Saturday, December 27, 2014

New Year...New Addresses!

Elder John & Sister Terry Haws

Apartado Postal 92-4005
Belen, Heredia
Costa Rica
tljhaws@gmail.com



Elder Ammon Fulton
Mexico Torreon Mission
Calle Ernesto Breede
Col. Ampliacion Los Angeles #301
27146 Torreon, Coahula Mexico

Sister Heather Patterson
South Carolina Columbia Mission
110 Oak Park Dr. Suite B
Irmo, SC 29063-6110

Elder Shad Lindsey
Oct02 UKR-KYV
2009 N 900 E. Unit 128
Provo, UT 84602





Elder Allan Holden
665 North 200 West
Clearfield, Utah 84015

Elder Trent Jensen
South Africa Durban Mission
P.O. Box 1741
Wandsbeck 3631, South Africa
trent.jensen@myldsmail.net





Elder Jared Anderson
Brazil Joao Pessoa Mission
Rua Deputado Jose' Mariz, 515
Tambauzinho
58042-020 Joao Pessoa-PB
Brazil


Elder Tyler Crosby
Tonga Nuku Alofa Mission
Box 58
Nuku Alofa
Tonga


Elder Konner Lee
323 N. 13 St.
Olean, NY 14760


Elder Bo Mullenaux
California Santa Rosa Mission
5301 Badger Rd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95409

Elder Garrett Hollembeak
West Virginia Charleston Mission
888 Oakwood Rd. Ste. 310
Charleston WV
25314-2071
United States

Elder Rick Bloomfield
Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission
7951 S W 6th St, Suite 110
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324-3211

Elder Chandon Herring
Washington DC North Mission
11700 Falls Road
Potamac, MD 20854-2823
United States


Elder Kyle Byron James
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Kirche Jesu Christi
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Elder Ty Blank
3250 Strawberry Rd
Anchorage, AK 99502

Elder Garrett Davis
Thailand Bangkok Mission
1645/6 New Phetchburi Road
Makkasan, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400
Thailand

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (pouch)
Peru Lima South Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0150

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (packages)
Peru Lima South Mission
Av Jorge Basadre 592, Oficina 604-A
Edificio Torre Azul, San Isidro
Lima 27
Peru

Elder Jake Zieler
Canada Vancouver Mission
8440 Williams Rd.
Richmond, BC V7A1G6
Canada

Sister Brittany Platt
Colorado Denver North Mission
1250 Main Street
Broomfield, CO 80020

Elder Adam Otto
135 South 7th Ave
Pocatello, ID 83201

Elder Brandon Day
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission
416 SW 79th St. Ste. 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73139-8121

or currently living at:

Elder Brandon Day
523 E. College Ave.
Apt. # 8
Blackwell, OK 74631

Sister Hailey Overson
Provo MTC, Unit 190
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Utah 84602
hailey.overson@myldsmail.net

Sister Abbie Waite (after Jan. 21)
Texas San Antonio Mission
404 E. Ramsey Rd. Ste. 105
San Antonio, TX 78216-4665

Hermana Annie Johannah Gibbons Platt
Honduras Comayaguela Mission
Edisicio Plaza America Contaguoa a Sears
una cuadra del Mall Multi Plaza 3 Nivel
Teguicigalpa, Francisco Morazán
HONDURAS
annie.platt@myldsmail.net

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

"Merry Christmas:)
well sorry for the unexpected email but i was told sunday night that p day was on thursday so it was unexpected too:) but this week was great my companion and i worked hard this week and it paid off we have some new investigators and they seem to be learning and understanding a lot:) so i was really excited for christmas for the obvious reasons skyping home to the family:) also as you can see in the picutre i hads a great breakfest this morning off the dollar menu and mcdonalds:) haha it was pretty good:) also this is our christmas tree is our apartment its great:) my khuu and i am really trying to keep the christmas spirit alive over here:) but it was a great christmas:) so this week was a lot of inviting and lessons with investigators :) but i want to wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year:) i love you guys and thank you for all the letters and the gifts you have sent:) i am excited to read them:) i love you guys :)"

The Last Words from Elder Kade Garner in Peru

"Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad!... well almost,

 

Today may very well be the last time I write you all from the mission field. This morning I got on the missionary website to write the letter to the president and to send him the numbers we had last week. You will never guess what happened. I could not send him a letter. According to the church I am no longer a missionary in the Peru Lima West Mission. I may have a few days left before I get home, but I am no longer held accountable for what I do here; so, I am going to throw a huge Christmas party! Only joking... it is going to be a Christmas Eve party.

 

This week was a very great one. It just started off on the right foot. We were finding new investigators (many of them being families) and we were really just seeing how much some of our investigators want to progress. It is so great when we do not have to really focus on showing a person why they should want what we have and instead just teach them what they are going to have because of their righteous desires. 

 

We visited our investigator Sergio this week and he is so excited to be baptized this Saturday. He has even been looking up pictures of the temples and prophet and has all kind of questions about the mission. He wants to go on one the moment he has been a member for a year. 

 

There was a miracle that took place this week as well. We have been working with a less-active family where not all of the family members are members of the church. Kelly has not been sure about being baptized since we have been here. Sunday evening we went over to their house and she told us that she had prayed and had received an answer from God. She said that she was going to be baptized and that she was going to go to church every week. We were so excited...so, we invited her to be baptized this Saturday and she accepted! Sometimes the mission is just super great. 

 

Yesterday I did not write because we had our Chirstmas Conferance with the mission president and three zones. It was super fun. Every zone had to put on a skit and a musical number. Our musical number was terrific... by far the best. My friend Elder Dunn is a musical geneous arranged the number and played the piano. Then we made gingerbread houses and we shared family Christmas traditions... of course I shared how we eat Mexican food and how Grandpa Stradling´s eye would just twitch the entire night out of nerves and the adults would all be sweating while eating there ketchup covered tamales... I love Christmas in Arizona. 

 

To finish the conferance President Archibald and Hermana Archibald gave us all a gift. It was a family Christmas card with their family and a picture of all the missionaries. I do not know if you all remember that headshot that I sent home a few weeks ago where I was making a funny face, well, that is the picture that made it into this card... now the mission will always remember the true Elder Garner. President spoke to us and at the end of his talk he spoke a lot about what I had said in my testimony at his house just two weeks ago. He taught us that Jesus is our friend and we are His friends, especially while serving as missionaries. 

 

As I have been anxiously awaiting these next few days to come to an end I have thought a lot about what the mission means to me. I do not know if I can explain it well, but I will try. 

 

The mission for me teaches us what Christmas really means and Who Christ truly is. 

 

Just over 2,000 years ago a king royal by blood was born. He was not placed in a fine linen or silk lined crib, He was not wrapped in the world´s finest cloths or blankets, nor did He have a nice room to be welcomed into the world. His humble birth was no coincidence and I am sure it is what He wanted. He would be born, live and even die humbly. A King born for the low and meek. To what kingdom would this humble King rule over? What people would He serve? What would He ask of those who followed Him? This babe, a king by birth, would prove to be the greatest king this world has ever known. He would rule the Kindom of His Father, He would serve all men and women who have or will ever live, and He would only require a broken heart from those who choose to follow Him. He is Jesus Christ: the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Son of the Living God. He came into this world humbly and He left it even more so. However, He now lives and will one day come again. This time however we shall all know of His royal stature.

 

Jesus Christ is the first gift of Christmas. Given by a loving Father unto all of His children. He is a gift that does not have a beging or an end. He is a gift that we have to accept. He is a gift that had a price so high that it could not be paid with money but only with His own blood. He is THE ONLY Gift that really matters. I love that at Christmas we give gifts. I do not believe that we do it because of the wise men but we do it because of the tradition our Father started. He gave us a gift that we truly need and a gift that we all desire. When we are together as a family and we open our gifts that we have put time and effort into getting we should spend just a little time to rember Who really is the gift of Christmas. 

 

I am so thankful for the mission and for what it has taught me. I am so thankful that I was able to meet so many amazing people here in Peru that have been and are such examples to me and for how they have taught me to open my heart and love more openly like the Savior. I am thankful for the conversion that I have gained while looking for others to bring unto Christ. More than anything though, I am thankful for the relation that I have gained with my Redeemer and for now more fully understanding Who He Is. 

 

I know that Jesus of Nazareth is truly the Christ. He is the Son of our Heavenly Father. He was born of Mary and died in Calgary. He suffered the pains of our trials and mistakes and hardships in Gethsemani. He is our older brother and is PERFECT. He knows us and He knows how to help us, council us, and how to make us perfect too. More than anything, I know that Jesus Christ is our friend. He has said so to His 12 Apostles and he said so to Joseph Smith. He did not lay down His life because of obligation or because of future blessings He would receive, but did it because we are His friends. I am greatful to have a friend who never turns from me and is always there to ease my troubles. I know He is our Heavenly Father´s best friend and I know that His life shows us that we too are friends of our Father. 

 

The mission has been so great. I am so thankful for the two years I have had here and for the blessing it has been to serve my Savior. I am glad that I still have questions, that I do not understand many things, and that I am far from perfect because it makes me excited for the even closer relationship I can one day have with my friend and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

I love you all very much and I am sorry if not everything makes much sense... it is hard to describe something that means so much to you. Maybe that is why it is hard for me to explain to people what my family is like. Well, I will see you all next Tuesday,

 

For the last time, "

The Last Words from Elder Ryder Nielsen in the Phillippines

"This might be my last email I am not sure if they will give us time next monday. Also,  I dont want you to freak out but there could be a chance that my flight will be delayed. We are still waiting to receive our exit visa's. If it doesn't come this week there is a good chance we won't come home until the beginning of January. Again, please dont freak out i just wanted to tell you now so if it does happen it won't be such a great suprise. But 'worry I have faith it will get here on time. It is a very difficult time of the year to try to exit the country. I am looking forward to talking with you! I want you to know mom how much I love you. You and Dad have inspired me in so many ways that has brought me to this point in my life. My heart is turned to the Savior as I contemplate the endless blessings and never ending mercy he has given unto me through out my mission and through out all my life. I know that Gods love never fails and He is ALWAYS there. We are the ones that move away from him according to our choices. My voice echo's Nephi when he said, "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I have seen this time and time again in my mission. Some of my companions have been saying get ready man you are going back to the real world. I have thought to myself that they are wrong. The world that i have been living in, the life that i have been living for the past 2 years is as real as it gets. When we begin to see Gods hand in all things we shall know that we are in the real world. God is real and he loves each of his children and he knows us better than we know ourselves. The things of this world will rob us of what reality truly is, of what our purpose truly is. I love Jesus Christ and declare before each of you that he is the promised Savior and Redeemer of the World. Heavenly Fathers perfect gift of hope to all of His children. Of these things i know and testify in the Sacred name of Jesus Christ."

Words from Elder Chandon in Washington DC

"Ok so a brief summary of this week. I was actually feeling like super
sick all week. But i am getting a lot better. I figured out that I am
not allowed to take Nyquil anymore. I took it and Sorensen said I was
not conscious until like 4 in the evening the next day! But I felt
good during it. We got 19 lessons and were at the VC a lot this week
with the festival of lights. This coming week is going to be a little
scarce because most of the ward is going to be gone. I ate a scotch
Bonnet pepper at Sis Mays home this week. It is a zone tradition at
Her home. She is the best lady ever! That pepper is like the 3rd
hottest in the world! I ate it like a man. I will send the video. It
was soooooo hot!
was able to meet a pro soccer player who is going to start coming to
our ward. He is going to play for Iceland. He is a cool guy. we got a
new investigator this week when our ward mission leader Jason brought
one of his co workers and we met with him. he is a super cool guy.
There was a little more that happened but we are playing soccer and
hockey right now so I am going to go do that. I am going to talk to
you all on Thrusday so I Love you!!!!!!!!! Have a great week and MErry
Christmas!!!!!"

Words from Sister Brittany Platt in Colorado

"Merry Merry Christmas everyone!!!
 
To start out this e-mail I want to bear you my testimony of Jesus Christ. He is, truly, my dearest and closest friend. The Atonement is real! He is real! Repentance is the most joyful experience we can have on this earth! I love repenting. I love having a "posture of repentance" every day! I know this gospel is true, it is Christ's gospel. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's church again on the earth. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that he was a wonderful, saint-like man! He gave his life for this church and for his Savior. I know the Book of Mormon is true. Oh how I love that book! I'm reading in Mosiah right now and am learning so much about repentance and pride and the Savior. I want you all to know, that I truly believe and KNOW these things are true. If you haven't read the Book of Mormon, I encourage you to do so! Because if the Book of Mormon is true, then everything else is true! If you are having doubts, read the December Ensign. Really, all of our doubts and questions boil down to one question: Do we trust God? If we do, then there is no reason to doubt! Everything will be revealed according to the time of the Lord. Trust in what we know now. Trust in Him. Trust in Christ! Trust in the Holy Ghost! Trust in Thomas S. Monson!! He is the prophet on the earth today.
 
Oh, how good it feels to bear testimony! Especially of the Savior! I try everyday to bear testimony of Him. It is the best way to bring the spirit in!
 
So, I hope you all are getting ready for an amazing Christmas! I know I am! The members in our ward are wonderful and we've had many sign up to have us over on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We're not allowed to proselyte on those days so it's truly a blessing they are letting us into their homes! We've got some fun activities planned with families on Christmas and I'm very excited to Skype home with my parents and hopefully talk to my sister Hannah!
 
This week has ben a week of wonderful miracles!! The Lord is so great, truly!
 
Monday: We met with a Less-Active man in our ward. His mother just died about a month ago and he's been thinking of coming back to church. As we taught him, the spirit was very strong. We asked if he would read from the BOM during Christmas and he said he no longer had one. We gave him one and he was very humble and very glad to receive it. We gave him a chapter to read and we're meeting with him in a couple of weeks. MIRACLE! His wife and family aren't members, so maybe this will be the switch point for their family! Or, at least a seed planted!

Tuesday: We met with our investigator Dolores and were pretty blunt with her about coming to church. We got through to her a bit more and it was wonderful!! She said she would come (she didn't show up, again!! Ahh, so frustrating!), but we know she felt the spirit in the lesson and we assigned her to read about the Word of Wisdom in D&C 89. She was very excited to read it and learn about it since she's a health nut! MIRACLE! We did service with a member in the ward and took popcorn around to people and we got to tour the local firestation and meet more people. It was great! We also did service with two less-active, younger sisters in our ward and they invited us back and gave us goodies! MIRACLE! We were finally able to meet a less-active man in the ward who's pretty anit-mormon right now and won't let his kids be baptized. He was really funny and nice to us (the elders told us he was mean). He even said: "I know why you're here. To get me to come back to church!" And I said: "Yes we are and you said it!" He gave us a very....interesting gift (I won't mention what it was) and invited us over for dinner! MIRACLE!
 
Wednesday: We finally made it out to two small towns that are about an hour away. They're called Deer Trail and Agate. Deer Trail is the town where the first official rodeo, EVER, was held! Super cool! We went out to Agate to contact an MTC referral. When we got to the house, it was gated and the gate was locked. But, right before we left, we saw someone come out of the house and it was the referral! It was a young girl who had requested a bible. She not only accepted that, but also the Book of Mormon and our phone number and she gave us hers! Her family is kinda looking for a church to go to and we invited her to come and see! MIRACLE! We were able to contact everyone we had wanted to visit in Deer Trail and set return appointments. MIRACLE! Then we taught one of our new investigators, Mike, and had an incredible first discussion. He's a bit skeptical about organized religion and he's very intellectual. But, he's very open to reading the Book of Mormon and wants to know why the Bible is missing so much information, is confusing, and why there can't be more scripture! The member we had with us stayed after we left and talked to him for an hour about the Book of Mormon. MIRACLE!
 
Thursday: We had our Missionary Christmas Devotional and our Zone won the best skit award!!! It was pretty awesome. We did the midget skit with sheets about missionaries searching for Christmas who run into Lord of the Rings characters, Harry Potter characters, pirates, and awkward missionary lesson, Mario, Tron, and a few others. It was super funny! Afterwards, we taught a less-active in the ward and her non-member husband. Their names are Kathy and Joe. Kathy told us that Satan has been working really hard on them since they agreed to take the lessons, and that tells her that they're doing the right thing and they'll continue to meet with us. Thank you.....Satan? Haha! MIRACLE!!! We also ate dinner with an adorable family and their kids had given out five Books of Mormon, a bunch of pass along cards and videos to their friends!!!! MIRACLE of little children doing missionary work!
 
Friday: Our precious, golden investigators: Sarah and Jeff, cancelled on us this last week because Sarah went to the hospital. We got to go visit them and Sarah's mother was also there. We had a wonderful time with them and our Zone Leaders came and gave Sarah a blessing. Our Relief Society president was also there with us and instantly made friends with all of them. The spirit was so strong as Sarah received her blessing and they asked us if we could come over as soon as she gets out of the hospital. Jeff walked us out and told us he's been listening to the Book of Mormon on his phone and he's in Mosiah. He said he loves it and can't wait to learn more. MIRACLE!!!! I love this beautiful family!!
 
Saturday: We had an incredibly busy day!!! MIRACLE! Saturdays are never busy so it was wonderful. We had about 7 appointments all in a row and were on time to pretty much all of them! MIRACLE!! We met with less-actives, active members, and a recent convert. His name is William and he's 13. He was just adopted by this amazing family and we had a wonderful lesson with him. His dad came up to us in church and told us William has memory and learning issues, but since we've been teaching him he's really improving. MIRACLE!!! Another miracle was I had a dog try to attack me and bite me, but the Lord was watching over me and I got away! There's my dog story for the mission. I'm sure there'll be more to come!

Sunday: We had a less-active family show up to church that we were not expecting and they stayed for all 3 hours and loved it! MIRACLE!!! We got a referral from a member whose neighbor asked him to send the missionaries over to her because she wants to investigate the church. MIRACLE! Our primary and youth are taking off with these missionary competitions!! They've given away a ton of Books of Mormon and other materials and have invited their friends to activities. MIRACLE! We met with tons of families and felt the spirit in every lesson. We also got to meet with a less-active younger gal in the ward and she's going to the single's ward. Her sister, who's also coming back to church, went to the temple this week for the first time! MIRACLE!
 
So, those are my miracles for this last week! There's a bunch more but I don't have time to write them all. I am so grateful to be here and to see all of these miracles happen! What a tender mercy from the Lord! I have two things I would like all of you to do for Christmas. One is find a way to serve someone on Christmas day. A lot of the time, we just relax on that day and are lazy, but the best way we can celebrate Christ's birth is to serve Him! "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." And two, is read the account of Christ coming to the Americas in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11. That day was Christmas for the people there! They got to see Christ's face! It is truly a wonderful account of the Savior and will bring you closer to Him this Christmas.

One more thing I want to share is about Commandments. Our speaker at the devotional talked about commandments and obedience. He said that basically a commandment is God's will concerning us. Sometimes we look at it as so many rules; as a huge plate of vegatables waiting to be devoured (quoting Pres. Uchtdorf). But it isn't! To break it down, a commandment is a command from God ment to help us. If we obey His commandments, we are more free and blessed than if we don't! So, please be obedient! Give that as your gift to your Savior. The best way we can show we love God is to obey Him!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful, merry Christmas! I love you all and I love this time of year!"

Wprds from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

"White Christmas

This week has been awesome! Lot's of trials and tribulations, but also many miracles! This truly is the best season of the year, and I know that as I've focused all of my attention on the Savior, I have been blessed with plenty of miracles!

Thank you all so much for the packages and mail! I am so very truly blessed, and I thank my Heavenly Father daily for how blessed I am! I am blessed beyond belief!

So this has been quite the week! It hasn't really snowed at all yet, which is very disappointing! Only on the far off mountains in the distance is there snow. But it's all good! Because I am going to be having a different white Christmas! A Christmas where someone will enter into the waters of baptism, and make steps towards living with our Heavenly Father eternally! 

A miracle: We had been loosing our dates set with investigators because of bad habits. But we continued to have faith and do our best, and the Lord blessed us with a new move in. She had been taught most everything, and just got here a week ago. We were able to set a date for her on Dec 27, and she is super ready! The only difficulty was that she was drinking coffee. So we told her she needed to quit, and she understood. She said she would give her coffee to her son. We told her we would bring her all of our hot chocolate, and we did, and when we got there she gave us her coffee. It was really tough for her, but she knew she needed to do it! It was awesome! So thank you so much everyone for sending me hot chocolate! Because we were able to give her a grocery bag full of it! It's been amazing :)

So I found out again that Elder Billadeu from New Hampshire served in this area! That's two that I've served where he has! It's awesome, to see in the area book the people he taught a few years ago, and now how I am doing the same!

We had dinner with a family last night, and they know Brittany Platt! Their names are the Hendersons, and they worked together in Jackson on the ranches! It was good to know that they knew someone I knew :) They said they loved her!

This past week, I have truly learned to FORGET MYSELF AND GO TO WORK! I put aside my fears, and became an even better missionary! I ignored my personal desires and focused on my investigators. It may seem weird, but I was totally happier this week! I constantly thought about them and what I could do to help them. The spirit was able to speak to me better, and I was able to teach with more power and authority than I ever have before! My tongue was loosed, and the spirit truly flowed from my mouth and touched the hearts of my investigators. I still have a lot to learn and improve on, and I am so excited for that! And so happy to use the atonement for when I mess up!

On Saturday I went on exchanges with my district leader, Elder Jordan. He came into my area, and I had to lead out! He is an awesome missionary and helped me lose my fears! When you work hard, without break, you feel so much more successful at the end of the day! Being exactly obedient brings exact blessings! So we went and taught this couple we are working with, (the ones who...need lot's of help!) and they seemed pretty receptive! Their water had been turned off due to their lack of rent or something. But we had a lesson with them and talked about the importance of church. At the end, we asked if there was anything we could do for them. She said, we need a miracle, we need our water back! And it just popped into my head to promise them a blessing! The spirit hit me strongly, and I couldn't ignore it. I was shaky but I promised them in the name of Jesus Christ, if they read and prayed that night, their water would be turned back on in the morning. They were shocked, and I knew they felt the power of that promise. They said they would do it. I saw them at church yesterday, and asked them about it. They didn't read or pray, which made me sad. I know it would have happened! They just need to act on their faith now. There is only so much we can do for them.

I am blessed beyond measure! I have learned so much so far here in Poky, and I love it! I've learned that as I remember how much the Lord and God love me, I have a stronger desire to love these people. It makes it so much easier when we remember that. I know this church is true, and there have been so many miracles here! I am so blessed to be a part of God's army during this time! It is truly amazing! I love you all!!!"

Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

"Idaho-ho-ho!

Well! Another week has gone by! It has snowed and rained a lot lately, and it is super cold! Not too fun when you are walking! But we have been ok :) Too bad the snow doesn't stick!

So last Monday for p-day we went to the institute and played ping pong and pool. That was pretty fun. I don't really remember a lot of this week....so I will try my best!

We have had so many lessons with people who abuse substances lately! It's so crazy and awkward! I would have felt so weird if I had not been a missionary. But as a missionary, I feel safer and like I can do it! This one guy is pretty old, and he really wants to get baptized, his name is "Vanilla man" ( A sister in our ward gives everyone nicknames....) But he was super drunk when we met with him, and he kept on touching me and hugging me. He calls me Todo...like the Wizard of Oz dog! It's funny..There is also "Chocolate man" and he was supposed to get baptized in January, but he won't stop smoking and drinking. It's been tough, because he has been a bad example for Vanilla Man who is trying really hard to give up his habits. There is also a man named Papa Smurf..he thinks he is super healthy, but he drinks and smokes like crazy and thinks he doesn't think he needs to change. 

We have so many people who could be baptized in the next few months, but they just won't give up their stinking addictions! Now I know why when missionaries feel like they wanna take away other people's agency. 

These are super crazy people...but I really like teaching them because I feel like I can be myself! :) They don't keep their commitments though, which ails my soul! 

There is this super old nasty apartment building that we go to a lot, and we have a few investigators living there. We knocked on this one door and this woman answered and we talked for like over an hour! But I never have wanted someone so badly to read the Book of Mormon! She said she respects all religions and us, and she was super friendly. She said she would try reading it and then give the book away. She said she will absolutely not change her religion, which is Christian, (I don't think she understood when we talked about 5 mins about how we were Christians too.) But I invited her to be baptized, so hopefully she will get her answer! I really want her to get that answer!

We had two ward Christmas parties this week, and they were both pretty good. Lot's of food, and I am getting fat! Thankfully I am in a walking area, and haven't gained any weight yet!

Elder Miller and I sang in the choir for the Christmas sacrament meeting, and we were gonna have to give talks, but they ran out of time. Happy day :)

Last night we went and listened to Nashville tribute band. I could barely stay awake! Haha...they were pretty good though.

This place is so awesome though! I think they might combine it with the other side of the stake next transfer though, because there isn't too much progression here. Oh, and the members here are nice, but  "use" us too much...haha...Oh well! Good learning experiences! I have never taught so many classes at church before!

Well, all is well, and I definitely appreciate all the emails and letters I have received! The seminary one was awesome!!! I miss and love you all!


Sorry this email is really short! But I have lots of stuff going on!"

Words from Elder Eli Frazier in Peru

"Hey everyone! Everythng is gooind good here in Peru! I got to go on a couple runs in the cornfiields this week which me reminded a lot of home on the ranch! I got to watch a movie the other day called Manos Milagros. Miracle Hands. it was great. I ate a really hot jabenero type plant yesterday which numbed my mouth! but it was worth it to say that i ate it:) Ate snail and my companion told me the other day that we had eaten horse, and i didnt even know it<! haha also gave a talk yesterday with only a 5 minute notice! we arrived late to church and then the bishop said , well now well hear from the elders. and we went from there hahahaha I hope you all have a great and merry christmas! and please give the best gift you can, by sharing the gospel with a friend! there is no other greater gift you can give than sharing the gospel! Love you all and take care!"

Words from Sister Hannah Platt in Honduras

"Buenas familia y amigos!! Well guess what?! TOday is my two month mark! Crazy!! Time really is starting to fly here and i can´t believe it has already been another week! This week was so hard and yet amazing!! First off, Emily Ordoñez was baptized on Saturday! It was such an incredible expereince for me. When we first met Emily, she was totaly shy, but on Saturday, i could see the light of Christ reflected in her eyes and she was sooo happy! I was reminded of the grand purpose i have here in Honduras and it made me more determined than ever to learn this language and to work my hardest in the short amount of time i have left.

However, we had some really hard times this week... two days before EMily´s baptism, we had a lesson with her whole family and the my district leader and his comp came with us so we could talk about the importance of marriage and that Hro. and Hra. Ordoñez needed to be married before they could get baptized. We wer really hoping the lesson would change their attitudes and really help them. But, the lesson was a complete disaster. Hro. Ordoñez was drunk... and laughed completely at our testimonies and the things we told him. He refused to get married... and said he never wanted to meet with us agian. Oh my goodness was that hard for me... the look on Emily´s face and the look on her mom´s face was soooo heart breaking... Her mom wants to be baptized so bad... but she won´t leave her ´husband´. It was so hard for me to see this family reject the gospel when i know what it could do to change there lives and help their dire circumstances. We left pretty depressed... but the next day, Hra. Ordonñez called us and said she still wanted Emily to be baptized. So Saturday, the whole family came (besides the dad) came and it was an amazing service. 

Well, i am out of time, but I just want you all to know how amazing my misison is here. I am experiencing so many miracles in my own life and seeing miracles in the lives of my investigators. The Lord is here with me and I can feel His power in my life. Please, turn your lives over to Him! NOthing is more important than He is! I can promise you that. He is the gift and he is everything. Make Him the center of your lives! I love you all. Thank you for your prayers!! "

Words from Sister Hannah Platt in Honduras

"Hello my dear family and wonderful friends,

This week was amazing!! But first of all, i just want to wish you all a very merry Christmas!! I hope you all have the most amazing Christmas ever!!! Also, a very happy brithday to my dear little Nephew Brighton!! :) Also, i am so sorry i don´t reply to all of your emails, but please know that i do read them and i am sooo grateful for all the support and love you are giving me! It means the world to me to know that i have so many people praying for me. I love you all so much. For Christmas, we will be working! Siempre!! But i love it and i am so grateful for the chance to share the message of Christ and his birth during this wonderful time! Honduras is all christmas! I Love it!! The people here create these things called nacimientos. They are nativities except they are like the size of a small room. THey are everywhere and just beautiful!! 

So Honduras.... i still can´t believe i am here! I wish you could all come and visit this place. I really do love it with my whole heart. It is crazy... It´s like all the stuff the US doesn´t want gets shipped here... haha It´s great. And everything is super cheap!! I mean like super cheap. It´s kinda really nice :)

So this week we had a miracle. We have been teaching this family, Familia Canalas. The mom is a member but less active and the dad is hard... THey are not married (Of course) and we were having such a hard time because they wouldn´t agree to anything! But guess what?! THis week, they agreed to get married and he agreed to get baptized!!! :) biggest miracle of my whole life! I am soo happy! i can´t even explain it to you all! THis work is amazing and the Lord is blessing me in sooo many ways! I can´t tell you all. I know this church is true and this gospel can bless lives in ways you can´t imagine! I´m sorry this is soooo short, but i have to go... ugh. I love you all. Remember Him this Christmans and make the day all about Him. Don´t think of the presents.. think of Him and all he did! 

I lvoe you all with my whole heart!!""

Words from Elder Kyle James in Germany

"Hallo!

So for starters, Skype. A family invited us over for Christmas... and hopefully for skype. They are pretty old, but super awesome. I worry that they have super slow internet or something. Let me just say... If something doesn't work out... I WILL go to the internet laden and skype you guys for real. If we get discontencted, NO IDEA HOW TO SPELL THAT ANYMORE MORE GOSHDARN GERMAN, I will call you on the 26th. Keep you eye out for emails. So we were invited for 18 pm. I mean 6. So at 6 my time, get the computer ready haha. Everything will work out just fine. No worries.

Haha why do you guys want to hear my German so badly. I have only been here for 6th months. I do have the goal of being close to fluent before I leave. I takes a lot of work. I was asked to give a lesson on German study to my district because I do it so well. That is pretty cool. I can read fluently and write fluently... but my speaking lacks. Like, I can express myself, but it is a little slow... Thats why I have a year and a half to practice right? Haha It helps having a native speaker as a son. We do a lot of stuff in German. His English is funny. Like... I like rootbeer, It tastes like toothbrush... Hahaha funny kid! Yeah I understand everything too.

Monday was a blast. We went to Schlossburg.. even though it was closed. Oh well. It was awesome!! I got some awesome pictures! We also went to the Solingen knife shop. IT WAS AWESOME! Jensen would die in there. I might buy a knife. They are so flipping cool. I will send pics. Speaking of pics, You guys have no idee how many pics I have. I have almost taken 2000 picture. I took 150 one pday. Everyone wants my pictures. I am just like mom now. I love taking them.

Tuesday.. I can't really remember. We went to Dortmund! Duh. It was good. We had a meeting. It was awesome. After the meeting I got the notes from the seminary class. It was really, really cool. I loved it... and I will keep it probably forever. I remember writing those things... but getting them... Is awesome. TELL Bruder Richins that I flipping loved it! Thank you!

Wednesday was great. We went to Rörigs and had a good lesson. He showed us his morgansport thing. Haha he is a Horse. We also found people to teach... so great!

Thursday we went by on more less actives. So that was good. We then went by on Bischofs house for the class thing. That went well. Claudia came. She is active now. It feels good to have helped her. Really good. Twas a miracle.

Freitag war gooood. We went to Standermans haus. He gave me a beautiful Christmas Bierstein. Wow. Now I have 3.... hahaha my desk is getting full. We also went contacting but no one wanted to listen. 

Saturday was crazy good. We went to Matts house... the guy we found on the street. He is an investigator. He has less intrest than the lady that lives there. She asks us great questions and invited us over for dinner next Saturday! She likes us now. She slammed the door in our faces when we first met. Probably cuz i asked if the  black man lived there. In German of course haha. So she will probably be an investigator. WE GET SO MUCH DONE!
We then missed the train back home, so we took a bus... where we met a guy who wants a bom and has taken lessons before... but then moved to Germany and lost contact. We meet with him tomorrow. I will be in Wuppertal though. We have so many appointments! I,m lovin it! We then went to a refferals house. He is really awesome. He is super old and lonely. He brought us out to dinner. We took a taxi. We ate schnitzel in a bar. Gosh it was good. I have a pic of Alfred. He is really awesome. And guess what? He has a book of mormon now! Sweet!

Samstag was sad. Köster didnt show. Schade. He is sooooo close. But We cant force him. Oh well. We will try again. We then went to Bischofs for dinner. It was crazy good! I love it. Sister Pauly can cook. And Bischof is so funny. I love watching German mothers get mad at their kids. It is like WW2. Hahaha Angry Germans are scary.

So Elder Bader Is skyping first, so be ready sometime after 6... my time. I will shoot an email if something doesnt work out. We will figure it out though. trust me!

Today is just chilling out. I need a nap. Not really though. I want to go look in the knife shop some more. And.... we are playing soccer. BLEGH.


So ja! Everything is going great! I love the people, I love the work, I love my comp, I love the language. I love contacting. And I am a Mormon. Hahaha

I just want to talk about miracles! Missing trains and finding people who want to listen because of it. So cool. I know for a fact that they are miracles. The Lord wants us to find his ready children. It just proves our message is true! Haha I have lots of stories like that! Having the feeling to take diiferent buses too. Listening to the Holy Ghost is true. DO it.

SO yeah. We will talk more this week. I am excited! If worst comes to worse I will have someone facebook you and explain. Just be ready for anything. WE WIIL SKYPE. I DONT CARE IF I HAVE TO BREAK INTO A LADEN! Hahahah

Cant wait to see you all!

Bis dann! 

LOVE YOU!"

Words from Elder Konnor Lee in Pennsylvania

"Hey Family,
Well I am so grateful for Christmas.  I love the lights and the cooking and the fun we have, but most of all I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and what he has done for me.  I couldn't be more sincere when I say I know He lives and I know he was born, lived and died for us.  Because of Him all of us as a family can be together for all time.  My joy is great and my heart is full that I know my Savior lives.  I thank you all so much for what you have done for me.  You all mean the world to me and I couldn't ask for better people to look up to.  This mission has changed my life and my heart and I am so happy to say that I have been able to help others out here as well.  So just keep in mind what today is for, and who we should be thanking for the things around us."

 

Words from Elder Konnor Lee in Pennsylvania

Letter from a few weeks ago:

" So here what my huge testimony builder this week, one of, if not the biggest one of my mission.. so in the middle of sacrament meeting a man came up to us and asked us if he could talk to us outside. He told us that he had a family member that is really sick and has cancer and she is not doing well and she needs a blessing and asked us to go do that for her. We said yes and for some reason i just felt like i needed to give the blessing.  The spirit spoke to me and I  heard my own voice in my head say you just took the sacrament you are more clean and ready than you could ever be. So before we left we said a prayer and when we got there I gave the blessing.   At first in the blessing I just felt like I was waiting and waiting nothing was coming to me and finally I blessed this lady that she would be healed.. I don't know why but i just felt like that was what i needed to say. This lady was on her 4th stage of cancer and was really sick.. we left and i just felt really, I dont know, unsure about what I had just said.  This lady was really sick and did I just told her she would be okay? I was praying all the rest of that day and it was always on my mind.. after our class on Sunday the bishops first counselor came up to me and said " Elder Lee, I dont know why i am saying this but the spirit has prompted me to do so. I felt like i just needed to tell you that the Lord has heard your prayers" and he walked away.  It hit me like a ton of bricks and I at once came to peace and felt like it was all in the Lord hands. It was such an amazing day.. and i have been fasting ever sense that blessing and the lord has really blessed me and has been watching over me !"

 

More recent letter, update of blessing:

"I did talk to the member that asked us to give that blessing to the lady with cancer. He said she was in the hospital when we went over there because she had a blood disease.   I didn't know that when we gave her the blessing.  He said she is home and they can't really find the problem any more.  So that was way cool!  The priesthood is so real!"

Words from Elder Tyler Crosby in Tonga

" I hope this email finds you having a good Christmas Holiday season., because I know I have. Even though its been hard being away from my family at Christmas I have learned so much about Christmas and realized that there is a lot more to it than I thought. I was reading a story that mom sent me for Christmas!(Best mom) It was about a little boy who was saving up his money all year to buy Jesus the perfect gift. The little boy was just a poor little kid and had hardly any money. Christmas eve came and he went on the hunt for the perfect gift. He looked and looked and found nothing good enough. While he was looking for the gift he ran into a beggar and gave him a little money, then saw a kid who was crying gave him a little money. He went on to do many nice things to give to others. When he went home that night as he got ready for bed he started to cry realizing that he didn't get Jesus the perfect gift. His mom walked in a asked him what was wrong he explained. His mom then told him how him giving all of his money to help others was the best gift he could give to Jesus. I realized something I never did before. That is when we give to others not only are we helping the people we give to, but we are giving to Jesus also. Thats all he wants for Christmas! For us to do as we would to do do something for someone else. MY testimony has been strengthened a lot this Christmas season thinking about our savior and all he has done for us. I know he lives us with all his heart. I I love you guys so much dad. I hope the family has a wonderful Christmas! I will call at 12:30-1 on your Christmas day your time. I am so thankful to be a missionary and to spread this gospel. 
Merry Christmas!!!!"

Words from Elder Ryder Nielsen in the Phillippines

"Well this past week has been pretty crazy to say the least but i see Sister Herring has already spoiled the news haha.  I cant believe it has already gotten to you. I was planning on mentioning it to you last week in my email but because the shortness of time i just couldn't get to it. Anyway, for the past month we have been gathering as a mission to sing and learn three specific Christmas Hymns which are Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World. Then as Zones we went around communities asking for different opportunities to sing which has been a great success. The main goal as a mission was to find a venue in which we as a whole mission would be able to sing but we couldnt find a place that could hold more than 200 missionaries. Sister Ostler thought she had found a place after getting in contact with one of the biggest TV networks in the Philippines called GMA 7 Networking but after talking with them they said they only wanted a small choir of 20 people to preform. So long story short I was one that was selected for the performance. When they told me I almost passed out as I have no background whatsoever with singing but i humbly accepted. We preformed short segments in between commercials of their morning show. It was an amazing experience to share our testimony of the Savior through songs on Philippine national television. Never thought anything like that would ever happen on my mission. One of my Batch mates from the MTC also got selected Elder Diamse i dont know if you remember him but he is like my brother. He is really great at singing. Anyway, the heavens have been opened and we received another miracle as our mission President was contacted this last week that a musical program that will be happening in San Juan in which after all our whole mission will preform! It will sure be a sight to see. We are excited about it. In all of our performances we have a booth in which people may sign up to have a free christmas dvd delivered to their home. And it will be personally delivered by none other than the Missionaries! Haha we are using it as a great proselyting tool because we have a reason to actually go to their house we hope to see much success this way to get into peoples homes and share the gospel. Pretty awesome! Anyway about the phone call i will call you on the 26th of December in the morning at either 10 am or 11 am i think thats the right time for you guys it will be about 5 or 6 pm over there. Well dont blink because i will be home before you know it. Mom i will do my best to find a nativity i didnt even think about that. I love you mom! take care!"

Words from Elder Chandon Herring in Washigton DC


"Hello family! This was another great week here in the greatest mission
in the history of life!

Tuesday... Today I was with the DC 3rd elders all day. We had our
White House tour and it was amazing! We were allowed to take pictures
when we were inside and the pictures turned out great! It was super
beautiful and Mom you would have loved the smell! all of the garland
and trees and everything was real so it smelled just incredible! I
will be sending the pictures soon when I am able to get a computer
that will allow me to send them. I made banana nut bread for Sister
Claude at her request. She loved it! But the day started out super
bad! When we met with the other elders we found out that we had to
cancel the oval office tour for the evening so that was bad but then
when we were going through security they would not let me through!
They said that my date of birth was wrong on the infor submitted which
I gave once to Sister Claude who has used it three times so far! So I
stood there for just shy of an hour waiting for them to do another
background check. Then their system crashed... but I got in and the
rest does not matter. Afterwards we went to a grill 2 blocks away from the
white house so it was super nice!
Then transfer calls and big shock! I
am staying!


Wednesday... Transfers were nuts! They white washed a lot of areas and
they are changing almost all of the leadership! My dad (elder
Thornton) is now a ZL! I found out that I am senior comp over
sorensen! aha! unrighteous dominion! just teasing. Three of my
favorites are leaving as well. One is gone and the other two are
leaving in a week. so sad. One of them is Elder Tavana who is my
grandpa. He is going to go play at the U of U. sad but he is super
good. I was also able to knock over a lamp and shatter the glass on
it. good I know. Then i was able to send the Christmas package and I
saved $10 by cramming it into another box! Hurray! We were able to
teach Jose who is a recent convert. He is great! The best member
missionary ever! He asked for a case of copies of the BOM! Great
lesson with him and on getting him to the temple to do baptisms. He is
doing super well. I thought of Alexa a lot that night. Because she is
awesome and we had shepherds pie for dinner! So good!


Thursday... Today was bitter sweet. I felt super sick and that was
really annoying but we still were able to be missionaries. It is so
cool because after you exercise when you are sick you feel a million
times better! We had weekly planning and it was super productive we
redid our boards which had not been updated for about a year sooooo
ya. This was also the day that Elder Parker, a roommate, and I
matched! We had the same tie so we matched everything else just
because. Finally got the incredible advent calendar from my amazing
mother today! Our ZL's are good and all but when it comes to mail...
we are lucky if we get it in two weeks of it arriving. we had dinner
at a Greek place that was ok but good because it was free. The best
part of the day though was our lesson at the VC with Manny. He is an
investigator who was baptized already so he sees no reason as to why
he needs to do that again. But we had an amazing lesson and the spirit
was so super strong! We were talking to him and I asked him what he
would do if he recieved a witness of the HG that we had the restored
preisthood authority. He thought for a second and looked down. Then he
looked up and started sobbing telling us how he was so confused. He
feels the spirit sometimes at the Catholic church where he was
baptized and at his uncles baptist church with his uncle as the
minister. He is trying SO hard and cant find it (he thinks he has
found it in case anyone was wondering) So I asked him how he felt
right then and he told us a lot more about himself and he knows what
is true. He is going to progress so far! Love Him!


Friday... Today was a slow day. we were out a lot checking on a list
of people that Bishop gave us and only one person answered the door
and he did not let us in. So ya. But we had fun listening to music as
we drove. When we came home from our dinner appointment Elder Sorensen
found his name tag frozen in water. He was mad but in the fun way. So
we did a little something to the other elders.
We only left threatening notes around and later dumped ice water on
them in the shower. But it was good.


Saturday... We had a morning of intense basketball. And by that I mean
a lot of people who are not good playing each other like it is life or
death. But it was fun. We found out today that no one was allowed to
go into the city today because of the protests that might become
riots. So we had to change our plans and we were able to still find a
way to the ward Christmas party. It was a great time! The food was
super good and the games were fun. There was a sparkling cider bar
with egg nog for people who thought that was a little too strong. It
was a great time.


Sunday... We had a great meeting at church and after were able to go
to the temple VC with the ward mission. We helped out for a while and
then went to the Jenny Oaks Baker concert. Look her up on YouTube. she
is great! She is Elder Oaks daughter and she is super talented! Her
kids are almost as good as she is! Overall it was great!

Sorry for going not into detail this time. We are short on time today.
We have a VC shift today at 3 so lots needs to get done. Have a great
week! I love youall!"

Words from Elder Brandon Day in Oklahoma

"This week has been pretty fun! We had our Christmas conference on Thursday the 11th, and I had a great time with all the other elders and sisters that are in the mission, and I met a lot of great people! I ran into a friend that I met on a church history tour I went on two summers ago, and we're both in the same mission! So it was great to see him. OKC was pretty cool too, we drove through downtown in the evening and there were so many Christmas lights and it was a cool sight! Fuel is cheep there too, I saw it as low as 2.09, I've never seen it that low! Last Monday our district went on a tour of a huge mansion in Ponca City, called the Marland Mansion. This man had a huge mansion built in three years back in the 1920's, and it cost 5.5 million! He was successful in the oil industry and owned one tenth of all the oil industry! But this mansion was pretty intense and very beautiful! I wish I could describe it more! But we had a great time there. This last Saturday we stopped by an investigators home by the name of Huey Day. I set a baptism date with her two weeks ago and she is still deciding if she wants to do it. But she had family over and we met her son, and he was super interested in listening to us. Very religious and very spiritual! He couldn't get over the fact that we both had the same last name, he absolutely loved it! He welds for a living too, and when I told him I weld too, he went off on how awesome the Day family is hahaha! We had such a good connection with them and they both agreed to keep reading out of the Book of Mormon, and we're going back tomorrow morning to see how they are doing with it. I'm so excited to see how they progress and they are absolutely loving this message we've shared with them. So it was a pretty great week! Enjoy the Christmas season everyone!"

Words from Sister Brittany Platt in Colorado

"Olo everyone!! So, I'm sure you're wondering about the title of my e-mail? Well, prepare yourself for awesomeness!!!
 
My companion and I went to a white elephant exchange party in our ward with some less actives and one of them brought this big, blown-glass rooster to give away. Guess who ended up with it?? :) We've named him Inigo Montoya and he goes with us everywhere now. He's also become the mascot of our district. We've decided he will become a legend in the mission and that we will take pictures of him everywhere we go. Yes, missionaries get excited at the littlest things and yes, we are weird!!! And awkward! I used to not think I was an awkward person until I came on a mission. Now......well, nough said! Anyhow, you will probably hear more about the adventures of El Rooster so get excited because we are!!
 
So, this week has been a week of miracles. It's just been amazing!!! We had exchanges this week and I finally got to drive the truck for a day! It was wonderful! When my STL was with me, we had a few appointments cancel, which turned into a blessing because we met a young gal who just moved here from Texas and we invited her to church and she was excited! (she didn't show up, but we'll keep trying). We were also able to share a message with a couple of Less Actives and a few non-members. It was great! Wednesday we did service with the cutest elderly lady in our ward who's less active. We helped put up all of her Christmas decorations and her tree. She was so excited that she gave us a whole bag full of stuffed animals and she came to the Christmas party that night. We gave the stuffed animals to kids at the party and she loved it and was so touched. We had 7 less active families/people come to the party! Most of them hadn't been to anything church-related in years. It was truly a miracle and a blessing! My bishop asked my companion and I to do a talent for the Christmas party program. Ugh! Neither of us are super talented, but I sang Silent Night in Hebrew and she signed it (she's majoring in ASL). Luckily, no windows or glasses broke from my singing so it turned out all right!
 
So, the biggest miracle(s) that happened this week was we got four new investigators!!!! It truly has been a blessing from the Lord!! The first one, his name is Joe and his wife is a member but she's less active. They both agreed to have the missionary lessons!! And we love them so much already. They're hilarious and kind and pretty humble people. The next two is probably the biggest miracle of all. We've been trying for the last couple of weeks to contact a less active lady in the ward. Finally, someone was home but it turns out she moved like a year ago and this a young couple was living in her home. We asked if we could share a Christmas message with them and they set up a time for us to come back. Well, we went back on Friday and not only were they home, but they had been looking forward to us coming all week!!!! They're a younger couple with two kids and their names are Jeff and Sarah. They've had a hard life, but they're both very humble and they've been looking and praying for a church to join! I almost fell off my seat when they told us all of this. We had a wonderful Christmas message about the Savior and they both agreed to take the missionary lessons. And they asked us if they could come to church!!!! (Sadly, they didn't make it because Sarah has a lot of health issues). We're teaching them lesson 1 next week and I'm thrilled. The spirit was so strong! When we left their house, I literally lept for joy and then bawled my eyes out!! :) It was the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. I felt so much love for them and I felt so much love from my Savior. What an amazing gift He is!! And to share it with someone. There truly is no greater joy! The fourth investigator is a man named Mike. The elders tracted into him about a month ago. He had actually been pondering about what he should do with his spirituality and search for truth, when we knocked on his door. Random? Heck no!!! So, we met with him last week with a member and had a really good conversation with him. He's very intellectual and science-minded so it will be a difficult road with him, but he's agreed to take the lessons and I'm excited to teach him. He's good at keeping commitments so that's a plus!
 
Also, this weekend I performed with a multi-faith choir on Saturday and Sunday. It was awesome! I talked with a man who is Baptist and he was very curious about missionaries and our lives and what we do. We had a great conversation and he said he'd talk with his pastor about us coming to their church and helping with some service activities! The concert went really well and we had a lot of people attending on Sunday. Hopefully, it will unite the faiths here more and create a stronger bond between all of the Christian denominations. There's a cowboy church here! So cool! Also, on Sunday we kicked off a primary missionary competition and it went so well!!! I love little children! We had at least ten of them come up after church to get Books of Mormon, pass-along cards, videos, and other materials to hand out to their friends. What a miracle! And the youth have been a little slow getting into their competition, but we've already seen some miracles with them and several have commented to us how it's helping them get out of their shell. Youth are amazing as well!! No wonder the Lord tells us to become like little children. They are amazing at loving people instantly and they have no fears of sharing the gospel!
 
Sorry this is so long! There's just so much to say! Real quick funny story for you: I finally ran into the first legit person who was high on marijuana on my mission. Oh boy was that a fun experience!!! She told us that not only did she believe in Jesus, but that He did puzzles with her when she was a little girl and that He charged her to create an electricity box that she needs to give to the Prophet so he can share it with the world. Best story ever!!! I love this lady!! We invited this lady and her partner to the Christmas party and they came!!!! They're actually both less actives, but he is trying to quit marijuana and smoking so hopefully we can help both of them. Even though they are struggling mentally, there is still a chance for them and we can still help them!!! It was an hilarious experience but also a very humbling one for me.

So, that was my week. I want to testify to you that this is the greatest work we could ever do!! One of my biggest heartaches on the mission is for members who have become "at ease in Zion". They refuse to do missionary work and they get angry at us for encouraging them to do it as well. The saddest thing is I feel like I used to be that way! Not that I ever got angry at the missionaries or anything like that, but I didn't do very much missionary work before my mission. I've definitely repented and I know that nothing brings us greater joy than bringing someone closer to their Savior! Members, please become engrossed in this work. Make it your top priority every day! Listen to the talk "The Missionary Next Door." It will change your life! Missionary work is fun and rewarding and joyful and amazing!!! Don't let anything else replace it. I love you all and I'm so grateful for your support. This mission has been the hardest thing I've ever done but it's also been the most rewarding. I've never been so humbled in my life!! What a wonderful thing to be humbled!

Okay, I'll stop writing cuz this is SUPER long sorry! Love you all and God bless you and Merry Christmas!

God is good!!"

Words from Elder Eli Frazier in Peru

Hey all! Wow learned a lot this week! We walked and walked and walked and walked not having much lessons. and it was the whole week.Nobody was able to have a lesson and nobody was there! But we did have a few, and the few we had were awesome. They were with new families that accpetped the gospel of christ. I learned this past week the importance of patience. That it is the capacity to endure delay, opposition, or delay without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. Its the ability to do Gods will and accept his timing. Patience is a huge part in our lives that enables us to grow in character. Love you all! We will have changes on the 27 of this month! So im excited to see where the lord will send me next! Until next week!
Love Eli

Words from Elder Kyle James in Germany

"Dear Fam!

Let me start of by saying happy birthday to mom! That is awesome! 

What else? Hmm... I will give final skype details next Monday. And if worst comes to worst... I will just email you and tell you change of plans. We could do them at Kösters house on the 26th. I am not yet sure though! Dont worry about it though! We will skype for sure!

It is really super cold out. It has rained all morning. And... I am wearing gym shorts haha... you know me and my gym shorts! People look at my funny. This morning we went to the bakery around the corner for breakfast. Mmmmmm. There is literally a bakery everywhere I look. There is at least 35 in a 1 kilometer radius.

So Montag... We went to Köln again! It was a lot of fun. We went and climbed the dom again. I was with Elder Tinker and my Comp. It was awesome. I loved looking at the Christmas markts from a birds eye view. Then we went home on time... and then street contacted. Cuz we arent LAZY! haha Actually, we found 3 potential investigators. We have their numbers. We are doing such better work now. We contact everyone. So that is cool. It also snowed on Monday. I wrote Mormon.org in the snow. Oh! So we have been handing out "Er ist das Geschenk" cards. Watch the video on mormon.org. It is really good. But not in German. Actually yes in German. You need to learn it. (He is the Gift) (here is the link to the video Kyle is talking about. It is really beautiful! http://www.mormon.org/christmas)

Dienstag was also good. We met with Sky and he believes in Jesus Christ. Wow... still making great progress. We also helped a guy with family history. And more contacting. We don't waste any time around here!

Mittwoch- I cant really remember! Mostly just contacting and helping people out. I love helping people!
Donnerstag was fun, cuz we taked to Sky about fasting. He seemed interessed. Turns out... He didn't want to eat the sacrament bread... because he was fasting for a math test! Wow... He loves our lessons so much. He really trusts us.

Freitag war auch gut. Wir haben vieles gemacht. Wir haben mit Claudia getroffen und sie hat gesagt, dass sie ein BOM will, damit sie es mitteilen konnte. Wunderbar! Es war wirklich ein Wunder. Ich bin sehr Dankbar, dass Ich ihr geholfen habe. Wir haben auch "weekly planning" Gemacht. So ja. Sehr gut. (Friday was also good. We have done many things. We met with Claudia and she has said that she wants a BOM , so she could read it . Wonderful! It was truly a miracle. I am very grateful that I have helped her. We also have "weekly planning" made . So yes . Very good .)

Samstag was hilarious. We went to our appt with Matt. We missed our bus and got there 15 minutes late. But i am so thankful that we did. We knocked and rang but no one answered. We gave up and started walking to Hauptbahnhof, when we ran into Matt. We have almost missed him twice now... but both times we barely got to meet. Someone wants us to meet with him. We went to his haus and met a lady. She asked us a lot of questions about our church and we had the oppurtunity to bear witness and teach. Maybe she will become an investigator? no idea. Matt became one though! We finished the day of contacting. We gave out many cards and had a lot of good conversations. We also met with an old man. We got a refferal from Idaho. He talked to us for 4 hours. He was really cool. He will become and investigator too.

Sonntag was really good. Ja, Sky fasted and that is great. Bruder Ponh, Skys dad, forgot his teeth.... ja... hahaha.

We learned that Bischof Pauly went to Kösters haus and talked for like 3 hours! Bruder Köster is for sure coming next week!!! YES! FINALLY! I told bruder Köster like 2 months ago that I wouldn't leave until he was active again... looks like I was right! Hahaha. Yes! It has been so much work! Asking inspired questions is what helped him the most! We then ate with the Helzers... which was scary. Then we went contacting. We went on a go-by. No one answered. We were walking home, when we had the chance to take a bus. Let me tell you... I wanted to take the bus. Ive been sick, and It was cold... but I had the feeling that we should just keeping walking. So we walked. About 10 minutes later, we saw a guy a distance away, I told my son that it was all him, and I told him to contact the guy. Turns out... He became an investigator! He has intrest and wants to learn more. We got his adress and name and made an appointment. WOW! I am so glad I listened to that prompting! I love stuff like that!!

So this week we have a crazy busy week. Lots of investigator APPTs and what not. We are so busy I love it!!  

Well my son and I have found 2 investigators and like 7 potentials in a week and a half.

Today we are going to Schlossburg! Ja! Cool! We are also going over the bridge on the train! Finally they fixed it!


I love you guys so much. I know that God puts people in our path. I know our message is true. I know that it will bless the lives of everyone who will just listen. I know it. It really is true.
Our loving Heavenly Father wants the best for us... Just ask him. 

I love you guys so much!! I hope everything goes well! Basketball sounds great.... I miss it though. I wish I would have practiced more haha I could have been way better.

Egal.

So ja, Love you guys.

Keep your eyes out for emails.

Stay safe... learn German for me... ok?

Hahaa

Aber du willst nicht.

Love you!"