November 28, 2011 - Final Letter

I'm sending a couple of Large Flat-Rate boxes home today. You can open them or leave them taped up; there's nothing perishable in them. The weather has taken a wintery turn this week. it's been in the high 30s - low 50s at night. Our vehicle coordinator returned our Malibu back to us, all fixed up.

I'm souvenir shopping today, thanks for the thoughts. I will probably only bring 3 or 4 of my short sleeve shirts back, they are pretty frayed on the edges. I'm also planning on leaving my pillow and bedding seeing as I still have some at home....right?

The weeks been alright. Yesterday the Bishop made fun of me in priesthood opening exercises because I only have a few days left. Other than that it was a pretty good service. Sacrament meeting was one of the best I've been to. A recent convert that was baptized in September gave a really superb talk on the Holy Ghost, he was pulling stuff out of the Scriptures, Gospel Principles manual, Bible dictionary...it was great.
Thanksgiving was nice. The Mission President gave us the day off because no one wants to be bugged by the missionaries on Thanksgiving. We spent the afternoon with the High Priest Group Leader and his family. It was a good dinner.

On a different note we had a member take us 30-35 miles to another missionaries apartment for exchanges, after we switched we went back outside and the member was gone. (It was raining by the way pretty hard compared to Utah- actually the hardest I've sen it rain here all year. I've never been stranded on my mission before, so we went back inside and called the assistants. Thankfully they were able to pick us up and take us back to Dayton. I guess we just had a miscommunication about needing a ride back.

Kameron and his wife are still interested, we just can't get them to come to church, mostly because he works until at least 1-2 in the morning, so it's hard for him to get up in the morning.
I'm not sure whether I'll be able to read email next Monday, just so you know.

I don't know if you've been making plans already, But I really would like it if it was just you guys at the airport. People can show up at the house that night after we've been home a while if they want. I don't know what the plan is for meeting with the Stake Pres. I can't believe I'm actually writing this. It makes me feel like I'm being trunky. Sorry if this email is really BLAH I'm kind of depressed right now.

I think I'm probably going to need to see an Ear Nose and throat doctor when I get back. My cough is creeping back, I'm taking really deep breaths, I'm unusually tired and I'm forever in a "mental cloud/haze" if that makes sense. Some days are worse than others.

Ok I need to go. I'm almost out of time. Love you. SEE you soon. Bye

November 21, 2011

I have decided to send my bike back using the method the mission office usually uses (Fedex ground I think).

I will probably send a package or two next Monday. I won't have time today because P-day ends at 2:00 today. The reason P-day ends at 2:00 today is because Thanksgiving is P-day all day for us, because no one wants to be bugged by the missionaries on Thanksgiving.
Hey, I am felling better, but I'm still not at 100%. One of our members thinks I have an embedded sinus infection. I don't know, I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to get all the way better until I get to Utah. I do feel like there is something more going on with me than just allergies and a cold.

Well the exciting news from this weekend is that the county lifted the burn limit for a few days. The whole county has smelled like campfire smoke during the weekend. It's been so dry, people have been waiting all spring/summer to burn stuff....so the burn piles are really big.

We set a baptism date this week for Dec. 17. His name is Leroy, he has been coming to church for a while now...just walked in one day(before I got here) My excitement about his being baptized is stifled because I won't be here.

We've been trying to meet everyone on the ward list, this past week we met with different people, including the Ward Mission Leader, Bishop, and Relief society Pres. to try and find out who's who on the ward list. We were told of 20-25 households/families, that are on the ward list and it's KNOWN that they don't live around here anymore.

Sorry this letter is so short. Write you soon, bye.

November 14, 2011

I'm going to miss the Christmas conference this year. I'm pretty bummed that I only get one.

The recent mission conference was pretty good (except misplacing my wallet of course). I found my wallet, it was in an obscure place in some other missionaries' car. I got it back today. I saw Tyler (Christensen) and talked to him as we were walking out of the building, I didn't get a picture though.

Would you please mail me the memory card I sent home a while ago (with pictures?). There's a video on it that another missionary wants a copy of and I will need the pictures for my scrap book page I will make for President Crawford when I leave. (Every missionary makes one, and president keeps a book of all the missionaries he's presided over.)

We were able to visit with Kameron this week. Both he and his wife accepted the commitment to be baptized, but we haven't set a date yet. He is more interested/excited than his wife is. He hasn't come to church yet, but hopefully that will happen this week.

I saw former Elder Serdar this week he and his parents were touring his mission. I think he sent a picture to dads phone. It was nice to see him.

Alright I need to go. Love you guys- bye!

November 7, 2011

Hey,

Well it's November....weird. This week has honestly not been the best. I've been sick since Tues. with a cough/sore throat/sinus congestion/TIRED. We taught a total of 6 lessons this week. My all time low, because I've been in bed so much trying to get better. I just picked up some antibiotics from Walgreen's this morning. Hopefully that will help. I haven't gotten around to calling anyone about the bike shipping info. I've just been blahh.

We learned that Elder Rasband of the presidency of the seventy is meeting with the 3 Houston missions this Friday. Maybe I'll see Tyler again.

On the good news, we met a Police Officer named Kameron this week (yes with a K) he pulled the missionaries in Kingwood over this past summer and asked for a Book of Mormon and for them to teach him a little. Somewhere in between then and now there was a miscommunication and the missionaries here in Dayton lost contact/forgot/weren't told about him. We knocked on his door on Wednesday and he came to the door with his copy of the Book of Mormon and said he'd already read 1st Nephi, it felt good and he's prayed about it and it felt good. He's also really educated, he knows that the Bible isn't perfect and that there could be additional scripture. If anyone is going to be baptized into this ward before I leave it's him.

A song for sacrament meeting, the only two that came to my mind were Come, thou fount of every blessing or Come, come ye saints. I know Come, come ye saints, is associated with the pioneers but I think a lot of the lyrics apply to missionary work also. If you want to pick something else you can I really don't care.

I also learned this week that of the 4 of us flying to SLC myself and another elder are flying to Phoenix and then to SLC. Well the other 2 Elders are flying to Minneapolis and then to SLC, and they're supposed to land 10 min before us,....weird.

Thanks for the Birthday cards!

Sorry, my head's been in a cloud for a few days now...I'm drawing a blank on what else happened this week.

We also found out that Pres. Crawford is starting to make changes (meetings and such) I'm glad I'm leaving right before he starts to do this. It's just not what I "grew up" with.

Thanks for the $$$ that should be enough, Bike included.

See you soon,
Love you guys

October 31, 2011

Hey,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Our ward had a Halloween party on Saturday night as well. It was mostly for the younger kids though. I am planning on buying a pumpkin today and carving it up since it's P-day and we don't really have anything to do. Yes, it feels like Halloween. It is finally nice out and it's cold at night.

Thanks for the birthday package. I figured there wouldn't be much, that's ok though. We have dinner at a part members house Wednesday night. He, Kenny has been taking the lessons for a while now. His wife and one of his daughters (moved out, married) are active members. Other than that, no special plans for my birthday right now.

Yes, I am planning on sending my bike home. The vehicle/bike coordinator says it will probably be $100, but the old housing coordinator, Bro House, (no joke) lives in our ward and says the old vehicle coordinator found a way (he thinks it's FedEx ground?) that's like $30-40. I'm going try to talk to him about that and find more info.

Hmm do I have a song I want sung at my homecoming?......I'll have to think about that, I'll let you know next week.

Yes, I plan on bring some stuff back, but I'll need more money on the debit card. I'm pretty sure I'm almost out again. By the way my debit card EXPIRES AT THE END OF NOVEMBER! I'm pretty sure that will be important with flying home, but I'm not sure what to do about it besides tell you.

So, I got my "trunky papers" in the mail Saturday, stuff about returning home: travel, financial, medical,etc. Apparently, I need to be tested for tuberculosis ASAP when I get back. The church has a medical form they want me to fill out and send to SLC. I'm thinking I will send a package or two home of stuff that I have accumulated on my mission that might weigh down my bags or just take up a lot of space.

Elder Judkins and I have a goal to have two baptisms in November....all I really want right now is to FTB - Find Teach Baptize before my mission ends.

I'm excited for the month to start over because we have been scrimping and saving miles for the last 2 weeks. We have about 45 left for today but we're still saving because other people have gone over on their miles and we are trying to help them out. It's kind of complicated but miles are transferable between missionaries.

oh yeah something else for Birthday or Christmas is I think it would be cool to go see the Motab Christmas concert, But that could just be because I'm a missionary and that desire will wear off after I get back.

Well I need to go,
Love you Guys bye!

October 25, 2011

Hey,

So, as you can probably guess, Elder Jensen was transferred yesterday. We had to be at the mission office by 6:00 AM ughh. That means a 4:00 AM wake up...zzzzzzz. Elder Jensen went BACK to Baytown which is really weird because that was the ward he served in before he was transferred to Dayton. So I had to wait around Kingwood, the mission office, until 1:45 ish for the transfer van to come back with my new companion, Elder Judkins. He's been out about 14 mo. He came out to Texas when Elder Sedar...I mean Eric became my companion. I am his third missionary to send home. Meaning he has already been 2 other missionaries last companion.

Oh about the chocolate, I don't think you understand how warm it still is down here. It's not crazy hot but the chocolate was all melted from sitting in a metal box in the sun all day. The mail man puts a key in our mail box that unlocks a bigger box if we have a package. So I threw them in the freezer. :-)

Yes our ward is doing a "Fall Festival" party this Saturday. I'm not sure what it's all about but it sounds like fun. I think I'm going to bye a pumpkin next Monday and carve it as a P-Day activity.

It's really weird that I'm in my last transfer... to know that I'm not going to be transferred anywhere else, and that I don't have to worry about getting a companion that's hard to get along with for a long time. I'm not talking about my new companion, he's cool.

My allergies have been pretty bad since I came to Dayton, I guess there is just stuff in this country air, but it's been worse the past few days. I think I might have caught a cold and a cough, but I'm on the upward slope. I felt terrible Sunday night and the 4:00 a.m. morning didn't help, but I'm getting better. Hopefully this snot doesn't turn to blood when I come back to cold dry air.

Right now Elder Judkins and I are making plans to try to meet everyone on the ward list. There are a lot of people we don't know and we have been struggling to find people to see. My goal is to baptize in the next 6 weeks!

Oh yeah, they shut down the Fred area :-{ I was sad to see that, but it needed to happen.

This last transfer with Elder Jensen, I learned the importance of preparation. The Lord will only supplement our effort, if we give our all. When Elder Holland came he talked a little about that. He talked about how much studying heart surgeons do before they are allowed to operate. There is more, but I am out of time.

I need to email President Crawford.

Love you hope you guys stay well,
Bye

October 17, 2011

Hey everyone,

Wow another week. One more till transfers. Well, I was in my first car accident ever this week. Don't worry it was just a fender-bender. Don't worry I wasn't driving. The cause of the accident: a lane change in front of a stoplight. The other car was a GMC 3500 Desil Denali. That was Friday morning, So right now we...well I'm driving a 2010 corolla until our vehicle coordinator has our car repaired.


Some one told us it was going to cool off this week. Yeah! :-))

We went to the temple last Tuesday. That was nice.

Yesterday I was thinking about how I'm about to start my last transfer and I had a very surreal experience. I couldn't comprehend myself doing anything besides being a missionary. The first 19 years of my life felt like I had watched a movie, and going home felt like a myth, like something that is talked about, that you see happen to others, but never happens to you....It was really weird.

In his letter Dad asked me if Dennis was baptized on the 24 of either August or September. I can't remember anymore, but yes he was. I believe there is a picture of him with Elders Vainuku and Hardy in the focal point.

Were we able to follow up with any of our media referrals from Gladys Knight? Yes and no. We gave one to a members friend who has come to church before. One to a part member couple, who we are kind of teaching, (It's along story), and a couple to some black ladies who are interested but they live forever a way and are super busy. It's been a few weeks since we've met with them.

It's weird that it is halfway through October already!

We are having to bike and mooch rides everywhere because we are already almost out of miles for the month. We've had a lot of extra trips this month, Temple, Zone Meeting, Zone P-Day, President interviews, members who live far away and probably transfers next week. We have 1,200 miles a month....we are at about 750mi right now.

Elder Jensen riding in Dayton, Texas

I'm out of time. Talk to you soon,
love you guys!

P.S. you didn't answer my question about Cameron saying I had to get up early the day after I got home and neither has he. Now I'm suspicious.