Elder Skyler Rushton doing mission paperwork.
The title says it all! This was by far the craziest, longest, most miraculous week of my mission! I don’t want to spoil any of it, so let’s get on to the week!
Monday: We finished up P-day and James cancelled our appointment on us! That was about all that happened after P-day ha-ha. Then the Westbank Elders came down so we could go on exchanges Christmas Eve.
Tuesday: Christmas Eve! We exchanged, and Elder Mandin and I drove up to Westbank! We did a lot of tracting, and got a couple new investigators from it. One guy looked EXACTLY like Thor! So I told him that, and he wanted us to come back haha! Cool stuff. So we planned on having a District Meeting on Christmas, but we were told Christmas Eve that we weren’t supposed too! So instead of spending Christmas day morning in Westbank, we drove back to Penticton that night and had Christmas together as a district! (We aren’t supposed to do stuff like that… but with the way things worked out, it was unavoidable!) So as soon as I walked into the apartment, I turned to all the other Elders and said, “Elders… We need to make a fort.” So… We did! We grabbed all the sheets and chairs we could find and made an awesome fort! Then… we slept in it! Yeah, we made some great memories haha.
Wednesday: Christmas! We all woke up in the fort and opened all of our presents! It was awesome! We did a district thrift-store-secret-Santa too and had a blast. Then the Westbank Elders drove home and Elder Bolkcom and I set out visiting less-actives! We got a couple visits done and then it was time for phone calls! The call was great and I almost wish I didn’t have to hang up; but all good things come to an end unfortunately! Then we had a little while before a dinner appointment, so we drove to the First Nations reserve and knocked some doors! So that was fun, then we had dinner and visited members until the end of the night. We got loaded up with way too much junk food, but it was a great day 
Thursday: Boxing day! (which is just like Black Friday in America) We were sitting there weekly planning and we got a phone call!… From the traveling assistants. They were going to be there in four hours and do exchanges with us and Westbank… I don’t know how Assistants are in other missions, but the ones in ours scare everyone to death and are super, SUPER intense! And we got the most intense one to come with us. He’s a great guy but boy did he stress us out. When we picked him up, we drove back to Penticton and started on consecrated finding time (5-7 every day is spent solely tracting/finding). He literally had us sprint door to door and would run to catch up to people and talk to them! The man even stepped out in front of a moving car to get them to stop to talk to him… man, that is some serious drive right there. So we finally got home at 9 and I was exhausted so as soon as I finished making new teaching records, I went to bed haha.
Friday: The Assistant Elder had us running ALL DAY jumping IN FRONT OF CARS and knocking on people’s doors AFTER THEY SLAMMED THEM IN OUR FACES!!!! I’ve never met a missionary as intense as him… we didn’t even eat on Friday. I literally had an apple for breakfast and nothing else all day because he wouldn’t let us go to the apartment for anything. And when I had to use the bathroom? (called a washroom in Canada) he made me ask people ON THEIR DOORSTEPS if I could use it!!! I didn’t think I was going to make it, but some kind soul finally let me use his washroom haha. Sweet. We got back in at nine and it was the same deal except worse. We had found so many new investigators and taught so many people, I was doing paper work until 10:27. I didn’t even have time to change, so I slept in my slacks.
Saturday: We thought The Assistant Elder was leaving in the morning… but he spent the whole day with us again. Same deal, we ran everywhere, almost wet ourselves and had the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) called on us because we were being too bold with people on their doors (i.e. The Assistant Elder didn’t take no for an answer —haha). It was nuts. But—the Elder is also an amazing teacher, so he helped a LOT in lessons! We got our investigator and his whole family to commit to being baptized!!! They are super solid and I have no doubt that he can get baptized! Then the Assistant Elder finally left. I really do like him and he’s an amazing missionary (and that’s why he has been an Assistant for the last 8 months) but he’s a little too intense for my taste. Now watch me be his companion in the future haha…
Sunday: Great day! We had found so many people to teach, we had teaching appointments from 1-9:00 on Sunday. It was CRAZY!!! Again, we didn’t eat because we just didn’t have time. Our investigator and his whole family came to church too so that was awesome! (The 11-yr old we are trying to baptize was there too) but he was trying to hide from us because we had gone over with the Assistant Elder and we tried to get him to commit to being baptized and he just wouldn’t do it! Ahh! His whole family is on board now and it’s all up to him! So hopefully very soon we will baptize him.
Well that’s about it for the week! The Assistant exchange was nuts and Christmas was great and I saw a crazy amount of miracles this week I just don’t have time to mention them all. I’m out of time this week, but I just want you all to know that I love you, the Savior loves you, and your Father in Heaven loves you! Have a great week everyone!!!!!
–Elder Rushton The Third
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