January 28, 2010

Hi Everybody!
Yesterday as I was sending my email the computer logged off. Grrr.....
Alright, here we go again.
Sorry I didn't email you yesterday morning. I HAD to go golfing, but I didn't want to pay the $30 so I just drove the cart around for 5 1/2 hours as the battery got lower and lower. Elder Gardener locked us out of our duplex yesterday and the owner (a member, lives next door) wasn't home. Fortunately, there was a window unlocked that we could crawl through.

We find out if we are getting transferred on Saturday evening. We don't know where only that we are getting transferred that next Monday.

I think I am finally getting over whatever illness I had. Whether a virus or infection I don't know.















I've only had Gumbo once so far, but everything else (as well as the Gumbo) has been delicious and flavorful. The only thing I've had to eat that I truly could not stomach was eggs, like for breakfast or lunch.

Hmmm..... It doesn't surprise me that Carissa is getting married first or quickly, but it does surprise me that she is getting married THIS QUICKLY!

The email system we have to use is very basic and doesn't have a save draft button that I can see. I am just going to start writing my letters in Microsoft Word first and if I run out of time I can save them to my memory card. I got all of your letters yesterday. Robin is so funny with what she writes. Have you read any of her letters before you mail them? Hopefully, it will work and you will be able to see that I got a cheap SD card reader from Walmart. {For sending Pictures}

No, I did not get to go to the Temple during the MTC (Mission Training Camp at the Mission Home). I haven't had a chance to go IN the Temple yet either. The youth in our Branch had a Temple trip and President Mouldenhaur said we could tag along IF they brought nonmember friends to the Temple, dance and chili cook off in Beaumont that evening. So, we got to sit in the annex next to the distribution center and visit with the nonmembers. The branch also took everyone out to lunch at CiCi's Pizza. We didn't get to go to anything but the lunch and the Temple. Hope that makes sense. {see pictures in January 21, 2010}

Yes, we got our baptism on Saturday. Elder Gardner baptized him and I did the confirmation the next day in primary because he was late to sacrament meeting. We have a bunch of potential investigators. Hopefully, we will be able to meet with some of them today. We have one baptism date for February. I told you about her. She and her member fiance need to get married first. We have an older disabled lady who says she wants to be baptized. It might be more for friends and not really about beliefs, but who knows at this point.

Got to go Love you!


We have had crazy weather here. I took some pictures of the temperature from the car.













































Which one just doesn't belong?

January 20 & 21, 2010

Temple Trip Saturday

Hi,
Long story short, I am "borrowing" a computer from another missionary @ the library that I probably shouldn't be on. That's why I said I'd email you tomorrow. Things are going great. I will have the first baptism in the area since I've been here on Saturday (hopefully). We have a number of potential investigators. We will have to see if they are ready to receive the gospel yet. We are getting fed a lot of meals, but it is boring to eat the same stuff @ lunch over and over. I heard the librarians getting mad that I'm on the computer.
Got to go Bye
Wesley

Fresh off the Plane

January 21, 2010
Yesterday we were down in Beaumont for Zone P-Day. After we left the library we saw an accident happen not 100 feet in front of our car. An elderly gentleman in his ford explorer made a left across our side of traffic, so towards our right, and a dodge ram 1500 truck slammed on his brakes and plowed into his back above his rear right wheel. Everyone was alright, but the medics tool the elderly mans wife away in an ambulance. We are pretty sure it was just procedure and she is or will shortly be fine. We stayed just in case the police wanted our info. but they didn't.



Picking up Elder Christensen (Wesley) from the Mission home. December 23,2009



I am still sick. Sister Moldenhauer had another stronger prescription of antibiotics called in. It is really frustrating no just because I am still sick, but because I can't visit anyone without having to talk about how I am still sick. I can't go to the Dr. because there are no doctors in the area that take the churches insurance. All the members are giving me their home remedies for sickness. Monday night a member chopped up half a garlic clove stirred it in a cup of water and had me drink it! Fortunately, I did not throw up like I think the majority of people would. I am all right though. No need to worry

GOOD Mail Day
.


Right now we have 2 baptisms dates lined up. One is on Saturday for the 9 year old boy. The other is for an older lady in February as soon as she and her member fiance get married (they are living together). I wish I could tell you more. We have a lot of potentials but we need to teach them to see if they are ready.

Now to answer questions. Yes, Cameron play with the extra lego lizard and wheel things as long as they aren't the ones on the shelf.
Some missionaries do use memory card readers to email pictures each week. I may or may not start doing that. The problem is like dad said, size. Maybe I will start taking 2 pics of everything one large for the card and one small for email.
Here is the information for the plaque company before I forget:
Mullett-Hoover, Inc.
184 W. Center St.
Provo, Utah 84601
Mulletthover.com
I would like Alma 26:12 to be my scripture. It may not be that exact reference. The scripture says something like, "I do not boast in mine own strength, but in the strength of my God...He has wrought many miracles in this land for which we will praise his name forever."
Could you please tell me what Holly's Christmas package was. I want to find out if I ever got it. Also, are you talking about Carissa when you say 19 year old getting married?
I think you asked me what I am eating? Well, the members have fed me Gumbo, stews and soups, lots or beef and lots of beans (not by themselves but in dishes), chili. Nothing to crazy though.














Whew, that was close. I almost deleted the whole email by pushing one of the keys under the right shift button, but I was able to get it back by pushing control z.

Alright, I got to go. I look forward to your letters. Love you guys.
Bye,
Wesley




New Years Eve at Ryan Ebarb's

January 13, 2010

Ok so first I am going to answer questions. First, I can't drive until I've been in the field for at least 1 transfer, then my companion and I take turns. Ethan: I go to the whole (sunday) block @ 10 plus Ward Council @ 9 and Ward Correlation from 1 to 1:30, but its not too bad because I'm up at 6:30 and in a suit by 8:00 anyways. Jacob: yes, some of the redneck jokes are true. So far the best thing I've eaten has been homemade chicken pot pie, its different from home but almost as good. I got all your letters on monday so that is how long the mail is taking.

So the nine year old didn't come to Church on Sunday (the 3rd), so the branch president syas he has to come at least twice in a row before he gets baptised. He came on the 10th so now he needs to come on the 17th so we can baptise him on the 23rd. Last Tuesday we visited a single lady that the previous missionaries had had some contact with but all we had was a name and address. We visited with her for about 10 minutes and left. A week ago she called and said she wanted to be baptised!! We were VERY surprised. I think she is interested because the missionaries are the only religious people to ever visit her (she has arthritis and can't go to her church anymore). She has a lot of ingrained beliefs that will need to be changed but I think she is sincere in her desire to come closer to God. We are still trying to meet with a guy who seems interested and has read some of the BoM but is living with some Pentecostals who won't let us teach him at their house, but we are going to try and teach the first lesson tomorrow.

Monday and Tuesday we went down to Kingwood for the MTC (Mission Training Camp). We each spent a day with an assistant and went through some workshops on how to be better missionaries (yes one of the assistants was Elder Spackman).

What was Holly's package? I got a letter from her but I don't remember a package. Did you read Robin's letter? I'm going to save it to show her in the future. On Saturday I got a picture of the car's thermometer at 18 degrees, and on Sunday we had to defrost the windshield with our hands and a gift card. We've also got our hands on some habenero and chipotle popcorn, we're going to hold a contest on who can eat the most.

I might buy an SD card reader so I can email pictures as well.

I got the information for the plaque but I left it at the apartment {we think he's emailing from a library?}. Ask dad if he has any recommendations for the scripture, I'm thinking Alma 26:27. Its something along the lines of "I will not boast of myself but I boast in my God, for in his strength I can do all things". Also, would you please go to toadland.net and give Bro. Read {an old seminary teacher} my email address so I can ask him questions? I have a lot of stuff in my old Seminary binders that I'd like to have, but I don't know what for sure, there's also a lot of files on the site.

I have to go, I love getting your letters. Bye!

January 6, 2010

Hey there,

Happy New Year!

I am actually in Woodville right now on exchanges, just for a day or so. I saw my first person driving a lawn mower to the store on Monday! Something I forgot to include last week was that probably 85-90% of people live in trailers or mobile homes. The people down here are very religious, lots of Christian churches. Everybody believes/respects/fears God or Christ.

It will be very hard to drive next transfer because I can't tell where anything is in relation to anything else. It is impossible for me to find anything because I can't get a sense of direction because there are no mountains.

We Actually had to drip our faucets last night to keep the pipes from breaking, not from freezing, but from breaking. Everyone says it is the coldest it has been in years.

So over Christmas Eve and Christmas I felt like I had a fever , I started coughing and it started to hurt when I swallowed. Monday Dec. 28, I called Sister Mouldenhaur and she said she would call a doctor and have him write up a prescription for me. My throat got better after about 5-6 days. I still had the cough although it was getting better. Finally, on Saturday night, January 2, the 3rd President called to tell me a prescription was at Walgreens. We went, but the pharmacy was closed. We went back the next morning (by now my cough has pretty much cleared up) and they didn't have the prescription, but they had one for an Eric Christensen. Yep, you guessed it. We didn't make the connection until that night when we went back to try again. The mission office asked the doctor to call in a prescription for the wrong missionary! Fortunately, we were able to get it fixed that night and I was able to get the antibiotic.

I look forward to your letters.........PLEASE!

Wesley......(hope the story makes sense)

Here are a few shots of my mission apartment in Jasper. I am on the bottom bunk.

December 30, 2009

Hey there,

Happy Birthday Ethan.
Now that I have spent some more time here, I would describe Jasper as a small, humble town. The whole town of Jasper is probably about the size of Kaysville or smaller, except it isn't surrounded by 500,000 people. It has its own Walmart, and a few other stores that Kaysville doesn't. We are in the middle of town and everything is within about 2 miles of us, Walmart, the church, Sonic. Yesterday I went to the eastern most "town" of Texas, Burkville. It has one "restaurant" that we ate at.
Our apartment is a duplex owned by a member. It has a washer and dryer, bunkbeds, a fridge, and a stove. I think it is a pretty nice place all things considered.
I am still not saying "yall" but I am catching myself dropping the "g" off of the "ing". I am not sure if it is more than usual or if I am just being self conscious.
I have had a wicked cough. I came down with it on Christmas Eve (what a better Christmas to miss than one when I'm sick?). I think I picked it up in the airport. Sister Moldenhaurer said she emailed a mission doctor for a prescription for me.
Oh yah, before I forget, please send out a recipe book if possible. I forgot the spice that goes on the chicken quesadillas .
I am in a car area but we are already over on miles and are having to bike if at all possible. Not a good combination with the cough. Don't worry though, I will be fine.
We got a baptism date last night from a 9 year old boy. The Mission goal for 2010 is to double the baptisms from 2009. That means 286 to 534 or there abouts.
Please tell everyone no more chocolate/candy for a while. We both have WAY to much of it.
Please tell everyone to write. It is nice to get letters during the week.
Bye









MTC District













Christmas at the MTC