September 27, 2011

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Hey mom,

My new companion is Tatton, he is awesome. We have had a rough week. I started off with a fever of 102.7 on Tuesday evening, so i was unable to make it to transfers so I spent the day with the zone leaders, it was a long day when elder tatton got here we did the whole name tag swicheroo and totally played it off. it was funny. Sister Collins isn't quite sure whats been wrong with me they have had a big influenza out break in the mission they think that it could of been that or also strep because I have had an history with that. either way its been miserable. The couple days that we have been able to go out we have had bad luck. both of our bikes keep breaking down and really staring to frustrate us. and everybody keeps canceling the appointments. so its been a tough week. on top of that last night we had dinner with a member that didn't cook the meat loaf all the way... bad news for us. it was a kinda long bike ride home had had to keep stopping and making little breaks to puke our guts out. when we got home we starting to work on our skills as missionaries. usually we teach in unity but last night we puked in unity, we couldn't help but laugh all night as bad as it was it was really super funny for us. poor sister Collins i am pretty sure she thinks that we are just dying but as bad as it was we made the best of it. Other than that nothing really had happened this week. oh except we had a zone conference yesterday with Elder Dave Evens from the 1 quorum of the 70 and brother Dubray from the head of missionary media. it was cool they have informed us that tour mission has been selected to be a host of a Mormon.org Advertising campaign. it was super cool. They told all the members to have a mormon.org profile and challenge everyone to get one of them, because they are very useful for the full time missionaries. they told us that we will have tons of billboards and TV and Internet and  all that good stuff. i highly recommend going on line to check those out. and creating a profile. that was the real highlight of the week. I love elder tatton it been super fun so far he is amazing he is from Roy, Utah. he has been out for 3 months and he is amazing. he is just like elder crandall we get along great. i hope that all is going well and everything is OK. i love you all!

September 19 2011

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Hey Mom,

All is going well!! I didn't get a transfer call!! But elder wise did. Oh well we had a very good run. We ended up having another baptism this week it was Andrew, it was super awesome to see that, miracle happen. his step dad received the priesthood and was ordained to the office of priest and came out of less activity and is active again and was able to do the baptism it was really awesome. Its Great to see how the gospel changes lives like that it is the best ever!!! The family is doing super great and are making some sweet changes to live the gospel. it was really cool. the only bad thing about all these baptisms is... well our teaching and investigator pool is shrinking really fast. its back to the good ole door knocking. That is the only way that the gospel is getting into homes. Things are going really well for us the seasons are changing and they are getting colder its AWESOME!!! I love the fall season it just makes everything more enjoyable..at least i think. Our investigators are still in the same boat. Except Bob, sad story with him. We went over for our usual lesson and he had got into some anti about Joseph Smith. it shook his testimony pretty bad and insisted on looking for this anti book and reading the whole book and making a decision on that and not on prayer. we have baan praying like crazy to find the way to help and we have no idea what to do. I guess its all a part of the job! and for the first time ever he missed church. it was a very sad day for us and for him. He is so close i pray that he will do something right and read from the book of Mormon and pray about it, he has been very stubborn about doing those things. Other than that nothing really different has changed the gospel is still true and we are still doing the lords errands. Deborah, and gabby, and Andrew are all doing very good and recognize the gift of the holy ghost. Jessica is going strong she had asked us about changing her baptism date till November so her friend from Oregon can attend and support her at the baptism. hope fully she will continue to be awesome and sincerely seek the answers from heaven father. she will make an awesome member of the true church oh Jesus Christ! nothing else too exciting has happened i love you all!!

September 12, 2011

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Hey mom,

Hey things are going great we had a slow but eventful week. We only taught about 4 lessons this week but Saturday totally payed off. We baptized Deborah!!! it was super great we had a lot of people that showed up and was able to support her. it was even better because she had more family and friends there, than there was members. It was a huge missionary opportunity. We had an amazing lesson with Bob, we taught him in a members home and it was amazing, the member bore solid testimony of the word of wisdom and the power of repentance. It was so powerful and to spiritual it was great. He i pray will have the strength to over come and to drop this vice. it is really testing my patience. but we will not give up on him. he will eventually be baptized. We had quite a scare this week. we have a scheduled baptism again this week for Andrew for Friday, his interview was supposed to be on Friday. well Friday about 2 hours before the interview we got a call from his aunt, and his mom was in the hospital he had fainted and was in the hospital and we had to post pone the interview. last minute we are able to get the interview done tomorrow morning at the chapel. phew! That is a major burden off our shoulders. we have been super nervous that we were going to have to postpone the baptism. Its a good thing that the lord provides a way for the willing man! Talk about a close call. Yesterday we were able to attend the Why I Believe fireside put on by the mission. it was amazing Gabby was able to go and to bear her testimony of the truth of the restored gospel it was so amazing it touched everybody heart. She was personally thanked by the mission presidency and President and Sister Collins. it really think about how a missionary is able to see success. Dad i really appreciated your email this week. About the experiences of the temple that you were able to have. This week i have been thinking alot about that as well, That is out true goal as missionaries, to help people to receive eternal life. Only we are the chosen ones that have the full time callings to help our father in heaven fulfill his end goal to bring to pass the immortality of man. I think back about the times that i was always the happiest, it was usually when the gospel was involved. I am very grateful that i have this opportunity to be able to preach repentance to the people in Indiana. I am very great full to be able to serve here in Plainfield, this is where i fell the most reward, i have now been able to see a conversion from start to not finish but an even better start, of baptism. i feel like a successful missionary.

It has been pretty cold but it is hot again... Bummer! I love the fall season people are starting to chop their corn and are working the ground oh the smells!!! (speaking of smells the guy sitting next to me smells like dead animal that is rotting) The color's are changing and soon the hunters will be out blazing away. that means members will bring deer meat to us. i am very excited for that! Everything is going great Elder Wise and my self moved apartments and now we are living a really nice place right across the road from our old place. Its kinda nice. In our old apartment when we move out upstairs, some one moved in downstairs. while we cleaned our apartment out we foung out that the new neighbors are very active pot smokers. and we have connecting vents. needless to say we took lots of breaks and were always hungry. everything went well and we got alot accomplished. our new address is 202 North ST. Plainfield IN 46168. Our Mail box hasn't been broke in yet we will see if it ever does. but i love you all very much

September 6, 2011

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hey mom,

This week has been great a lot was able to get done. We this week will be having another baptism on Saturday!!! this one kinda fell into our arms but is going to work out. The person that we are baptising is Deborah. in the middle of last week she text ed us and was like can i be baptised on the tenth, instead of the seventeenth. Well obviously we are not going to say no, especially when we already have a baptism scheduled for the seventeenth so it worked out for the best. we taught Deborah a ton we had 4 lessons with her and an interview from a counselor from the mission presidency, she passed with flying colors. We are very excited for this baptism. Elder Nash will be the one doing the baptism and i will be confirming her on Sunday. I am very grateful that Elder Nash is able to do that. He is from Pocatello and has grown to be one great friend. He has a great connection with Deborah and it means alot to her so we are excited for her.

We have still been teaching Bob, he is still struggling with the whole smoking situation but has been progressing in the gospel. we had a great lesson with him this week we read with him 3 Nephi 11 with him, when the savior comes to the Nephites, we really focused on when Heavenly Father introduced the Savior to the people, and we applied that to Bob and said "What have you done in your live that would make your introduction to some one so great". It was really great it made him think alot about what the savior and Heavenly Father wants from him and their expectations. It was one of the most spiritual lessons that i have ever been in it reconfirmed my testimony of this gospel that we do have and the blessings that do come from them.

This week we also had dinner with Jessica, it was great we also were able to clear up some concerns that she had from relief society, about eternal marriage. she is still doing super good and is still on fire. she unfortunately probably wont be baptised on her date. But she will be baptised she already has a testimony of the restored gospel and is striving to have that spirit with her at all times. We are really excited for her as well.

The weather here has been really hot till yesterday. I was COLD it didnt get  more than about like 68 degrees, same with today its really cold. Last week had been up in the higher 90's and low 100 so sixty is super cold. But all has been going well. Gabby is still doing great she is loving her new life and is just as strong as ever!

I Love you all!