July 19, 2010

Hey, well today was transfers. Neither Elder Hugentobler or I got transferred so I guess it is another 6 weeks. (Hey, that's the rest of summer break!) Yes, I got the shirt. I sent you some mail while you were at the hill, hope you got it in time. I sent it on Tuesday.

This past week has been HOT!! I never thought I would say that I love the rain. Yep, that's because it cools everything down. I've got some pictures I'm going to send in another email I think Dad will get a kick out of some of them. Do you have wicked Pageant tans?

On Friday we have a meeting in Beaumont from 9:00-2:00. We are going to watch all the new PMG DVDs and talk about the teaching changes that are happening.

We will hopefully have a baptism on Saturday, a black lady and her 3 daughters. We also have one planed for the 7/31, if he can quit smoking this week. President is really pushing right now for us to try to have more baptisms this month than any other in the last 10 years.(42+) (right now we have approx. 28)

Mom, I think I might have my thyroid, or whatever part of my body that controls my body temperature, checked because I feel cold if the apartment is colder than 70-72 degrees. I think you gave me whatever it is that makes you cold. Which is kind of a problem when your companion likes it at a fridged 60-62 degrees. Seriously, I sometimes where a sweatshirt in the apartment.

You asked how compatible we are. Well I'll say this, it is scary how similar our relationship is to the relationship I had with Elder Clark, only I'm Elder Clark and Elder "H" is me. (If that makes sense) I was really hoping I would get transferred, I'm not looking forward to the next 6 weeks. That's all I'll say about it. You know it's weird, as a missionary you do things you would never normally do for fun because you don't have anything better to do (Glue a cockroach to a pencil) (that wasn't Me Promise)

I'm almost out of time, Praying you travel safe I'll talk to you later, Love you!! Bye!!!

When does Ethan go to BYU?

Sorry for being such a big pain in the past

July 12, 2010

I thought I would start out today's letter with some pictures of Louisiana.

Here you can see the elevation change.

I thought this was pretty funny.

I thought the population was 1 Billion?

Hey there, I got the letter with the postcards, but no package. Sounds like the only difference in weather is that your not spending the whole day in a white collar and tie.

You remember the videos about missionaries we watched before I left? Well they have a set of DVDs about the same missionaries illustrating different principles of missionary work. The reason I'm telling you this is because we had President interviews the day we went to the MTC so President Moldenhauer and his wife were nice enough to drive us down since he was headed back to Kingwood anyway, he told us to relax, maybe even nap while we were traveling, I think that is the only time my mission president will tell me to relax or nap! Anyway, he told us that as of July 1, the brethren have come out with a new set of Preach My Gospel DVDs and are significantly changing the way they are training missionaries and teaching missionaries how to teach. They are also changing the way missions run, I don't know how it was when Dad was on his mission, but President interviews and Zone Conferences used to be once a transfer (6 weeks). Now they will be once a quarter (3 months). President also said we will be going to the Temple again in August. Don't tell anyone because I'm not supposed to know, but one of the MTC trainers let it slip that President is trying to work it out for the mission to go to NASA (that's all I know.

Is it getting easier to teach? To a degree. I'm definitely better at teaching than I was in the MTC.
Transfers are in a week, exciting times.

So this last week (Friday,Saturday) we went to the MTC in Kingwood, it was a lot of fun. Elder Frakes and I got some Mango slices offered to us while we were tracting. :-) That was a first for me.

I'm almost out of time I hope being cast team leaders is going well. Are you going to put Flat Elder in the Family costune Picture? Remember to stay hydrated and stay safe.

Love you BYE!!!!!

Did I ever tell you I dropped My PMG in a puddle of water? Well I did.
Actually the apex of my cooking right now is throwing a frozen pizza in the oven.

July 6, 2010

Hey there, I got your letter from the 29th (Tues) today. Your are right that does sound like stuff that would happen to us. Just watch, you'll go home and the water tank lid will be found in less than a day. I'm glad you made it to pageant safe. Did you take Flat Elder with you? Which specific apostle is Dad Portraying? I can't believe that was a year ago that we were there.

If it makes you feel any better my life has been just as hectic and crazy as yours.... well crazier than normal anyway. So we have this investigator , a one handed,(cancer) 23 year old, Jamaican kid, who has been investigating for about 3 months. Apparently, for some time his plan has been to get baptized between August and the end of the year. Well, on Wednesday (30th) he called us and told us he wanted to get baptized in a week (Weds. 7th @ 10:00). Then he called us two days later on Friday, and said he wanted to get baptized the next day (3rd) with the Sulphur missionaries investigator. Well, a couple of frantic phone calls, an interview, and 30 hours later, he got baptized. In a week he went from being baptized before the end of the YEAR, to being baptized before the end of the WEEK. Go figure! And at the last minute he asked Bishop to baptize him instead of Elder Hugentobler. So bishop had another member run by his house and bring him a towel and a change of clothes.

Yesterday we had Zone P-Day. The zone got together in Orange Tx. and we played crab soccer, ( didn't work to well with shorts + Garments, we only played one game) Basket ball (well, I didn't) and Volley Ball. Today my whole body is sore! Especially my legs and back.

On Thursday Elder Hugentobler and I are going back to the MTC (]Mission Training Camp) in Kingwood Tx. this time with Elders Frakes and Jensen. I don't know why we are going back, but it is not unheard of for more experienced missionaries to go to the MTC. I am excited, Elder Frakes used to be my Zone Leader and I'm glad I have the opportunity to serve with, and spend time around him again.

I got some Louisiana postcards for you. I am going to try and mail them to you next Monday, (Jacque gave me the Pageant mailing address) 10 min. left.

Would you ask dad if he ever held any leadership on his mission?( Trained, D.L., Z.L.) and what he did with his companion(s) (if he had any) that didn't want to work? Don't worry about me, Elder Hugentobler is a very hard worker. Elder H____, (the Stuart's relative) is trying to train a missionary that ( as I understand it) has no work ethic and no desire to work. and that got me wondering about what I would/will do if/when I get a companion that doesn't want to work(hard).

I'm running out of time I love you, hope you all have a great and safe time at Pageant Bye!!

June 28, 2010

Hey there, you traveling family. I hope the car ride is a little more comfortable with only 6. I hope you can listen to the audio with what ever dad does for the Internet while you are away from home.

Elder Clark brought my package and coat to Zone Conference last Wednesday. I will just hang on to them until you get back then I will mail the package out to you.

Just remember, however hot and humid it is out there, tell the kids it is probably not as bad as down here. Remember that day we flew into Atlanta Ga. I don't know about you but I could feel the humidity and heat as we went into the airport. If they remember that, it is probably as close to here as they can relate to. I can't really complain though, it could be so much worse, and I'm sure I have adapted somewhat. We were talking with someone and they said whoever settled here was either crazy, or they settled in the winter.

Could you get me a mailing address for you at pageant?

I just realized, we will still be an hour different, but now you'll be the one an hour ahead. I'll be going to bed while you're preforming. Sorry I ran out of Missionary Support Funds (MSF) this month , I don't know where it all went, that has never happened to me before.

When does pageant end? I ask because transfers are on the 19th. I would be surprised if I moved but you never know.

I'm almost out of time please be sure to let me know what parts you get at pageant.

The missionaries in Sulpher (in our ward) our having a baptism on Saturday, so that's good. We have a family of 4 we are hoping to baptize on the 17th, A mother and 3 daughters. We also have a one handed 20 something Jamaican guy we are hoping to baptize in August (he had his hand amputated because of cancer).

Love, Wes

June 21, 2010

It's officially, the first day of summer! Boy is it hotttt!!

I did the math and decided if I start reading the Bible 3 pages a day then I will finish on my 2 year mark. Right now I'm on page 6.

I will talk to Elder Clark about the packages at Zone Conference on Wednesday. I did get the package you sent out, thank you.

My new area's pretty cool... except it's LA. everything is backwards! I think I liked Jasper better though, the members were more friendly.

Last Tuesday we tracted out a lady who has been looking for a church to go to because they held her parents funerals in her old church and she sees the coffins every time she goes. she thought it might have been a sign that we came because she was just telling her kids that they needed to get back into church and then we knocked not too long after that.

Hope all is going well with Pageant. Please email me pictures if possible and tell me what roles you get. hopefully the Drive won't be so bad with only 6 people. You can send the books out if you want, sounds like a good idea.

Hope you don't stress to much. Looking forward to pageant updates love you

Sorry it wasn't longer. I think a mission is like pageant, you almost kill yourself, but after all is said and done you love it.

Love you, Wes

June 14, 2010

I think this picture accurately represents my last transfer.

Hey, my address is:

1531 Country Club Rd.

Lake Charles, La.

Box # 826 70605

I wrote the wrong address on the envelope, the address the mission office gave you (above) is correct.

I was actually just thinking the other day that you will probably be leaving in about 2 weeks....good times. Maybe you will get a taste of what I am living in down here.

Talk about humidity, that's fog as I was leaving Jasper

My new area is a city I would say pretty close to the size of Layton...all of Layton. That means lots of houses which means lots of tracting. Last Saturday almost all of our appointments fell through. We did a lot of tracting in the sun. We have probably 3-4 "searching" investigators. The ward seems pretty cool, it's nice to have a ward mission leader that is "on the ball" (he's actually an assistant to the mission leader, the W.M.L. is away working on the oil spill.) We don't get fed as often here, it seems like the members are more hospitable in the country. Or maybe it's just Louisiana.

THIS PLACE IS CRAZY!!!! people say drivers in Utah are bad.... they're practically NASCAR drivers compared to these ragin'-Cajuns.

For their sakes' I am glad Elder Clark never served with Elder Hugentobler. They both want to work hard, but are pretty much the opposite in every other way. Elder Clark was a goofball and had a temper, Elder "H" is serious and more patient. More like myself I think. Technically I am a senior companion by 1 transfer- but that doesn't mean I am a better missionary.

How am I doing? I'm' learning a ton and sweating just as much.

The voice recorder needs a program to put recording back on it. The device came with the program but the library computers won't let me install it. I think if I can install the program on the recorder itself instead of on the computer I might be able to listen to files emailed to me. I need to try it first though.

Could you please get me Tyler Christensen's Mailing /E-mail Address? I think it would be good for him to kind of know what to expect.

This was on the back of a semi truck.

I'm going to send this now so I can send some pictures. love you bye!

June 7, 2010

Hi,
Was Dad praying for me to go to Cajun country? That's right, I'm in Lake Charles Louisiana. It's a pretty big city, well big compared to Jasper any way. My new address is : 1531 Country Club Road. Box: 826. We stay in some apartments, their pretty nice. Sorry, no pictures or voice today left them both in the car. I seem to have misplaced one of my memory cards during transfers. I think I know where I left it in Jasper, but if not it's alright. There weren't any pictures on it that you don't have.

Tell me about it! I love Gatorade, especially in this heat and humidity. It is supposed to be in the 90's with the heat index in the 100's all week I heard. Outside right now, the only way I can describe it is like the first summer we went to pageant. This is the first time I think it has really been this humid...or maybe it is just more humid because I am that much closer to the gulf. Have you heard if the oil spill is supposed to affect the weather at all?

My new companion is Elder "Hugentobler" (I think I spelled it right) He is from Manti. He came out one transfer after me and has been here for one transfer. The elder that used to be here was Elder Farley, the elder who had been in leader ship most of his mission. He got transferred home, he flies out on Weds.

I lost my copy of Mo. Tab. "Showtime" if you could send me another copy of that along with the soundtrack to the New Testament seminary videos (not really sure what it is called, but I know it is available to buy) I would really appreciate it.

I'm really tired right now. It is probably because I got up at 6:00 and haven't had any breakfast or lunch. On the bright side, the scale at the apartment said I weighed 195lbs. in full missionary dress, shoes and all. (Jasper didn't have a scale)

I wish the summer meant I could relax and sleep in. The good news is that Elder Hugentobler doesn't have a bike, and the area is really big so no biking for at least 6 weeks probably more. Elder Clark is supposed to be sending a package home for me today. I'll make sure he remembers. Oh ya, no more bunk beds, not in this apartment anyway.

TEXAS BBQ!

The barbecue last night was really fun but I felt kind of gross afterwards. Not sick, just Blah....

Leftovers !

10 min left.... hmmm. Is Ethan going to BYU in the fall? or summer?

Well, we'll see how things go, talk to you next week, Love you! bye!

Photos are of Micheal Ratclif's Birthday BBQ in Jasper Texas.