A Transfer And No More Bikes!

A transfer into a different area of Phoenix provided new opportunities.   Now in a car (that doesn't have chains...haha), Elder Blanky and his companion, Elder Carter, find new investigators to teach, have another baptism and find that study chairs are not as sturdy as they look.  Ok... it's Elder Blanky.   Do we need to say more??? 

Here is Elder Blanky at the Mama C's house for dinner... "She has like 7 dogs, some birds, a few chickens and a turkey at her house!  She is amazing!  I'm glad that there are people out here that love me so much."   Mama C. is the missionary's "ward mom" and has hammocks in her house... something that Elder Blanky has never tried before.  Yeah, looks like he is getting how to stay in it, huh?

Ha... The turkey. 

P-Day (the missionaries prep day) provides some time after grocery shopping and laundry, to put in a hike over the city.

Then, it's time to head back to the hacienda.

An excerpt from Elder Blanky:

"We are just continuing to work hard!  Elder Carter and I are seeing some very good improvements all across the board!  So I am really happy for that.  Our area covers a couple of hospitals and there are some nearby, so whenever someone contacts the mission home and asks for a blessing, our president always sends us to go since we have a car.  I hate to see people in pain and agony, but I know our presence puts them to ease and they really benefit from us being there to give them a blessing."

"Yesterday a man named J. just showed up to church and no one knew who he was.  So, we introduced ourselves and it turns out that he has been investigating for awhile and he wants to be baptized!  I am always in awe of how prepared people are!  So, we will be teaching him for the first time tonight and we'll go from there!"

The first baptism after arriving in the new area of Phoenix...

      A short stay for Elder Blanky... another transfer awaits.

                           "The Rez" is up next.  Stay tuned.

The Last Link..The Bicycle Chain

 A quick post to let you know that the "Bicycle Journey" has ended temporarily... So, Bike #4 went down for some kind of repair (under warranty, thank goodness!).  Then, they had to call the mission home to ask to borrow another bike for Elder Blanky until his had the new part.  Well, you can see what happened to Bike #5.  And Elder Blanky is not very happy about it!  Next call to the mission home had everyone rolling their eyes and the president requested Ryan to pack up in 24 hrs and move across town where he would be paired up with missionaries that had a car!  No more peddling for awhile...

An excerpt from Elder Blanky's letter:

"So, bike number 4, the bike that I bought from the mission office that was the nice one and had the warranty on it...... broke. The back wheel was starting to bend so I had to take it in so they could order the part. in the meantime I asked president if I could borrow a bike at the office until mine got fixed, and he said sure thing! ummm so the next day on halloween I was riding along and SNAPO goes the chain! hahahaha. I was so frustrated. President Sweeney called our zone leaders and was like " I don't know what to do with him anymore,he has broken so many bikes!" haha.  So he made the decision to swap me with an elder who was in a car. So I had one day to say goodbye to who ever I could and pack up everything and head over to Osborn ward where there is a car! I am now with Elder Carter.  He is a way cool guy and he will finish up my training!  So I don't know if I will ever bike again, but we shall see... I love the new ward so far, but it was hard leaving gateway and all the people I have gotten close to.  Oh well! the Lord has everything planned out for a reason!"

 He recently had dinner at a Tongan family's house, the Pulu's.  They made "Lapulu", which was a spinach and corned beef dinner.  He said that it was delicious.  He enjoyed his couple of months there, but the Lord has something else planned for him, evidently.  

It could be that he is supposed to ride in cars that don't have ample head room!  And glad to know that he still is eating healthy...

So, Elder Blanky heads into a new area to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   More interesting and uplifting experiences await.  More new friends and
NO MORE bicycle chains...  = )

The Bicycle Adventure

So, we have Elder Blanky finally on the plane for Arizona!  He is way excited to finally get to his home away from home for the next two years.  

After arriving in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, he must buy a bicycle quickly.  Elder Blanky decides to head to Wal-Mart.  The place of everyday great deals.

To Elder Blanky:  "Isn't that bike a little small?"

Response:  "The bike I got is so small...  haha.  Everyone who sees me just laughs and feels bad!  But, it's the biggest one I could find.  It gets me from point A to B.  My quads are getting a good work out at least!"

Hmmmm....

Mom didn't have to worry about him getting enough to eat once he was there.  Missionaries mostly cook for themselves.  Ryan is a pretty good cook in the kitchen.  So, no worries really.   But, he was treated to a fine meal (better than at home) by some LDS ward members...

Bacon wrapped dove, anyone????

From Elder Blanky:  

"So the other night we had dinner with the "S" family and we had trout, salmon, halibut, rockfish and one other fish I can't remember.  Those were all caught in Alaska a couple of months ago and they were so good!  Then Brother S. brought some elk steak and some bacon wrapped dove out!  Oh, those were amazing too..."   So, there you have it.  No more worries about him getting enough to eat!

What's with the hat, Elder Blanky???  Doesn't look like a "Chef's hat"...

 Oh, maybe in Arizona.

 Back to the Bicycle Adventure...

Bike #1 went back to Wal-Mart.  Then, Elder Blanky found a "big bike that works great for me" and bought Bike #2.  That great deal ended up like this...

So, a couple hundred bucks later... #2 goes to a bike shop, where Elder Blanky gives the following story.  "I broke the freak outta my bike.  I was so mad because it was sooo fast!  I felt really fat too because I broke the seat and bent it bad enough that it couldn't be repaired.  But, we took it to a nearby bike shop and the owner felt bad for my fat A, so he just gave me the biggest bike he had free of charge!"  What a nice guy with good intentions.   But for some reason, that bike only lasted a week or so and the hunt began again...  Next, #4.  Mom gets a phone call from Elder Blanky asking if he can purchase a new bike from the mission home.  Evidently, the mission president will sell him the best bike ever that will last two long years.  Ha.  We will see.  Still need a picture of that "perfect" bike.

So, there is the story of the missionary that was out for one month and went through three bikes and on a fourth... It has to be some kind of mission record.  In fact, he is well known around the mission now... That Elder Blanky!

On the missionary front, there have been a couple of baptisms in the first month out.  A great way to start a mission...  The Lord continues to bless Elder Blanky and his family beyond measure.  Now, hopefully, bike #4 too.

Missionary Training Center... Aug. 21, 2013

A couple of months have gone by, but better late than never.  So, what has been happening with the journey of Elder Ryan Blankenship's mission to Scottsdale Arizona?   Well, let's take you back to the MTC days.  Where it all began.  August 21, 2013... The fam heads off to the MTC in Provo, UT.  In less than two weeks, Elder Blanky will experience a quick, but thorough missionary training and be amazed at how fine tuned the missionary program really is... 

And enjoy the cafeteria food.  = )

Not missing us yet...

A quick photo session in front of the Provo Temple

The two minute drill (and that is no joke)... to say our final goodbyes.

Love the curbside service... They are off!!  = )

MTC District

Break Time

Preparation Day

Then, it's time to get some zzz's before the next day of lessons and training.

Stay tuned... Next up.  He arrives on da plane to a scorching 100 degree heat!