October 27, 2009

Elder Israelsen and I get along great still. He goes home on January 4th I think. He only has one transfer left after this one. We figured out the other day that transfer week is the week of Thanksgiving and transfers are on Wednesday so I might not get a Thanksgiving dinner after all. Hopefully though. We were supposed to have a baptism this week but it fell through because the guy just said he needs more time. He won't tell us why though. Oh well. We're still working on the rest of them as well. The ward we work with has about 100 active members. The ward boundaries are huge though! It spreads for about 30-40 miles in every direction. Some of the members live in villages just across the Welsh border and they drive for about 35 minutes to church every sunday. Wales is really cool though. We had dinner at a members house out there a couple weeks ago and went and tracted the village. I took pictures I'll try to get them sent. It's beautiful out there though. Tomorrow we have exchanges for a day and I get to train a greenie. Kinda like the blind leading the blind if you ask me but I'm excited to do it it'll be really fun I think. They trust me with the responsibility so I'm going to have to step up to the plate right? 

October 20, 2009

Hey thats really cool about Natalie Lloyd being engaged. I am really excited to stay in Hereford I didn't want to be transferred very bad. We just have a few people we're working really hard with and I'd hate to have to leave. But I guess sometimes that's the name of the game right. Just keep praying for Blake. I will too. Everything will work out alright. Remember the power of the Priesthood. Look up Ether 12:12, I think it applies. It's good that you donated my flip flops. You're right I can just get some new ones later. We don't see much news so I hadn't even heard about Somoa. That's pretty crazy. It's fetchin cold here today I tell you what. It's weird here, it's like potato harvest weather. Some days you sweat and some days you have icicles hanging off everything. It's ridiculous. I'm pretty pumped for Devon getting that deer, I can't wait to see some pictures. I'm so glad I decided to serve a mission. It's the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done I can tell you that much.

We had a flat inspection today at 11 that we found out about yesterday and then they were about a half hour late so we got delayed a ton and didn't have time to get to the library before they came.  So with that sister we taught her about reading and praying and gave her a blessing and then she came to church on Sunday with her family! Awesome huh! We have had a few minor setbacks with our investigators though. We had to push back a couple of baptismal dates because of some concerns but they do still want to be baptized so thats good. We still have one set up for the 31st though and that's moving forward like it should so we're really pumped about that. So I have a funny story, yesterday we were riding down the road and I saw this person walking so I went to stop them. It looked like it was just a really manly woman but it turned out to be a freakin transvestite!!! It was so gross! He was all wearing makeup and everything. Totally grossed me out I tell you what.

October 14, 2009

It was transfer week this week so p-day was on Wednesday. I got another tour of duty in Hereford with Elder Israelsen. We didn't get to see the last session of Conference but we get Ensigns every month so I'll get to read Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon then.You also asked how many miles we bike and it usually ends up being about 5-6 per day depending on whether we go out to the church or not cuz that's about 4 miles away. Teaching has been going well we have 4 investigators with baptismal dates right now so that's sweet. It's starting to get cold here so I am about ready for my "armor all" ha ha (a little inside joke between me and mom).

So as far as the old teaching goes we lost one of our investigators with a baptismal date, we call them projections, because he heard some anti information I think so that really isn't cool at all. But the good news is we picked up three new ones the next day! Sweet huh. We have to help one of them quit smoking but he sounds committed so thats good. But yes the new three all accepted a date. two are on the 31st and one is on the 7th. So I'm way excited for that. We tried to go talk to college students the other day cuz there's a college just up the hill from our place and that was different. It's weird to talk to the girls here because they hear us talk and find out we're Americans and then they try to flirt with my companion lol. So thats kind of weird.  So I need a little help, we have a less active woman who quit coming to church after she lost her husband to cancer. She has 4 little kids. She understands the plan of salvation and stuff but I just don't know what I can say to help. If you think of anything will you let me know? That would be so good if you could.

October 6, 2009

We got to watch conference at the chapel through a broadcast but we only got the Saturday sessions and the Sunday morning. Most of them had to be recorded because of the time change and we have to wait for the Ensign for Sunday afternoon. It's really weird because the stake center here is an hour and a half away in Cheltenham and that was the only place showing priesthood so we got a lift with some members on Sunday morning to watch that one and then had to scream back to Hereford for the next session in our chapel so it was kinda crazy. Priesthood session was pretty good I'm not going to lie. Ya, I've lost a stone now so it keeps falling off the longer I'm here. By the way a stone is 14 pounds. You really should get a bike it's crazy how fast it comes off when you ride it every day. Of course I have the advantage of not having snow so that's a little different back home. Thats how they measure weight over here it's kinda weird.
As far as transfers go our pday for transfer week is on Wednesday so I would say just hang on to any more post until I email you again and let you know if I'm still here or moved. That would probably work out the best I would say. And as far as teaching goes we got two people to accept a baptismal date for the 24th and another for the 31st so now we just have to teach them the rest of the lessons and get them ready. I'm really really excited for these people! It's so fun to teach someone who is ready for the truth you know. I love it!

October 3, 2009

It's all going pretty well here, I am missing the mountains though. So, I dropped 5 pounds last week.......then I picked it back up and put it in my pocket, ha ha. Just thought I'd share a stupid money joke with you. I made it up, can you tell? But seriously I've lost about 10 pounds since I got here from riding my bike so it's doing me some good. Pretty soon my trousers won't fit anymore, ha ha. I'll just have to tighten my belt a bit.
The members here are awesome! They take good care of us with meals and everything.
One of the teachers at the MTC served in the Ogden mission, his name is Brother McClure and he taught Scott and Pam Kimballs adopted son. One of the members of the Bishopric in Hereford is American and he fed us good old American hamburgers the other night so that was awesome. He said he always makes a Thanskgiving dinner for the American Elders every year so if I don't get transfered before then I will get to enjoy that. When I first met him I thought he had a weird accent because he didn't talk like everyone else then I realized that he talked just like me, ha ha. He went to school at Utah State so he knew where Grace was. One of the other members does business in Pocatello and Boise too so that's cool.
Alot of the members give me crap about how I talk but I always ask them who is easier to understand me or the English so I always win that argument. Our ward mission leader always calls me "Pops" because I have a bad hip and reading glasses. He's a cool guy though I like him alot. Anyways I gotta roll out so this will be all for now.