Walking in Memphis

Hello from MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE!! This week has definitely been an
adventure, gotta say.
So Monday, Elder Zickella and I were together. Elder Hernandez and
Elder Croft went to the temple and then stayed in Little Rock for the
night with the departing missionaries, since it was his group. So he
and I went to Bishop Rs house and had dinner with them, then went
to the B's to say goodbye to them.
Tuesday didn't exactly go as planned. We were expecting the other guys
back in the morning, but they had to go help the office elders with
some stuff. So I went with Zickella for the day. We helped the Os
move to a house a few streets away. Then they dropped us off to an
appointment Sister W had set up. She wanted us to teach her hair
stylist in a non threatening way. So she got us an appointment to get
haircuts! I had just gotten mine a few weeks back, but I got one
anyway, complete with that little front spike job that all the Mormon
kids seem to have. I'll send a picture. After that we had some appointments
Wednesday we drove to Little Rock in the morning to organize everyone.
I got lucky, I ended up going with Elder Hooker and delivering a new
mission car to Memphis! So instead of driving in the crowded transfer
van I went there in a 2015 Chevy Equinox with 16 miles on it. It was
niiiice. Anyway, we got to Memphis and had a videoconfetrence with the
LR side to have a mass meeting! i got put with Elder Heaton from St.
George, UT. He's been out in the mission for about a year now. He's a
super chill guy, we get along well. After the meeting we unpacked and
then tried to go see some people. We met a guy named Jose Luis, and he
seems pretty cool.
Thusday was pretty slow. We knocked on a lot of people's doors but
hardly anyone answered. We did get to see the recent converts, the
Castro kids. their parents aren't members (we'll see how long THAT
lasts) and they are super cool! Then we had dinner at the Hermosillos
house. They are REALLY cool. We had some really good fish tacos. Then
we slept over at the apartment of Elder Diaz and his new companion,
Elder Moore. Elder Morre is an English missionary. And they put him in
the Spanish branch. It's pretty hilarious.
So Friday was an adventure. We drove out to Arlington to have a big
party with all the elders on his side of the Mississippi for the
Fourth of July. It was Fijian style. Like Wakolo brought an entire pig
to roast at the party kind of deal. We cooked it in an earth oven
which is basically when you fill a hole with rocks and wood, light it
on fire, lay a rack of food on it and then bury it. We started doing
that, and then it started raining really hard. So, being guys, we held
up a big tarp over it. And then we almost died from smoke inhalation.
So we decided we would take turns being the guy under the tarp by the
fire holding it up. We ended up sending a Samoan elder into the woods
by the church with a machete, which he used to chop down a tree and we
used that to hold it up.  Someone finally got a shelter thing for it
once we buried the food. We washed off in the drainage canal (it got
about 3 feet deep) and then we ate. It was really good and manly
tasting. We got home about 5 and had dinner at the Ds house, then
we met a less active guy by their house.
Saturday we did. Some planning, then we tried to see some people. No
one really wanted to talk to us with the rain and all. So then we had
dinner at the P's house. He is the branch president, and is super
cool. After that we tried to find some more people but with all the
fireworks and gunshots (yeah they shoot a lot for holidays) it got
kind of dangerous to be out.
Sunday was great! We had church and it was awesome. A lot of people
thought I was elder Reid, a missionary who had been there for a
loooong time who I apparently look a lot like. But I love the people
here. They all seem very sincere and friendly. After church we had
some food at he other guys' apartment, then went out finding. Again,
not many people answered, but it was stil good. Then we went to dinner
at bro. Rs' house. He recently got baptized, and he loves the
missionaries. He cooked some posole and we had a great time. I ate a
little beetle thing that they use to spice up food sometimes. It was
pretty good. So now I am a member of "La Banda de los Chicos Buenos"
as we call ourselves.
And that was my week! Here is my new address for those of you
anxiously waiting to write me:

Elder Andrew Reay
2250 Meadow Glade Ln.
Apt. #1
Memphis, TN 38134

Love you lots!
And here's my haircut: