Week 29

AREA: Lone Mountain   
COMPANION: Elder How

This week has been great!  The biggest thing that has happened was
Zone Conference.  What we were taught was that we have been teaching
wrong for so long.  We were taught to always focus your lesson on the
gospel of Jesus Christ. (Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism,
Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End). Really
good lesson to learn because it totally changes the way we teach.
Love it!

We taught the Edwards family twice last week and they were awesome
lessons.  Monday we taught follow the Prophet and keep the Ten
Commandments.  Taught the kids (the hand signs to remember them.  Went
really well as well with the lesson Friday.  This was the day of Zone
Conference so the new teaching style was fresh in our mind.  So we
taught tithing and fasting/fast offering and went very well. We really
made sure we were focusing on their progress instead of just teaching
them a lesson.

We also have the sister wives neighborhood in our area and one of the
sons wants to take the lessons possibly named Robert Brown.  He is 18
I believe and we've talked to him a few times and trying to figure out
if we can teach him or not from President.  We will see what he says.

Overall great week, my companion is awesome and I'm learning a lot
from him.  My district leader is cool too, I went on exchanges with him
Saturday and it was 48 degrees and rainy the whole time, lot of fun!
No car so we were walking  all day.

Love you guys and miss you!

Week 28

AREA: Lone Mountain   
COMPANION: Elder How

My week has been pretty good.  One of my wards is doing a lot better
than the other.  One ward is mostly all gated which includes the
Sister Wives neighborhood from the tv show.  I saw the husband pull
into the neighborhood one day.  So the ward with all the gated
community
It's is hard but are other ward is pretty good,  we are still teaching
a family named the Edwards which is going well, still trying to help
them quit smoking.  And we taught a few others and we will see how
they turn out, they aren't the most solid but willing for us to come
over.  We also have had some great lessons with less active members
and helping some families with sons around mission age to give them
the desire to serve a mission.  Also the dinner we had this week was
really good, we went to a part member family and a little less active
and I really think we helped them with there testimonies.

Are P-days have been a lot more fun, we have no sisters in our zone so
we do some fun games like ultimate ball.  Exactly like ultimate
frisbee but with a soccer ball and the goal is to get it into a trash
can on either side of the gym.

Really fun week and something I have focused on this week is getting
the most out of my mission.  It's important to me to get my money's
worth so when I get home I will have no regrets.  I'm learning to work
hard and build my social skills.  I'm loving it out here and love the
message we share each day.  I want everyone to hear it and I'm
learning to talk to everyone we see and run into.  There is always
something to work on in life, don't just do the same thing everyday of
your life and call it good, build those skills you are trying to
work on and don't give up.

The district leaders were 5 minutes late to the meeting, so we took this picture cause it started at 10

Week 27

AREA: Lone Mountain   
COMPANION: Elder How

My week has been great but first off I'll tell you about some changes
we have had that I forgot to mention last week.  Our schedule and
dinners have changed. For our schedule we can do daily planning in the
morning instead of at night. Also we can choose when to do companion
study.  And we can choose to do it either 30 or 60 mins.  We can also
do 30 to 60 min workout instead of just 30mins.  Now for the dinners,
from the first presidency we have told to have only one meal a week at
a members, less active, or investigators house.  So now we have learn
to cook so if anyone has easy cheap recipes, I'd love to have them.
Our mission funds stay the same ($150 month each Elder), so we also
learn to budget our money better.  The reason they are doing this is
because we aren't here to be served by members, we are here to serve
them.  Also 6-9 is prime time to proselyte.  Also we need to start
dinner at 5 and end at 6 so no more than an hour. I think this will
really help the mission focus on our purpose more by not hanging out
at members houses.

Other than that my week has been great.  I love my area and my
companion already.  We were able to have quite a few lessons with our
investigators.  One of the families we have taught are the Edwards.
The husband is a member but the wife and kid is not.  They have a
problem with smoking and drinking coffee so we have been helping them
defeat that addiction.  Awesome family and really nice.  We also have
taught a few people that is hard to deal with, they are living with
there boyfriend or girlfriends house and they want to be baptized but
we keep telling them they need to get married or move out.  It's hard
to explain to them that it's wrong even when they aren't having sex.
They don't get it and get angry.

My area is very cool, really close to the mountains but not in the
middle of no where.  It's a rich area but kinda empty in some areas.
It's got a good view of the strip so a lot of nice houses everywhere.
I'm excited to continue serving here with Elder How. He's been in the
area for 6 months already so he knows everyone almost.  It's weird not
knowing the area or people in the wards.

Something I've really learned this week is the importance of temple
attendance and being positive in your thought and things will go a lot
smoother.  When you are not self critical things get done better and
faster.  I know that when you need help you can turn to our Heavenly
Father.  He is always there to give you strength if you are willing to
work hard to have him help you.  I know God is real and he answers our
prayers.

Almost forgot, I found out today I have to go to court for this drunk driver that hit
me a while back.  Don't know too much about it, just that a lady's
going to call and ask us some questions.  So this is weird and will
let you know what happens next week.

Great week and looking forward to next week.  Love you guys!

Temple trip

Allergic reaction to a cat

Week 26

AREA: Lone Mountain   
COMPANION: Elder How

First off I got transferred today to the Lone Mountain Stake covering
the Lone Mountain and Cheyenne Ridge Ward.  I am with Elder How and he
is cool.  He joined the church at 18 and came out after a year of
college at BYU Provo.  He's been out about 16 months I believe.

My week was pretty good.  We found a family who has 2 unbaptized
children and we taught them the restoration and they want to be
baptized so that's cool.  That was the best thing that happened this
week.

My area was a harder area but now I have anew area so it sounds like a
better area so that's good news.  I am also serving around new people
I came out with so that should be fun.

Sorry to be so short. But there isn't a ton to report.

I love my mission,  I loved my old area.  I was there for 6 months and
will miss a lot of people but glad for a change.

Love you guys so much and miss you! Hope all you guys are well.