I hope that everyone will take some time to read this email. It has a great message and story in it about how we need to remember to love our families and love the Savior. What a great email right before the Christmas Season.. hopefully when he sends his picture card i will be able to fill in the emails with some pictures.
Elder Houston's email:
December 19, 2011
hey family !!!!!!,
so im soooo pumped to get to talk to you next weeeek!! ill tell you what is going on now so that i dont forget ha. so i will probably call ya in the morning some time. i dont really know the time difference so that prob doesnt help. but we have to call from our cell phone so i will have it with us all day kk so i will call leave a message and keep calling until we can set up a good time the only thing we have planned is church at 1230 and that is only going to be an hour. then we have dinner at a members house at 6. but any other time we are good so we will figure it out no worries:).
hahahaha ok so steve!! man i really like was in shock! i couldnt even like think. ha it was soo awesome!!!!!!!!! that was such a blessing we had just got in from dinner like seconds before he got there to just grab something and were going to head out and he knocked on the door!!! oh man so awesome wish we could have talk for lil bit longer but was so good to see a familiar face and to see a real dump truck! ha all they got out here are these little sissy ones haha. i got some pictures to so i will send them probably today. ahh so much fun.
oh man holy cow so hunter got pretty messed up? then i will defiantly pray for him. i hope he is ok. i had a really bad feeling last night like the spirit was telling me something. it was so strong like it hurt and i felt sick. so i would keep a close eye on him. i could not find out why i was feeling like that so just keep an eye on him.
thats way cool about matt. ya i got to talk to him just a couple times and he sounded way good. thats great he is home now and i cant wait to see him in a couple of years, to thank him for the great example he was to me. i love that guy.
sooooo quite a bit happend this week, nothing to crazy. but i hope i can remember it all haha. we had our ward christmas party on tuesday, that was pretty fun and we got a lot of investigators there and they seemed to like it. Courtnie is still not staying focused. its been so hard to get in to teach her. and she is soooo close to being baptized. and i know she wants to so bad, but satan is finding every way he can to distract her, its killer, but we keeping our heads high and keeping at the fight. we also had exchanges this week and it was just a normal one but i just realized from it that i am getting soo much better at this time stuff. haha i dont know how Jesus did it, but man He's good haha. but really i dont think i have ever been this on time with out someone nagging me:) ha my entire life its awesome. oh we also had interviews this week with pres merkley and that was so amazing. the spirit was so strong and i gained a closer love for this beautiful plan that our Father in Heaven created for us.
so pres merkley just had a death in his family and it has really taken a tole on him. i guess one of his sons wife just got sick and passed away. she was only in her 30s and had two little girls. it was so sad to see him talk about it. but to see how positive he was able to stay was so amazing. i love pres merkley. he decided to talk with us about life and how we should treasure every moment of it. one story he told really stuck out to me, was one that he told about when he was a bishop. He talked about this women that came to him as a bishop and said that as a girl her parents had abused her and used her for there income. they had put her through the most terrible things. then telling her that if she would tell anyone that they would kill her and kill her dog. how bad is that that they were afraid that threatening her own life would not be enough so they said they would kill her puppy. just shows you how badly she was treated. well it got to the point that she could only come to one solution and that was to take her own life. and she did, but didnt. she told him that as she died she came to this place of totally peace and calmness and warmth and comfort, feeling nothing but love and peace. as she was there a man put his arm around her and took her to see people there and talked with her until the man asked her and said you are welcome to stay here if you would like or you can go back. the next thing she remembers is waking up in the ER being revived. pres merkley told us that there was such an innosence about her, the spirit was so strong with her that he knew with out a doubt that what she said was true. he said most people that have those things happen to her tell people for the show or the money but she had told him and a few others that was all. but after the woman told him this, he ask "so why did you choose to come back.?" why come back to all of that abuse and hate and pain when you cold have stayed in a place of love and peace. she said, i have no idea she could not remember. pres merkley told her that when we first heard of the plan to come here we knew that we would all have our agency. we knew that there would be death, wars, hate,
murders and rapist. but still we choose to come. it says in the scriptures that we shouted for joy when we heard the plan, even after knowing all that. because we knew of the joy that could come with it even with all of the pains and sorrow. he said "life is good treasure ever moment of it enjoy being with the ones you love. we only get this opportunity once."
I really liked that story it helped me think that we need to enjoy life and focus on the good not the bad and to think of the things that bring REAL and true happiness like family :) and friends.
i know this is the true and real gospel. our Father in Heaven does love us so much and wanted us and wants us to be happy. we always have our choice to grow and learn but He, with His Son have made it possible to have that happiness and all we have to do is follow Him. How amazing it is to know these things, to be able to pray and ask. i love it so much. sorry super long letter but i have to go i love you all so much and cant wait to talk to you all on sunday stay safe love you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
elder houston
Monday, January 23, 2012
Prayers....ARE AWESOME!!!
Elder Houston's email:
December 12, 2011
Hey family!!!!!!!!!!,
so hows it going ?? all is really well here. i actually had a hard week this last week, but Lord brings us down to lift us higher!! and He did just that!! so this week we had no progressing investigators, ask tori what that means, it stinks haha. we dont know why but we just cant get in to see courtnie or any one and its been hard but we are keeping our spirits high. even though it was a hard week my loving Father in Heaven found a way to make it still the best week ever!!!!!!
Ok so remember how i lost my scriptures when i first got out well... they found them! haha i got a call saying they were right were i thought they were. dont know why they didnt get seen ha.
just goes to show that God will ALWAYS and i mean ALWAYS will answer our prayers. if you dont recieve an answer just wait you WILL. sometimes we do get answers we dont want, but still its an answer. that is when trust comes in. It has probably been one of the hardest things i have had to learn ever, but it helps with everything in this life. we MUST trust in our Father and His Son like in that scripture i gave ya, in proverbs trust in him in ALL thing and in ALL places and in ALL times. He has been through this life, he has already endured all things He knows best and He wants whats best. As we do all that we can to change what we can change and keep His commandments, that He has only given to us to protect and help us, He will help us with the rest. and we recive nothing until the trial of our faith. and if we just have faith that our Father loves us enough to help us he will. i read a talk by some one who i can not remember who it was haha, but it talked about how being submisive to our Lord, submitting our will, our choice to Him, we are truly giving back to the Lord. everything that we have has all been give to us from Him, except our will and as we place it upon the altar for our Lord we really will see the blessings of Heaven. its such an amazing quote i didnt really do it any justice. ha i probably said it way wierd so maybe i'll send it. but hopeful it made sense. but what a week. i testify and promise as we just do all we can do in this life and have faith that our loving Heavenly Father, who so deeply does love us, He will help us as we ask in prayer in the name of our Lord and Savior. well got to go.
oh i got the package and the letter haha thanks soooo much loved the tree ha. by the way when the packages get here they keep them in the office at our apartments. we have to go pick them up. so they should be safe. a little change in christmas list ha since i got my scriptures now haha so scratch the tab things and stuff but if you could add a few things :) haha if you could go to walmart and buy that movie dragon heart haha on blueray and then just keep it till i get home. haha and then i need some shoe shine. and i think thats it i think haha love ya !!!!!!!!!! i will write everybody today !
December 12, 2011
Hey family!!!!!!!!!!,
so hows it going ?? all is really well here. i actually had a hard week this last week, but Lord brings us down to lift us higher!! and He did just that!! so this week we had no progressing investigators, ask tori what that means, it stinks haha. we dont know why but we just cant get in to see courtnie or any one and its been hard but we are keeping our spirits high. even though it was a hard week my loving Father in Heaven found a way to make it still the best week ever!!!!!!
Ok so remember how i lost my scriptures when i first got out well... they found them! haha i got a call saying they were right were i thought they were. dont know why they didnt get seen ha.
just goes to show that God will ALWAYS and i mean ALWAYS will answer our prayers. if you dont recieve an answer just wait you WILL. sometimes we do get answers we dont want, but still its an answer. that is when trust comes in. It has probably been one of the hardest things i have had to learn ever, but it helps with everything in this life. we MUST trust in our Father and His Son like in that scripture i gave ya, in proverbs trust in him in ALL thing and in ALL places and in ALL times. He has been through this life, he has already endured all things He knows best and He wants whats best. As we do all that we can to change what we can change and keep His commandments, that He has only given to us to protect and help us, He will help us with the rest. and we recive nothing until the trial of our faith. and if we just have faith that our Father loves us enough to help us he will. i read a talk by some one who i can not remember who it was haha, but it talked about how being submisive to our Lord, submitting our will, our choice to Him, we are truly giving back to the Lord. everything that we have has all been give to us from Him, except our will and as we place it upon the altar for our Lord we really will see the blessings of Heaven. its such an amazing quote i didnt really do it any justice. ha i probably said it way wierd so maybe i'll send it. but hopeful it made sense. but what a week. i testify and promise as we just do all we can do in this life and have faith that our loving Heavenly Father, who so deeply does love us, He will help us as we ask in prayer in the name of our Lord and Savior. well got to go.
oh i got the package and the letter haha thanks soooo much loved the tree ha. by the way when the packages get here they keep them in the office at our apartments. we have to go pick them up. so they should be safe. a little change in christmas list ha since i got my scriptures now haha so scratch the tab things and stuff but if you could add a few things :) haha if you could go to walmart and buy that movie dragon heart haha on blueray and then just keep it till i get home. haha and then i need some shoe shine. and i think thats it i think haha love ya !!!!!!!!!! i will write everybody today !
ANOTHER BEST WEEK.... OH YA!!!
Elder Mitchell's email:
November 28, 2011
hey family!,
thanksgiving sounds like it was way fun!! good to see all the family again, im jealous! hope every one got back home safe though!
thanksgiving here was a little different, but i really enjoyed it a lot. we went to a non members house on wednesday and had a huge feast with them. so much good food!!! haha and gluten free too! i even made dessert haha it was ok haha. but ya they just moved in to the apartments across from us and we helped them move in and became there only friends and they have no family here so they invited us over ha. it was so cool though this is one of my top favorite things about being out here, just to be able to be a part in these wonderful peoples lives. its so cool to see how the hand of the Lord is always at work and how important a life is and to just be able to play somewhat of a part in their lives and to help them. after all we are all in this test together. we are all shooting for the most part, the same goal and we are all sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father. and every soul is great in the eyes of God. i love it! ha. they are not really investigating the church.. yet:) haha but they are such great people. and once they see the joy to know the fullness of the gospel they will come onto the fold.
but any way then we went to a members house and ate even MORE FOOD ha on thanksgiving ! it was way fun!
soooooo ok this week the thing that i really got a big eye opener and learned about other then how much i love this work and love people!! ha is how much of a emotional rollercoaster a mission is! wow its tough stuff at times. there is a young family in the ward that has kinda fell less active and we were teaching them and bringing them back and the husband started becoming really active again. oh and he is totally from mesa ha, but any way he has been living right and working really hard to keep his family well any way, we had not seen him in a while cuz him and his wife were having a hard time and she kicked him out and he has been taking the kids while she at work um big mess:( and he was trying soooo hard to work it out and to make things better. but ya we just stopped by this week and she was at the home and said her husband would be there in a little and so we just hung out. long story short i guess she is moving away and they got in huge fight while we were there luckly another family showed up to help move her stuff so we just helped them while they were yelling in the house..eh. it was really sad. he came out with the kids shook our hands trying so hard to hold back the tears and left. i was so sorry for him it just killed me to see him like that. after she came out crying and said she had to leave so she would talk to us later and then everyone left. it was really sad but what was really weird is going to our next appointment and realizing that they had no idea what just happened he was joking around and laughing. it was really hard to go from one extreme to another. any way ya that was big thing that happened this week that i could remember. but im still doing great loving every moment out here and learning sooo much.
oh we had transfer calls this last saturday and we thought for sure that elder treasure was leaving but they called and said we not leaving either of us and he is now the new district leader!! woot woot ahah he will be a way awesome leader! and he will be here now for 9 months this transfer!!! crazy huh i will prob be here for a while too. oh and i hit my six month mark too on the 25 so i get to burn a tie!! haha ill take pictures gonna be awesome! well i have talked way too much and I am out of time sorry ill write ya today hopefully if not will tomorrow sorry i have not ha. haha well love you all sooooo much !!!!! talk to ya sooon!!!
ps. my first area that i was in ,mt grove, it became a ward!!! finally no longer a branch !! and they gettting a church building now!!!
LOVE elder houston
November 28, 2011
hey family!,
thanksgiving sounds like it was way fun!! good to see all the family again, im jealous! hope every one got back home safe though!
thanksgiving here was a little different, but i really enjoyed it a lot. we went to a non members house on wednesday and had a huge feast with them. so much good food!!! haha and gluten free too! i even made dessert haha it was ok haha. but ya they just moved in to the apartments across from us and we helped them move in and became there only friends and they have no family here so they invited us over ha. it was so cool though this is one of my top favorite things about being out here, just to be able to be a part in these wonderful peoples lives. its so cool to see how the hand of the Lord is always at work and how important a life is and to just be able to play somewhat of a part in their lives and to help them. after all we are all in this test together. we are all shooting for the most part, the same goal and we are all sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father. and every soul is great in the eyes of God. i love it! ha. they are not really investigating the church.. yet:) haha but they are such great people. and once they see the joy to know the fullness of the gospel they will come onto the fold.
but any way then we went to a members house and ate even MORE FOOD ha on thanksgiving ! it was way fun!
soooooo ok this week the thing that i really got a big eye opener and learned about other then how much i love this work and love people!! ha is how much of a emotional rollercoaster a mission is! wow its tough stuff at times. there is a young family in the ward that has kinda fell less active and we were teaching them and bringing them back and the husband started becoming really active again. oh and he is totally from mesa ha, but any way he has been living right and working really hard to keep his family well any way, we had not seen him in a while cuz him and his wife were having a hard time and she kicked him out and he has been taking the kids while she at work um big mess:( and he was trying soooo hard to work it out and to make things better. but ya we just stopped by this week and she was at the home and said her husband would be there in a little and so we just hung out. long story short i guess she is moving away and they got in huge fight while we were there luckly another family showed up to help move her stuff so we just helped them while they were yelling in the house..eh. it was really sad. he came out with the kids shook our hands trying so hard to hold back the tears and left. i was so sorry for him it just killed me to see him like that. after she came out crying and said she had to leave so she would talk to us later and then everyone left. it was really sad but what was really weird is going to our next appointment and realizing that they had no idea what just happened he was joking around and laughing. it was really hard to go from one extreme to another. any way ya that was big thing that happened this week that i could remember. but im still doing great loving every moment out here and learning sooo much.
oh we had transfer calls this last saturday and we thought for sure that elder treasure was leaving but they called and said we not leaving either of us and he is now the new district leader!! woot woot ahah he will be a way awesome leader! and he will be here now for 9 months this transfer!!! crazy huh i will prob be here for a while too. oh and i hit my six month mark too on the 25 so i get to burn a tie!! haha ill take pictures gonna be awesome! well i have talked way too much and I am out of time sorry ill write ya today hopefully if not will tomorrow sorry i have not ha. haha well love you all sooooo much !!!!! talk to ya sooon!!!
ps. my first area that i was in ,mt grove, it became a ward!!! finally no longer a branch !! and they gettting a church building now!!!
LOVE elder houston
MY BEST WEEK
Yes i am back to blogging...... so sorry its been so long since i posted any of Mitchell's emails. I was really hoping to get some pictures from him. but haha not..... you know Mitch, such a procrastinator!!! Then the Holidays came and it got crazy busy for me..... so i will try to get caught up in the next few weeks and hope and pray for some pictures.... But in the mean time enjoy his emails. He had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas was so fantastic. We all loved talking to him and well more to come on that.
Elder Houston's email:
November 21, 2011
hey family!!!!!
how is it going !! im so excited for thanksgiving !!! we have a few meals set up even with a non member family! haha so we can eat and still do the Lords work how cool is that!!. but ya oh and transfer calls are this saturday!!:( and we are pretty sure elder tresure is leaving !!! im so bumbed! he has helped me sooo much to grow and progress to be a better missionary! he has been in this area for 7and half months so we pretty sure he getting the boot ha but its ok he is needed else where to bless liives. i cant be selfish and take all the blessings ha.
hahah sorry the suprise is a lil more difficult then i thought it would be to get out this last p day. we have a zone party and went bowling and it took up a lot of pday, but i will get it out this week and i will write yall and send my pictures if you send me more for the holidays!!! ha i have not taken alot of springfield. i still working on taking more. elder treasure has helped me too do it more cuz he is all artsy fartsy ha so he likes pictures but ya.
so this week was pretty sweet still teaching mostly the same people and they still progressing we went over to courtnies house to teach her about prophets. and we found out that she is now 99.9 percent sure this is the true church haha so we getting closer !!! and man oh man satan is so working on her he is so stinking sneaky!!!! ahhh! her boy friend got evicted from his house and his lil 6 year old boy and she is really nice and wanted to help so she was thinking of letting him move into her house!. and we were so scared and didnt know what to say but me and elder treasure have been praying to be more bold and i have found out lately that Heavenly Father doesnt answer prayers like that by just making you bold. ohhhh no haha He gives you opportunitys to be bold so that you can grow! ahah so we just said ,"NO" courtnie you cant and gave her some other stuff to think about that might help him and how we must stay obedient! always and the Lord will provide a way we told her we would fast for the boy friend and see what else we can to do. anyway she called later that night and said hey we thought about it and its better if he does not move in haha ! it was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!. way cool to see those things happen. oh and another thing that was way cool that courtnie have happen was, i guess like a few nights ago she was taking a nap and this is a very sacred thing, so i will make sure not joke around with it and take it lightly. but she was sleeping and she had a dream about her mom, who has died. and her mom was talking to her and she was asking her questions and her mom just kept saying, " follow the missionaries". crazy right! and she was nervous about telling us this because she was afraid that people would think she was crazy. its so weird tho because this was the second time one of my investigators has told me this has happend! in my first area this guys grandma came to him like that and said this is the true church! and these are some of the most down to earth people telling us this, like not some drugys haha but it just made me think, like it talks about i think in the scriptures of a prophet said that our family can talk to us. and then it came to mind oh man thats like the spirit of Elijah. thats some deep stuff. ha or like on back to the future "Heavy" ha. anyway i thought that was pretty cool but times up sorry kinda blabbed again hope it made sense and ya but love you all so much i will write you today and send ya stuff ha love ya!!!!!!!!!!!
elder houston
Elder Houston's email:
November 21, 2011
hey family!!!!!
how is it going !! im so excited for thanksgiving !!! we have a few meals set up even with a non member family! haha so we can eat and still do the Lords work how cool is that!!. but ya oh and transfer calls are this saturday!!:( and we are pretty sure elder tresure is leaving !!! im so bumbed! he has helped me sooo much to grow and progress to be a better missionary! he has been in this area for 7and half months so we pretty sure he getting the boot ha but its ok he is needed else where to bless liives. i cant be selfish and take all the blessings ha.
hahah sorry the suprise is a lil more difficult then i thought it would be to get out this last p day. we have a zone party and went bowling and it took up a lot of pday, but i will get it out this week and i will write yall and send my pictures if you send me more for the holidays!!! ha i have not taken alot of springfield. i still working on taking more. elder treasure has helped me too do it more cuz he is all artsy fartsy ha so he likes pictures but ya.
so this week was pretty sweet still teaching mostly the same people and they still progressing we went over to courtnies house to teach her about prophets. and we found out that she is now 99.9 percent sure this is the true church haha so we getting closer !!! and man oh man satan is so working on her he is so stinking sneaky!!!! ahhh! her boy friend got evicted from his house and his lil 6 year old boy and she is really nice and wanted to help so she was thinking of letting him move into her house!. and we were so scared and didnt know what to say but me and elder treasure have been praying to be more bold and i have found out lately that Heavenly Father doesnt answer prayers like that by just making you bold. ohhhh no haha He gives you opportunitys to be bold so that you can grow! ahah so we just said ,"NO" courtnie you cant and gave her some other stuff to think about that might help him and how we must stay obedient! always and the Lord will provide a way we told her we would fast for the boy friend and see what else we can to do. anyway she called later that night and said hey we thought about it and its better if he does not move in haha ! it was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!. way cool to see those things happen. oh and another thing that was way cool that courtnie have happen was, i guess like a few nights ago she was taking a nap and this is a very sacred thing, so i will make sure not joke around with it and take it lightly. but she was sleeping and she had a dream about her mom, who has died. and her mom was talking to her and she was asking her questions and her mom just kept saying, " follow the missionaries". crazy right! and she was nervous about telling us this because she was afraid that people would think she was crazy. its so weird tho because this was the second time one of my investigators has told me this has happend! in my first area this guys grandma came to him like that and said this is the true church! and these are some of the most down to earth people telling us this, like not some drugys haha but it just made me think, like it talks about i think in the scriptures of a prophet said that our family can talk to us. and then it came to mind oh man thats like the spirit of Elijah. thats some deep stuff. ha or like on back to the future "Heavy" ha. anyway i thought that was pretty cool but times up sorry kinda blabbed again hope it made sense and ya but love you all so much i will write you today and send ya stuff ha love ya!!!!!!!!!!!
elder houston
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