Sept 16th 2013

Well it has been weird to think that I am almost done with my mission. Where did the time go? During times of your mission you might not think it is going by fast but when you are at the end it's like it was a blur. I feel like there was soo much that happened that I don't even remember everything anymore. It's crazy. It's like I was abducted by aliens for 2 years. Sometimes I think, did I change enough? Did I become who the Savior wanted me to be? Did I give it my all and will I leave with no regrets?
Lots of times in my mission I have felt that fear that I wasn't working hard enough, that I wasn't a good missionary that I didn't change. A few nights ago I finally came to the realization that I had changed, that I became a better person. That I'm still not perfect but that I am better. I feel like I am more at peace to know that I did what I was sent here to do. And that it was different than what I expected it to be.
Heavenly Fathers ways are much higher than our ways. He understands our needs even when we think our needs are something else. Fear is a tactic that Satan uses to stop you in your tracks. To focus on yourself and not on the welfare of other people.
When I was thinking about if I had changed a few nights ago I realized that I really have. At the beginning of my mission there were things that I would tell companions or whoever that I wasn't willing to do. I thought my way was better, or more efficient. That I knew what I was talking about.
I see a lot of the new missionaries that are coming in and being and acting the same way I was when I started. Thinking that some things were so funny. Or that this was the right way to do that. It didn't click in my head that I was the same way when I was there. That's when I realized that I changed. Alot. I am SO greatful for the atonement and how it allows us to change and become better people. I am greatful that Heavenly Father changed me these past two years. I wish that I could stay here and continue to become a better person, but I now know that it is time for me to go.
It's like in the Plan of Salvation when we were in the Pre-Earth life and we wanted to progress. But in order for us to do so we needed to come here to gain a body. We needed to take the next step. That's what I need to do now. I need to continue to progress, but by taking that next step.

Aug 12th 2013

Hey Mom,

So Transfer calls came and I am being transferred to Eugene 5th ward. It is really weird because I am serving in an area that we were in ALL the time but now I just cover the family ward. So this is probably going to be my weirdest transfer. 

So things have been going pretty good. Our baptism that was going to happen this last week was postponed to the 25 which will actually be better for Lauren. It is a huge bummer that I wont be able to work in the YSA anymore but luckily I will be able to go to all of their baptisms. So that will be good. 

This week was a good final week in the YSA. Got lots of work done. Had some awesome lessons with Lauren and Nate. Had a great meeting at the mission home. Walked like crazy all over Eugene on exchanges.

I'm excited to work like crazy this next transfer. We will be walking a lot because we dont have a car. With the new age change we have been getting a huge increase in missionaries so they are doubling up wards. So now I will be sharing the ward with a set of sisters.

I'm not sure who my new companion will be. I will be picking him up on Wednesday. Tomorrow I have two meetings I have to go to. One goes from12:30 to 4 and the other goes from 4 to 9. Then on Wednesday we have more meetings from about 9 to 7 or so. So pray that I get through it. 

August 5th 2013

Hey Mom,

Sorry for my last letter being lame. Things are going great here! This last week was awesome. We had exchanges with the assistants to the president on Tuesday and it was really good. It was a good exchange.

 

We also taught this white guy that converted to Muslim and we asked him about his conversion story. Turns out he was selling cocaine in a back room of a lingerie party and there was a Muslim guy that he was selling to who started teaching him and eventually converted him. Pretty interesting. He lives in a pretty weird part of Eugene. He also got into a debate with this guy that was on something as to whether God was a man or a woman. And when we had the lesson he wanted us to just sit on the sidewalk and talk with him. 

Other highlights of the week were we got into the spanish missionaries apartment and took all their fans because they would leave them on all day.

We also had dinner with this weird druggie less active in his apartment. When we came in it was really small and smelt like pot. He is an artist so he had paintings everywhere and one that he was working on in the middle of the room. It was pretty cool and very colorful. He also had some "herbs" next to it that probably made him think that it was waaay more vivid.

We had a really long day on Sunday but it was great! we had stake correlation with the Stake President, his crew, and President Young his councilor P Lowary and our district leaders. It was pretty crazy. President Barnes and President Young didn't see eye to eye on some things. It was weird too because President started telling them about some of the transfers going on in the stake. A few of the wards are going to be doubled up with Elders and Sisters. Salt Lake asked President if he felt like this mission could be a 50% sisters mission. So that might be happening soon. So I might be getting transferred a week from today. I'm not sure though. President hasn't told us which one is being moved. But I kinda want to stay.

After our stake correlation we had ward council and church. The YSA here has really good fast and testimony meetings. We had about 17 people that gave their testimonies. We had to people that came to Church. Lauren, who is getting baptized this Sunday, and Ryan. Then after Church we had a lesson with Lauren that was really good. She went to a Baptism with us on Saturday and now she is really excited for hers. She is VERY prepared. After Lauren's lesson we taught Ryan. He stayed for all of church and in our lesson we walked in and said "I'm ready to be Baptized." Turns out he was praying the night before for an answer to all these different questions and at church he got all his answers. He said that he was really surprised that he got his answers so quick.

Then after our lesson with him we taught a less active who wants to get back in to things. So it was a great day Sunday. 

So that's about it for this week!

 

July 29th 2013

Hey mom!

Thanks for the email. Things have been pretty good. We have been teaching this girl named Lauren that is super awesome! she will be baptized on the11th of August. We spent 3 different days learning about family history this week. We went on exchanges this week with Cottage grove 1st missionaries that was pretty good. We worked them pretty hard which was great.

We had a Hootenanny on Saturday that was really small but it was good.

July 22nd 2013

Hey mom,

Thanks for the email

Things are doing pretty good here. President Young had an idea for us to do a "trek" where we are going from Eugene to Salt Lake through tracting hours. So the mission together will be tracting 800 hours for the 800 miles it takes to get from here to salt lake. So that will be pretty fun.

So we are trying to figure out how we can use family search as more of a finding tool so last tuesday and this tuesday we are going to the family history center and learning how to do more of it. I logged on to my account and there is your parents dad and that's it. So I have no idea what I am doing.

We also have been doing service for this crazy lady that calls us all the time. We managed to pack a trailer load of stuff in to a 5x5 storage unit. This is her 4th unit that is now full of random junk.

We went on exchanges and I was with Elder Michelsen down in Creswell for a day. We helped this other lady by clearing her yard of blackberry bushes. It was pretty intense. My legs got scraped up a bit because the info didnt get down the line that we were going to be doing that so I had to manage with shorts.

Well thats about all the exciting things that have been happening this week!

July 15th 2013

Hey Mom,

Thanks for the email. Things are going pretty slow here in the YSA but we did pick up some awesome investigators. That is something that I do love about serving here. You may have a difficult time finding people but the people you meet are usually crazy prepared. We are teaching a girl named Lauren who is awesome! We talked to her on the street and set up a time to meet with her. This week we had our lesson and she wants to be baptized on the 11th of August.

As for other highlights for the week. We did a service project with the YSA at a saint Vincent de Paul car lot washing cars and there was an awesome van that I totally want. It's one of those vans that people usually live out of under a bridge. This week we had our mission leadership council meeting at the mission home to go over what we were suppose to talk about during zone training meeting. We were suppose to focus mostly on how to improve our finding so Elder Henrie and I made a park the the church gym so we could work on talking to people in the park. We wanted to present a theme that we could focus on so we decided on "Find em' Hook em' ". So what we did is an object lesson where i hooked an old tie and was behind a little wall we made that was suppose to be the lake. Then Elder Henrie was the Fisherman who was suppose to reel the fish in. So I acted like a fish while he chased me around the gym and then brought me in. And we talked about how it applies to missionary work. It was pretty fun and made our zone think that we were completely crazy but it was good. The look on their faces was priceless.

Other Highlight was we are teaching another kid named Nate who called us because some missionaries gave him a card with our phone number on it and he said he felt like he was being pulled toward the LDS church. He was telling us about some of his experiences and it is pretty awesome.

We also had to help move some crazy old ladies stuff around her storage unit that was completely packed with stuff. Turns out it was only 1 of 3 storage units that she has been renting for about 20 years and was full of tons of crap that was for the most part broken.

Elder Henrie went on 3 way exchanges with Veneta and Eugene Spanish missionaries. I  went with Spanish and had a pretty slow exchange. They had a Branch party to celebrate pioneer day and it was pretty fun. I don't speak any spanish so I just chilled and ate mexican food while I watched little spanish kids go to town on a pinata. Then the branch president said he had some advice to give me and then said "All you can do is all you can do. But all you can do is enough." 

Well thats about it for this week. There are tons of crazy hippies in town because of the Oregon County fair.   

July 8th 2013

Hey Mom!

Sounds like the 4th of July was a blast back home. For us it sounded like a war zone mixed with drunk party kids running around screaming. Kids here do use any opportunity to have a party. I think a lot of the party was actually happening the 3rd right after class got out.

So last Monday was transfers so we actually had to keep 2 other missionaries with us until tuesday night. It was a ton of fun because Elder Gowen has served in this ward before so he was able to tell us about people they were working with. For FHE we went on a hike to Spencer's Butte which was pretty cool. Then when we were getting ready to go to bed it was sooo insanely hot and humid that we couldnt sleep. Then someone decided to shoot off some mortars every 20 minutes outside of our apartment.

The 4th was mellow for us  because we did "soft proselyting" throughout the mission. so we had an appointment and walked around talking to people then did some service. we had to be in our apartment by 7 so it was really boring. we ended up turning our apartment in to a racket ball room. it was pretty fun. 

Thats basically all that has been happening this week!