Wednesday, November 25, 2009

25 November 2009

Hey y'all,
Life is good. thanks for the package, it helped lift my morale. I love the CDs! We did get the cookies.
We are getting wet on Sunday night. Brett and Melissa are taking the step, and they want both of us to baptize them, so we're both doing one! Its so exciting. We have the Zone leaders interviewing them on Saturday! it'll be good... I got to perform my first baptism interview last week too, since I'm a District Leader now. it was way good. We have 19 on a date in our stake and 3 in our area. We are so stoked!
So I hope you guys had fun in Utah! It is awesome to be able to be there that quickly...
So I don't know what else to tell ya. Things are so fun. I love my mission.
We get to eat dinner with the Smiths tomorrow for Thanksgiving. (the family we live with. Other than that P-day is from 10-12 today, and all day tomorrow! YAY!

I love you guys!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Elder Stevenson

Thursday, November 19, 2009

18 November 2009

Well I'm glad all is well back home! I loved this week so far. We get to knock doors and throw some snowballs and have a good time. On Saturday it was interesting, and I got to go on exchanges with a kid in our district. We have a freaking lot of hills in our area, and when it started snowing that little Corolla wouldn't make it up them. So I had to go downhill and take the car home and park it and we were just going to walk, but we had some members who were looking out for us and gave us rides to our nighttime appointments. I was glad to go on exchanges with him, because he's been going through some hard times lately. We were in the same district in the MTC, he was one of those uber-obedient missionaries, and had a very anal trainer, and then he got burnt out I think. You always have to have a balance of work and fun, and he did all work and now is doing all fun, so I am setting some goals with him prayerfully, asking Pres for advise at interviews, and just being his friend, and hopefully we can get his morale up a bit. And I am giving an awesome training on how the atonement causes change and setting some goals with the district next week! I'm excited for that.
I had Zone Conference on Monday, and it was on our purpose and it was highlighting the purpose of "Inviting others..." instead of "...baptism..." which rubbed me a bit better than last time. A missionaries purpose is not to baptize! Were that so most the missions in the state would be a failure. Ours is one of the highest performing. We get the most new investigators per week in the states, and compared to the average for the states, 1 in 3 with a date get baptized, as opposed to 1 in 8. We always have over 50 baptisms per month, so with the feelings missionaries get here then that would cause me to conclude that all the missionaries in the states are failures if the largest part of our purpose is to baptize. But enough of my ranting.
The devil is working on Brett and Melissa, their whole family has had a nasty flu, and Brett just got it. Melissa had excruciating pain and went to the ER and is having her Gallbladder removed on Friday. We'll be bringing their fellowshippers to give her a blessing on Thursday night.
Life is good though. We keep finding people, and keep trying.
I am still in Lakewood, probably won't be in 4 weeks, it'll be six months and four and a half with the same companion. i have been a district leader for 2 weeks, to answer your question, and I love it. It's so great to challenge missionaries to stretch and to work with them and really get to know them. Everything is great!
Its so crazy that Thanksgiving is next week. Oh my goodness, time flies! I remember being at Vicki's last thanksgiving with you guys, and it's already here. If I don't watch out it'll seem like tomorrow when I get on a plane back to ONT and get to tell all kinds of funny stories.
Well I think I gotta go. I only have like two minutes left online.
I love you guys, and I'll try and get an hour next week hopefully so I can write more.

Take care,
Peace, Love, and Prosperity,
Elder Stevenson

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

12 November 2009

Sorry I didn't get to email yesterday

How are ya guys?
Things are great here. I love being a missionary, and being a district leader will be a great thing this transfer. I feel like I am getting to know the missionaries in my district better each day. We have a district goal of 13 baptisms for the transfer, and EXCITING NEWS!!!!: we set Brett and Melissa with a date for the 29th. We have been finding new people, and it seems like we have an appointment with a non-member every night of the week right now, which is a step up from the first 4 1/2 months here. I love it here, and am excited to see what will happen this transfer.
As for me and my companion, we get along most of the time, but neither one of us are scared to tell each other the things that are bothersome, so we are overcoming our differences. Life is good. I just conducted my first district meeting, and it was fun. I am going to try and make them a lot less boring and redundant than previous times.
We are starting to gain the trust of the wards, but at least in the one ward, still not their full support. They can say that they lack experience and training, but that is a BS excuse, we've had a mission presidency member train the leadership twice since I've been here, and the bishop, ward mission leader and other leaders decided not to go. Well thats the beautiful thing that came with the fall right? (agency)
So story time. I stopped by on exchanges with our Zone Leaders on Saturday, and we had taught Tithing and the Word of wisdom to Brett and Melissa, and they were very receptive we found out. They set apart 10 % of their paycheck for the week and drew out a budget for how it might work. He also said he only had half a cup of coffee that week, when his dad came over, but he felt so bad he dumped the rest down the drain. They're awesome. She also told us she'd be baptized tomorrow, but she can wait until the end of the month for her husband to be ready. It'll be great.
Zone Conference is next week. YAY It should be great! And the kid we baptized a little while ago, his dad is getting into addiction recovery, so he can be baptized.
Well guys, I miss ya, it's rough to see the Christmas decorations all over in the stores! I makes me think of good times and smiling faces back home.
Oh and about the hair clippers... they do work, we just have a lady who offered to, and knows how to, so I figured I'd let her.
Life is crazy! The swine flu isn't as rampant here as it was anymore, half the students at some of the schools here were home sick a month or two ago. I'm glad Cathy is feeling better. And what about the fort Hood shooter? A Major with Al-Queda ties??? Thats scary. How many other people that wear our country's flag are traitors? It's hard to believe. it is the last days though, we knew things were going to be like this before we came to this world! it's gonna be amazing to see what knowledge comes back to us after we die, how much will just click??
Well take care, be happy, and have some fun!

Until next time,
Elder Stevenson

Get to call you in a little over one month! yay!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

4 November 2009

I'll be in this area for 6 months and with the same companion for 4 1/2. Haha. I did get impressions taken of my teeth, now that I know I'm staying, we can explore our options with Dr. Wood. This email may be short today too, because the library is packed and I could only reserve half an hour. I can never think of too much to write in half an hour.
Well you spoke about snow days... we dont usually stay in on those days, only on P-days or sick days. Our mission never shuts down for weather, we're not allowed to drive on snowpacked or icy roads though, so the storm days are not fun. But you just gotta keep working hard. Its nice how sunny it is in Colorado, we can have 2 feet of snow one day, and two days later it will have melted! Good stuff.
Brett and Melissa are still progressing. We taught them the word of wisdom and they committed to live it. He said, "That's easy, all I gotta do is throw away my coffee maker!" They are too good to be true. We talked to them about baptism, and asked them to think about a date they'd like to. Its awesome. We're gonna help them get an oak desk from her office today too, so she can telecommute, so that will be great for their family. It will buy them some time together, since she won't be on the road as much. They are also starting this thing where they'll read a chapter from the book of mormon or bible at night, and if they miss it, they have to clean up dog poo in their backyard, and if its done then they have to help a neighbor out with something the next day. It's a cool tradition they just decided to start up!
Well I went to the temple today, and bought some more garment bottoms. I had bought six and then got four today, because my old ones were coming apart at the seams (the fabric is like deteriorating??). Well the new ones feel a ton better too, but I think the tops are fine. Life is good. So you know what would be a good Christmas present? Can you guys get me a new set of blades and screen for my electric razor? I can get you the number/website, and parts code next week if you're ok with that! Also, christmas music is approved, so can you send me Louis Armstrong, and maybe some other fun Christmas CDs? That would be cool too. By the way, thanks for the package. I was so excited. It came on Halloween and we were told to get in after our dinner appointments on Halloween, so I got home at 730 and it was a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed the time change with the extra hour of sleep. hehe
So how's life? You planning on staying in San Bernardino?? Or are you guys looking for a place closer to dad's work? We just got 17 new missionaries who flew in today (with only 5 going home) and 7 of them are from California! yay... We don't get like any Utah missionaries, because we're too close to it, but the most of our mission is honestly the west coast states.
Well I should probably get going. But I do love you guys, and I hope all is well. By the way... I'm read the gospels a couple of times, and now I'm reading Acts, and there is so much you can use to teach from that book... Its wonderful. i need to pick up on Jesus the Christ again too, I've only read about half that book.

Love ya,
Tom