Week 93

I don't have a whole lot to say. It looks like Elder Rios will not be leaving until transfers. 

This last week we almost lost all of our baptismal dates. We found out that two of our dates, who are living together and not married, actually have a no contact order. One of them has her residency, the other is illegal and has already been deported twice; he has no problem making it back over the border. Apparently, the reason for the no contact order is because he has abused her and the ward has known. 

Two of our other dates were not meeting with us and we were not able to help them progress. We were about to drop the date when we were finally able to reset the baptismal date. 

Our other baptismal date has had no contact with us for more than a week; we are still trying to work with him. 

........ All I have to say is that it is starting to become very difficult not to be trunky.

Week 92

I just talked to you all yesterday, but I did not exactly talk about what had happened in the week. This last week we set a baptismal date in the YSA ward. It was exciting because the missionaries have not had work there in quite a while. We set the baptismal date right after we played basketball on Friday night. We play basketball in Aberdeen every Friday night with investigators and members. We had a lesson right after, we finished basketball at 9:10. Remember that we are supposed to be home by 9 unless in a lesson. Then we can return home at 9:30. We were in Aberdeen so it takes 20 minutes to drive to American Falls and we still needed to find someone that could give us a ride because we don't have the miles to drive up there ourselves every week like that. So we had the lesson, which went until 10:10. We set a baptismal date but at that rate we were going to get home way late. After the lesson we could not find a ride so we had to go spend the night with Elder Zamora. We got super rebuked by the zone leaders (which I am not surprised nor am I mad).

There are different levels of obedience in the mission. There are those that just don't care about being obedient. There are those that are overzealous about being strictly obedient. There are those that are only obedient when it is convenient and when it is not convenient they think it is fine to disobey rules. Then there are those that are strictly obedient and understand that on rare occasion there are some exceptions to rules. (which is the category that I would place myself)

I would give judgment on rules thus. Is it a want or a need? And if it is a need, is there another way to do things to fulfill the need without breaking rules (even if it is inconvenient)? I am determined that exceptions to rules should not be common. It was a rare occasion in the Book of Mormon when someone was told to murder someone else and have it be OK  Nephi, and Tiancom when he snuck in one time to murder the leader of the other army. But then he thought that it was OK to do that, and he went to do it again, but out of anger the second time and he did not have the help of the Lord and he died. I am determined that the rules we have, have been given to us by a prophet and that we ought to obey them. Yes on occasion there are exceptions, which brings in the principles of priesthood keys. (we were trained on this in the leadership training meeting one time.)

A week or two ago we helped some people remove a fence. Other than that we have not done a ton of service. 

Elder Rios went to Salt Lake last week because he went to go see the Mexican consulate. They just got a picture and fingerprints and stuff. He flew back the same day at 11:00 o'clock at night. We had to go pick him up. He will probably be getting his visa this week. Then it will just be Elder Ponce and I. 

We will be moving apartments again. Every time I get moved I also move apartments as well. I will have served in 4 areas and 10 apartments, by the end of my mission. I sure hope I don't get Emergency transferred right after we move. I moved right before I got to this area and I will move right when I get to my new area. I have already been cleaning the crap out of the apartment we currently live in because it was a mess when I got here.

Week 91

I am still confused as to everyone we are teaching. We are trying to do Young Single Adult work but it is not really happening. It feels very weird to go to a YSA ward and do YSA work. Most everyone is a bit older. They are usually young parents with many little kids. Or new grandparents about your age that are just starting to think about their grandchildren. We have a couple people I am still not too familiar with. 

 

I got everything fine. The box was ripped open. That happened somewhere between the mission office and my place. I got it on Friday the day before my birthday. I figured that it was ripped open between the mission office and here because the tag that the mission office put on it was also slightly damaged. It did not appear that anything was taken. The cookies and everything else seemed to be there. 

Things are going ok. I love doing the missionary work and I wish that I could keep doing it. Everything is fine. I am not under any stress at all now. I am having a very good time. And I have gained respect in the eyes of many people. I know that I have a lot of respect from the mission president and both of the assistants. I have trained more times than any other missionary in the mission except for Elder Bills who is about 25 or 26 and had already completed his degree in college (great guy. he came out with me).

Week 90

So now I am with Elder Ponce and Elder Rios (Elder Rivers in English, but his name is actually Rios. His grandpa is from Puerto Rico).  We have a lot of work compared to my last area. Everything has been ok... There are no major problems with obedience. It is sort of interesting. He wakes up an hour earlier to exercise (not really against the rules) We go to the gym here to lift weights at the school. We don’t have to pay anything. There was an elder in this area that had gotten permission from President Brinkerhoff to go there because it is so early in the morning and no one else is really there, but I don't know how really valid that is. No problems, but questionable. There is nothing bad as comparable to Elder Puga or most other elders, but I will try to be a positive influence.  

I will be skyping home for mother's day.    

I love you all. See you in two weeks. Then after that I will see you all in three weeks.... lol

Week 89

So today it snowed quite a bit. Yes. It snowed in late April. I would send you pictures but I will be home in just a few weeks. Love you all. Thanks for all your support.

Transfer info.....

 

I am being transferred for my last transfer. I am going to American Falls Spanish with the Young Single Adults. I will be a companion with elder Ponce the two of us will be training a new visa waiter waiting to go to Argentina. It will be a co-senior, co-trainer, and one trainee companionship.

Elder Ponce was just promoted to be a senior companion. He is a really good elder. 

Week 88

So I got my trunky papers this week. 

Now  when people ask how long I have been out, I just tell them that I have a 2 hour lay over in Salt Lake and they just give me a blank look, then they ask, "so how many weeks left?" It is pretty funny. 

In my trunky papers, I got a letter from president asking me to prepare for departing interview. I will have my last zone conference in just a few weeks in which I will get to bear my testimony since it is my last. There is a reason that the trunky papers are called the trunky papers.

I can’t believe that 2 years are almost over.

enough trunkyness.

I have been in this area for almost 6 months now. I had one baptism when I got here with my good obedient companion, Elder Ericson. But once Elder Puga showed up the work slowed to a crawl instead of having about 10 lessons a week, we started having about 3 lessons a week, and no success at all. Now that Elder Tillotson has been here I have been feeling the Spirit working through us to bless those in our area. But we have still only had about 6-7 lessons a week. We have been working hard though. I just feel like I learned so much and then in just 2 transfers I was brought down to the beginning of my mission again. We just got some good advice from the mission president and hopefully we will be getting over 15 lessons a week here soon, but I just feel like I’m caput. 

I am still having a hard time as a district leader. This is what happens.

As a missionary you are responsible for how your investigators obey commandments, but as long as you invite them to do things better and you explain to them the consequences of their actions, no one gets mad at you if your investigators use their own agency to disobey commandments, as long as you explain to what the commandments are. But once you are a senior companion you are then responsible for your companion as well as your investigators, and if you companion does something, the whole idea of as long as you explain it, it is not enough. If your companion does something bad at all, you are responsible for it as well. There is none of this "oh, he is using his own agency", everyone instantly blames you and judges you for all your companions mistakes. And when you become a district leader, the same thing happens except with your district. It is a bit rough.   

This coming week we do have one baptism coming up. She is 9. Over aged youth. We have another that will be coming up at the end of the month. So we do have some success right now, but things are still pretty slow. 

When you sit in the car for 30 minutes at the end of the night wondering what to do with your last few minutes because you already visited everyone who was not home and there is nothing else to do. You don't have miles to go anywhere, you don't have anyone to call, nothing. That is when you know that you need more work.

Week 87

Things have been interesting. I did not change areas but I have moved places again. I have only been in 3 areas but yet I have been in 8 different houses. That was fun. 

This last week we had interviews with president. It was very interesting. They gave us several ideas of things that they want to do in this mission. But then at general conference, Elder Nelson totally repeated what we heard from our mission president. Yet it was our mission president’s idea.... well the Lords idea given to our mission president as well as others.

Anyway it is fun. We have two over aged youth that will be getting baptized here soon.  Hopefully everything goes well. When you are teaching kids you have to adapt to the parents schedules so it is very hard to get through all the material.

I am still having a hard time figuring out how to use my time effectively. As a district leader I have to do so much. I have not been able to write in my real journal for 6 months now. My little mini journal is behind several weeks and it is bugging me because I cannot catch up.  I am still getting to bed past 11 o’clock on Thursday and Sunday nights. But I am happy because my district is doing a great job supporting me when I ask them for help or if I need them to do things.

They are doing the things I ask them. Most recently, they had all their numbers ready when I called for them last night, instead of me waiting for them to finish numbers.

Mom yes I did. I actually sent him an email to his mission email address, that you had sent me and he replied to it, so I guess the church mail system forwarded the email I sent him to his personal email. He actually already emailed me back. That was nice, but thanks for getting the other email address anyway.

Miracles? not any so amazing. But I went to a leadership meeting with president and all the district and zone leaders of the mission.

It turns out I have a lot more authority to give exceptions to mission rules than I thought. They want me to follow up with everyone daily; I cannot remember a whole lot right now.

I love you Mom. I hope today is the best Birthday You could have. Sorry I was not able to write you a hand written letter. It was because I was moving last week. I realized however how grateful I was that I had you as a mother. This last general conference I noticed all the new things that they are implementing for all the youth now.  That is what you did at home that blessed me so much in my life. Thank you.... not to mention how much you suffered because of your ideas in the eyes of other members.  

Hi sadie!!!!!!! I love you.

Sadie,

I just want to let you know that the one thing I have learned on the mission is that you are always happier when you help others and do everything that you can for them. That is the only way I have been able to make it through the most difficult times in my mission. Don't you ever forget that. (^_^).

I will be going to the temple with my companion this Friday. 

Honestly, I have no clue what I want for my birthday. I have no ideas. As for clothes. I don't know. Games..... no clue.  

Week 86

I am preparing pictures to send, but I don't think that will happen today. 

This last week has been good. I want to describe something very important "there is no such thing as an accident or a coincident" God makes all those things happen. I find the more you follow the Spirit, the more it will happen. It has been happening so much lately. I cannot share every situation. This just helps me know that what I am doing is what the Lord needs me to do.

We had to move. We moved in with other members this morning. Last night I did not get to bed until 12:30.  I was making district leader phone calls until 11:05 pm and then I had to pack.   I did not get to bed until 12:30 because I literally had no time for 3 days to pack. I had tried but my district leader responsibilities got in the way every single day leaving me no time to do things. In fact we still need to go back and clean our living space of the members house that we were living in because we did not have time to do that either.

Anyway I am doing very well. Because we had to move, I was able to pack up my stuff to see how heavy it is. It looks like I am going to need to send as many books as possible home the week before I leave because my two bags weigh 50 lb each and my carry on weighs 50 lb as well, which is not going to work. I am considering just leaving most of the white shirts I have, except for a few nice ones. 

I decided to share one of the stories that happened this week, just because of how awesome but simple it was. 

This was during the time where we were so flipping busy that we did not even have time to plan what we wanted to do in the day (yes, we are always supposed to plan but the Lord understands when we cannot). We were out in this one area, we were contemplating going home 30 min early to clean and pack. But we both decided that we still wanted to visit someone when we could think of no one to visit. We were right next to the main road, which would be the fastest route to get home. We were out and about and I could have easily taken the shorter road home. But instead, I exercised self control to go an extra mile, and an extra few minutes to go the longer way home. It just felt right. I did not argue with the feeling. I just said, "lets go this way home and maybe we will think of someone to visit" and my companion just said "sounds good". So we went. We were approaching this one house of a family who are active members and they have 2 kids that are 8 preparing to be baptized. We had visited them before but we had finished the lessons with their kids, we had no reason to pass by. (side note, the husband had had a divorce and got remarried to this great person, this new couple is amazing, but the 2 kids are his kids. but every time they come from their birth mother they are always attention hungry and behave horribly) As we passed the house both Elder Tillotson and I said in our hearts and to each other, lets go see how the Brimhall family is doing today. We had not seen them for about 3 weeks. We went and knocked and newly married Sister Brimhall answered the door. No one else was home. Sister Brimhall had served a mission. We told her that we were passing by and that we just wanted to see how the family was doing. She gave us sort of an odd look. She realized that we were sent to her door. She broke down into tears for about two seconds because she knew that God had sent us to her door but she quickly regained herself within 2 seconds (literally) and then she said, "I need a blessing, Br. Brimhall is not here right now, I need to prepare a talk that I have not even started yet (that was Saturday night) and Br. Brimhalls ex-wife is giving us a really hard time and it is extremely hard on me. We suggested that we go to the back porch to give her a blessing. My companion gave the blessing. We attended her ward that next day and she gave a good talk even though she was a little emotional.

That is just one such tiny experience that shows how much our Heavenly Father loves us. These accidents/coincident are influenced by the Spirit. All that happens in just a matter of minutes, and if you do not look carefully you may miss the fact that it was influenced by God.