Arson Via Ham Bone Soup

Hhhhhhhoooooolllllaaaaaa again fantastic friends and familia!!! Not going to lie this week was awesome, then again, any week is awesome in Rapid City. On Saturday we got our transfer calls and... oh would you look at, it time for ANOTHER SPIRITUAL THOUGHT WITH ELDER MCMULLIN (que canned 80's sitcom laughter with synthesized applause). As you know this week is Easter, a holiday dedicated to the memorial of our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite sacrifice. Earlier this week I was asked by a friend who is exploring the Church why Christ is becoming less and less of a focus on this really quite sacred event. I didn't have a perfect answer, but I suggested that every Holiday has unique ancestry and traditions that we can choose to participate in.  Therefore, the world isn't going to put Christ in Easter for us, rather we need to put Christ first in our Easter. That's not to say we can't still appreciate the Easter Bunnies, spring Chicks, and fun pastel colors (personally nothing brings the easter spirit more to me more than egg hunts and deviled eggs) but we should try and center everything on Christ and some of the deep symbolism that it has. One such example could be Spring Chicks representing all of us and we are being called/gathered by the mother hen, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself so we could could live happily on this world (DC 29:2). In the end my invitation to you all is keep your focus on the real meaning of Easter, the paid sacrifice of our Savior who make its possible to find and have peace in a wild warring world. Love you all so much and happy Easter Week!!!!! 

Back to the cliffhanger that's been needling everyone brains. TRANSFERS!!!!! Elder McMullin gets to stay in the paradise that is Rapid City and will be in his first ever actual companionship with Elder Neilson! Elder Neilson is a super sick reassigned missionary from the Philippines (I have literally had more Filipino companions than actual ndbm companions, weird right) that I worked with in the office back in like October. Honestly love the guy and super excited to chug La Croix with him and become the permanent Rushmore Elders fixture. Anyways super excited Elder Whitaker is jumping ship and going to Williston with one of my old companions Elder Garner (I'm very curious to see how that companionship is going to work out) and of course Elder Larson is ending his mission and going home to Chandler Arizona. Going to miss them both, but am excited for the future!!!!! 

Not to address the caption of this email. Me in my infinite wisdom was all like "they are having a sale on maple pecan glazed hams at Walmart so might as well get one for the adventure, have a dinner party with the other Elders on exchanges, and make a delightful hambone soup a member showed me how to make". So yah, steps one two went amazingly. Not to be prideful pro anything but I must say I glazed that ham to absolute perfection. The other Elders also really liked the ham and asked if they bought the ham next week if we could make this a weekly tradition. But then all heck breaks loose with the soup.  I couldn't remember how long I needed to let the super simmer for but I remember it was something like 1hr 15 mins so I just went with that and put a cookie sheet on top of the pot because some past missionary broke the lid to the pot. It was actually not to bad I was able to cook some baby carrots in them. The soup is nowhere done so I left it to simmer for another hour to and went out to a lesson with my homegirl Methina (super awesome recent convert whose personality and testimony is just as contagious as Covid-19). Well, we got in a really good discussion about General Conference and having her nonmember cousins join us in watching the Sunday morning session when suddenly we hear fire trucks zooming down the road. I thought nothing of it until I looked at my watch and saw we had been visiting with Methina for nearly a hour and a half. Elder Larson and I both paled as we looked at each other and mouthed the word soup to each other. We hastily left Methinas (she thought our situation was hilarious) and made a 15 min drive 7 mins as we zoomed back to the flaming apartment complex. When we ran in everything seemed fine until I lifted the cookie sheet off the pot and discovered.... that the soup was perfectly done and had only melted part of the stove dial. So yah, I was super stressed about the thought of going to prison for arson under the gang name Hambone soup.  

FRIEND UPDATE!!!! All in all, everyone is progressing super well and our member work is starting to pay off really well as we are building amazing relationships and inviting them to learn more about the Chruch. Tom and Linda especially are progressing as they received a invite from a member to join them in a Adult Easter Luncheon at the Church which they LOVED. Honestly, I'm so excited to be here another transfer because I know some serious miracles are going to happen in these precious people's lives. 

Well, that about wraps it up, pretty awesome week am I right. Love and miss you all so much! Thank you all for your super sweet messenger texts and emails wishing me a happy holy week and just want to say, love y'all and have the best fan-flipping-tastic week ever!!!!!!!!! 

Love your favorite McM from the NDBM, 

Elder McMullin:-) 

Photo Gallery!!!! 

1) THE Ham 

2) Rushmore Caffeine Break 

3) I literally have the worst luck in Frisbee Golf 

4) My neighbor tries to walk his cat every morning. In all reality he drags it across the pavement 

5-6) The great and spacious chapel in the hills church 

7) Elder McMullin making small talk about creepy realistic dolls (that are $2,000 flipping dollars) to a friend investing the Church who own a small company called "Megan's nursery of Miracles". This baby still haunts my dreams. 

So This Is Why Gulags Get Such A Bad Rap

HELLLLLOOOOOOO amazing friends and family!!!!! It's so nice to be able to talk to y’all again. To be completely honest this week has been an absolute joy and I have loved every second of it so let's Pocahontas swan dive in! BUT FIRST, another spiritual thought from Elder McMullin (que a single confetti popper that accidentally sets off the fire alarm and sprinklers). This week is the last full week of the transfer and I have been reflecting on how much I have grown in these short five weeks. When I first came to Rapid City and learned that part of our area covered a Native American reservation, I was pretty terrified. In case you don't know Reservations, or as we call them, the Rez are similar to walking into a third world country surrounded by drugs, alcohol, feral dogs, and collapsing shacks names houses. Because of the environment and associated stigma, I had a strong dislike to talking to Native Americans and would always try to invite other people around them that I deemed more "perceptive". I'm not going to sugar coat it; my behavior was racism. This avoidance continued for nearly three days until I had the wonderful opportunity to meet one of the cutest families ever who were Native American. During the lesson I had a very spiritual experience where the Holy Ghost confirmed to me that God loves everyone equally regardless of race, economic standing, or personality. Since that moment I have made it my own personal goal to stop judging and assuming, but rather love as He first loved us. Scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook feed I see the world constantly descending into hate and aggression to fellow children of God, our Brothers and Sisters. We need to adjust our perspective and stop looking at people from a temporal/mortal state, but rather one of eternal love and compassion, just as our Father in Heaven does. This is what Christ would do; therefore, it is what we should do.  

Okay so Gulong time. It all begins in a volunteering warehouse owned by a major food bank called "Feeding South Dakota". We as missionaries often get the opportunity to volunteer there and it just so happened, we got the opportunity to serve on the day when we were making 1,000 snack lunches for sweet little kids in school and on the Rez. We get in there and I'm signed up to be the person that knots the sack that the lunches are in along with one of my companions. The first 15 minutes were easy breezy, I was even able to make light conversation with the sweet old lady's next to me. And that's when the crap hit the fan. Suddenly Elder Whitaker abandons ship and runs to the bathroom leaving me on double duty for tying bags and putting them into boxes. A few minutes later a guy at the front of the assembly line, not noticing that I was already starting to hold up the line, had the brilliant idea to do three bags at a time to "maximize our volunteer hours". Suddenly groups of bags three at a time came pouring into my station which by this time was already full because of the loss of Elder Whitaker. I tried tying bags even faster, but only made it worse because I would keep snapping of handles. I desperately asked one of the sweet old ladies next to me if they could tie some bags for me to which she smiled and said "I'm sorry honey, I've got Arthritis. I think you've also got it under control". Luckily a couple minutes later some other volunteer came over to help, but after a couple minutes of tying bags she locked her legs and ended up blacking out on top of the applesauce and animal crackers. So yah, working at the gulag that is feeding South Dakota is crazy! 

 
 

FRIEND UPDATE!!!! This week we were able to meet an awesome guy named Jay who is a recovering drug addict, but is really turning his life around back to Jesus Christ and making amazing progress. We were also able to continue meeting with Feather and Skeets and exciting news turns out they have other kids that were living on the Rez with Feathers grandma that are interested in the gospel that their parents are learning- miracles have not ceased! But in all honesty one of the biggest miracles that has happens this week was with Tommy and Linda. In order for them to be baptized they need to get married and they both agreed that if marriage wasn't so expensive, they would get married. When we told them that the Bishop could marry them, they got so emotional and excited and told us that when they could be ready for Baptism they also wanted to be married and have me bake their wedding cake!!!!!  

 
 

All in all, a mission was one of the best decision l have ever made! Words cannot describe the joy I feel every time someone says they would be interested in learning more about Christs restored Church and progressing towards the sacred and wonderful covenant of Baptism. I love my mission! Anyways, hope you all have a fantastic week!!!!!!!!!!! Love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 
 

Love your favorite McM from the NDBM 

Elder McMullin :-)