#11 - The headless chicken...

Dear Elder Coon,
How are you? I won my soccer game again this week. Do you remember Izzy Dunaway, my old friend? He was on the opposite team. We had a lot of fun because I was on the ball a lot. You would have been very proud with my skills. At the end of the game with five minutes left the score was 4 - 2 we almost had a fifth goal but the referee called the game because of lightning.

I received my report card this week with all A's and O's. I have a book report due sometime this month or next. I also have a poem due in December. Can you believe it is almost been four months of school?

Questions;
1) Is there frost on the grass in the morning now?
2) what is the name of your ward?
3) Do you have to ride a bike or a car
4) How many miles per month are you allowed?
I love you James and good luck!

Hannah

Dear Hannah, 

Ya we had our first frost on Sunday. 

the martinsville ward haha only one in the whole town!

we drive our car! but it wouldnt start sunday and we had to go and get a new battery for it

we get 1200 miles about every month

thanks! good job  

Hello Elder,

How was your teaching pool this week, did your commitments follow through? I know that was a challenge in my mission, the person would set the appointment but intentionally not show. We called them "Lunchy" meaning they were out to lunch most of the time, even during the discussion. We could sift through to the best pretty easily. Tell me again what is considered a Discussion; Say a prayer, teach a principle and leave a commitment? How is the PMG going? Katie was trying to explain the "12 Points or Training Steps??" 

Today, after Stake Conference, I met with my Teachers Quorum Presidency. Our Quorum is tough when it comes to "Traditional Homes" where both parents live at home. 11 Teachers with only 4 with both parents at home. Very sad and challenging. I feel it is important to visit with the Teachers Pres in each home very often. He must exercise the keys he holds.

I dont know if we told you, but Johnny asked Sarah by having Danny fly them in a helicopter up on the Superstitions where he purposed. Great idea and he even had to slip her a drug, promising to trust him. She gets motion sickness and the drug was for that... Anyway, he did a great job, his birthday is next month and he will be 27! He knows its time.

Ron and Grandpa went down this weekend to the racetrack in Tucson. Ron bought a track membership there. They were having a benefit for the Burn Unit. I guess Grandpa was quite the celebrity, being a burn victim / surviver. He ran with Ferrari's, Porsche's and Audi's. They had a great time.

We sat next to Ashland and her step father at Stake Conference. Her Step Dad seems to be doing better. They said Ashland is doing so well and is submitting her papers tomorrow. They were also sitting next to the Packers. Its always fun to talk about you and what your friends are up to.

We love to hear about your teaching and the work you are doing. Stay strong and upbeat. The Lord is on your Right hand and on your Left and is there to bare you up....

I love you,

Dad

Dear Dad, 

The teaching pool is still solid. It is frustrating when they skip out! but when that happens we do whats called the 2,2,5. we knock on the doors that are 2 to the left, 2 to the right, and the 5 houses across the street. We are a bit frustrated because we have 9 people on date for baptism but only 1 showed up to church! ahh! we have really focussed on the importance of

1 read the book of mormon!

2 pray daily!

3 come to church!

especially coming to church. but for some reason they all have excuses. martinsville is filled with old people! only 2 of our 9 on date have a phone we can text. everyone else is too old haha but we love them and are working with them! 

Dear family,
How is everyone doing? Another great week has passed!

This week we had some crazy dinners! Thursday we had pancakes for dinner... but not just regular ones! They were chocolate and sprinkled with chocolate syrup and gross! Haha my companion was so mad because they didn't have any "gains" in them. Its funny how similar we are. Not to mention they had 4 dogs and 2 cats. And that means only one thing.... there was hair everywhere! But we were polite and eat them. 

Saturday I CHOPPED OFF A CHICKENS HEAD!!! And we ate it! I have videos and pictures of them but i will send some next week because i forgot my camera haha. The axe was so dull! I held the chickens head down while I chopped. The first swing was a good shot! But the axe wasn't sharp and so after I hit it I began to run away yelling because the chicken was going crazy! It was all bloody and the head was hanging by a thread. I had to then pick it up again and hit it two more times haha. Finally I chopped it off! We ate chicken and macaroni for dinner. Long story short it was hard to go to sleep that night because the headless chicken was haunting me haha :) But now I can check that off my bucket list!!

This week I ponderized D&C 88:63. Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. The Lord is here for each and every one of us. When we come to Him in humble prayer seeking to draw near unto Him I know that the Lord will draw near unto us. The Holy Ghost can be your constant companion. And the people around us can see that light of Christ in us. We teach our investigators how important that Spirit is. When we aren't baptized we can feel the Holy Ghost, but only after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost can we have it as a constant companion as long as we are worthy of it. Before someone is baptized they can feel it like a beam of light in a dark room. If you put your hand over it you can feel the warmth of it, but once you are baptized and receive that gift it is like the beam of light turns to a warm sunshine. When we draw near unto Him, He will draw near unto you! We can be in constant communication with God. He wants to hear our prayers. When we counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, He will direct the for good.  

We had dinner on Monday with a great family. The mother is a member but the father is not. He likes to race gokarts on Sundays. We connected great! He talked my ear off haha. When we gave the lesson that night we talked about the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was so strong! She was crying and i knew he could feel it as well. I pray one day he will join! He knows it is true! And so do I!

Oh and everyone here has guns haha. Elder Redmond hasn't shot a gun before and so seeing so many makes him want to haha. I told him when he comes to visit me in AZ I will let him shoot some haha. Monday we went to the Hubburts for dinner and his house is full of his trophy shots! A bunch of deer, elk, and turkeys. They all go hunting in their back yards! 

Email me at james.coon@myldsmail.net