Satan got wrecked

Dear family,

I would like to base this email on a challenge that came from God for our mission between the dates of June first and June eleventh. The challenge was to find 1000 new Amis in the mission between those dates because they were the dates of the strikes here in France. Satan thought he had us good when the strikes started, but this is how we punched him straight in the kisser.

On Tuesday, elder Wilkey and I went tracting together because elder Pesnell got stuck at the church for about 7 hours doing branch affaires. It's a little bit of an interesting dynamic when your comp is in the branch presidency but we deal with it.

The next day seemed foreboding because of the endless tracting, but we were ready and willing! I didn't stop laughing all day basically. We were on exchange with elder Thangaraj who I love. The events most memorable events of the day included elder Pesnell stepping in poop, elder Pesnell getting peed on by a dog, and elder Pesnell getting pooped on by a bird. He was pretty done with this day and he answered a phone call. Me and elder Thangaraj went up to this gate overrun with weeds and vines. I went to walk away because it looked like no one lived there but the spirit told me otherwise. I pushed open the door and walked onto the porch. After I knocked I said to elder Thangaraj, "if we find someone here, I'll flip." As soon as I finished those words a 30ish year old man came to the door. He ended up asking us to come back and share our message. What a miracle!

On Thursday, we drove from Bastia to corte to end the exchange and get back elder Wilkey. Then we drove to Macinaggio to teach someone. Then down to luri to teach someone else. And then back to Bastia. I took a bunch of phone numbers to call people in the car in order to show my faith. Over about 6 hours of driving, I had no one really even answer the phone. I was a little discouraged. Anyway, the person in Macinaggio became a new investigator so that was number one for the day. At the end of the day, we knocked on 5 doors and got 3 new investigators! Bam! Satan got jacked up.

On Friday a guy that knew elder Wilkeys brother took us to lunch and dropped €107. It was really nice and I'm so great full. We did a lot of finding that day and got 4 new investigators. Bam. Satan RekD. We finished the night at the home of a partial member family and we taught a ton to the kids. The mom sings primary songs with them and they showed us that they had it memorized. They are such a great family.

On Saturday we found three new investigators. Bam. Satan got bodied. We ate in the evening with an atheist couple that loves us. They are vegan and they fed us some good food. They are really cool. It was just a normal night with some normal people which was actually pretty odd.

In Sunday we ran church because our branch Prez wasn't there. Then we did some work.

We ended the challenge by finding 13 new investigators which is pretty much unthinkable here on Corsica. But, we did it. I pray that they will be able to learn of Jesus and come to him.

Love,
Elder Marshall Underwood

Subject

Hello!

Not a ton of things to share this week but I'll do my best.

On Monday night we had a meeting with a part member family. She cancelled it and I was pretty mad. However, I felt like there was someone that needed to be found that day. Well, we went to work and found him! He is a baker that was really interested in what we had to say to him. There's a miracle!

Tuesday was packed full of rendezvous and driving. We got to see a few people and teach them. You know, normal stuff. That night we had the chance to meet with that part member family and it went really well. We played a board game and ate pizza and the boys asked a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon. I was surprised by how much they know.

We got a lot of Corsican sausages while knocking doors on Wednesday.

Thursday was a great day. I got a priesthood blessing that was specifically powerful. I received a lot of answers that I was hoping for. I'm so grateful for the spirit that speaks to our souls.

Just one more story to tell. We opened one of our investigators gates and the dog ran out. We ended up chasing this dog through a Corsican forest but lost it. I was scarred for what she would think when I told her that her dog was lost in the mountain. I walked back to her house with elder Wilkey and elder Pesnell to tell her. However, right then, from the other side of the street, we saw the dog coming back. I don't know how that dog teleported like that but it was amazing.

Overall, I'm having a really good time here with elder Wilkey and elder Pesnell. Sometimes it's hard because we are relatively young but we work hard and these guys are great friends.

Love,
Elder Marshall Underwood

Elder Wilkey had to go to the hospital and it was the grossest place ever

Monsters

Our week started with a long tracting session. Now let me tell you, I have had a lot of these long sessions but this one was one of the most enjoyable that I have ever had. One lady answered the door and immediately yelled, "JOSEPH?!" She was a little disappointed when I was not her nephew that she hasn't seen in years. She said I look just like him. I was really confused but I pulled my crap together and we gave her a Book of Mormon at the end! From that neighborhood, however, we went and tracked a building and literally everyone hated us.

We were lucky enough to find another neighborhood that also hated us. It was quickly dubbed our favorite neighborhood. We left there and started another neighborhood and I was convinced I would see a miracle. I did. A dog came out of this gate and started following us. I walked past one house because I had no clue where the front door was and, when I arrived at the next house, I learned what it means to have a stupor of thought. I actually then followed the dog back to the house that I skipped and the lady opened her window and quickly said she wasn't interested. To make a long story short, after that, we ended up teaching her a lesson and setting a return appointment.

Turns out that the return appointment was a service appointment and it happened on Wednesday. We were pooper scoopers for about 2 hours for her horses and it was a good time. I was feeling pretty good and we went to go pass by a guy that we met a few days earlier. He set a reluctant rendez-vous with us and so I didn't think it was going to work out. However, he let us in straightaway and he was really interested in the Book of Mormon! He's going to start reading because he knows that if its true, it's pretty important to know.

On Thursday we held a district meeting by skype and it was fun. We had a really good discussion and set a goal to hand out 42 book of Mormons by the end of this transfer. Later that day, we got let in by some jehovas witnesses. They were very nice and I challenged the two boys to a soccer match. I don't think they wanted to. Probably because they know that they would lose.

I got a cedrat-citron hybrid. It looks like a giant lemon and I made good juice.

On Sunday we had a branch conference so we had some people there from the stake. It was a really good time. I almost forgot what it is like to have a room fun of people all singing a hymn. How quick I am to forget the spirit that comes in to those meetings.

All in all, great week. Love you much.

Love,
Elder Marshall Underwood

 Branch Lunch

 Branch Counsel 

 Some Branch members

Give Him The Spirit to Soften Hearts of Stone

Hiyo,

This week I hit nine months and I don't know where the time is going. It's kind of weird.

But other than that this week was a blast! I got to go on a exchange with Elder Otteson and Elder Thangaraj down in Ajaccio. Elder Otteson is an amazing elder so I learned a ton and elder Thangaraj is just the biggest bro on the planet so we had a good time together. That exchange lasted from Wednesday until Friday. That was great because I got to see Sylvia and Noel and Mary rose, which were all people that I have heard a ton about but that I have never met. I got to eat a Mary rose cake and it was delicious. Basically, the Ajaccio sector is on fire and we invited someone to be baptized down there. Elder Thangaraj also got a shirt from off the back of a guy. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he refused not to give us something back so he just took off his shirt (which was pretty dang cool) and gave it to elder Thangaraj.

On Friday we had a zone training. It's kind of weird because we Skype in so it feels really separated but it is ok. During zone training, the vendassis talked way to much haha. They had to comment on everything.

The most important things about this week are the things that I learned. First of all, I learned that I hate talking to people that literally don't want to listen to a word you say. I spat the quickest French just to keep up with this guy and he still didn't listen to me. I then found a lot more patience for the rest of the day. Also, lately, we have been having doors get opened to us and usually the first sentence out of the persons mouth is "no thank you, bye." And then a couple minutes later I find them asking a question and me answering it with a story from the Book of Mormon. It's amazing to see the spirits way of softening hearts. We taught a lot of lessons this week from the Book of Mormon because everyone has a question, you just have to find it. The last thing I have noticed is that my attitude for missionary work has changed. It used to be just something that I would do for 2 years and then go back to real life. But sometime (I don't know when) I subconsciously decided that this was just my life and it changed everything. There's no more reluctance or fear, just faith.

All in all, great week right?

Love,
Elder Marshall Underwood

Elder Hansen's Homecoming

Cole and I were able to attend Elder Hansen's homecoming in Kaysville, UT.

Stanky Leg

Well, on Monday we caught the boat back to Bastia and it was fun. Some guy on the boat got mad at us because we don't give our money to the poor instead of using it on a plane ticket to Europe. He didn't realize that missionaries are not rich. But that's okay. We got into our room and I ran into the bathroom. When I came out I said, "I hope you didn't have to use the bathroom elder Wilkey. You can only flush once." He didn't believe me and just went anyway.

Since elder Pesnell is in the branch presidency, he got stuck at church all day Tuesday and elder Wilkey and I went and knocked on some doors. We ended up teaching some people so it was a good time.

At zone training last transfer, president promised us that if we role played using the Book of Mormon in our contacts, we would have opportunities to use them during the day. This week it totally worked! I got to share Alma 32 with a lady but she didn't end up inviting us in but it was still a good time. That same day we knocked a door and watched a bear walk around the corner making the lowest growl I've ever heard that shook me to the core. The man answered the door confused and said "the dog let you in? That's surprising!" And then all of the sudden the dog turned into a giant teddy bear and just wanted us to pet it. This further confused the man and he left. The next door, a lady answered and jumped out of her socks. She yelled "what happened?" Like we Erie the police coming to tell her a loved one had died. That conversation didn't go anywhere. Later it started to rain really hard and elder Pesnell said "I'm staying here until I get one more conversation!" We didn't. All we got was really wet.

Elder Pesnell lost the phone and we had to look for it for a long time. Someone ended up finding it and they stuck it in our mailbox.

On Saturday we went to a catholic mass because someone that we knew was getting confirmed. It was a great experience but I was so confused for the most part. I can't believe that I haven't been to a catholic mass before my mission.

We saw the Hansen family who came back to visit and they are awesome. I forgot how much I love to hear little kids pray. I haven't heard it for a long time. Papa Hansen gave a talk in church and it was really powerful. It's hard for me to connect emotion to French because sometimes the words just don't mean anything.

On Sunday I was really determined to find someone. I ran up the stairs to to ladies house and knocked on the door. She came out and I just said "are you sylvie" because I had seen her name on the door and she said yes. After some other random elder underwood phrases, I made her laugh and she said "do you want to come in?" And then we taught her and we will go back again next week. She's really nice and she committed to start praying again. Little miracles like this happen all of the time.

Love you very much,
Elder Marshall Underwood

 Elder Underwood, church member, Elder Hanson, Elder Pesnell, Elder Wilkey

Hansen family picking up their son and visiting the mission

 ALL WET!

A Couple Surprises on Sunday

This is a message from mom - Carey Underwood. It was a fabulous Sunday. I woke up and when I turned on my phone - I had a message from Elder Hansen's family. They went to pick up their missionary and tour his mission. Today they were with Elder Underwood.

This afternoon, we got to go to Elder Berry's homecoming. What a joy it was to listen to this fine young man. He and Elder Underwood will be life long friends. He had on very nice French suit and shoes.