Attacked by dogs

Whew, another P-day! Our Church building was built in the 1920's and is the oldest LDS Church building in Colorado. As such, it is really unique in its construction, and there is a labyrinth of tunnels and passages for maintenance underneath, including a coal chute where it is rumored that a hobo died long ago. Having keys, we missionaries decided it'd be fun to go exploring the tunnels. As I was inching through the dusty crawlspace, a familiar phrase entered my mind: "You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." I know, I'm a really old-school nerd.

Well, this week was pretty interesting. I had my first dog attack. We approached a very calm-looking house during tracting. There was a huge wooden fence around the perimeter, but we didn't notice any "Beware of Dog" sign, so after waiting a moment, entered, latching the gate behind us with its huge wooden bolt. When we got halfway across the giant lawn (these were affluent people), a small Toto-like canine came tearing out of the backyard, barking its brains out, but not exactly the most menacing mongrel you've seen; we were just about to turn around... when the Husky came out.

I realize that the Husky is not the biggest breed in the world, but when it's bolting at you, snarling and booming, it suddenly looks a lot like the Beast from the Sandlot.

It's funny how athletic a fairly sedentary nerd can be when properly motivated. I was tired, freezing, and my movements were hampered by 6 inches or more of heavy coat (it was 25 degrees), but in the blink of an eye, I had cleared 20 yards of ground, as well the 5 1/2 foot fence in a single bound and found myself lying on my back on the gravel outside the premises. My companion says it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

Another interesting incident that occurred this week was last night following a dinner appointment. We had been warned by a rather drunk but nice guy on Colfax to watch ourselves North of 35^th Avenue-- up near Stapleton because it was all dangerous gang turf. He was right. After the dinner appointment, we biked to a bus stop, and a guy followed us over there, yelling and screaming and cussing up a storm about how we were "fake" and "occultists." He told us if he ever saw us in his neighborhood again, he and his buddies would shoot/stab/maim/ whatever us.

The funny thing is, we have another dinner appointment at the same place tonight, so we'll see how it goes.

In better news, we have 2 great new investigators that I'm pretty hopeful for. They are pretty solid, and one has even accepted a baptismal invitation. I hope they continue being as solid as they are so far.

Well, that's about all for now. I know the Church is true. I took the promise in James 1:5 to heart, and I have definitely seen the blessings resulting therefrom. As a missionary and a servant of the Lord, I invite everyone to do the same, that is, to pray and ask God about the validity of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. I promise that God answers our prayers, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Keep up the good fight on the home front =)

--Elder Watkins