#5 - September 7, 2014

Mom,
Sounds like a fun week for you! sorry i didnt email yesterday the library was closed. i wont send a big email this week but some people have been emailing me saying they arent getting my weekly email the past few weeks haha. there are 2 papers with emails fyi:) i will send you their emails soon. happy birthday annie! good job going to the temple! keep going every single week! what a blessing it is to have one so close. the indianapolis temple was dedicated and everyone was saying what a blessing it is to have a temple in their back yard and i always laugh to myself because they have no idea how close our temple is! 

wow pancakes sound so good right now! ya i am eating really healthy. we have dinners with members about 4 times a week. not going to lie people out here are pretty weird haha. last night we had dinner with a nonmember family. i love them so much! they fed us taco salad (with no salad) haha. they honestly are my favorite because they talk to us like normal people. they have 3 cute little girls who are so fun! after dinner we went outside and played basketball. the parents and redmond sat on the porch and i went to shoot hoops with the girls. i will send a pic of their family sometime. after we went for icecream ha. 

those videos and pics were so fun so see! the car looks good :) my companion has been really home sick this week because he has been having girlfriend problems. he wants to be with her. it is getting annoying. i am so thankful that my parents taught me right! it is such a blessing to not have any problems with homesickness! i try to feel for him and im really nice to him but there isnt much i can do! 

i loved the package you sent me! haha sorry but i kept both shirts bc i was needing more clothes :) i heard you have had some big rain storms! im still waiting for crazy storms here! people are always saying how we have them but nothing has hit us yet... thanks for calling the bike store! ya i have been making burritos and spaghetti and chicken and everything! in the mornings i have an apple and peanut butter before the gym. ps i am hitting 300 lbs for bench again;) for breakfast i have eggs, toast, a shake with protein, barn drink, and i have a bullet blender that i use to blend up a handful of spinach that i drink in the shake as well. haha am i healthy enough for you mom? lunch i eat tuna fish or something. 

annie thats crazy you are a teenager!! stay away from boys they are all gross! haha hannah you are getting old too! both of you are looking like you are olddddd. :) 

ya we have been killing it lessons wise every week so far! last week we had 50 lessons. they say 30 lessons a week is a good week but honestly it isnt hard to teach 50 lessons! peggy and pete went to church on sunday and loved it! they are working on less smoking. hopefully they will be good for baptism in 3 weeks! dennis is coming to church and is going to be baptized in 2 weeks. we have a few families and old people who are about to be committed to baptism too:) my journal is going good i write in it every night. 

the other day we were walking home for dinner and an old lady in a back brace called us over. apparently she talked to the missionaries a while ago. but after she broke her back they lost contact. they gave her a book of mormon and she knows it is true! we are going to visit her today and talk more with her! what a miracle! she found us!

studies are going good! i have been preparing my talk for sunday this week. i am talking about why we need missionaries and about the gospel of jesus christ which consists of faith in christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism and receiving the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. I am sharing the scripture story of alma the younger and how he changed his life around. after we have seen the gospel bless and enrich our lives we have a desire to share it with everyone! then i will tell the ward to make their neighbors meet with the missionaries hahaha:) 

I love you family! I challenge to keep having that missionary mindset! find people the missionaries can teach! and take care of them. its the best thing when you feed the missionaries dinner and then make extra to give to them so they can eat the leftovers the next day:) 

Elder Coon

Annie,
That sounds so fun!! happy birthday my sister i love you! you are a great example to your friends! work on cutting in and out of the wake on both sides at the lake! i miss the lake. my companion is fun ha everyone laughs at his accent! we are friendly with all the people we meet! keep choosing the right! you are growing up and getting so pretty! make sure grant keeps those boys away from you while im gone!


Hannah,
Good job! it is important to learn patience :) you are a great example to your friends and classmates! good job memorizing you are so smart! 

Dad,
 Wow the church is true! its amazing how deep the gospel can be so complex but at the same time how simple it is! i was studying the premortal life a few days ago. some people we talk to are ready for us and so in tune with the spirit, and other dont care. its because they havent been spiritually prepared. that shows how prepared they made themselves before this life. idk its hard to explain in an email haha and so deep it blew my mind when i read it.

thanks for everything! how is work? hope it is going well i pray for you every night. thanks for all you do for our family. 

people here really know their bible so i am really studying and practicing backing up what i say with why and where it is found in the scriptures. we were teaching an investigator named fae, who is like 70 years old but still thinks she is 20 haha, this week. she had family in town. we were teaching her about Christ and his apostles. faes sister is Jehovah witness and didnt like that we, mormons, were talking to her sister. she was so upset bc she thought we were teaching lies... but elder redmond is very knowledgeable in the bible and he was able to back up what we were saying with scriptures. haha our testimony was able to touch them and their hearts were softened. 

it is still really hot and humid here! my shirt is soaked when we are out knocking doors! its gross haha 

tell kapua i say hi!