SHORT AND SWEET......

Silly Missionaries!!!! I believe thats Mitchell with his head below his bum!!!

apparently Mitchell hasnt seen ducks before? haha actually he was telling us about these crazy geese that chase you. they are like watch dogs. so they didnt want to get to close.Yah...Christmas is over but i thought this was a cut picture of Mitchell and Elder Treasure

Elder Houston's email:

March 26, 2012

hey family...

sorry this is going to be really brief haha i had another problem with the computer haha dang things ahah. well this week was really good. i felt great all week. we got some referrals for people to teach. we found out they do not live in our area so the other elders are going to teach them now. haha kinda stinks, but oh well its all the same message right:). so real quick yes i got my meds and sister merkley told me about what you told her so i kinda have an idea of whats going on and so sorry i am really expensive!!! haha dang meds ! this week was pretty crazy tho.. it rained for about 5 days straight!!! it was ridiculous ! but fun.... all of springfield is like a jungle now. we have those may flies like crazy! and its really humid. this weekend it stoped and just in time for a great weekend. sorry cant tell ya more but i wanted to let you know it was good and interviews with pres merkley went great and we found our new mission pres name and family. he has two teenage kids its going to be wierd haha. oh and thank you sooo much for the letters this week !!! and tell anthony thank you as well. well got to go so sorry thats two short emails in a row i will make sure i bring my a game next week. it will be easier with all the insight from conference!!!!!!!!!!! woooooo so pumped!!! well i will talk to ya next week and i will know if i am getting transfered or not :( we get calls friday. well love ya so much talk to ya then !

ps hey i was wondering about david archuleta and if you guys know where he is going yet just curious. and hey if you still see jarid martin you should tell him i told him to read the last conference talk by elder waddell its awesome. oh and i dont think i can fit in those volcom pants i was talking about my matix jeans i used for roofing they got some tar stains i think on them they are big on my so they should still fit. and if you want you can send treats but not to much cuz easter coming up. ill let you know of anything else but at far as i know thats it love ya!!!!

elder houston

HEAVENLY FATHER WATCHES OVER US

This is Elder Gunnel from Gilbert

Gluten free marshmellow fruity pebbles...yummmy good

Elder Houston's email:

March 19, 2012

hey hows it going family

so not much went on this week its been a tough one. sorry for not writing, we just dont have alot of time on mondays, since we have to coordinate rides to shop and email and we share laundry with the other elders in our district. but i will try to be better this week. there is a huge storm rolling over us this week. theres a flood warning out. like its going to rain for three days straight but we will see. ha if it does we will have more writing time haha :). that is so insane about angie and the kids !!! the Lord has his eye on them He defiantly was watching over them. i love miracles, they are just reaffirming truth that Heavenly Father watches over us. I just started reading the book of mormon and i have already learned sooo much. But like it says in 1 Nephi chapter 17 verse 3, "and thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. and if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore HE DID provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness". I love the comfort that brings to know that HE WILL provide for us protect us or give us strength if we keep his commandments. His will will happen and they defiantly have things still to accomplish here and im glad:) ha. anyway ha. so i get grandpa a b day card!! and thats awesome he remembers me haha so he will know who the card is from! ha. and i getting shalyse one too this week haha im not sure how i missed her name on my b day list! sorry! oh ya and yes i did get the pictures of my 50 haha they were awesome i like it! ha the frame on that bad boy is so bent tho ha i saw that before i left. but if its still running around then it should be ok. oh hey so i got my a1c from my doctor here and wow it has gone up. this would explain a few things. its 8.5 now. im going to work on getting it back down. im doing my shots before i eat now and hope that helps. if not i will make some changes. oh and before i forget, as we are entering into tornado season and there might be one this week haha. Maybe!! i too fat for all my pants and my legs too big from bikeing around haha. so if you have no money, no worries. if could you send me my roofing pants they are a bit bigger and they are the ones with the stains haha oh and if they fit and hunter has not destoryed them could ya send my supra shoes ? they dark blue and white and sent the extra white laces too hunter can help. we were helping a lady do some yard work a while back and i got old oil and some kind of nasty stuff dumped all over my shoes here. thanks. again if ya cant no worries ill work with it :) well alot more went on this week but i will write it to ya because it alot and i out of time sorry and it kinda personal. well i think that is all for now tell hunter i will write him this week and sorry taking so long he kinda caught me off guard with his letter and its been weird week. tell every one i said hi and that i love them so much and tell anthany congrats on papers!!! i defiantly want to know asap!! and i will write him too !! love yall !!!! write me as much as you can this week please i need boosters through this week they help loads love ya talk to ya later !!!

ps. mom i learned how to make the bomb crapes ever gluten free too haha im making breakfast as soon as i get home!!

pss. courtnie is still well and is smoke free for 5 days now!!! which is way good haha and a less active came to church on sunday !!!!!! wooo !!!!

love ya!!!!!!
elder houston

STILL WORKING

Elder Houston's email:
March 12, 2012

hello family !
how is it going ?? i didnt get email from you all this week so i hope you are all doing well !!! my week was a pretty good we meet with our investigator courtnie quite a bit she was having a really hard week. she is really wanting to get baptized before i leave and she wants me to do it. but she just cant seem to stop smoking and a few other minor problems keeping her from there. but i know she will get baptised. she knows the church is true. it is just a matter of time now. we met a few new people this week too and im really bumbed i totally forgot to take pictures! haha we met this pro surfer and he is a pro dirt biker but for 50s! hahah. he was out in his front yard working on some and i was like hey lets go talk to him, i used to have one of those. so we went over. he was way nice to us and we went back a few times already he has not wanted to take the lessons yet, but hopefully the spirit will work on him. ha anyway his name is randy lourencio you can have hunter look him up on you tube. anyway he is working on this sweet hot rod and we got to sit in it and it was soooooo loud and beastly. when we go back i will take pictures. haha he also wanted me to jump this huuuge jump in his back yard with him on his 50 but we are not really suppose to and i was scared satan would find a way to hurt me if i did. ha but any who so that was fun. man... are ride is here so i have to cut this short i have a scripture to leave with you but i have no time, so i will leave you with this one. proverbs 25:25. haha and as you read it think of me and that i am in a "far country" haha hint hint haha jk hope all is ok with yall and i will write you today love you so much byeeeee!!!!

TORNADOS WAY TO CLOSE......

Elder Mitchell's email:
March 5, 2012

hey family hows it going !!.

so first off i will tell you ....yes im fine we are alive!!!! the tornado's went to all the surrounding areas ha but ya branson go hit pretty bad. had no deaths tho just lots of destruction. thats a zone leader area and they are all fine. no one was hurt and the worst that happen to them is there power went out.
so ya now that you can rest at ease mom :) ha and its ok to worry shows you care haha. i would be worried if you didnt worry haha. any who thats so awesome about anthony!!!! he getting his papers in!! so crazy!! ill defiantly try and write him this week. i will write you all as well since i didnt this last week. haha tell hunter to stick it out and get the best grades he can get i reeaaaaaaallly wish i would have taken school more serious its going to be really hard to get back in the grove now and coming out here i realize the importants of having a good education !! as i spell importants wrong haha. oh!! and i went to A doctor for my meds and to get refills and all that good stuff he is a member that knows quite a bit about diabetes. he is an old person doctor haha but ya he checking my a1c and my kidneys and i should know how it all is here in the next little while. also he wants me to get my eyes checked too and wants to check my blood too, like blood work and cholesterol or how ever it is spelt. ha so hes good guy he looking after your boy. and i will let you know what the results are all when they come in. deal.
not much going on this week other then that stuff and the tornado. and our investigator that we have been teaching forever that fell off the face of the earth is back!!! and running full force. its courtnie if you remember me talking about her. she wants to be baptized and she wants me to do it!! yaaaaaa hooooooo. she is sooo determined! so i have great hope for her this time around. she has alot of work to do but she has shown that she is ready. im soo happy she is back and growing so much in her testimony. she has had alot going on lately and it has made her feel lost in her own words... "like a chicken with her head cut off" haha. it goes to show that the promise the Lord gives us and what it says in Jeremiah chapter 29," for i know the thoughts that i think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not evil, ... then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall and pray unto me, and i will hearken unto you and ye shall seek me, and find, me when ye shall search for me with all your heart. and i will be found of you, saith the Lord..." I will be found of you . the Lord wants us to find Him. He is like a parent that plays hide and seek with their children. He is going to leave his foot visible or leave the door open, some kind of clue as to where he is. some trail of bread crumbs ha. and where you have once found him look there again, He is probably hiding there again, because HE wants to be found!. a quote from an ensign said," what a blessing to know that in a world where temptation is [all around us], it is comforting to know that our greatest source of strength is so easily found." i bare solem witness that this is true that as we seek out for the Lord and do our part He WILL be found of you. and im so greatful and blessed to be able to know this true and want to make sure all that i can know it as well.
well i have to get going but i will write ya all this week hopefully today ha and hope to hear from you all too.. yes you hunter and dad and anthony! love you all so much have a great week !!!
-love elder houston

EXCEEDINGLY GREAT WEEK

looks like some beautiful fall colors and windy weather

Elder Houston's email:

February 27, 2012

hey ya family!!!!,
hows it going! so this weekend was awesome, it was exceedingly great! ha i know that probably doesnt work but oh well. but ya way great yesterday we had so many non members at church and a less active family!!! it was ward conference sunday. and the bishop spoke and the second councilor to the stake pres. they had such great talk. but lets rewind a little to tell ya how wonderful this week was. so the week started out pretty good we finished this awesome book on tape called "remembering miracles, Harold b. lee". highly recommended it has got some amazing stories in them, do i smell a family home evening lesson?, i think soo hahah just kidding ,but really good. so the week like i said started out pretty normal. we got to do some service for two days it was fun and oh man perfect weather!! this place cant seem to make up its mind ha. but ya it was for this really sweet lady. she is not really interested in taking the lessons but she said we could help her with some stuff around the house haha, she is awesome. who knows tho, she had really warmed up to us and hopefully we can be the opening of doors to it later down the road. it was really nice to finally get out of the suit for a little while and get dirty for a lil. so that was fun... dont laugh mom, yes... i got dirty haha you too shaylse i like getting dirty now haha. then later on in the week we started teaching this family that we have been wanting to teach for ever !! it was awesome ha. they are a family of three wayyy nice and the only reason they decided to learn more is because they like us and dont want us to go to hell hahah. its funny but ya, so we went to their church this last sunday and they agreed to come to ours this sunday!!! and they did!!!!! :)!!!!! they were so scared at first. when they walked in it was kinda funny, the mom said," its ok son dont be scared", to her son who is 7. haha the funny thing was, is she looked more scared then he was. any way they really seemed to enjoy the talks alot and they were like perfect for them! i love inspiration! and the ward like was perfect i love it here, they are so great at fellowshipping. after sacrament they were like totally different people. then in class we taught and we had three converts in there and they bore such powerful testimonies. it was so awesome. i loved it and you could feel the spirit in that room with out a doubt. after class they didnt want to split up so they left, but i know that we did all we could to do the Lords will and they defiantly left with a better taste about the church. so now we just leave it up to them and pray and fast often. the Lord is with out a doubt in this work each and every day. it is such a blessing to get to be a part in it. as my heart is full of gratitude. many more things wonderful happened this week but i am unfortunately out of time but, we did finally got to meet with courtnie again finally and soooo much has happened with her she has been brought down to a low time in her life and if she is willing i know the Lord will lift her higher. there is a long road ahead of her, but i know it will be worth it. i just pray that she will hold to the rod and continue to press forward this time. we also had a random girl come to church and we talked with her and she might be interested to learning more. i know i was not the most patient and happy person in our enduring haha but we worked hard and i feel even with our faults the Lord has kept His promise in D&C 121:7-8. " My son peace be unto thy soul;thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it WELL, ha, God shall exalt thee on high... im so grateful for the gain of experience and i have been able to learn that if we take nephi's attitude with life's adversities it will allow the Lord to teach us and they will be for our good. love ya all so much... hold to the rod and endure to the end. the blessing are really and more then we could possibly imagine! talk to ya next week !
love elder houston

oh ps thransfers were on the 23 and thats carzy about elder treasure im not sure i will have to write him

TOUGH WEEK.....TRUST IN THE LORD

group picture with Elder Treasure. Mitchell's second companion in Springfield Missouri

This is Elder Blatter. Mitchell's trainer in Mountain Grove Missouri.

i havent gotten any pictures of Elder Golder who is his companion now in Springfield.

Elder Houston's email:

February 21, 2012

hiiiii,
so this week was pretty good. same stuff still going on. we cant get our investigators to do anything :( courtnie is still off in never land ha no word from her. and the girl ronnie who has a baptism date will not come to church, so her date will be moved back again. we lost a few more people we were teaching as well. its been a good week but defiantly a tough one. my blood sugars still going crazy, but i cant get in to a doc for a while. but its ok i still have meds so it could be worse ha. i can figure it out for now. its been tough seeing all the baptisms around us in the other wards and still slacking in ours. i know sometimes these things happen. but i see daily what i can do better. so i at times feel it is my fault, but its a good drive to work more no matter what. ha im really being tested and man is it hard hahaha. but it is at times like these when i really love the scriptures and the answers they bring through a loveing Father in Heaven. so on wednesday the scripture in 2nephi 4:17-35 its pretty popular scripture but i had never thought about it this way before and i thank my district leader for teaching it to us. he related it to us in parts in verse 17-19 he showed us how nephi was having some down thoughts, that he was not worth much. then in verses 20-25 he remembers all that has happend good to him and all the great blessing of the Lord and what He has given him. this kinda makes him feel even lower like, why am i feeling so down. i have all these great things, i dont have reason to complain. then in 26- 27 is the self-examination of him self. he says, you know if all these great things have i seen and have been given, why should i feel so down and in the dumps?. then my favorite part ha in 28-30 he gives himself a little pick me up talk haha. "awake, my soul! " he said , "rejoice. and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord , i will praise thee forever; yea my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. he then ask the Lord to help him that he will shake him at the appearance of sin. that he will not shut the gates of righteousness before him. finally in the last verses but sertainly not the least 34-35 nephi puts all his trust in the Lord with faith that He is the rock of his righteousness and that He will deliver him, accourding to the will of the Father. that HE knows best and He loves us enough to help us the best way possible. TRUST in the Lord. this scripture has found a special place in my heart for ever now and i hope that i can pay it forward to those who are going through a rough time. there was another awesome scriture in mosiah that tori probably knows if i rememer right i think she said king bengiman is one her favorites its in 4 verses9-12.
well im out of time. i hope ya enjoyed the email and i was not too much of a downer ha i love yall.
oh and really fast one..... funny picture to leave in your mind that i did see this week that was funny....... we saw this tubby old man walking his tubby fat cat on a leash! hahaha.... we were going to go talk to him but me and elder golder couldnt stop laughing !! i know kinda mean but it was funny. im sure he was the coolest old man ever. i can see dad doing that in the near future :) aahahah. well got to go.... i went way over my time. i love you all soo much thank you for being best family ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love elder mitchell houston

ps its ok i didnt need valentine box and i couldnt eat any of it haha. and my contacts are good i wore my glasses for a while but ill let ya know and i think one of my eyes is worse ha:) tell hunter and anthony to be safe and do a mc twisty gnar gnar flip for me ha and dont brake anything they dont want broken missionaries out here ha jk. oh and keep me updated on tor'is date hah kk love ya bye

KEEP ON WORKING

Elder Houston's email:
February 13, 2012

Hey family today is one of those days haha rush rush rush days.

sorrry ha i was writing to pres merkley to get some help with our area. It is really struggling and i really need some council. but as i went to send it it said ERROR! hah and that is just never good so i went to see what happend and it took up all my time :( . . .and my blood sugar high soo i reaaaaly had to pee haha. so ill just write ya a good letter this week how bout that. haha i been pretty good on the letters thought huh. i told you i would try and write you at least once a week. i didnt get a letter from ya though!! haha it all good. oh and really dont get much time to cook meals and we usually eat dinner with members so i have not learned much except for mixes. haha like there loads of gluten free stuff around here, even pretty good breads!!! like i eat pb and j all the time ha i found ways to make the bread work ha. we need a price cutter store in az thats where i get my gluten free stuff and hyvee. well all is going pretty well this week it is snowing today. it was 0 degrees the other day haha its so crazy weather here. one week its uber hot and the next its cold. i dont get it it makes me get colds alot, but i been pretty good this time. that is so crazy about colten!!! he almost home!!!!! to weird ! its going to fast!! it scares me a little bit. well im starting my letter now for recomendation to stay out longer!! ha well got to go. sorry about the short letter. i will tell you more in the written letter when i have more time. i love you all and know that THE CHURCH IS TRUE! SO WHAT ELSE MATTERS!! ha i know this with all my heart. the advisary will try so hard to make sure we dont find this out so we must continuely build up our walls of defence like the nephites ! he will always be looking for ways to sneak his filthy and doubting thoughts into our minds DO NOT let him ! i love you all and pray for you daily! stay safe and ill talk to you next week LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love Elder Houston

"WAIT UPON THE LORD"

apparently this young man had the same scripture pen as the missionaries....too cute!!!

Having some fun on their preparation day!!! Bowling yah!!

Ok so funny story about these two pictures....look closely and see if you can tell who that is?? YES.... uncle Steve...haha. He was driving thru Springfield to drop off a dumptruck for a guy. He called kevin and asked Mitchell's address....so it happens that Mitchell is right along the freeway that steve is traveling on, soooo then he says i am gonna stop by the apartment and see if they are home. ok so missionaries are never home except after 10pm. Its about 8pm...but it so happened that Mitchell and Elder Treasure stopped home to grab something before their next appointment .....and low and behold someone knocks on the door....haha so they hugged and took a few pictures and then they were all back on the way to there destinations.....

what a sweet treat for Elder Houston and uncle Steve.

Elder Houston's email:

February 6, 2012

Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone how goes it Mom !! you rock i loved that email it made my week, already the best email ever! im so glad you all liked the picture and goodies ! ha sorry took so long to get it out there. ! haha dang! there were 400 pictures?? man ha thats alot, my bad ha. haha and sorry about the yawns its tough work out here, haha i POOPED. ya i kinda thought about taping over that was a bad idea, but i didnt think it would be that long. sorry i will use a new tape next time. im so glad primary liked the letter !! i was afraid it wouldnt work out on the tape so i just wrote as the spirit directed ha. im glad they liked it. it was the least i could do for all they and you did for me. i have been really bad on sending out thank yous. like for christmas and my birthday so PLEASE tell every one you see or when you talk to them thank you soooooo much from elder houston i love you all!!! thats so crazy cooper turning 16 !!!!!!! holy moly!! he a old fart! hahah tell him happy birthday for me and to watch out for them girls! they nothin but trouble ! haha.
well this week was another great one and kinda crazy to think like in three more months i will be at my one year mark!!!!!!!!!! that is so crazy!! time is going wayyy too fast i need to figure out how to slow it down. everything i try is not working !! haha heeeelp. but ya so this week.... on thursday we had zone conference and i love zone conference soooo much. its like a spiritual boost as well and a missionary work booster. i just want to go out and baptize the world!.. and the pope!.. hopefully the new president(of the US) will be lds already haha :) but ya this zone conference was especially delicious. Pres. Merkleys closing remarks were such a testimony builder for me and gave me a deeper appreciation for my Father as well as my Father in Heaven. he talked about becoming sons a moses and of aaron and how our fathers dont hold anything back from us because there love for us. they are not scared that we will become too great or too happy or how ever we may think. he just wants the best for us and the only thing getting in the way of those blessing are ourselves. He talked alot more about it and it was so amazing, i wish i could replay the experience for you all, but i not the greatest note taker ha sorry but i will remember it always in my heart and mind, and testimony as it continues to grow. Pres. merkley talked alot the time when he came out with us and it was such a confidence booster for me and was such a good feeling that i am doing what i am suppose to do. ha that dang man made us both start tearing up. i really have a special spot in my heart for him and all that he does for us and am going to really miss him when he is released in june :(. but i am ready to "wait upon the Lord" as said by Elder Robert D. Hales in this last general conference. i read that talk this morning and it has testified to me again of the importance that i let go of mine own wants and desires and to let go of pride and allow the Lord to do his work and glory through me, as i take steps of faith and act according to righteous principals, i will gradually see Gods plan taking shape in my life, and will be brought back into the bright sunlight of Gods love.
i love you all so much and thank you for the awesome email! cant wait to here from yall next week !!
so much love,
elder houston

SOOOO HUNGRY.....

MESA .....YAH!!!!!

wouldn't you just want that silly face knocking on your door..haha what a dork!!!


in one of Mitchell emails he told us that someone put a kitty sticker on his backpack and he didnt know it and Elder Treasure was laughing all day at him and then Mitchell finally figured out what he was laughing at.

World's largest fork?? ok ?

Elder Houston's email:

January 30, 2012

hey family!,
ok so you know when you like dont eat for a long like and to get sooooo hungry anything will be so awesome!.. well thats what this week was. it was another hard week to start off with but by the end wow we have a "meal" and it was sooooo tasty!!!. so we only had three lessons this week. EVERYONE was canceling, like even our rides and dinners, as well as our appointments with our investigators! we basically just rode bikes around all day. we went on exchanges with the zone leaders on friday too and i felt soooo bad we rode around all day and had one lesson finally. then we got home that night after riding in the rain and the zone leader, elder Erickson. got way sick he was puking all night!! ha it was pretty bad. i think he got food poison though. but ya pretty rough week. then on saturday we get the blessing of a wonderful treat :). so the day started off pretty normal. we got a ride out to branson to switch back elders and then drove back. when we got back, we got a call from Courtnie!!!!!!!!!!!!! wooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha she had disappeared again. but she called and wanted to see if she could still go to the baptism at 3!!! we totally forgot about it and that we told her about it, because we had not heard from her. but she wanted to go. so we went and she got there just as it was starting and she told us she almost didnt come, but she prayed and felt that she needed to come. the guy that was getting baptized was this black gentleman from africa , gana or some thing like that. he spoke french it was so cool. the service was so great the spirit was soo strong there and courtnie felt it so strong and was able to recognize it. after we congratulated the brother his name is like sayo. i probably just butchered it but it works. so we went over and talked to him and he talked to courtnie and bore testimony that this is the truth and that she is making the right choice. it was so perfect. so long story short, sorry... im out of time but she is BACK!! she is talking to us again. she came to church on sunday and even brought her 18 yr old son and his girlfriend and they all came too our gospel principles class !!! oh how great is my joy, what marvelous light did i behold; yea my soul was filled with joy exceeding as was my pain!! my God hath been my support ; he hath led me through mine afflictions.. He hath filled me with his love , even unto the consuming of my flesh.. i love this work the scriptures are true they will relate to our every need. they tell us what we need to do to have happiness in this life and the life to come. This is the Lords kingdom restored to the earth again preparatory for the second coming of the Holy Messiah. I love you all so much and am deep deep gratitude to my Father in Heaven who have made it possible through a prophet to be able to be sealed together with you all for time and all eternity!:) how great is my joy ha i love family!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so much and hope and pray for ya dayly and you too anthony!! haha you are family too ! but i have to go and i will talk to you next week. oh and i sent the pictures this week like friday, i think. i gave them to an elder to put in his mail box cuz it wouldnt fit in ours haha. but just keep an eye out for it. sorry took so long. love ya talk to ya later !!!
love elder mitchell houston

BACK IN THE GROOVE.....

Elder Houston's email:
January 23, 2012

Hey!!! Family!!!!,

hey so this week was pretty sweet. friday the mission pres came out with us. he was in town for some training stuff for dls and trainers and he is starting this new thing where, when he is in town he is going to help out the bike areas and go out with them just for the night. like when he came with us it was from 7 until about 930 ish. but oh man it was soooo awesome!! i was really nervous because the work had realllly slowed down when elder treasure left and so i was scrambling to get some set appointments. then when i finally did and he came out they started to cancel!!! so i turned to the Lord for help and He helped soooo much more then i could have asked for. as we were driving i got the strongest prompting to go see courtnie, who is one of our investigators that we have been working with forever and she just recently fell off the face of the earth!! we had not seen her in so long. so when i got the prompting, i didnt think much of it so i just thought, ok it will buy us some time to think of some one to see haha. well when we got there she was home!!! and let us in! and we got to talking with her and she has fallen back to step one again and is smoking again and she was doubting her answer again that this is the true church. so we talked with her and helped and got her back in the swing of things and she is ready to start again ! :)! it was a really cool expirence and im sooooo glad she is back and to be able to see the happiness back in her life .. i love this work so much it truely is of God. the experences i have had here are indescribable. the only way to experence these things and tori will back me on this is to have them for your self . to go on a mission or do missionary work. so anthany and hunter hahah im promising you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, a mission will change your life, for the absolute better. even if you have the best life ever, it will still better it a hundred fold. but if you dont believe it, these words, believe in Christ and in Heavenly Father and just ask Him in the name of Christ if a mission is what you should do. he will tell you that, i can promise. this is His work and His glory. and in lyes true happiness.. well i got to go sorry another scator brained email ha hopefully it made sense. ill right you today for real this week.. ha we have no plans interupting us. ha ill send pictures too and a tape. haha sorry im getting really bad at this, but like i said im back in the groove ha love you all so much and please know that. forgive me for my weaknesses and know that our Father in Heaven loves us sooo much as does Our Savior! love ya!!! bye
elder houston

HAVING FAITH AND WORKING THRU THE BUMPS ALONG THE WAY

some of the other Elders in his area



Mitchell thought this was so funny cause its soooo small compared to our trucks at home

good looking Elders....serving the Lord

Working hard......cool picture

Elder Houston's email:

January 18, 2012

hey familyyy,

so first im going to say stop worrying mom!! hahah im a smart boy. im doing fine with meds im in the states. im not going to die from lack of meds haha. i would be more worried about the crazy drivers out here!! haha they are terrible ! but any way ya so this week was so crazy! my new companions name is elder golder he is also from arizona ha avondale area. i still have not have a companion from utah, which is really odd haha. but elder golder has been out for 3 months. he is a great missionary and wants to work hard, but lets just say im going to have to ask the Lord for the blessing of patients or calmness haha and humility. its been really hard so far, but i know that i have much to learn from him. the Lord put me with him for a reason. but anyway. not much happend different then transfers this week. i am sick again tho!! i never been sick so many times in my life its really annoying ha. you cant be sick as a missionary no time! ah its been stressfull. plus this friday presidant merkley is going to come to our area and go out with us for the evening !!! and that put lot more stress on me cuz its been crazy hectic here with all our investigators leaving and be being sick and our appartment is falling apart. ha oh by the way funny story we almost go evicted from our apartment too.. i thought the saints were done getting kicked out of there homes in missouri !!! haha thats bad.... but kinda funny ....but yes stressfull, so i need a special pray from you guys if ya can this week. oh!! i LOVED my gifts !! haha they were so awesome !!! that was way good idea! and it was perfect. To tell ya the truth was probably one of my best bdays every !! and i loved the pictures !! claire has soooooo much hair!!!!! she a cutie!! and hunter is a beast haha no one believes me when i tell them he is my younger brother haha. thank you so much best birthday i could have ever asked for love yall. hey ya we are needing some new people to teach so keep me updated on jarids cousins our area is reaaallly small so i doubt they will be in ours but still. hey and tell anthony to keep up the awesome work!!! he will never regret it for a second!! well got to go love you all sorry kinda a scater brained email i hopefully will be feeling better on monday. love you all soo much sorry i have not writen like at all its been crazy. hard to get much done lately. but i pray for ya each night and i love you so much ill get on top of things here soon. i promise love ya
love elder houston

TRANSFERS......STAYING IN SPINGFIELD...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Saying farewell to Elder Treasure....Awesome friend and missionary.

Elder Houston's 21st Birthday package from home..... silly stuff that reminded us of him..

He said it was the best birthday EVER!!!!!

yummy...... cereal bowl with a straw......cant get any better than that.

sorry oops picture.... i will figure out how to get it off later..

Elder Houston's email:

January 9, 2012

Hey family !

so transfer calls came on saturday and i found out im staying in springfield mo and elder treasure is going to bentinville. its the place where walmart started haha if you look on the back of great value stuff it says it haha its funny but ya he was put into a zone leader spot up there, which is crazy he barely out a year. he will rock there he is such a stud! ill miss him but my new comp is elder golder, i meet him on thursday he has been out for three months im lil nervous to take over the area for sure but i know with the Lords help even i can do it.

thats so awesome about kim ! im glad it was caught early! and i have been keeping margaret in my prays !! :( im hoping they have at least told taylor about it by now !! the poor kid. holy cow! no! you never told me that jamie was prego !! thats awesome tell them congrats for me!! and amber was too!!!!! holy cow ha and its a girl! woot woot thats awesome well they are both some very lucky babies to be part of such amazingly wonderful families. and sweeet for anthany too!!!! thats so exciting, ill defiantly write him this week. tell him congrats and to watch out just like capt. moroni after he won a battle he didnt just sit around and celebrate he got right back and preparing for the next thing. satan knows he is so close and he will do ALL he can to make sure he messes up, so tell him to always be putting on the armor of God by reading and praying going to church and all that we can do to have the spirit and be ready to defend the attack. he is very sneaky! and plays dirty. when your on the Lords side you never loose !!

GO JESUS!! ha " our religion is not doctrine in cold storage . it is not theory. it means more to us than a beautiful plan to be admired. it is more than a philosophy of life. to one of our practical turn of mind, religion is the spirit in which a person lives, in which he does things, if it be only to say a kind word or give a cup of cold water. our religion must find expression in deeds." the mere belief in God in not enough. that is a trick of the adversary. " God will not be mocked. when He has offered to us a gift , when he has placed within our reach a blessing, when he has invited us to partake of a feast and we ignore it, we may be sure that we shall suffer the distress that will come to those who refuse the blessings of the Lord when they are offered." intense right. haha that was some of the stuff we read in church on sunday. never settle for just good enough is what i got out of it. this life is about progression. we should always be striving to be our personal best and never sell our self's short. we have such potential with the help and enabling power that comes from the Savior.

well this is what i not what i wanted to really share with ya haha but it works haha. oh before i forget mom i need that endo drs number again haha i lost it. oh and there is no email on monday this week it moved to tuesday kk. well i got to go. ill send ya my pictures today so look for them and ill look for the package haha 21 too wierd well i love you all soooooooo much

it is so amazing the more i grow closer to the Lord the more i love you all haha. its kinda a good thing that me and tori didnt come home at the same time cuz there would have been just wayyyyy to much love in that house haha! that sounds wierd haha.

a mission is awesome and so are you all..... i love you so much and i hope that you all know that. thank you stay safe and talk to you next week
love elder houston

HAPPY NEW YEARS 2012

Merry Christmas from Elder Treasure and Elder Houston

This is the little tree that we sent him to decorate.

Elder Treasure and Elder Houston went to the bishops home and made Temple gingerbread houses.....

Oh silly boy....he is not suppose to eat Captain crunch because it is not gluten free....but its his favorite and so he treated himself anyway even tho he would pay later.. haha

how do you resist not smiling at that face....eating captian crunch!!!!




Elder Houston's email:

January 3, 2012

hey family!!!!,
so happy new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woooo so we were just thinking that the other day that me and elder treasure remembered 2000 and everyone was tripping out haha it was funny.

thats crazy its so hot!!!!!!!!! last year at new year it was like the coldest i could ever remember it ha. new years here was pretty sweet we didnt get to stay up late but that does not mean we didnt get to partyyyy!! haha ok it was not really a party but still. we didnt really have much to do and we were not suppose to be out too late so we came in early kinda early and

i celebrated and ATE CAPTIN CRUNCH!! haha it was sooooooo ooooooo goood haha and i didnt even feel sick after just took a poo and was all better a haha. then on monday we played this awesome card game called killer bunny haha tell chase to look it up its so awesome ha and we had cider and had a little get together with the other elders because one of them is about to go home this transfer.

nope we have had a few days like a while back with a little dusting, but thats about it but the temp her and the weather are so insane here haha you just never know, like it was like in the 30s one day this week and the next it was in the 60s and then like the hottest time here is when it rains haha go figure its really weird, but each day is an adventure ha.

oh so im not sure what you want me to do with my christmas stuff so i think i going to send it with some other stuff back and you can send it back next year or put it in keep sake or some thing. sorry i will send pictures too haha... for real this time ha sorry.

well our investigators have not really went anywhere this week. ill write about it more next week because im out of time. sorry but ya dont send anything for the birthday until we find out if i staying or not kk well hope everyone is ok sorry have not written much to anyone !! tell everyone i love them and i will write soon love you all !!

elder houston

FIRST CHRISTMAS, AFTER TALKING TO MITCHELL

Hi All
so sorry that i haven't been blogging lately.....no excuse,, just lazy and somewhat busy. I did get some pictures so i will be putting some in his next few posts. hopefully i can remember what and where most of them go. thanks for your support with Elder Houston.

Elder Houston's Email:
December 27, 2011

hey its going to be a really short one sorry not much time my computer got time taken off dont know why but hey !! so yesterday was awesome!!! thank you for all the stuff !! i loved it all and shalyse, the blanket rocks awesome pictures!!! i even got one of rocky!!!! that made me laugh so hard! haha i miss yall. the gifts were amazing thanks so much.
after that we did play b-ball that was way fun! and thats about it.
tori will be ok and tell her to keep it up she will make it and money will be provided the Lord is guiding her in every step :). ahhhhhh i hate cancer this is crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!! whats going on? i will defiantly write them and keep her in my prayers too. keep me updated. tell hunt and anthony drive careful there , crazy drivers out there. sorry, got to go love you all so much thanks again
ill write you soon
love elder houston