You'll get a kick out of this one. . .

We were finding , when my companion was kicking some dandylions. [He] can actually kick the heads off. I wanted to try so I go for a nice long one. I was just wearing the wrong shoes that day.

My shoe came right off my foot, flew high into the air and landed on some random roof. I was flabbergasted! Scare the kids!

I then proceeded to befriend a dog so I could get to the door. This dog, like most, was a very nice dog. I then proceeded to knock on the door. No one was home. There was no way up! We looked around for another 10 minutes and finally the guy came out of his house, and he was not happy. I told him why we were so persistant about knocking on his door, and he was almost joyful. He helped us get it down, by using a rope and a piece of wood. He was actually a very nice guy. He was not interested in hearing our message, but I know some day that guy will come lookin' for us. Anywho, random. I was very glad to have my shoe back.

This Bites

Elder McMurdie and I went out to do some more [finding]. There was one house with a ten foot gate! It had a sign on it saying: "beware of dog".

We see hundreds of these a day so I wasn't worried. My companion is terrified of dogs in general. So we both went to the gate and whistled. We tried to get this "dog" to come out. When there wasn't an answer I decided to go in.

I got halfway to the door when I heard heaps of barking coming from around the back of the house. The dog was loose. It came running around the corner barking mad. This has happened before, usually you can just hold still and the dog will stop in front of you. This dog must have been different. The Black Lab came right at me. As soon as I realized the dog wasn't going to stop, I turned to the side quickly. It missed my leg but ripped a small hole in my pants. I was then in a predicament. The dog was now between the gate and me.

I had two options: 1. Fight the dog 2. Try, beyond all hope, to get past the dog and out the gate (that is assuming my "terrified" companion had not already shut the gate on me, it happens all the time).

I chose option two. The dog, after biting me was weeling around to get me again. I do not know how, but I miraculously got past the dog. I ran full on for the gate. My companion was screaming: "hurry up, come on!". I barely squeezed through the gate right as my companion decided to close it. The dog happened to be right on my heels. He got the gate rightfully in the face. My companion calls it a "near death experience". I call it another day of being a missionary

Missionary Finding

This week was insane! This was the week that President Finnigan wanted us to do 1000 hours of finding as a mission. Elder McMurdie and I set a goal to get 24 hours. We ended up getting ~27 hours! On Tuesday, We started our morning off with exchanges. We took two young men from the ward here and did some serious door-knocking. That way we could get twice the hours in half the time!

Weird Experiences

We had 5 progressing investigators, 4 investigators at sacrament meeting, 3 New Investigators, 1 baptismal date set, and 26 1/2 hours of finding! That, my friends, is powerful. I am so blessed here in Napier. May the Lord bless you and the devil miss you.

New Zealand Elders

New Year: 6 Jan 2008

Well this last week has been awsome! We have three baptisms coming up! We just need one of them to stop smoking, and the other two to come to church every sunday (they have only missed one week). We are very excited here in Napier. This week is shifts. Which means we could go anywhere in the mission. I, being the man with the hook-ups, know what shifts are (I know where everyone is going). My companion, Elder Spendlove, is going to Christchurch (the third biggest city in New Zealand), there he will preside as a Zone Leader. I predicted this event happening. Elder Kumar (another elder in our district, from fiji)is also going to Christchurch. Sister Krok (a sister in our district, from Australia) is going to Levin. Sister Hatch is training another sister from Austrailia here in Napier. Elder McGrevy (Elder Kumar's companion) and I are staying put. So much for shifts. This last week was really powerful! Elder Spendlove and I are tearing Napier apart (that is good). We are having a hard time keeping up with our finding (we are supposed to do 10 hours a week). The reason for that is because we are so busy teaching people! I would rather teach than go finding any day. We are still in the process of teaching the family mission plan to the entire ward. My new companion and I will have to pick that up. There is a tremendous amount of work to do here, sometimes it feels a little overbearing. The members here are awsome they are so involved in the work. The family mission plan will help them get even more involved. We currently are getting 4 less-active families back to church! We are very excited for them. They are faithful people that have just slipped off the tracks. Two of them have just been offended by the members. I cannot express in words my heartfelt gratitude toward God. He has not just opened the windows of heaven over Napier. He has poured down countless blessings upon this people. I know this church is true. I now have a faith that cannot be broken. Being a missionary has shown me who I really am, or who God really wants me to be. I have seen my weaknesses and developed my strenths. I have been able to look into the eyes of many and testify to the truthfullness of this gospel. I love all of you. You all had a large part to play in helping me become who I am, a servant of God. I love you all, even if you don't e-mail me very often. -Elder Robert M Alexander-New Zealand Wellington Mission-P.O.Box 50448-Porirua, New Zealand