HELLOOOOO!!!
Haha. I remember performing Dr. Seuss stuff. I was the angry man in Green Eggs and Ham. Funny stuff. I'm glad all is well back home and that everyone is enjoying Asian food and Dog food. Speaking of Asian Food, something crazy my companion and I tried last week was Dragon Fruit. It was on sale for Chinese New Years, so we bought some. If you look up some pictures, it looks super crazy on the outside and the inside is super white and seedy. It basically tasted like a bland kiwi. Super seedy, and little flavor. But we still have the skin because it looks super cool. I'm glad Sophie is enjoying ice skating. I wish I could go up here (we're like in Hockey Capital and I can't even go ice skating!! Crazy!! And I'm glad you're enjoying all the little babies, Mom. Just a little jealous. And I'm jealous about the snow. We haven't had any up here. At least any that stays. It flurries sometimes but everything melts by the next day. Super upsetting.
This week was very fun, though. Last Monday, Elder Cox and I went Extreme Guitar Shopping. We traveled all around downtown and went to 3 guitar shops. Then we got Poutine at Smokes. Which I got the SLAUGHTERHOUSE Wow Size (which isn't even on the menu). It consists of all of their meats and gravies poured into one beautiful creation. It was delicious. Then after Smokes, we went to one more Guitar Shop, which is where I fell in love with my new guitar. Her name is Florrencia (she's Colombian). I would send you pictures...but I can't. :( The bummer thing is that I can only play it on P-days. So that'll probably take up the rest of my day today. Other than that, this week we watched a Missionary Broadcast where a few General Authorities addressed all the missionaries around the world. It was very good. Also, we had some fantastic lessons and ate some great food.
Sometimes, it's absolutely crazy how the Lord prepares people for you. We've been working with this part member couple a lot lately. We've been working with the boyfriend for his baptism but the problem is that they're living together, with a newborn, and they're not married. They're working on marrriage plans, but we decided to commit them to live the Law of Chastity yesterday. It was kind of scary, because how could I (an 18 year old punk kid) tell these two parents that they've been breaking the commandments and that they should stop what they've been doing. It went absolutely incredible. They were absolutely down for obeying the law, and they even cracked some jokes and came up with specific things to do to help them keep it. It Was CRAZY!!! It just strengthened my testimony that God does prepare people to receive these messages and that with the Holy Ghost, miracles can happen. It's incredible. Well I hope all is well back home and that you're all enjoying the snow. Love ya!!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
BAPTISM. MMMMMMMMMMM...
(inside joke in the mission :)
So. This last week we finally had the baptism!!!!! YEAH BUDDY!!! It was SO GOOD!! My new companion and I were the two witnesses and we were able to participate in the Confirmation. And hopefully next Sunday he'll be getting the Aaronic Priesthood. Fingers Crossed. It was SO good though. Elder Bahr actually ended up being able to come. But my new Companion is Elder Cox and he is SO COOL!!! He's got about 3 months left on the mission so he's super experienced and he's from Butte, Montana (not sure if that's anywhere near where Dad was born). The one problem we have is that we're always talking so much and not getting any sleep. So...not much a problem. Today, we're going Downtown to do some Poutine and Guitar shopping so I'm SUPER PUMPED!!!!
Yeah, early church is the best. Ours is at 1:00 so we're on the opposite side of the spectrum. That's super fun that you get to work with the Sackett kids. We have SO MANY adorable kids in our ward. It's really difficult for me because I'm so used to playing with little kids and we can't exactly do that as missionaries :( Also, it makes me want to have kids... So trunky. ;) Marriage. Mmmmmmmmm... But right now I'm just set on getting everyone else married. Because the biggest problem we have in this area is our Investigators living with Returning Members and they aren't married. SUCH A STRUGGLE!!! Families are ze best!!!
Don't leave the church Mom. It's really not worth it. Honestly, I'm almost a fourth of the way done with my mission. IT'S SO CRAZY!!! It really does fly by so fast.
In addition to the baptism, this week has been Fantastic!!! Like I said, we're working with a lot of "Almost Families" and last Sunday, the WHOLE Sacrament Meeting was on families. Every talk, song, prayer. How do you say "Guilt Trip" in Spanish?? It was SO good. And our Investigators/Returning Members were sitting right in the meeting experiencing it. It was perfect. I read a talk today that really talked about eternal families and losing loved ones, and throughout my mission, I've gained a strong testimony of that. The talk said a lot on how people Spirits will be in a happier place when the body dies, and that we need not mourn for those we lose, because we will see them in the next life. It is an incredible blessing in this church to have Eternal Families and the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, because without them, death is really a depressing thing. But having the knowledge of the beauty of Heaven and the happiness and knowledge that can be felt and learned there, it shows that death is something wonderful that we'll all go through. NOW, I know that we all still have our missions here on Earth and that we have SO MANY opportunities to experience in our mortal lives, so Live It Up. And don't be too afraid of death, or losing ones you love, because, through the Atonement of Christ, it's all going to work out. I love you all and hope that you’re living life while you're here. Bye!!
(inside joke in the mission :)
So. This last week we finally had the baptism!!!!! YEAH BUDDY!!! It was SO GOOD!! My new companion and I were the two witnesses and we were able to participate in the Confirmation. And hopefully next Sunday he'll be getting the Aaronic Priesthood. Fingers Crossed. It was SO good though. Elder Bahr actually ended up being able to come. But my new Companion is Elder Cox and he is SO COOL!!! He's got about 3 months left on the mission so he's super experienced and he's from Butte, Montana (not sure if that's anywhere near where Dad was born). The one problem we have is that we're always talking so much and not getting any sleep. So...not much a problem. Today, we're going Downtown to do some Poutine and Guitar shopping so I'm SUPER PUMPED!!!!
Yeah, early church is the best. Ours is at 1:00 so we're on the opposite side of the spectrum. That's super fun that you get to work with the Sackett kids. We have SO MANY adorable kids in our ward. It's really difficult for me because I'm so used to playing with little kids and we can't exactly do that as missionaries :( Also, it makes me want to have kids... So trunky. ;) Marriage. Mmmmmmmmm... But right now I'm just set on getting everyone else married. Because the biggest problem we have in this area is our Investigators living with Returning Members and they aren't married. SUCH A STRUGGLE!!! Families are ze best!!!
Don't leave the church Mom. It's really not worth it. Honestly, I'm almost a fourth of the way done with my mission. IT'S SO CRAZY!!! It really does fly by so fast.
In addition to the baptism, this week has been Fantastic!!! Like I said, we're working with a lot of "Almost Families" and last Sunday, the WHOLE Sacrament Meeting was on families. Every talk, song, prayer. How do you say "Guilt Trip" in Spanish?? It was SO good. And our Investigators/Returning Members were sitting right in the meeting experiencing it. It was perfect. I read a talk today that really talked about eternal families and losing loved ones, and throughout my mission, I've gained a strong testimony of that. The talk said a lot on how people Spirits will be in a happier place when the body dies, and that we need not mourn for those we lose, because we will see them in the next life. It is an incredible blessing in this church to have Eternal Families and the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, because without them, death is really a depressing thing. But having the knowledge of the beauty of Heaven and the happiness and knowledge that can be felt and learned there, it shows that death is something wonderful that we'll all go through. NOW, I know that we all still have our missions here on Earth and that we have SO MANY opportunities to experience in our mortal lives, so Live It Up. And don't be too afraid of death, or losing ones you love, because, through the Atonement of Christ, it's all going to work out. I love you all and hope that you’re living life while you're here. Bye!!
Monday, January 11, 2016
YEAH BAPTISM...Almost.
So I siked EVERYONE out...including myself. :} So we ended up postponing the baptism for a week because our investigator hadn't come to church in a while. But this Saturday it is happening FOR SURE!!! It is "set in jello" ;) And also, we got transfer calls last night and I...am...STAYING!!! So I will be able to send pictures of the baptism. It's great that I can be here for the baptism, but honestly, I would have been fine leaving too. Just as long as he gets baptized, that's what's important. Elder Bahr is leaving the area though. He is getting sent to another area in our zone, and basically they're just doing a swap with us. It's like exchanges, but for 6 Weeks!! So because of this, I already know my companion, Elder Cox. He's a super cool guy and he's super tall and his Spanish is probably better than mine because he's about done with his mission. So I'm PUMPED!!! He's served in Black Creek in the past too, so it'll be a lot of fun. We're also getting two sisters missionaries in our ward so it'll be very nice to be able to give them some of the work. It'll also be nice for them, because we've basically set them up with a baptism this next transfer too. Lucky girls. :) All in all, I'm super excited for next transfer. I know it's going to be a great one!!
I'm sorry Mom that I had to brag about the Chocolate Crunchies. Please forgive me. B( But I'll be sure to bring some home, and no, they don't come in dark chocolate (at least to my knowledge). And no, there are basically no Macs in Canada, so I can't just plug in my memory card, I need some sort of converter. It's fantastic to hear that everyone is staying busy and doing things they love. That's the way to live!! Logan, remember what I told you many moons ago. Skool is 4 chumps. Just kidding!! Skool is great. It's always nice to be done with Computer Tech, and to be better than the whole Salem Hills Basketball Team (which isn't too hard ;) Yeah, thermal underwear. It's the best!!! Enjoy Saint George, especially the temple. That temple is honestly one of the coolest in the world. And tell Shayla hi for me down there. ;) That's sweet that the Dicous are teaching Mission Prep. Missions are 4 chumps. Wait what?? Who said that?? Missions are awesome!!!
And speaking of awesome missions. Something CRAZY!!!!! that happened to us this week is a perfect example of mission life. (Not really). So, Elder Bahr and I were at the church building Wednesday night, just dropping off some stuff. And he goes in to use the washroom (bathroom). He comes out a while later and tells me to hurry into the bathroom, because apparently the urinal is pouring out water and overflowing. Luckily there's a drain in the bathroom, but nonetheless, we need to fix this problem. So we call the bishop who gives us another Brother to call. We call this Brother who we find out later is the Facilities guy for all the churches around here. He tells Elder Bahr that he needs to screw something off, and the only thing we can screw off is the top (the sensor). So I muscle that thing off, and while I am, I can sense the water pressure coming up underneath it. So I screw it off, and the water just explodes out the top. I'm getting absolutely drenched in a frigid urinal shower and the walls, ceiling, and everything else in the bathroom is getting splashed with water (that is now coming out like 20 times worse than it was before). And of course, I can't get the top back on because of the pressure of the water coming out, so we grab some buckets and are bailing water into another drain, because the water was too much for the drain in the bathroom. About twenty minutes later, with me being drenched from head to toe, and Elder Bahr being as dry as a tortilla chip, the Brother shows up (who has the keys to the room to turn off the water), and fixes everything. We find out that the urinal is missing some pieces, so it still needs to be fixed, but we got the water flow stopped. So that's good. Eventually, we clean up the bathroom and walk home in the cold of a Canadian Winter (with me being drenched). It was absolutely wonderful. I promise I will get you pictures of it, but I don't have access to them right now. So in the future.
The moral that I think can apply to this story, is said wonderfully by the artist, Bob Marley. "Don't worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be alright." And it's true. Sometimes, we can do absolutely nothing in a crazy situation, so we just need to live in the moment. Enjoy it. Don't stress out about things that you can't change. It just takes up time and energy. Do what you can, and leave the rest to God. Because if we’re living correctly, we don’t need to worry, because God will never fail us. Eventually, he will send the Brother to come turn off the water, so just stand there in your shower of cold urinal water, and wait. Someone should sew that on a pillow. ;) Well, I hope you guys are all keeping busy in life, and relaxing when you can. I love you all!!!! Ciao!!
So I siked EVERYONE out...including myself. :} So we ended up postponing the baptism for a week because our investigator hadn't come to church in a while. But this Saturday it is happening FOR SURE!!! It is "set in jello" ;) And also, we got transfer calls last night and I...am...STAYING!!! So I will be able to send pictures of the baptism. It's great that I can be here for the baptism, but honestly, I would have been fine leaving too. Just as long as he gets baptized, that's what's important. Elder Bahr is leaving the area though. He is getting sent to another area in our zone, and basically they're just doing a swap with us. It's like exchanges, but for 6 Weeks!! So because of this, I already know my companion, Elder Cox. He's a super cool guy and he's super tall and his Spanish is probably better than mine because he's about done with his mission. So I'm PUMPED!!! He's served in Black Creek in the past too, so it'll be a lot of fun. We're also getting two sisters missionaries in our ward so it'll be very nice to be able to give them some of the work. It'll also be nice for them, because we've basically set them up with a baptism this next transfer too. Lucky girls. :) All in all, I'm super excited for next transfer. I know it's going to be a great one!!
I'm sorry Mom that I had to brag about the Chocolate Crunchies. Please forgive me. B( But I'll be sure to bring some home, and no, they don't come in dark chocolate (at least to my knowledge). And no, there are basically no Macs in Canada, so I can't just plug in my memory card, I need some sort of converter. It's fantastic to hear that everyone is staying busy and doing things they love. That's the way to live!! Logan, remember what I told you many moons ago. Skool is 4 chumps. Just kidding!! Skool is great. It's always nice to be done with Computer Tech, and to be better than the whole Salem Hills Basketball Team (which isn't too hard ;) Yeah, thermal underwear. It's the best!!! Enjoy Saint George, especially the temple. That temple is honestly one of the coolest in the world. And tell Shayla hi for me down there. ;) That's sweet that the Dicous are teaching Mission Prep. Missions are 4 chumps. Wait what?? Who said that?? Missions are awesome!!!
And speaking of awesome missions. Something CRAZY!!!!! that happened to us this week is a perfect example of mission life. (Not really). So, Elder Bahr and I were at the church building Wednesday night, just dropping off some stuff. And he goes in to use the washroom (bathroom). He comes out a while later and tells me to hurry into the bathroom, because apparently the urinal is pouring out water and overflowing. Luckily there's a drain in the bathroom, but nonetheless, we need to fix this problem. So we call the bishop who gives us another Brother to call. We call this Brother who we find out later is the Facilities guy for all the churches around here. He tells Elder Bahr that he needs to screw something off, and the only thing we can screw off is the top (the sensor). So I muscle that thing off, and while I am, I can sense the water pressure coming up underneath it. So I screw it off, and the water just explodes out the top. I'm getting absolutely drenched in a frigid urinal shower and the walls, ceiling, and everything else in the bathroom is getting splashed with water (that is now coming out like 20 times worse than it was before). And of course, I can't get the top back on because of the pressure of the water coming out, so we grab some buckets and are bailing water into another drain, because the water was too much for the drain in the bathroom. About twenty minutes later, with me being drenched from head to toe, and Elder Bahr being as dry as a tortilla chip, the Brother shows up (who has the keys to the room to turn off the water), and fixes everything. We find out that the urinal is missing some pieces, so it still needs to be fixed, but we got the water flow stopped. So that's good. Eventually, we clean up the bathroom and walk home in the cold of a Canadian Winter (with me being drenched). It was absolutely wonderful. I promise I will get you pictures of it, but I don't have access to them right now. So in the future.
The moral that I think can apply to this story, is said wonderfully by the artist, Bob Marley. "Don't worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be alright." And it's true. Sometimes, we can do absolutely nothing in a crazy situation, so we just need to live in the moment. Enjoy it. Don't stress out about things that you can't change. It just takes up time and energy. Do what you can, and leave the rest to God. Because if we’re living correctly, we don’t need to worry, because God will never fail us. Eventually, he will send the Brother to come turn off the water, so just stand there in your shower of cold urinal water, and wait. Someone should sew that on a pillow. ;) Well, I hope you guys are all keeping busy in life, and relaxing when you can. I love you all!!!! Ciao!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
THERE CAN BE MIRACLES, WHEN YOU BELIEVE!!!!!
Hello family. I am doing wonderfully. The snow has been on and off here. The weather's been weird. Right now there are no clouds out and the sun is shining, but it's supposed to go down to -22 degrees Celsius. So SUPER COLD. I'm just glad I have Timmys. And scarves. They're ze BEST!! (name that movie). I'm glad to hear everyone is getting a good strong start on schooling again. I hope that Logan hasn't let you take down the Christmas stuff yet, because we haven't. Some guy on the bus wished me a Merry Christmas yesterday. I was so happy. Christmas will never die!!! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!!!! I hope it's awesome. Nine's a great age. Eat good cake. I hope all is going well. So I am using my companion's camera to take all the pictures and get them on the computer, so I'm not using mine at all. And with transfers coming up, one of us is probably going to leave, so a cord would definitely be nice. Mine has a memory card, so if you could get me a memory card to USB converter, that would work out great. I've tried to look for some up here, but I haven't come across any. Also question Mom, so you really like the Cadbury Crunch up here. Is that the seafoam covered in chocolate candy bar because those are Cadbury Crunchies, and they were on sale last week, so I bought 4 for 2 dollars. So Good!! Also, for New Years Eve, we invited another companionship over and we made lots of good food. And then at midnight, we jumped around and danced and hugged and the first thing I did in 2016 was...drink a cup of Tim Horton's Hot Chocolate!!!!! Pretty Canadian, eh? It was fantastic, and I'm pumped for the new year.
Like I said before, we witnessed some miracles this week. Because it was New Year’s week, we didn't have a lot of people that wanted to meet with us, or open their doors for us. But this last Sunday, the mission had a group fast for the mission, and the miracles just started coming. So, on Sunday we had a ton of people show up, including two new investigators and one new returning member, that some active members brought in (as friends or family), and we were able to set up appointments with all of them and get new people to teach!!!! Crazy Incredible!!! Also, we had a baptism planned for this Saturday, but we weren't able to get in contact with Jay (the investigator) for over a week. We had gone over to meet with his family, but he had gone out with friends, so we weren't able to talk with him. We were SUPER freaked out. But last Sunday, we were able to get in contact with him through his Mom's phone, and we found out that he had broken his own phone, and it was being repaired, and he's still set for being baptized this Saturday!!!!! WE'RE SO PUMPED!!!!! First Baptism in the Mission!! I'll send you all pictures of how it went next Monday. ;)
So I can testify that fasting really is an incredible way to bring miracles into our lives. In doing this, we show God that we are willing to follow his Gospel and his will, and in turn, he opens up the windows of Heavens for us and allows the blessings to come into our lives. It's INCREDIBLE!!! I can also testify that sometimes, we need not worry so much about life, because if we're doing it the Lord's way, things will work out. If we are keeping the commandments in life and being obedient to the Lord, we will NEVER FAIL!!!! I love you all and hope you had an incredible New Year’s Eve. LOVES!!!!
Hello family. I am doing wonderfully. The snow has been on and off here. The weather's been weird. Right now there are no clouds out and the sun is shining, but it's supposed to go down to -22 degrees Celsius. So SUPER COLD. I'm just glad I have Timmys. And scarves. They're ze BEST!! (name that movie). I'm glad to hear everyone is getting a good strong start on schooling again. I hope that Logan hasn't let you take down the Christmas stuff yet, because we haven't. Some guy on the bus wished me a Merry Christmas yesterday. I was so happy. Christmas will never die!!! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!!!! I hope it's awesome. Nine's a great age. Eat good cake. I hope all is going well. So I am using my companion's camera to take all the pictures and get them on the computer, so I'm not using mine at all. And with transfers coming up, one of us is probably going to leave, so a cord would definitely be nice. Mine has a memory card, so if you could get me a memory card to USB converter, that would work out great. I've tried to look for some up here, but I haven't come across any. Also question Mom, so you really like the Cadbury Crunch up here. Is that the seafoam covered in chocolate candy bar because those are Cadbury Crunchies, and they were on sale last week, so I bought 4 for 2 dollars. So Good!! Also, for New Years Eve, we invited another companionship over and we made lots of good food. And then at midnight, we jumped around and danced and hugged and the first thing I did in 2016 was...drink a cup of Tim Horton's Hot Chocolate!!!!! Pretty Canadian, eh? It was fantastic, and I'm pumped for the new year.
Like I said before, we witnessed some miracles this week. Because it was New Year’s week, we didn't have a lot of people that wanted to meet with us, or open their doors for us. But this last Sunday, the mission had a group fast for the mission, and the miracles just started coming. So, on Sunday we had a ton of people show up, including two new investigators and one new returning member, that some active members brought in (as friends or family), and we were able to set up appointments with all of them and get new people to teach!!!! Crazy Incredible!!! Also, we had a baptism planned for this Saturday, but we weren't able to get in contact with Jay (the investigator) for over a week. We had gone over to meet with his family, but he had gone out with friends, so we weren't able to talk with him. We were SUPER freaked out. But last Sunday, we were able to get in contact with him through his Mom's phone, and we found out that he had broken his own phone, and it was being repaired, and he's still set for being baptized this Saturday!!!!! WE'RE SO PUMPED!!!!! First Baptism in the Mission!! I'll send you all pictures of how it went next Monday. ;)
So I can testify that fasting really is an incredible way to bring miracles into our lives. In doing this, we show God that we are willing to follow his Gospel and his will, and in turn, he opens up the windows of Heavens for us and allows the blessings to come into our lives. It's INCREDIBLE!!! I can also testify that sometimes, we need not worry so much about life, because if we're doing it the Lord's way, things will work out. If we are keeping the commandments in life and being obedient to the Lord, we will NEVER FAIL!!!! I love you all and hope you had an incredible New Year’s Eve. LOVES!!!!
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