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Monday, January 26, 2015

Mission Letter Week 80 - 26 January2015

HALLO! :D

Had a great week this week...although some things fell through, like a lesson with J, but D is doing very well still, still off the cigarettes, and reading the Book of Mormon like crazy still, too! We will be meeting him tomorrow and hopefully set a date for baptism soon! Other than that there isn’t a whole lot in the way of news, except that our appointment with N and K fell through because he had work in the oil fields and she had to do some babysitting for some friends. Also, there was a fun incident this week where I had the opportunity to give some advice to some missionaries that were trying to heal their relationship as companions and it was crazy, how I felt like I was one of you guys, saying the same exact things to me. So just as an FYI, your advice and counsel has made it's way into yet another young man's life. Two more, actually. :) I thank you and they thank you for that. :D

Emily,

Good to hear all the awesome you are doing! :) I like hearing your stories and the things you do and see and feel! It makes me feel like I'm not missing out on too much, haha. Thank you for doing that for me! It's a special feeling that only you can give. I have to keep it short cause we are really busy today, so I'm sorry about that. Love you!!!

Mama,

I have not gotten your letters yet but that means I will probably get them today :) WOOP!

As far as our plans this week, unfortunately there isn't much going on, besides Teaching D and J a couple times each. But, that's mission life state-side haha. There has been a big push here lately though for members in our ward, stake and even church to start doing the finding so we can focus on the teaching. As Elder Holland said once, the only fear or concern missionaries should have is from getting pneumonia or something from being in the baptismal font too long. XD Hahaha! We'll see how that goes, but this ward especially has a lot of good potential we are excited to see tapped into!

Elder Flint and I sang Sister Moon's arrangement of "Joseph Smith's First Prayer," to the tune of "Come Thou Fount," with some mixing up of parts by Elder Flint and I. It was pretty good but we are still ironing kinks out for this upcoming transfer meeting, so we are still looking forward to that.

This Zone Conference was pretty nice, but really more just about how to do stuff that we already know how to do well, having been out for while, Elder Angus and I. Stuff like, car related issues, keeping apartments clean, don't do stupid stuff with cars and apartments, don't 'hang out' all the time with other missionaries,   and other stuff like that... I mention all this casually, because it's mundane for me, but he put it in context of receiving blessings for our obedience. Which is VERY true! Only through our obedience CAN we be blessed AT ALL!

Thank you for sending the pic of J and the baby! :'D Tell them how happy it made me and all that good stuff! :3 I'm going to email them next week...but for now I have to leave...love you! BYE!!!


~ Elder 9


P.S.


Oh and a reply to daddy's email that I almost missed on the bottom of the email - haha.

Everything you said (about staying focused and not worrying about what to do after the mission) is all very true. I have to admit it can be exciting to think about, coming home and all that...but I am more wrapped up in teaching and in preaching right now. It is simply the greatest thing I have ever done in my entire life. Thank you for preparing me to be here. I love you all, time is up. BYE!!!


 ~         ~         ~

We received this pictures from a wonderful sister in the are who had Elder Nine and Elder Angus come over and help her cut down a tree. She fed them lunch - One of Elder Nine's favorites: Costco Pizza, Water, and Homemade Chocolate Chips Cookies!
The both enjoyed their time! Look at those smiles! 
Elder Nine THRIVES on service.
So proud of him!







 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Mission Letter Week 79 - 19 January 2015

Hello beloved family!

Another good week for the books! We taught D this week and recapped on the word of wisdom, officially, and HE committed to finishing his last three cigarettes and being DONE for GOOD! WOOOOO! We are so excited for him. Even if he doesn't make it the first time, he is making HUGE progress from the last time he tried. Good stuff.

J is still trying to participate more in the lessons but seems to be understanding a little better now...funny how that works, when we pay attention, we actually learn more...hmmm.

L has dropped us (I don't remember if I told you that last week or not...) She and her husband decided to go to a different church, without really trying to understand what we were teaching. :/ So we left her with the challenge to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it...we hope she will.


Emi,

That's so nice to hear what you guys did for Mama. :) It's good to hear that she is happy! Mama happy, everyone happy. ;P

But it’s not so nice to hear you've been sick. :( Glad you're feeling better though! Don't give Daddy the couch back though! haha.


 

Brak,

Trek is always an exciting time! I wish you luck on it and I'm sure you'll do great, as always. :)

I will DO. Simple things are simple to do, right?

I AM still doing the no soda thing. It's getting easier again, too, because my body doesn't LIKE soda anymore… I do, but it hurts my stomach and the like when I drink it...




 

Mama,

Topic 1 (I like the topic idea)

I am fine with whatever you guys want to do for my home coming.

Topic 2

I finally had some time to watch the Bday video and it almost made me cry. :') Thank you for sending me that. It was very well put together, and made me laugh when he sang the word "halo" and the pic of you in the Medieval Times crown popped up. XD well played!

Topic 3

OH MY GOSH EMILY IS GOING TO MILAN THAT IS SODOPEIMSOEXCITEDFORHERITISJUSTRIDICULOUSANDCRAZYWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Topic 4
.....

Topic 5

I was taken by surprise with the photo where I'm eating, hahaha. I wasn't really paying attention and she snapped it. :P oh well...

Topic 6

I will keep an eye out for the (insurance) cards. :) Thank you!

I love you all very, very much and I will talk to you next week!


BYYYEEE

~ Elder 9



Celebrating one of the Elder's birthdays with a surprise "Breakfast for Dinner", "Don't let the balloon touch the floor", blowers, etc. They had a great time. Some much needed "Down/goofy time" after working hard! Again, thanks to a wonderful, thoughtful, and loving family who takes care of these missionaries for us.













Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Mission Letter Week 78 - 12 January 2015

WHOOOO! This has been a fun week..and really tranquil if I think about it.

Mama,

D is doing okay but thought that Saturday was Sunday (silly D) and then woke up sick Sunday morning...... XP So it'll just be a lesson this week, no church.

J is doing better in the sense that he opened up to us and voiced most of his concerns, so now we can help him to understand and overcome those concerns. :) And he DID come to church.

L, unfortunately, has been bailing on us but we don't want to drop her right away because she has recently won a fight against cancer so we are guessing that it's just her lack of energy that has led to this… We'll keep praying for her and trying to help her out.

We also picked up a new friend to teach, K! She is married to a less active guy in the ward and they both want us to come over and talk and teach and stuff. :) She, unfortunately, had a few bad experiences in other churches (not ours) and gets really anxious now just thinking of church...let alone GOING to church. So that's her struggle, but she says that she wants to have a testimony like her husband has, N. (We asked him to bear his testimony… a pretty powerful one too). The only reason HE isn't going to church is due to work, in the oilfields, as an X-ray guy or something like that. Good job, but ALWAYS on call, 24/7 and weekends are pretty big for him......we'll see how we can work this out!

Brother B, a ward missionary, was asked to kind of take over (the Ward Mission Leader stuff) for now, and he's been doing great! And he's really funny...well, to me. He's a "no crap" kinda guy and sometimes says things rougher than someone else would.....and I love it. XD

Sadly, we have not been able to the 'My Family' pamphlet. :'( I think someone cleaned the building before I was able to get to it or something because there was a Saturday in between me getting it and emails... :(

I am still writing in my journal and keeping track of as many of the things that I learn as possible!...and that's a lot...

My Sacrament solo went CRAZY well, especially thanks to Sister M, who is a PRO on the piano! First time it’s worked out as well as when I did it with Brother F and J before I left! Having a good pianist makes a WORLD of difference.

PICS: Hahahahaha, Elder Angus was holding up his ring fingers to mock Elder Boy for having cut his (Elder Boy’s) ring finger while opening a can of food and having to get stitches. That’s what it means. XP That (the picture, not the cutting) was during our New Year’s Eve party, which was kinda short and quiet so we made a few crazy parts!



Braky,

First, what kind of projects are you working on? And YES I've been seriously think about being a YouTuber, for multiple things. For music and also for some Videography stuff, if I get into that more...we'll talk tech in a few months. ;)

Good to hear things are happening back home, most of it good...some not, but that's how we grow right?


Love you mucho!




Emily,

That is a cool sounding bag! Mine is a big, black bag...kinda boring looking, for a boy. ;) I'm sure it'll turn out great! And a cool journal too! Get a good habit of writing in a journal, because you'll appreciate it later. :P

I gotta run now guys, I love you all! BYE!

~ Elder 9







The above video was recorded on Sunday, 11 Jan 2015, after Sacrament Meeting ( so as to not be irreverent during Sacrament Meeting) with Sister M. at the piano. 
SO SO Thankful for kind, thoughtful Sister G. who recorded this to share with us!
It warms our hearts and brightens our spirits. 
Elder Nine is singing "I Need Thee Every Hour" 
an arrangement by Sally DeFord

Monday, January 5, 2015

Mission Letter Week 77 - 5 January 2015

'Ullo Every Ooonnneeeeeee!! :D

We had a great week this week! We had a great lesson with D, one of our investigators. I can’t remember if I told you but he has a 50+ year old habit/addiction to smoking. So we have been working on that with him and he has set some good goals. He actually has committed HIMSELF to read the Book of Mormon, come to Church every Sunday and pray to know if it is all true! He is great and we love him to death... not literally. :P So we are looking forward to great things with D. Also with J, if he can get his head straight and remember that HE is the one that wanted to start with the missionaries, and he should follow through because he felt it was right and now he's just being rebellious… Not like I know what being rebellious is like... because I never did that... no, no, see I was a perfect child.... now stop laughing!

We also found a new friend of ours to teach, L! She is in her 40s or 50s and just won a big fight with cancer and is very much interested in what we are teaching her. We just had our first lesson with her but she didn’t make it out to Church, most likely because she was still feeling kinda down after the cancer stuff. :(

So that's pretty much the highlights of the week! Besides exchanges when I went with Elder Boy, our DL. I LOVE ELDER BOY! He is so freaking awesome and I love him. Great DL and great Missionary, and a great friend. :D Yay! haha.

Emily,

Wow, that sounds like a really cool pre-party for New Year’s Eve! I never went to those... (it's kind of a girl thing.) XD But I know they are a lot of fun for girls! So I'm glad you got to go to that! Don't worry, because you’ve got 4 whole years where you'll get to go to dances, so no rush. And really, you don’t HAVE to go to dances, but if you do, I will be hiding in the rafters, with a tranquilizer blow dart gun and shoot all the boys on the dance floor........ :D ‘Cause I love you! Hahahahaha! I'm juuussstttt kidding…. kinda... ;)

For New Year's I didn’t do a whole lot... besides drink all the Sangria (soda) that Walmart had to offer and we had a Nerf war ‘till midnight and screamed really loud. :D But that was about it. It was kinda funny how calm it was compared to all the other New Year's parties I've had. XD But it was still a lot of fun. :) I hope you really enjoyed this New Year's and have a great year until I get home! And then keep having a great year, lol.

Love you, Emi! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Marmy,

Wow… Emily is graduating from family parties huh…………….. maybe we should just do a big family party anyways with other family friends.... like the K's! :P Who knows… it's a New Year after all, and new traditions can start in the funniest of ways!

I did hear about Brother S's family...it was very very sad...also impressive, how he handled it and still fulfilled his calling by making sure everything was in order before he "checked out" for a while. So we are working with the Ward Missionaries for a couple weeks while he gets things figured out. Both of them. We are praying for them now. :) I hope they do okay. They are mucho awesome and we love ‘em so very much.

But, that is AWESOME to hear the E.A. got her mission papers in!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Give her my bestest!!! That is always crazy-exciting!!

Sister M is 'suppa duppa dope'… dope enough to play piano while I sing in church this next Sunday!!! :D I'm singing Sally DeFord's "I Need Thee Every Hour" again. It's kind of become my mission hymn; that and "Abide With Me", but I have a copy of this arrangement so I stick with it. :P

I did get my capo and I love it! :D THANK YOU! I have already used it a couple times at some members’ homes and even once at dinner on exchanges! It was greatness. And yes it is safe to send packages to my apartment, but the Mission Office is my ward, and the M's are the ones in charge of mail so they keep a special eye out for my stuff right now! So either way works...did you get my address from Sister H? I got tired of waiting at the beginning of this transfer to find someone to text her so I just texted her myself. XP

It's okay about the letter being late, I can’t wait to read it! And this New Year has been good to me so far! Elder Angus has a TRX Suspension Trainer so for my [traditional missionary's] “6 Months To Sexy” I’m starting out with that. :D I’m sooooo sore right now. XD And we are also going to try bike to some things in our area too. Fun, fun, fun! Gotta get ready because I get home in the middle of summer! :P

Braky!

Bummer to hear about the dent. Good thing it's truck not a Prius though. ;) Hope you can work things out!

Good to hear about the young man and his dad too! Do some good. :P

I gotta run guys! Love you all!

~ Elder 9


Photos that were sent in by a kind and thoughtful member of Elder 9's Ward:



Elder 9's Zone Leaders - Elder Horan and Elder Flint





Sisters Larsen and Burkinshaw







Elders Angus and Nine




Mission Letter Week 76 - 29 December 2014

WOW. Holy end of the year batman! Time is slipping away quickly and suddenly I need to start exercising again. XD The Holidays really did a number on me…I'm over 300 pounds now!.... Juuuuussstttt kidding... But sometimes I feel like it after eating twelve deserts on Christmas and the like!

Soooooo IDK what you mean by the Family History Booklet…? (after reminding him:) Oh crap!!! I totally forgot to bring that home with me!!!!!!!!!! I think it’s in the Fruitvale Building still, right next to my apartment, so I’ll go check for it today!! :O I hope it’s still there... I'll let you know next week!

Nothing yet on the iPads...and honestly I've lost all the excitement over it now haha. But I'll say this...ignore all the rumors because NOBODY knows the details except the Brethren right now...There are some missions that have them and they are intended for ALL missionaries, but there are situations I have heard from some returned missionaries that say there have been missionaries that will hack them somehow and put [inappropriate] things on them. So Presidents will take them away from either certain missionaries or the whole mission...depending on the situation...but you are right it comes down to the integrity of the missionaries...President Wilson WANTS to trust the missionaries here...there will be some that fail that trust but most will not...so yeah.

The shirt fits and I’m wearing it right now. :D It actually fits quite nicely, haha.  THANK YOU for it! :D

YAY FOR SNOW! Hopefully more than a millimeter of it too. XD

I have been having a very good time in Meadows Ward with Elder Angus, the Senior missionary couples and the work here. I am in a good mood once again. :P

I love ALL the things I got for Christmas soooo much! :D And I got your PS note, and yes I have plenty of room to carry my mug with me and it is GREAT to have it as its slightly larger than the ones we get. XD All my hiking and camping taught me well in packing light...plus when I go home there will be a lot of clothes that will be worn out that I can throw away and I'll pack even lighter then. :)

Investigator Status: We have been working with J and D (not related to each other) and they both came to church yesterday!! WOOHOO!!! We are really excited for D to start his "Quit Smoking Calendar" this Friday when we go over so he can get ready for another baptismal date. :) And J kinda needs an 'attitude adjustment' but he's taking all the right steps. :)

Emily,

Yowza! You have got some slammers to pick from for your Christmas Event gift!!! YEESH! IDK If I could even pick from those options! :O Good luck on that! XD And I also really enjoyed talking to you about and reading about how the MCO concert went! OH MY GOSH! I swear I need to see a good performance one of these days! :D

We aren’t doing anything too special for new years except going to our apartment early so we "stay out of trouble" haha...I'm going to drink Sangria (the soda) at midnight though. :)

Wow, though. That is a LOT of soda you got. XD In January I’m actually going to try to quit soda again to be more healthy. :D We'll see how it goes I suppose, haha.

Braaakkk

Yes, I got the letters that the Ward sent and I enjoyed them greatly. :) It was good to hear from all my good friends back home like that! Thank you for that!

Well, that's all there is pretty much! I hope to have many great things about our friends who are learning and living the Gospel to tell you about next Monday! I love you all very much! BYE!

~ Elder 9

P.S. These erasable pens you sent me for Christmas are the FUH JIZZLE!!!!!!