Feb 9, 2015 Letter

Whats up!

My week was pretty boring but it was good enough. We have had this kid named T who's been coming to church for the last couple of weeks. 

He's 18 years old and he finally agreed to take the missionary lessons, so were teaching him tonight in a members home so it should be good and he already wants to be baptized, so hopefully everything works out and he does end up getting baptized. 

We dropped one person as an investigator this last week, so were hoping to find some more investigators as always haha.  We have a bunch of solid potentials so hopefully they work out; one of them is even a family of five so we will see.

President Richards announced this week that elders and sisters are no longer allowed to ride in the same car together, and me and elder B share a car, slash car pool with two sets of sisters so we were in big trouble.  The zone leaders talked to president and the office and got us a full time car. So we are pretty stoked about that. 

The weather here has been rainy and still pretty chilly but not too bad. 

This week we have zone conference so that's about all that's really going on with this week. 

Anyways tell B I say hi, that is cool he is back and served a full mission and has matured a little. 

Thanks for the sports updates and everything, I hope you guys have a good week and hopefully we can get some of that weather your having  back over here in Maryland. 

I love you guys have a great week.

 

Love wes

February 2, 2015

Hey family!

It sounds like you guys had a pretty packed and crazy week! I couldn’t help but laughing at moms terrible luck this last week. Her day full of cancelled appointments and disappointments sounds like many many days I have had as a missionary ha-ha. I’m sorry you had a bad week I’m sure this week will be a lot better, it sounds like you for sure are trying to accomplish a lot in your days ha-ha.

So Dad do you have to go to Ward councils in the morning? What are the ward councils like back home? Anyways my week was not the greatest either ha-ha. It was funny how you both wished me good health because I have been horribly sick since Friday. I had body aches, headaches, stomach ache, horrible sore throat and cough and I’m pretty sure a sinus infection. My ears wouldn’t pop for like two whole days! Anyways so that was pretty miserable, we had to cancel a bunch of good appointments we had and we didn’t get to do a whole lot especially since elder B had the 24 hour flu on Tuesday and was throwing up ever 40 minutes or so, sound familiar?

We missed church and ward council yesterday but our two solid investigators were at church anyways, so that was exciting. They closer and closer to being ready for baptism each week.

So I pretty much didn’t even think about the super bowl and all these last couple of days ha-ha. President sent out a text a couple days ago that absolutely no one was allowed to watch it this year ha-ha (good thing I got to watch it last year ha-ha). So yeah it has been a very slow boring uncomfortable week ha-ha.

Today I feel much better and were having a zone activity of going to an all you can eat pizza buffet and then playing dodge ball and basketball at the church, so I’m pretty pumped for that.  Hopefully you get back to health so you can ball so hard this week.

Nothing much on the agenda this week. I am just looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. We got a new ward mission leader and he is the man! He is getting things done and he is finally starting to get us dinners again! We haven’t been fed much at all this last month, I was scraping the bottom of my agency card this last month ha-ha. So were excited to have him and hopefully get the ward members more involved here in Brunswick. As far as school goes though I will probably do Slcc for a semester and then transfer to Utah state or UVU (most likely Utah state though). So anyways if you have any other questions let me know. I love you guys and hope you guys have a better week! I’m glad my boy silver got a ring. Go Copper hills! Have a great week!

Love Wes

January 26, 2015

Hey family!

Looks like you guys had a fun week going up to Sundance and birthdays parties and stuff. 

It's currently snowing here and its pretty cold. Considering I talked to you on Wednesday not to much happened since I talked to you guys last. Elder B had a boil on his lower back that he had to go to urgent care and get it looked at and cut open. He has some other previous medical issues that made it a little dangerous for him so we had to go to the surgeon the next day so he can look at it. 

He will be fine but will need a surgery when he gets home in 4 months. I have spent so much time in the last 2 weeks in hospitals and doctors offices that I never want to go into one for the rest of my mission haha. 

Anyways its been snowing a little bit on and off but the snow luckily keeps melting. This year has been really good so far, we haven't had much snow and its only been horribly cold a couple days so far. 

Hopefully we can make it through February with nothing too crazy and I should be home free for the rest of my mission, then I can send all of my cold weather stuff home or trash it. 

Anyways my interview with President Richards was good, but we really only talked about the concerns of people in my District and things like that and he didn't even mention anything about going home or anything like that. Hes really caught up in a lot of business right now so I don't think he is even thinking about him going home or anything. 

There should be another interview in about 3 months and I'm sure that is when we will talk about that stuff. But for now I'm just planning on staying out until the last week of July or August or whenever the Transfer ends. 

Anyways things are going well here. We just got a new ward mission leader in Brunswick named brother M and he is an awesome guy and should do good as the new ward mission leader. Today we are going to play some basketball for P- day with a ton of missionaries so that should be fun. Tonight we have dinner with a multi-millionaire so that should be fun! 

Anyways that's about all I have to report on for this last week We're still working with our investigators and two of them are really solid and should get baptized soon they just have to make church a priority. 

Anyways I love you guys very much, thanks for all of your love and support. Have a great week. 

Love wes

January 21, 2015 letter

Hey family!

First of all thanks for the package, it was nice to get something in the mail for once ha ha. So before I even begin I just wanted you to know this has been the craziest  and weirdest week of my entire mission hands down. I didn't email yesterday because we absolutely didn't have time after zone training yesterday so I'm emailing today. 

So first of all I'm not training a new missionary. I got called last Tuesday the day before transfers from President Richards that my companion went home in the MTC as well as another elder from the same district. So me and elder B who was also supposed to Train ended up being companions. 

So President shut down the area he was in and sent him to Brunswick with me. I was a little bummed but since them I have been pretty glad. Elder B is a hilarious missionary from Payson. He has been out for 20 months. So you could say between the two of us we are a pretty old companionship. 

So besides all the crazy people we ran into this last week our week got even crazier. Saturday night were eating at T bell when I get a call from elder O a spanish missionary who lives in our apartment complex. He asks how close to the apartments we are and told us to meet us at his apartment as soon as possible. So we hurry over and they just come pealing into the parking lot. Elder O's companion who just got into the mission field 2 days earlier is doubled over and in serious pain in his stomach. So we help him into the apartment. 

He cant even sit down or stand or anything so while hes half curled up on a ball on the ground me and elder O give him a blessing. At this point we know we have to take him to urgent care or something. So we strart calling President and sister Richards phone like crazy and they don't answer.  

In the mission field there is a very strict rule about only taking people to emergency room or anything like that only when you get permission to do so. So finally after 20 minutes of us calling everyone does sister Richards call us back and lets us go to the ER. 

So all four of us are in this car and I'm driving the car like I'm in the fast and the furious weaving in and out of cars. And we roll up to the ER and rush him in. And we find out from the Doctor that his Appendix just burst. So were all the hospital waiting there for 3 hours. Trying to figure out what the heck was going on. President calls us and tells us that one of us needs to stay with elder F who is the one in the hospital. Elder O his comp, is really bad with blood and stuff and faints at the sight of anything like that so Elder B stays with him and I take elder Orton back to my area with me. 

So it was insane weekend. After church the next day we went back to the hospital and visited them. Elder F had successful surgery but was still being closely watched. So President came to the hospital and everything and spent some time with him and elder B came back and we did a trio while elder f is recovering. 

So most of the weekend and Monday we were going to the hospital and back to our area to go check on elder f and it was nuts and I'm sure it wont be a week I will forget in a long time. Anything else in the week I don't really remember in all the craziness. So that was the gist of my last week. 

Glad to see you are all doing well and that you guys are having a good week. As far as thinking about college I think I will probably just do a semester at Slcc when I get home and then go to Utah state in the Spring of next year. But I'm sure when I get home I will be driving to Logan and places a lot to go visit my friends so that is my plan so far. 

Anyways thanks again for the package it was really nice to get. I bought a sweet Real Madrid jersey on Monday with the remainder of my Christmas money. It was originally 100 bucks but I got it for 40 bucks at the this indoor soccer complex so it was sweet and now I'm decked out when I play soccer. 

Thanks again for the emails hope you have a good week and I love you guys.

Love Wes

January 12, 2015

Hey family!

It was really good to get some nice emails from you guys this week! Its nice to know that I am missed back home.!

 That's crazy that you guys are going to get 150 extra people in the ward! Its funny how Utah can just throw around numbers of people like that compared to what its like out here in Maryland haha. 

So with the new ward members, are there any good ball players over there? I don't think I know anyone over there except for the H's which you mentioned. 

Anyways that's cool that Basketball season is in full swing and your getting out there and playing. I cant wait when I get to come home and play some ball, I have really been lacking that lately! 

Soccer has been fun though and I have been getting better than I have ever been and my new shoes are sweet so its been cool. By the way I do NOT need shin guards but thanks for offering, that was nice of you :) 

Anyways this last week was very cold. Wednesday and Thursday were probably the two coldest days of my mission. We didn't have a car and icy wind was blowing at about 40 miles per hour. With wind chill members said it was 4 degrees outside. Needless to say I hope I never have to walk in that weather again haha. 

We saw most of our Investigators this week so that was cool. All of our investigators bailed on coming to church though so that was a bummer. Our investigator J got called into work although he is doing very well and hopefully should have a baptism date soon. 

We also found a new investigators this week who lives in our apartment complex. His girl friend who lives and is a member in the DC north mission called us and told us to go to his house. We went over and he has already gone though all the pamphlets and has read a lot of the Book of Mormon. He often goes to church with his girl friend in Northern Virginia. He has some issues with the church including a living prophet...

But anyways I think it will go well.

Other than that things are going well. Its a little slow but its starting to pick up. 

Oh and you probably want to know about Transfers. So elder P is getting Transferred. So the whole day yesterday I was expecting just to get another elder in here. But then at 1010 PM president called me right as I got done reporting and told me I was training a new missionary. So im at it again it should be fun, hopefully I wont get stressed out with training and being a district leader haha. 

But anyways that's about all that happened this week! Elder B is getting transferred :( But he's getting transferred to my old area Severn which is a zone leader area now! And of course he gets full car there haha and I had to walk everywhere. 

But anyways I love and miss you guys! Thanks for all you do for me! President and the group that goes home with him on June 25.  

Interviews with President are next week so we will talk about when I will go home! I love you guys! Have a good week!

LOVE. Wes 

January 5, 2015

Hey family!

Good to here from all you guys! Holy cow it sounds like you had a busy and fun week with the holidays! I'm glad to here that you had all are having a good time and having fun. 

My week was pretty good. Monday we got a call from elder G that he was coming on team ups with me and elder P. So we enjoyed three of our days with him. He is a super cool assistant and was elder B's trainer. I was a little stressed out but it wasn't bad at all. Tuesday for my District meeting we already elder Green with us when Elder Z another assistant showed up! I almost died! But I'm really cool with both of them so it wasn't bad but I have been wondering this whole week why they both were there haha. 

But anyways new years [eve] was kind boring but good. We had to be in at 8. We went to cafe rio and some member picked up our tab so that was awesome. And we bought some sparkling cider and drank it when we got home. We were allowed again to watch G rated movies so we borrowed toy story 3 from a member and watched that until bed time haha. 

New years day was really fun. We couldn't proselyte so it was like a preparation day. I planned a district lunch and we all splurged and went to olive garden, it was pretty good. 

Anyways I cant believe there having you speak in church again mom haha. What is this like the third time since I have been gone? So good ways to prepare I think are to get in the habit of being really friendly with people and not being afraid to talk with anyone. Also reading and gaining a testimony of the scriptures and knowing whats in them is super crucial. Being prepared as well to worry about other people and not worry about yourself is huge. Ways I have changed on my mission I feel I can with 100 percent certainty that the gospel is true. I have learned that its not all about me and the best way to be happy is to help others and gain a testimony of the gospel. I think my priorities have changes a lot as well and a lot of the worldly things don't seem as important as the things we can do to grow spiritually. I have also learned not to waste time and being effective in everything you do so you can get everything done that you need to. I have also gained a testimony about the reasons god gives us commandments and how they can benefit us in our lives. So anyways I hope that's a good enough list of things to help you with your talk! 

Anyways its been a crazy day and its super cold outside so me and elder P have to get going but I love you guys! Thanks for all you guys do for me and the love and encouragement you give me. I hope you guys have a good week. I potentially have under six months until I come home which is crazy to think about.

Anyways I love you all! Have a good week!

  

Love wes

December 29, 2014 letter

Hey family!

I just got done writing a short letter to you guys and writing a thank you note to the relief society. I laughed after reading your email because a lot of what you talked about goals and stuff I talked about in my letter haha. 

 

Anyways it was really good to talk to you guys on Christmas! It was for sure the least prepared phone call on both our ends haha but no worries. I really enjoyed Chistmas and you guys and everyone spoiled me with gifts as always :) I hope you guys had a good Christmas even though seemed like it was pretty low key for you guys.

 

Anyways thanks again for the presents. I cant believe 2015 is upon us. That is INSANE! I cant believe I can say I come home this year and maybe even right as summer starts! We will have to see what happens with that but ill keep you posted for sure. 

 

I dont really have much more to say since we just talked. But thanks for  being so awesome I love you guys! ... I love you guys! Have a great week!

Love wes