Week 67 (Bakersfield 2nd)

Some sadness this week for the elders in the Bakersfield 2nd area - they have officially been declared a bike area! I'm not sure whether the car was taking too long to fix or other reasons, but now they have bikes. Elder Wood says at least it's better than walking! And since there is another companionship of elders nearby, they are often able to give them rides, especially for things like grocery shopping.

The bikes are apparently not of the highest quality (they belong to the mission and get moved around as needed). Elder Wood did some work on his but wasn't able to do everything. Apparently the bike is supposed to be a 21-speed (3 on the left, 7 on the right) but for some reason one of the shifts on the left doesn't work, so it's actually a 14-speed. He's missing the gears that let him go faster with less effort, which is too bad since he says the only hill in their area is the freeway overpass!

In news of some of their friends, Lupe is unfortunately still in the hospital, but apparently in a rehab program that is helping her. Their friend Isaiah, who they met last week, is still having great conversations with them, asking good questions and taking note. So they enjoy meeting with him about once a week. They also had someone this week who is apparently checking out different churches and wants to do a tour of the church building with the missionaries and learn a little more. They missed one appointment, but they're working to set up another one.

Elder Wood says not having a car makes everything move more slowly, since they can't cover as much ground, but they're doing well. They got to play Frisbee golf this week for their Preparation Day activity, since it's relatively warm outside and dry. He also filled his day with grocery shopping and a new haircut (maybe we'll get a picture sometime soon!)

The district after a Preparation Day activity (in the kitchen of the church building)

Bird photo #1

Bird photo #2 (maybe a woodpecker, he says)

Bird photo #3

Week 66 (Bakersfield 2nd)

There aren't as many updates this week, and almost no photos, because (and this is a quote) "Not much happens when you're on foot, everything takes longer". As you can gather from that, they are still without their car. Apparently it was just drivable enough to get to the mission office (which is in their area in Bakersfield) and from there to a repair shop. But they don't have any information on how long it will take to fix it, so for now they're walking everywhere, or getting rides when they can. Elder Wood says it's implied that the car will be getting fixed and coming back sometime, but also that there's been no news on whether he'll still be able to drive. They may judge him as a bad risk thanks to the accident (even if it wasn't his fault) and require his companion to drive instead. He'll know once the car is back!

There isn't really any news on any of their friends. Lupe is unfortunately still in the hospital recovering from her stroke. The couple whose home they dedicated responded to one text confirming that they're really happy and haven't had any concerns since. But they haven't responded to anything further, so maybe that was all they were interested in. The missionaries did meet Isaiah this week, who met some sister missionaries at a McDonald's somewhere nearby. Since he lives in their Bakersfield 2nd area, he was referred to them. Elder Wood appreciates the fact that he appears serious in his questions and even takes notes!

When I talked to him this morning, Elder Wood was at Wal-Mart grocery shopping, thanks to the other elders in their district who picked them up. After the shopping, they went back to their apartment to drop off those groceries, and then were heading to a nearby restaurant to have lunch as a district, followed by perhaps a board game back at the church building. There's always plenty to do on Preparation Day!

That was all of the updates I got this week, and since "all the good birds are at the park and we can't get to the park now" only a couple photos. Enjoy!

A bird in a tree

A bird on a water pipe/fountain (?)

Week 65 (Bakersfield 2nd)

Happy New Year from the great metropolis of Bakersfield! Elder Wood said they had to be back home by 7:00 on New Year's Eve to avoid any potential issues that evening. But, to lead with a spoiler alert, they didn't have a car on New Year's Eve anyway. That would be because they were involved in a car accident on Saturday evening. The good news is that nobody was hurt, the airbags didn't go off, and everything is fine. At least for the missionaries. Their car was not so fortunate (see photo below).

In more information on the accident, it was completely the other driver's fault. He drove straight through a stop sign and into the side of their car; another car nearby saw things happen and backed up their story. Additionally, the other driver was apparently in the middle of a DoorDash, but doesn't have a driver's license and speaks neither English nor Spanish. Elder Wood is still pretty sad, though. Partly because the lack of car means they're exclusively on foot for now. But mostly because this may mean that he loses his driving privileges, even though it wasn't his fault. He really enjoys being the driver (and, more importantly, not the one in charge of answering the phone).

In addition to car accidents, we did discuss other happenings. They're still working with several of their friends. Lupe, unfortunately, is back in the hospital after having another stroke. I thought maybe she was elderly, but he said no, she's in her 40s and has just had a lot of health issues. They did find some new friends when a couple contacted the missionaries asking whether someone could give them a blessing on their house, because apparently spooky things had been happening. Elder Wood and Elder Peterson were happy to dedicate the house for them, and additionally the wife asked them for a copy of the Book of Mormon and they were able to teach them a little.

This update is a bit long with a lot of events. Elder Wood has been wearing his trench coat sometimes now that it's cold enough (he likes his trench coat). And a member of his ward gifted him with a small stuffed llama in honor of the llama tie from Peru that Elder Wood wears most weeks. For Preparation Day this week, the district played chair soccer at the church, followed by a game. Elder Wood's Christmas gift, a two-player game called Splendor Duel, has been fun for him. I count it as a win that he says he's still struggling to figure out the best strategy.

The district after an activity

The crunched car

A bird photo (a duck) with a friend

Another bird photo - a hawk?

A nice photo of a bird (I believe in front of the pre-crunched car)

A funny grocery cart full of what were described as "necessary items"