First Exchange

"Get your tools ready:  God will find the work."

It was a crazy week with a ton happening.  But I'm going to keep this one short because I don't feel like typing a whole lot today.  Just a couple big highlights.  First off got totally pranked by these ex-members from our church and they told us how Joseph Smith was a Wizard so that was really fun. We were lucky and got out of there as fast as possible. Another highlight from this week was Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was super super fun and we had 2 big dinners. One was with a member and he made so many good things, and he called it the Mexican Thanksgiving dinner and the other dinner was with the zone.  Another highlight this week was my first exchange. We traded comps for the day and I went with Elder Marble.  Elder Marble is so awesome and we have been out the same amount of time. We had a super fun day and finished it out with chili's.  While we were on the exchange we found 3 families.  We also get to listen to Christmas music now which is the greatest thing ever.

pictures:

B-dubs

Exchange with Marble

Me figuring out the Rubik cube

Thanksgiving with Hector!

 

Come closer to Jesus Christ

“The Thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us.”                                                          James E. Faust

We've had so much going on and it's been insanely busy which is awesome. I love my new comp he's hilarious and we get along super well. But I just want to hit on a couple highlights from the past week. 1- Hector-  He is the funniest member who loves the missionaries and always wants to hangout with them. He took us out to dinner on Saturday and went teaching with us the rest of the night. He also made a lunch before church and had us come over and see his cows as well.  Estaban is one of our investigators that got on Date this week. He is really cool but doesn't have a car so it's really hard getting him to activities.  We got him to church last Sunday so it all worked out. He speaks English and Spanish so that's also really nice. He helps me with Spanish but I can also speak English if I need to. Devon is the other on Date investigator. And he's 14 and loves the gospel.  It's so cool to see how happy he gets when we come around. He's also making really good progress. The last person we're working on getting baptized is Jessica, Jessica is a single mom with a son, and she's been struggling with tons of stuff and we ran into her at 8:30 at night right before we went home. And she's been super happy since we've been coming over. She really wants to come closer to Jesus Christ and also wants what's best for her son. We're teaching both Spanish and English right now,  but we have a lot of Spanish lessons next week so that'll be really fun.  This area is really awesome and has a SAM'S club. It also had a Walmart.   We get fed every night from memebers which is awesome. This week has been amazing and I'm excited for next week.  Also had to say the blessing on the water this week in the spanish ward and I had to do it 2 times and it took forever, I felt so bad for everyone that had to listen to it. But it all worked out and I didn't have to do it more than 2 times so that's a plus.

- RANCH PIZZA!! Pizza buffet

- weekly planning!

- Chilies after a great Spanish lesson

- that's one of the boys in my casa!! Also got my first hair cut!!

- Five guys with the funniest people ever!! Super awesome memebers down in Kansas City that feed the spanish elders

- Me and my boy Papach

- other 2 are with Hector!! He's always happy and always cracking jokes!!

St. Joseph 

"It is for us to make the efforts.  The result is always in God's hands."

What a crazy week this has been.  In my last email I got transferred and am with a new comp.  I had to say goodbye to everyone from Trenton which was really sad but on Thursday we went down to independence Missouri where they had transfers. We sat there for 20 minutes waiting for the mass text of everyone's area and everyone's new comp. It was super stressful and everyone was going crazy. I was lucky enough to get with Elder Flickinger who's been out for 1 month more than me. We white washed an area.  So it's been a very different experience.  Our area is St. Joseph  spanish speaking, so far and I've loved getting to know the area a bit more. Yesterday we went to 3 churches which was crazy busy and didn't have time to do anything till after dinner.  We put someone on Date yesterday which was awesome.  He went to church on Sunday for the first time and he's super excited for his baptism. I get to drive now which is awesome this area we knock a lot more doors and see a lot more people which is awesome.

pictures:

Saying goodbye

New companion

TESTIMONY BUILDER

"It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it, and proceed to translate that belief into actions."

"What a crazy week it has been.  So many good things happened this week.  Last P-day we went to one of my favorite members ever.  His name his Hector. Hector is one of the coolest people I know and his house is in the middle of nowhere. He has a farm with a bunch of cows and chickens.  He's naming his next cow Hanky because he loves my blond hair and calls me his best friend already.  Hector is one of the most spiritual and loving person I know and I'm so grateful for him. 

Another amazing thing that happened this week was Nancy.  NANCY is the best, she has the most amazing spirit ever and is so kind. We've been teaching Nancy since the first day I was here. Nancy has grown so much in the gospel and loves when we come over but this week we felt we need to either drop her or get her on Date because she started to stall and not progress. And so on Wednesday we planned a teaching with her and went over baptism and its importance. I then bore my testimony telling her that she is ready and that she needs to take that leap of faith. And then I asked if she'd get baptized early December. She said I was actually thinking of getting baptized but I want my son there. So we said awesome when will he be here? She said over Christmas we got her on Date for Christmas Eve. It was so cool to see how happy and excited she was to get baptized and to be able to have her son there. Such a miracle and shows how much God has put his hand into our life.

Now for the best part of this email.  JACE, Jace is 14 and has been growing so much in this gospel and loves everything about it. But this week was really special for him because it was his baptism last Saturday! Jace was so excited and hardly could wait for his baptism, he would text us every day counting down the days till he got baptized. It was one of the most spiritual things I've ever been involved in.  His family came and supported him even through they weren't memebers, and the whole ward was so involved as well. We had cupcakes and ice cream after and were all super excited for Jace. This baptism was such a big testimony builder for me and I'm so greatful for Jace. I got the amazing opportunity to talk about the Holy Ghost at his baptism and bore my testimony that I know this church is true. I'm so grateful for all Jace did to get to that point and how much he loves this gospel. And then on Sunday I was able to be part of Jaces confirmation which was so amazing.

Which brings me to my next point.  Sacrament meeting.  Yesterday I was able to bare my testimony and thank everyone in the ward for all they have done for me. This ward has brought me in with open arms and treated me like family since I got here. And why I did that is because of the phone call I got on Saturday night from my Zone Leaders. I got really sad news but I know that the Lord knows exactly what I need. Out of all 4 of the missionaries in my house I was the one to get transferred... I only got to be in Trenton for a month and a half and they're already taking me out. It was really hard to see that news. Especially when you finally feel like you're getting the grip on things. So I only got 6 weeks of training instead of 12... idk why that is. I need those 6 other weeks. Non of the missionaries at my house have seen this happen because you usually always stay your first transfer for 3 months. But the Lord knows best and I need to go teach people somewhere else. I don't find out where I'm going until Thursday so I'll be saying goodbye to everyone and making sure to stay in contact with them. I'm going to miss all the Tongans and Omish in Trenton. Especially all the food we get every week and all the fun activities we do with the ward. But I can't wait to go to my next area and make more memories and more friends. Maybe spanish as well... I don't know we'll have to see what happens. 

Alright now for the pictures!!

1.Hector!!!!

2. Jaces baptism program

3. Jace being baptized

4. My boy Jonney

5. Saying Goodbye

6. Nancy