Elder Corbin Moore-- July 30, 2012

Whats up!! Well this week was a good one. We were able to go to the visitors' center with a couple of our investigators, A. and her daughters K., and K. It was a super great experience for them and they really enjoyed it. They were super excited to learn a little bit more about the temple, and the role that it plays in our beliefs. The sisters taught about families and tied that in to the temple and how the temple blesses families. The following day we went over to follow up on it and were able to talk with them about a phamplet that we got for them at the VC about temples. They loved it and said that they just want to keep learning more. They both showed up that the church as well. It was nice for them because it was 5th sunday which means that the missionaries were in charge of the sacrament. I didn't speak, but I did get a chance to sing with the other elders. Overall it was a good sunday and church for them. Then after church there was a baptism, so we invited them to go with us. They came and then returned to the church later that night for a fireside that they were having. They are the only investigators that we are working with right now but we are on the search for more.

       Im still working on the spanish, it is going really well. I am at the point were I can just speak in spanish and I am fine. I am trying to help Elder Stinson learn it a little quicker so he enjoys the spanish that I throw his way. Elder Stinson and I are doing great together we never have problems, which makes the work easier. The only time that we do have problems is when we get locked out of our apartment. Hahah. Which happened for the first time today. Well we were leaving our apartment to walk down the stairs to the laundry room that we have here in the complex. We shut to door behind us and when we returned we found out that the door was locked. So we tried to play with it for a little, because we didn't have a phone to call the managers. We couldn't do anything so I knocked on our next-door neighboor's door and asked her if she had the manager's number and a phone that we could use. So I called them but there was no one there, I left a message and then we started scoping out to window of the apartment to see if we had left any of them open. None of them we opened except the bathroom one. So we found a ladder and made it work for us. We finally got back into our apartment, it was pretty funny. I am sending some video feed of it.

       Well that is basically what happened this week, not to mention that I had my birthday which was just a regular day here in the mission. I still feel like I am 17 and enjoying life. So we will keep it that way. Well I haven't heard too much about what is going on back home. Just that Bernie is starting football, and that Keyton went to priest camp. Still haven't heard too much from Brayden. or Josh? Hopefully eveything is going well with everyone and I would love to hear from you all. and pics. Well got to go and do some missionary work. Hope eveyone is watching the Olympics I know I would be. Peace out

 

Con Amor

Elder Moore

 

Elder Corbin-- July 23, 2012

Man does time fly by way to fast. I had an interesting experience this past week. Elder Stinson and I were sitting in our apartment doing our weekly planning session. I look up and the big calendar that we have on our whiteboard and it dawned on me that August is in two weeks. Wow, my mind was just blown. I have almost been out for a year and I have no idea where all the time went. I was thinking to myself, I can still remember basically the whole week before I went into the MTC. Going out riding with Papa Whittle, and then the farewell, sitting in my room watching the Office, packing the night before with my wonderful mom, and listening to the Killers. Yet again I'm stuck here trying to contemplate the "mission time", it is unreal. Then to top it all off to think that I am going to be turning 20 this week. Crazy!!! Well I guess I will just have to live up this last year of the mission, and trying to just take everything in.

       Well this week was pretty much, "one of those weeks". Not too much going on, but just trying to stay positive, and laughing at evey chance that I get. This week I have done a lot of thinking about life in general. Although I can't share all my thoughts with you, hopefully I will be able to convey some of the ones I feel are the most important.--Gratitude--Unfortunately us as human beings, sometimes forget this word, and the application that it has in our lives. Being out here in the world and seeing everything that goes on, has really changed the way that I feel about this and how I apply it personally in my own life. Let us all remember that we are subject to a "higher power" and that when we involve gratitude in our lives, God is able to help us enjoy the things that we do have.--Patience--If we understood the full power that this virtue could have in our lives I am convinced that we would all make an effort to posess it. This virtue involves putting the will of God, before our own. When we are able to sucessfully do just this, we will begin to see miracles in our lives. If we read the Book of Mormon, we will find many stories of prophets that are able to work miracles. But in order for those things to have come to pass, these prophets had to align there will with the will of the father. In the Bible we read of our savior who did just that, and the miracles that he was able to perform. When we have enough patience to wait, and to believe that God knows better than ourselves, we are setting ourselves up for an enjoyable life. I didn't say it was going to be easy, no one every did, and yet we all decided to be here.--Charity--In the last book of the Book of Mormon, we read a lot about this subject. We read that it will be well with us in the last day, if we can only have this quality. Unfortunately enough it may not be the easiest to obtain, but we know that it is not impossible. I believe that the secret lies in trying to model our lives after that of our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we study the live of our Savior we will see that this is the driving force of the work that he did on the earth. We will also see that the greatest and most important thing, the Atonement, was also driven from the source of charity. All three of these things are very important in our lives. Especially as we consider the commandment from our Savior, to be "Perfect, even as our Father in Heaven". May we all concentrate our efforts to be more like our Savior. Then will we begin to be filled with the greatest feelings of joy, accomplishment, and self-worth.

 

Con amor, Elder Moore

 

Everything.Happens.For.A.Reason

There.Is.No.Such.Thing.As.Coincidence

Elder Matthew Whittle-- July 24, 2012

Hola!

 

I haven't met a Natalie T. yet, but I'll keep an eye out for her. It's possible I could get transferred to the dirty dito, (Escondido). I've been here now for 6 months so it's about time, but you never know. Some times President decides otherwise. Some elders have had 9 month areas in our mission, but that doesn't happen too often.

 

That's a lot of money just to get rid of some bats, but at least it's not 10,000 dollars haha. I did get the sd card back and everything. Thanks:) The package was missing a little something though;) What happened to the CD with those good songs?:) haha That's good that the good ol willow is going to survive after all. Tell Braxton good job on praying. Now he has a testimony of prayer! Sweet!

So I say that Cherry shouldn't be sold for any less than 7,000. You know you can always just wait for me to get back to sell it:) I'm glad she's still alive and everything. That's good news. How's the smoto doin? Oh y para que sepa Papa, La palabra desenrrabadilladito quiere decir como el parte blanco de un pedaso de pan. So you have the crust and the white part. The white part is el desenrrabadilladito, y el delfin quiere decir dolphin pero tambien del fin quiere decir the end.

 

Tell Grandma Whittle Happy Birthday for me and that I love her and miss her! Hopefully I'll see her soon. Our Temple day is scheduled for August so Hopefully I don't get transfered up North cause then I'll have to go to the Newport Temple. I love going down to the Temple knowing that she's there, and that I'll probably get to see her. I think she should move up to Utah too, but not until I'm done with my mission:) haha

So I have a solution for Josh. He can just move out here to Del Mar, and Go to the Torrey Pines Singles ward, That's the ward we work with, and then he can be a ward missionary and just come out and work with us everyday! Perfect plan Eh?:) He would love the singles ward out here. It's super cool. It's not anything like the single's wards back home. Tell him I miss him, and I'm praying for him, and if he does head off to college and continue his life, he better not get married or anything because we still have to party! haha, and he better be ready for me to move into his appartment in a year. He's such a good guy. I miss him a lot.

 

Well the work is going great. We set a couple more baptismal dates this week, and had 5 investigators at church. It's really starting to catch on fire down here. We're loving it. Things have been going great. I love seeing all the cool miracles everyday, and being able to see people making changes in their lives to come unto christ and follow him. I love you all. "Be strong and be true." Cuidense mucho. Adios.

 

Con amor,

Elder Witle!

 

P.S. As far as the "Hump day" package goes, music is always nice:) and Jerky:) and fam pics:) Thanks!

Elder Garrett Allen--July 23, 2013

Well Well anyother week has gone on by and I now have a 7 months in th mission. Time is flying on by. It is a crazy feeling. I am almost done with this transfer. I am on week five. Only this week and the next to go. I think that I will be staying in La Banda for another transfer though but I guess we will see. Also If you are sending a package I want a shoe horn. That Would be sweet haha.

So This week was kinda a slow one. The lessons weren´t as good and the people weren´t home. Also this past tuesday all of La banda was taking a bath so they didn´t have time to talk to us...or atleast that was everyone excuse. So we didn´t get as many lessons as I was hoping for but there is always next week right? Right now I am just enjoying everything that is coming my way. So sometimes days are hard but that is the chance that I get to learn more. So YAY!!

I am really starting to love Argentina. Honestly at this point it just feels normal. Basically it is become my home. It is kinda a strange feeling. I can´t really explain it, it is just something that you have to see and feel. Being in a forgien country is diffently a learning experience. Something that can only really happen in the mission. Honestly right now the challenge is the language. Yes it is now just hitting me haha. I understand pretty much everything. That isn´t a problem. The problem is talking. I have an accent that I just can´t seem to drop. So for some people it is hard for them to understand me. Freaking changos haha. But it is ok I guess. I just have to keep trying and mov forward.

These past couple of weeks I have been studying a lot th bible and about faith. Basically they both rock. The bible has everything in it and faith is faith, so it is great. Faith is totally something that I could improve on. I like to be logically with stuff and hav straight forward answers. But I think God is training me to see different ways. It is kinda working haha. I read a lot about faith from a book by James Talmage. Basically he is a stud. He explain faith as so much more of just believing. Believing isn´t enough. Me got to have are works and have them be good works that shine the light of are savior into the lifes of others so that we can glorifly are heaven father. Just believing is doing exactly what The Followers of Satan do. For they believe in christ and even know him with a perfect knowledge. If you dont believe me go read when christ cast out "legend." Now you might ask why faith? Well because basically this whole mission is about faith. We have faith that be will except are message and keep going. we have faith that we wont die from the crazy food and water haha. We really do walk by faith and trust. 

Also love. Love is pretty important. We have to love each other and forgive each other. I think that is something that we miss sometimes. If we could all just be a little bit more loving and forgiving i think that world would be a whol different place. Yes love and forgiveness go together in my mind. You can´t love some one not forgive them. That is stupid and totally doesn´t make sense. We all just need to be a little bit more forgiving and caring. Really forgiving someone is not that hard. You just do it and move on haha. We all aren´t perfect and you are going to need forgiveness in you life to at sometime so how are you not to forgive??? That is my question for the week haha.

Side not the record for people on one moto here is now  5 or six. Argentina is really stepping it up. Oh and of course scott and drive the tracker. he will take care of it. I know that haha. Till him to jack it up and make it all sweet for me haha.

So it is true, I am changing a little bit. I can totally feel gods hand shaping me into what I need to be. Honestly I feel like I have a long ways to go until I am finished though. My testimony is growing,.So that is a plus right? I am still a Little afraid to lose myself in the work but I am already doing it haha. If I like it or not I am doing it. It is a good cause to be lost in. I am really enjoying it. It is like a endless bit of knowledge and goodness and I just can´t seem to get enough information. It is pretty great.

Anyways I have to go for this week! Take care and I love you! Try to have fun when I am gone but not to much. JEEZ, You´d think 2 babies and a wedding could of waited till after my mission haha.

Anyways take care and I look forward to next week! LOVES

Elder Allen

Elder Devin Oviatt--July 23, 2012

  Wow this week has been so great!! So first of all we found out about the olympics and the part that we are going to be playing in it. So the Church has organized a booth that will be set up next to the London Eye, right on south bank. So starting this Friday I think, we are going to be going there in like shifts to run the booth. It will be every day from 10-7 everyday. All the missionaries in the whole zone are really excited! We will be in probably the busiest part of London next to one of the biggest tourist attractions in the UK. I really can't wait!! Their will be millions of people there everyday. It's really exciting. We might even have a I Pad so that we can be collecting emails right then and there and be able to send the email while we are talking to the people so that they recieve the email while or shortly after talking to us. I havn't really talked about the email prograhm in the Mission. So the whole mission is really trying to get emails from everyone. Member and non members. The emails are really nice. They have just little messages on them and after a while one of the emails will go through the first lesson. Than some more little messages and than it will send the second lesson and so on. But we encourage members to do it too because than on the emails the members or whoever can LIKE it on facebook and it will post it to there walls. Than there friends can see and read and start getting those emails! The old and new mission President are pushing this very much. Which I agree this program can go a really long ways. They can track who and where opens the emails and they are already seeing it spread all over the world. It really cool. But yeah so when we go to the eye we are going to be trying our best to get emails. 

   This morning we saw the Olympic torch! that was really cool. We took Book Of Mormons with us and lifted them up. HAHA it was really funny but hey we might be on TV. We're hoping that we might have permission to watch the opening ceremonies. Cross our fingers! :) Seeing the Torch was really cool though. We saw the helicopters land the torch on tower bridge! I just cant wait. There is already a huge rush of people. They are expecting a influx of like 8 million people. 

    We starting teaching a guy from Ghana this week. His name in nana Tutu, (: haha and my favorite part is one of his sons name is Lord Tutu. But he's really cool. Im excited to start teaching them more.

     But yeah so I'm really excited for this week. I miss and love you all. It's so cool to hear about which of my friends are going on mission.

  With love elder Oviatt

Elder Matthew Whittle-- July 17, 2012

Que Honda Cabezones!

 

Calabaza quiere decir, "pumpkin" pero tambien quiere decir como alguien que no piensa mucho, o sea, alguien que es "clueless". Tu puedes decidir quienes SON las calabazas;) Tengo una broma para ti. Si tuviera todos los peses en una linea, cual seria el ultimo?............................. vas a adivinar?.................................................Ok ya no quiero esperar mas. La respuesta es "El Delfin" :) Tiene sentido, o eres tu una calabaza? Jaja

 

Things are going great right now. We've been teaching a lot and we've found some cool new investigadors. We just starting teaching this 19 year old girl from brazil, and almost have set a baptismal date with her. She's very sincere and is really interested in the Book of Mormon and everything. We're excited for her, and we've found a couple new people for the Spanish branch that we're starting to teach as well. The district is doing really well right now. We had a really good district meeting yesterday. President Cook randomly showed up so that was kind of nerve racking, but it went really well, and the spirit was really strong. It's a really neat opportunity to be able to be a leader because you have the chance to learn more. You get to go on exchanges with all the missionaries and learn from all of their talents, and abilities. It's been really neat. I'm really grateful for the opportunity.

 

So the 4 runners not working eh? That's no good. I think you better just junk it;) haha just kiddin. We were helping that lady with her BMW a while back and her fuel pump wasn't turning on either. What the problem was though was her crank sensor went bad. The new cars can be kind of a pain to diagnose. It takes a lot of time to isolate the exact problem. That's why I like Cherry. When something goes wrong you know what it is. Let me know what the problem was with the 4 runner. I miss working on cars haha. Never thought I'd say that one. I hated working on cars when I was little. I remember being in the garage from early in the morning until about midnight working on that stinkin van we had haha. I dreaded those days, but I really like it now.

 

That's a really cool principle that has helped me a lot on my mission. "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; Not that the nature of the thing is changed, but our power to do is increased." -Heber J. Grant- When we do hard things, we get better at doing it. When we get better at something we begin to enjoy it more. Just like with soccer. I didn't like it when I was little, but I stuck with it, and as I improved I started to like it more and more. It's the same principle with studying the scriptures. At first it's hard for us to understand them, and really study them well, but the more we do it the better we get at it, and then it becomes enjoyable. Then we want to do it daily. That principle has really helped me out in life.

Wellp things are going great. Hope everyone is doing well! Love you

 

 Que esten bien! Adios!

 

Con Amor,

Elder Witle!

 

P.S. Que dijo un pes al otro?.................. Nada :)

Desenrrabadilladito!

Elder Devin Oviatt-- July 16, 2012

Hey fam,

Hows utah doing? Are the fires still going? This week was really good! We had a zone conference on Friday in crawley. We finally met with the new Mission President. He seems like a really nice guy. Who use to be a heart surgeon. He served his mission in Australia and Bruce R Mcconkie was his Mission President. He is different from President Shamo but in a good way. Some small thinngs have changed but nothing that big yet.  

   Our ward (Catford) had a variety night/ Talent night! It was super funny! The bishoprich did a liup sinc to the 3 amigos where they sing my little butter cup. That was really funny. But I was really impressed with some of the talents. We we're able to bring some of our investigators. We have been visiting this family. We call them our long term invesitagotrs that dont know it yet. haha They are really nice but they are really active in there church. We try intiveing them to the talent night but they already had plans. oh well. I've had to start signing nearly every sunday. So I just accepted it so Im learning BSL kinda. During church I sit with them and help them translate for a member name Sam. He know a little bit of ASL and BSL. So I'll sometimes interpret for him. They're are two other deaf members but they only know BSL. Its funny because Im interpetting for Sam I'm starting to mix Asl and Bsl. I'm getting really good at finger spelling though in bsl. Grandma and Granpa are going to be so mad when I come back and only know BSL. hahahaha. 

      Oh yea I dont think Iv'e told you but we see foxes a lot here in London. Iv'e never seen a fox before but here I see a couple a week espescially while tracting. I'll try and include a picture of one we saw yesterday while knocking a street. haha so One of Elder Manga's friends sent him a package that had a game of angry birds. It was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be. It made me wonder what seku and kylie's nights are like when they get home. For P-day we are going to the O2 arena with the Zone. Thats whats nice about the Wandsworth zone. Its so small that it's really easy for the whole zone to get together and play football or whatever. 

    Yep well thats all for now,

Remember always that if the shoe were on the other foot you would walk away awkwardly. 

With love Elder Oviatt!

--

"Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal"