Twas the week before Christmas....

Things are well here in the Yuma/Wray area.  The mission Christmas devotional was great.  We sang lots of Christmas songs that were the ones nobody sings on Christmas.  We didn't even approach silent night or hark the herald angels sing.  People are so weird when they want to do the not-so-popular songs.  It snowed a ton last night and I have adapted to the cold and am now a native by all standards.  AS far as food, some weeks we have to provide for ourselves when dinner comes around and we usually just have Pb and J's or ramen or a can of soup.  Difference is nice even if it’s not too much better.  The Spanish is coming along.  I speak it quite often.  It’s about half and half.  I could always learn more though.  I feel like because I speak it so often things are starting to become natural.  I will say things without thinking about it, and pleasantries are way more normal.  I am always getting compliments on my Spanish even though sometimes its like a backhanded compliment because they will say, "your Spanish is good for a white person" little do they know I am Hispanic.  Its okay, it gives me confidence because I’m never sure if my Spanish is good or bad.  Not much new on insights in the mission life.  Just living in the cold and trying to survive.  The members are sweet here too but there are less of them and so it’s not as fun.  My comp and I bless sacrament almost every week because they have only two young men, yet they seem to have almost 12 young women.  Quite the difference if you ask me.  I heard their latest activity was eating taquitos and watching GI Joe.  Fun for them I guess.  In better news I made my first snowman in over 10 years.  I think we attempted one in Ruidoso once but it wasn't even that impressive.  I built it with a little girl after dinner at a member’s house.  She took the picture so don't blame the photography skills on me.  I am very proud of that snowman.  Almost like a father’s kind of pride.  This week we invited three people to be baptized, they all said yes but they need to sort some things first.  The work is progressing and all is well. Have a good week.

That was yesterday, it was snowing so hard it blocked out the sun.

My first snowman in 10 years! 

My hair is frozen that way

Week 15

The work is great. I was honored when I was asked to go to this area because I worked hard and they needed help bringing this area back to life. We have been doing well, we taught 14 investigators this week and four of those are progressing. Also ten of those investigators don't speak English. We are doing better with the language as well.  Hopefully Kristina is safe and preaching the gospel. When we help others it makes us more comfortable in troubling situations. My advice for the week would be a lesson I learned. If you are having trouble with someone else, change what you can to do even just a little better. They will follow your example eventually and we could always use some fixing in ourselves.  Also the Atonement works.  I have seen it in my life and know of its healing powers.  If we are having problems or troubles the first thing we should do is get on our knees.  God gives us trials to help us grow, but if we aren't focused on God during those trials it just causes problems.  We wont become better from them and sometimes it leads to worse and worse issues.  We are here to progress, we have a way to do it and a loving God who is there to help us every step of the way.  We know the outcome of the world and what will happen when we pass on from this earthly life.  Yet we still seem to find ourselves trying to decide wither we want to follow Christ's example or listen to the enticing's of the devil.  Focusing on the Lord has helped me in my difficult times, so I know it can help everyone.

My comp

Colorado Sunset

A literal green egg. Fresh eggs are good but some of these chickens are weird.

Public Urination! could have gotten in trouble for that. Which remind me….My comp was driving last night and we got pulled over for speeding. The cop let him off with a warning but I would have smacked him so hard if he had gotten a ticket!! Did you know that if one guy gets a ticket he splits it with his comp? Horribly unfair.

My Indulgence. I sacrificed my soup and had ramen instead for the week.

my only missionary indulgence

This FREAKING huge egg! I call him Eggzilla Jr.

Saratoga Wy, Weeks 11-13

Nov 10th

I am teaching three lessons a week in Spanish and My Spanish still needs a little improvement. The people who speak Spanish here are all the Nicaraguans who work at the local saw mill. Yeah lets just say their Spanish is probably worse than mine because they put all their words together and drop off letters at the end. I barely know what they are saying half of the time. We have been doing great with the work here. We teach over twenty lessons a week and visit so many members, also we get at least one new investigator a week. Our ward mission leader texted the mission president about how hard we have been working and president was very impressed. He gave me and my companion a hand shake and commended our labors. We had a guy who said he wants to be baptized but doesn’t feel he is fully ready, he is one of the Nica's here so only I talk to him. I believe he has been taught the first lesson by some past missionaries but I’m going through and teaching him the lessons over again. We talked to a woman last night who has family in salt lake ut and she wants to see us again sometime soon, the rest of our investigators don’t seem to be progressing all that much but we are keeping up with them still. In church the gospel principles teacher has been gone and so my companion and I have been teaching for the last two weeks. The people in that class said we do a good job so that was comforting. The weather is getting pretty bad, I couldn’t even open the car door this morning and I almost gave my life for a cup of cocoa when I slipped outside. I started to listen to the Christmas music and the companion doesn’t like the ones about being with loved ones because he starts missing his girlfriend. He is such a big softy.  We had dinner with a newish family to the area and they gave us all this food and told us that if we ever need anything to come to them. They have a daughter on the mission so they (I guess) are living through us. Mother I know you do that. This week has been great but I know I will soon freeze. It is already in the 20s so that’s good fun. 1 Nephi 10:6 fall onto the lord because we always need it, use the atonement and have faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Nov 17th

Mother I must sadly report that I am dead.  I froze and didn’t make it. When people hear that I’m from Las Vegas they crack up and then tell me all about how I’m going to freeze here, its discomforting.  This week on Friday we went down to Cheyenne, we had a mission tour and Elder Baxter of the seventy came down to talk to us.  He is a funny guy, and he is Scottish so that was a plus.  When we had our little break I asked if he knew Grandpa and he said he did and told me all about how Grandpa is a great, very loving, gentle man.  I’m sure he tells that to all the past GA's grandsons.  The week has been good but very cold.  We got a jeep, we had been driving a Chevy cruise and that stupid car wouldn’t go anywhere once the snow hit.  

 

Nov 24^th

I sent you a picture of a sign I noticed in one of the trailer parks.  When we drove by the guy was just staring at us through his door.  It was very creepy.  This week went alright.  Nothing too exciting until transfers came up.  We figured neither of us would leave because I was still being trained but the lord had something else in mind.  I received a call from the mission president asking if I was ready for a challenge. He told me that I would be going down to the Greely zone in the Yuma area.  Also I am going to be training, so that’s great. It feels good to know that since I’m not even done being trained I am going to have to make it up half the time. We do get a car so I will still be driving, no bike yet and lets keep it that way until the summer.  I was just getting used to the area in Saratoga and now I have to move.  Packing is awful, I got so invested in this place and we stalked up on everything.  We have about 20 lbs. of steaks and ground beef that we got yesterday from a member and I have to sadly say goodbye. I got to speak in sacrament meeting and I shared some scriptures on the atonement.  Namely Mosiah 3:19 and 24:15 and talked on what the atonement really is and what it can do for us when we use it.  I bore my testimony on how it is a change in ourselves to become more Christ like and not just a way of repenting for past transgressions. I closed in Spanish and the three people that served on Spanish speaking mission might have been able to understand me.  It wasn’t that sad to say goodbye to all the awesome people here but I will miss them.  There was one guy whose family was just like uncle Bert’s. Going over there was a blast. He was in the same line of work and is the one who gives us eggs and beef and sausage. He doesn’t have quite as much kids but he does have five, and three of them are right next to each other and are boys.  They are rowdy and hilarious.  I was sitting next to the dad in Sunday school and the teacher said something about not cussing and he turned to me and said "I think he's picking on me" with a grin.  The people are probably the best part of this place because it sure ain’t the weather.  As uncle pat would say "Lots of love" and talk to you next week.

Saratoga Wyoming week 2

Im not sure if you get jealous but I think this next phrase will hit you pretty hard.  I get a carton of fresh brown eggs once a week and they are amazingly tasty.  We also get fresh sausage, ground beef, and bacon.  My town is so small and spread out with all the ranches and what not.  When the people say downtown I always get confused because it has one gas station and one grocery store, and I wouldn't consider that a "downtown".   The labor and service we do is chopping fire wood and hauling it around, since people are trying to stock up before winter hits.  At the trunk or treat my companion wore his superman t-shirt over his normal clothes and I put on my black jacket with a bolo tie and that was all the dressing up we did.  I changed my tie and my companion took off his shirt when we went to go teach a lesson after that.  Plus we have to be in our house by 6:00 on the actual Halloween night.  The members are really awesome here, they are great at helping us find people to teach.  We have three actual investigators that we are teaching lessons to and way more who want to get baptized but their parents wont let them.  Im working hard and being obedient.  My companion has been out in the field for five months now and he is only a month older than me.  He played football so he has that aspect about him but he is usually a gentle giant, although he isn't as giant as me.  There are some big families here so when I say I have six siblings its normal half the time.  On the computers we use for emails I found a playlist on the computer labeled LDS super hits of the 80s.  Oh yes.  Its fantastic.



My companion eats biscuits and gravy like my father

This mornings pose, I froze to death two minutes later.

Last week in the CCM and 1st week in Wyoming

Conference was awesome and loved it.  There is a very special spirit here and it is constantly giving revelation.  I got more out of conference than i ever thought possible.  AND it’s not because i was awake the whole time.  Health wise I’m doing well, the food has caused me to be repeating Jeremiah 4:19-21 while I’m in the bathroom.  Some scriptures take on whole new meanings.  Some of these missionaries are quite childish.  I’m working hard to learn the Spanish, I can give lessons on almost any Gospel topic.  I just don’t know every word, I forget seed or grass or something like that but it will come.  I have three months to perfect my Spanish while I’m in the field.  I can’t wait to eat normal food.  I can’t wait until I don't have to be quoting scripture in the bathroom.  More over I cant wait until I’m out in the field serving.  All is well with only one week until freedom.  I have been quoting Braveheart since yesterday.  Rallying up everyone leaving soon by saying, "every man dies, not every man lives, they can take our lands, they can take our lives, but they will never take OUR FREEDOM!"  We will gloriously wake up at one in the morning to be at the airport five hours early.  That day will be as the christmas morn, glorious and exciting.  The only time I look forward to waking up early.

 

First week in the Ft. Collins Colorado Mission

The field is, how do I say this, Amazazing (to quote richie from benchwarmers) I’m doing so much work and teaching so many lessons it’s crazy.  I’m in this remote town in Wyoming where there is one grocery store and I’m tracking from one cabin to the next.  In all fairness I can say I’m in Coon country.  Its like hillbillies mixed with hunters mixed with that guy from the fox in the hound.  I however am enjoying the good food of my own cooking.  Every problem I ever had in the MTC is completely gone.  My new companion is great and we don’t ever complain about each other, we just agree.  It’s like the perfect marriage. My bathroom just so you know is way small.  My feet hang off the bed, and when I shower it’s almost exactly the same as buddy from Elf showers.  Which if we did do the comparison a midget would love the homey feel.  It’s too bad I’m a freaking giant.  I still think it’s fantastic here.  I have written in my journal everyday since I left home.  Now some days may be a sentence but others are full pages. 

Life in the CCM

 

The CCM is just one trial after another, but the lord seems to be helping me. This last week one of the guys in my district asked me what I pictured when I prayed, his logic was to see what we were picturing so that I knew my prayers weren't going anywhere. I never really thought about it like that. I figured they were sent directly to heaven and I always knew that. I tried it that night though. I started off thinking of God and I had a really clear image of him sitting on His throne with Jesus on his right hand side. I approached them and speaking to God I thanked him for just about everything, I felt like I was standing in front of him so I wanted to be as grateful as possible. Then after sometime I knew I had questions for him and so I asked those. Then when I wanted to ask him for blessing I totally hesitated, why ask God for any more than he has given me so far? But then I asked and when I did I started sobbing. I didn’t want to wake up my roommates who had just fallen asleep so I was covering up my mouth but I still made those crying sounds. I felt a little embarrassed but I know I was crying because I could feel the spirit testifying to me of what I was doing was right and that God always listens to our prayers. It wasn’t a dream, more like an in between state, but wrote it down already.  You should still send some donuts, like next week.  Happiness is hard to come by here.  Either you are tired and angry or overwhelmed by the spirit and about to cry. 

Other than that this week has been pretty normal. I seem to be doing better with my companion but I realized that my trial of getting a really annoying companion was mistaken. Mostly, because I got a companion who is exactly like dad. Yeah I know its even more of a trial. The language is dificil as usual. We have to teach our teachers as if the are investigators about two/three times a week and its brutal because they take every mistake we made and make sure to tell us. Also I'm constantly getting picked on by my teachers and classmates and have the time its for saying the prayer.  I never even have prayer face. I was talking to this one teacher who was helping me with grammar and he said he likes the word endure in Spanish better because in English it means being strong enough to get though something but in Espanol it means to work hard until the trial is over. I traded a couple ties with this guy who had really good sense in style of neckwear as i do. It was really hard to say goodbye but were definitely going to be friends after the mission so I can get them back.

        

Uncle Pat and Aunt Suzy came for a visit!

Mexico City Temple