaries and Christmas can't coexist in a person's household

But don't worry, we are going to change that this week! Unless people use New Years as the same excuse to get out of feeling the spirit, idk

But remember to make New Years resolutions all the time, if you just do it at the beginning of the year, you will give up and not try again for a year. That's dumb

Quote from a spiritual person: "Stop it." — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

See you all in 2017!

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I'm sorry ma'am, I'm afraid that's a huckleberry over my persimmon

Hola y'all!

Next time I see you it will be past Christmas. So this is my last chance to beg people to send me things. Please send all packages and mail to

Elder Noah Berry
South Carolina Columbia Mission
110 Oak Park Dr. Suite B
Irmo, SC
29063

But enough about me, let's talk about Jesus

Please remember Jesus was born, that he was crucified, resurrected, and glorified just for you! We refer to the payment Jesus made with his sacrifice as The Atonement, and sometimes we talk about the enabling power that the Atonement gives us. My challenge for everyone is to study and pray and discover what you can do to take fuller advantage of that power, or even how to access it at all. Once you've done that, make sure you share with someone your experience so they can have one too.

I love Christmas and it's weird being here in Sodom and Gomorrah (I mean Myrtle Beach) for the holiday. But I mean I think it's really cool, this place is so weird. I'll be sad when I leave this area, I
love the whole grand strand and the people in it.

I won't write too much this week since I guess I wrote too much last week, but I hope everyone has a merry Christmas. Also I learned Hanukkah starts on Dec. 24th this year and goes until Jan. 1st. Trying to take over, I see.

Happy holidays, go see Star Wars for me!

Ps here's a picture of us eating Cook Out on the beach with like 10 degree wind chill. I don't know where my companion is, I guess pretend he's in the hotel back there

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'Twas the Transfer before Christmas

Hola y'all!

Transfer calls came in today (a little later than usual 😾) and even though we are done with training and starting to find success in our area, President decided to keep Elder Edwards and I together anyway.

But here's the bad part: Elder Staker, my companion when I was in Surfside and my District Leader when I went next door to Myrtle Beach, is being transferred! This has been a long time coming: he's been here since February. But it's still very sad, this better not be he last time I see him

"You being an idiot?"  — Elder Staker, talking to me when I was being an idiot
Who's going to ask me that now? Luckily I didn't get called as DL so someone else is coming in

But this means I am spending Christmas at the beach! That's cool, right? Seriously let me know if you want me to send you something from the beach for Christmas, who knows how much longer I'll be here. Speaking of which, we played football on the beach today, it's great because no one is there on a Monday afternoon at the end of November. Last time we really did that was the end of June I think and we almost died, the weather was much better today. We're gonna have to vacuum our corolla for sand again but that's ok

Here's a poem a member likes to tell:

'Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
The fans were all blowing
Cause we live in the South

Don't worry about us, we're doing fine. We hope you all had a great thanksgiving and even better leftovers. Life is good here and I'm grateful for the chance I have to serve, let's hope it never ends

"It seems like blessings keep falling in my lap."  — Chance the Rapper

I have no pictures this week so here's one of Dead Man Staker driving down Ocean Blvd

Pay no attention to the beach behind the curtain 🌊🌊🌊

Hola y'all!

Sorry the frequency of weekly emails has gone down! I will try to be better.

Christmas time at the beach is tougher than you think! It's getting really cold here. Which I mean is good because I can wear sweaters like all the time.

We're still working with our investigator Jimbo. I think he got anti-ed by this Methodist lady who lives in the trailer across from him. And I guess she used to be a stripper so Satan is using that I guess. I've met her because I parked too close to her driveway once. It's a good thing she used to be a stripper because I don't think she'd be able to make rent with where she's at right now. Is that rude? I've met a lot of strippers on my mission. And a couple prostitutes. They're usually nice and I'm happy to share with them a greater way of life, but sin is sin. I don't know where I'm going with this but the message of the day is "keep your clothes on".

The true message here is that no stripper or hooker or trollop is more powerful than the Restored gospel, a testimony of the Bible and Book of Mormon, or Jesus Christ. So don't worry about Jimbo, we've got a not at all secret weapon on our side: the truth.

It's getting really cold here! I didn't expect the beach to be so cold here. And some weekends it's raining which sucks for the old folk who choose this time of year to drive cross country and stay for the weekend.

Here's a funny story: we have two separate Tanger Outlets here in MB, they rock. I think there's one in Park City back in Utah. They have Forever 21 there and I said "guys they have men's clothes in  here I swear" and we went in and we couldn't find it so we ran out. But I know there's a men's section in Forever 21, at least at the one in City Creek. I'm wearing a cardigan from F21 right now. But if  there was a men's section in that outlet, we did not find it and I doubt the other elders would be willing to go in there and check again

Sorry all my stories are about shopping but that's all we do on P-day, we shop probably more than any sister in the mission. I don't spend money like ever so I guess I just walk into stores and feel things and then walk out

But thanksgiving is coming! Let's celebrate when the people of the Bible and the people of the Book of Mormon put aside their differences and had a big dinner. At least I think that's what happened

Well I never send pictures so here's some of Ocean Boulevard which runs right next to the beach, one of our favorite places to drive