Changes - November 14, 2011

The slip on shoes are a little big but I really love them. It's nice to have more then one pair of shoes to switch between. Everything made it fine and I love it all. I am hoping for good results from David´s vitamins. I love the peanut butter so much. I can now relate to the people on Survivor when they get some peanut butter in a challenge, it is heavenly. That is so cool that the pool is almost done. The weather sounds terrible. I keep thinking how different this Christmas will be. I will miss all our traditions but I will get a phone call which will be the best gift. Speaking of phone calls there are two elders that are my friends and listen to this. They have the phone call then 10 days later they will be home. How crazy would that phone call be, I'm home in ten days. Then I started thinking about next Christmas and I will be home in 2 months after my phone call, can you believe that! I hope you will have internet in the Philippines. I really look forward to your emails and letters every week. The Philippines on Thursday wow that is going to be so awesome, I still can't believe it. And you're going with the Beus´. It is going to be so awesome for you, I want to hear all about it. Oh Christmas music, I will miss some of our music, but surprisingly I have heard a lot here already. This week was very different and interesting, probably of all my mission. Tuesday we had interviews with President Maravilla. That night we had planned to do divisions and I would be working with the zone leaders in their area. In the interviews President looked upset. He was with my companion for a long time. After the interviews I went to the area with the zone leaders. The next day the zone leaders said we need to do divisions again and I would be in Centro again because one of them needed to stay with my companion. That night they told me we are having emergency changes and my companion is leaving Thursday. Thursday I went with him to the mission office and he went in to talk with President and I was told that my new companion is not ready yet so they are taking me back to the zone leaders to be with them for the night. Friday they said there was still a problem with the companion changes and I was with the zone leaders again. I was with them all week only returning to my area to get a change of clothes. Saturday I got my new companion. Elder Rosales is from another area in the zone and his companion is getting a mini missionary, someone from a ward that helps be a companion for a week or two until changes. It was crazy. My other companion had 2 cell phones with him and President found out. I heard he went home. That was very dumb of him cause he only had less then 3 months left, what a waste of a mission. What a different week I had, away from my area from Tuesday to Saturday. My new companion is cool. We are getting along and I think we are going to work great. This Thursday we are also going on a trip. We are going to the open house of the Xela Temple. I am so excited to see it, I heard it is beautiful. This is the only time we get to go, but I want to do a session before I return home from my mission. I also have my pass to go to the dedication in December at the stake center. So exciting. Our branch is going to the temple next Wednesday. They also had this Tuesday but they are a bit unorganized and no one is going this Tuesday which is a shame. In my letters I got this week there was a letter from Scott. It was very thoughtful and I thought it was cool. Tell him thank you. The things he wrote about success with companions is so true and I thought about that a lot. You both are so good to me. Thanks for all you do. I still don't know about Christmas, easiest would probably be money. What do you think? Our phone call is so soon it is going to be awesome. I hope you are safe on your trip and enjoy every minute of the warm weather and the diving. I know you will have so much fun. I'm going to work really hard this week and get our investigators to come to the temple open house. I want to leave Magnolia better then when I came here. This mission is changing me to be a better man. Thanks for all your love and letters. I love you with all my heart. Love Son

Got My Package and Letters - November 7, 2011

The conference in Reu was wonderful. I always feel like there is so much I'm not doing so well as a missionary but at the same time I walk away from conference so pumped up and ready to work harder and change what I need to so I can be the best missionary I can be. I got lots of letters in the conference and it was wonderful, so many good stuff. I also got a wonderful package from my wonderful Mama at the conference Nov 2. I love the shoes. The peanut butter, dice, treats and rings all are so amazing. I'm excited to take the pills from David, he is such a good brother. I have seen some members here but I can't remember if I have seen missionaries with brown pants and black shoes. I have a brown belt and I think a lot of my ties would go good just not so sure about the brown pants with black shoes. So for pdays we normally get together at 9 and play football but last week an elder in the mission broke his arm playing so football is prohibited right now but we have volley ball and basketball. We play as a zone until 12 or 12:30, it is way fun and relaxing. Then we write our families about 1:00 and after we go get food somewhere. Sandwiches or pizza or sometimes we have Chinese, normally we go as a district. Then it is buy things we need for the week, food, haircut, or what not. Then it's go home and shower and change and clean a little then relax and at 6 go out to teach a family. I have had a few service activities finally. I chopped wood, shoveled dirt in a member's yard, painted a member's house, clean a really dirty wall outside. It is nice doing service, it makes me feel good even when I get sore from shoveling or chopping. It's still been a little ruff with my companion we just are not getting into a good groove working together and have several disagreements but it's during this time that I'm praying a lot to be a better me with more love and patience and how I can communicate and work better. I'm learning a lot. Poor Scott with his foot and his eye, I hope he gets better and stays safe. Sounds like your Halloween was different too. Mine was way different here, I did however see a couple kids in costumes. I'm glad Jessica loved the letter I hope she had a great birthday. Will you be able to finish the pool with the snow? Lots of snow already sounds terrible, I don't like it. So I'm lucky that I don't have snow here but I wish it was a little colder because I'm still sweating all the time. I don't think you or the family is ready for it to be snowy yet. But you're lucky and going to the Philippines in a couple weeks and will leave the snow for some time. That would be cool to come home to Christmas. In the stores here they have Christmas decorations up already and it's kinda funny because in the center of town there is a really big Christmas tree. This will be a strange Christmas for me with no family, no Christmas dinner, no snow, and different culture. Time is going by way fast and the holidays are going to be here in no time at all. Which means I get to call and hear your voice. YEAH! I remember moving with Tyson. He was always there to help. So SundayIi was the 2nd person to share my testimony and I think I'm going to make a goal to always be one of the first to share my testimony. That is a great way to help it grow. I also went with a different attitude and the meeting was way different. I loved it! The testimonies were powerful and great and I want to have the attitude to make every testimony meeting the best meeting every. Attitude is a huge thing with church, mission, companion, everything. If I do all I can to have a positive attitude I will be happier and learn more. I thank you again Mom for being the best Mom ever. I agree 100% that the mission has helped us talk more and I want to keep receiving letters from you like this throughout all my mission and I really want to continue to talk to you like this after the mission for the rest of my life. You're the greatest and I have so much love and respect for you. Have an amazing week and know that I'm always praying for you and sending my love. Keep doing what is right and working on going to the temple so we can go together after the mission. Love Son