Chapter 76 - June 24, 2013

So things are going well for us now.  The Lord is beginning to pour out his blessings upon us here in our area :).  This last week we were able to find 3 new people to start teaching and we have appointments to meet with them this week :).  We also have been able to find quite a few less active families that want to start coming back to church and so we have begun to help them do that :).  In fact, one of them just came to church this week and the dad got a calling :).  Walking is still killing me but hey, i no longer am having sleep problems like i used to where i would lie awake in my bed for a few hours before falling asleep because now i am dead tired when i walk into the apartment hahaha :).  Plus, i'm getting back into shape/getting sexy so i will look in shape for when i get home :) hahaha.

Yes i went to that missionary broadcast, and daaaaaang it was such an amazing broadcast. The messages that were given were all really good and afterwards we had a few people call us and start giving us referals, which we contacted then and there and were able to setup appointments with all of them :). Hopefuly that fire will keep going and more members will start to help us out and we can get up to that 20 lessons a week goal.

So your new calling is Ward Mission Coordinator? Daaaang, so our ward now has a red for a ward mission leader and one of best planner for the coordinator. I would say that our ward is about to get dominated missionary work wise hahaha.

So our home address is

1443 poplar Apartment #3

Pocatello, Idaho 83201

Well, that's all that's going on this week so peace out till next week :).

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 75 - June 17, 2013

So Garrett Harrington is going to Denver Colorado?  That's legit.  Dang, so pretty much none of the youth are going to be home for when i come off my mission hahaha.  Oh well that's the way it should be because if they were home i would probably harrass them about why they aren't on missions hahaha.

So things were a little slow this week for us.  Maybe it was because it was father's day weekend or something, but pretty much 3/4ths of our appointments canceled on us this week :(.  But we were able to find a new person to teach this week and will be teaching them for the first time tomorrow.  So hopefully things go well and we can have another investigator that will want to be baptized! :).  So i'm not gonna lie, being in a walking area has been kicking my butt hahaha.  I don't think i have ever been so tired in my life than i have been these last 2 weeks.  We pretty much get into the apartment every day exhausted hahaha.  Yesterday i think we walked 8 miles, which by the way is mostly on steep hills so it sucks haha.  But things are going good here.  This week already is looking very promising and we will be teaching quite a few people this week :).

(Answers to questions:  Elder Farnsworth is from Mesa Arizona, i cover 4 wards, yes they are feeding us, and poci is waaaaay different hahahaha.  won't lie, poci is kinda a dump but it's all good hahaha.  And on p-days we shop at fred meyer/walmart.  We email at the fhc.)

Well, that's all i really have to talk about this week so peace out till next week :).

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 74 - June 10, 2013

Leaving Ririe, I miss them all so much but knowing that this is where the lord wants me and where i am supposed to be has made it easier.  Plus, 6 months aint that long of a time ;) (no that's not a trunky comment hahaha).  

That's cool that Tiffany got baptized.  And that's even cooler that she got baptized in a pool!  Man, i would kill to baptize someone in a pool.  I am positive though that if i were the one baptizing the person in the pool i would take a 5-10 second swim in the pool hahaha.  That's also legit that Garrett is getting his mission call this week.  You will have to make sure to tell me first thing next monday where he gets his mission call to.  Speaking of mission calls though, i have already been telling a few people that i know someone coming out in august (landon) and that i call training him hahaha.  Gotta teach him how to rep the Laguna Niguel Stake ;).

So i guess it's time to tell you how things are in my new area.  My companion's name is Elder Farnsworth and he is freakin legit.  We pretty much hit it off right from the beginning and are having a fun time together.  And guess who his MTC comp was?  His comp in the MTC was Elder Bush! So we have been sharing stories with each other hahaha.  Oh, speaking of Elder Bush he ended up going home to serve a service mission.  But ya, I am looking forward to this transfer serving with Elder Farnsworth because we are gonna tear it up here in Alameda.  Right now we have 4 people that we are working with that are progressing towards baptism so the work is going well in this area.  They gave me a good welcome for my first day as a district leader as well.  Pretty much within the first few hours of being a district leader i did a baptismal interview and then a few hours after that i went and taught the restoration at one of the baptisms happening in my district.  Being a district leader is a little stressful, mostly having to do all the paper work and what not, but i am enjoying it so far.  Ill tell  you next week how i feel about being district leader after i give my first district meeting this week hahaha.  Well, that's all that's been happening this week so im gonna end this here.  Peace out till next week!

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 73 - June 3, 2013

I finally got the package!!! hahaha. Waiting for packages has to be one of the most stressful things but once you get them it's probably one of the happiest things hahaha.  Thanks for the ties in it, and tell Tristan that they are awesome XD.  And thanks for the snacks, i have been craving some joe-joes lately.  So like you said, i am also exited for this next transfer to see how things go in poci, but i am very sad to be leaving Ririe.  I have grown to love everyone here so much and saying goodbye these last few days has been one of the hardest things ive done hahaha.  

Something cool though that the stake did for me is since i have been here for so long and because they are going to miss me here, the stake presidency asked me to speak in the priesthood session of stake conference and just bear my testimony and talk about the joy's of serving, so in other words i got to give a farewell talk for leaving Ririe :).  The entire time i was speaking i was holding back my tears and had to stop speaking for a few seconds to recollect myself because i kept getting choked up, but it was a great experience to get to bear my testimony to all the people i have grown to love.  But you are right, it's going to be good going to poci and becoming a district leader because it's going to keep me quite busy and i am going to have to be as focused as i can be or i am going to fall on my face.  Well, i would fall on my face more than i already am going to hahaha XD.  I will admit i am a little nervous to become a district leader because i hope i can be a good example to all those in my district and be able to help them bring success to their areas and be able to encourage them, but i am very grateful for this opportunity that the lord has given me because i know it's going to make me grow XD.  I am also a little nervous to have to run district meeting now, but i am already embracing the fact that my first district meeting will probably a little more on the suck side because i will have no clue what i'm doing hahaha XD.

That's so awesome that Haley is entering the mtc this week!  She is going to love it in japan and she will definitely have to eat some sushi for me XD.  Speaking of Sushi though, we went and did something awesome today for p-day.  So i have been hearing all about this sushi place in IF called Blue Hashi and so this p-day i figured that since i am leaving i was going to go get some sushi XD.  I ended up spending about $30 dollars on sushi hahaha but man it was so awesome to have some sushi again.  It wasn't as good as sushi in Cali but man it was still pretty darn good XD.  I got 2 rolls, one was called Surf N Turf and the other one was called SleepWalker.

Well, i guess it's time to tell you about this last week.  I guess ill start with today.  Like i said earlier, we went and got sushi for lunch, then after that we went and played some Frisbee Golf.  In a few hours i am going to go finish saying goodbye to a member family named the Calls here (they are super cool) and we are going to play some ping pong. (oh by the way steve, if you are reading this you might want to start practicing because i am going to destroy you at ping pong when i get home :P).  We also were able to teach one of our investigators that we have right now and she is so excited to eventually get baptized.  She reads so much between visits and is always excited to hear what we have to teach her next.  Unfortunately i won't be able to come up for this baptism, because i won't be within a half an hours drive of Ririe but i look forward to the day that i hear about her getting baptized.  Well, that's all that really happened this week.  I guess the next email you will get from me will be in my next area in Poci so until that day peace out! XD

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 72 - May 27, 2013

So the first thing that happened this week is we got transfer calls.  And........the person leaving this transfer is........none other than....elder.......arrowchis  :(.  Ya my name got drawn as tribute and i am going to be transfered to Alameda, which is down in poci [Pocatello, ID]. Yes, i am EXTREMELY sad to be leaving Ririe, it seriously feels like im leaving home, but it will be good.  I guess more news is i have been called to be a district leader down in alameda.  I am going to have 10 elders in my district (including me and my comp) So that means i will have to go on 9 exchanges a transfer (which is going to be a lot of work and i am going to have to stay on my A game but it will keep me busy which will be good XD).  Transfers aren't until June 5th (so about a week and a half away) so if you haven't sent that package yet (if you have i just haven't gotten it yet) could you send it please XD.  Thanks XD.  Well, that's all i really have to report on so i guess peace out till next week XD.

Chapter 71 - May 20, 2013

So skyping you guys on sunday was a ton of fun.  It felt good to talk to all of you and it reminded me how much of a dork family i have XD haha.  I mean i was getting worried that you guys might actually be non-dorks when i got home and we can't have that now can we hahaha ;).  Oh, so i mentioned this for like 5 seconds on the skype call but i have a new game for us to get competitive in.  It's called Hand and Foot and it is a super fun game and i can totally see us getting super competitive over this game hahaha.  The jose's are the ones that taught us it and we play it every now and then with them XD.

So i totally agree with david that you have gotten a little "trunky" hahahaha XD.  It's ok, ill be non-trunky for us.  That's so awesome that Melanie is leaving tomorrow for the MTC.  She is going to be a great missionary and is going to love it down in Peru.  Speaking of Peru, how is parker doing?  Has he gotten word about a visa yet?  Also, could i get his email address so i could send him an email?  How is he doing learning spanish?  Man, it's so exciting hearing about all these missionaries leaving on missions and all these people getting their calls.  I can't wait for next week to find out where Scott is going.  I am going to put my guess in now that Scott will get sent to....The Idaho Pocatello Mission!!!!!!! hahaha.  That would be super cool if he did come to this mission and would be even cooler if i got to train him.  That's kind of a long stretch but just saying it would be cool hahaha :).  That's also legit that you guys are becoming the Irvine Mission.  I agree with those missionaries though, i have the same thoughts about the twin falls mission.  I don't want to be one of the missionaries getting switched to that mission because it's not the mission i am called to hahaha XD.

Well, this week was a good one for us in Ririe.  We were able to teach 9 lessons this week and we currently have an investigator up in Swan Valley that is progressing very well and has a baptismal date set for June 8th XD.  She is so excited to be baptized and for our next visits.  Between this time and the last time we taught her (so a week because we go up to swan every Thursday) she read 15 chapters!  She shocked both me and my companion with how much she read because neither of us have ever had anyone read that many chapters in between teaching appointments hahaha :).  

Something else that was fun/cool that happened is me and my comp went Frisbee golfing this morning, before coming to emails, in a park called Freeman Park in Idaho Falls and we had a blast!  The course there is an 18 hole course and we did the whole point system of you get a point when you get a par or lower for the hole and the score ended up being 6-2 with me winning XD.  We decided we want to do that every p-day now so we can get better at Frisbee golf haha.  Well, that's all i have to write about this week.  Thanks for everything and peace out till next week XD.

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 70 - May 13, 2013

(no email due to Skype calls)