Week 4 (11/11/2018) Welcome to Jasper

Welcome to Jasper!

Dad would hate it here. There are trees everywhere, very green. Jasper is a small town, but it does have a Walmart so that makes it a little better, I guess. Our area actually covers 3 or 4 more little towns, but I've only been to one other so far. We do have a car, but despite being one of the largest areas in the mission, we dont have as many miles as some other areas, so we try to bike when we can and when it isn't raining. 

Our apartment is nice, at least. It is a clean complex, a nice area, a little fishing pond/park just down the road. And it's one of the few apartments with two bathrooms, so that is a nice thing. Doesn't feel too cramped, and we have a washer/dryer in the apartment so we dont have to go anywhere. 

 

Elder Lloyd is quiet and reserved generally, so we get along pretty well. He's been out about 14 months, and is our district leader right now too. 

So I talked about the park near our apartment. Apparently Christmas is really important in Jasper. The whole park is filled with lifelike silhouettes of Christmassy things and what not, and it's on the light poles and everything. Well, where there are light poles. 

 

Other than that, Jasper is just a small and relatively poor town. The Jasper branch is 289 members strong, but has a 70% inactive rate so it's really just like 60 members. We do have a building, although the chapel is only like six rows long, and the gym is only half court. So it's small, but works for the small branch. Our branch president is President B__, he seems like a good guy. Our ward mission leader, Brother M__, is great, took us out for lunch on Wednesday to get to know me. Also in the branch is the R__ family.

The R__ family is important for several reasons. First off, at least three people we've contacted say they've talked about the gospel with C__ R__. He apparently knows everyone in Jasper and surrounding territories. The second is that the R__'s have some soon-to-be missionaries. So on Wednesday night we attended a mission call opening, and it was the full party, standing room only type of thing. L__ got called to the Yakima, Washington mission, so we'll be swapping places. Now, the second R__ thing is that we had a R__ missionary farewell on Sunday. And they went all out. 4 talks, 3 musical numbers, and doubled the size of the branch with family from the area, and then a party/linger-longer afterwards that was as elaborate as I've ever seen. That's just how the R__s are, I guess. But with the musical numbers, we got a text on Thursday asking "that new elder plays the piano, right?" So long story short, I played for one of the solo's, and sang in a group for another song. I'm glad the piano part wasn't too hard. Sorry I don't have a recording, I didn't think about it until afterwards. I'm also speaking next week, so the branch is eager to use me.

Okay, about the actual missionary work. When I got here, we had two people on date. An hour later, we only had one. Our good, progressing person dropped us because her inactive member boyfriend by which she has two children cheated on her. So then we only had F__ on date. So our week was spent tracting, tracting, tracting to find new people. When I got here on Monday-Wednesday, it was 80 degrees outside and absolutely terrible. By Friday it was down in the 40's and 50's and felt really cold. The time we're supposed to be out working is from 10-12, afternoon, and 6-9. Great. Well, it gets dark at 6, so we do a lot of tracting and knocking doors in the dark. And cold. And downpour, the last couple of nights. But things are going well. We found 8 people who were at least willing to have us come back, including one deaf lady who could read our lips. We're trying to get the ASL missionaries to video chat in so we can teach her. We also met a Brother G__, not a member but has been taught on and off for a long time. As we talked with him, he opened up to us in a way that he said that he never had before with missionaries, and both Elder Lloyd and I felt prompted that we needed to get him to baptism. So were going to try to get back there this week. 

President Hewlett wants all new missionaries to read the Book of Mormon in 11 weeks, at which point they have a thing called "new missionary certification" where a new elder, like me, has to teach five lessons solo, and have scripture references for certain topics memorized, and stuff. So I'm working on that, actually trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.

Okay, well, I feel like I've written a lot. There are more stories I could tell, obviously, but I think I'll stop there for today. Also, I can have a backpack in this mission, just like we guessed. I was going to get one today, but I got a little handle-bar bag for my bike instead, which should fit the bill. 

Signing out,

Elder DeFord

P.s. I realize I'm not in any of the pictures. I'll try and do a better job of picture taking. 

 

 

Week 3 (11/6/2018) Houston Texas, Can't Wait For Summer

I am now typing this email next to my new companion, Elder Lloyd. We are heading out to Jasper Texas later on today, where I will be serving.

Starting from where I last left off, my last weekend at the MTC went well, though I frankly can't remember much. One of our TRC practice investigators didn't show up for our last lesson, but we committed the other one to baptism. 

Okay, what you are all waiting for! We got on a bus Monday morning headed to the airport. A train ride and trolley later we were there. A very nice sister bought us lunch, we boarded the plane, and flew out. 

Most of the Missionaries were seated next to other Elders, but I had a nice man named Jeff next to me. Jeff is a mountain bike and ski instructor, and unequivocally not interested in hearing about the gospel. But I tried. 

Houston: we got off the plane and my skin felt sticky. This is late fall? 80 degrees and 90 percent humidity. I love breathing it, but I don't like feeling it. 

President and Sister Hewlett met us at the airport and drove us to the mission home. We had dinner, a short meeting, and retired for the night.

The Hewletts seem like great people, it was good getting to know them. I got to spend some time just singing and playing on the mission home piano, which made me feel like myself again. This morning we had 6 hours of meetings and training, and I met my new companion, who is from Idaho and that's all I know about him. 

Administration stuff: my p-days are on Monday, or on Tuesday if it is transfer day. We get to go to the temple quarterly and with any recent converts! So that is really exciting. I think my first trip will be in just a week or two. I don't know how everything is going, but this is going to be great. 

I love you all, and thank you for your well-wishes. Also, Emily sent me this nice tie pin, see picture, so I have the best sister. 

I'll include more when I remember it and if I have time. 

Elder Adam DeFord

Week 2 (11/1/2018) Feliz Dia De Los Muertos

Feliz dia de Los muertos, y bienvinidos a la MTC!

Wait, hold up, Elder DeFord. Wasn't last week "bienvinidos a la MTC"? Yes, of course. Buuuut this week I had the opportunity to host new missionaries on Wednesday. It was really weird to think that just two weeks ago I was standing directly in their shoes. But it proceeded smoothly, I only probably put one new Elder into the wrong room. I'm sure it got figured out. Probably. 

So, funny story. Actually, it's really sad. So, I ordered new name tags so that my name would be spelled DeFORD instead of DEFORD. So I picked up my tags, and was all excited about it, until..."La igleja de Jesu Cristo".....hold on. They printed them in Portuguese. Unfortunately. When I told them about it they took the Portuguese tags and wouldn't give them back. It was exceedingly disappointing. But I should get my new English tags today.

Let's see. The investigators we have this week are Andy and Josh. Andy is helping to prepare us for the Bible Belt, asking for a Bible reference for everything we say. Meeting with Josh was great, though. We taught the plan of salvation, and he soaked it up like a sponge. When we invited him to pray at the end of the lesson, I felt the spirit so strongly. I love listening to investigators pray. Sometimes it makes me think that we ourselves need to be better with our prayers. The faith and trust that they show humbles me.

Let's see. Elder Kurth and I auditioned today for his musical number, Savior Redeemer of My Soul. I have a video\sound clip that I'll include. I doubt we'll get to perform it, but I supported him the best that I could. (Editor (aka Mom) the sound clip was too big, I'll try to figure out how to include just a portion.)

A note on one of the Elders in my district: Elder Strain is incredible. He's really a rock of faith, obedient, kind. I'm very much grateful that he is in my district. I'll include a picture of the two of us. He's also helping me work out, so from the 137 lbs I entered the MTC I am now a whopping 139 pounds of pure muscle. Rawr. Haha, no. But I am at least learning a bit about weight lifting. 

So it gets kind of lonely here at the MTC, so I like to cuddle with Sister Socks. See attached picture before you judge me. 

For those of you keeping score at home, here is a day in the life of the MTC:

6 am: my alarm goes off, I turn it off and curl back up under my covers

6:30: Elder King's alarm goes off, and since this is the Handbook Mandated Time to be up, I roll out of bed, do a little calisthenics, get ready for the day.

7:15: We migrate to the cafeteria to eat a breakfast that usually consists of some variation on eggs, meat, and hash browns.

7:45: Elder Carraway and I prepare our lesson for our investigator.

8:30: Elder Carraway and I teach a 25 minute lesson

9:30 classroom instruction with Brother Herrod or Sister Ohrmsby, on teaching skills and the missionary lessons. 

11:30 Personal and Companion study and other needful things

1 PM: lunch

1:40-5:15: additional study, an hour of exercise, some time to shower and get back into missionary attire

5:15-6: Dinner time

6:15-9:15: additional classroom instruction as earlier.

9:15: return to residence hall for the duration of the night, get ready for bed, journal

10:30 lights out

There is some variation day to day, workshops, or devotionals on Tuesday and Sunday. On the note of devotionals. Our Tuesday devotional was by Elder Carpenter of the quorum of the 70. He and his wife spoke of how our missions prepare us to choose eternal companions. I was apparently on this same wavelength, as on the first day when we were first together as a district our teacher asked each of us why we were on a mission. I slapped my new companion on the back and told him he was preparing me to be married. I had forgotten about it, but after the devotional Elder Carraway brought it up. Apparently the Sisters remembered it, because one shared that at the time she was like "I'm a couple years older than this guy, and don't know what I'm doing, and he's thinking about marriage? What a -------- (such a word would be inappropriate to share. It wasn't a cuss word, but it wasn't nice)." They don't feel that way anymore, of course, I just surprised them at the time. 

So, the Houston temple is very beautiful, and I sent a picture home last week to Jayci. On Halloween she sent back a picture of a pumpkin she carved. It's  incredible! I'm going to include it in this email, it's so cool. Also, she got her mission call, which is super exciting. She'll tell me today, finally, where she was called. I'm pumped to hear about it. Hint hint. Tell me.

For those wondering when I leave the MTC, I fly out on Monday and arrive in Houston that evening. And my mission finally begins. 

Feel free to email me questions, of course. 

I think that is it for now,

Elder DeFord