Tuesday, December 29, 2015
pictures
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!! YES YES YES!!!!!
As you might have guessed. It finally snowed here. YES! Last night it snowed probably half a foot. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!! NOW... It's Christmas. Christmas was great though. I very much enjoyed talking with you all. 40 minutes is really nothing. But I LOVE all the presents. I've already sight read all the music perfectly ;) and you can see in my pictures that I've already decorated my wall with the flags, I set up my Spice Rack, and with the Tim Horton's card from the Allred Family, I bought myself a Tim Hortons plastic mug, original mug, a can of Hot Chocolate, and a bag of Coffee (which I chucked, it all came in a package). On top of that, I received many Hispanic scarves (Ecuador y Bolivia) and lots of chocolate!!! Also, after our Skype call, we had dinner with two other families, and to our surprise, both the fathers in the families were celebrating their Birthdays. It was very coincidental, but very fun. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm sorry you guys have to miss my cooking for New Years, but for this New Years Eve we're celebrating with Fudge, Sweet Potato Souffle, Cashew Chicken, and more. Sadly we have to be in our apartments at 6 because people get extra crazy for New Years here. And Toronto extra crazy is BAD.
The Christmas Newsletter is Fantastic. I did not know that Skyler picked his major, and good luck Logan, I'm gettin' lots o' practice here. Including with the Organ (so feet playing, BRING IT). And when did I call myself a "triple threat?" :} School sounds intense, Mom, Bueno Suerte (Good Luck).
So this week was pretty unsuccessful because supposedly no one wants to meet with the missionaries around Christmas time, or come to church after Christmas. :( So not a lot happened. We're still working hard though (ex. Tracting in -15 degree wind :) and we're still hoping for the baptism this January 6th. FINGERS CROSSED!!
One thing that happened last night that really made me think was my experience with the snow. I looked out the window and I saw the snow and I thought "Am I really excited about the snow or have I just talking myself up this whole time saying that snow's great??" But when we stepped outside, "Oh what rapture filled my bosom." ;) I really realized that we all have little personal things in life that really bring us such Great Joy. For some people it's snow, for others it's cookies and milk, or the sound of bells. Whatever it is, we tend to take such little things for granted. My challenge to all of you is not only to recognize those things in life, but to take time to cherish in them and really enjoy them. God has given us these tender mercies in life to make our sometimes stressful, busy lives a little bit easier. We just need to take time for these things. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and found things that Truly brought joy into your life. I love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
As you might have guessed. It finally snowed here. YES! Last night it snowed probably half a foot. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!! NOW... It's Christmas. Christmas was great though. I very much enjoyed talking with you all. 40 minutes is really nothing. But I LOVE all the presents. I've already sight read all the music perfectly ;) and you can see in my pictures that I've already decorated my wall with the flags, I set up my Spice Rack, and with the Tim Horton's card from the Allred Family, I bought myself a Tim Hortons plastic mug, original mug, a can of Hot Chocolate, and a bag of Coffee (which I chucked, it all came in a package). On top of that, I received many Hispanic scarves (Ecuador y Bolivia) and lots of chocolate!!! Also, after our Skype call, we had dinner with two other families, and to our surprise, both the fathers in the families were celebrating their Birthdays. It was very coincidental, but very fun. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm sorry you guys have to miss my cooking for New Years, but for this New Years Eve we're celebrating with Fudge, Sweet Potato Souffle, Cashew Chicken, and more. Sadly we have to be in our apartments at 6 because people get extra crazy for New Years here. And Toronto extra crazy is BAD.
The Christmas Newsletter is Fantastic. I did not know that Skyler picked his major, and good luck Logan, I'm gettin' lots o' practice here. Including with the Organ (so feet playing, BRING IT). And when did I call myself a "triple threat?" :} School sounds intense, Mom, Bueno Suerte (Good Luck).
So this week was pretty unsuccessful because supposedly no one wants to meet with the missionaries around Christmas time, or come to church after Christmas. :( So not a lot happened. We're still working hard though (ex. Tracting in -15 degree wind :) and we're still hoping for the baptism this January 6th. FINGERS CROSSED!!
One thing that happened last night that really made me think was my experience with the snow. I looked out the window and I saw the snow and I thought "Am I really excited about the snow or have I just talking myself up this whole time saying that snow's great??" But when we stepped outside, "Oh what rapture filled my bosom." ;) I really realized that we all have little personal things in life that really bring us such Great Joy. For some people it's snow, for others it's cookies and milk, or the sound of bells. Whatever it is, we tend to take such little things for granted. My challenge to all of you is not only to recognize those things in life, but to take time to cherish in them and really enjoy them. God has given us these tender mercies in life to make our sometimes stressful, busy lives a little bit easier. We just need to take time for these things. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and found things that Truly brought joy into your life. I love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
FELIZ NAVIDAD A TODOS!!!!
Um, no. We probably aren't going to have snow for Christmas. :( Super sad, but I'll get over it. I'M SO PUMPED TO TALK WITH YOU ALL!!!!!!!! So put it in your calendars 2 o'clock is when we're going to do it. I repeat 2:00 A.M. No, just kidding. Even though I know Logan will be up at that time. 2:00 P.M. is when I will be able to Skype with you all. And I'm bringing all my presents to open with you all. And let me tell you, I've gotten more than I expected. A bunch of members from my ward, and the English Ward gave us presents (because we helped with the Pageant). Also, Kimmy (member friend), the Allreds, Parkers, President Clayton, etc. have given me letters/presents. They're all under our mini tree. I get to go caroling this Wednesday with our Zone. They went caroling last Saturday, but we weren't able to go because we had our Ward Christmas Dinner. :( But, we're going again. I'm super excited. Thank you for all the recipes, we're definitely going to enjoy those this week.
I'm so glad you want peace on Earth Sophie, and beanie boos. I can tell you that you'll probably get one of those. ;) I love you too Sophie. And thanks a lot Micah. You know, I’d actually be jealous of you seeing Star Wars…if I really cared!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha jokes on you. I'm baptizing people!! almost. Dang it Skyler. Now, I'm all pumped to open my package. We'll see.
This week has been a very different one. Lots of Christmas Partying. Last Monday, we went to the Senior Companion Christmas Party because I was asked to play, which was super fun. And then last Friday, we helped with a Nativity Pageant last Friday, and we had our Ward Dinner last Saturday. The Nativity Pageant was a crazy good experience. We were originally going to be Centurions for it (or the soldiers that came and collected the taxes from the people), but then we were asked the night before (during rehearsal) if we could be the Spotlight guys. So we got up on an unstable tower, with the freezing wind blowing, and then we held these metal lights with our bare hands. IT WAS FREEZING!! I was legitimately afraid of getting frostbite. It was awesome!! The next night, we did the actual Pageant and it was SO GOOD!! I got a head set and a walkie talkie and for the first time in my life, I was a techie, not an actor. It was a strange feeling. Before the performance, it snowed for like ten minutes then stopped and melted. But it was good while it lasted. :) We performed the Pageant twice and we had real sheep, a donkey, a llama, costumes, free cookies and hot chocolate afterwards. It was fantastic!!! Also, the next night,during our ward dinner, we sang Noche de Luz (Silent Night) and Feliz Navidad with the Villavicencio Family (Member Family) and a few other youth. It was super fun. Other than that, this week we've found many new people to teach and are helping many others progress in the Gospel. Lots of Success!!
Of course, since Christmas is this Friday, I'm going to talk a little about the lost book of Lehi and how it applies to our lives. JUST KIDDING!!!! One thing that I've found throughout my life, is that as hard as you try, you find little happiness celebrating alone. You find true joy by celebrating with the people around you. Many missionaries have problems with home sickness, and yes, it is very hard to leave your family for two years; but, I personally have found a second family on my mission. And that family is with the members of the ward I'm serving in. We've had three familys invite us over for Christmas this Friday. And I've already shared so many incredible Christmas experiences with the people in this ward. Through this, I've learned that no matter where you are, if you reach out to those around you, and make your own memories with them, you will find happiness. So this Christmas, don't focus on those that you'll be missing, focus on those that you have with you RIGHT NOW. LIVE and MAKE MEMORIES WITH THEM. Life is too good to focus on the things you can't have. So start focusing on the things you DO have. I love you all and I miss you, but I shouldn't focus on that. ;) I wish you all A MERRY CHRISTMAS y UN FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!
Um, no. We probably aren't going to have snow for Christmas. :( Super sad, but I'll get over it. I'M SO PUMPED TO TALK WITH YOU ALL!!!!!!!! So put it in your calendars 2 o'clock is when we're going to do it. I repeat 2:00 A.M. No, just kidding. Even though I know Logan will be up at that time. 2:00 P.M. is when I will be able to Skype with you all. And I'm bringing all my presents to open with you all. And let me tell you, I've gotten more than I expected. A bunch of members from my ward, and the English Ward gave us presents (because we helped with the Pageant). Also, Kimmy (member friend), the Allreds, Parkers, President Clayton, etc. have given me letters/presents. They're all under our mini tree. I get to go caroling this Wednesday with our Zone. They went caroling last Saturday, but we weren't able to go because we had our Ward Christmas Dinner. :( But, we're going again. I'm super excited. Thank you for all the recipes, we're definitely going to enjoy those this week.
I'm so glad you want peace on Earth Sophie, and beanie boos. I can tell you that you'll probably get one of those. ;) I love you too Sophie. And thanks a lot Micah. You know, I’d actually be jealous of you seeing Star Wars…if I really cared!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha jokes on you. I'm baptizing people!! almost. Dang it Skyler. Now, I'm all pumped to open my package. We'll see.
This week has been a very different one. Lots of Christmas Partying. Last Monday, we went to the Senior Companion Christmas Party because I was asked to play, which was super fun. And then last Friday, we helped with a Nativity Pageant last Friday, and we had our Ward Dinner last Saturday. The Nativity Pageant was a crazy good experience. We were originally going to be Centurions for it (or the soldiers that came and collected the taxes from the people), but then we were asked the night before (during rehearsal) if we could be the Spotlight guys. So we got up on an unstable tower, with the freezing wind blowing, and then we held these metal lights with our bare hands. IT WAS FREEZING!! I was legitimately afraid of getting frostbite. It was awesome!! The next night, we did the actual Pageant and it was SO GOOD!! I got a head set and a walkie talkie and for the first time in my life, I was a techie, not an actor. It was a strange feeling. Before the performance, it snowed for like ten minutes then stopped and melted. But it was good while it lasted. :) We performed the Pageant twice and we had real sheep, a donkey, a llama, costumes, free cookies and hot chocolate afterwards. It was fantastic!!! Also, the next night,during our ward dinner, we sang Noche de Luz (Silent Night) and Feliz Navidad with the Villavicencio Family (Member Family) and a few other youth. It was super fun. Other than that, this week we've found many new people to teach and are helping many others progress in the Gospel. Lots of Success!!
Of course, since Christmas is this Friday, I'm going to talk a little about the lost book of Lehi and how it applies to our lives. JUST KIDDING!!!! One thing that I've found throughout my life, is that as hard as you try, you find little happiness celebrating alone. You find true joy by celebrating with the people around you. Many missionaries have problems with home sickness, and yes, it is very hard to leave your family for two years; but, I personally have found a second family on my mission. And that family is with the members of the ward I'm serving in. We've had three familys invite us over for Christmas this Friday. And I've already shared so many incredible Christmas experiences with the people in this ward. Through this, I've learned that no matter where you are, if you reach out to those around you, and make your own memories with them, you will find happiness. So this Christmas, don't focus on those that you'll be missing, focus on those that you have with you RIGHT NOW. LIVE and MAKE MEMORIES WITH THEM. Life is too good to focus on the things you can't have. So start focusing on the things you DO have. I love you all and I miss you, but I shouldn't focus on that. ;) I wish you all A MERRY CHRISTMAS y UN FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!
EXCEPT IN CAAAANNNNAAADDDAAAA!!
THERE MAY BE TREES IN SOME HOTELS!!!
BUT NO O O SNOW HAS FELL!!!
AND IT'S BEEN RAINING ALL DAY AND IT KIND OF STINKS!!!
But I have hope. And yes. Abigail FINALLY emailed me and told me she's here. I also wished that she had waited until I saw her, because I honestly don't know how I'd react. I'd probably collapse and go into a coma. Man! I wish I could recite from memory The Living Christ, and I'm older than seven!! I hope you all performed well at the Stake Devotional.
Yeah, this week has been CRAZY musically filled for me. Last Thursday, we had our Zone Conference and every Zone (I believe there was four) had to perform two separate pieces. And of course, I played the piano for ours. And on top of that, I played the piano for the prelude and I think for like five congregational hymns. And at one point, everyone moved into the Gymnasium and they assigned parts for the 12 Days of Christmas. I got assigned...wait for...the PIANO PART!!! Of course. It was SO fun. I rocked out on that little piano while everyone sang the song. And then, after that, we went back into the chapel and sang "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." They asked me and one other Elder to play a little duet accompaniment for it and honestly, by the 5th verse, we were flying on that piano. I was playing the top half of the keyboard and he was playing the bottom half (that's the best way I can describe it). IT WAS SO MAGICAL!!!!! I haven't played like that in YEARS!!!! Christmas Spirit is real. Amen. And yes Mom, I did receive the Christmas package there. I'm waiting to open it when I Skype you all. Later that day, we were supposed to do our "gig" with the member family I was talking about, but we showed up late, and then they showed up later than us, and then the lady running the "gig" scheduled us way earlier, so we missed it. :( But we did perform a piece we were working on last Sunday in Sacrament and we're going to be performing a lot more at Sacraments, Christmas Dinners, Caroling, etc. Also, last week, I played at some random persons Wedding. Her Uncle was a member and they wanted to do the wedding at our church building, so I filled in. I completely winged the Wedding March. And it Worked!!! And later THAT day, I played at the Relief Society Christmas Party. And then last night, I was asked to play the Organ at a funeral!! But that one's out of my area, so I might not be doing that one. Oh yeah! and tonight I'm playing at the Senior Missionary Party! Holy Smokes!!! Sorry Logan, I had to one up you. Heh, more like 100 up you. But you'll find that once the word's out, there's no bringing it back in. ;)
On top of that, this week has been a wonderful one. Today, we went to Costco and I GOT MY COSTCO CARD. Best Christmas Gift Ever. We went ham on shopping today. Don't worry, we spent less than 200 dollars. But only a little less. :} And than later today, my zone went and got all you can eat sushi. Supposedly someone ordered a LOT more than they could handle. So we were pounding that fish, so hard that I puked. Yep. I puked at sushi restaurant today. I felt it coming so I grabbed a pitcher and turned away from all the Sister Missionaries. It was quick and clean, and then I ran to the bathroom and washed the pitcher out, then I went back and ate more. :) Quick question, have you guys watched the Christmas videos on christmas.mormon.org. So number 10 I believe is Maddy Wilson. Guess what?? I'm friends with that girl. She went to Salem Hills. It was crazy when I saw her on there. Other than that, this week was full of work and no snow. But I have faith that it'll get better.
Like I was saying before. When people find out about your talents, you can't hide them, and you shouldn't. Every time I play for somebody they're always like "Oh thank you so much" and I'm like "Eh, no big deal." And sometimes, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but we don't realize how many lives we're blessing when we share our talents. We have the opportunity to change lives just by doing something that seems really easy to us. So SHARE YOUR TALENTS. Don't hide them. We all know the story about the man who hid his talent, and I'm pretty sure he didn't change anyone's life by doing that, except his own, for the worse. So don't be scared to tell people that you can sing, or do a back flip, or draw, or play an instrument. Because you don't know how many lives you can change through your talents. I love you all and hope that you're enjoying the weather more than I am. ;)
EXCEPT IN CAAAANNNNAAADDDAAAA!!
THERE MAY BE TREES IN SOME HOTELS!!!
BUT NO O O SNOW HAS FELL!!!
AND IT'S BEEN RAINING ALL DAY AND IT KIND OF STINKS!!!
But I have hope. And yes. Abigail FINALLY emailed me and told me she's here. I also wished that she had waited until I saw her, because I honestly don't know how I'd react. I'd probably collapse and go into a coma. Man! I wish I could recite from memory The Living Christ, and I'm older than seven!! I hope you all performed well at the Stake Devotional.
Yeah, this week has been CRAZY musically filled for me. Last Thursday, we had our Zone Conference and every Zone (I believe there was four) had to perform two separate pieces. And of course, I played the piano for ours. And on top of that, I played the piano for the prelude and I think for like five congregational hymns. And at one point, everyone moved into the Gymnasium and they assigned parts for the 12 Days of Christmas. I got assigned...wait for...the PIANO PART!!! Of course. It was SO fun. I rocked out on that little piano while everyone sang the song. And then, after that, we went back into the chapel and sang "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." They asked me and one other Elder to play a little duet accompaniment for it and honestly, by the 5th verse, we were flying on that piano. I was playing the top half of the keyboard and he was playing the bottom half (that's the best way I can describe it). IT WAS SO MAGICAL!!!!! I haven't played like that in YEARS!!!! Christmas Spirit is real. Amen. And yes Mom, I did receive the Christmas package there. I'm waiting to open it when I Skype you all. Later that day, we were supposed to do our "gig" with the member family I was talking about, but we showed up late, and then they showed up later than us, and then the lady running the "gig" scheduled us way earlier, so we missed it. :( But we did perform a piece we were working on last Sunday in Sacrament and we're going to be performing a lot more at Sacraments, Christmas Dinners, Caroling, etc. Also, last week, I played at some random persons Wedding. Her Uncle was a member and they wanted to do the wedding at our church building, so I filled in. I completely winged the Wedding March. And it Worked!!! And later THAT day, I played at the Relief Society Christmas Party. And then last night, I was asked to play the Organ at a funeral!! But that one's out of my area, so I might not be doing that one. Oh yeah! and tonight I'm playing at the Senior Missionary Party! Holy Smokes!!! Sorry Logan, I had to one up you. Heh, more like 100 up you. But you'll find that once the word's out, there's no bringing it back in. ;)
On top of that, this week has been a wonderful one. Today, we went to Costco and I GOT MY COSTCO CARD. Best Christmas Gift Ever. We went ham on shopping today. Don't worry, we spent less than 200 dollars. But only a little less. :} And than later today, my zone went and got all you can eat sushi. Supposedly someone ordered a LOT more than they could handle. So we were pounding that fish, so hard that I puked. Yep. I puked at sushi restaurant today. I felt it coming so I grabbed a pitcher and turned away from all the Sister Missionaries. It was quick and clean, and then I ran to the bathroom and washed the pitcher out, then I went back and ate more. :) Quick question, have you guys watched the Christmas videos on christmas.mormon.org. So number 10 I believe is Maddy Wilson. Guess what?? I'm friends with that girl. She went to Salem Hills. It was crazy when I saw her on there. Other than that, this week was full of work and no snow. But I have faith that it'll get better.
Like I was saying before. When people find out about your talents, you can't hide them, and you shouldn't. Every time I play for somebody they're always like "Oh thank you so much" and I'm like "Eh, no big deal." And sometimes, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but we don't realize how many lives we're blessing when we share our talents. We have the opportunity to change lives just by doing something that seems really easy to us. So SHARE YOUR TALENTS. Don't hide them. We all know the story about the man who hid his talent, and I'm pretty sure he didn't change anyone's life by doing that, except his own, for the worse. So don't be scared to tell people that you can sing, or do a back flip, or draw, or play an instrument. Because you don't know how many lives you can change through your talents. I love you all and hope that you're enjoying the weather more than I am. ;)
Monday, December 7, 2015
Yeah! That's the Christmas Spirit. Throwing Up!!
I'm sorry. You guys probably didn't laugh at that. But I did. |D The Alex Boye one was good. Did you watch the crazy couple family one?? Ha, they're weird. I really liked the one with the girl singing opera, because A. I love opera and B. Holy Crap she's like 15, or less, I don't know. Music really brings in the Christmas Spirit, but I'll talk more about that later. To answer your question Mom, No. I do not have a chord for my camera. My trainer had a memory card to USB converter, but he's gone now so...yeah. Haha. Surprise, I was at your ward last week even though you weren't. Sorry you guys missed me, the talks were really good. ;) Sup Micah. It's fun being a Missionary and everything else. As a missionary, I've passed the Sacrament once. It was super fun. Well, love you bruski. Ciao. I'm doing well Sophie. How are you?? That's good. Your field trips sound awesome. I remember going to Christmas Around the World at BYU. It was super cool right?? What was your favorite thing about it?? Mine too. What?? Hermione's not supposed to die?? She's supposed to marry Ron. Fred was supposed to die. Sad stuff. I'm glad you got to perform for the party. I LOVE playing musical instruments. I'm sorry the week sucked Logan. Go do something fun and sporadic. Like...hmm...go have a High School Musical Marathon, or try to deep fry ice cream, or go streak the Football Field. What?? Who said that?? That's a terrible idea. Who in the world would do that?? Just do something awesome. You guys all look so different in the picture. What's up with Charlie's hair. Married Life, eh?? HEY!!! GUESS WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT!!! YOU GUYS PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW!!! ABIGAIL GOT REASSIGNED TO MY MISSION!!!!! She's here right now. I haven't seen her yet, but that's SUPER CRAZY!!! I'll send y'all pics when I find her.
This week has been absolutely crazy for me. So our trainer left, and I was kind of terrified about taking the reigns. But to be quite honest, it's not too hard at all. I learned this week that the Lord has really prepared me throughout my life to be a leader and do hard things. Our schedule was been SUPER packed last week, and it's already pretty packed this week. I guess that's what happens when you're all of a sudden the only two missionaries in the ward. And it's Christmas time. And, guess what, I got made Building Manager over our ESL classes. ESL is when we teach English Classes to other students, and I'm in charge of it at our building, so I have to make sure someone's teaching, take attendance, figure out people who attended, etc. It's been crazy stuff. I mean, I'm playing at a Wedding this week?? How does that happen?? It just does. Probably the hardest thing about being in charge in staying exactly obedient. The struggles.
This week has also been probably one of the most fun weeks of my life. One thing that we're doing this week is on Thursday, we're going with a member family and performing Christmas music for students and their families at an Elementary School. This last week we practiced a lot at their house and let me tell you. I thought we were a musically talented family. They all sing, all the kids play the piano, most of them play the guitar (acoustic and electric), and they all can play other instruments: violin, flute, saxophone, cello, clarinet, harmonica, drums, organ, some Ecuadorian flute, pan pipe, probably more. I'll just say I felt quite at home there. But like I said, we went to there house and practiced a lot of Christmas Music and let me tell you, music is one of the easiest ways to invite the Spirit. So my invitation to all of you is that if you're having trouble feeling the Christmas Spirit, or focusing on the true message of Christmas, turn to Music. Listening to music, playing music, singing music, even just reading music has helped me SO much throughout my life. Most of my best memories had music involved in it, one way or another. It's Wonderful. I love it SO MUCH. And I love all of you. Miss you all. Adieu.
I'm sorry. You guys probably didn't laugh at that. But I did. |D The Alex Boye one was good. Did you watch the crazy couple family one?? Ha, they're weird. I really liked the one with the girl singing opera, because A. I love opera and B. Holy Crap she's like 15, or less, I don't know. Music really brings in the Christmas Spirit, but I'll talk more about that later. To answer your question Mom, No. I do not have a chord for my camera. My trainer had a memory card to USB converter, but he's gone now so...yeah. Haha. Surprise, I was at your ward last week even though you weren't. Sorry you guys missed me, the talks were really good. ;) Sup Micah. It's fun being a Missionary and everything else. As a missionary, I've passed the Sacrament once. It was super fun. Well, love you bruski. Ciao. I'm doing well Sophie. How are you?? That's good. Your field trips sound awesome. I remember going to Christmas Around the World at BYU. It was super cool right?? What was your favorite thing about it?? Mine too. What?? Hermione's not supposed to die?? She's supposed to marry Ron. Fred was supposed to die. Sad stuff. I'm glad you got to perform for the party. I LOVE playing musical instruments. I'm sorry the week sucked Logan. Go do something fun and sporadic. Like...hmm...go have a High School Musical Marathon, or try to deep fry ice cream, or go streak the Football Field. What?? Who said that?? That's a terrible idea. Who in the world would do that?? Just do something awesome. You guys all look so different in the picture. What's up with Charlie's hair. Married Life, eh?? HEY!!! GUESS WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT!!! YOU GUYS PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW!!! ABIGAIL GOT REASSIGNED TO MY MISSION!!!!! She's here right now. I haven't seen her yet, but that's SUPER CRAZY!!! I'll send y'all pics when I find her.
This week has been absolutely crazy for me. So our trainer left, and I was kind of terrified about taking the reigns. But to be quite honest, it's not too hard at all. I learned this week that the Lord has really prepared me throughout my life to be a leader and do hard things. Our schedule was been SUPER packed last week, and it's already pretty packed this week. I guess that's what happens when you're all of a sudden the only two missionaries in the ward. And it's Christmas time. And, guess what, I got made Building Manager over our ESL classes. ESL is when we teach English Classes to other students, and I'm in charge of it at our building, so I have to make sure someone's teaching, take attendance, figure out people who attended, etc. It's been crazy stuff. I mean, I'm playing at a Wedding this week?? How does that happen?? It just does. Probably the hardest thing about being in charge in staying exactly obedient. The struggles.
This week has also been probably one of the most fun weeks of my life. One thing that we're doing this week is on Thursday, we're going with a member family and performing Christmas music for students and their families at an Elementary School. This last week we practiced a lot at their house and let me tell you. I thought we were a musically talented family. They all sing, all the kids play the piano, most of them play the guitar (acoustic and electric), and they all can play other instruments: violin, flute, saxophone, cello, clarinet, harmonica, drums, organ, some Ecuadorian flute, pan pipe, probably more. I'll just say I felt quite at home there. But like I said, we went to there house and practiced a lot of Christmas Music and let me tell you, music is one of the easiest ways to invite the Spirit. So my invitation to all of you is that if you're having trouble feeling the Christmas Spirit, or focusing on the true message of Christmas, turn to Music. Listening to music, playing music, singing music, even just reading music has helped me SO much throughout my life. Most of my best memories had music involved in it, one way or another. It's Wonderful. I love it SO MUCH. And I love all of you. Miss you all. Adieu.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Picture Time!!!
Why Hello There,
So for clarification, the Peruvian Thanksgiving was in October. And it was for Canada's Thanksgiving and it was good. We weren't able to celebrate our Ecuadorian Thanksgiving this last week because they bombed on us. :( BUT, we decided to order Schwarma and so I had Schwarma and Egg Nog for Thanksgiving Dinner. YAY AMERICA!!! Kanab sounds Awesome. I still dont' know what Pickle Ball is. :{ I'm super jealous you all got to go to Angels Falls. That's a nice message Micah. "Seven people have died on it. Happy Christmas!!!" I laughed. And the emerald pools are beautiful. I remember going there a few years ago. Good work on your road test Logan. Mr. Hales is a great man. Does he say anything about me?? I was one of his favorites. For last requests, Mom, I want a pony and new boots and a girlfriend and yeah. Just kidding. You better send that package soon though. I'm going to open it during our Skype call. Honestly, it still has not really snowed yet. It flurries every other day, and it rains and gets really cold. But no legit snow. :( I will be having to go and buy a winter jacket, probably next week at Costco, and I'll probably buy some boots too. The jackets there aren't bad at all (like 80$) I'm not sure about the boots though. I have not whipped out the long undies yet, I honestly can endure the cold pretty well. I love it.
So this week has been extra crazy. As you saw in my pictures. Last Monday we went to a sweet trampoline place. We had the whole place to ourselves which was SUPER COOL!!! I came to realize that all my Parkour skills...still got 'em. It was super fun. The week days were pretty bland. Lots of cold, lots of knocking doors, we taught a Pastor who tried to rip us apart (Bible Bash) and Elder Flake shut him down, and we had a huge Zone Council on Christmas Stuff. So last night, we got Transfer Calls and they are just something. Elder Flake is going to a new area and I'm stuck here, I mean get to stay here, with Elder Bahr. They transferred the other two missionaries in our Ward away, so we got the whole ward on our shoulders. It's CRAZY!!! The Lord is definitely giving me trials that will make me stronger. I'm pumped though, because I think we can get AT LEAST one baptism this transfer, because we have a lot of people lined up and ready. YEAH, SAVING SOULS!!!! Other than that, not too much is going on. We're going to get All You Can Eat Sushi today, which I'm PUMPED about because I haven't had Sushi in forever. Sweet!
So like I was saying before, we had a Zone Council on Christmas Stuff. And the Christmas Things ARE SO COOL!!!! We're inviting EVERYONE to go the website <christmas.mormon.org> #sharethegift. The website has two new short videos on it that are about Christmas and are SO GOOD!!! I CRIED!! Almost. There's also a bunch of other great stuff on the website. If you subscribe to it. It'll send you a "12 Days of Christmas Thing" where a famous Mormon (ex. David Archuleta, Studio C, etc.) will have a Christmas Video each day for the last 12 Days before Christmas. It'll be SO COOL!!! And like I said. We need to share this with EVERYBODY!!! So start sending emails, tweet it, ask the missionaries in you ward for pass-along cards (and if they don't have some, punch 'em in the face!!), family, you have permission to get on my Facebook and share it. This has got to be HUGE because there are so many in the world struggling because they haven't applied the Atonement of Christ in their lives. So I challenge all of you to share this message and report back to me on it, or I'll threaten to stop emailing you. Yeah! I just went there!!! That's how important this message is. Love You All!!!
Monday, November 23, 2015
Let it Snow!!! Let it Snow!!! Let it Snow!!!!
Wow!!! That snowstorm hit us HARD!!! We honestly probably got like three to four feet of snow...JUST KIDDING!!! I don't know who told you that we had a snowstorm. So far, the most snow we've gotten was a little flurry yesterday. It was like dust. It stunk. It has definitely started to get cold here though. The worst part is the wind. When there's wind, it makes the temperature drop like 20 degrees. I LOVE IT!!! I always used to say that I love the cold, but coming up here, I Really Do. It's funny because my trainer, Elder Flake, also loves the cold. And then there’s Elder Bahr, who is literally allergic to the cold. He gets hives whenever we go outside. Looks like someone forgot to fill out the Allergies Section in the Mission Papers. We tease that he’s going to get sent to Timmins during the Winter. Timmins is the most Northern City in the mission and they're super outcasted. They have to Skype in for Zone Meetings, they're like 5 hours away from every else, and sometimes, the mission president calls them and tells them that they can't leave their apartment for the day because it's too cold. I WANT TO GO THERE!!!!!! It sounds like a party. I would have to get called to do some English work though, which does happen in this mission.
I can't think of anything else for you to send, except Chocolate. Sophie's iPod, eh? I would either hold down the power button and see what it does, plug it into the computer and fiddle with it, or plug it in to the computer THEN hold down the power button. That’s all I can think of.
Yeah, Thanksgiving and Christmas Breaks for Everybody. except me :( Kidding, I feel like a pile of trash when I’m not out doing something. Family dinners sound fun. You should invite the missionaries sometime. Missionaries are cool. B) I have not gotten the Costco card yet. We're planning on going soon though. Actually, for this Thanksgiving, we've been invited to an Ecuadorians house to celebrate American Pride. Yeah!! And for Canadian Thanksgiving we celebrated with Peruvians. Woot!
This week, for me has been a huge roller coaster of ups and downs. To start it off, we had a Mission Tour, which is when a General Authority tours our mission. Elder Perkins came and we had a big meeting with him. It was Super Good!! I played about 45 minutes of Prelude, an opening song, three congregational hymns, and a closing song. So I don't want to hear any complaining, Logan! Elder Perkins is a really good guy though, everyone was expecting us to get iPads when he came, but that didn't happen. Which is good, because I hate technology. Also, this week, we were going to visit one of our investigators and returning member, when we stumbled upon his Sister's Baby Shower. And being Hispanic, and having tons of food. They invited us in. It was super fun. Yeah, Baby Showers!! Also, yesterday, we were able to attend the rededication of the Montreal Quebec Temple. I Love Temples. It was super good, a bunch of it was in French and the English translators weren't that great, so it was also mildly entertaining. Elder Perkins spoke at that and did the Hosana Shout at our Session. So a lot of fun things happened this week. And then there was last night.
So last night, we talked with our investigator and his family about his baptism this Friday, and he said that it feels pushed and that he doesn't feel ready for it, so he wants to move it to early January...I about FLIPPED!!! We know that he's ready to be baptized and he's more solid than a lot of members I know. And this isn't the first time he (and mostly his mom) has postponed his Baptism. It made me super upset, and all for his sake. The first thing that came to my mind while we were talking was Alma 34:35, which reads, "For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked." Scary thought, eh?? I've been working on being bold this week, so this is what I have to say. STOP BEING LAZY!!!! If you want to get baptized, GET BAPTIZED! If you feel like you need to repent, REPENT! If you want to share the Gospel, SHARE IT! Stop waiting around hoping that something miraculous will happen. Because something will happen, The Second Coming!!! And if you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar when Christ comes, Buckle Up. The natural man is very lazy. So we need to "put off the natural man" and DO SOMETHING!!!! Don't be a slacker, be an attacker. #shirtquotes :) Love you all and I hope that you've all got something to DO during the breaks. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Wow!!! That snowstorm hit us HARD!!! We honestly probably got like three to four feet of snow...JUST KIDDING!!! I don't know who told you that we had a snowstorm. So far, the most snow we've gotten was a little flurry yesterday. It was like dust. It stunk. It has definitely started to get cold here though. The worst part is the wind. When there's wind, it makes the temperature drop like 20 degrees. I LOVE IT!!! I always used to say that I love the cold, but coming up here, I Really Do. It's funny because my trainer, Elder Flake, also loves the cold. And then there’s Elder Bahr, who is literally allergic to the cold. He gets hives whenever we go outside. Looks like someone forgot to fill out the Allergies Section in the Mission Papers. We tease that he’s going to get sent to Timmins during the Winter. Timmins is the most Northern City in the mission and they're super outcasted. They have to Skype in for Zone Meetings, they're like 5 hours away from every else, and sometimes, the mission president calls them and tells them that they can't leave their apartment for the day because it's too cold. I WANT TO GO THERE!!!!!! It sounds like a party. I would have to get called to do some English work though, which does happen in this mission.
I can't think of anything else for you to send, except Chocolate. Sophie's iPod, eh? I would either hold down the power button and see what it does, plug it into the computer and fiddle with it, or plug it in to the computer THEN hold down the power button. That’s all I can think of.
Yeah, Thanksgiving and Christmas Breaks for Everybody. except me :( Kidding, I feel like a pile of trash when I’m not out doing something. Family dinners sound fun. You should invite the missionaries sometime. Missionaries are cool. B) I have not gotten the Costco card yet. We're planning on going soon though. Actually, for this Thanksgiving, we've been invited to an Ecuadorians house to celebrate American Pride. Yeah!! And for Canadian Thanksgiving we celebrated with Peruvians. Woot!
This week, for me has been a huge roller coaster of ups and downs. To start it off, we had a Mission Tour, which is when a General Authority tours our mission. Elder Perkins came and we had a big meeting with him. It was Super Good!! I played about 45 minutes of Prelude, an opening song, three congregational hymns, and a closing song. So I don't want to hear any complaining, Logan! Elder Perkins is a really good guy though, everyone was expecting us to get iPads when he came, but that didn't happen. Which is good, because I hate technology. Also, this week, we were going to visit one of our investigators and returning member, when we stumbled upon his Sister's Baby Shower. And being Hispanic, and having tons of food. They invited us in. It was super fun. Yeah, Baby Showers!! Also, yesterday, we were able to attend the rededication of the Montreal Quebec Temple. I Love Temples. It was super good, a bunch of it was in French and the English translators weren't that great, so it was also mildly entertaining. Elder Perkins spoke at that and did the Hosana Shout at our Session. So a lot of fun things happened this week. And then there was last night.
So last night, we talked with our investigator and his family about his baptism this Friday, and he said that it feels pushed and that he doesn't feel ready for it, so he wants to move it to early January...I about FLIPPED!!! We know that he's ready to be baptized and he's more solid than a lot of members I know. And this isn't the first time he (and mostly his mom) has postponed his Baptism. It made me super upset, and all for his sake. The first thing that came to my mind while we were talking was Alma 34:35, which reads, "For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked." Scary thought, eh?? I've been working on being bold this week, so this is what I have to say. STOP BEING LAZY!!!! If you want to get baptized, GET BAPTIZED! If you feel like you need to repent, REPENT! If you want to share the Gospel, SHARE IT! Stop waiting around hoping that something miraculous will happen. Because something will happen, The Second Coming!!! And if you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar when Christ comes, Buckle Up. The natural man is very lazy. So we need to "put off the natural man" and DO SOMETHING!!!! Don't be a slacker, be an attacker. #shirtquotes :) Love you all and I hope that you've all got something to DO during the breaks. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Good Morning to all. And to all a Good Morning,
Today, is a day. This last week, was a week. I'm kind of tired right now. We slept over at our Zone Leaders house last night, so we got a little bit of sleep, it was a party. Your talk sounds wonderful Mom. Powerful testimony. I'm not sure if Logan was talking about the Doubt your Doubts talk by Uctdorf, but this last Conference, his opening talk relates to yours a lot also. Food for thought. I'm glad Charlie's play was good. And I'm glad the only dirty old man you'll work with any more, Mom, is Dad. :) Heehee. To answer your question Logan: No, it hasn't snowed here, but it's gotten deathly cold. The winds here are really strong and supposedly last year, the wind caused it to drop down to negative 40 Celsius. Pretty crazy stuff, I guess it's time for Timmy's (Tim Hortons). And I'm super excited for Christmas. I definitely can't get a better deal on flags up here. Everything in Canada is super expensive. But I would not mind some flags for Christmas (I'm pretty open to whichever, just have Logan pick some, he knows flags [psst, Logan, pick the one with the Machine Gun on it. Yeah, Mozambique!!]) Other than what I've said, I can't think of much else I'd want for Christmas (maybe some Tim Hortons or Smokes Gift Card, but you can't get those for me, you're in the US.) Speaking of different countries, did you hear about the attacks in Paris?? Crazy stuff. I can't wait for the second coming when all the evil, lazy, and prideful people burn. Sorry, that's a little dark. :}
This week for me was pretty sweet and super successful. We've been teaching a ton of people and we have the baptism for Jay in about 11 days. So I'm super excited for that. Oh, last Monday was super fun. So we went to Downtown again and we ate at Smokes Burritorie again. SO GOOD!! I have a problem. A POUTINE PROBLEM. But after that, we went to basically the Toronto Times Square. It was SO COOL!!! But guess who forgot to bring his camera. ME. Nuts. But I'll go back and get some pictures later on. After that we went to Toronto China Town, which was pretty cool. It was an awesome day, super exhausting. Afterwards, we went over to a part members house and taught an interactive Plan of Salvation. I was in charge of it. It was super fun. So the family has five kids, so we each gave them a tie representing the different stages of the Plan and then we had that person with the tie explain there part. It was great. Elder Bahr was Satan, I mean he played Satan. The rest of this week was pretty great too. I tried Mate for the first time, I'm sure Dad can tell you what that is. Or Charlie. Yeah, Mate!!
Another huge miracle we saw last week was when we were knocking doors. We were at an apartment building, tracting, and we met this woman who has been a member basically her whole life but has gone super inactive. We scheduled a return appointment with her, which was last Friday, and crazy miracles happened. So she had had an incredible experience with Elders in the past and she was super open to us. She had gone inactive because of some members from her old ward, but she (without us asking) told us that she was going to start coming back to church, and that she was going to bring her three kids with her (two boys, 11 and 16, and one daughter, 20). We also were able to give her a Book of Mormon, which she was very excited about meeting. It was Perfect!!! It was the PERFECT example of how God puts people in our paths and prepares them for us to teach them. Honestly, all this woman needed was two (or three) Mormon Missionaries to knock on her door, and she would come back to church. And that's what happened!!! My testimony has grown strongly this week that God really does prepare people for us. Everywhere we go and everyone we meet could have been prepared by God to have the Gospel brought to them. You never know, unless you OYM. Open Your Mouth. The Gospel is incredible, and we need to share it. I love you and hope that life is filled with love and happiness and chocolate. Ciao, and Happy American Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!!
Today, is a day. This last week, was a week. I'm kind of tired right now. We slept over at our Zone Leaders house last night, so we got a little bit of sleep, it was a party. Your talk sounds wonderful Mom. Powerful testimony. I'm not sure if Logan was talking about the Doubt your Doubts talk by Uctdorf, but this last Conference, his opening talk relates to yours a lot also. Food for thought. I'm glad Charlie's play was good. And I'm glad the only dirty old man you'll work with any more, Mom, is Dad. :) Heehee. To answer your question Logan: No, it hasn't snowed here, but it's gotten deathly cold. The winds here are really strong and supposedly last year, the wind caused it to drop down to negative 40 Celsius. Pretty crazy stuff, I guess it's time for Timmy's (Tim Hortons). And I'm super excited for Christmas. I definitely can't get a better deal on flags up here. Everything in Canada is super expensive. But I would not mind some flags for Christmas (I'm pretty open to whichever, just have Logan pick some, he knows flags [psst, Logan, pick the one with the Machine Gun on it. Yeah, Mozambique!!]) Other than what I've said, I can't think of much else I'd want for Christmas (maybe some Tim Hortons or Smokes Gift Card, but you can't get those for me, you're in the US.) Speaking of different countries, did you hear about the attacks in Paris?? Crazy stuff. I can't wait for the second coming when all the evil, lazy, and prideful people burn. Sorry, that's a little dark. :}
This week for me was pretty sweet and super successful. We've been teaching a ton of people and we have the baptism for Jay in about 11 days. So I'm super excited for that. Oh, last Monday was super fun. So we went to Downtown again and we ate at Smokes Burritorie again. SO GOOD!! I have a problem. A POUTINE PROBLEM. But after that, we went to basically the Toronto Times Square. It was SO COOL!!! But guess who forgot to bring his camera. ME. Nuts. But I'll go back and get some pictures later on. After that we went to Toronto China Town, which was pretty cool. It was an awesome day, super exhausting. Afterwards, we went over to a part members house and taught an interactive Plan of Salvation. I was in charge of it. It was super fun. So the family has five kids, so we each gave them a tie representing the different stages of the Plan and then we had that person with the tie explain there part. It was great. Elder Bahr was Satan, I mean he played Satan. The rest of this week was pretty great too. I tried Mate for the first time, I'm sure Dad can tell you what that is. Or Charlie. Yeah, Mate!!
Another huge miracle we saw last week was when we were knocking doors. We were at an apartment building, tracting, and we met this woman who has been a member basically her whole life but has gone super inactive. We scheduled a return appointment with her, which was last Friday, and crazy miracles happened. So she had had an incredible experience with Elders in the past and she was super open to us. She had gone inactive because of some members from her old ward, but she (without us asking) told us that she was going to start coming back to church, and that she was going to bring her three kids with her (two boys, 11 and 16, and one daughter, 20). We also were able to give her a Book of Mormon, which she was very excited about meeting. It was Perfect!!! It was the PERFECT example of how God puts people in our paths and prepares them for us to teach them. Honestly, all this woman needed was two (or three) Mormon Missionaries to knock on her door, and she would come back to church. And that's what happened!!! My testimony has grown strongly this week that God really does prepare people for us. Everywhere we go and everyone we meet could have been prepared by God to have the Gospel brought to them. You never know, unless you OYM. Open Your Mouth. The Gospel is incredible, and we need to share it. I love you and hope that life is filled with love and happiness and chocolate. Ciao, and Happy American Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Howdy howdy howdy. I'm Woody.
Howdy howdy howdy. I'm Woody.
What is up family?? Man, you guys are all moving up in position and authority. New Deacon, Teacher's President, Sumo Sacerdote?? That’s so cool!!!
Haha funny, Logan teaching Ammon. Actually in our Ward there's a family with three kids who all play the piano. They're younger (15, 14, 12) and the oldest studies some hard core theory. They're at the church every Tuesday night to practice the piano and study, and I'm always there because that is when we teach English classes, so I help them out a ton with that. I also want to show them how to work the Organ, because it's super easy and a Sacrament Meeting without the Organ makes me sad. First I have to find whoever has the keys to the Organ first though because it is locked. UGH. FRUSTURATING. And don't get too cocky Logan. Range ain't nuthin. That's child's play. Try driving in Toronto. Everyone's crazy drivers. Because they develop the trait of no laws from their countries and they bring that trait over to this one. So whenever you drive, almost getting killed about 3 to 5 times a day is pretty normal. As a pedestrian, a driver, or a stop sign.
YES!!! ALL HAIL CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm SO PUMPED!!! You all should see if you can go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert because it looks SO COOL and I really want to go but I can't. They're having Laura Osnes, an incredible Broadway Actress, a British Actor who also did the voice of Felix-It Felix I believe, and 4 Opera Singers. It's going to be SO GREAT!! You should go because I can’t. BYU Young Ambassadors sounds fun. I’m bummed they didn't come while I was there.
Yeah, last Friday we had a mission wide conference call where the President told us about the changes in the Church Handbook on Homosexuality. It's super intense. My biggest worry is that the separation of church and law is really starting to take place. Buckle Up. Here comes the Second Coming. You all should watch the video though of Elder Christofferson talking about it. Just go to the Mormon Newsroom. Then scroll down and look at all the new temples they are building. They’re super cool!!
This week has been very busy and successful for us. We haven't done anything too crazy, but today we're going downtown to Smoke's Burritorie again and maybe I'll go buy a guitar also. Hmmm???? 8) One thing that the mission has been focusing on a lot is trying to teach 20 lessons a week to everyone we can (Active Members, Less Active Members, New Converts, Investigators). It's a huge goal, but this week my companions and I are shooting for at least 20, which is a big leap from the 9 we had last week. I find that the more lessons we teach throughout the day, the more Spirit I feel and the happier I am. So I super excited for it all. Other than that, not too much has gone on. Hasn't snowed yet. Darn. But I’m super excited for Christmas.
You're talk sounds fantastic, Mom. One thing we focus on as missionaries is Personal Revelation through Prayer, Church Attendance, and the Book of Mormon. It's very important because people aren't going to change without Personal Revelation. Someone can be taught all the lessons many times by the missionaries, but if they don't act for themselves, they are going to get nowhere. I've also learned that this applies to testimonies. People can say that they "believe" that something is true, because it makes sense, or they heard it from someone they trust. But unless people ACT and receive their own revelation and experience of something, whether it's the Book of Mormon, or Tithing, or if God knows them personally; they're never going to progress Spiritually. Personal Revelation and Spiritual Experiences are Awesome. I invite you all to go experience them for yourselves, because you're never going to progress or find true happiness if you don't. I love you all and hope the best for everyone. Happy Holidays!!!
P.S. There were two questions you didn't answer from my last email about what is our phone number and how much did the flags cost that you bought. It would be wonderful to know as soon as possible. Also, I'm sending a bunch of pictures from the last while because now I have the means to. So BUCKLE UP.
What is up family?? Man, you guys are all moving up in position and authority. New Deacon, Teacher's President, Sumo Sacerdote?? That’s so cool!!!
Haha funny, Logan teaching Ammon. Actually in our Ward there's a family with three kids who all play the piano. They're younger (15, 14, 12) and the oldest studies some hard core theory. They're at the church every Tuesday night to practice the piano and study, and I'm always there because that is when we teach English classes, so I help them out a ton with that. I also want to show them how to work the Organ, because it's super easy and a Sacrament Meeting without the Organ makes me sad. First I have to find whoever has the keys to the Organ first though because it is locked. UGH. FRUSTURATING. And don't get too cocky Logan. Range ain't nuthin. That's child's play. Try driving in Toronto. Everyone's crazy drivers. Because they develop the trait of no laws from their countries and they bring that trait over to this one. So whenever you drive, almost getting killed about 3 to 5 times a day is pretty normal. As a pedestrian, a driver, or a stop sign.
YES!!! ALL HAIL CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm SO PUMPED!!! You all should see if you can go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert because it looks SO COOL and I really want to go but I can't. They're having Laura Osnes, an incredible Broadway Actress, a British Actor who also did the voice of Felix-It Felix I believe, and 4 Opera Singers. It's going to be SO GREAT!! You should go because I can’t. BYU Young Ambassadors sounds fun. I’m bummed they didn't come while I was there.
Yeah, last Friday we had a mission wide conference call where the President told us about the changes in the Church Handbook on Homosexuality. It's super intense. My biggest worry is that the separation of church and law is really starting to take place. Buckle Up. Here comes the Second Coming. You all should watch the video though of Elder Christofferson talking about it. Just go to the Mormon Newsroom. Then scroll down and look at all the new temples they are building. They’re super cool!!
This week has been very busy and successful for us. We haven't done anything too crazy, but today we're going downtown to Smoke's Burritorie again and maybe I'll go buy a guitar also. Hmmm???? 8) One thing that the mission has been focusing on a lot is trying to teach 20 lessons a week to everyone we can (Active Members, Less Active Members, New Converts, Investigators). It's a huge goal, but this week my companions and I are shooting for at least 20, which is a big leap from the 9 we had last week. I find that the more lessons we teach throughout the day, the more Spirit I feel and the happier I am. So I super excited for it all. Other than that, not too much has gone on. Hasn't snowed yet. Darn. But I’m super excited for Christmas.
You're talk sounds fantastic, Mom. One thing we focus on as missionaries is Personal Revelation through Prayer, Church Attendance, and the Book of Mormon. It's very important because people aren't going to change without Personal Revelation. Someone can be taught all the lessons many times by the missionaries, but if they don't act for themselves, they are going to get nowhere. I've also learned that this applies to testimonies. People can say that they "believe" that something is true, because it makes sense, or they heard it from someone they trust. But unless people ACT and receive their own revelation and experience of something, whether it's the Book of Mormon, or Tithing, or if God knows them personally; they're never going to progress Spiritually. Personal Revelation and Spiritual Experiences are Awesome. I invite you all to go experience them for yourselves, because you're never going to progress or find true happiness if you don't. I love you all and hope the best for everyone. Happy Holidays!!!
P.S. There were two questions you didn't answer from my last email about what is our phone number and how much did the flags cost that you bought. It would be wonderful to know as soon as possible. Also, I'm sending a bunch of pictures from the last while because now I have the means to. So BUCKLE UP.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Happy Halloweenies!!!!
Happy Halloweenies!!!!
I'm so glad to hear that yalls Halloween was awesome. I'm so jealous. Your guys' costumes look fantastic. Dad, I'm so very glad that you carried on my legacy and used my "Babeslayer" sword. Also, did you end up taking your shirt off under your furs. I hope so. YES!! Mom!! I'm so happy that happened to you. OWN IT! And your costume looks fantastic. Sometimes, I have dreams where I walk outside naked in front of everyone, then I realize it's not a dream. Dang it. The poopy peanut sauce looks fantastic, and good work with the sticky rice. Good work supporting your house, Skyler. Slytherins are ways better than Gryffinsnores. Sweet mask Logan, where did you get that?? And I'm glad to hear that the spook alley was scary and scaring. Speaking of evil Halloween, we ate dinner at an Argentinans house on Halloween and I asked them if they had plans for that night, and they were like, "No, Halloween is about Satan." And I was like, "Oh." And good work on Roger and Hammersteins. Oklahoma is the Musical. Sorry you lost. As long as you were the best one on your team. ;) Like me. Is he standing on a chair, or has Micah grown like a foot?? And freaky costume, eh? And Happy Birthday. The Priesthood is awesome. And now you can go to the temple. So go!!! RIGHT NOW!!! No Time To Waste. It'll be scary at first, but you'll get used to it. Just GO NOW!!!! And Sophie looks as disturbing as Micah does. Good work. And Savannah looks adorable, and older. How long have I been gone?? Almost four months?? Wow. Do that five more times and I'll be home. Time flies so fast here. Charlie and Amaya look fantastic. I hope they sang and danced for you all. An Aerobar?? Really?? They can't get any better Canadian candy bar than the Aerobar?? Maybe an Oh, Henry or a Wunderbar or a Caramilk. Canadian Candy Bars are way better than American. Fact. I honestly have not seen a Cadbury Crunch yet, but I haven't really been looking for them. I'll keep an eye out.
Thank you Mom (and Dad) for getting me the Costco Card. That will really help me throughout my mission. What was our phone number again?? My camera is an Optio. The camera hole is really small and shaped like a rectangle, not flat. I can't anywhere it's sold. Anything else I want for Christmas?? I still need to get a jacket and boots, because I've been told mine won't work. Costco has good jackets for like 80 bucks (not 200-500 dollars). I'll keep an eye out for boots. Also, I lost that guitar music you sent me, so that would be fantastic. Especially the Symphony song by David Archuleta, except that on the piano. Any music would be much appreciated. Also, question, the flags that you hung on the flag pole (Canadian, Spanish, South Korean) how much did those cost?? Because I bought a Canadian and an American flag and I want to make sure I didn't get ripped off. Actually, if you want to send me country flag (Colombian, Mexican, and South American or Spanish Speaking Country, or any cool country flag) that would be very cool. I love flags. Also, temple pictures would be cool. I love temples. A lot. Have I told you that? ;) Also, my Arabic book would be much appreciated. I got an Arabic Book of Mormon here and it's super cool. Or a Smokes gift card. That would be awesome. I LOVE POUTINE!!!!
Halloween here for me was one of the best Halloweens I've ever had. I started by getting an "Orange Pumpkin Spice Latte" (Name that movie) from Tim Horton's. Kidding. I did get a Pumpkin Hot Chocolate there though. Then we visited an inactive member and her boyfriend and his mom. They unexpectedly fed us Ecuadorian Seafood and then we taught an awesome lesson. She was super excited for her boyfriend and his mom to come to church and listen to the Gospel so that was awesome. Two New Investigators and One New Inactive. SCORE!!! So, we had to be home at 6 o'clock because we couldn't be outside when all the crazy people started doing crazy things. So we had a party with another companionship and we carved pumpkins. I dressed up as a Russian TTC Driver (Or Bus Driver). I'll send pics. I carved probably the best pumpkin I've ever carved in my life. It's the Toronto temple. SO COOL!!! We also ate chips and soda and brownies and ice cream and pumpkin seeds and chocolate milk. It was super fun. The rest of this week was super good. And to answer you question, Mom, trios usually don't last more than one transfer, so I only have to endure for a few more weeks. It's all good though. Actually I just ate a whole Little Caesars pizza by myself for the first time. WIN!!
Another fantastic thing that happened this week was when we met with a part member family last night. So they have a 17 year old son who is going to be baptized in a few weeks (third to last day of the transfer), the mom is an inactive member, and the dad is also working towards baptism. So, the son used to have really long hair and sideburns and wore earrings, but yesterday, he came out with a fresh new hair cut, shaved, and (without us asking) he removed his earrings. It was super cool. And he's super excited for baptism. Also, his father said during the lesson that his son is paving the path for his own baptism. It was SO COOL!!!! I can testify that the Lord really is preparing people for us to teach. And not just for the missionaries. He prepares people for everyone to talk to. So get out there and share the Gospel. OYM!!! Open Your Mouth!!!! Someone out there is waiting for you to share the Gospel with them. I love you all and miss you family. Hope everything is going well. Tootles.
--
Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission
I'm so glad to hear that yalls Halloween was awesome. I'm so jealous. Your guys' costumes look fantastic. Dad, I'm so very glad that you carried on my legacy and used my "Babeslayer" sword. Also, did you end up taking your shirt off under your furs. I hope so. YES!! Mom!! I'm so happy that happened to you. OWN IT! And your costume looks fantastic. Sometimes, I have dreams where I walk outside naked in front of everyone, then I realize it's not a dream. Dang it. The poopy peanut sauce looks fantastic, and good work with the sticky rice. Good work supporting your house, Skyler. Slytherins are ways better than Gryffinsnores. Sweet mask Logan, where did you get that?? And I'm glad to hear that the spook alley was scary and scaring. Speaking of evil Halloween, we ate dinner at an Argentinans house on Halloween and I asked them if they had plans for that night, and they were like, "No, Halloween is about Satan." And I was like, "Oh." And good work on Roger and Hammersteins. Oklahoma is the Musical. Sorry you lost. As long as you were the best one on your team. ;) Like me. Is he standing on a chair, or has Micah grown like a foot?? And freaky costume, eh? And Happy Birthday. The Priesthood is awesome. And now you can go to the temple. So go!!! RIGHT NOW!!! No Time To Waste. It'll be scary at first, but you'll get used to it. Just GO NOW!!!! And Sophie looks as disturbing as Micah does. Good work. And Savannah looks adorable, and older. How long have I been gone?? Almost four months?? Wow. Do that five more times and I'll be home. Time flies so fast here. Charlie and Amaya look fantastic. I hope they sang and danced for you all. An Aerobar?? Really?? They can't get any better Canadian candy bar than the Aerobar?? Maybe an Oh, Henry or a Wunderbar or a Caramilk. Canadian Candy Bars are way better than American. Fact. I honestly have not seen a Cadbury Crunch yet, but I haven't really been looking for them. I'll keep an eye out.
Thank you Mom (and Dad) for getting me the Costco Card. That will really help me throughout my mission. What was our phone number again?? My camera is an Optio. The camera hole is really small and shaped like a rectangle, not flat. I can't anywhere it's sold. Anything else I want for Christmas?? I still need to get a jacket and boots, because I've been told mine won't work. Costco has good jackets for like 80 bucks (not 200-500 dollars). I'll keep an eye out for boots. Also, I lost that guitar music you sent me, so that would be fantastic. Especially the Symphony song by David Archuleta, except that on the piano. Any music would be much appreciated. Also, question, the flags that you hung on the flag pole (Canadian, Spanish, South Korean) how much did those cost?? Because I bought a Canadian and an American flag and I want to make sure I didn't get ripped off. Actually, if you want to send me country flag (Colombian, Mexican, and South American or Spanish Speaking Country, or any cool country flag) that would be very cool. I love flags. Also, temple pictures would be cool. I love temples. A lot. Have I told you that? ;) Also, my Arabic book would be much appreciated. I got an Arabic Book of Mormon here and it's super cool. Or a Smokes gift card. That would be awesome. I LOVE POUTINE!!!!
Halloween here for me was one of the best Halloweens I've ever had. I started by getting an "Orange Pumpkin Spice Latte" (Name that movie) from Tim Horton's. Kidding. I did get a Pumpkin Hot Chocolate there though. Then we visited an inactive member and her boyfriend and his mom. They unexpectedly fed us Ecuadorian Seafood and then we taught an awesome lesson. She was super excited for her boyfriend and his mom to come to church and listen to the Gospel so that was awesome. Two New Investigators and One New Inactive. SCORE!!! So, we had to be home at 6 o'clock because we couldn't be outside when all the crazy people started doing crazy things. So we had a party with another companionship and we carved pumpkins. I dressed up as a Russian TTC Driver (Or Bus Driver). I'll send pics. I carved probably the best pumpkin I've ever carved in my life. It's the Toronto temple. SO COOL!!! We also ate chips and soda and brownies and ice cream and pumpkin seeds and chocolate milk. It was super fun. The rest of this week was super good. And to answer you question, Mom, trios usually don't last more than one transfer, so I only have to endure for a few more weeks. It's all good though. Actually I just ate a whole Little Caesars pizza by myself for the first time. WIN!!
Another fantastic thing that happened this week was when we met with a part member family last night. So they have a 17 year old son who is going to be baptized in a few weeks (third to last day of the transfer), the mom is an inactive member, and the dad is also working towards baptism. So, the son used to have really long hair and sideburns and wore earrings, but yesterday, he came out with a fresh new hair cut, shaved, and (without us asking) he removed his earrings. It was super cool. And he's super excited for baptism. Also, his father said during the lesson that his son is paving the path for his own baptism. It was SO COOL!!!! I can testify that the Lord really is preparing people for us to teach. And not just for the missionaries. He prepares people for everyone to talk to. So get out there and share the Gospel. OYM!!! Open Your Mouth!!!! Someone out there is waiting for you to share the Gospel with them. I love you all and miss you family. Hope everything is going well. Tootles.
--
Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Well Nuts Family. Just Nuts. Cacahuetes. Amendoins. Nuts.
So remember my last email that said I'm so happy because I'm not getting transferred. SIKE!!! I did get transferred. So last Monday I got a surprise call telling me that I'm getting transferred to the Black Creek Central Area. Yay...except the fact that because the transfer call was a whole day late I didn't have time to say goodbye to my old ward, Elder Johnson and I had used all our money on groceries (because we were sure that we weren't getting transferred), I had about 2 hours to pack, there's no good Poutine here, or guitar stores, or Schwarma, and the only cultural diversity here is Blacks and Hispanics...... It is just stupendous. :|
I am now in a trio with Elder Flake and Elder Bahr, my old MTC companion. One more thing. I am in need of a camera chord or a memory card to USB converter because I can't find one that fits my camera anywhere. So I'll still be on the hunt for that but if you guys have the one for Grandma's camera, that'd be great to have. But until then...no pictures. Which stinks because I have a lot. :|
Good news for this week. Um...I got a new hat from the apartment. It's Russian style and I love it. We actually have investigators that have baptismal dates coming up, so that's very cool. We're going bowling as a Zone later today. So that's pretty exciting. Um...I had Tim Hortons Hot Chocolate for the first time. That was pretty good. So Tim Hortons is a super famous coffee and donuts place in Canada. It's like Starbucks, but there's more of them. They also sell soups and sandwiches and of course Hot Chocolate (which I learned this week was fantastic). So I'm already set for Christmas. I'm PUMPED! Halloween's pretty exciting too. Except missionaries can't go to certain areas of the city. I'll probably go as a missionary this Saturday, for Halloween. Maybe I'll put my new hat on and go as a Russian Missionary?? Oohh, mixin' it up!! The week has been pretty slow though.
I hope you all have a fun time at the Halloween party. Make sure the little kids don't ruin the scare house. Because that's just the worst. Who are you're new students Logan?? Well, I think at one point I had 10 so if you can beat that, you'll have won my respect, but until then...nope. Good luck with the Knowledge Bowl. That team really is the worst. Shut them up, and WIN! (Name that movie) And don't worry, I'm glad the Blue Jays lost too, because now all they're merchandise is going to go on sale for really cheap, so I'll get some good souvenirs out of that. Sick!! The most exciting thing's we've done for P-day is going downtown. I can't go to Niagara Falls because it's out of my area and a ways aways. Sometimes we can get permission to leave our areas for P-days, but Niagara Falls is too far away for us to go there. We're hoping to go to my old area so we can go get Smokes Poutine and go downtown and buy guitars (well, just me on that last one). And Mom, about your nursing clinical at the hospital?? Aren't you used to 575 lb. dirty old men walking around naked with poop on their bottom?? Dad does that about everyday. JAJAJAJA PONED!!!!! That was set up TOO perfectly. Gotcha pops. Hey speaking of weight...guess who lost 15 pounds in the last 6 weeks?? This guy!!!!! I'm at 185!!!! And I haven't even started my Cleanse diet yet (did I tell you about the Cleanse??). So that's awesome.
One interesting thing I've found with this last transfer is how a lot of different Elders' follow the rules. My last companion was a little more lenient with our schedule, but he was also a little more appropriate with his conduct than my companions now. I've found that probably the easiest way to go about doing things, is just to try and follow all the rules. Honestly. It takes away all the doubt you have about if you're doing the right thing, it honestly makes life easier, and perfect obedience brings blessings. Now, for all you non-missionaries, I've found that this truth applies to the commandments also. If you just choose the right choice, life is guiltless, easier, and you have a lot less regrets. One thing that a lot of people don't understand about our church is that the commandments aren't there to limit our fun, they're there to make sure that our lives are more fun, more free from worldly things, and more free from guilt and sadness. It's as simple as that. So advice for the week. Don't see how close you can get to that edge before falling off of it, because falling off it really sucks. I know. I've been there. I love you all and hope you're lives are guilt free and frivolous. Happy Halloween!!!!
So remember my last email that said I'm so happy because I'm not getting transferred. SIKE!!! I did get transferred. So last Monday I got a surprise call telling me that I'm getting transferred to the Black Creek Central Area. Yay...except the fact that because the transfer call was a whole day late I didn't have time to say goodbye to my old ward, Elder Johnson and I had used all our money on groceries (because we were sure that we weren't getting transferred), I had about 2 hours to pack, there's no good Poutine here, or guitar stores, or Schwarma, and the only cultural diversity here is Blacks and Hispanics...... It is just stupendous. :|
I am now in a trio with Elder Flake and Elder Bahr, my old MTC companion. One more thing. I am in need of a camera chord or a memory card to USB converter because I can't find one that fits my camera anywhere. So I'll still be on the hunt for that but if you guys have the one for Grandma's camera, that'd be great to have. But until then...no pictures. Which stinks because I have a lot. :|
Good news for this week. Um...I got a new hat from the apartment. It's Russian style and I love it. We actually have investigators that have baptismal dates coming up, so that's very cool. We're going bowling as a Zone later today. So that's pretty exciting. Um...I had Tim Hortons Hot Chocolate for the first time. That was pretty good. So Tim Hortons is a super famous coffee and donuts place in Canada. It's like Starbucks, but there's more of them. They also sell soups and sandwiches and of course Hot Chocolate (which I learned this week was fantastic). So I'm already set for Christmas. I'm PUMPED! Halloween's pretty exciting too. Except missionaries can't go to certain areas of the city. I'll probably go as a missionary this Saturday, for Halloween. Maybe I'll put my new hat on and go as a Russian Missionary?? Oohh, mixin' it up!! The week has been pretty slow though.
I hope you all have a fun time at the Halloween party. Make sure the little kids don't ruin the scare house. Because that's just the worst. Who are you're new students Logan?? Well, I think at one point I had 10 so if you can beat that, you'll have won my respect, but until then...nope. Good luck with the Knowledge Bowl. That team really is the worst. Shut them up, and WIN! (Name that movie) And don't worry, I'm glad the Blue Jays lost too, because now all they're merchandise is going to go on sale for really cheap, so I'll get some good souvenirs out of that. Sick!! The most exciting thing's we've done for P-day is going downtown. I can't go to Niagara Falls because it's out of my area and a ways aways. Sometimes we can get permission to leave our areas for P-days, but Niagara Falls is too far away for us to go there. We're hoping to go to my old area so we can go get Smokes Poutine and go downtown and buy guitars (well, just me on that last one). And Mom, about your nursing clinical at the hospital?? Aren't you used to 575 lb. dirty old men walking around naked with poop on their bottom?? Dad does that about everyday. JAJAJAJA PONED!!!!! That was set up TOO perfectly. Gotcha pops. Hey speaking of weight...guess who lost 15 pounds in the last 6 weeks?? This guy!!!!! I'm at 185!!!! And I haven't even started my Cleanse diet yet (did I tell you about the Cleanse??). So that's awesome.
One interesting thing I've found with this last transfer is how a lot of different Elders' follow the rules. My last companion was a little more lenient with our schedule, but he was also a little more appropriate with his conduct than my companions now. I've found that probably the easiest way to go about doing things, is just to try and follow all the rules. Honestly. It takes away all the doubt you have about if you're doing the right thing, it honestly makes life easier, and perfect obedience brings blessings. Now, for all you non-missionaries, I've found that this truth applies to the commandments also. If you just choose the right choice, life is guiltless, easier, and you have a lot less regrets. One thing that a lot of people don't understand about our church is that the commandments aren't there to limit our fun, they're there to make sure that our lives are more fun, more free from worldly things, and more free from guilt and sadness. It's as simple as that. So advice for the week. Don't see how close you can get to that edge before falling off of it, because falling off it really sucks. I know. I've been there. I love you all and hope you're lives are guilt free and frivolous. Happy Halloween!!!!
Monday, October 19, 2015
2nd Transfer Down!!
2nd Transfer Down!! (Well, Basically 2nd Transfer)
And, it snowed here!!!!! Yay Winter! Well, it more like dusted here. The snow was very sparse, but it was snow, nonetheless. And it has definitely been getting colder here. I love it. So this week was pretty crazy. We got to go to the temple last Thursday and it was FANTASTIC!!!!!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!! I finally got to see the third endowment movie that I haven't seen yet. All three new videos: Check that off the bucket list. The whole trip was super fun though. And yesterday, everyone who is getting transferred got called. Elder Johnson and I luckily get to stay in our area. I would be very upset if I got transferred because I've become very attached to the ward. And I want to be here for Christmas. Many good friends are leaving though, so that's quite bittersweet. It's crazy to think that I've been on the mission for 3 months already. Do that 7 more times and I'll be coming home. It's honestly felt like it's been a few weeks. So Crazy!! Other than that, this week nothing too exciting happened. Went to some members' houses for dinner. Ate a lot of potatoes (I didn't realize how much potatoes Hispanics eat!!) Fun stuff.
St. George sounds fun. I still have no idea what pickleball, so it's sounds great, but yeah, pretty lost here. :} I talked about Thanksgiving in my other email. But basically they just celebrate the same things, pilgrims coming to America, then to Canada...eventually. They eat the same kind of stuff. Good deal. And today's voting day in Canad so we're getting a New Prime Minister. Huzzah, eh? Choir concerts are always awesome. Sorry to break it to you mom, but you probably won't be able to hear Logan sing specifically. Unless he has a solo. Which would be sick!! Woohoo! Night school. Party time. That sounds terrible and fun all at the same time. I wouldn't mind sleeping during the day and working at night. I think the darkness is my ally, I was born in the darkness, molded by it. The first time I was introduced to the light, it was nearly blinding to me. Name That Movie!?!?!
Dude, Micah, what's up. Good work on getting to the playoffs. Yeah, Springville's the worst. I hope Beauty and the Beast was good. And all those restaurant's sound delicious. I really hope you're not my bra because I don't need to wear a bra and wearing you just puts images in my mind that I just don't need right now, or ever. EVER!!!
Yeah, Logan. I've learned that sometimes, people just don't know how to read music, or sing. I've also learned that most Hispanics don't sing very well at all. I love Hispanics, but they can't sing. Except Enrique, he can be my hero...baby. I play the organ for sacrament meeting (and by the way, the organ is SO SICK) but it's always quite fun when we have fermatas in a song because for the most part, no one knows that they need to hold them out, and sometimes the conductor just keeps going. So I'm holding out the note, half the congregation holds it out, the other half awkwardly pretends like they held it out too (but we all know they didn't), and the conductor's just going at it. Chopping logs, making a sandwich, killing chickens. You know, the works. But it's all very fun. This week, I'm memorizing 1 Nephi Chapter 1 and ponderizing 1 Nephi 3:7.
So I've relearned a couple things this week. So last night, we accompanied the Bishop and his wife to a inactive member's house and talked with her. The reason she went inactive was because she was diagnosed with Cancer (in the kidney, I believe) and she decided to stay home and basically wallow in her pains. I've seen this same effect with many other people we've worked with. Now, one thing I learned in the first few weeks here is that I HATE staying in my apartment for hours on hours. Even if I'm a little nervous to go outside, or talk to people, it ALWAYS makes me feel better, one way or another. I came to the conclusion that procrastination, or laziness will always get you nowhere. The only way to accomplish something in life is to get off your rear end and DO IT!!!!! JUST DO IT!!!! YES YOU CAN!!! So turn off your TV, stop reading this email, get off your couch, light it on fire, and GO DO SOMETHING!!!!! Love you all. Ciao.
P.S. I don't have any pictures this week because Elder Johnson lost his camera cord. But I'm going to buy a converter today, so next week. NOW TURN THE COMPUTER OFF!!!! :)
And, it snowed here!!!!! Yay Winter! Well, it more like dusted here. The snow was very sparse, but it was snow, nonetheless. And it has definitely been getting colder here. I love it. So this week was pretty crazy. We got to go to the temple last Thursday and it was FANTASTIC!!!!!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!! I finally got to see the third endowment movie that I haven't seen yet. All three new videos: Check that off the bucket list. The whole trip was super fun though. And yesterday, everyone who is getting transferred got called. Elder Johnson and I luckily get to stay in our area. I would be very upset if I got transferred because I've become very attached to the ward. And I want to be here for Christmas. Many good friends are leaving though, so that's quite bittersweet. It's crazy to think that I've been on the mission for 3 months already. Do that 7 more times and I'll be coming home. It's honestly felt like it's been a few weeks. So Crazy!! Other than that, this week nothing too exciting happened. Went to some members' houses for dinner. Ate a lot of potatoes (I didn't realize how much potatoes Hispanics eat!!) Fun stuff.
St. George sounds fun. I still have no idea what pickleball, so it's sounds great, but yeah, pretty lost here. :} I talked about Thanksgiving in my other email. But basically they just celebrate the same things, pilgrims coming to America, then to Canada...eventually. They eat the same kind of stuff. Good deal. And today's voting day in Canad so we're getting a New Prime Minister. Huzzah, eh? Choir concerts are always awesome. Sorry to break it to you mom, but you probably won't be able to hear Logan sing specifically. Unless he has a solo. Which would be sick!! Woohoo! Night school. Party time. That sounds terrible and fun all at the same time. I wouldn't mind sleeping during the day and working at night. I think the darkness is my ally, I was born in the darkness, molded by it. The first time I was introduced to the light, it was nearly blinding to me. Name That Movie!?!?!
Dude, Micah, what's up. Good work on getting to the playoffs. Yeah, Springville's the worst. I hope Beauty and the Beast was good. And all those restaurant's sound delicious. I really hope you're not my bra because I don't need to wear a bra and wearing you just puts images in my mind that I just don't need right now, or ever. EVER!!!
Yeah, Logan. I've learned that sometimes, people just don't know how to read music, or sing. I've also learned that most Hispanics don't sing very well at all. I love Hispanics, but they can't sing. Except Enrique, he can be my hero...baby. I play the organ for sacrament meeting (and by the way, the organ is SO SICK) but it's always quite fun when we have fermatas in a song because for the most part, no one knows that they need to hold them out, and sometimes the conductor just keeps going. So I'm holding out the note, half the congregation holds it out, the other half awkwardly pretends like they held it out too (but we all know they didn't), and the conductor's just going at it. Chopping logs, making a sandwich, killing chickens. You know, the works. But it's all very fun. This week, I'm memorizing 1 Nephi Chapter 1 and ponderizing 1 Nephi 3:7.
So I've relearned a couple things this week. So last night, we accompanied the Bishop and his wife to a inactive member's house and talked with her. The reason she went inactive was because she was diagnosed with Cancer (in the kidney, I believe) and she decided to stay home and basically wallow in her pains. I've seen this same effect with many other people we've worked with. Now, one thing I learned in the first few weeks here is that I HATE staying in my apartment for hours on hours. Even if I'm a little nervous to go outside, or talk to people, it ALWAYS makes me feel better, one way or another. I came to the conclusion that procrastination, or laziness will always get you nowhere. The only way to accomplish something in life is to get off your rear end and DO IT!!!!! JUST DO IT!!!! YES YOU CAN!!! So turn off your TV, stop reading this email, get off your couch, light it on fire, and GO DO SOMETHING!!!!! Love you all. Ciao.
P.S. I don't have any pictures this week because Elder Johnson lost his camera cord. But I'm going to buy a converter today, so next week. NOW TURN THE COMPUTER OFF!!!! :)
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!! But Canadian Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!! But Canadian Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
So this last Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada. Because of this, EVERYTHING was closed. We couldn't email, buy groceries, or buy my guitar. :) So this week has been crazy. We were invited to a members house for Thanksgiving dinner. They are Peruvian so their food is always VERY good. It was an incredible experience. Other than that, this week has been very fun and very busy. We've gone to a lot of members houses for meals and done a lot of other stuff. Out of the blue we got two new investigators last Saturday, which was a miracle. And at least one of them seems pretty solid. Also, our district had three baptisms last week. We had two baptismal services and at the second service I played a musical number with a missionary who played the flute. They were both very good. This week has already been very crazy also. For all the new missionaries that have been here for around six weeks, we are going on a temple trip tomorrow so I'm SUPER PUMPED!!! I've ate a lot of Poutine this week, schwarmed a couple more times, eaten a lot of hot sauce, the works.
That's so cool you guys got to see Jeffery R. Holland!! He's an incredible man. How do you know I ate at Baskin Robbins?? I feel very personally invaded by my own mother. ;) 5 BUCKS?? I believe when I took it out here it said two extra dollars in Canadian money (which has less value). That's strange. I'll definitely avoid ATMs then. I've been trying not to use my debit card too much at all. But life happens. For the spices, I definitely don't want sauce packets, I'm thinking more like garlic powder, cocoa powder, bouillon, different rubs, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Stuff like that. Money on my debit card sounds great. I definitely want to buy a guitar here myself, because I also want a souvenir from Toronto that I would treasure, and a guitar would be perfect for me. And buying it online takes away the souvenir part. I definitely CAN have a guitar, I know a few other missionaries that have some. The rule here is that we can only play our musical instruments on P-Day and when we do play them, we should only play Hymns. Which are both understandable but very interesting rules because I play the piano about 3 to 4 times a week for different meetings and I play the organ every week on Sunday. But I'll be obedient, and I might talk to the President about it. :) Have fun in Saint George. That all sounds very fun. I'm very jealous of you guys going to Beauty and the Beast and of course playing Pickle Ball. Jajaja. That's way cool Hawkes is also going to North Carolina. And piano lessons make BANK!!! That's crazy that Bills is paying for Pianists now. HA! Jokes on him. Bills Breakfast Bashes are the Best and yeah, he was always very awkward about asking people to play piano for him. He treated me like that all the time too. Just show him who's boss, Logan, and tell him how much you charge. ;) FREE CHOIR TOURS FOR LIFE!!!!! 2 Nephi 22?? That is when Nephi is quoting Isaiah RIGHT?? I've been memorizing all the chapters in the Book of Mormon. And the Book of Mormon. My scripture this week are 1 Nephi 1:2, Nephi 2:1, and of course 1 Nephi 2:15 (And my father dwelt in a tent, nailed it).
Two questions: 1st, I was looking online at familysearch.org and I believe that I'm the only one on there of the kids in our family, it may just look different on there for me. I don't know. I just thought you'd like to know. Also, have you guys watched the 12 Steps Videos?? If not, YOU NEED TO!!! They're INCREDIBLE!! They're LDS videos about 12 different people who went through addiction recovery. They're a little intense so maybe keep the age limit to Logan and older. :) But I don't care if you're an hard core addict or you've never been addicted to anything in your life. Everyone should watch them. I've learned a ton from them. That's my motivation for the week. WATCH THE 12 STEP VIDEOS!!! And keep ponderizing scriptures, it's AWESOME!!! Love you all, hope life is exciting. Ciao.
And now, a little something about Canadian Thanksgiving. Holidays in Canada tend to always be on Monday (unless it's like Christmas, December 25) because supposedly Canadians like long weekends. I've heard that Canadians also celebrate the Pilgrims coming to America, because eventually, they too traveled to and settled in Canada. They just came to America first. :) For this Thanksgiving, the whole Province of Ontario watched or went to the Blue Jays baseball game. They played against Texas. It's super big because this is the first time in a long time the Blue Jays have been in the Playoffs. They won, so Canada celebrated. Huzzah.
So this last Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada. Because of this, EVERYTHING was closed. We couldn't email, buy groceries, or buy my guitar. :) So this week has been crazy. We were invited to a members house for Thanksgiving dinner. They are Peruvian so their food is always VERY good. It was an incredible experience. Other than that, this week has been very fun and very busy. We've gone to a lot of members houses for meals and done a lot of other stuff. Out of the blue we got two new investigators last Saturday, which was a miracle. And at least one of them seems pretty solid. Also, our district had three baptisms last week. We had two baptismal services and at the second service I played a musical number with a missionary who played the flute. They were both very good. This week has already been very crazy also. For all the new missionaries that have been here for around six weeks, we are going on a temple trip tomorrow so I'm SUPER PUMPED!!! I've ate a lot of Poutine this week, schwarmed a couple more times, eaten a lot of hot sauce, the works.
That's so cool you guys got to see Jeffery R. Holland!! He's an incredible man. How do you know I ate at Baskin Robbins?? I feel very personally invaded by my own mother. ;) 5 BUCKS?? I believe when I took it out here it said two extra dollars in Canadian money (which has less value). That's strange. I'll definitely avoid ATMs then. I've been trying not to use my debit card too much at all. But life happens. For the spices, I definitely don't want sauce packets, I'm thinking more like garlic powder, cocoa powder, bouillon, different rubs, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Stuff like that. Money on my debit card sounds great. I definitely want to buy a guitar here myself, because I also want a souvenir from Toronto that I would treasure, and a guitar would be perfect for me. And buying it online takes away the souvenir part. I definitely CAN have a guitar, I know a few other missionaries that have some. The rule here is that we can only play our musical instruments on P-Day and when we do play them, we should only play Hymns. Which are both understandable but very interesting rules because I play the piano about 3 to 4 times a week for different meetings and I play the organ every week on Sunday. But I'll be obedient, and I might talk to the President about it. :) Have fun in Saint George. That all sounds very fun. I'm very jealous of you guys going to Beauty and the Beast and of course playing Pickle Ball. Jajaja. That's way cool Hawkes is also going to North Carolina. And piano lessons make BANK!!! That's crazy that Bills is paying for Pianists now. HA! Jokes on him. Bills Breakfast Bashes are the Best and yeah, he was always very awkward about asking people to play piano for him. He treated me like that all the time too. Just show him who's boss, Logan, and tell him how much you charge. ;) FREE CHOIR TOURS FOR LIFE!!!!! 2 Nephi 22?? That is when Nephi is quoting Isaiah RIGHT?? I've been memorizing all the chapters in the Book of Mormon. And the Book of Mormon. My scripture this week are 1 Nephi 1:2, Nephi 2:1, and of course 1 Nephi 2:15 (And my father dwelt in a tent, nailed it).
Two questions: 1st, I was looking online at familysearch.org and I believe that I'm the only one on there of the kids in our family, it may just look different on there for me. I don't know. I just thought you'd like to know. Also, have you guys watched the 12 Steps Videos?? If not, YOU NEED TO!!! They're INCREDIBLE!! They're LDS videos about 12 different people who went through addiction recovery. They're a little intense so maybe keep the age limit to Logan and older. :) But I don't care if you're an hard core addict or you've never been addicted to anything in your life. Everyone should watch them. I've learned a ton from them. That's my motivation for the week. WATCH THE 12 STEP VIDEOS!!! And keep ponderizing scriptures, it's AWESOME!!! Love you all, hope life is exciting. Ciao.
And now, a little something about Canadian Thanksgiving. Holidays in Canada tend to always be on Monday (unless it's like Christmas, December 25) because supposedly Canadians like long weekends. I've heard that Canadians also celebrate the Pilgrims coming to America, because eventually, they too traveled to and settled in Canada. They just came to America first. :) For this Thanksgiving, the whole Province of Ontario watched or went to the Blue Jays baseball game. They played against Texas. It's super big because this is the first time in a long time the Blue Jays have been in the Playoffs. They won, so Canada celebrated. Huzzah.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Pictures!!!
GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!
GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!
That was pretty intense. That was like a funeral, a welcoming, and a bunch of Spirit all put into about 10 hours. CRAZY!! I love Elder Rasband and the other two apostles seem like they're going to be awesome. I'm not sure what my favorite talk was, but holy smokes, they put a ton of emphasis on Sabbath Day Holy, The Holy Ghost, and Women. Didn't see that coming. It was all really good though. President Monson did seem very tired and when he didn't close the Conference that was very worrisome. I hope he's alright. Elder Bednar's closing talk though was very intense, and I feel like a perfect way to close this conference.
This week has been very crazy and very fun. I tried real Poutine for the first time!!!! We went to this place called Franks, which is a very famous Hot Dog Place and got some very good poutine. Original Poutine is basically just fries with gravy and cheese curds on it, but Good Poutine has a lot more than that. The poutine I had, had Chorizo, Bacon, Grilled Onions, Chives, and Pulled Pork on top of it. IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! On top of that, last Wednesday we decided to go to K-Town and go get lunch at pretty much the first Korean restaurant we walked by. It was very different. I had Marinated Mackerel for my main dish. But I also ate a lot of Kimchee, Chili Sauce, Rice, Tofu, Random Vegetables I've never heard of, wontons, and much more. It was very Korean. I thought of Skyler…I cried. :)
Other than that, we've done a lot of tracting this week, we've also been working with a blind member and helping him bet the Melchizedek Priesthood and work towards his Endowments so that has been very cool.
I'm glad to hear that Mom keeps changing her ways to get the kids to do their chores. I'm pretty sure the only way for her to stick with one way, is for the Second Coming. But then after that we still have the Millennium, and then we have eternity. So all hope is lost. :(
Ice Skating is the Best!! I hope you are all having fun with that. Classes are always terrible, and so are tests. So that's fun. Have fun in Saint George.
CHRISTMAS!!!! I'M SO PUMPED!!! What do I want?? Hm...I want a pony and a rocket ship and Barbies and...Just kidding, just the Pony. Um...they did not have jackets at the mission home. But I think I'll be fine there. I will probably need to buy some boots. I need to buy a Guitar also. :) I get pretty lonely with just my sad Harmonica. I do get to play the piano a lot at church though. Actually, I've been playing the organ for our ward because we don't have an organist. Or didn't. Until now. So that's been very fun. Some things that might be nice for Christmas, if you could sneak it across the border, is dry cooking ingredients (spices, seasonings, stuff like that) because we are limited to buying cheap easy things to make. Piano/Organ/Guitar Music would be great. An Italian Language Book. There are SO MANY ITALIANS HERE!!! And I want to speak their language. Also, I have an Arabic Book I left at home. If you want to send that too, that would be great. President Clayton is actually considering starting to have Arabic Speaking Missionaries here. Which Is CRAZY!!! because I'm pretty sure no other missions in the world have Arabic Speakers. And guess who's under the radar that speaks a little bit of Arabic?? ME. Supposedly, President Clayton is sometimes sporadic about changing peoples languages (for example, all the Farsi speaking missionaries here didn't know it until they arrived in the field, same with a lot of the Portuguese speakers.) Who knows?? That would be super intense though.
Other than those things, I can't think of anything else. Maybe some American Hostess. Actually, weird things about Canada Part II.
They have Hostess here. But all the boxes are designed differently and some of the names are changed. (e.i. a Ding Dong here is called a King Dong) Weird stuff. They do have Twinkies here also. I'm not sure about the other things.
Also, there are a TON of squirrels here. And they are all Black!?!?!?! So Canadian Squirrels are Black. So that's weird.
We do have Halloween here. And we have Canadian Thanksgiving. I can't remember when it is, but most of the missionaries here celebrate American Thanksgiving too. So Double the Stuffing!!!!
I'll put on some more things as I notice them.
One thing that I LOVED from conference was the elder who challenged every to ponderize a scripture every week. I LOVE THAT IDEA because THE SCRIPTURES ARE AWESOME!!!! I've been studying the Book of Mormon these last few weeks very intensely. My goal is eventually at the end of my life to have the Book of Mormon memorized. :) But for real. I decided to ponderize a verse or more from a different chapter of the Book of Mormon every week. This week I'm starting with
1 Nephi 1:1. I'm SO EXCITED!!!! I RE-CHALLENGE all of you to take up this Commitment and ponderize at least one scripture a day because the Scripture are SO COOL!!! Especially the BOOK OF MORMON!!! The Book of Mormon is one of the greatest gifts this world has. DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!! Lots of Love. Ciao!!
That was pretty intense. That was like a funeral, a welcoming, and a bunch of Spirit all put into about 10 hours. CRAZY!! I love Elder Rasband and the other two apostles seem like they're going to be awesome. I'm not sure what my favorite talk was, but holy smokes, they put a ton of emphasis on Sabbath Day Holy, The Holy Ghost, and Women. Didn't see that coming. It was all really good though. President Monson did seem very tired and when he didn't close the Conference that was very worrisome. I hope he's alright. Elder Bednar's closing talk though was very intense, and I feel like a perfect way to close this conference.
This week has been very crazy and very fun. I tried real Poutine for the first time!!!! We went to this place called Franks, which is a very famous Hot Dog Place and got some very good poutine. Original Poutine is basically just fries with gravy and cheese curds on it, but Good Poutine has a lot more than that. The poutine I had, had Chorizo, Bacon, Grilled Onions, Chives, and Pulled Pork on top of it. IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! On top of that, last Wednesday we decided to go to K-Town and go get lunch at pretty much the first Korean restaurant we walked by. It was very different. I had Marinated Mackerel for my main dish. But I also ate a lot of Kimchee, Chili Sauce, Rice, Tofu, Random Vegetables I've never heard of, wontons, and much more. It was very Korean. I thought of Skyler…I cried. :)
Other than that, we've done a lot of tracting this week, we've also been working with a blind member and helping him bet the Melchizedek Priesthood and work towards his Endowments so that has been very cool.
I'm glad to hear that Mom keeps changing her ways to get the kids to do their chores. I'm pretty sure the only way for her to stick with one way, is for the Second Coming. But then after that we still have the Millennium, and then we have eternity. So all hope is lost. :(
Ice Skating is the Best!! I hope you are all having fun with that. Classes are always terrible, and so are tests. So that's fun. Have fun in Saint George.
CHRISTMAS!!!! I'M SO PUMPED!!! What do I want?? Hm...I want a pony and a rocket ship and Barbies and...Just kidding, just the Pony. Um...they did not have jackets at the mission home. But I think I'll be fine there. I will probably need to buy some boots. I need to buy a Guitar also. :) I get pretty lonely with just my sad Harmonica. I do get to play the piano a lot at church though. Actually, I've been playing the organ for our ward because we don't have an organist. Or didn't. Until now. So that's been very fun. Some things that might be nice for Christmas, if you could sneak it across the border, is dry cooking ingredients (spices, seasonings, stuff like that) because we are limited to buying cheap easy things to make. Piano/Organ/Guitar Music would be great. An Italian Language Book. There are SO MANY ITALIANS HERE!!! And I want to speak their language. Also, I have an Arabic Book I left at home. If you want to send that too, that would be great. President Clayton is actually considering starting to have Arabic Speaking Missionaries here. Which Is CRAZY!!! because I'm pretty sure no other missions in the world have Arabic Speakers. And guess who's under the radar that speaks a little bit of Arabic?? ME. Supposedly, President Clayton is sometimes sporadic about changing peoples languages (for example, all the Farsi speaking missionaries here didn't know it until they arrived in the field, same with a lot of the Portuguese speakers.) Who knows?? That would be super intense though.
Other than those things, I can't think of anything else. Maybe some American Hostess. Actually, weird things about Canada Part II.
They have Hostess here. But all the boxes are designed differently and some of the names are changed. (e.i. a Ding Dong here is called a King Dong) Weird stuff. They do have Twinkies here also. I'm not sure about the other things.
Also, there are a TON of squirrels here. And they are all Black!?!?!?! So Canadian Squirrels are Black. So that's weird.
We do have Halloween here. And we have Canadian Thanksgiving. I can't remember when it is, but most of the missionaries here celebrate American Thanksgiving too. So Double the Stuffing!!!!
I'll put on some more things as I notice them.
One thing that I LOVED from conference was the elder who challenged every to ponderize a scripture every week. I LOVE THAT IDEA because THE SCRIPTURES ARE AWESOME!!!! I've been studying the Book of Mormon these last few weeks very intensely. My goal is eventually at the end of my life to have the Book of Mormon memorized. :) But for real. I decided to ponderize a verse or more from a different chapter of the Book of Mormon every week. This week I'm starting with
1 Nephi 1:1. I'm SO EXCITED!!!! I RE-CHALLENGE all of you to take up this Commitment and ponderize at least one scripture a day because the Scripture are SO COOL!!! Especially the BOOK OF MORMON!!! The Book of Mormon is one of the greatest gifts this world has. DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!! Lots of Love. Ciao!!
Monday, September 28, 2015
Howdy!
Howdy,
Everything sounds very fun back home. I hope Idaho is fun, if you all end up going there. And Dad's finally about to get over that hill. Woowoo!! The Sunday Family Dinner sounds AWESOME. Maybe I'll talk to my president and see if I can make it. Jajaja. And I had no idea that the Lockhart Family moved TO California?? I'm so out of the loop, and out of the country. Was up Micah. I am having a good time right now.
This week was pretty chill. My companion and I are having pretty bad luck right now finding people to teach that will actually follow up on their appointments. We've been having a lot of people cancel on us, but we Keep Pressing On!! Elder Johnson and I made deep-fried Oreos the other day which was pretty fun. Next time we're going to try with Double Stuff though. Single Stuff is just never enough... Yep. Obviously, I don't have to much to write so I'm just going to tell you all some interesting facts about living in Canada:
All the stereotypes of Canada are definitely true. Everyone does say "Eh." And I've met a man who sounds EXACTLY like the two moose off of Brother Bear. That was really funny.
Their milk comes in BAGS?!?!?! You buy one big bag with three smaller bags, and then you cut off the corner and stick a smaller bag in a pitcher. It's super weird.
I'm not sure I had ever seen their money before, Loonies and Toonies are dollar (Loonie) and two-dollar (Toonie) coins. And then they have bills starting at five dollars.
EVERYONE calls the bathroom a washroom.
The stoplight circles get bigger when going from green to red.
In Toronto, Baseball is huge. And when I say Baseball, I mean the Toronto Blue Jays.
No one pays attention to Canada Politics, but everyone knows the Donald Trump is about to become the next American President.
At least in Spanish work here, if you don't like hot sauce on EVERYTHING. No one likes you. :)
That does remind me of a funny story:
So last Saturday, we went over to a members house to talk with them and share a message. I wasn't expecting dinner, but when we got there, dinner was brought out to us. And on the plate before me, was a hot dog and a hamburger SMOTHERED IN KETCHUP!!!!!! Now, I don't know if you all remember, but I DON'T LIKE KETCHUP!!! So I buckled down and ate the whole meal. It was rough, I may have cried, but I did it. End of story.
Another struggle I've been having this week, is something that I absolutely despise. I've been dwelling on the past and thinking a little too much about the future. I've found that when we do that, we, for obvious purposes, tend to forgot to live in the present. This concept is something that EVERYONE is guilty of, and I can't stand it, because then life passes us by and we realize that we spent all of our past focusing on the future. Something that I've learned this last week and have been trying to adapt it to my life is LIVE IN THE MOMENT!!!!! You Can't Change the Past and If You Live NOW, the Future Will Probably Be A Lot Better. Of course, don't make choices that will negatively affect the future, but make sure you can look back with NO REGRETS. That's how life is meant to be lived. So there's my motivational speech for the week. Love you all.
Everything sounds very fun back home. I hope Idaho is fun, if you all end up going there. And Dad's finally about to get over that hill. Woowoo!! The Sunday Family Dinner sounds AWESOME. Maybe I'll talk to my president and see if I can make it. Jajaja. And I had no idea that the Lockhart Family moved TO California?? I'm so out of the loop, and out of the country. Was up Micah. I am having a good time right now.
This week was pretty chill. My companion and I are having pretty bad luck right now finding people to teach that will actually follow up on their appointments. We've been having a lot of people cancel on us, but we Keep Pressing On!! Elder Johnson and I made deep-fried Oreos the other day which was pretty fun. Next time we're going to try with Double Stuff though. Single Stuff is just never enough... Yep. Obviously, I don't have to much to write so I'm just going to tell you all some interesting facts about living in Canada:
All the stereotypes of Canada are definitely true. Everyone does say "Eh." And I've met a man who sounds EXACTLY like the two moose off of Brother Bear. That was really funny.
Their milk comes in BAGS?!?!?! You buy one big bag with three smaller bags, and then you cut off the corner and stick a smaller bag in a pitcher. It's super weird.
I'm not sure I had ever seen their money before, Loonies and Toonies are dollar (Loonie) and two-dollar (Toonie) coins. And then they have bills starting at five dollars.
EVERYONE calls the bathroom a washroom.
The stoplight circles get bigger when going from green to red.
In Toronto, Baseball is huge. And when I say Baseball, I mean the Toronto Blue Jays.
No one pays attention to Canada Politics, but everyone knows the Donald Trump is about to become the next American President.
At least in Spanish work here, if you don't like hot sauce on EVERYTHING. No one likes you. :)
That does remind me of a funny story:
So last Saturday, we went over to a members house to talk with them and share a message. I wasn't expecting dinner, but when we got there, dinner was brought out to us. And on the plate before me, was a hot dog and a hamburger SMOTHERED IN KETCHUP!!!!!! Now, I don't know if you all remember, but I DON'T LIKE KETCHUP!!! So I buckled down and ate the whole meal. It was rough, I may have cried, but I did it. End of story.
Another struggle I've been having this week, is something that I absolutely despise. I've been dwelling on the past and thinking a little too much about the future. I've found that when we do that, we, for obvious purposes, tend to forgot to live in the present. This concept is something that EVERYONE is guilty of, and I can't stand it, because then life passes us by and we realize that we spent all of our past focusing on the future. Something that I've learned this last week and have been trying to adapt it to my life is LIVE IN THE MOMENT!!!!! You Can't Change the Past and If You Live NOW, the Future Will Probably Be A Lot Better. Of course, don't make choices that will negatively affect the future, but make sure you can look back with NO REGRETS. That's how life is meant to be lived. So there's my motivational speech for the week. Love you all.
Monday, September 21, 2015
GOOD MORNING FROM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!
GOOD MORNING FROM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!
This week has probably been the shortest and easiest of my life!!! No, I kid, but things have definitely gotten better here. Sorry about last week, it was really rough for me the first week. But now, I'm high flying. I decided that it takes about a week to adapt to any different atmosphere, then, as long as you can find joy in different things, you'll be alright (hopefully). So I'm doing great. So, we are pretty sparse with work, but things are definitely picking up. We have two investigators that we have taught, but NEITHER OF THEM CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!! So that was pretty upsetting. But in the words of the Beatles, "DON'T LET ME DOOOOOOWWWWWNNN!!!!" Love that song.
So my mission is actually very different from most. We have started this new way of work (which actually started the DAY I got there), so it's new for everybody here. The idea is that we not only want to put the emphasis on getting our investigators into the waters of baptism, but we're putting a HUGE emphasis on helping New Converts and Inactive or Active members progressing to their next covenant (ex. Priesthood, Endowments, Marriage, Family History, Temple Work), which I LOVE!!! I'M OBSESSED WITH TEMPLES!!! But I'll talk about that later. One of our statements is that Reactivation is JUST as important as Baptism. So it's so awesome.
This week was very much less stressful. Actually, right after I emailed you all last Monday, my Companion and I went to Downtown Toronto. It reminded me of how much I LOVE the CITY!!!! We walked by the CN Tower, and the Blue Jays Stadium, and tons of tall buildings. And the people are all so cold. I LOVE IT!!!! I definitely need to send you all some pictures, forgot today. Sorry. Other than that, this week, I went on a Companion Exchange with another companionship which was a lot of fun, we schwarmed again. And I got to do a lot of English work. yipee...Spanish is better. :)
I have eaten some good food lately. Last Tuesday we went to a member’s house for dinner, and she served us a Peruvian dish called Lomos Saltados. It is steak strips fried with potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, served with rice. It's probably the best thing I've had in months. Also yesterday, the Portuguese Elders had an Octopus Pasta dish and I ate some of that. The Octopus was delicious, the Pasta was average. Other than that, we've gone to a Portuguese Bakery a few times and gotten Chocolate Salami and some other things. I definitely need to get out more and try out some other dishes because there's SO MUCH different stuff here.
I did bring almost all my language books. I'm learning Portuguese a little and brushing up on my Arabic (which is the one book I didn't bring). I'll probably come home knowing English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, and Hindi. Give or take a few. Funny story, I was reading today that the original Gold Plates were a mix of Egyptian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Arabic. So if I can get those four down, I’m set for life.
The Harp concert sounds incredible!!! Looks like Sophie slipped right in to the famous Flint family. Before, you know it Soph, people are going to start wanting your autograph. Has it happened to me before??...Yes it has. Get better Logan, you also can't afford to get sick, because the public is waiting for YOU. And you can't keep them waiting. Otherwise they'll be an angry mob that starts burning down the city. Has it happened to me before??... Okay, maybe not that one. And good work Micah, with Football. Make sure those Payson Lions know their place. And that's underneath Salem Hills. WAY underneath. Hopefully everybody is getting better at home.
Like I said before in my email, I have a problem. And that problem is my obsession with temples. It's bad, but in a good way. :) The rule about our area is that we have temple days after every transfer I believe, but you can only go if you have a member going with you, for the first time, with their own names. So if I want to go to the temple, I have to help someone else get to the temple. That is very good motivation for me. Because I start to have withdrawals if I don't go to the temple. Not only that though, I see these people who haven't experienced the awesome things I've experienced in these Houses of the Lord and it makes me really sad. They don't understand the joy that they could have and that they haven't filled their full potential. I try not to think about it too much, but one of the main things I have to look forward to in life is Marriage, and seeing these people that have the ability and opportunity to be married and do not seize that opportunity makes me a little bit upset, because THEY DON'T REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THEY HAVE!!!! So DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!! The temples are the best places on Earth and NOTHING else on Earth is closer to Heaven than the temples. That's the truth. So don't wait, don't procrastinate, GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!! Right now. Get in the car. GO! It's SO WORTH IT!!!
Love you all.
This week has probably been the shortest and easiest of my life!!! No, I kid, but things have definitely gotten better here. Sorry about last week, it was really rough for me the first week. But now, I'm high flying. I decided that it takes about a week to adapt to any different atmosphere, then, as long as you can find joy in different things, you'll be alright (hopefully). So I'm doing great. So, we are pretty sparse with work, but things are definitely picking up. We have two investigators that we have taught, but NEITHER OF THEM CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!! So that was pretty upsetting. But in the words of the Beatles, "DON'T LET ME DOOOOOOWWWWWNNN!!!!" Love that song.
So my mission is actually very different from most. We have started this new way of work (which actually started the DAY I got there), so it's new for everybody here. The idea is that we not only want to put the emphasis on getting our investigators into the waters of baptism, but we're putting a HUGE emphasis on helping New Converts and Inactive or Active members progressing to their next covenant (ex. Priesthood, Endowments, Marriage, Family History, Temple Work), which I LOVE!!! I'M OBSESSED WITH TEMPLES!!! But I'll talk about that later. One of our statements is that Reactivation is JUST as important as Baptism. So it's so awesome.
This week was very much less stressful. Actually, right after I emailed you all last Monday, my Companion and I went to Downtown Toronto. It reminded me of how much I LOVE the CITY!!!! We walked by the CN Tower, and the Blue Jays Stadium, and tons of tall buildings. And the people are all so cold. I LOVE IT!!!! I definitely need to send you all some pictures, forgot today. Sorry. Other than that, this week, I went on a Companion Exchange with another companionship which was a lot of fun, we schwarmed again. And I got to do a lot of English work. yipee...Spanish is better. :)
I have eaten some good food lately. Last Tuesday we went to a member’s house for dinner, and she served us a Peruvian dish called Lomos Saltados. It is steak strips fried with potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, served with rice. It's probably the best thing I've had in months. Also yesterday, the Portuguese Elders had an Octopus Pasta dish and I ate some of that. The Octopus was delicious, the Pasta was average. Other than that, we've gone to a Portuguese Bakery a few times and gotten Chocolate Salami and some other things. I definitely need to get out more and try out some other dishes because there's SO MUCH different stuff here.
I did bring almost all my language books. I'm learning Portuguese a little and brushing up on my Arabic (which is the one book I didn't bring). I'll probably come home knowing English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, and Hindi. Give or take a few. Funny story, I was reading today that the original Gold Plates were a mix of Egyptian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Arabic. So if I can get those four down, I’m set for life.
The Harp concert sounds incredible!!! Looks like Sophie slipped right in to the famous Flint family. Before, you know it Soph, people are going to start wanting your autograph. Has it happened to me before??...Yes it has. Get better Logan, you also can't afford to get sick, because the public is waiting for YOU. And you can't keep them waiting. Otherwise they'll be an angry mob that starts burning down the city. Has it happened to me before??... Okay, maybe not that one. And good work Micah, with Football. Make sure those Payson Lions know their place. And that's underneath Salem Hills. WAY underneath. Hopefully everybody is getting better at home.
Like I said before in my email, I have a problem. And that problem is my obsession with temples. It's bad, but in a good way. :) The rule about our area is that we have temple days after every transfer I believe, but you can only go if you have a member going with you, for the first time, with their own names. So if I want to go to the temple, I have to help someone else get to the temple. That is very good motivation for me. Because I start to have withdrawals if I don't go to the temple. Not only that though, I see these people who haven't experienced the awesome things I've experienced in these Houses of the Lord and it makes me really sad. They don't understand the joy that they could have and that they haven't filled their full potential. I try not to think about it too much, but one of the main things I have to look forward to in life is Marriage, and seeing these people that have the ability and opportunity to be married and do not seize that opportunity makes me a little bit upset, because THEY DON'T REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THEY HAVE!!!! So DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!! The temples are the best places on Earth and NOTHING else on Earth is closer to Heaven than the temples. That's the truth. So don't wait, don't procrastinate, GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!! Right now. Get in the car. GO! It's SO WORTH IT!!!
Love you all.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Hello from Toronto!!!!!!
Hello from Toronto!!!!!!
This week has probably been the craziest in my life, and most definitely the hardest. So after we landed in Toronto, we met our Mission President, who seems like an awesome guy, and we went to the mission home for dinner. Afterwards, the Elders in my travel group went to a hotel and stayed the night there. The next day, we came to the church building right next to the temple, where we met our new companions. My new companion is Elder Johnson. He's from Alberta, he's 20 and he's super on top of things. He's very structured which is great because he's also our District leader. After we got our new companions, we were assigned to our areas and sent out. My new area is the Christie North area, I believe it's the closest area to the center of Toronto so we are literally right in the city. Our apartment is on the 19th floor so our view of the city is INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Definitely one of my favorite things about living here. So when we first got to our apartment, it was pretty much trashed. :| We had reopened this area so no missionaries had been living there for about six weeks. The last missionaries that were living there didn't bother to clean it up before they left and other missionaries in the building had raided it and taken what they wanted. We spent about three hours cleaning the room in the burning humid heat. So that was a rough welcome. :( Things have definitely been better since then. Since we opened the area, we don't have a lot of investigators to work off of. But we're slowly making progress.
To answer all your questions, Mom. The weirdest food I've eaten is Shwarma. Last Tuesday we Shwarmed for the first time, at a restaurant called Alvions. It was pretty good. Not to different, though. We have not eaten at any members' houses yet, be we have some appointments set up for this week. We've eaten out once (Shwarming). For the most part we eat at the apartment. PB&J Sandwiches and Life cereal for days!!! I've cooked a little bit, but I don't have to much time or money to cook, which makes me very sad sometimes. Only my companion and I live in our apartment, there are two other companionships living in our building though, so sometimes we party hard. Ha! Not really. We have done some house to house tracting which I really enjoyed minus the fact that everyone we talked to was Italian and didn't want to speak to us. :) We have had about zero referrals. We do not do the Facebook thing here. :) We do have a cellphone, but my companion carries it on him, because he uses it a lot, and I hate technology. Except emailing and Skype of course. We do do our own shopping, which everything in Canada is super expensive so that's fun. So far, I haven't tried Poutine yet, or Panimo Bars, or even Maple Syrup, but that is plentiful here, so we'll see.
Honestly, everything people told me about Toronto was very true and very false. It is a HUGE melting pot and there's lots of people here that don't speak English; but there's really no French speakers here, just a TON of Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Italian, African, African-American, and Eastern European people here. Oh, and some white and Hispanic people. We take buses and the subway everywhere which I very much enjoy. Every says it's very clean here, which isn't all that true. Just like any city, there's always people smoking and cars honking and what not. But there's not really any homeless people here and the noise does die down at night, so that's good. Honestly though, it's a beautiful city full of different people and adventure.
Like I said before, this week was probably the hardest week of my entire life. Homesickness and fatigue and hopelessness does not hit you hard at all at the MTC. If it does, the mission will eat you alive. It's been really hard for me getting into the swing of things, but through much prayer and fasting (honestly though), I'm slowly getting better. The mission honestly is all about focusing on others, because if you focus on yourself AT ALL, you start wanting to come home. Getting lost in the work is the only way to get through the mission. Last Sunday, was my first time at church in this ward, and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! Unlike all the people on the streets (who I've found to be very afraid of missionaries, don't know why, we're a friendly people), the people at church have so much happiness in their lives because of the Gospel. It's amazing how much the Gospel can change lives. Don't take it for granted. And remember that through God, you can do ALL THINGS!!!! Love you all and I miss you more than any of you can imagine. Bye!!!
This week has probably been the craziest in my life, and most definitely the hardest. So after we landed in Toronto, we met our Mission President, who seems like an awesome guy, and we went to the mission home for dinner. Afterwards, the Elders in my travel group went to a hotel and stayed the night there. The next day, we came to the church building right next to the temple, where we met our new companions. My new companion is Elder Johnson. He's from Alberta, he's 20 and he's super on top of things. He's very structured which is great because he's also our District leader. After we got our new companions, we were assigned to our areas and sent out. My new area is the Christie North area, I believe it's the closest area to the center of Toronto so we are literally right in the city. Our apartment is on the 19th floor so our view of the city is INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Definitely one of my favorite things about living here. So when we first got to our apartment, it was pretty much trashed. :| We had reopened this area so no missionaries had been living there for about six weeks. The last missionaries that were living there didn't bother to clean it up before they left and other missionaries in the building had raided it and taken what they wanted. We spent about three hours cleaning the room in the burning humid heat. So that was a rough welcome. :( Things have definitely been better since then. Since we opened the area, we don't have a lot of investigators to work off of. But we're slowly making progress.
To answer all your questions, Mom. The weirdest food I've eaten is Shwarma. Last Tuesday we Shwarmed for the first time, at a restaurant called Alvions. It was pretty good. Not to different, though. We have not eaten at any members' houses yet, be we have some appointments set up for this week. We've eaten out once (Shwarming). For the most part we eat at the apartment. PB&J Sandwiches and Life cereal for days!!! I've cooked a little bit, but I don't have to much time or money to cook, which makes me very sad sometimes. Only my companion and I live in our apartment, there are two other companionships living in our building though, so sometimes we party hard. Ha! Not really. We have done some house to house tracting which I really enjoyed minus the fact that everyone we talked to was Italian and didn't want to speak to us. :) We have had about zero referrals. We do not do the Facebook thing here. :) We do have a cellphone, but my companion carries it on him, because he uses it a lot, and I hate technology. Except emailing and Skype of course. We do do our own shopping, which everything in Canada is super expensive so that's fun. So far, I haven't tried Poutine yet, or Panimo Bars, or even Maple Syrup, but that is plentiful here, so we'll see.
Honestly, everything people told me about Toronto was very true and very false. It is a HUGE melting pot and there's lots of people here that don't speak English; but there's really no French speakers here, just a TON of Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Italian, African, African-American, and Eastern European people here. Oh, and some white and Hispanic people. We take buses and the subway everywhere which I very much enjoy. Every says it's very clean here, which isn't all that true. Just like any city, there's always people smoking and cars honking and what not. But there's not really any homeless people here and the noise does die down at night, so that's good. Honestly though, it's a beautiful city full of different people and adventure.
Like I said before, this week was probably the hardest week of my entire life. Homesickness and fatigue and hopelessness does not hit you hard at all at the MTC. If it does, the mission will eat you alive. It's been really hard for me getting into the swing of things, but through much prayer and fasting (honestly though), I'm slowly getting better. The mission honestly is all about focusing on others, because if you focus on yourself AT ALL, you start wanting to come home. Getting lost in the work is the only way to get through the mission. Last Sunday, was my first time at church in this ward, and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! Unlike all the people on the streets (who I've found to be very afraid of missionaries, don't know why, we're a friendly people), the people at church have so much happiness in their lives because of the Gospel. It's amazing how much the Gospel can change lives. Don't take it for granted. And remember that through God, you can do ALL THINGS!!!! Love you all and I miss you more than any of you can imagine. Bye!!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
TWO DAYS!!!!! I'm so pumped.
TWO DAYS!!!!! I'm so pumped. So expect the phone call between 12 PM and 1 PM on Monday (because I have a layover in Minneapolis). Joey also is coming over I believe. Maybe because I invited him to. :) I did receive a phone card from a friend, so hopefully that will all work out great. I'm glad Charlie's birthday was fun, and that college life is treating Skyler well. I do remember watching the Ring for family home evening about 9 or 8 years ago. So I know the feeling Sophie. WHAT!?!?!?!?! Girl, Logan, girl, Ginger, kissing??? Finally, Logan's started liking girls. I'm so happy now. You really are taking all my jobs Logan. ;) $30. Sweet sweet. I guess I'll be going out to sushi with my new companion once we land in Toronto. ;) I don't know if you guys will pay my tithing on that or I have to or what but I'm confused. I guess it all goes back to me anyway. :) Everything else sounds great at home. You guys almost make me homesick telling all these fun things. Almost. B) And Logan. Why didn't you complete your past mission?? But honest to goodness. Some nights the only way I can get to sleep is by singing that Abbey Road medley in my head, and I've forgotten like half the song. So if you guys want to send me at least the lyrics, that could be great. Because it really helps me out. If not I understand. I'll just go through my whole mission in the dark remembering only half the song. The Curse of the Missionary. But if you could. Happiness.
This last week was very chill. Elder Dallin H Oaks came last Sunday. So that was pretty fun. He talked a lot on missionary stuff. Yay. As you can tell I'm kind of tired right now. I've been studying a TON. Spanish, French, el Libro de Mormon, etc. Yesterday we had our in-field orientation. A lot of classes and a lot of boring (I promise I'm usually more optimistic than this :) It did get me a little more pumped for going out into the mission field. Other than that, I've been playing a lot of Basketball and Volleyball this week, I got a haircut today and it's pretty different, I had the hair-cutting lady take off all the curls on the sides, so it's very interesting. I like it enough though. I solved a Rubic's Cube for my first time, so I'm pretty much a pro at that. I packed up about 90% today. All ready to go.
I actually bought like 50 pass along cards and 2 paperback Book of Mormons for the plane ride, because I decided that I'm not going to waste any time once I get out of the MTC. I'm a little nervous because, before the mission, I was always a little scared of talking about the Gospel to any nonmembers (friends, family, random strangers). And I think that is the case for all lot of people, missionaries or non-missionaries. But the thing is, what are we trying to invite them to do?? We're honestly trying to bring perfect joy and happiness into there lives by bringing them unto Christ through baptism. WHY WOULDN'T WE WANT TO SHARE THAT?!?!?!? Billions of people in the world our living in darkness and depression, we NEED to bring the Light of Christ to those people. We can't waste any time to invite everyone and anyone into this Gospel. Our lives on Earth are shorter than we think. SO, my invitation to all of you who are reading this, is to Get Off Your High Horse!!! and Invite those friends to church. Give someone a book off Mormon. Or just talk to some lonely kid at school or church. You have NO IDEA the difference that it can make. In the wise words of a wonderful actor, "Just, DO IT!!!!! YES YOU CAN!!!!" So that's my motivational speech for the week. Love you all!!!
This last week was very chill. Elder Dallin H Oaks came last Sunday. So that was pretty fun. He talked a lot on missionary stuff. Yay. As you can tell I'm kind of tired right now. I've been studying a TON. Spanish, French, el Libro de Mormon, etc. Yesterday we had our in-field orientation. A lot of classes and a lot of boring (I promise I'm usually more optimistic than this :) It did get me a little more pumped for going out into the mission field. Other than that, I've been playing a lot of Basketball and Volleyball this week, I got a haircut today and it's pretty different, I had the hair-cutting lady take off all the curls on the sides, so it's very interesting. I like it enough though. I solved a Rubic's Cube for my first time, so I'm pretty much a pro at that. I packed up about 90% today. All ready to go.
I actually bought like 50 pass along cards and 2 paperback Book of Mormons for the plane ride, because I decided that I'm not going to waste any time once I get out of the MTC. I'm a little nervous because, before the mission, I was always a little scared of talking about the Gospel to any nonmembers (friends, family, random strangers). And I think that is the case for all lot of people, missionaries or non-missionaries. But the thing is, what are we trying to invite them to do?? We're honestly trying to bring perfect joy and happiness into there lives by bringing them unto Christ through baptism. WHY WOULDN'T WE WANT TO SHARE THAT?!?!?!? Billions of people in the world our living in darkness and depression, we NEED to bring the Light of Christ to those people. We can't waste any time to invite everyone and anyone into this Gospel. Our lives on Earth are shorter than we think. SO, my invitation to all of you who are reading this, is to Get Off Your High Horse!!! and Invite those friends to church. Give someone a book off Mormon. Or just talk to some lonely kid at school or church. You have NO IDEA the difference that it can make. In the wise words of a wonderful actor, "Just, DO IT!!!!! YES YOU CAN!!!!" So that's my motivational speech for the week. Love you all!!!
Monday, August 31, 2015
To the Ward
Hola barrio, or ward!!! I´m still in the MTC right now, but I´ll be leaving a week from Monday for Toronto. Although I´ve only been out about a month, I´ve learned SO MUCH!!!! One of the most important things I´ve learned is how special every person is and how much light they can have in their life. We´ve taught some investigators here and one of them was this big bald man with pierced ears and a background of poverty and violence, and we´ve come to love him SO MUCH!! The light that we´ve seen in his personality and life is incredible. I´ve learned that no matter where we come from, or what we´ve been though, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ loves us. Everyone has been through trials. Just remember that NO ONE IS ALONE!!!! I hope you all believe that. I also hope that you see that in other people and help spread the light of Christ to everyone you meet. And if you haven´t been spreading the light of Christ, I invite you to DO IT!!!! Being able to spread the light and love of Christ is phenomenal!!!! I love you all and would love to hear from all of you!!! Ciao!!!
Hey fam!!!! Thank you much for the Pexpress!!!!!
Hey fam!!!! Thank you much for the Pexpress!!!!! It was fantastic. I’m flattered that you'd compare my voice to the singers on the radio Mom ;) But my District honestly sings more than I do. I really wanted the music because, as a missionary, you tend to forget all the lyrics and melodies for your favorite songs. It's TERRIBLE!!!! But if you don't want to send/email me any, that's fine. hey...logan. you there??? remember that mission I assigned you a few emails ago?? find it and accomplish it. PLEASE!!!! sshh. but don't let Mom know. incognito. maybe through a different email. all I need is lyrics and the letters for the chords. i need that music!!!!! but sshh, keep it a secret. AHEM, so family. Tell me how the garage sale goes. NO! Don't sell my cooler!!!! Unless you want to buy me a bigger one. Then I'm super down. ;) Did you all know that Abigail got her call. New Mexico, Farmington. So that's pretty neat. SEPTEMBER 7TH!!!!! I'M SO PUMPED!!! I mean I love it here, the foods so good (ha) and my companions never annoy me (also, ha) and rooming with a bunch of guys who toot and snort and hack up loogies 24/7 is really the best (that's really not even funny). But yes, so my flights at 8:30 and I have to wake up at 4:30 to get there. Awesome!!! I have a layover in Minneapolis from about 12 to 1 o'clock. I guess that's when I should be able to call you. I'll double check on that though. I guess I'll just use a pay phone. I'm not sure if that's what Charlie and Skyler did, but alright.
So this week went by pretty quickly. I have been studying French and we got a new District and there's a French Elder, from France, in it. So he's been helping me out a ton!! It's actually pretty easy if you know Spanish. You guys should look into it (Dad, Charlie, Logan, Sophie, wait what??) But don't worry, I'm also studying Spanish like crazy!!!! I feel super prepared to go out in the field, but I'm just going to perfect it this week before I go out :)
So yesterday, we had our last TRC (or real investigator) lesson. We finished teaching this man named Elias, who is SO COOL!!! His whole family is LDS (his parents and his own family) so it was easy to invite him to church last Sunday. And he LOVED it there!!!! Which was great. Yesterday we invited him to be baptized and he said he wants to once he receives a confirmation in his heart. So that went really well. Then we had to say goodbye which was SO SAD!!! It's incredible how close you can get to someone in such short time. He's such a great guy. It's incredible that we are able to feel the same love God has for all is children. God really does care about EVERYBODY!!!! Here we are teaching this big Dominican, who came from a violent past, ears pierced, bald, bearded, rough looking guy and all I feel is such love for him and such a desire for him to come to the Gospel. And I know that God's love for him is that times a thousand. It's incredible how much God loves his children, and how often people tend to forget that. So remember, GOD LOVES EVERYBODY SO MUCH!!!!! Even when you makes mistakes, or when you feel alone. Remember, you are never alone. I love you all so much, and hope you're having a great time. Bye!!!
So this week went by pretty quickly. I have been studying French and we got a new District and there's a French Elder, from France, in it. So he's been helping me out a ton!! It's actually pretty easy if you know Spanish. You guys should look into it (Dad, Charlie, Logan, Sophie, wait what??) But don't worry, I'm also studying Spanish like crazy!!!! I feel super prepared to go out in the field, but I'm just going to perfect it this week before I go out :)
So yesterday, we had our last TRC (or real investigator) lesson. We finished teaching this man named Elias, who is SO COOL!!! His whole family is LDS (his parents and his own family) so it was easy to invite him to church last Sunday. And he LOVED it there!!!! Which was great. Yesterday we invited him to be baptized and he said he wants to once he receives a confirmation in his heart. So that went really well. Then we had to say goodbye which was SO SAD!!! It's incredible how close you can get to someone in such short time. He's such a great guy. It's incredible that we are able to feel the same love God has for all is children. God really does care about EVERYBODY!!!! Here we are teaching this big Dominican, who came from a violent past, ears pierced, bald, bearded, rough looking guy and all I feel is such love for him and such a desire for him to come to the Gospel. And I know that God's love for him is that times a thousand. It's incredible how much God loves his children, and how often people tend to forget that. So remember, GOD LOVES EVERYBODY SO MUCH!!!!! Even when you makes mistakes, or when you feel alone. Remember, you are never alone. I love you all so much, and hope you're having a great time. Bye!!!
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