Monday, July 29, 2013

Are you there?

Thank you for emailing me my password is 1987.  It's the year def leppard wrote gods of war;)  Keep reading the book of mormon it's so great! don't pay attention to what the story is pay more attention to what the spirit is trying to teach you that's when you get the most out of it.  Love you.

No i got the pictures that looks sick! wanna send it out here? Just kidding!  It was just the new shirts rubbing on my neck.  Once I washed them all and put the elephant medicine on it went away.

NOPE I went through medical school and have a phd didn't you know that?

alright sounds good.  Yes short sleeve shirts would be mucho needed.  thank ya.

Hello Mom.  I'm not sure why I didn't recieve an e-mail from you this week but it's all good.  How are things coming with house shopping?  Were you able to sell my bug yet?
The mission is going great I love it.  We eat some of the craziest things out here.  Me and my companion one night made hot dogs with olive garden salad dressing on them.  Man those things were delicious but I'm not exactly sure that they were the most heathiest thing for me.  The work is hard but it is great.  This week we were able to find a lot of people and hopefully start teaching them this week.  We had a really awesome miracle this week in finding this guy named Fred.  My companion and I were going to visit a less active sister.  Her name is Gale.  As we were visiting with her I felt that talking with her was not the only reason we were there.  A couple minutes later a man came down and started to talk with us.  As we visited with him we found out that he was an ex member of the catholic church.  He left it because he felt that some things just weren't right.  He was very humble a couple years ago his wife died and he then kind of let his life go.  He had recieved a copy of the Book of Mormon from Gale, the less active member.  He had read a little bit but didn't really understand it.  It was very evident that our Heavenly Father had prepared Gale for the day that me and Elder Francis knocked on his door.  He set up another lesson with us.  My companion went on splits with another missionary we live with last night becasue he didn't come out to church.  They committed him to baptism and asked him to pray about a day that he would want to be baptized on.  He truely was prepared it's so amazing.  We have a meeting with this lady named Shakitha.  She has lived in the area for about two years and thinks it's time that she finds a church.  I can't wait to teach her.  This work is so awesome.  Just a fun little fact I am now a baller.  That's a home grown street baller.  Every Wednesday night as part of fellowshipping the missionaries in the area play b-ball with all the homies.  It's pretty crazy my first game I got taken out by this kid but it was all good.  It's so much fun here the ward is nice and the people are great except for when you have to talk to the hard core (insert any religion you can think of) and they don't understand that this is the true church.  It's ok though one day they will realize and understand that this is the true church, "Every tongue shall confess."  The work is going awesome.  We are slowly starting to build up this area and hopefully soon we will see the fruits of our labors.  Thank you for all that you do and everything that you have done for me it really means a lot.  I want to invite you this week to slow down and look for the lord in your life.  It's amazing what we don't notice until we just slow down and actually look.  Look for those tender mercies of the lord that to often get passed off as coisidence.  The lord loves us and wants to help up we just need to aline our with with his.  NOT VICE VERSA!  Take all the desires of our heart and forget them take them out and desire what the lord would desire.  The lord wants all of us.  He doesn't just want part of our time or part of our money or part of anything.  He wants all of our time all of our money and all of our talents.  He want's us all.  In return he can then mold us into true deciple of Him.  No one said that it would be easy but it will most definitley be worth it.  He loves us and wants us to become exactly like him.  Humble yourself and let him do that.  I love the work the church is true and his plan is the perfect plan follow it and we will find true happiness.  I love you and hope everything is ok.  Mwah kisses.  XOOxxooXXoOOXOXOXOoxoOXoxoxo

July 29, 2013

Thank you so much for writing me.  That is so awesome!!!  Of course Elder Collie is a BYU fan he has a spot on the team.  He's insanley good at every sport.  We get along pretty well even though I am a UTE.  That sounds like you are having a lot of fun.  Why arn't you using my phone.  I hope all is well and everything is going great.  This week we were able to talk to a guy that was in the Vietnam War.  It was pretty crazy.  The coolest part was that he use to be a printer.  He did the way old stile were you would have to set everything and make sure all the wording was write.  He said he was really good his name is Mike Saxton maybe you know him.  Keep on growing in this gospel it truely is an amazing thing the way that the lord can unfold new things to us as long as we just listen and try to learn.  It's crazy how many times you see the lords had in your life when you are on a mission it almost feels like he's walking right next you, or even riding your bike for you.  This church is the true church and our Heavenly Father loves he can help us complete any hard task that might be ahead of us.  I love you and hope that all is well.

Monday, July 22, 2013

July 22, 2013

How is everything going.  It's so hot here we've gotten up to 106 as the index.  It's insane but it's so great.  How is everything going at home?  I love you papa hope you are doing well keep in touch.

Address

Well it's my first P-day in the good old town of Colonial Heights Virginia.  It's pretty crazy how hot it is here.  When I got off the plan on Thursday I instantly started sweating like a pig.  I never thought it was possible to sweat this much in my entire life.  It's crazy.  By the way I'm also going to need a few extra white church shirts because my companion sent one of my shirts through a load of laudry with a pen in it.  Then pen was mine but it's all good.  It's crazy though my shirts become practically see threw because of the amount of sweat that I put off.  I am on a bike for my first area which is pretty cool I guess.  We have biked probably at least 25 miles in the last couple of days we have been here.  Any way that's a little bit about what's been going on.  It's crazy though to think I'm out in Virginia already.  Me and my companion are shot gunning this area and the elders before us didn't leave a very detailed area book so we have to basically start from scratch.  It's good though.  The nice thing is that we live a house that has it's own washer and dryer.  That's pretty sweet if you ask me.  I hope all is well with the house hunting.  What house did you guys decide on.  By the way could you get me Bethany's E-mail so that I could e-mail her?  If not that's ok.  My companions name is Elder Francis he is from Salt Lake City Utah he's pretty cool.  We live in a house with another set of Elders.  Get this one of them is Austin Collie's little brother.  The other Elder is Elder Gronning he is from Las Vegas Nevada.  It's pretty cool here I really like it.  I was in my first rain storm last night.  Got my Eco shoes all wet but o well.  It was crazy we were just riding along on our bike getting ready to come home and boom we got dumped on hard core.  It was insane.  How is the family? Is everything going good?  That's all that I really have to talk about I hope all is well.  In closing I would just like to bare my testimony.  I know that I am doing the Lords work I know that he is right next to me every step of the way.  It's crazy whenever you think you can't go any farther of do anymore you feel something give you that extra strength.  It's the most incredible experience I have ever felt.  I know that this gospel is true and I know that my Savior loves me and I want to share this love with everyone in the state of Virginia.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of god and it can help us and strengthen us when every we are in need.  I love this work and I love you.  Have a great week I will probably write you every Monday at around 10 am.  I hope you and dad are reading the book of mormon together and strengthening each others testimonies.  I love you bye.

Sorry I almost forgot my address it is.  3803 Brevard Ct Colonial Heights VA 23834.  Make sure that you get this to Bethany because I sent her a letter but am not sure if i wrote it right on the letter.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

July 16, 2013

Hey so I just wanted to make this a tradition of me writing you every week.  I thank you so much for all that you have shown me and all that you have done for me.  You truely are an amazing father and hope to be half the man that you are one day.  You are so awesome.  Timberline has helped me so much in the MTC.  It truely is a program that is called of god.  How is the Harley running?  I hope that work is going great.  Dad I would invite you to start reading preach my gospel with mom it is probably one of the greatest books next to the book of mormon for marriage and just  everyday advice.  Keep working hard I love you.  Thank you for all that you've done.

Off to good old Virginia



Well the time is now.  I am doing my last load of laundry in the MTC and then I will go back and start packing my bags to head for Virginia.  It doesn't even feel like it's real I feel like I'm walking on water it's crazy.  That sounds way cool about the hole camping trip.  Luckily dad didn't bring and live ammunition this time. ha ha.  The MTC is such a great place I love it so much.  The spirit is so strong here.  It's almost like instead of oxygen you breath in the spirit.  Such an incredible experience.  Hey if you could could you send me some more garments I feel that in Virginia I'm going to need them bad.  Just in the MTC I sweat through a pair in less than a day it's horrible.  I was told by some one in here that I can't put drier sheets in with dry lux garments so could you ask about that and then e-mail me next p-day thanks.  I hope all is going well at home.  Tell the people that wrote me dear elder letters to give me/you there emails so I can respond back to them specifically devin and grandma and josh and Jera.  Thank you.  So I know that before we left we were kind of reading the book of mormon.  I invite you and dad to start over but instead of just blowing through the chapters like I did some nights:( really focus on what the lord is trying to tell you.  It's amazing how much this book as changed my life in only a few weeks I can't wait to go and tell people about this glorious message but I thought I would tell my family first and help them come unto our savior Jesus Christ more fully.  I hope all is well with the house hunting.  You'll have to tell me what house you end up choosing.  I got all your packages I do believe.  Thanks for the cinamon roles they came of the perfect day they help my district stay focused so that we could have a more effective study.  Thank you so much for all that you do for me and all that you have done.  Being out on my own has truely shown me how much my mother and father love me.  Thank you so much I love you so much.  XXXXoooXoOOOXxxOOXXx

Hey so I just wanted to make this a tradition of me writing you every week.  I thank you so much for all that you have shown me and all that you have done for me.  You truely are an amazing father and hope to be half the man that you are one day.  You are so awesome.  Timberline has helped me so much in the MTC.  It truely is a program that is called of god.  How is the Harley running?  I hope that work is going great.  Dad I would invite you to start reading preach my gospel with mom it is probably one of the greatest books next to the book of mormon for marriage and just  everyday advice.  Keep working hard I love you.  Thank you for all that you've done.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

My First P Day



Hey mom sorry that this is the first letter that you have received.  The reason why I didn't write you a hand written letter was because stamps here in the MTC are so expensive.  I should have just wrote you though my bad.  That is way awesome that you put money down on a house that is so cool.  It's crazy how once we start to act the lord will tell us if what we are doing is correct.  I did my first load of laundry.  We will see how it turns out.  I hope I don't pull a Devin and ruin all my garments.  I ended  up washing all my shirts even though I really didn't wear them all because I got this bumpy rash on the back of my neck.  I put that on elephant medicine on the back of my neck and it kinda sucks.  Everything is going great though.  I love this work.  Me and My companion are getting along really well.  His name is Elder Hadley.  He's such a cool kid.  Tell Josh that we did Crazy eights as a District!! 12 People.  You had to wait so long to do your push ups.  So I know when I will be leaving now.  I leave July 17 at 3:30 in the morning.  So if you want to talk to me I will be calling around 4:30 ish.  I am the travel leader and I'm in charge of 29 Elders and Sisters combined it's so crazy!!! The MTC is packed tho.  My room mates told me that I talk in my sleep quite a bit.  I started to teach the gospel in my sleep.  It's crazy how much you study here in the MTC.  You thought my hour a night was insane.  I study up to nine hours a day.  It's so rewarding tho I love it so much.  The food here is delicious.  Well I have to go and get back to the work of the lord.  I love you so much and I help that all is well back at home.  Stay focused say Hi to the family love you all:)

Friday, July 5, 2013

I am ok


Hello mom and dad.  I just wanted to let you know that all is well and that I am having a great time at the mtc.  My P day is on tuesday so I plan to right you more then.  This work is very hard but so rewarding when you figure out what the lord is trying to teach you and your investigaors.  I hope all is going well at home and I will talk to you more on tuesday.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

My Mission

My Mission       

As I stared out the window the tears still in my eyes.
I saw the vision of those I loved
As we had just said our last good-byes.

The ride was long and trying,
As the questions plagued my mind
Do I want the life that’s up ahead?
Or the one I left behind?

Two years is such a long, long time,
For going door to door.
In my reflection I thought to myself
There really must be more.

I dragged myself down off the plane
And stared smiling at the beach,
When a man turned me the other way,
Saying, Elder go find and teach.

I sit reflecting once again
As this day is my last,
Please Lord, this isn’t fair
The time goes way to fast.

And I stare out the window
The tears still in my eyes.
I see the Elders and friends I love
As we have just said our last goodbyes

The ride is long and trying
As two questions plaque my mind.
Do I want the life that’s up ahead?
Or the one I left behind?