Monday, July 6, 2009

July 2009 News

Elder Gary Chambers
Dominican Repbulic Santiago Mission
October 2007 ~ 2009










Saludos from Puerto Plata... es decir... the beach! FINally... It was soo worth the wait. That's right, I finally got transferred out of good ol' Buenos Aires and now I'm in Puerto Plata with my new comp Elder McGregor who is going home next transfer. Unlike the other companions I've killed, Elder McGregor is a naturally hard worker and isn't going down without a fight, which is totally ok by me. We are working hard and seeing great progress in our small but growing teaching pool of investigators. I really like the pace of work and the hill covered area... it's helping me loose that extra chub I've been hangin on too. I need to start some kind of Spartan workout, but Jeff's workout plan still hasn't come throught the fax... hurry that up Jeff! I don't really have that much to say... just that I can't wait to hang out with all you guys again! It's too surreal... to think that the mission has not been my life since day one, that home is actually real, and not just a fond dream I once had... I still don't believe it, and I won't until I see it. Anyways, Have a great month of July, and if it happens to be your last month, make it count! Nobody wants to look back with regrets, and it just too easily happens if we don't honestly give it our all.Something a lil funny happened just last night... my comp and I made a quick colmado stop (it's like a small store... you know, gas station style stuff, but smaller) to get a lil something to drink. Well, we got a 7up that we split... usually you pay them after you eat or drink stuff or whatever... but sometimes you pay before... it doesn't really matter. Well, with no reason why, I decided that I was going to pay after... so we finished our drinks over a small conversation, then my comp said, "alright man, lets go." So we got up, and walked out. We were about half'-way down the street when I realized I never payed the guy. My comp started laughing at me as we walked back to the colmado where I walked to the counter a lil embarrassed and paid the guy. I felt stupid. It was funny.... laugh. haha just kidding. I love you guys... Elder Gary Chambers


Elder Jimmy Miller
Fellas!!!
Things are great here. Today we had a sweet zone water balloon fight in central park. everyone was jealous of how cool we are. we had a people stopping to watch us it was funny. the zone unity is spreading which was major goal! Monday we said our final goodbyes to President and Sister Searle. We had a surprise gathering of our whole mission, has only happened one other time since i've been here and that was when President Uchtdorf came. The Searle's were so grateful. We got to hear from them one last time and even got to give Sister Searle a hug! This friday we will meet our new president. i also said my final goodbyes to Elder Jones. So sad. i can't believe how time flies. i still remember him greeting me at my first transfer!! love you buddy!!! see you soon! all of you!! you'll all be home for christmas i hope. cuz i will!! one last quick story. yesterday we were in our apartment and heard a loud bang. but we didn't think much b/c its a ghetto area but then we heard screaming outside like a mob and ran to the window. a cop car had collided with another, spinning it 180 degrees and and then went onto the sidewalk hitting 3 pedestrians and stopping in the street where it knocked a fleeing mothers stroller over. with the baby inside. the baby was fine but all the drivers and peds were taken in ambulances. we got some crazy pics and when we left a new york times reporter took our report and my companion was quoted in the Times. it was crazy!!! anywho. love you all! don't get trunky. live happy. live well. live STRONG!
LOVE ELDER MILLER


Anziano Scott Ball
Hey fellow missionaries,
Everything is still going well here in Milano. We had a little bar-bi-que (sp?) in the parking lot of our church. It was pretty fun because we're in the middle of the city and there's a fence around the church. People were watching us from their balconies. This month, we will finally have a baptisms in this ward after a year and a half of none. We have 4 baptisms planned between us and the sisters. We're excited, but we still have to get the ward excited about them. Well, these are the last few weeks of my mission and it doesn't even feel like it. I get homesick when I read emails, but I know that when I leave Italy, I'll miss it. Sprinting to the finish.
Anziano Ball


Elder Blake Smith
Hey everyone, I hope everyones mission is going well. I am having the best time here in Argentina. I am still with my same companion Elder Alfonso from Paraguay. We have an awesome area and are working a ton. So in the past couple of weeks i really learned that obedience is important. In our mission we have something called OPEN THE MOUTHS, we have to talk with 140 people in the street everyweek. Before i never really saw the importance but at zone conference the president of the mission said tht if you are obedient to this one rule you will have more people to teach. So the past three weeks we have talked to 140 people everyweek. We found people to teach and a guy talked to us while we were waiting in the atm line and he is progressing really well. So i really learned that when we are obedient to every little thing. We will be blessed. I only have 14 more months in the mission. I want to work hard til the end. A lot of you are finishing. Keep working hard. I love all of you and you are all a great example to me. Keep working hard as missionaries. The blessings will come. Elder Smith


Elder Jeff Stoker
Its been a great month. Im looking forward to another one. It is hard to believe that some will be heading home within the month. FINISH STRONG. It is proving to be quite difficult. For the last three transfers i have been put with missionaries who go home at the end of the transfer. So for the last 4 months i've heard alot about "home" and the "real world". haha. Dont worry though, because i will finish strong. I am officially 21 years old. whenever my companion gets mad at me, i just tell him to step off, because im 21 and i do what i want! It acutally goes over really well. I also just found out about 5 mins ago, that i will be going on my last visa trip. They are sending me to Kiev, Ukraine. I will be the Experiement to see if it actually works. I am looking forward to it. Dont think its all fun and games for me! hah. My mission president has put us on a new schedule. It is called the Stripling Warrior Schedule. We must leave our apartment by 3pm and not go back until 9:30 pm. Thats right.....6 hours and 30 mins of contacting. I feel like a contacting machine. haha. I am so tired every single day. It is alright though, because we had an amazing meeting with President Ucthdorf and Elder Andersen on May 31. When i shook their hands, it felt like a surge of energy went though my arm. It was an amazing experience to talk with 2 of the 15 living prophets on the earth. I wont soon forget it. I am on my last transfer and i really want to step it up even more. I thank you all for your stories, experiences, and inspiration in my life. I love you all. Look forward to the Reunion. :]. Have a great month. Sprint to the Finish lineThey are sending me to Kiev, Ukraine. I will be the Experiement to see if it actually works. I am looking forward to it. Dont think its all fun and games for me! hah. My mission president has put us on a new schedule. It is called the Stripling Warrior Schedule. We must leave our apartment by 3pm and not go back until 9:30 pm. Till next month. Elder Jeff Stoker

Elder Garrett Jones
Hey everybody. Greetings once again from the great state of CT! Wow, Mikey will have been home for a while when everybody gets their newsletters won't he? Its amazing how fast time flys when you're having fun and serving others isn't it? Last Friday we had our Zone Conference which focused almost entirely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our testimonies of it. Since then, I've been trying to study the Atonement to get a better understanding of it and I've really seen my teaching of that principle improve. Sunday morning after I had been studying it for pretty much the entire Personal Study I ended with a prayer, as usual, and asked for a stronger testimony of the Atonement. Not even two hours later at church we watched "To this End was I Born" about the Atonement during Priesthood meeting and the spirit hit me so strongly. It was a really powerful experience for me to, number one gain a stronger testimony of the most important thing I could ever teach, and, number two gain a stronger testimony that God answers prayers. It was amazing to me how quickly and powerfully he had answered me since I really wasn't expecting it to come like that. On Monday we were able to teach an investigator about those exact two principles, the Atonement and recieving specific answers to specific prayers and it was an amazing lesson which really helped her get over some doubts. The church is so true. Well, I want you all to know that I'm doing my very best to not get trunky and to endure to the end since I get to teach people about it almost every day. I'll probably be getting all your entries handed to me by Sister Wells so until then, keep on keepin on. I love you guys. Garrett

Elder Logan Wells
WEll it is time again, pretty insane,but great. WEll yeah life here in Puerto Rico is going really well, I am now comps with Jake Free from Mesa for those that know him, its a great experience to say the least, its way cool, he will be killing me. Yeah, its great though we are just enjoying the work and trying to work in a way that is most effective, which is always good, but there is not much going on, I am heading home in a few weeks and so that is the news, its cool a little strange and a little weird, it feels as if I was home yesterday well I kind of was but its all good, nonetheless. I am just trying right now to make up for the lost time or the time that I am going to miss when I am gone, its weird it never seems like you will be done, and I imagine reality will not hit until I am on the plane ride home, which will be a weird and depressing day for our mission, because there is about 28 of us that will be leaving and only 12 coming in, pretty crazy but we shall see or not see but its gonna be hard. My only advice just keep working and enjoy the road as you go, don't have regrets and just live it up while it lasts, because in the end it will end and it is crazy! Well I love and can't wait to see everyone, Max, Garrett and Mike it will be good, and Daniel I can't wait to see you, have a great month! Lots of love, Logan

Elder Max Crandall
Elders!!! Happy Father’s Day!!! Just thought I’d get that out of the way. So, up until a week ago I was serving in a threesome. I was moved to Marysville and put in a threesome until my new missionary was released from the swine flu prison that is the MTC. The threesome was great because it was me, Elder Ivory who has been my friend for about a year, and Elder Jones, my baby boy who I trained. We kind of hoped that my new missionary would actually get the swine flu so we could just keep serving together. Bwahahaha. We were at dinner one Sunday at a member’s home and Elder Jones had convinced the family to make “hash,” a Georgia food staple from “back home.” Elder Jones is a good ‘ole boy and I was surprised but the hash was dang good. Anyway, the family asked if we would like “man bibs.” I had no idea what they were talking about but I immediately said, “Totally yes!” It’s basically a dish towel sewn onto a bib. The family loved that we were totally diggin’ ‘em so she said we could have them if we promised to wear them to every member dinner from then on. Again, an immediate yes. I’m probably going to wear it to zone conference and when I speak in church at home. Pretty stoked. My new companion finally arrived last week. He was born in Venezuela but grew up in the states. He’s really a good teacher for being a new missionary but he kind of lacks certain people skills. He has a girlfriend that he talks about too much and at inappropriate times and he talks about himself and his life way too much but I’m sure he’ll figure it out and be great. I mean, he does have me for a trainer. When he arrived we had to move to a new apartment and a new ward. The work here isn’t great but we’ve gotten a few potentials this week and the Lord is smiling down upon my new missionary (aka greenie luck). So my new elder and I are back on bikes. I was prayin’ and prayin’ that we’d get a car. Ummm…we didn’t. So, I tried to locate my old bike which I lent to a missionary down in Redmond. I guess we could say he stole it because he won’t admit he has it. Annoying. So I spent about three days on the phone with our ward trying to borrow two bikes. We finally got someone to agree to lend us one. He brought over this scary old commuter bike straight from 1963. His big claim to fame? “Yeah Elders, it has all of its original parts.” Ok…this isn’t a car. Upgraded parts is a good thing. The seat was basically metal in the form of a seat with a thin leather cover. We rode promptly to WalMart and bought a memory foam seat cover. Ahhh. Lately, we’ve been hearing about everyone’s plans for the 4th of July. Apparently, Marysville is nicknamed, “BOOM City.” There is an Indian reservation here (complete with casino) that sells thousands of dollars worth of illegal fireworks the week before the 4th. Then on the 4th they have an all-day celebration called Boom City, which we hear makes it impossible to even get to bed that night. I’m pretty stoked. I mean it’s no Hannah Montana Stadium of Fire but a name like BOOM City most likely will not disappoint. So I guess this will be my last newsletter from the mission field. Weird. I’ll keep writing if you will. I love you guys. Again, Happy Father’s Day and buenas noches to y’all. –Elder Crandall



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