October 4, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Chyeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got transferred to the best area in the entire mission in Spanish! I’d heard stories of this area back when I was a greenie and Elder Rangel was hooking me up with his aged wisdom. He told me that Woodburn was the best area and ever since then I have wanted to come and serve here. Now it has become a reality and I’m right in the thick of it, HISPANIC investigators everywhere. I went to Wal-Mart the other day to buy some groceries after transfer meeting and you had to search for someone that spoke English! Ha-ha I’m just playing, it’s like half and half here but I’m just so excited to be back in Spanish.
I loved every second of serving in Seaside and I won’t forget the things I learned and the challenges that I was able to overcome. I especially won’t forget the members or the investigators that I love. It’s hard to believe I was there for 6 months and now I’m back in Spanish. I’m so grateful for the time I had to spend serving on the coast and it’s made me a lot of who I am today. Now, I’m in Woodburn just loving life. My companion is a G and a workhorse. He just wants to go-go-go and we are going to work our butts off. He is a farm boy from Utah and his name is Elder B. He has been out about six weeks less than I have. I didn’t get to be with my Boy Elder W but it’s all good because Elder B is the man. We are getting along great and its going to be a great transfer. Last night I was able to go visit the Branch President, President P, and he is a great guy. Then we went to go visit the Ward Mission Leader and he is on fire. Everyone is ready to work and I’m so glad to be here. My Spanish is coming back really fast as I have put my trust and faith in the Lord and he is helping me out a lot. I’m just so glad to be back I can’t explain it in words.
But a little bit more about my new companion. When I got to our apartment in Woodburn and opened the door, I was amazed at what I saw. The house was sparkling clean. No dishes in the dish washer, everything was in order, the bathroom was sparkling clean, so clean that I would probably eat off the floor. He sat me down and told me he likes a house of order and the house to be clean. I was glad to hear that as I like to be clean too. Sometimes I get a little sloppy but I know my new comp will be there to let me know when it’s time to pick it up. It’s funny how every new companion and area brings something new to the table. I know from this transfer that I will be able to learn how to really clean and wash my dishes after using them, Chyeah!!!!
I wanted to let you know what I did with the money Nana sent me. I bought 2 brand new Van Heusen white shirts from the Deseret Book and a Columbia waterproof rain jacket for when the rains starts coming hard this winter. I have everything I need now until the very end of my mission but I might need to buy some more socks!
So today we had district meeting and my Pops (trainer Elder H) is the new Zone Leader with Elder N. It was an awesome meeting and my first district meeting in complete Spanish for the last 6 months. It was great and a really good experience. Actually we are only about 40 miles up the road from our first area in Keizer and it’s great to be working with Elder H again! One of the new arrivals (greenies) told me he knew Elder S in the MTC and that Elder S wanted to tell me “what’s up”. It’s a small world and I hope my boy Elder S is doing well.
It was kind of sad to leave Seaside and my last couple of days there I went to go see the members and our investigators and thank them for the things I learned from them. I sadly didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to one of my favorite families, the S's, because they were in Idaho. But one day I will hopefully see them again as they had such a great impact on my life, Brother S is a G. I will definitely return to Seaside one day in the future and pay those awesome people a visit.
General Conference was amazing. I enjoyed each and every single talk. One thing I did differently this General conference is pay attention to what the spirit wanted me to learn. Usually I would just sit there and write down everything said or that sounded cool. This time I just sat there and listened, and tried to find out what I could write down to help me reflect and help me be a better missionary. One thing I heard said a lot was that when you are in the service of your fellow man, you are only in the service of your God , Mosiah chapter 2:17 I think. They also talked a lot about repentance and used the scripture in D y C 58:42-43. Also they talked about that we should be an example of the Believers in all that we do as Timothy says. I learned a lot from General Conference and it really impacted me to feel and realize how many of the talks were directed to missionary work. I loved Elder Holland’s talk and that really got me pumped up. I know that I am a servant of the Master and have the authority from God to perform miracles in his name. I know without a doubt that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God and leads and guides this church. So many times I received that confirmation from the Holy Ghost that he is the Lords mouth piece on the earth. I really enjoyed Elder Uchtdorf’s talk about how special we are to God. His talk was another confirmation that God is aware of the things we face and that he truly does love us. I was truly edified by the talks given and I’m grateful that we get to hear the Lords anointed ever 6 months, what a blessing. Let me know what you think and write me back about the things you learned!
Well family, I’m just so happy if you can’t already tell. I’m glad to be back in Spanish, glad to be with an awesome companion, happy to serve the Lord, and ready to invite some people to follow their Lord and Savior down in to the waters of baptism!
