May 2, 2011

Thank you for the news. But you forgot to answer my questions that I sent in the last email. Lets see if you can answer them this time. I hope so cause I do want to know. So do you think you will get the car? Oh Elder Landon is a good guy. we have been doing really awesome lately. We have had a lot of lessons lately where the spirit was pretty strong. But unfortunately I am being transferred so I am going to get an even different companion now. And who knows maybe I'll go back to denver. we'll see. I dont like leaving areas. It has been the hardest thing for me to do I think on my mission. Cause I come to love the people, we get less actives coming bnack to church and investigators getting ready to be baptized then I get moved. I will miss the people here in the Grand junction 9th ward. I have come to love them and appreciate them. I will still pray for them. thank you hannah for all that you do! I hope you have a good week! lets try and make sure Mom has a great mother's day.

March 14, 2011

Hey did much damage happen in Oregon due to the tsunami? How about our family down in California where they all ok? No I haven't gotten the packages yet. Did you use the stories I gae you last time? Yes I am still with Elder Plunkett. Transfers are next week. I think I am now mostly used to being a zone leader. I hope I get to stay with Elder Plunket another transfer, cause he knows so much about leadership and about working with the stake, and helping the missionaries. I love to serve the Lord. And it is a little weird to think it has been a year now. But It really just makes me want to work even harder and smarter. Trusting in God more and more and seeking his guidance more and more and following the spirit more and more. With every aspect of missionary work, knowing what to do, what to say, what to pray for, what to teach, what to do to help the other missionaries, and stuff like that. we do have some awesome investigators. We meet and began teaching this guy last week named craig and he has already agreed to be baptized and we have set him with a date. Another couple we got the week before agreed to be baptized. and This lady who we already set with a date told us her daughter also wants to meet with us and learn more! There is stuff happening. I love it. I love to testify of this gospel. I love to testify of The Savior and His church, His prophet, and the Book of mormon. I love to serve. This is pretty much all I know now. I dont know who Benjamin Sherman is. I only know I love my Heavenly and my Savior and my fellow brohers and sisters. speaking of which. No my seiblings haven't been writing me much, except for Hannah. Tell Grandma and Grandpa I love them and I am sorry I never really get time to write letters anymore. The weather has been nice over here, its been spring already over here for a little while now. Its good to hear George is coming to church. how is Liz and Nikki doing? How's Jayden and Stephanie doing? Any thing new about Josh? Let me know please and thank you! I love you Mom, tell everyone I love them too and miss them. thank you so much Mom. Take care!

March 7, 2011

Hey Hannah,

Thank you for the Email. yeah we are pretty busy, I dont really have time to ever write in my journal now. Being a Zone leader is different. I love my companion, he helps me a lot. The responsibilities of a zone leader are collecting the end of the week key indicator report from the district leaders for each companionship in the Zone, then reporting it to the assistants through a fax on sunday nights. We also keep track of the car miles of the Zone( we can only drive so much a week, and we have a mileage alotment). We also collect information from the zone thursday nights about how many lessons they have so far that week, and get the updates of how the ward mission process is going in each ward/companionship (a list of 15 names from the ward auxilaries, selected, inveited, being taught, is the list updated stuff like that). we also get diamond list information on monday nights usually (Diamonds are top investigators throughout the zone) how they are doing/progressing, concersn they have etc... and on tuesday nights we report the ward mission process information and updates as well as the diamond list info to the stake (usually a high councilor in charge of missionary work, and the second councilor of the mission presidency, and sometimes the stake president) on tuesday nights. And we also sometimes present trainnings (or lessons for the missionaries) at district meetings and zone conferences. and we have conference calls on monday mornings with all the zone leaders in the mission, the mission presidency, and the assistants where we report how the zone is doing (what they are doing good at, member present lessons, investigators at church, stuff like that, and what we need to do better at as a zone, like getting and contacting more refferals, getting new investigators and investigators on baptismal dates) and President maynes rebukes us haha and gives us praise and tells us what we need to better at and to repent. It is humbling and also really good to help us be more focused on improoving. Also we go to zone leader councils. im out of time....

February 7, 2010

Yeah this is transfer week, and I am being transferred. It has been low temperatures over here in denver and there has been snow, but it hasnt really been that bad caus it is also so dry. It doesnt really feel as cold as it is. I am glad to hear Jared is doing really good. I've been praying for him. Wow it sounds like it is pretty tough restrictions for him, but I am glad he has a positive outlook. I miss him a lot. I hope he can find a job. Thank you for that, I hadnt realy thought about that at all. I only worked a little last year before I left. How have you been doing? Tell Bruce I said nope, he's a bum hahaha. Things have been really good here. My back is fine now. I ust have just tweeked it a little. I have really loved serving here in Bible Park, I have made a lot of friends. And I wish I could stay here Longer but the Lord has called me another way. And I am going to have more responsibility as a Zone Leader. I really want to keep improving as a missionary and I feel like I am going to learn a lot more about how to do that very soon. Thank you Mom for everything that you do for me. I greatly appreciate it. I love you take care!

November 29, 2010

Really it snowed In lebanon in november? hrmn.... Well we have gotten a little bit of snow lately but not very much but it has been pretty cold. I liked the heat during the summer, and how long it lasted it was kind of nice now that I look back at it. So I dont really appreciate all the coldness. No I didnt get transferred. I stayed in Bible Park ward. And I am glad cause I really like this area, and it has a lot of potential. So Elder Croft, my second son, is doing pretty good. He is new but he has been taught a lot in the mtc and he is a really good missionary. How was thanksgiving with the parmenters? No its the same address, and I will be here for christmas. Thursday was actually our pday last week, it was more convenient that way. And friday there was a few people not home yeah. How was the Turkey Bowl? Our zone of missionaries got together thursday morning to have our own football game it was fun. But not as fun as tackle, I do miss football a little bit. Well Im glad Dad is feeling better. Oh bytheway, do you think you could send me via email your pizza dough recipe? Cause I was thinking of making some Pizza! I would really appreciate it. Good luck with Painting the upstairs and dining room. Yeah Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a really good talk about pride during the priesthood session. it was pretty cool. And yeah I got the Ensigns from Grandma and Grandpa. They are so nice to me. Tell them I really appreciated it! and thank you. THings have been pprogressing here in our area. We have been having some really good lessons with investigators and less actives in which the spirit has really been there. And I am having a lot of fun with Elder Croft in the work. We get a long really well. And he helps me be really positive. Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and Love. And I am so happy to hear that The Lord is blessing you so much. Take care and I will talk to you again soon. (on chirstmas day) Bye.

November 11, 2010

Yes I did get the package. I got it from the Zone Leaders last friday. And the Cinnamon Rolls are really good. Thank you so much! And thank you for the letter and the pictures! I really appreciate it. I really appreciate the Mangoes, and jerky. Kind of funny but Im not in very much of a candy mood it seems like anymore. Every know and then I'll have a little bit, but not very much anymore. Well it is good to hear that Dad is ok and recovering. All he is eating is sweet liquids? Give him some apple sauce. or tomato soup haha. :-D Well thank you for your words Mom, I really really appreciate it. Sounds like a good plan. I usually do pretty well about staying focused and not worrying. So next week is transfers and I would like to stay here another transfer. Elder Nicholls said President pretty much told him he was getting transferred next transfer. And then Elder Steed (my great grandpa in mission prosterity and lingo) who is one of the assistants to the President, said Elder Nicholls is getting transferred. So will probably be getting a new companion next transfer. And I wonder who it will be and if I know them already. We have been trying to do more finding in our proselyting time lately. And we've had some succes in finding more people to teach. It is pretty awesome. Last thursday, we were on companionship exchanges with some other elders in our district and we had a pretty amazing experience. I will have to tell you more about it in the letter I write you next. But it was amazing. And Lately I have been seeing so many prayers answered and God really helping His children so much it has been so amazing and such a testimony grower. I Love Being a missionary so much, it is so wonderful to be an instrument in God's hands in helping his children, and reaching out to them in Love. The Snow has finally came here to denver, it is getting colder now. Luckily I have a lot of clothes to keep me warm!

November 4, 2010

Its good to hear back from you! Sounds like everyone had fun on halloween. It was pretty much just another day to me. I dont need or want money for christmas Mom. But thank you. I think the prayers and support you give me already is more than I deserve. But Some more Music might be nice for christmas. Efy music is approved. All motab is approved. Alex Boye would be awesome. Also there is this Nashville tribute to Joseph Smith Cd that is extremely good. That would be a fantastic choice as well. But thank you so much Mom. So Stephanie is out that is really good. Is Josh anywhere in the picture? I am praying for him that he will turn his life around and do better. Cause i really hope that he does. Oh We went to the temple this morning it was pretty cool, I saw Elder Galenzoski again. And we also stopped by Desret bookstore and I wanted to buy a copy of the last april conference Ensign cause we dont have it in our apartment. And that conference was filled with a ton of good talks and I was wanting to use a bunch of those talks to expand my teaching recources. But they were all out. So a copy of that would be so amazing! I would love to have my own copy, whenever you go to the deseret bookstore or are in the portland area again. I love you so much Mom. Thank you so much for sending me Footprints Mom. I love that story it is so powerful to me. I read a copy in my last area and it just made me start crying and the spirit came over me. It is an amazing story. I love being a missionary so much. I have noticed so much more happiness, peace, joy, and more special spiritual experiences, and times when I have felt the spirit so much stronger since I have been out on my mission, then I ever have b4. And I have become a lot more spiritual my self. And I know it is still quite a ways off. But I am a little worried about when I come home. Cause I have heard a lot that return missionaries decrease a lot in spirituality when they go home than when they were on their mission. And I really dont want to lose this cause it has been beyond descrition for me, such an amazing blessing. I just want to stay a missionary forever. I have been so blessed my comapsnions as well. All of the companions I have had so far have been so good. They have all helped me and I have learned a lot from each of them. And I do miss Elder Rambo, Elder Galenzoski, and Elder Tonga, but still get to see them every now and then. so that is good. The whole concept of time changes so much when you are a missionary. It feels like time as flown by but sometimes it feels like it has been a long time. Its different. It will probably all seem like it has gone by faster and faster near and at the end.