July 03

Dear all,

Last week was pretty cool.

Monday night, we were coming back from Abingdaon where we spent P-day. We figured we should use that time and visit people who were on our way back to the house. So we called a part-member/rescue family to ask if we could come by. We visited them and had an awesome lesson on the spirit world.

Tuesday, we had a return appointment with a guy we met the previous week. He was not home, but we noticed the family next door had all their stuff out on the yard and the father was loading everything into a Durango while the mother and little girls brought stuff out to the yard. They all looked very stressed. We asked if we could help and he said, "Oh you wouldn't want to." We said, "We do want to help you," so we got to spend the rest of the afternoon helping this little family. The father hadn't slept for 3 days! It was pouring rain by the end of the afternoon, but we got to help them. Afterward, we went to teach T., who is getting baptized on the 12th, and took with us a member of the bishopric. It was an awesome lesson.

Wednesday, we did a lot of tracting. In the evening, we went with a brother, who JUST got home from his mission, to teach a guy referred to us by a member in Nashville. M., the investigator, has a lot of skeptical questions. We invited him to pray and read, and promised that God would give him understanding.

Thursday we went with the high priest group leader to teach T. again, She is doing awesome! The brother loved the lesson and said it was the best team-up he had gone on for a while. We then went on another team up and saw a less-active.

Friday we visited F. Great lesson. He is preparing to be batized on the 12th, as well.

Saturday we visited alot of people from the area book but did not get to teach any of them.

On Sunday T. got up and bore her testimony and told the ward that she is going to become a Mormon on the 12th and that she is putting down the cigarette. She is awesome!

-eldervonsowards

June 26

Dearest Family,

This week was pretty awesome.

On Monday night we were walking around, trying to figure out what to do and two less-actives pull over and ask if we could help move a dryer. So we helped, and they bought us dinner.

Tuesday we had dinner with a member family that I had never been to their house and they sent food home with us (we were literally out of food in the apartment). Then we went and taught T, the investigator who we re-contacted and she came to church, an awesome lesson about the pre-earth life and Adam and Eve. She is awesome!

Then on Wednesday we got to go with a member to teach a less-active/part-member family and talk to them about what they need to become active. They committed themselves to come to church. Then they asked us to dedicate their home, so we did. As we went home, an Idaho number called us and gave us a referral. Miracle!

Thursday, I got a member, who loves to take us to Golden Coral every other week (you get tired of it after 6 months,) to actually do something different and take us to Cracker Barrel! We contacted the [Idahoans] referral. The man was pretty cool, a little skeptical though.

On Friday, we were able to go with a member to teach T. She is going through some hard time. We invited her to set a goal to quit smoking and be baptized on the 12th of July. She accepted the invitation.

On Saturday we went with a member to teach Cousin Freddy. We read with him the Word of Wisdom. Then we went to dinner and the family gave us a referral to visit, so we went to the house, but no answer. We will go back another time.

So Sunday--I love Sundays. It is like the test at the end of the week to see if your week's work was effective, but unlike Friday school tests, you don't have to be nervous because even if the investigators don't come, you still get to take the Sacrament, be around others who have the same beliefs, and get to be the student in a lesson instead of being the teacher. So at church, T came, Freddy came, the less-active/part-member family came, and a returning member who we didn't get to see during the week but came last week. Wonderful day!

It truly was a good week!

-eldervonsowards

June 19

Dear family,

Wow! Is there going to be anything left of Arizona when I get back, or is it just going to be a big pile of ashes? I'm glad to hear that Tas and Al are safe and that their house is too. I hope everyone else is safe, too.

You know in times like this, I really get excited, then scared. Is that heartless to say? Maybe once I actually have a career and property to loose, things that would throw my life out of whack, then I would be more emotional in situations like fires, and tornadoes and tsunamis. Right now I see going through something like [a disaster] as adventurous. Is that bad?

Anyway, last week was pretty cool. We had been using the area book alot more. We met a guy named Tony whom we met from a "potential investigator record". He was not the guy we were looking for, but he was interested. We also met a lady named Teressa, from the "former investigators". She, at first, was not interested, but as we talked to her, she made up her mind to come to church this Sunday. SHE CAME! and is eagerly waiting for our visit on tuesday night. I am excited.

We also had cousin Freddy come. He has been a little stagnant for a while, but is turning a round. He told us he feels like he is merely going through the motions and not really putting effort into it and that he feels that there is more for him to do. We challenged him to put more effort into his study and prayer. He will be reading section 89 of the D&C and Daniel ch. 1-2.

Now apart from the investigators we had 2 less actives come to church last week and a non-member couple who work with 2 different members. They came about a month ago and accepted us coming over but things didn't work out then and they were dropped. We will drop in on them later this week.

I will be in Bristol for at least another 7 weeks. That will total 7 1/2 months in Bristol, the longest I have been in an area. Wow. I am excited. This means that I will get to be at the member fireside "symposium" on July 7th that I originally suggested back in Feb. Everyone in the ward is really curious to see what the turn out will be. It kind of reminds me of the first Institute Academy Awards night, when it was very questionable about who would come. I hope that it will be the same story and we will have more then we predicted.

Well, I hope you all are safe through the fires.

-eldervonsowards

June 12

Dear family,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! or anniversary for Mom and Dad! That is exciting!

Crazy wild fires. I am surprised that no one has asked me about it. Didn't Ted hear about the Rodeo-Chedisky fire(s) all the way in Australia? That is just crazy.

Speaking of crazy! Ryan is already leaving?! Jared is marred?! To whom? So who's next? I remember hearing about Jamie being engaged. Who did she marry? Crazy, crazy. I told my former companion from Seattle, Elder Samuel Dyer Roisum, who just went home, to keep an eye out for an Elder Stock. Maybe they will meet.

After the baptism last week, this week was a little slower. We got to volunteer at National Heath Care (we go there every couple weeks. Our ward mission leader is the administrator), help a less-active member move, walk forever miles, and enjoy happinesses from Mesa! I brought the Sweet Cakes to district meeting and the district devoured both in like 7 seconds or less!! everyone loved it. Personally, I was most enthusiastic about the salsa! Last week we didn't have a car, so I have not been able to obtain the chips, or the mariachi band, to truly enjoy the salsa yet. So I have been saving it.

Missionary wise, we are funneling back down to square one and trying new things. We've moved on from just the Former Media Referrals to any and every name in the area book, which would be: former investigators, potential investigators, old progress record names, less-actives, actives, anyone! The problem I usually encounter is my own lack of omniscientness. I look at a record and see "Jack on Ridgecrest Dr." Where on earth is that?! Our maps are not user friendly and the GPS still doesn't show it to you properly. There are just SO MANY names and SO MANY roads, that it is impossible for me to wrap my mind around it all and be as effective as I possibly can in just a few months. Wow! Even dividing it up in 4ths is still out there. Elder Dangerfield and myself have come up with a system. We will select a route and along that route we will hit up every person, place, and thing that might be there, and if that all falls through, then we go tracting. I pray that this will be a success for us in finding new people to teach and to baptize.

-eldervonsowards

June 5

Dear Sows,

The baptism went very well. I will send pictures next week. After the mission president talked to the stake president, they decided that H should be baptized in Bristol but confirmed in her home ward. Yes, very confussing. So we made it happen and it went very well.

Her less active mother and non-member "step-father-person" were at the lesson on the plan of salvation, the baptism, and the confirmation. After the lesson we invited the whole family to meet with the Sisters in their ward (Watauga) and they said yes, so when we were at the other ward, we introduced the family to the sister missionaries, and they have set up to meet with each other. Bro H talked with the bishop's counselor in the Watauga ward, and he said they've considered putting the family on the ward rescue plan. I am excited for them.

We challenged Fred to come to the baptism and seek revelation to know if he should be baptized on the 18th of June. He said that he would. After the baptism, he said "the baptism didn't sway him." But he also told me about an expirience he had that morning while he was "drinking [his] coffee and smoking [his] cigarette." He was thinking about the whole thing and he asked God to "show me what sign I am suppose to feel when I do get my answer." He explained that he felt this "incredible" feeling. So now he "knows what to look for" when he gets his answer. I don't know, I guess the Lord does work in mysterious ways.

-eldervonsowards

May 29

Dear Familia,

We had a fantastic week!

Last Sunday, we got a member referral and on Thursday we contacted, taught and committed that very referral. She will be batized on Saturday (June 4th). Exciting! Her name is Haley. She is 12 years old. Haley is visiting her grandparents, the Hussys (Bro. Hussy is one of the bishop's counselors). They brought her to church last week and afterwards she talked to them about being baptized. We taught her on both Thursday and Saturday. Though on Sunday when Bro Hussy told the ward council, there were a few raised eye brows because technically, she lived in another ward in the stake. The Hussys were a little disgruntled about the ward council not wanting to baptize Haley in our ward. We asked the bishop what needed to happen and that we would do what it took to make it happen. He said to call the mission president and seek counsel from him (it being under his keys). President Griffin told us to go head and baptized her in Bristol and then transfer the records. Sister Hussy said, "Oo! Yes! I like this mission president!" We are really excited because this is in preparation for her going with the young women to girl's camp. Also her parents (less-active mother and non-member-mom's-boyfriend) asked if they could sit in on the lessons, and have made a special effort to be at the baptism.

The awesomeness of this is that originally she was committed for the 11th of June, but her parent were going out of town that week and asked if it could be moved to the 4th. Last

Tuesday, we were at a funeral at the church and afterwards the ward mission leader of the other ward that meets here, asked if Bristol ward was having any baptisms on June 4th, and if we did, we would put it in alinement with a child baptism for their ward. I told him that we didn't, but (in joking) we'd find someone to be baptized then. He kind of chuckled. Then I called him on Saturday and reminded him our conversation, and informed him of Haley's baptism. I would have loved to have seen his face as he said, "Wow, Elder!" Priceless!

District meeting went well last week. We got on a few different discussions (both doctrinal and social) that may have lasted a little bit longer then they should have. I have a great district.

Our 5th Sunday lesson went really well. I talked about invitation and elder Dangerfield spoke on agency. We committed everyone to set a date (before Aug. 1st) to invite someone to either:

Meet with the missionaries (us)
Come to church
Read the book of mormon
visit mormon.org
Come to the family history center
Come to wednesday night activities
Come to other activities (especially the missionary/member fireside on July 7th)

I hope it will be a big step in getting refferals. These last few weeks I have had allergies making my eyes puffy and watery and making my nose runny and sneezy. While I was giving the lesson I think a few of the members thought I was getting emotional about the topic of missionary work. Who knows, maybe that will work to our advantage and they will see that we are missionaries with our hearts in the work, and trust us with even more people to teach.

You've just got to love life!
-eldervonsowards

16 May 2011

Dear Mom (and everyone else),

Wow. When Sister Miller called me back and told me you and Dad were in a rollover, I was amazed. She said that both of you were alright, so I knew I didn't have to worry about you. I am so very thankful you are safe. That would be the talk of the mission if an elder lost his parents. I love you both SO much. It's times like this that really remind you that, hey, I have an eternal family. Even if death had taken one or both of my parents, I haven't lost them, I just can't see them for a little while. Wow! Who else has that hope?

I love you. I hope that you had a very merry birthday! I was going to have more people call, infact I did, but we went to a last minute training meeting down in Kingsport that took most of my day. The ward mission leader's wife called you around 9 or 10 in the morning (in AZ) but she said there was no answer and she didn't know how to say it on the answering machine. She said that they were going to call in the evening when her husband got home, but it was stake conference and I just didn't happen.

Stake conference. It was really a regional conference. 63 stakes and 1 district. Bishop Edgely spoke as well as a sister from the YW presidency. Elder Ballard and Pres. Eyring finish the conference. It was all about in today’s world we need to: hold our standards, strengthen our families through scripture, do missionary work, and remain optimistic. There was alot of training for missionaries.

Back to the training meeting in Kingsport on Friday. There they called me to be a district leader. Please pray for me in this calling. I have to admit that I am slightly flattered, but to tell you the truth I was hoping to make it by without having to shoulder that responsibility, but I guess the Lord had other plans. My hope now is that (since I've got the calling) to learn as much as I can from it, and to really encourage my district to accomplish much good together. Please pray for me and my district.

-eldervonsowards