03/20/08 Hurrah For Isreal

I finally got Valentine and other packages and mail. I actually got a package from the MIA Maids in our ward. It looks like the Mission Home address is the best to use. Also sending things first class ground international and marking a package “used items”, “gift”, or “missionary supplies” makes it so I do not have to pay much in customs charges. Actually most of the time I don’t pay any if it is sent that way. My mission has been I’m sure the best decision of my life. I have been having the most amazing time and I love being able to have that spiritual high when you get to bear your testimony to someone almost daily and to just know that you are changing somebody’s life for the better right now. Well work has been pretty much the same for me just working with Kayla and getting her baptism all set up. That has been a lot of fun. We have just started teaching a part member family called the Lyle's and they have all been taught the lessons from the missionaries before but it never went anywhere. All other elders have given up hope for them but me and my companion decided to go and talk with them and they said that they would be more than happy to have the lessons again. The first time we took a member of the bishopric with us and he is actually their home teacher. We had an awesome lesson and the dad who is not a member kind of bore his testimony of what he already knew. At the end Brother Jackson said to him “can I just ask a pretty straight forward question?” “What is stopping you from being baptized if you know these things are true? He answered and said smoking and someone willing to keep coming to my home and teaching me and my family. So we are going to make it a goal that we are going to baptize at least him and maybe more of his family. They have two daughters that are converts and one of them said as we were leaving the second time, “what time is church on Sunday?” This is coming from someone who has not been to church in around two or more years and then she went on to say she would like to come and turned and told her mom we should have the missionaries over for dinner sometime. What an awesome thing that was. I love the people here, they are the most amazing people in the world and I think I am finding out why I have been sent to this amazing place. I love you all and keep praying it really does help.

Letter from 03/12/08

Hey I think everyone’s prayers have been working. The lady that I told you we were going to challenge said yes but not until July 10th so that was way exciting but kind of sad at the same time because it was so far away. My new companion (Elder Medwin) and I talked about it and prayed and felt that it needed to be sooner so Monday night we went back for another appointment. We were talking about if baptism was a desire of her heart and she said yes it is and I really wish I didn't have to wait so long but I promised my mom that I would. I just felt like I needed to start talking and I really have no idea what I was saying and I can't even remember but the one part I do is when I said will you be baptized on April 5th? I thought I was going to be sick we hadn't even planned for a date or anything it just came to me and she then smiled and nodded her head and said yes, I will be baptized on April 5th. We told her to pray about it to make sure and she said alright I will but it won't make any difference this date just feels right. So as you can tell I am so way excited I will get my first baptism this transfer. One of the people fellow shipping her is going to baptize her so I am way excited. Your prayers have been working miracles.

Notes from letter on 2/26/08

Transfers are this week. I am going to be getting a new companion tomorrow. It’s a sad thing I really like Elder Jensen but he gets to go down town so that will be fun for him. So this week has been good but nothing really exciting so it’s hard to write about it. I do have a fun and scary story to tell you.

Earlier this week my companion and I and the two other Elders in our district went up onto this hill to get pictures of the city at night. As we get out of the car and start walking up the hill, a cop goes flying up the road right next to us. So we all turn and say that was weird but ok so we keep heading up the hill and about two minutes later a helicopter comes flying over us and now we start to wonder what the heck is going on. We keep walking up the hill as the helicopter keeps circling the hill we are climbing and then when we get to the top we start taking pictures and we all have our flashes on and then out of nowhere the helicopter is right above us and has its huge spotlight on all four of us. We all just freeze and look up and we are just scared out of our minds. Then we take off running down the hill as soon as they take the light off of us and we get to the car and we can hear sirens again so we decide to get out of there as fast as we can. So yes, that was my exciting story of my mission so far and after we all knew we were safe we laughed our heads off about it because it was pretty funny but way scary at the time.