Elder Josh Needles Called to Serve: New area- Desto/Duncanville

Hey everyone!

So this week has been very eventful! I got transferred to Desoto Texas! It's been 100 percent completely different than Whitehouse and Bullard, but I'm enjoying the new people I'm meeting and trying to stay as positive as I can about it!

I'm probably the only white guy here. but for real though, I'm definitely in the minority haha. Black people are funny though and I'm having a good time meeting them and getting to know them. Sometimes the things they say and the way they say them make me laugh very hard! I almost started laughing in a prayer once because I just kept thinking about this lady who was telling us a story about when she was getting fried chicken and a man went around asking for a dollar from everyone to get fried chicken and he never got fried chicken. She was super mad he didn't hahaha. One lady walked in during the middle of a lesson this week and said "I feel how I look and my teeth are in my bra." I couldn't hold it in, I just started laughing. hahaha.

My new companion is Elder Smith! He's from New Zealand, so that's pretty cool! He's a cool guy and we get along well so that's good.

We cover the YSA branch in our stake so it's fun to be with younger people and have a good time. They're all very nice and I'm glad I get to cover a YSA branch.

I cover a place called Oak Cliff... If you haven't heard of it look it up! haha. There's a popular song here called "Oak Cliff That's My Hood." Also I looked it up and this is what some people have described it as:

located in Southwestern area of Dallas, TX (also known as The OC, O.C.T., and The Cliff). It's famous for it's regular local news coverage due to violent crimes and acts of poverty, but this is a huge misrepresentation. While there are parts of Oak Cliff where looking at the wrong person in the wrong way will get you beat up, stabbed, or shot, overall it's an okay place to live.

Only the crunkest part of Dallas!!! Also called the OC.

Oak Cliff is a place mixed with blacks and mexicans only about 5 white people out of the whole hood. Oak Cliff is also kwown for its violent crimes and a deep unemployment line. People in oak cliff are very easily disturbed so please do not look at anyone wrong

So yeah that's where I'm at :)

Hope everyone is well! Have a great week!

Josh

Bresee Family from Texas! Had lunch with Josh and his companion. Their son Justin is Josh's age and they were childhood friends. Justin is currently serving in Mexico. It was so awesome of them to take their Saturday afternoon to spend some time with Josh.