Excerpts from recent letters

From a letter to Dad:

Well this past week hasn't been too busy. We need to go out and contact people again. A lot of people cancelled their appointments last week. I'm hoping this week goes a lot better as far as teaching is concerned. Yeah we're pretty much surrounded by desert. You see a long stretch of desert and then you see mountains. I got a chance to go in the temple today and it's a very pretty temple in the inside. It has paintings of the area around it like of desert and mountains and stuff in the rooms. The teaching is going ok but like I said a lot of people have been cancelling appointments. The coolest thing I have done on a day off is go and see the falls. Other than that we usually go and play sports and stuff. The only book I'm reading right now is the Book of Mormon. I don't get a whole lot of time to read at all. I bought that suit at Deseret Industries. It was a nice suit so I bought it. We really aren't allowed to wear light suits so I only wear it once in a while. I'm not sleeping much better. I can fall asleep but I always wake up in the middle of the night at least once. I'll tell you a little bit about this past week. Basically Elder Crook went and bought a bike and we helped fix Brother Hill's sump pump. Well Elder Crook helped anyway because only one of us was able to help. We also helped clean up somebody's house like I said in the letter.

From a letter to Mom:

This one family in our ward that we like to hang out with, there son might have leukemia. It was sad cause he is pretty little so we went over there and gave him a blessing this morning with the dad and I gave the dad a blessing. I felt bad for their family.

From a letter to the Family:

A funny story: We were doing service for someone, working in their yard and I found a dead squirrel. So 3 other missionaries and I went and stuck it under the windshield wiper of the Spanish elders’ car, so that it would be staring at them while they drove. LOL We stayed to watch their reaction and they ran into the curb. LOL It was hilarious.

From a letter to Mark (who will be 19 in 6 months and is contemplating going on a mission) I’m sharing only a few parts of his letter to Mark. I was so impressed with these statements that I felt I should share them and publish them in his blog. We are so very proud of him and his decision to serve. You can really see how much he has grown in just 7 short (sometimes long) months. I read this and was like, "WOW!"

I honestly (at one point) had no desire to go on a mission. Looking back on it though I’m glad I went on one. A mission is a good experience. I’ve learned not to be selfish. I work hard every day for my family and friends because I want them to be blessed. I get up on time now because I am motivated for them and for myself to receive those blessings. You should pray and ask God (if he too should go on a mission.) If you receive an answer to go, I would suggest going because he will humble you. LOL Anyway, missions are pretty fun especially if you are friends with your companion. I still act the same and have fun but I’m a more positive person and more mature. I have made many new friends and have helped many people to change. Nothing brings more joy to my heart than to know that I have helped someone’s life. A mission is in no way easy. It comes with its fair share of challenges. But it’s through our trials that make us stronger. There are many times I have felt homesick or wanted to sleep in and do nothing all day. But in the end I feel fine or I come out on top. The power of prayer can help conquer any challenge. I pretty much live by the rules, work hard and play hard. So in other words work hard, but have fun in the process!