Fight on the Bus

Hey All!!

How's it going?! It sounds like you all had a good week in the west. I did get the package from you all so thank you for that! And I got the shipping label from you all so I will be putting a box together and then I will start shipping my stuff home! (Never thought I would get to this point.. Haha)

This week has been just as good as the rest. Haha I feel like I tell you all the same stuff each week so hopefully I don't bore you with my weekly info.. Butttttt Baltimore again this week has proven itself to be the most wild city in America. Haha in just 4 months I've seen a lot and I always tell myself that u have seen almost anything after serving in Baltimore.. But then I see something else on the streets and I'm surprised once more. Haha just when I think I have seen everything, I see more and I become more shocked with how wild it is. It is CRAZY. I feel like I'm walking in a third world country sometimes when I am walking in Baltimore. Haha I love it though. Good stories for my future fam ;)

This week we had Zone Conference with President Mutombo! It never ceases to amaze me how much faith this man has. He has taught me so many things in the last year that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I am so grateful for that! It's also hard to believe that I only have one more Zone Conference left on my mission and I'm done. Usually every missionary that is going home will give a departing testimony in front of the whole zone when it's the missionaries last zone conference. For the last 2 years I have watched ALL the missionaries that I have known and served with give their departing testimony and I always thought to myself about how far away my turn was! But boom.. Next transfer I will be the missionary giving my departing testimony before I finish my mission. Time flies when you are having fun. Haha

Elder Beus and I almost got in a fight on the bus.. Except it wouldn't have been much of a fight because they tell missionaries not to retaliate in any way.. So this man who did 19 years in the New York state prison would have been pounding the crap out of two white boys and we would have just been sitting there taking a beating. Haha no worries though, no punches were thrown, and no one was hit. But this guy was ticked off at something and I seemed to be the closest target to yell at. Anyways prior to this incident I got on the bus and the bus was so packed that I had no where to sit down. After a few stops enough people had gotten off the bus and I saw an open seat WAYYYYY in the back of the bus next to this big guy in a white tank top and a flat brim hat. I go and sit down and just mind my own business. About 30 seconds after I sit down this big guy's looks at me and boy... He looked mean. Haha like prison mean. And when he looked at me all he says is this: "Boy, I did 19 years in the New York Prison" (Imagine a Baltimore ghetto man voice when you read that quote.) haha my eyes got pretty big and I looked at elder Beus and just sat in silence with a concerned look on my face. Haha Like.. Who says that to start off a conversation with someone you don't know?! Anyways as we were riding the bus this dude literally starts screaming at me and this other dude who said nothing to him. We didn't have any idea what he was screaming at us about.. But the gist of the screaming contained about 10,000 F-Words, 100 violent threats, and about 1000 times of telling us he served 19 years in the New York State Prison.. He then started yelling that "White guys" are trying take over all the black people in the city. I look around me and realize that my companion and I are the only white guys on the Flippin bus. At this point I actually started worrying about him punching me because I was in perfect range for him to knock my teeth out. Haha so I quickly got to the front of the bus and sat by my companion who had found a seat earlier up front. My companion is sneaky and actually got a video of this guy screaming at us.. It was crazy. Haha but the video is fun to watch. Good times in the City!

This week we have been trying to work a lot more with our friend Herman who was at one point on date to be baptized.. But he isn't anymore. He is having some struggles and we are currently trying to help him out with those, he is so sweet though! He seriously looks like a mini Shaquille O'Neal.. Herman is like 6'7" and well over 300lbs. Haha he is a big boy and I wouldn't be scared anywhere in Baltimore if he walked around the streets with us. Haha

Other than these things our week has been pretty basic. Finding, teaching, and meetings! Thanks for the love and support. I love and miss you!

Love, Elder Welling!