This week has been a lot better. My new companion's name is Elder Spot Harrison. He is from Oklahoma and never heard the song till he got here. According to the church he is from Mesa. He grew up there. We actually discovered that we worked at camp Geranamo (sp) together. He worked at the Ranglers (horses) so that's why we never really met. It's a small ward after all! He's a great missionary.
So how is family? I hope all is still great!
-von
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring is Sprung March 21
It snowed today. nothing major but is was snow. I have loved the winter but don't look forward to the summer tracting.
Anyway. The baptism on Saturday went well. I was going to send you pictures but I forgot my camera at the parish. Anyway, She requested that I confirm her, or be the voice anyway. I felt honored, but nervous. I felt a should fast in preparation. It helped. Though I was shaking like a washing machine full of jeans, I felt that the words I said was what she needed to hear, and what I needed to hear. My prayer was answered.
So I will be staying in Crossville for the next six weeks and Elder Lindner will go somewhere new and train someone. Last night as a "going-way-treat" for Elder Lindner, sister Wright gave us a Fry-Fest. Wow! She owns a deep fryer and we had deep-fried mushrumes, deep-fried pickles, deep-fried cheese sticks, deep-fried jalapanllos poppers, deep-fried milkyways, deep-fried mars bars, deep-fried fudge browny bars, deep-fried fignutons, deep-fried peanut butter cookies. You get the picture. I'm pretty sure that last night will, without dout, lead to my premature death..... In 5 years. But WOW it was good!
-von
Anyway. The baptism on Saturday went well. I was going to send you pictures but I forgot my camera at the parish. Anyway, She requested that I confirm her, or be the voice anyway. I felt honored, but nervous. I felt a should fast in preparation. It helped. Though I was shaking like a washing machine full of jeans, I felt that the words I said was what she needed to hear, and what I needed to hear. My prayer was answered.
So I will be staying in Crossville for the next six weeks and Elder Lindner will go somewhere new and train someone. Last night as a "going-way-treat" for Elder Lindner, sister Wright gave us a Fry-Fest. Wow! She owns a deep fryer and we had deep-fried mushrumes, deep-fried pickles, deep-fried cheese sticks, deep-fried jalapanllos poppers, deep-fried milkyways, deep-fried mars bars, deep-fried fudge browny bars, deep-fried fignutons, deep-fried peanut butter cookies. You get the picture. I'm pretty sure that last night will, without dout, lead to my premature death..... In 5 years. But WOW it was good!
-von
Monday, March 15, 2010
15 March 2010
hello,
So ya. This week we had two baptisms spring in on us. On Tuesday morning we received a call from sister Conley. She explains to us that Kailey Bilbiry wanted to get baptized so she could go to the baptisms for the died trip on saturday. Kailey is a daughter of a couple who are off-and-on-members and things kept coming us when they would schedule for her to get baptized. She is now 12. We had found her and her brother on an old teaching record and had gone over to teach them but weren't getting too much cooperation from the parents. Their grandma, an active member, helped us a lot. Her brother, Cory, is autistic and really doesn't really need to get baptized but the parents wanted him them to get baptized at the same time but I guess that Kailey just couldn't wait. When me and the district leader arrived at the church building to get her interviewed we called the grandma and asked if they were on their way and they said that they were and that Cory was coming too to be interviewed. Double yoke.
After we left, both of us decided that we wouldn't tell Elder Lindner that it was both of them till the Baptism (the next night). We went there to fill the font a few hours early and when the family arrived I figured I'd better tell him before he said something awkward. When I told him he just shook his head and smiled and said "you guys are stupid."
Louise is still strong. They got married and have both stopped smoking. Usually they only come for Sacrament meeting but yesterday they came for Sunday school as well. We had our suspicions that it was because usually they would wanted a cigarette after an hour, so they would leave. And now they try to stay the whole time. they left early because her knee was hurting her. Greg is attending the prospective elders class as is Bill Cadd (baptized over a year ago by Chance Dixon) and Bro. Bilbiry (father of the kids who just got baptized). Louise's baptism is this saturday.
-von
So ya. This week we had two baptisms spring in on us. On Tuesday morning we received a call from sister Conley. She explains to us that Kailey Bilbiry wanted to get baptized so she could go to the baptisms for the died trip on saturday. Kailey is a daughter of a couple who are off-and-on-members and things kept coming us when they would schedule for her to get baptized. She is now 12. We had found her and her brother on an old teaching record and had gone over to teach them but weren't getting too much cooperation from the parents. Their grandma, an active member, helped us a lot. Her brother, Cory, is autistic and really doesn't really need to get baptized but the parents wanted him them to get baptized at the same time but I guess that Kailey just couldn't wait. When me and the district leader arrived at the church building to get her interviewed we called the grandma and asked if they were on their way and they said that they were and that Cory was coming too to be interviewed. Double yoke.
After we left, both of us decided that we wouldn't tell Elder Lindner that it was both of them till the Baptism (the next night). We went there to fill the font a few hours early and when the family arrived I figured I'd better tell him before he said something awkward. When I told him he just shook his head and smiled and said "you guys are stupid."
Louise is still strong. They got married and have both stopped smoking. Usually they only come for Sacrament meeting but yesterday they came for Sunday school as well. We had our suspicions that it was because usually they would wanted a cigarette after an hour, so they would leave. And now they try to stay the whole time. they left early because her knee was hurting her. Greg is attending the prospective elders class as is Bill Cadd (baptized over a year ago by Chance Dixon) and Bro. Bilbiry (father of the kids who just got baptized). Louise's baptism is this saturday.
-von
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
1st Feb 09- Email
Dear Family,
We got an ice storm on friday night! It was really cool. The only bad part
was no car. I guess this was a good thing because we were out of miles. Was
Rex not allowed to drive in snow?
We haven't been able to see our new investigator (who also has a date) since
thursday. She is so cool. Her name in Katherine Fox. She is 85. She is
Catholic. Her late husband was a former catholic priest. She loves to serve
and to give. She made us a cherry pie and baked chicken. Both were
fantastic! The only book we had that she could read was a large print gospel
principles manual. We have ordered her a large print Book of Mormon.
So the company that powers MyLDSmail is going out of business or something,
so the church has "worked closely with Gmail to make a new MyLDSmail." the
problem is that we were suppose to set ours up today and get it next week
but it won't let me in. Elder Lindner's worked. Lovely.
So here they call a beanie (or a stocking cap) a toboggan. When we first
heard it we were at a member's house and elder lindner is like "A toboggan
is a sled with the front curved up". I had thought it was just something
that family called it but every one calls them toboggans. odd.
Well all is well.
-Von Sowards
We got an ice storm on friday night! It was really cool. The only bad part
was no car. I guess this was a good thing because we were out of miles. Was
Rex not allowed to drive in snow?
We haven't been able to see our new investigator (who also has a date) since
thursday. She is so cool. Her name in Katherine Fox. She is 85. She is
Catholic. Her late husband was a former catholic priest. She loves to serve
and to give. She made us a cherry pie and baked chicken. Both were
fantastic! The only book we had that she could read was a large print gospel
principles manual. We have ordered her a large print Book of Mormon.
So the company that powers MyLDSmail is going out of business or something,
so the church has "worked closely with Gmail to make a new MyLDSmail." the
problem is that we were suppose to set ours up today and get it next week
but it won't let me in. Elder Lindner's worked. Lovely.
So here they call a beanie (or a stocking cap) a toboggan. When we first
heard it we were at a member's house and elder lindner is like "A toboggan
is a sled with the front curved up". I had thought it was just something
that family called it but every one calls them toboggans. odd.
Well all is well.
-Von Sowards
Monday, January 18, 2010
Email #3 sent from Elder Sowards
The snow is melted.
So the fist time it snowed hard core and stuck to the roads we didn't know
what to do. We had a few appointments but couldn't get to them, and couldn't
find anyone to drive us. So we made cookies.
All we had was margarine spread and not sticks of butter so I just measured
out half a cup of spread. We didn't have chocolate chips so we cut up
chocolate kisses and used that. And on top of those substitutions probably
half of the ingredients were stale. The results were flat, slightly fried due
to the excess oil in the spread, burnt chocolate chunks because the kisses
weren't the baking kind, stale cookies. Lovely.
Elder Lindner says they weren't as bad as I make it out to be, when they were
fresh out of the oven... I've never really been good at chocolate chip cookies
anyway. They never seem to work right... I don't get it. I can follow the
directions to a "T" but still they just don't work.
Anyway. James still doesn't have a date. He has stopped the coffee but not the
smokes. President says to not set a date and just wait till he has stopped for
a few days and set a short date of 2 or 3 days. Hopefully that will help.
So I haven't see any stone bridges. But it is the "Golf Capital of Tennessee".
there is a huge water tower that says that and we live right under it! There
are tons of water towers everywhere! I thought they were a thing of the past.
I learned that Crossville houses the largest tree house in the world. I hope
to go see it before I leave here. It sounds awesome!
Well I'll close off. I'll probably think of something else to say once I log
off. Then I'll send a letter as well to include that forgotten stuff, and then
think of something else after I send it.
-Elder Sowards
So the fist time it snowed hard core and stuck to the roads we didn't know
what to do. We had a few appointments but couldn't get to them, and couldn't
find anyone to drive us. So we made cookies.
All we had was margarine spread and not sticks of butter so I just measured
out half a cup of spread. We didn't have chocolate chips so we cut up
chocolate kisses and used that. And on top of those substitutions probably
half of the ingredients were stale. The results were flat, slightly fried due
to the excess oil in the spread, burnt chocolate chunks because the kisses
weren't the baking kind, stale cookies. Lovely.
Elder Lindner says they weren't as bad as I make it out to be, when they were
fresh out of the oven... I've never really been good at chocolate chip cookies
anyway. They never seem to work right... I don't get it. I can follow the
directions to a "T" but still they just don't work.
Anyway. James still doesn't have a date. He has stopped the coffee but not the
smokes. President says to not set a date and just wait till he has stopped for
a few days and set a short date of 2 or 3 days. Hopefully that will help.
So I haven't see any stone bridges. But it is the "Golf Capital of Tennessee".
there is a huge water tower that says that and we live right under it! There
are tons of water towers everywhere! I thought they were a thing of the past.
I learned that Crossville houses the largest tree house in the world. I hope
to go see it before I leave here. It sounds awesome!
Well I'll close off. I'll probably think of something else to say once I log
off. Then I'll send a letter as well to include that forgotten stuff, and then
think of something else after I send it.
-Elder Sowards
Monday, January 11, 2010
Handwritten Letter
Dear Family,
I hope you are doing well. It has been snowing here, which means no car. So we weren't able to get much done the last few days. School has been canceled the last few days. Church was canceled yesterday as well. My companion, Elder Lindner, was really annoyed from it because he is from Wisconsin and he has experience of driving in 10 times this snow and if they had canceled church for this then they would not have church more then the would the whole year.If it snowed like this in Mesa they would cancel church in pure amazement.
Have I told you about James? He is a 53 year old man that the missionaries were teaching. We committed him to be baptized last Sunday for Saturday the 16th. He struggled with Word of Wisdom and it will be pushed back. He is a great guy. He wants his son to be baptized as well. It would be great if he could baptize his son. James will be baptized. He knows it's true and he knows he needs to give up the coffee and cigs.
The bike. Ya, it's not that urgent and if we get a used bike that would be great. With not having a car it has made me feel like I need a bike. But ya, no rush. The snow is clearing out. We are starting to give families the same challenge that Pres Ahlstrom gave us to "invite." Hopefully it will get us some new referrals.
-Von
I hope you are doing well. It has been snowing here, which means no car. So we weren't able to get much done the last few days. School has been canceled the last few days. Church was canceled yesterday as well. My companion, Elder Lindner, was really annoyed from it because he is from Wisconsin and he has experience of driving in 10 times this snow and if they had canceled church for this then they would not have church more then the would the whole year.If it snowed like this in Mesa they would cancel church in pure amazement.
Have I told you about James? He is a 53 year old man that the missionaries were teaching. We committed him to be baptized last Sunday for Saturday the 16th. He struggled with Word of Wisdom and it will be pushed back. He is a great guy. He wants his son to be baptized as well. It would be great if he could baptize his son. James will be baptized. He knows it's true and he knows he needs to give up the coffee and cigs.
The bike. Ya, it's not that urgent and if we get a used bike that would be great. With not having a car it has made me feel like I need a bike. But ya, no rush. The snow is clearing out. We are starting to give families the same challenge that Pres Ahlstrom gave us to "invite." Hopefully it will get us some new referrals.
-Von
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