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Monday, July 20, 2015

Last Handwritten Letter Home

 Elder 9's final handwritten letter & Testimony. Verbatim. 
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Hello Again!

It's me, supryze? suprise? surprise! However you spell that....

Sorry, I started off small there. (handwriting was small, he now makes it larger).  There, haha.

Well, as this is likely my last snail-mail letter, I will write, as Nephi, of the things of God. Yea, it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the mission drama or the things of the world, for behold, they suck. Wherefore, I desire the room that I may write of the things of God!

(Pause for laughter!)

I cannot explain fully, especially in writing, the blessings, experiences, and both spiritual and physical growing up I have been a part of and experienced personally in the last two years.... So, as human nature dictates, I will try to!

Firstly, if that's a word, GOD.  He is literally number one. As I have put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first in my life, these are the moments I am happiest, calmest (again, if that's a word), and when I have the most love in my heart.  All things are for the welfare of my soul. I am so happy that I have such a loving Father in Heaven who has such a great Plan for me. One which I may choose to follow.

Two-ly, FAMILY.  Families are VITALLY important. I see now, more than ever, the amazing influence my family has had on me. Without you, my family, I would not be who or where I am now.

I can see now, as well, the importance of marrying well, in an eternal aspect. We have the blessings of having Temples in our day, and it is of great import that we be sealed in these temples, and also do this great work, vicariously, for those who have passed, without that blessing.  It is the thing that holds us together.

As spouses work together as a team, in living, and in raising a family, they receive blessings from on High. They must love & respect one another, and care for one another. They must BOTH put God first in their lives... so on.  I see these examples in my family. I know how to do all this because I have seen it everyday in my family, and in my home. I am eternally grateful for this.

Thirdly! CPR! My spiritual resusetation (sp?), CHURCH. PRAY. READ.  Without these things, I could easily fall away from all truth.

Attending church meetings and observing the Sabbath is the way to re-new my covenants with God, reset my spiritual battery, and  grow in my understanding of the gospel.

Prayer is my personal and direct link of communication with Father in Heaven. It is a way to align my will with His. To lean upon His, and not my, understanding. Praying is an essential part of repentance, a faith-based action, and a mode of confiding in my Father. Without prayer, things would be dismal.

Reading the scriptures is a way Father can communicate back to me, a way for me to learn of His will. The scriptures teach to the understanding of all men, and make plain the things of God.  It is a primary way to increase my understanding, knowledge and testimony, of and in, my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Atonement for all mankind.

These things are the beginning of what I have learned and become.  It's been a bumpy road, with many mistakes, crashes, and burns... But God has guided me through it all. With the help and blessings of companions and my mission president, and most of all, the Spirit, I have come out victorious, and thankfully in one piece!

I cannot explain, in enough words what an amazing journey and a joy my mission has been! I love the Lord, my family, my companions and everyone so much more now than I ever could have. My God has brought about such a mighty change in my heart that I am a stranger to who I was before... and yet I am a truer me than ever before!

Thank you, for loving me no matter what, helping me become the man I am today, and seeing the major role the Savior plays in my life. I love you dearly... see you soon!

Sincerely,

Elder Jonathan Wagner Nine
13 July 2015 


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Missionary work is difficult. It has always been so. This is why, and this is why I am thankful for my son having served his mission with all his heart, might, mind, and soul. He has come to know and love His Savior on a personal level. No greater joy could come to a parent than to know that their child walks in the path of Christ.

Thank you, Jonathan. I love you. Welcome home.



Mission Letter Week 105 - 20 July 2015

LAST P-DAY (preparation day) & LAST EMAIL HOME:


Oh I am so scared right now...I am almost about to cry...

Emily, thank you for the amazing hand written letter!! I love hand written letters and I wish I could have written more while on my mission...oh well, no big deal. :) Thank you for that and I can't wait to see you!! I will finish strong Emi! Thank you and love you!

Mama,
Got the letter! Thank you for it too. :) I love you lots.

No more boxes, good to hear they made it safe.

Church was sad...really good too. But sad. :( No singing though...it's okay...I will leave like a ghost in the night.......except for the party we will have tonight....I am just not a quiet person. :P

I have said almost all my goodbyes, my last ones are tonight at FHE, at H's place...I will take pictures and show you in person. :)

Braky, good idea on the magnet (for Emily)

Thank you for teaching me. Both of you. And Sir Braksalot, happy (belated) birthday!! We will have to have a party or something. :D Catch you in my next area, a "plane area". XD

BTW, can you set up an interview with Pres. W ASAP? Preferably as close to my getting off the plane as possible...I don't want to stretch it out if I don't have to...Thanks! Love you all lots, catch you soon!

~ Elder 9


Dad’s reply: Your appt. is set (for 4 hrs after you arrive) already.

Elder 9: dang nabit. Okay thanks! gotta bounce, kthxloveyoubye

Some of the last photos sent to us by wonderful, thoughtful members in Bakersfield:


Here is my son with my old college roommate, who just happens to live n the area he's serving in! Love them both!



 




  


Last Temple trip prior to leaving the mission. All of these missionaries are the "Departing Missionaries" this transfer.



Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Mission Letter Week 104 - 13 July 2015

Oh wow...I am kind of freaking out right now. This is so…unreal (that I’m coming to the end of my mission). Good to hear about Jeff  and David. Glad they returned so well, and honorably. Can't say much more or I'll get a man lump.
 

You already know the people to invite (to the open house) I think. if it's possible for the Randall’s to be there that'd be cool...but they are in San Antonio so I understand if they can’t make it.....

I am not picky about hymns.

CHANDLER IS ENGAGED?!?!?!?! Talk about freaky. I can't get my mind wrapped around this idea of life actually moving forward hahaha...it will be weird.

Good to see Daniel's reception...he looks good, and happy!

Nothing to do about the bike, it will get shipped to the house.

R is doing okay but had to cancel this week. J and B are doing well and we are meeting with them again soon, but they missed church this week. :/ We are teaching A now, a young woman, about 17...she's a really happy and genuine young lady which is strange… ‘cause most girls here are really bummed all the time for some reason...probably ‘cause they don't have the gospel...that must be it.

Yay for Sister S.!!! I love them :D The P's in our ward here are good friends with them because she is also from Brazil, so I heard they were on that trip. :D That is so cool for them!

‘Kay, I gotta get outta this room before I actually start to get trunky!!

~ Elder 9


P.S.
(After seeing a picture of Jeff with his “Welcome Home” yard decorations) I almost got sick.......It's here.....GOOD FOR JEFF! :'D Can't wait to see him again. A lot has changed...

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Mission Letter Week 103 - 06 July 2015

Well...it's July....I go home this month. Weird.

This week was pretty awesome, we found J and her daughter, B, who are new investigators; R, the nonmember boyfriend of a less-active in our ward, also a new investigator; and we are still teaching C and he has a baptismal date for the 25th! It's all very exciting! :)

 Emily,

Those are some good missionaries! :D I approve! And btw, Mama bragged about you going up to some people and talking to them and being awesome and brave, so GOOD JOB!! That's good practice for a mission and in general! :D Keep up your overall awesomeness. :D Love you!!

Mama,


I will send photos...but probably next Monday...because I am going to take some more today! We are going to a golf driving range! :D

WHAT!?!?!?!?! IS THE ALEX!!!!!??!?!?!?!?!?!???!!?! WHHHAAATTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No. NO NO NO NO!!! That's so awesome (that he's getting married)! :D 

Crazy about D (getting married this weekend) too!!! Freak, everyone is getting married....nuts.

I will probably ship my bike today or next Monday depending on time. It is already boxed up, I got a box from a bike shop so I am good to go...

A lot of our appointments fell through, but a few reset and they are our new investigators!!

Love you all! Talk to you next week!


~ Elder 9

P.S. - It’s okay, I am still planning on doing bike stuff. We had a breakfast here but the flag raising....sad...welcome to Cali. My companion teases me about how many hours I have left in the mission ......oi. haha! Pictures of your new business phone and laptop?? :D New Macbook, right? ;)

Mission Letter Week 102 - 29 June 2015

HELLO!

Emily, 


WOW. You are so so so right! I agree with you completely! It is so important that we keep our family together and tight. :) We support each other when no one else does!  Thank you for that, and for being awesome!

I love you so much and am so happy to hear these things from you. It's AWESOME! So keep it up!

Mama,

THE H's!!!!! It was awesome, I love them! :D It was good to see C too! :DDDDD Chipotle was great and so was the company! Good times. Definitely will keep in touch with them...

Yes, Sister M did my shirts up and they feel reeeaaalll nice! (So thankful!)

Yowza...you almost got me all teary eyed there! :') Thank you for that... I'll try not to tear down the walls when I get back - hahaha!

That's about all I got. Good week, lots of appointments set for this week, will let you know how it goes next Monday!

Braky,

Good report, love hearing about missionary work! :D Gotta bounce, sorry it is short. Gotta help the Sister Missionaries move to a new apartment. Love you all!

~ Elder 9

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Mission Letter Week 101 - 22 June 2015

Okay guys this has to be short again, sorry!

Emily,

I got your letter! I loved reading about girls camp and all the stories you had to share. :) I agree, time has healed many things and I am excited to be able to enjoy our better relationship when I get home. :D We will haz many funz! Tell Sister Dixon hi for me and I love her! She is awesome...but not quite as awesome as you. :D
Gotta hurry on now! Love you bunches!

Mama,

HI HERBY LA! HI HERBY LA!!!!! :D That is awesome! Hahahaha!

Man, I wish I had some Good homemade BBQ out here....Cali folk only make tri tip and it is NOT as good!!

SARYN IS GOIN SOUTH!! WOOOO! Elder Boy and Oryang are from Alabama...Oryang is home now too! Oryang is from Tuskegee and Boy is from Decatur! That is so awesome. :D Tell her I said congrats! :) She is gonna be amazing!! Go KILL IT!!

Yes, the shirts fit okay...Sister Moon is going to try to tailor one and we will see how it turns out. :D With a fat neck like mine sport fit is still big. XD hahaha.

The hymns thing is going well and there is definitely a marked difference in our overall feelings and spirit. :) It is loverly! Nothing too crazy yet but I think it’s because the music thing is easy now so we are working on having perfect morning schedules now....talk about HARD! Hahaha.

And I know Sister Moon is the birdie in your ear about the shirts btw, haha! XD She is the best. :3

So the meeting is called District meeting and as District Leader I get to lead the meeting in most of the ways, with some delegation for things like talks and role plays...but for our "Council" I lead that and we talk about how we did the week before and what we want to focus on and do better on this next week, we set goals, make plans to achieve the goals and discuss other concerns or matters with our investigators or members...that's about it though. :) It is usually a pretty spiritual experience!

It's only about 102ºF here on average so it's not bad yet. :P

I actually do like the rolled sleeves look better, or long sleeves.......but I can't complain with new shirts, haha!

I think my waist is 42  and my inseam, I am fairly certain, is 32 but IDK for sure...and as for my waist, on top of working full time right away, I am going to be exercising a LOT...probably close to 2-3 hours a day if I can make the time in the mornings unlike I am able to do on a mission because everything is all scheduled out...so I will probably lose at least another couple waist sizes. I'll be doing a lot of cycling for sure. :P

IDK when I will ship my bike home...maybe next Monday if I can find a bike shop to get a box from first!

I got a couple waters at Rite Aid that day because Elder Whitehead and I were parched and didn’t have water with us. :P We BIG BOYS and we needz waterz! Haha!

Other than that we are doing dandy here! Love you!

Brakenstein,

Thank you, my friend, I appreciate the advice always and the love and guidance; yours and mama's advice and love and guidance is why I am here...so don't stop!

Great to hear about the job!! Man, God is really in the details. He doesn't mess around...Well, sometimes He does...but in appropriate ways. :P What does your new job entail?? Same stuff different company or something different?

Can't wait to hear! Love you guys! Godspeed, and have a good week.

~ Elder 9






Temple Trip!!





Monday, June 15, 2015

Mission Letter Week 100 - 15 June 2015

Hello!

Cool miracles story this week! I'll share that in a second...

Emily,

I can't wait to read about your time at girls camp! I hope it was amazing! :D Glad my email was a perk-up for ya, too!

Braky,

Happy Pappy Day! I wanna take a second and just say thank you once again for being incredible. You have always been a stalwart example to me as to what a true father and a true man should be. I have always looked up to that example to learn and admire, and soon enough I'll be using all those learned lessons. Many have already been put to use while on my mission and I have countless things to thank you for...I don't even have the time. But I think the number one thing I have learned that I have been able to put to use on my mission has been leading by example and encouraging with lots of love. Thank you for it all. :)

Mama, and famaree,

I like Monday night writing better too. :) It’s a routine now so might as well stick with it. haha.

I got the letter with the Blessings in it and WOW...that was a really cool experience. Thank you both for sharing that with me. :))) I figured out what a gleaner of lost souls is....that was really cool and I learned something from that...For the longest time I always thought, in a joking way, that my father was always in my classes in church and the like because I was a "problem child" (again, in a funny way, not a sad way haha)...but after reading that, I learned that the purpose of that was instead because there were specific people that he would be able to bless with his awesomeness...for example, J. He is now on a mission and finishing up like me, and will be eternally blessed for that service and has learned and grown in ways he would not have otherwise. L, whom he is currently befriending and strengthening as he can, other young men, other of the adults that he has worked with, and several other people, that I won't bother to name-drop right now. Truly, Bob Nine is a gleaner of lost souls, because he has lived worthy of the blessings of heaven promised him and lived true to the charge he was given...And he is my daddy. :)

Yes I did get the package...are you sure that you can afford the shirts?? I am about to come home and was going to pack light and I didn't want to burden anyone with more spending than is truly necessary...I don't want to put you guys out. Because when I get home I'll only need one long sleeve anyways hahaha...I can do without if you guys would like to use that money! They are very nice shirts and I really do appreciate it. I also don't have a great need for them...

The socks however, and the powder are probably the most glorious things that have happened to me in the last 6 months! XD hahaha! Thank you!

Also, about the mattress when I get home...I thought about it and if it is possible to do a long twin that might be a good idea....I talked with a member chiropractor and he recommended that strongly...just a thought. :)

NOT THE R's TOO!!! :((( The ward is gonna be very different when I get home... BLAH.

So that miracle I talked about....we have decided to give up all music (LDS or otherwise) except for hymns and talks.......ouch. It hurts so good. A day after we started that, and with prayer asking God to bless us with 2 or more families to find and baptize by the end of this transfer, we found a Filipino family to start teaching!! B is the dad and E is the daughter and we hope to begin teaching everyone else too!

Okay, on the bike/suit part.

That is about it so far this week :)


Love you guys!


~ Elder 9



P.S.
I thought THIS would be nice for Emily to see some nice things from Lindsey Stirling, in reply to one of her emails about that a little while back. :)

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Mission Letter Week 99 - 8 June 2015

Hello again!

I am staying with Elder Whitehead! I found my "killer"!:D (That’s what we call our last companion on our mission, then when I go home, we say I “died”.) We are really happy! :3

So this week was kinda...long and boring. Just a little dry....literally haha.

The story behind the tie pic is...well.....that's us pretty much. :D








I did not get the letter yet...any letters. :( Probably tomorrow.

What? What? I am getting a box? What? Why? YUS! :D Otaaayyyy - I like boxes! :DDDDDD

Thanks, and you are so right about that (“all in the Lord’s time”). More than I would care to account for haha...had a really good talk with Sister H this morning...a lot of "my parents told me so" kinda stuff and talking about C and how he has been....reminds me of me.....hopefully he gets out on a mission like I barely managed too. :D

J will probably be a YSA referral next time we meet him if we can't get the rest of the family involved. He is a cool kid and we will see him for the 2nd time this Saturday...he has been out of town.

I heard about Elder G and I am awed by his dedication. I only knew him around the first part of his mission and I misjudged him by a lot. I need to repent about it. He is a good kid and a good missionary. Sad to hear about his mother. :( I don't know what else to say about it because I don’t know him that well.

I am not going to transfer meeting tomorrow so I may not get to see Elder Howe after today, or Flint until after my mission. :(

And, a cool quote from Brother O, a member in our ward, after a message we shared with him and his wife: "Well, my compliments, Elders. You are the missionaries I would trust if I had a dear friend that wanted to take the lessons..." AHHHHH!!! It was great! :D

Kay, couple questions off the top of my head...feel free to reply SOON :)

Bike: do we want to use bike flight to ship it home for around $30-40? I just saw Elder Howe ship his. Using bikeflights it is dirt cheap.

What size is my bed going to be? Twin? Because I was wondering if I should keep my sheets or not. I’ll consider it. They are getting a little old but not falling apart…I may ship them home… I will decide later. :)

I would like to tailor my 2nd gray suit by the end of this transfer to make it fit REAL nice. :P IDK how much it will be but it might be a bit of money… less than $100 though. :D  Only one suit. The other suit will not be joining me on my return flight. :P It isn’t one you want to wear much more. :)

Love you guys, it's all true. The church, the gospel, the Book of Mormon. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Have a great week!  Gotta bounce! Love you bunches!

#DieHard #SleepLater #GetSheaves #YOSO #FinishersNeverFinish !!!!!!!!

~ Elder 9

Monday, June 1, 2015

Mission Letter Week 98 - 01 June 2015

Hullo!

First, funny story!

We were at a members home sharing a message and they were talking about their kids and made a joke about being done having kids. One of the sons, 8 yrs old, not knowing any better and wanting another sibling says, "Mom, can you make another baby right now??" HOLY AWKWARD! It was hilarious! XD We all died laughing!

Okay.

HOLY WHAT BATMAN! Emily you are going into Seminary!?!?!?!?! What the heck. STAHP GROWING AHP!





Mama,

Thank you for the reminder about my last transfer meeting ._________. MEH. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT ELDER FLINT!!!! Everyone I know is "DYING" right now. :'(


(Mom's Note: "Dying" is the word missionaries use to describe someone having completed their mission and leaving to go home now.)

This week was a good one. We found a new investigator, J, and he is doing great. Has tons of potential and return appointment. :D We are excited and want to see more of this going on! Our Stake Conference was great and we learned a lot about how Ward Councils are supposed to work in a spirit of unity, and have the same vision and purpose! And also how we need to be working as a team. Too many members see each responsibility or calling as totally separated from the others...not so. It is one big plan and we need to see that NOW. :D It was great!

I gotta run now. Sorry it is short again. Love you all very much!

Byeeeeee!

~ Elder 9





Many pictures were taken at the Zone Conference where Elder Bruce A Carlson spoke on being a consecrated missionary. Of all the photos, this is the ONLY one that Elder Nine & Elder Whitehead appeared in.
Of course it's a photo-bomb appearance! lol!

The blond missionary was Elder 9's 7th companion, Elder Parsons. :)



Monday, May 25, 2015

Mission Letter Week 97 - 25 May 2015

Well. Today has been fun. We had an appointment this morning to set another appointment with a really cool guy, C, for a week from Tuesday....oi....and then two potentials dropped us just now, whom we were going to visit at 1pm...oh well. Not prepared. We'll find people who are.

Elder Bruce A. Carlson was amazing! The main things I learned is that we need to be persistent. Plan with specifics so the Lord has something to work with and that there ARE things that we can do perfectly...like the morning schedule and the like. We are not perfect, but we can do SOME things perfectly!

Well, for one thing that we have been doing is WORKING TILL MY FEET FALL OFF!!! Geez, I haven’t worked this hard EVER on my mission before. It's like 'greenie fire' all over again!!! We have been walking everywhere and just talking with EVERYONE! We walk up to people in situations that even a really socially inept person would realize is awkward and to be avoided...but...we don't cur. AXE ME IF I CUR! ‘CAUSE I DON'T CUR!! It has been awesome. We haven’t found a new investigator yet but there is some serious potential and the members are starting to set some more serious goals as families now. :D And the rest of the District has found 10 new investigators!! We are all focused on finding like crazy and teaching everyone who will listen and is prepared! It's a blast...

I will be keeping all my purple and sentimental ties...the rest are trading ties...which I have just picked up along the way and used for trading. :P But I will be keeping a good number of ties! I'm gonna have a big collection by the time I get home…I hope!

For those top 3 things that you asked about (“What are the top 3 things that you’d say have inspired you and helped you along the way to become the best missionary you could possibly be?”), the most important thing is to have a CONVERSION TO THE SAVIOR, HIS ATONEMENT, AND HIS GOSPEL. Second is COMPANION UNITY, without which, the Spirit is not present and I "Shall not teach." (D&C 42:14 - “And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.”) And lastly is WALK OUT THE DOOR. Go to work until you collapse at 930pm after daily planning and don't have the energy to stand! Push hard and follow the Spirit!

#DieHard
#SleepLater
#SleepWhenWeReDead
#SickleNotTrowel
#YOSO (you only serve once)
#GetSheaves
#TwelveThrity38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those are all hashtags we have made together! The Assistants made the #GetSheaves and the idea spread. TwelveThrity38 is from Elder Carlson...sort of....He talked about the moment (in Alma 8:14-21) when Alma returned to the city of Ammonihah and found Amulek, because he (Alma) didn’t hesitate and followed the council of God (via an angel) and "returned speedily", and Elder Carlson said Alma found Amulek at 12:30 and 38 secs, to make an arbitrary time up, and it stuck. We can't be doing just whatever, we need to have good inspired plans and let the Lord guide and even intervene when necessary!

We have been seeing some amazing changes in the missionaries here and it is AWESOME!!

Right now we are teaching no one...but that will change. >:D

Funniest teaching moment?…….IDK...I'm pulling a blank right now haha. I'll think about it! (see letter dated 1 June 2015 for the funniest moment).

President Wilson is AMAZING. He has helped me to stay focused and persistent. I count him as good friend at this point and I love him dearly. I have come to gain a testimony of his calling and his fulfillment of it. He is truly an inspired man and anyone that says otherwise is missing something...

I have loved getting to know the people I have been able to teach. It has been a massively life changing experience. I love the people.....but as just a location in-and-of itself (geographically), I actually dislike Bakersfield. Palmdale is pretty great though. :D

I have driven on the musical highway actually! :D

Snow Ward is pretty awesome. I love the H's and the B's a ton. The H's are the WML and family. The B's are a homeschooling family from Texas! :D Naturally, I must love them. hahaha!

I just got the snail mail...actually on Saturday, but haven’t had time to read it yet...too busy working. Sorry. XD Love you guys! Gotta bounce now have an appointment at 1m. LOVE YOUUUUUU!

~ Elder 9



Elder Nine learned he's not the tallest when he met his new companion.
Now, they both have learned that neither is the tallest, after meeting this ex-Pittsburgh Steeler football player who happens to be the son-in-law to the people they were eating dinner with that night. 
heehee.



Monday, May 18, 2015

Mission Letter Week 96 - 18 May 2015

Hey all!

This week has been okay...been struggling with finding people to teach...all our friends we've met haven't been available this last week or two...but supposedly they will be this week. :D So we hope and pray for the best!

Emily, 


That is actually a really funny story about you and Daddy going to the church that night. XD I shared that story with my fellow missionary friends here and they all laughed and said that is totally a Nine thing to do! :D

Don't worry about going to dances yet...it's okay...you can just wait till you're like 17 or something....no worries. :D



Mama,

My shoulder is doing great now and I'm back to exercising again...no weights now though, just "high intensity interval training" now...that's all. :P Today for lunch I had half a cucumber and an apple........

Thanks for the email!!

HOLY THUNDER STORM BATMAN!!! I was just talking to somebody the other day about Texas thunder storms and they didn't really believe me...this is glorious :DDDDDD I love rain… I miss moisture. So much. SUCH.

This week was alright... I pretty much filled you in already. Our one investigator, M, just dropped us...so we are hoping to start to teach N and C, a couple of sisters, D and her kids, and E and his family...but we aren't sure how they will take it yet...we will see. :)


Braky,

Not helping with the trunky comments there bro........................... ;P

Glad to hear the projects are going well though...probably slower without me there. ;)

Awesome to see some missionary work going on too. I had a chance to interview a lady that Elder Horan and Elder Page taught over in Meadows Ward for her baptism and I was wondering how in the world they had chanced upon someone so solid and prepared for the gospel.... Then we found out she had member friends...BOOM.

Members are the front line of missionary work in these last days. We just do the paper work. Keep it up!

Love you guys lots! Talk to you later!


~ Elder 9




Elder Nine & Elder Whitehead along with another young man were blessed to be able to help serve a family in the area that was moving out of their home.









Monday, May 11, 2015

Mission Letter Week 95 - 11 May 2015

Hello!

Yes, things are as well as they seem. :)

Tall bottoms and do XL tops not 2XL. :D

For going back to Cali, I am thinking about wanting to go back by myself, but I'm not sure yet...

Shoulder still sucks, hahaha… but it’s feeling better.

I am definitely feeling a new energy for working and it feels great! :D



Brak,

wut u sai iz tru. it s d lst strch b4 d nd...or as Gandalf says: The deep breath, before the plunge... :D


Gonna keep it short because we said everything yesterday (in our Mother's Day Face Time). :P

Love you guys!

BAI!



~ Elder 9

Some photos that were sent to us by wonderful, wonderful people in Bakersfield! We LOVE when we get surprised like this!




 Look, Ma! My head only comes to his shoulder!



The three "Bakesfield Bodyguards" - haha! ;)



Sunday, May 10, 2015

Happy Mother's Day!

It was indeed a very happy Mother's Day when I get to spend the day with my family, and Face Time with my missionary!  Here are some photos from the Face Time. Not the best quality picture, but that's ok. We got talk in REAL TIME!

You'll notice his right arm (our left) is leaning on a chair- that is because he tore his rotator cuff while lifting weights. It was not a serious tear so it is able to heal on its own (thank heavens!)









Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Mission Letter Week 94 - 04 May 2015

Hey all!

Sorry this will be so short, I just wanted to email and say I love you all, the church is still truer than true, and that I'll be writing snail mail today … the computers at the church we email at got shut down for a while so we have almost no time at all!

SKYYYPPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! We will be skyping at the M’s home in our ward (H’s are out of town then, haha) and it’ll be at 3 or 4 pm depending on who goes first. :P That’s our time, so 5 or 6 pm for you guys!

Elder Whitehead is cool kid!  He's a good guy and a hard worker. We've been having fun 'cruising around town'.  And door-knocking is awesome. XD  First thing I thought (when I saw how tall he was) was "No...that's not real.........." Hahaha! It was funny. XD Best thing about him is his happy attitude. :D Always smiling!

District Leader stuff is....... Lots of extra stuff to do and keep track of now. Hahaha. But it's fun too. Definitely good for keeping me focused if nothing else! What I like most about it is I love being able to serve in yet another way. I get to help my district members and work with them even more now. What I like least is just having to keep track of a bunch of stuff...but I'll get used to that. Eventually.

Not a whole lot of "C" (hahaha that’s funny :P) because our District is pretty stinkin’ awesome! :D Elder Ray and Howe are in it and they are awesome. So it’s been great. Elder Johnson and Haroldsen are cool cats, too, and Sisters Dodson and Shaw might be some of my favorite Sisters in the mission so far, along with Sister Tidwell, Sister Melton (may she rest in peace [aka: she’s gone home now]) and a few others!

‘Kay gotta run now...again sorry it is so short, I got as far as I could...BYE! I'll write that letter!

~ Elder 9

Elder Nine with his Zone Leader
 

Elder Nine was made a District Leader & this is his new companion, Elder Whitehead



Monday, April 27, 2015

Mission Letter Week 93 - 27 April 2015

Emily,

Wow! Sounds like a lot of fun stuff is going on! And I saw that picture of you at the service project! I always had a lot of fun at those things. :D Well, I guess I still do, haha. Good to hear from you! Sorry, I gotta be so short. :P Love you!




Mama,

I am staying in Snow Ward as District Leader now and I am getting Elder Whitehead as a companion. Sad to see Elder Ripa go, but such is mission life. We will keep in touch. :)

AWESOME! (that you liked my “new” handwriting!)  I'll write a little bigger next time, hahaha! Good to hear though!

I don’t have much time so I will update you on how our Zone and District goals have been doing in my letter next week...sorry! But it is going VERY well!

Yeah, it was funny (the story about the lady knocking on our car window) …we call her "The Commando Lady" now, hahaha!

DA L's!!!! HOLY COW! I FLIPPED WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE! :DDDDDDDDDDD That is so crazy that K is married now and M is on his mission now! I LOVE the L's! :D





Braky!

Sounds like an eventful couple of weeks! As for the ceiling popcorn, I used a spray bottle of water and a putty knife. Spray the section you will work on, let it soak for a min, and then spray lightly again, and scrape it right off. Works great. :)

Welp, I gotta bounce! Love you guys! Sorry it is short!


~ Elder 9



Elder Nine with the other Elders after a special baptism





Monday, April 20, 2015

Mission Letter Week 92 - 20 April 2015

Hi Thar!

Emily I love you too!! I got your letter and I really, really liked it! It is crazy to me the situations you are already facing as a young woman and the people you are able to help in some way by being the good person you are in following your Savior. You made the right choices. You followed what was in your heart and what the spirit told you to do and the good advice from a  good friend. KEEP DOING THAT. Nothing is more important. :) I am so proud of you for that. Thank you for the awesome testimony that you shared by telling me those things. The gospel is true, the book is blue, and so are you...or something... :P

D's baptism was AMAZING!! I have pics, but I have to transfer them from my internal memory to my SD card after formatting the card....and I'm too lazy right now. SO I'll put those on Dropbox next week. :D His Uncle, J, our ward mission leader, baptized him and his YM president confirmed him! It was all very uplifting and went very smoothly. SO many people showed up it amazing. He has had so much support it is crazy. Good stuff going on here, and more miracles to come! We are hoping to teach J...but we will leave that to the H's to figure out for now as that is family.....they are on the ball too, so it'll be good. :)

My letter was really late but you will get it soon. :)

I wanna help with the yard!! Leave some for me, it'll keep me busy hahaha. I've actually been thinking that would be a good way to stay busy when I get home and I don’t have a job right away. My free time I could restore the landscaping. :DDDDDD so yeah...


I am excited to continue work in this ward and I hope I stay this next transfer...good folks here.

I am trying hard to stay focused and for the most part it is going well...but every now and then I start mentally wandering..........a lot, hahaha. But it's not too bad. Actually the more I come to the end, the less I am distracted...kinda weird...

I believe in My savior, I love the work, and I love you all!

Live Long and Prosper!

~ Elder 9

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Mission Letter Week 91 - 13 April 2015

Hello!

So, cool thing, I am sending a letter out tomorrow morning with my SD card in it. And that will be my weekly letter. :) I already wrote it so no worries. :P

   I got your letter today but didn't have much time to read it. I liked what I read though! And about the last part, I can say you won't have to worry about me pulling my own weight around anymore. I can't stand just sitting around doing nothing productive. I was talking about that with Elder Ripa, actually, this morning and we were talking about how we can't imagine just sitting in front of a computer all night watching Netflix or vegging out on video games or something. Books, on the other hand, I could probably do all day, but that's a whole other animal. :)

   But yeah, I am excited for home, but I am also so excited for what is about to happen in this mission! :D You'll read all about that in the letter, haha, but it is going to be amazing to see many MORE miracles happening here!

   D is totally set and by next email, he will be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! (that took a long time to type, including all my mess-ups…oi…) :)  We are so excited for him and the rest of his family. He is the last of the H's to get baptized! Besides some in-laws with different names......like J. He's awesome...We'll be trying to teach him too! Hopefully it goes well. Haha!

   We have officially dropped C now and won't be going by, unless she gets in touch with us, just because she has chosen not to make it a priority....oh, free agency!

   We have been doing a lot of service lately so I actually don't know what you are referring to but I guess a simple run down is we helped some people move into another ward, some nonmembers, we unloaded trucks-full of dirt, we fixed up the most WRECKED back yard I have ever seen in EVER, and we helped plant a garden, make a lizard kennel, and took those last two as an opportunity to set up a teaching appointment with J and A. He's less active, she is not a member and they have LOTS of potential! :D We are excited for them the most I think, besides D!

There is a companion picture on the SD card I will be sending home, of us at Dickey’s BBQ.  :DDDDDD I LOVE DICKEY’S......

The new Temple policy is twice a year on an assigned day. That's it pretty much, to avoid missionaries getting "lucky" and going with their companions then new companions and going every month. :P I don't really care either way right now, haha.

No Golden Plunger award....we are pretty sure that's a joke actually. Haha!

No, my vial is doing great. It's daddy's brass one he gave me. I don't think I'll ever get another one till my son goes on a mission! :)




Brakenstein,

Sounds like a lot of awesome Scout stories! I'm always happy when I see a young man involved in scouts and doing good. A lot of them here will ask if I'm an Eagle and I, of course, tell them yes, with two palms, (in a humble way of course) and they always get so excited. It's great to see young people grow into good young men and women, and then men and women! It's what keeps the world from EXPLODING..... sorry... those extremes doe.....



Hey, Mama, is there a chance I could get another one of those clicking erasable pens, in blue? I gave mine to Elder Johnson as a departing gift… I know….. I’m hopeless.... :D

Also, yes, I am still doing NO SODA… it gets easier over time…. slowly.....

Love you all! talk to you next week!


- Elder 9

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Mission Letter Week 90 - 06 April 2015

Wow...time has ceased to exist, it's going by so fast...my last general conference...WAS AWESOME!!! Though they talked a lot about marriage for the first bit....talk about NOT HELPING. XP

I think my favorite talk was by Sister Linda K Burton (if I got her name right) and her words on marriage and relationships and so forth. :) It was pretty powerful! And the best moments were likely when Pres. Monson got funny and then wiggled his ears and also when Pres. Uchtdorf started speaking in German. XD I’m pretty sure he did that on purpose, as it’s his sense of humor. LOL! I really would love to be present in a casual conversation with those great brethren...I bet they're a blast to talk to, as well as a powerful experience!

I love this time of year to remember our Savior and the great and eternal sacrifice that He made for us...it's all we ever talk about practically for two years so I get to a point where I feel like I know it all....and then general conference rolls around or I have another learning experience in which I realize I am a complete fool....humility at it's finest. :) I bear a solemn testimony of my Savior, not just of His identity, but of the thing that He promised us He could, would and DID do...Deliver us. He has and we need to accept it, on the condition of repentance! Only in and through His name may any man (or woman) enter into the Kingdom of God.

D has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it and everything we have taught thus far and said he really believes it to be true...already! We are happy and excited that he is progressing so well...he is a rare breed. He has an incredible amount of respect for his elders and all other people too, is very mature, especially for his age, and very smart. He's a great guy and really wants to make the best choices he can in his life! More to come soon. :)

C on the other hand has been avoiding us a little bit so we may drop her if she decides to continue with that. :(

Okay I will send the SD card home after I write a letter to go with it. :)

We went to the B’s and had an "Easter Party" of sorts, along with some GOOD FOOD! :D

I do not have a least favorite thing to teach anyone because it is all gloriously wonderful and can be a powerful experience no matter who it is. :) My favorite though is The Plan of Salvation. The light I see in people’s eyes and especially in children’s eyes when they learn it for the first time is the greatest thing in the world. :)

Good to hear from you guys! I gotta keep it short because we were doing service beforehand so we are short on time today. :P Sorry! Love you all!

~ Elder 9

Mission Letter Week 89 - 30 March 2015

Hello Family! This has been an amazing week! Elder Ripa and I are doing awesome...though weird things have begun to happen far too early...like finishing each other’s sentences, thinking the exact same thing...like day 2 we just synced brains or something....really weird… because usually that happens your last week with a comp...not your first...  But it's fun. :P

Emily,

AWESOME! I'm so glad you gave that talk and I have no doubt it was much greatness! You make me very VERY proud Emily, just the testimony that you share when you give a talk or when you email me, or any other time. You are growing up and being awesome, so just keep it up! Don't stress about the little things, just make sure you are square with God and Family, and that you are happy and keep sharing your testimony! LOVE YOU!

Mama,

The work is great and we are currently teaching a lady named C, taught her the first lesson, we are also teaching a young man, D, the nephew of our Ward Mission Leader. He accepted a baptismal date of April 18 so we are excited for that. His mother is the sister of Brother H...our WML. :) I love Snow Ward a lot. There is a lot of man power in this ward and good potential for the members.

I'm Jr companion right now. :D I like being JC....except I don’t get to drive. :( Hahaha he is senior because he is District Leader.

I got your letter! I think I'll be able to get those pics...I'll have to read it everyday though. lol

When you say thumb drive do you mean SD card? I could send that home...I think I will...make it easier... it’s pretty full now! 

Hello this is Elder Angus again. The picture of me and Elder Nine knocking is cool.

I'm back! :D

I didn't have time for the pics but I am doing that now...

Gotta bounce, time is cut short today. LOVE YOU!

~ Elder 9