Monday, November 28, 2011

Monday, November 28th

I don't have much time to email got to work on something for mission on the computers, I'm in charge of all that stuff, I am working on a mission slide show for Christmas.

Dad can use my boots I left at home they should fit him and they are very warm.

For Thanksgiving we had dinner at 11 am then a district meeting then sports with our members at gym then second thanks giving dinner, slid into a guard rail and broke plastic on mission car, its not bad, then came home.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Monday, November 21st, 2011

So I have been made the official tech/it elder of our mission, I talked to Sis. Beesley our mission president’s wife and she told me I can have the official title of tech guru. I share new methods of using technology to communicate and share the gospel; I just finished entering every missionary’s phone number into my email as contacts so I can send out mass texts to the entire mission.

They have members of the ward who video tape all of the ward parties, there is one on a tripod and one who walks around and tapes everyone, all of them Samoan, the elders were talking to a member of their ward, who was inviting them to the party, he said "I dance like a wild man, it is fun and everyone has fun watching me, I love to dance."

We have about 30 investigators, not even joking; there is a lot of work in the Samoan wards. A young man walked in yesterday at church and introduced himself in priesthood meeting, and introduced himself as a non member who would like to be baptized, so being missionaries we jumped on that, he is talking to his parents and we will follow up tomorrow.

Yes we do, we have about 30 active investigators, the ward here is much, much more involved with sharing the gospel, on Tuesday night Samoans from all Anchorage, member and nonmember alike are invited to volleyball, non members can only play for 2 weeks before talking with us and deciding whether they want to take the discussions, they have multiple fire sides, they invite all their friends to everything, they do most everything a missionary could wish the members could do.

My first experience here when I was in this ward the first time has helped me very much with the culture, the whole yours is mine is strange, but mine is yours, yours is ours, ours is all of yours, everyone shares with everyone for the most part, it is interesting, missionaries stuff is the exception. Missionaries are given the same status as bishop, chief, or leaders. They do all they can to help us.

The culture is interesting, they just want to have fun, be happy, and learn about the Lord. They are very humble.

I’m not sure what the plan is for Thanksgiving,

????What do you want for Christmas???? The only item I really want for now is panda ties, ties with pandas on them, it’s a running joke I got one I really like and I want to get a bunch of panda ties before I go home, other than that.. money or candies and stuff.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Monday, November 14th


Hi mom I am back in the Dimond ward staying with the Meades, at the house I started off my mission in. I remember a decent amount of what I learned, but it was not much still. I bore my testimony in Samoan this week I had to read it.

My companion is Elder Collins he is from Western Samoa, I really like him, he is teaching me a lot of Samoan, there is a lot of work going on here and I am really enjoying it.

(???Do they feed you enough) Oh yes, members in the Samoan ward get mad at you if you ever go hungry and do not ask them to give you food or money that night.
I’m fine on zyrteck for now; in fact I am back in Anchorage, so I can get it for about the same prices down there, I’ll work on getting that nativity, so you would like the nicest one I can find??? Is December 10th when you need it by or when you need it sent by, I’ll will get it as soon as I can alright? I will do my best to find you a sweet one!

We have gotten a lot of snow here in Anchorage, those 100mph winds are fairly common in Palmer area, that’s probably where that hit.

(???Can missionaries by fireworks??) i sent those because when I was in Houston people would come there from all over Alaska, it is the only place that is legal to get those fireworks in all of Alaska.

It’s a cool place, they had a batman that would stand next to a batmobile all day to get people to stop there, one day they had 6 people in gorilla suits dancing around, one guy owns all of those and he is lds, he makes millions there, they are open all year round.

Monday, November 7, 2011

November 7, 2011




Back row, Elders Carson, Lawson, Fisher, Sutton, Poole, Bunch, Cameron, Na'a, Wigand, Tonga, Sherwood, Williams, Woolbert, Middle row: Elder Adams, Sister Squires, Sis. Walker, Elder William R. Walker, Pres. Beesley, Sister Beesley, Sister Garner, in Front: Elder White, Espiritu, Stone.





I am being transferred tomorrow, I am being sent to the Dimond Samoan ward where I was trained, I will have a Samoan companion to help me learn the language, president Beasley said he wants elders who will learn the language and help future missionaries in the Samoan wards learn Samoan.

So this week Elder Stone and I got to meet Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the quorum of the twelve apostles, Bishop Burton, Elder Christensen, and Elder Tad Callister, we got to spend an hour with them and the other missionaries before he did a fireside in anchorage. It was amazing to be that close to and to shake hands with these people. On Saturday we had the chance to meet Jeffrey R. Holland and he taught us many things, he spent a lot of time in the fireside (which was for non-members, recent converts and so on) he talked about how you can go home from this meeting and not join the church, but you cannot deny that this is true.

You cannot argue the evidence, you cannot kill this, you can go home and be baptized or you can go home and tell the missionaries, my what a strange old man you brought to speak to us, paraphrasing of course. It was really amazing to be there. The speakers were turned up really loud because the previous speakers, Tad Callister, Bishop Burton and Elder Christensen were quiet, it was very loud at the end

It was really amazing. I have never been so close to an apostle, he and the others gave incredible talks both privately to the missionaries and in the fireside.

I will try to find link to it.
It is snowing a lot up here we have gotten several feet in the last couple days alone. I will definitely look for a nativity set for you, should not be too hard to find. I will be in Anchorage now, I should be able to buy stuff for much less than I was able to in Wasilla, there is no sales tax and things in Anchorage are at better prices.
Well I did really want to stay where I am, but i have also wanted to go back to Dimond ward since I left, it’s really hard. I love both of them so much. I have been here for 8 months now but when we went to the fireside with Jeffrey R. Holland Lucy Hansen gave the opening prayer. I baptized Lucy Hansen when I was in Dimond ward before.I am really excited to see them again.