Monday March 18, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week was another good one involving Zone Conference, an FHE, Interview with President, an exchange, star gazing, and a great Sunday.
Monday was a goo P-day and it was fun to talk on video call over Facebook Messenger with the fam! I loved also getting Rachel and Rebekah on there too :) That evening we went to the hospital and helped a member give a blessing to a lady that was not doing so well. We then visited some people.
Tuesday was Zone Conference. The AP's picked us up and we headed over to the Denham Springs Stake Center. We had a great Zone Conference with some really great and funny presentations. We had some really good discussions and also some great role-plays and then we had lunch. President then talked to us and we had some more great presentations. We then stayed until the AP's drove us back. We were ble to visit with other missionaries for a while. Elder Carson, who is still serving in the New Iberia (my last District) brought his Frisbee so we threw that around in the gym for a while. The AP's then drove us back and we drove over to the south part of our area and we followed up on a return appointment we made with a guy we had met in the street a little while ago. We had a great lesson with him and his friend and then we walked over to the apartment of a less active guy we have been visiting lately. His fam, who are not members, were there and we talked to them a bit and got to know them better than the previous short encounters would permit. His step-son was in the kitchen and randomly popped out asking us if we wanted to try a souffle that he had made. We said yes and he gave us some really good sweet potato souffle. We then talked with him for the next 30 minutes or more. He is a chef and he is only 19. Super cool guy.
Wednesday we worked out as usual and we took Henry (a member's dog) out on a walk as we have been doing for about a week. This member asked us to go over to his apartment every morning and night to feed his dog and take him out for a walk and to use the bathroom. It has been fun cause he is a cute little dog and he gets crazily excited whenever we open the door. We did some studies and ate lunch and then went to the church for weekly planning and interviews from President. It was good to talk to President, he is so awesome. We then drove to Gonzalez and visited some potential people to teach and cleared up some records for old addresses of members. We then went to a member's house for an FHE. It was the family of the return missionary that came to a lesson with us on the last Saturday. The family that she helped us teach came to the FHE and it went really well. We left so we could get home on time and they were all still there talking and having a good time.
Thursday we went to the Library in the afternoon so Elder Parker could figure out some stuff with his bank account. We also printed out some primary songs for some lessons we were to have. We then drove to a part-member family's house for dinner and a lesson. There was a lot of traffic so it took us about an hour instead of half an hour. They fed us some really good tacos and then we had a great lesson on facing fear. We then went to some appointments we had, a few fell through so we tracted a little around them and then we went to our last appointment which went really well.
Friday we had exchanges with the LSU Elders. I was with Elder Ritchie in their area (LSU Campus) and Elder Monson went with Elder Parker in our area. Elder Ritchie and I had some funny experiences. We biked to an area where we tried to contact some people and they weren't there but while there we met a dude in passing and scheduled a time to come back. We then went to another place to contact a guy and he wasn't there but his roommate drove up at that moment and eventually let us in. It took him a bit because he thought we were the Feds. So many people think we are the Feds which is really funny but I never met someone who was so convinced and skeptical. After talking for a bit and telling him at like three different times that we weren't the Feds, he let us in. We talked some more and he asked again like 2 more times. Then while in the middle of teaching about the Restoration, he talked about some stuff and then asked again and said "cause I got weed". He then went to his closet and brought it out to the table to role up a joint, lol! At that time his friend showed up too. We continued a little bit of conversation and then excused ourselves and set another time to come back. We walked outside and died laughing, he was a super funny guy and never has anyone straight up done something like that. It was pretty funny. we were then about to leave and we saw a girl struggling to do something at her car so we rode our bikes over and asked if she wanted help. Get this, she actually said yes! Not many people do that, it's kind of a rare occurrence, haha. We helped her put a protector on her seats for her dog and then she went and got her dog and we met it and then talked with her for quite a while. There were a lot of really cool connections, like her being form the same place Elder Ritchie was from, and her being a religious major, and being the President of the service group, and a bunch of other things. We had a good talk and then we biked back over to LSU Campus for a lesson with a recent convert. We read in the Book of Mormon and at the end we were talking about it being Elder Ritchie's B-day and Hughs, the recent convert, asked if we were doing anything special for his birthday, or if there were any events we were going to. Elder Ritchie said nothing planned yet but do you know of anything good? Hughs said yeah there are a lot. Elder Ritchie then clarified appropriate events. Hughs then counted like nine things and cancelled them off the list. That was really funny, we told him it was probably not the best idea to go to parties as missionaries, haha. But then he told us about a get together he was going to for those from Africa and stuff. He invited us to come and since he was going and there was going to be an investigator there, we made an appearance. We played an Uno game with them which was a lot of fun and then we went to the food court and got Smoothie King. We then changed and biked over to the soccer fields. Lucky for me, Friday night is soccer night where they play soccer with some people they are teaching and make more contacts. That was a lot of fun and we met some cool people. We then biked back home for the night.
Saturday we switched back in the morning and Elder Parker and I went to Branch Correlation at a member's house with the Sister Missionaries and the members fed us breakfast as usual. We then took out Henry for a walk and then did some studies. In the afternoon we drove down to Gonzalez and we had a great lesson with the same family that we had come to the FHE on Wednesday. We then knocked doors in a trailer park down there for a while and made some good contacts. We drove back up to the south part of our area and we had a few good lessons there. We also drove up to another part of our area to have a quick lesson with a family and invite them to church.
Sunday was really good. That family we invited to church on Saturday night came! All 6 of them:) They really enjoyed church and said they would come to the Easter Activity on Saturday and to church next Sunday. We then came home, ate lunch, did studies, and then drove up to the north of our area and brought our bikes with us. We made some visits and then biked from that place to another neighborhood and we had a good first contact lesson with a guy there. We then biked back to the car and drove back home. We then walked over to Brother and Sister Albert's apartment (the same people we have branch correlation with) because he invited us over to look through his telescope that night.
It was a pretty great week and this next week is going to be crazy because we have 3 exchanges!!! Until next week!
I love you Mom!!!
Love,
Elder Acton
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Monday, March 11, 2019
Week 80 Mini Miracles
Monday March 11, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week has been full of little miracles. Miracles involving food and also miracles regarding people to teach.
Monday was a good P-day with the District. We went to TopGolf and spent some time hitting golf balls. the Gonzalez Elders know the guy that owns it and he let us go for free. That night Elder Parker and I went to visit people down in Gonzalez. We were able to talk to a decent about of people in a trailer park as we tracted but we didn't have any crazy success. We tried to visit a former investigator in another trailer park and at the end f it there was a dirt road into the woods. It was dark, cold, and rainy but we decided to follow it briefly. It soon turned into a mud bog so we turned around. On the way back our light rested on a very spooky looking building in the woods with graffiti and creepy stuff on it. Mini Miracle #1; nothing bad happened, lol.
Tuesday after studies and lunch we did our weekly planning. We got some really good plans in for some of the people we are teaching. That evening we went up into the northern part of our area and contacted former investigators up there. We tracted a little bit and talked to some people that said we could come back but we didn't have any lessons. We met some people outside cooking some Chicharron. They had met missionaries before and came to church a few times. They gave us a little bit of the Chicharron and we set a time to come back. We then went to a Hispanic store called Ideal to do some store contacting. While there we checked out their food cause we were hungry but it was a little expensive, we decided against it. Then while standing back a bit just looking, a guy asks us why we are not getting anything to eat. We told him it was a bit too expensive and he told us he would pay for us. He was a super cool guy who was a member of the Catholic church. He had us get a big plate of food and bought us a nice meal and an horchata to drink. He didn't want to hear a message and said he wasn't interested but he has talked with missionaries before and wanted to do something nice for us because he respects us. Mini Miracle #2; A nice guy blessin us with food :) We ate our dinner and then we drove to the hospital and met the Sisters there so we could give a lady a blessing.
Wednesday we had District Council. That morning we got a call from Brother Foster, the President of the Elder's Quorum in Lafayette and also the Ward Mission Leader. He asked if we could help a lady move into an apartment because no one in the ward was available. After our District council our whole District drove up and we helped him and the Lafayette Bishop, Bishop Nelson, move all this lady's stuff into her apartment. It was awesome to see them again and then afterward they took our whole district to lunch at P.F. Changs, an expensive Oriental Restaurant. The food was great! I got Bibimbpa which I ejnoyed very much. Mini Miracle #3; Our whole District getting treated to expensive oriental food. We then came back to the apartment and did our studies. That evening we spent contacting former investigators and had some lessons with people we had met the week before. There was one lady we had met who had previously said we could come by the next week and she let us in for a lesson. This time instead of teaching the restoration or plan of salvation or anything like that, we showed her Family History and talked about what it is. It is a very different and weird feeling approach and almost feels like you aren't actually teaching them like you should be, but that is because it is a little bit more of a long term better result than a short term not as high probability result. She is kind of our guinea pig for our Family History efforts. We then drove to another area/apartment complex where we are teaching people and we had a few really good lessons there. Mini Miracle #4; a night full of lessons.
Thursday we went to the Church and learned from the Stake Family History Consultants how to do more of Family History and how to help other people do theirs. It was cool to learn how to do some of that stuff and at the same time do some work on our own lines. Mini Miracle #5; Family History Work. That evening we spent our time contacting people in the south part of our area and then we drove out to give a less active member a Come Follow Me book. We didn't have hardly any success and it was a pretty bleh night.
Friday we had to make a quick emergency run to Walmart because we were scrubs and with poor planning forgot to go to the store on P-day. . . We then stopped at the Church and I started preparing my talk for Sunday. We then came home and I did a little more preparation. We then received a call from a guy that Elder Parker had met 3 months ago and briefly talked to and gave a card. The guy said he wanted us to come over and teach him. Mini Miracle #6 (Part A); someone actually calling our number from the cards we give out and requesting a visit from us.We did the rest of our studies and ate dinner, because our dinner fell through, and then we visited people in the north part of our area. We had little success that night.
Saturday we walked over to a member of the English ward's apartment in our complex and he trained us in how to take care of his dog while he is gone for a week. We then came back for studies and lunch. We then drove out to Gonzalez for a lesson and we had a YSA sister who is a return missionary meet us there to teach with us and fellowship the family. We had a really good lesson on prayer and they are really solid people. Mini Miracle #7; an awesome member-present lesson with a great family. We then stayed in Gonzalez and drove to some potential investigators we felt we should contact and found some new areas where we can find more Hispanics to teach. We then headed back to the south end of Baton Rouge and contacted people over there. We then came home a little early and I worked on my talk more. And admittedly I ended up spending most of the night on it too. . .I was up til 3:16 working on it. . .and since it was daylight savings time it was totally like 4:16. . .lets just say my battery was a little low on Sunday, lol.
Sunday went well even though I was a bit tired. Mini Miracle #8; I was not near as tired as I shoulda been. My talk ended up going really well even though I felt it wasn't going to. I was able to speak the language very well as I read my talk. Mini Miracle #9; the Gift of Tongues. After church we came home and did studies and again admittedly during our comp study, while laying on the couch, we joked about studying a legos dream and our nap ended up taking up our whole study. . .Elder Parker was tired too because he had stayed up with me until about 12:00. We then ate dinner and went out to make some visits for the night. We ended up meeting a number of cool people and having some great conversations/lessons with them. We then had a super awesome convo/mini lesson with the guy that had called and requested a visit from us. Mini Miracle #6(part B); the guy that called was super solid!!! We then ended the night by taking dramatic pics in front of the most lit Chinese buffet sign ever!
It was a great week and I look forward to another great one!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week has been full of little miracles. Miracles involving food and also miracles regarding people to teach.
Monday was a good P-day with the District. We went to TopGolf and spent some time hitting golf balls. the Gonzalez Elders know the guy that owns it and he let us go for free. That night Elder Parker and I went to visit people down in Gonzalez. We were able to talk to a decent about of people in a trailer park as we tracted but we didn't have any crazy success. We tried to visit a former investigator in another trailer park and at the end f it there was a dirt road into the woods. It was dark, cold, and rainy but we decided to follow it briefly. It soon turned into a mud bog so we turned around. On the way back our light rested on a very spooky looking building in the woods with graffiti and creepy stuff on it. Mini Miracle #1; nothing bad happened, lol.
Tuesday after studies and lunch we did our weekly planning. We got some really good plans in for some of the people we are teaching. That evening we went up into the northern part of our area and contacted former investigators up there. We tracted a little bit and talked to some people that said we could come back but we didn't have any lessons. We met some people outside cooking some Chicharron. They had met missionaries before and came to church a few times. They gave us a little bit of the Chicharron and we set a time to come back. We then went to a Hispanic store called Ideal to do some store contacting. While there we checked out their food cause we were hungry but it was a little expensive, we decided against it. Then while standing back a bit just looking, a guy asks us why we are not getting anything to eat. We told him it was a bit too expensive and he told us he would pay for us. He was a super cool guy who was a member of the Catholic church. He had us get a big plate of food and bought us a nice meal and an horchata to drink. He didn't want to hear a message and said he wasn't interested but he has talked with missionaries before and wanted to do something nice for us because he respects us. Mini Miracle #2; A nice guy blessin us with food :) We ate our dinner and then we drove to the hospital and met the Sisters there so we could give a lady a blessing.
Wednesday we had District Council. That morning we got a call from Brother Foster, the President of the Elder's Quorum in Lafayette and also the Ward Mission Leader. He asked if we could help a lady move into an apartment because no one in the ward was available. After our District council our whole District drove up and we helped him and the Lafayette Bishop, Bishop Nelson, move all this lady's stuff into her apartment. It was awesome to see them again and then afterward they took our whole district to lunch at P.F. Changs, an expensive Oriental Restaurant. The food was great! I got Bibimbpa which I ejnoyed very much. Mini Miracle #3; Our whole District getting treated to expensive oriental food. We then came back to the apartment and did our studies. That evening we spent contacting former investigators and had some lessons with people we had met the week before. There was one lady we had met who had previously said we could come by the next week and she let us in for a lesson. This time instead of teaching the restoration or plan of salvation or anything like that, we showed her Family History and talked about what it is. It is a very different and weird feeling approach and almost feels like you aren't actually teaching them like you should be, but that is because it is a little bit more of a long term better result than a short term not as high probability result. She is kind of our guinea pig for our Family History efforts. We then drove to another area/apartment complex where we are teaching people and we had a few really good lessons there. Mini Miracle #4; a night full of lessons.
Thursday we went to the Church and learned from the Stake Family History Consultants how to do more of Family History and how to help other people do theirs. It was cool to learn how to do some of that stuff and at the same time do some work on our own lines. Mini Miracle #5; Family History Work. That evening we spent our time contacting people in the south part of our area and then we drove out to give a less active member a Come Follow Me book. We didn't have hardly any success and it was a pretty bleh night.
Friday we had to make a quick emergency run to Walmart because we were scrubs and with poor planning forgot to go to the store on P-day. . . We then stopped at the Church and I started preparing my talk for Sunday. We then came home and I did a little more preparation. We then received a call from a guy that Elder Parker had met 3 months ago and briefly talked to and gave a card. The guy said he wanted us to come over and teach him. Mini Miracle #6 (Part A); someone actually calling our number from the cards we give out and requesting a visit from us.We did the rest of our studies and ate dinner, because our dinner fell through, and then we visited people in the north part of our area. We had little success that night.
Saturday we walked over to a member of the English ward's apartment in our complex and he trained us in how to take care of his dog while he is gone for a week. We then came back for studies and lunch. We then drove out to Gonzalez for a lesson and we had a YSA sister who is a return missionary meet us there to teach with us and fellowship the family. We had a really good lesson on prayer and they are really solid people. Mini Miracle #7; an awesome member-present lesson with a great family. We then stayed in Gonzalez and drove to some potential investigators we felt we should contact and found some new areas where we can find more Hispanics to teach. We then headed back to the south end of Baton Rouge and contacted people over there. We then came home a little early and I worked on my talk more. And admittedly I ended up spending most of the night on it too. . .I was up til 3:16 working on it. . .and since it was daylight savings time it was totally like 4:16. . .lets just say my battery was a little low on Sunday, lol.
Sunday went well even though I was a bit tired. Mini Miracle #8; I was not near as tired as I shoulda been. My talk ended up going really well even though I felt it wasn't going to. I was able to speak the language very well as I read my talk. Mini Miracle #9; the Gift of Tongues. After church we came home and did studies and again admittedly during our comp study, while laying on the couch, we joked about studying a legos dream and our nap ended up taking up our whole study. . .Elder Parker was tired too because he had stayed up with me until about 12:00. We then ate dinner and went out to make some visits for the night. We ended up meeting a number of cool people and having some great conversations/lessons with them. We then had a super awesome convo/mini lesson with the guy that had called and requested a visit from us. Mini Miracle #6(part B); the guy that called was super solid!!! We then ended the night by taking dramatic pics in front of the most lit Chinese buffet sign ever!
It was a great week and I look forward to another great one!
Love,
Elder Acton
Week 79 A Cool Baptism Experience
Monday March 4, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week has been a pretty good week filled with rain and crazy temperature changes and ending with a baptism.
Monday was a pretty chill P-day. We chilled at our apartment for the morning and talked to family and emailed friends and then we went to Little Caesar's and bought some pizza. We stopped at the post office and then went to the Church. We ate lunch, talked to our families a bit more and then went to the Library. We then came back to the Church and shot hoops a bit. We then visited some people in the North part of our area and a lesson with some people we are teaching up there. Then we came home and called members on our Branch roster to confirm addresses and numbers.
Tuesday we were going to go do some service but it didn't end up working out. We drove over to the Old State Capitol and when we got there, we received a text from the lady that we work with, that she did not have anything for us for the day. So we just drove back to our apartment for lunch and to finish our studies. We then drove to a number of different areas to visit people and contact former investigators to see if they are interested in us coming over to teach them again. We had dinner with a less active family in that area and brought them a copy of the new curriculum Come Follow Me and introduced them to it. We visited some other people nearby and then came home.
Wednesday we drove down to Gonzalez for our District Council where we all met at the church building down there. We decided to switch each week so that we are all taking turns driving far for District Councils. Our District Council ended up being really long. Parts of our meeting took a lot longer than they should of and then at the end we remembered that we needed to set goals as a District for the upcoming month of March. As we were prayerfully discussing what our goals should be, we had some different opinions on what they should be so it took a lot longer for us to figure out what our goals should be. After some really good counseling and taking in of multiple opinions, we came up with some really good goals. We decided to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch but when us four Elders got there, we realized the four Sisters were not with us. We got our food and were sitting down and then found out that they had ended up driving a long ways across town to the other Chick-Fil-A. We went to the one 3 minutes down the road. We were just going to have separate District lunches for the day. Then right as we were finishing up and about to leave, the Sisters showed up and sat down with their food. So all of us four Elders got up and got more food, lol. After lunch Elder Parker and I stayed at Chick-Fil-A and made calls and then did some planning, some language study and a little comp study as we sat out on their patio tables. We decided to go contact and knock doors in a trailer park that is full of Hispanics in Gonzales while we were down there. We were at the trailer park for about a half hour to an hour and we just didn't feel effective. We felt quite bleh. We were talking to people and stuff but we didn't feel like we were really doing something. Like maybe we weren't supposed to be there. It was a weird feeling of no real drive/motivation that we were both feeling and we felt like we weren't getting anything done. It was kind of a feeling of unaccomplishment and like we didn't know what we were doing. So we went to the car and prayed and talked about it and what we were feeling. We were trying to decide where the feeling was coming from and what the message was supposed to be. Maybe it was coming from God through the spirit and telling us we should be somewhere else and that this was not he place we should be. We also had the thought that maybe it was Satan trying to discourage us and keep us from being where we were supposed to be. We couldn't really come up with something so we thought maybe we are supposed to make a decision before we know. We were about to leave when we debated even further that it could very well be that there is someone here we need to find and Satan doesn't want us to find them. So with that thought we got back out of the car and walked back down the street. We were walking and looking around and Elder Parker said "lets knock that house with the red car" so we walked over and knocked the door. A Hispanic lady opened the door and invited us right on in. We went in and introduced ourselves and explained what we do. We shared a little of what our message is and also invited her to the English class on Thursdays that the Sisters do. It was late for them so we scheduled a time to come back and she said she would come checkout our Church. It was a cool little experience. We then knocked some more doors and met a couple more people that we scheduled to visit again.
Thursday was MLC (Mission Leadership Conference) and Elder Parker is a ZL (Zone Leader) so Elder Hawks, who is now a ZL as well but down in New Orleans, came up with his companion, Elder Hernandez. Elder Parker and Elder Hawks drove to the Mission Home for MLC and Elder Hernandez and I stayed to work our area on exchanges. Not too long after they left they called us and told us that we were actually supposed to go the Mission Home too because an Elder, Elder Leach, was supposed to be in a trio with us for the day. We got in the car and I drove us to the Mission Home and when we got there they were all still eating breakfast and President Varner invited us to go in the kitchen and get a little food to eat as well. We definitely took him up on that offer and Sister Varner made sure to make some more waffles for us and make sure that we got fed well. We had some of the leftover yogurt cups, eggs and hash browns, waffles with fruit, her famous caramel syrup, and whipped cream and orange juice. We helped her clean up as all the other missionaries and President Varner started MLC. We then left and came back to the apartment so Elder Leach could change into service clothes. We drove to the USS Kidd, a battleship/museum where the missionaries do service. When we got there we were told to go out to the battleship and someone out there would direct us in what to do. We were then told to walk down the side of the ship and then to go down to some lower levels to meet a guy who would give us something to do. We got down to him and he was very stressed due to all the extra stuff he had to worry about since the replica ship of the Santa Maria that Christopher Columbus sailed on was docked up with them for the week. He told us since he didn't have anything we could do while all the mayhem was going on and since we were all new to the ship, we should take a tour and be on patrol for anyone who was not where they were supposed to be and then to tell the group of Veterans up top if we found someone. He said that would be like sicking a pack of Pitbulls and German Shepherds on them. He also told us that some of those guys have served on sister ships to this one and would not be happy if people were disrespecting the ship and that even thought they were in their 70's, 80's, and 90's they wouldn't be afraid to throw people off the ship. Now that would be a sight and if you were the person getting thrown off, quite an embarrassment, haha. That was the assignment he gave us. And then when we were done, we were to come back to Sam at the front. We toured the ship, then came back, went over to a lady selling stuff for the Santa Maria and we helped her do inventory and work out all the kinks and organize what she was selling. We then were invited to tour the Santa Maria, which was really cool too. We then left and drove back home to change back into proselyting clothes. We got a call that MLC was over so we drove back to the Mission Home and switched companions back. It was cool to see some missionaries I haven't seen in a long time. Elder Leach and Elder Wiscombe and Elder Parker and I then went to Olive Garden for dinner. It was some very good food I do have to say. Elder Parker and I visited some people for the evening.
Friday we had our studies in the morning, lunch and then we went to the Church and we did some weekly planning. We learned a lot about Family History and we watched some devotionals and stuff on it because we are going to be kind of like the Family History Consultants for the branch to help them become more missionary minded. It will help introduce them to missionary work so that we can start working with them in a better way. We got super hyped about it as we were watching devos and stuff. That evening we went over to a part-member family's house and we ate dinner with them and talked more about Family History and got to know them and hear their conversion stories. We then went to a family that we are teaching and a YSA member who is a return missionary and is Hispanic came with us and was a great help in our lesson.
Saturday we walked over to a member's apartment in our complex for Branch correlation. Tehy feed us and the Sisters breakfast and then we talk about our people. Afterwards, Elder Parker and I went to the Church to learn more about Family History from the Stake Consultants that are there at that time on Saturdays. We got there and nobody was there, so that was disappointing. We tried to learn a bit on our own but it was difficult on our phones so we did some studies. Later we went back to the Church and set up for baptism and filled up the font. A family we have been visiting has an eight year old daughter who was going to be baptized. The father is not a member bu the mother is. It was a member baptism but they asked that one of us would baptize her. I was given that privilege and it was a really cool experience to baptize her in Spanish. The baptism went well and afterwards we all ate some tostadas and refreshments. We then cleaned everything up and went to visit a less active member that we met earlier in the week. We met his family and shared a little message with them.
Sunday we were suppose to have multiple people come to church but none of them actually came. . .sad day. We did have Abril's whole family there for her confirmation though which was good. We also had a really good Sunday school class with lots of discussion. We came home after church and did some studies and a lot of language study. While at the apartment it rained super hard and flooded the swamp next to our apartment and also the parking lot. In the morning until afternoon it was in the 70's but by the evening it was in the 40's, it dropped about 30 degrees in a matter of hours. That evening we visited some people and then we knocked at one apartment complex we found where Hispanics live. We then went to Abril's house and filled out the baptismal form/record.
It was a really good week and it rained many times though it definitely rained the hardest on Sunday. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week has been a pretty good week filled with rain and crazy temperature changes and ending with a baptism.
Monday was a pretty chill P-day. We chilled at our apartment for the morning and talked to family and emailed friends and then we went to Little Caesar's and bought some pizza. We stopped at the post office and then went to the Church. We ate lunch, talked to our families a bit more and then went to the Library. We then came back to the Church and shot hoops a bit. We then visited some people in the North part of our area and a lesson with some people we are teaching up there. Then we came home and called members on our Branch roster to confirm addresses and numbers.
Tuesday we were going to go do some service but it didn't end up working out. We drove over to the Old State Capitol and when we got there, we received a text from the lady that we work with, that she did not have anything for us for the day. So we just drove back to our apartment for lunch and to finish our studies. We then drove to a number of different areas to visit people and contact former investigators to see if they are interested in us coming over to teach them again. We had dinner with a less active family in that area and brought them a copy of the new curriculum Come Follow Me and introduced them to it. We visited some other people nearby and then came home.
Wednesday we drove down to Gonzalez for our District Council where we all met at the church building down there. We decided to switch each week so that we are all taking turns driving far for District Councils. Our District Council ended up being really long. Parts of our meeting took a lot longer than they should of and then at the end we remembered that we needed to set goals as a District for the upcoming month of March. As we were prayerfully discussing what our goals should be, we had some different opinions on what they should be so it took a lot longer for us to figure out what our goals should be. After some really good counseling and taking in of multiple opinions, we came up with some really good goals. We decided to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch but when us four Elders got there, we realized the four Sisters were not with us. We got our food and were sitting down and then found out that they had ended up driving a long ways across town to the other Chick-Fil-A. We went to the one 3 minutes down the road. We were just going to have separate District lunches for the day. Then right as we were finishing up and about to leave, the Sisters showed up and sat down with their food. So all of us four Elders got up and got more food, lol. After lunch Elder Parker and I stayed at Chick-Fil-A and made calls and then did some planning, some language study and a little comp study as we sat out on their patio tables. We decided to go contact and knock doors in a trailer park that is full of Hispanics in Gonzales while we were down there. We were at the trailer park for about a half hour to an hour and we just didn't feel effective. We felt quite bleh. We were talking to people and stuff but we didn't feel like we were really doing something. Like maybe we weren't supposed to be there. It was a weird feeling of no real drive/motivation that we were both feeling and we felt like we weren't getting anything done. It was kind of a feeling of unaccomplishment and like we didn't know what we were doing. So we went to the car and prayed and talked about it and what we were feeling. We were trying to decide where the feeling was coming from and what the message was supposed to be. Maybe it was coming from God through the spirit and telling us we should be somewhere else and that this was not he place we should be. We also had the thought that maybe it was Satan trying to discourage us and keep us from being where we were supposed to be. We couldn't really come up with something so we thought maybe we are supposed to make a decision before we know. We were about to leave when we debated even further that it could very well be that there is someone here we need to find and Satan doesn't want us to find them. So with that thought we got back out of the car and walked back down the street. We were walking and looking around and Elder Parker said "lets knock that house with the red car" so we walked over and knocked the door. A Hispanic lady opened the door and invited us right on in. We went in and introduced ourselves and explained what we do. We shared a little of what our message is and also invited her to the English class on Thursdays that the Sisters do. It was late for them so we scheduled a time to come back and she said she would come checkout our Church. It was a cool little experience. We then knocked some more doors and met a couple more people that we scheduled to visit again.
Thursday was MLC (Mission Leadership Conference) and Elder Parker is a ZL (Zone Leader) so Elder Hawks, who is now a ZL as well but down in New Orleans, came up with his companion, Elder Hernandez. Elder Parker and Elder Hawks drove to the Mission Home for MLC and Elder Hernandez and I stayed to work our area on exchanges. Not too long after they left they called us and told us that we were actually supposed to go the Mission Home too because an Elder, Elder Leach, was supposed to be in a trio with us for the day. We got in the car and I drove us to the Mission Home and when we got there they were all still eating breakfast and President Varner invited us to go in the kitchen and get a little food to eat as well. We definitely took him up on that offer and Sister Varner made sure to make some more waffles for us and make sure that we got fed well. We had some of the leftover yogurt cups, eggs and hash browns, waffles with fruit, her famous caramel syrup, and whipped cream and orange juice. We helped her clean up as all the other missionaries and President Varner started MLC. We then left and came back to the apartment so Elder Leach could change into service clothes. We drove to the USS Kidd, a battleship/museum where the missionaries do service. When we got there we were told to go out to the battleship and someone out there would direct us in what to do. We were then told to walk down the side of the ship and then to go down to some lower levels to meet a guy who would give us something to do. We got down to him and he was very stressed due to all the extra stuff he had to worry about since the replica ship of the Santa Maria that Christopher Columbus sailed on was docked up with them for the week. He told us since he didn't have anything we could do while all the mayhem was going on and since we were all new to the ship, we should take a tour and be on patrol for anyone who was not where they were supposed to be and then to tell the group of Veterans up top if we found someone. He said that would be like sicking a pack of Pitbulls and German Shepherds on them. He also told us that some of those guys have served on sister ships to this one and would not be happy if people were disrespecting the ship and that even thought they were in their 70's, 80's, and 90's they wouldn't be afraid to throw people off the ship. Now that would be a sight and if you were the person getting thrown off, quite an embarrassment, haha. That was the assignment he gave us. And then when we were done, we were to come back to Sam at the front. We toured the ship, then came back, went over to a lady selling stuff for the Santa Maria and we helped her do inventory and work out all the kinks and organize what she was selling. We then were invited to tour the Santa Maria, which was really cool too. We then left and drove back home to change back into proselyting clothes. We got a call that MLC was over so we drove back to the Mission Home and switched companions back. It was cool to see some missionaries I haven't seen in a long time. Elder Leach and Elder Wiscombe and Elder Parker and I then went to Olive Garden for dinner. It was some very good food I do have to say. Elder Parker and I visited some people for the evening.
Friday we had our studies in the morning, lunch and then we went to the Church and we did some weekly planning. We learned a lot about Family History and we watched some devotionals and stuff on it because we are going to be kind of like the Family History Consultants for the branch to help them become more missionary minded. It will help introduce them to missionary work so that we can start working with them in a better way. We got super hyped about it as we were watching devos and stuff. That evening we went over to a part-member family's house and we ate dinner with them and talked more about Family History and got to know them and hear their conversion stories. We then went to a family that we are teaching and a YSA member who is a return missionary and is Hispanic came with us and was a great help in our lesson.
Saturday we walked over to a member's apartment in our complex for Branch correlation. Tehy feed us and the Sisters breakfast and then we talk about our people. Afterwards, Elder Parker and I went to the Church to learn more about Family History from the Stake Consultants that are there at that time on Saturdays. We got there and nobody was there, so that was disappointing. We tried to learn a bit on our own but it was difficult on our phones so we did some studies. Later we went back to the Church and set up for baptism and filled up the font. A family we have been visiting has an eight year old daughter who was going to be baptized. The father is not a member bu the mother is. It was a member baptism but they asked that one of us would baptize her. I was given that privilege and it was a really cool experience to baptize her in Spanish. The baptism went well and afterwards we all ate some tostadas and refreshments. We then cleaned everything up and went to visit a less active member that we met earlier in the week. We met his family and shared a little message with them.
Sunday we were suppose to have multiple people come to church but none of them actually came. . .sad day. We did have Abril's whole family there for her confirmation though which was good. We also had a really good Sunday school class with lots of discussion. We came home after church and did some studies and a lot of language study. While at the apartment it rained super hard and flooded the swamp next to our apartment and also the parking lot. In the morning until afternoon it was in the 70's but by the evening it was in the 40's, it dropped about 30 degrees in a matter of hours. That evening we visited some people and then we knocked at one apartment complex we found where Hispanics live. We then went to Abril's house and filled out the baptismal form/record.
It was a really good week and it rained many times though it definitely rained the hardest on Sunday. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Week 78 Transfers
Monday February 25, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week has been a week of change. It has been both sad and exciting.
Tuesday was our P-day and sadly we weren't able to get any pictures with the people we were teaching. We ended up spending most of the day at the clubhouse at our apartment complex because it was raining and wouldn't be a good day to go to the park. We had dinner with some members that night and then finished packing up.
Wednesday was transfers. In the morning we cleaned up the apartment, packed the last things up and loaded them in the car and then waited for some other Elders to arrive so we could make the switch and leave to Hammond. We drove up to Hammond, talked to some other missionaries, switched our stuff to the cars they needed to go to and said bye to others. I then had Elder Monson, a newer missionary, come with me and I drove us over to Baton Rouge. We grabbed some Subway on our way over and then met our companions at the LSU Institute building. There was a baptismal interview that we were there for and then Elder Parker and I left. We dropped off Elder Monson's stuff at their apartment and then went to some appointments that evening. Then we came home and I unpacked a little bit.
Thursday we did some service in the morning at the Old Baton Rouge State Capitol. We just cut thing sand laminated it for them. They gave me a free shirt from their Gift Shop, which was cool. We then came home and did some studies and ate some lunch and then planned for the transfer. We then went out to visit some people. We went to this one kid's house and had a sad drop lesson with him. He was a super awesome kid but he wasn't keeping commitments and showing desire to improve so we had to stop seeing him. We tried to visit some other people and then we went to a less active member's house whose husband isn't a member and they invited us in for dinner. We ate some really good tacos with them and talked about all kinds of mission stories and stuff. It was fun. The mom talked to us about helping her daughter prepare for Baptism and also said she would be at church Sunday.
Friday we had District Council in the morning. We had a great meeting and got to know all of our District members. There are two Elder Companionships and two Sister Companionships. We then went to the mall for lunch and I had some Raising Cane's fried chicken, which was good as always. We then came home and did some studies. The AP's then came to our pad to do some studies while they were in the area, to save miles and they took us to our appointment we had. We had a short little lesson and then the AP's picked us back up and took us to someone they have been teaching so Elder Parker could do a baptismal interview. We then stopped by their apartment and filled out some of the paperwork. They then dropped us back off at our apartment and we drove over to a neighborhood where we do a lot of work. We tried to visit former investigators, we street contacted and talked to a lot of people and then came home.
Saturday we decided to bike a lot. We did a little bit of studies in the morning and then had lunch and headed out to an appointment we had. They weren't there and totally lied to us, so we dropped them since they were obviously not interested. We then tried to contact people in the area but had little luck. We came back to the apartment for our language study and while there we had a long phone call with someone we are teaching as he explained a situation he is in and how it is affecting him and his feelings towards the Church and stuff. We then drove into the north part of our area and parked so we could bike around up there. We biked quite a ways up to an area where we wanted to contact some people. After working there for a bit we biked over to a different area and worked there for a bit. Then we biked to a really big Hispanic Market called La Morenita. We bought some tacos and then contacted people there. We talked to this one lady and she was really funny. We then biked back to our car and then drove home.
Sunday was good, our branch is about 20 people and so we help out a lot. The Sisters are in the Branch as well but they also cover an English Ward and they had to do some stuff over there so they couldn't be in the Branch. They asked me to lead the music since they couldn't so I did, but one thing Elder Parker and I overlooked was that if I was leading the music and he was playing the piano, no one would be preparing the Sacrament. . .luckily one of the members of the Branch Presidency noticed and stepped in to save the day, haha. So that was good. A close call there. We then had a good Elder's Quorum meeting after Sacrament. We drove home after church and did some studying and then went to a couple appointments really quick and they all fell through. We then drove up to an appointment with the same less active family we ate with a few day previously and we had lunch with them. They served us pesole which was quite good. We talked with them about crazy foods and then we had a lesson with them and taught their daughter about baptism. They are a super awesome family. We drove over to another area and knocked some doors for a bit and then went to the AP's apartment, which was really close by, so we could do some studies without having to go back to our apartment. After studying for a bit, we drove to a different neighborhood and contacted some people there. We were able to talk to a number of them. We met with this one guy in the street who was higher than a kite, talking about how he was hungry for the word of God. It was quite hilarious, super funny guy. We then tried to have a lesson with this one lady but she basically just talked our ears off for a while. She told us some stories and stuff though that were funny. We then drove back home.
So far so good here in Baton Rouge. There is a lot of Spanish people here and I definitely could speak better Spanish. Some people are very difficult to understand.
Here is my new address:
Elder Marc Acton
7250 Perkins Rd. Apt. 1025
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week has been a week of change. It has been both sad and exciting.
Tuesday was our P-day and sadly we weren't able to get any pictures with the people we were teaching. We ended up spending most of the day at the clubhouse at our apartment complex because it was raining and wouldn't be a good day to go to the park. We had dinner with some members that night and then finished packing up.
Wednesday was transfers. In the morning we cleaned up the apartment, packed the last things up and loaded them in the car and then waited for some other Elders to arrive so we could make the switch and leave to Hammond. We drove up to Hammond, talked to some other missionaries, switched our stuff to the cars they needed to go to and said bye to others. I then had Elder Monson, a newer missionary, come with me and I drove us over to Baton Rouge. We grabbed some Subway on our way over and then met our companions at the LSU Institute building. There was a baptismal interview that we were there for and then Elder Parker and I left. We dropped off Elder Monson's stuff at their apartment and then went to some appointments that evening. Then we came home and I unpacked a little bit.
Thursday we did some service in the morning at the Old Baton Rouge State Capitol. We just cut thing sand laminated it for them. They gave me a free shirt from their Gift Shop, which was cool. We then came home and did some studies and ate some lunch and then planned for the transfer. We then went out to visit some people. We went to this one kid's house and had a sad drop lesson with him. He was a super awesome kid but he wasn't keeping commitments and showing desire to improve so we had to stop seeing him. We tried to visit some other people and then we went to a less active member's house whose husband isn't a member and they invited us in for dinner. We ate some really good tacos with them and talked about all kinds of mission stories and stuff. It was fun. The mom talked to us about helping her daughter prepare for Baptism and also said she would be at church Sunday.
Friday we had District Council in the morning. We had a great meeting and got to know all of our District members. There are two Elder Companionships and two Sister Companionships. We then went to the mall for lunch and I had some Raising Cane's fried chicken, which was good as always. We then came home and did some studies. The AP's then came to our pad to do some studies while they were in the area, to save miles and they took us to our appointment we had. We had a short little lesson and then the AP's picked us back up and took us to someone they have been teaching so Elder Parker could do a baptismal interview. We then stopped by their apartment and filled out some of the paperwork. They then dropped us back off at our apartment and we drove over to a neighborhood where we do a lot of work. We tried to visit former investigators, we street contacted and talked to a lot of people and then came home.
Saturday we decided to bike a lot. We did a little bit of studies in the morning and then had lunch and headed out to an appointment we had. They weren't there and totally lied to us, so we dropped them since they were obviously not interested. We then tried to contact people in the area but had little luck. We came back to the apartment for our language study and while there we had a long phone call with someone we are teaching as he explained a situation he is in and how it is affecting him and his feelings towards the Church and stuff. We then drove into the north part of our area and parked so we could bike around up there. We biked quite a ways up to an area where we wanted to contact some people. After working there for a bit we biked over to a different area and worked there for a bit. Then we biked to a really big Hispanic Market called La Morenita. We bought some tacos and then contacted people there. We talked to this one lady and she was really funny. We then biked back to our car and then drove home.
Sunday was good, our branch is about 20 people and so we help out a lot. The Sisters are in the Branch as well but they also cover an English Ward and they had to do some stuff over there so they couldn't be in the Branch. They asked me to lead the music since they couldn't so I did, but one thing Elder Parker and I overlooked was that if I was leading the music and he was playing the piano, no one would be preparing the Sacrament. . .luckily one of the members of the Branch Presidency noticed and stepped in to save the day, haha. So that was good. A close call there. We then had a good Elder's Quorum meeting after Sacrament. We drove home after church and did some studying and then went to a couple appointments really quick and they all fell through. We then drove up to an appointment with the same less active family we ate with a few day previously and we had lunch with them. They served us pesole which was quite good. We talked with them about crazy foods and then we had a lesson with them and taught their daughter about baptism. They are a super awesome family. We drove over to another area and knocked some doors for a bit and then went to the AP's apartment, which was really close by, so we could do some studies without having to go back to our apartment. After studying for a bit, we drove to a different neighborhood and contacted some people there. We were able to talk to a number of them. We met with this one guy in the street who was higher than a kite, talking about how he was hungry for the word of God. It was quite hilarious, super funny guy. We then tried to have a lesson with this one lady but she basically just talked our ears off for a while. She told us some stories and stuff though that were funny. We then drove back home.
So far so good here in Baton Rouge. There is a lot of Spanish people here and I definitely could speak better Spanish. Some people are very difficult to understand.
Here is my new address:
Elder Marc Acton
7250 Perkins Rd. Apt. 1025
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Love,
Elder Acton
Baton Rouge
Me and my comp, Elder Parker
Tacos
Week 77 Transfer News
Tuesday February 19, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week was pretty good until the end. . .
Things have been going pretty well, our area is doing great. We had some lessons and progress this week but then we found out we are all being transferred out which is a real bummer.
Monday morning was pretty normal at the apartment. A bit before noon Elder Bowser and I drove to the Library and did our emailing and stuff there and then we drove to Wendy's for some lunch. We then drove to Girrard Park to meet the other guys. Elder Bowser plugged it into the GPS but apparently there are two parks with that name so we ended up driving somewhere else and as we got near to the park we weren't recognizing anything. So I searched the GPS for Girrard Park and found a second one lower on the list. We drove there and met the other Elders. We threw the Frisbee around for a while and then played ultimate Frisbee. It was a lot of fun. We had some really good catches and I had one catch that was super awesome, I was quite proud of myself haha. I jumped pretty high in the air to the side and I spun around a little to catch the Frisbee and I actually caught it! It was sweet. Anyway we had a good day at the park. We then drove back to the apartment, changed and showered and went to a dinner appointment with some members and then we shared a message with them and then played with their kids a little bit which was fun. Then we drove home. I drove for the whole day and that was also really nice. I really hadn't driven in about 8 months so when I first got in and started driving I was little rusty and it was pretty funny because the brake was a lot more touchy than I thought haha.
Tuesday we were on exchanges with the Opelousas Elders and Elder Cline was with Elder Bowser and I while Elder Bagley was with Elder Pedersen. We had some appointments in the afternoon at the library that we went to and then we had to come home late afternoon so that I could go with Elder Bagley down to Abbeville for a dinner appointment with some members and to contact some people down there. Elder Pedersen wasn't feeling good at all and needed to sleep. We were about to leave and they cancelled on us so we didn't go down there cause we didn't have any appointments and its a far drive. We then decided to go do some contacting at the mall because we hadn't done that in a while and wanted to get better at talking to people. While there a lady pulled us to the side of her booth type thing in the middle of the hall and started talking to us about skin care stuff. As missionaries we can't be the slight bit rude to people because its not just us we represent but Christ as well so we just listened instead of denying her offer/conversation with us. She sat us down and showed us some skin care stuff and did a demo on our wrist and stuff. It was an interesting experience, lol. Elder Bagley and I were trying not to laugh. She then said we could buy some right there and then and said its only One ninety-nine. . ninety-nine. We heard the first part and I was thinking "No way, its only $1.99" and then she said ninety-nine again and I was like Woa!! Then she said the moisturizer was the same price and Elder Bagley and I just briefly looked at each other and we knew exactly what the other one was thinking. She then said she would give us the first for $130 and the second totally on her. We then had to explain that we literally didn't have any money on us and we kind weaseled our way out of her thinking we didn't really care about it at all, haha. It was interesting. . . as we walked away we laughed cause it felt like she was also hitting on us at the end. Strange situation, glad we escaped that one. We then decided to go grab some dinner.
Wednesday we had District Council and we had a great lesson from Elder Pedersen and he had a cool object lesson where we all had to go outside and find a rock. You would be surprised how stinking difficult it was to find a rock!!! We spent like 30 minutes looking for one, they must have cleared the whole church property of all rocks, haha. We then had lunch and Elder Bagley and Cline and I got Subway and a Cane's drink. We then came back to the church and ate lunch there. Elder Pedersen and Bowser and I then had a lesson at the Library which went really well. We then drove to a family's house whose kids we are helping get baptized. We taught them a really big overview lesson and they fed us as well. We then went to the church for ward correlation and we had a lesson and then later played a little dodge-ball with the youth.
Thursday we did service at the nursing home in the afternoon. It is always fun to spend time with the elderly folks there. We then had dinner with a member and then we went to the Church for our basketball night. It was actually a really good turn out and we had a lot of fun.
Friday we drove up to the top of our area and while in a lesson we heard honking and stuff and a neighbor came over to us and told us our car was being towed. Sure enough it was being towed. We ended our lesson and went over to the apartment office and talked with them. There was apparently some signs that said "resident parking only" that we did not see. Luckily the guy said he would let us off since we didn't know and he said he has a heart. It was very kind of him. We made sure to move our car to the visitor's section and then we went to another lesson. We then went to the Library again to meet with a guy. Then we went into town and got Smoothie King for late lunch/dinner.
Saturday we picked up some pants a guy from basketball night left there and got them back to him and then we went to an appointment at the Library which was really long. We then came home and the recent convert kid that goes out with us came and picked us up and we drove out to Rayne and visited people out there for the night.
Sunday was a good day of church and we had great attendance. Later in the afternoon we found out that we were all being transferred out of Lafayette so that kinda put us into bum moods. We then went to the Bishop's for the YSA dinner ad we studied "Come Follow Me" with them and had dessert for dinner.
Monday we spent a good portion of our afternoon packing up our stuff and getting ready to leave. We visited with a few people that evening at the Library and then the New Iberia Elders came to get some signatures from us on a baptismal form and they had a popped tire on their new car we had to fix. They had just taken their car to Baton Rouge to get fixed because it had what appeared to be a bullet dent or small rock dent in the roof of the car. Then on their way back they got a flat on their new car from a stick that somehow got jabbed into the sidewall. We went out there and helped them put their spare on and then we drove to our dinner appointment at Golden Corral with some members.
It's been an eventful week ending with a big change.
Love you!
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week was pretty good until the end. . .
Things have been going pretty well, our area is doing great. We had some lessons and progress this week but then we found out we are all being transferred out which is a real bummer.
Monday morning was pretty normal at the apartment. A bit before noon Elder Bowser and I drove to the Library and did our emailing and stuff there and then we drove to Wendy's for some lunch. We then drove to Girrard Park to meet the other guys. Elder Bowser plugged it into the GPS but apparently there are two parks with that name so we ended up driving somewhere else and as we got near to the park we weren't recognizing anything. So I searched the GPS for Girrard Park and found a second one lower on the list. We drove there and met the other Elders. We threw the Frisbee around for a while and then played ultimate Frisbee. It was a lot of fun. We had some really good catches and I had one catch that was super awesome, I was quite proud of myself haha. I jumped pretty high in the air to the side and I spun around a little to catch the Frisbee and I actually caught it! It was sweet. Anyway we had a good day at the park. We then drove back to the apartment, changed and showered and went to a dinner appointment with some members and then we shared a message with them and then played with their kids a little bit which was fun. Then we drove home. I drove for the whole day and that was also really nice. I really hadn't driven in about 8 months so when I first got in and started driving I was little rusty and it was pretty funny because the brake was a lot more touchy than I thought haha.
Tuesday we were on exchanges with the Opelousas Elders and Elder Cline was with Elder Bowser and I while Elder Bagley was with Elder Pedersen. We had some appointments in the afternoon at the library that we went to and then we had to come home late afternoon so that I could go with Elder Bagley down to Abbeville for a dinner appointment with some members and to contact some people down there. Elder Pedersen wasn't feeling good at all and needed to sleep. We were about to leave and they cancelled on us so we didn't go down there cause we didn't have any appointments and its a far drive. We then decided to go do some contacting at the mall because we hadn't done that in a while and wanted to get better at talking to people. While there a lady pulled us to the side of her booth type thing in the middle of the hall and started talking to us about skin care stuff. As missionaries we can't be the slight bit rude to people because its not just us we represent but Christ as well so we just listened instead of denying her offer/conversation with us. She sat us down and showed us some skin care stuff and did a demo on our wrist and stuff. It was an interesting experience, lol. Elder Bagley and I were trying not to laugh. She then said we could buy some right there and then and said its only One ninety-nine. . ninety-nine. We heard the first part and I was thinking "No way, its only $1.99" and then she said ninety-nine again and I was like Woa!! Then she said the moisturizer was the same price and Elder Bagley and I just briefly looked at each other and we knew exactly what the other one was thinking. She then said she would give us the first for $130 and the second totally on her. We then had to explain that we literally didn't have any money on us and we kind weaseled our way out of her thinking we didn't really care about it at all, haha. It was interesting. . . as we walked away we laughed cause it felt like she was also hitting on us at the end. Strange situation, glad we escaped that one. We then decided to go grab some dinner.
Wednesday we had District Council and we had a great lesson from Elder Pedersen and he had a cool object lesson where we all had to go outside and find a rock. You would be surprised how stinking difficult it was to find a rock!!! We spent like 30 minutes looking for one, they must have cleared the whole church property of all rocks, haha. We then had lunch and Elder Bagley and Cline and I got Subway and a Cane's drink. We then came back to the church and ate lunch there. Elder Pedersen and Bowser and I then had a lesson at the Library which went really well. We then drove to a family's house whose kids we are helping get baptized. We taught them a really big overview lesson and they fed us as well. We then went to the church for ward correlation and we had a lesson and then later played a little dodge-ball with the youth.
Thursday we did service at the nursing home in the afternoon. It is always fun to spend time with the elderly folks there. We then had dinner with a member and then we went to the Church for our basketball night. It was actually a really good turn out and we had a lot of fun.
Friday we drove up to the top of our area and while in a lesson we heard honking and stuff and a neighbor came over to us and told us our car was being towed. Sure enough it was being towed. We ended our lesson and went over to the apartment office and talked with them. There was apparently some signs that said "resident parking only" that we did not see. Luckily the guy said he would let us off since we didn't know and he said he has a heart. It was very kind of him. We made sure to move our car to the visitor's section and then we went to another lesson. We then went to the Library again to meet with a guy. Then we went into town and got Smoothie King for late lunch/dinner.
Saturday we picked up some pants a guy from basketball night left there and got them back to him and then we went to an appointment at the Library which was really long. We then came home and the recent convert kid that goes out with us came and picked us up and we drove out to Rayne and visited people out there for the night.
Sunday was a good day of church and we had great attendance. Later in the afternoon we found out that we were all being transferred out of Lafayette so that kinda put us into bum moods. We then went to the Bishop's for the YSA dinner ad we studied "Come Follow Me" with them and had dessert for dinner.
Monday we spent a good portion of our afternoon packing up our stuff and getting ready to leave. We visited with a few people that evening at the Library and then the New Iberia Elders came to get some signatures from us on a baptismal form and they had a popped tire on their new car we had to fix. They had just taken their car to Baton Rouge to get fixed because it had what appeared to be a bullet dent or small rock dent in the roof of the car. Then on their way back they got a flat on their new car from a stick that somehow got jabbed into the sidewall. We went out there and helped them put their spare on and then we drove to our dinner appointment at Golden Corral with some members.
It's been an eventful week ending with a big change.
Love you!
Elder Acton
My District
My Comps and some Members
Apartment full of Elders
All packed
Friday, February 15, 2019
Week 76 More Exchanges
Monday February 11, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week we had a couple exchanges and it seemed like we constantly had 6 Elders at our apartment. When there are 6-8 Elders in one apartment, it can be a lot harder to keep it clean, lol.
Monday we went to a park for P-day again and played some hood ball and threw the Frisbee around a bunch. Elder Carson just got a ring Frisbee and it made it a lot more fun. We did have to get it out of some trees a few times. Hood ball was fun but the court was wet because it rained for a bit and it made it really slippery and hard to play on. We also kicked a soccer ball around for a bit and while doing so I completely ripped my tennis shoes in half. They were pretty done and I had sewed them together 4 times, the last time being that morning. I had to use my basketball shoes until I could get a new pair. I wanted them to last the rest of my mission but they did last for about 4 years so I'll accept that. We went to some stores that evening to see if they had any good tennis shoes. There were some that were ok but they were a bit too much for what you were getting. Anyway later that night we had some appointments but they fell through so that was frustrating.
Tuesday we had exchanges with the Opelousas Elders and Elder Bowser and I had Elder Bagley with us. We went down to Abbeville and visited some people down there. We were able to visit a member as well and also give some people the Book of Mormon and Bible they requested. We then came back up to Lafayette, briefly stopped at Ross to see if they had any tennis shoes, and then went to a dinner appointment some members.
Wednesday we had District Council and we had some really good discussions and some fun practice activities. We all brought our own lunch so we just ate at the church. We then started exchanges with the New Iberia Elders. Elder Spencer was with Elder Bowser and I. We did our studies and then we biked over to an area we work and contacted people over there and set up appointments for the next few days. We then biked to the church for ward correlation. We went on splits with our leaders and I went with Brother Orme. We went to visit a few families, two weren't home/didn't answer but we did have a great visit with an elderly lady before we came back.
Thursday we did our studies as usual and then Elder Spencer was wanting to go do some contacting so Elder Carson, Elder Spencer and I went to a strip mall and contacted people and I also checked out a bunch of shoe stores as we did so. We then came back and they dropped me off at the nursing home with Elder Bowser and Elder Pedersen for service. After service we had an appointment with someone we are teaching and then we came back to the apartment. We got picked up by a recent convert who goes out with us and went to dinner with a member. We then came back, changed and he took us to the church. We had basketball night and we had a few people show up this time which was nice. We played some good games and got to know a member's non-member friend who was really cool.
Friday we studied, ate lunch, and then we went to some appointments up in the top north end of our area. We had some good lessons and then went to the library to do a survey we were supposed to do. We then drove to the church for a lesson but they never showed up so we grabbed some taco bell for dinner.
Saturday afternoon was packed full with contacting people we needed to see. We had two really good lessons with some people we are teaching and it was awesome to laugh and smile with them. We then had some members take us out to eat and we met them at Texas Roadhouse. The food there is always so good and I love their rolls, haha!
Sunday we had a great meeting and an awesome Priesthood class. We had some people that we are teaching come to church which was great. We did some studies after church and I got some really good studying in. We went to a member's house that evening and they gave us some fried fish, french fries, and some home made rolls and some caesar salad to take home.
Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week we had a couple exchanges and it seemed like we constantly had 6 Elders at our apartment. When there are 6-8 Elders in one apartment, it can be a lot harder to keep it clean, lol.
Monday we went to a park for P-day again and played some hood ball and threw the Frisbee around a bunch. Elder Carson just got a ring Frisbee and it made it a lot more fun. We did have to get it out of some trees a few times. Hood ball was fun but the court was wet because it rained for a bit and it made it really slippery and hard to play on. We also kicked a soccer ball around for a bit and while doing so I completely ripped my tennis shoes in half. They were pretty done and I had sewed them together 4 times, the last time being that morning. I had to use my basketball shoes until I could get a new pair. I wanted them to last the rest of my mission but they did last for about 4 years so I'll accept that. We went to some stores that evening to see if they had any good tennis shoes. There were some that were ok but they were a bit too much for what you were getting. Anyway later that night we had some appointments but they fell through so that was frustrating.
Tuesday we had exchanges with the Opelousas Elders and Elder Bowser and I had Elder Bagley with us. We went down to Abbeville and visited some people down there. We were able to visit a member as well and also give some people the Book of Mormon and Bible they requested. We then came back up to Lafayette, briefly stopped at Ross to see if they had any tennis shoes, and then went to a dinner appointment some members.
Wednesday we had District Council and we had some really good discussions and some fun practice activities. We all brought our own lunch so we just ate at the church. We then started exchanges with the New Iberia Elders. Elder Spencer was with Elder Bowser and I. We did our studies and then we biked over to an area we work and contacted people over there and set up appointments for the next few days. We then biked to the church for ward correlation. We went on splits with our leaders and I went with Brother Orme. We went to visit a few families, two weren't home/didn't answer but we did have a great visit with an elderly lady before we came back.
Thursday we did our studies as usual and then Elder Spencer was wanting to go do some contacting so Elder Carson, Elder Spencer and I went to a strip mall and contacted people and I also checked out a bunch of shoe stores as we did so. We then came back and they dropped me off at the nursing home with Elder Bowser and Elder Pedersen for service. After service we had an appointment with someone we are teaching and then we came back to the apartment. We got picked up by a recent convert who goes out with us and went to dinner with a member. We then came back, changed and he took us to the church. We had basketball night and we had a few people show up this time which was nice. We played some good games and got to know a member's non-member friend who was really cool.
Friday we studied, ate lunch, and then we went to some appointments up in the top north end of our area. We had some good lessons and then went to the library to do a survey we were supposed to do. We then drove to the church for a lesson but they never showed up so we grabbed some taco bell for dinner.
Saturday afternoon was packed full with contacting people we needed to see. We had two really good lessons with some people we are teaching and it was awesome to laugh and smile with them. We then had some members take us out to eat and we met them at Texas Roadhouse. The food there is always so good and I love their rolls, haha!
Sunday we had a great meeting and an awesome Priesthood class. We had some people that we are teaching come to church which was great. We did some studies after church and I got some really good studying in. We went to a member's house that evening and they gave us some fried fish, french fries, and some home made rolls and some caesar salad to take home.
Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Almost made it to the
end of my Mission-lol!
Monday, February 4, 2019
Week 75 Zone Council and Exchanges
Monday February 4, 2019
Dear Mom,
The first week in our trio has been a pretty good one. We had a Zone Council and exchanges with the Zone Leader and his greenie and the rest of the week we did some good biking.
Monday we went to a park for our P-day and we threw the Frisbee around a bunch and most of the other Elders played hood ball with some guys. I didn't because I didn't have my basketball shoes and the tennis shoes I have would rip to pieces if I played with them, haha.
Tuesday we had Zone Council and we had our interviews with President before, so we had to leave at 6:30 to be up there on time. We had exchanges afterward so we had to bring our bikes and we didn't have all the straps for the bike rack plus it is very hard to fit 3 bikes on it. On the way there, due to them not being super secure and also driving 80mph on the freeway on a windy day, they almost fell off a few times and we had to spend some time on the side of the road putting them on nice and snug again. We eventually arrived at the church and had our interviews. While waiting for Zone Council we shot hoops and played bump with all the other Elders there. We then had Zone Council. We sat around tables in a circle and had really good discussions on topics President wanted to talk about. We then had lunch, which was pizza and some salad Sister Varner made with her home made ranch. We then had some more good discussions and then we ended. We were then able to talk with each other for a bit and shoot more hoops before we left. We drove to the Zone Leader's pad. We planned a bit and then Elder Pedersen went with the ZL, Elder Dickerson, and Elder Bowser and I went with his greenie, Elder Peterson. We biked to visit a dude and he wasn't home. But then, while getting our bikes from the stop sign where they were locked up, we saw the guy we were trying to visit walking down the street in our direction. We had a good little lesson with him right there on the street corner and then we biked back to the pad and we all drove to a dinner appointment. It was some good dinner. They fed us five and the four sisters who were also on exchanges.
Wednesday we were taken out for breakfast by someone Elder Dickerson and Elder Peterson are teaching and then we helped him rake up leaves in his yard. We then went to someone else they are teaching and Elder Pedersen did a baptismal interview with him. The same guy that Elder Petersen and I set on date last time I was on exchanges with him. We then came back showered up for the day and packed our stuff and this time I made sure we put the bikes on in the most effective way with the limited amount of straps in the most crucial places and it worked much better. We stopped in Opelousas and ate lunch at Canes with the Elders there. We then played some hood ball with them in our proselyting clothes which was actually really fun! Playing hood ball is actually a great way to find new people to teach and it is super fun and a great exercise! Haha. We then drove back and we got picked up by Bishop and went to a family's house to give some kids a name and blessing. There are three families that live there together. They are all one extended family from the Marshallese Islands. It was cool because there was four of us, including Bishop, and there were four kids that needed a name and a blessing so each one of us had the opportunity of naming and blessing a child. They then fed us some fried chicken and potato salad. We quickly ate it and the brownies so we could get back to the church for our ward missionary coordination meeting. They sent us with all the left overs which was quite a bit. And we brought three of the kids with us (with Bishop) back to the church for mutual. We went to our meeting and discussed important matters for a bit and they brought us pizza, so we had even more left overs. we then went with Brother Foster, our Ward Mission Leader (Elder's Quorum President) and visited a part-member family we are teaching. We then came back to the church, shot some hoops with the youth and then came home.
Thursday we went and did some service with Brother Foster for the part-member family we visited the other night. We had to move a huge detailing tank onto Brother Foster's trailer. This tank was like 18 feet or more and around 6 hundred pounds or higher. We got there and Brother Foster told us we may be over our heads. We saw the tank and thought the same. Luckily there was a dolly there so Brother Foster was able to use it as wheels and pivot one side of the tank while the three of us lifted the other side and we slowly moved our way to the trailer and then up onto it. We then followed him to the guy's house and we put it in his car port. We then came back home and we had to cancel going to the nursing home to do service and we went to a lesson up north in our area. We then came back and went to the church to get picked up from a member to go visit some people but the member wasn't able to make it so we made some calls and did some work from the church. We also had dinner dropped off to us by a member that wanted to feed us. We then got changed for our basketball night that we are starting with the ward and people we are teaching. Not many showed up but it was the first day so it should get better.
Friday we biked up to the north part of our area and had a lesson with a lady up there and then another lesson right after that. We then biked over to another neighborhood and tried to visit a bunch of people over there too. After that, we biked back down to an area near our apartment and contacted many people there and set up appointments for the next day. We then biked to another neighborhood and set up some more appointments. We biked back to our apartment and a 17 year old recent convert, who is a ward missionary and comes out with us all the time, picked us up and we all went to a buffet where we met some members who wanted to feed us there. It was really good, they had a Mongolian Grill and a Buffet.
Saturday we had some appointments in the afternoon and they went really well. We then came home, ate some dinner and then went into town to some stores to do some Saturday evening contacting.
Sunday we had a few people come to church which was great and we gave a lady a blessing afterward. That evening we had a dinner at the Bishop's house for the YSA dinner and study night. We had a guy we are teaching come too, which was sweet.
This week has been pretty good and I have enjoyed being in a trio again. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
The first week in our trio has been a pretty good one. We had a Zone Council and exchanges with the Zone Leader and his greenie and the rest of the week we did some good biking.
Monday we went to a park for our P-day and we threw the Frisbee around a bunch and most of the other Elders played hood ball with some guys. I didn't because I didn't have my basketball shoes and the tennis shoes I have would rip to pieces if I played with them, haha.
Tuesday we had Zone Council and we had our interviews with President before, so we had to leave at 6:30 to be up there on time. We had exchanges afterward so we had to bring our bikes and we didn't have all the straps for the bike rack plus it is very hard to fit 3 bikes on it. On the way there, due to them not being super secure and also driving 80mph on the freeway on a windy day, they almost fell off a few times and we had to spend some time on the side of the road putting them on nice and snug again. We eventually arrived at the church and had our interviews. While waiting for Zone Council we shot hoops and played bump with all the other Elders there. We then had Zone Council. We sat around tables in a circle and had really good discussions on topics President wanted to talk about. We then had lunch, which was pizza and some salad Sister Varner made with her home made ranch. We then had some more good discussions and then we ended. We were then able to talk with each other for a bit and shoot more hoops before we left. We drove to the Zone Leader's pad. We planned a bit and then Elder Pedersen went with the ZL, Elder Dickerson, and Elder Bowser and I went with his greenie, Elder Peterson. We biked to visit a dude and he wasn't home. But then, while getting our bikes from the stop sign where they were locked up, we saw the guy we were trying to visit walking down the street in our direction. We had a good little lesson with him right there on the street corner and then we biked back to the pad and we all drove to a dinner appointment. It was some good dinner. They fed us five and the four sisters who were also on exchanges.
Wednesday we were taken out for breakfast by someone Elder Dickerson and Elder Peterson are teaching and then we helped him rake up leaves in his yard. We then went to someone else they are teaching and Elder Pedersen did a baptismal interview with him. The same guy that Elder Petersen and I set on date last time I was on exchanges with him. We then came back showered up for the day and packed our stuff and this time I made sure we put the bikes on in the most effective way with the limited amount of straps in the most crucial places and it worked much better. We stopped in Opelousas and ate lunch at Canes with the Elders there. We then played some hood ball with them in our proselyting clothes which was actually really fun! Playing hood ball is actually a great way to find new people to teach and it is super fun and a great exercise! Haha. We then drove back and we got picked up by Bishop and went to a family's house to give some kids a name and blessing. There are three families that live there together. They are all one extended family from the Marshallese Islands. It was cool because there was four of us, including Bishop, and there were four kids that needed a name and a blessing so each one of us had the opportunity of naming and blessing a child. They then fed us some fried chicken and potato salad. We quickly ate it and the brownies so we could get back to the church for our ward missionary coordination meeting. They sent us with all the left overs which was quite a bit. And we brought three of the kids with us (with Bishop) back to the church for mutual. We went to our meeting and discussed important matters for a bit and they brought us pizza, so we had even more left overs. we then went with Brother Foster, our Ward Mission Leader (Elder's Quorum President) and visited a part-member family we are teaching. We then came back to the church, shot some hoops with the youth and then came home.
Thursday we went and did some service with Brother Foster for the part-member family we visited the other night. We had to move a huge detailing tank onto Brother Foster's trailer. This tank was like 18 feet or more and around 6 hundred pounds or higher. We got there and Brother Foster told us we may be over our heads. We saw the tank and thought the same. Luckily there was a dolly there so Brother Foster was able to use it as wheels and pivot one side of the tank while the three of us lifted the other side and we slowly moved our way to the trailer and then up onto it. We then followed him to the guy's house and we put it in his car port. We then came back home and we had to cancel going to the nursing home to do service and we went to a lesson up north in our area. We then came back and went to the church to get picked up from a member to go visit some people but the member wasn't able to make it so we made some calls and did some work from the church. We also had dinner dropped off to us by a member that wanted to feed us. We then got changed for our basketball night that we are starting with the ward and people we are teaching. Not many showed up but it was the first day so it should get better.
Friday we biked up to the north part of our area and had a lesson with a lady up there and then another lesson right after that. We then biked over to another neighborhood and tried to visit a bunch of people over there too. After that, we biked back down to an area near our apartment and contacted many people there and set up appointments for the next day. We then biked to another neighborhood and set up some more appointments. We biked back to our apartment and a 17 year old recent convert, who is a ward missionary and comes out with us all the time, picked us up and we all went to a buffet where we met some members who wanted to feed us there. It was really good, they had a Mongolian Grill and a Buffet.
Saturday we had some appointments in the afternoon and they went really well. We then came home, ate some dinner and then went into town to some stores to do some Saturday evening contacting.
Sunday we had a few people come to church which was great and we gave a lady a blessing afterward. That evening we had a dinner at the Bishop's house for the YSA dinner and study night. We had a guy we are teaching come too, which was sweet.
This week has been pretty good and I have enjoyed being in a trio again. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Week 74 Emergency Transfer
Monday January 28, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week was pretty good but it ended with a huge Surprise!
Monday was a pretty usual P-day. We shopped for groceries, played basketball and then later had dinner with some members and then we got back and we biked to an appointment and had a good lesson.
Tuesday we had some lessons set up in the morning but they fell through. The other Elders were on exchanges and so they came with us to dinner and we visited with this elderly lady in the ward. It was great to visit with her.
Wednesday we had District Council and brought our lunch form home and just ate at the church. We had some appointments that went well and then we got a text from a member asking us to come and teach their kids about baptism and help them prepare. We are also working with their Dad who is not a member yet. That was a great way to end the night.
Thursday was a great day. We did our studies, ate lunch, went to do service and help with Bingo at the old folks home and then we biked to some appointments. We made contact with some and rescheduled and then we were able to contact some kids we are teaching and had a great lesson with them. We then right after that were able to contact another person and set up an appointment with them. We then biked to a different appointment and had another great lesson.
Friday we did a lot of biking. We had a few over the phone lessons fall through around noon and then we biked out to an area that is farther away so we could visit some people out there. We talked to a few people and then biked up to another area to visit some others. We met some cool people and then biked up to another and talked with the Grandma of a kid we are teaching, who is in a part-member family. We then biked back down to our apartment and got picked up by a member who is 17 and we went to his house for dinner with his family. He is the only member . His mom cooks super good food too!
Saturday was alright, we had a pretty slow day until the evening. In the evening we were able to have a couple lessons that were really good and then we came home and made calls to arrange for rides for our people to get to church.
Sunday was an interesting day. In the morning we got a call from President Varner telling Elder Hawks that he was getting ET'D (Emergency Transferred) to Morgan City. Because a missionary I trained is needing to go home for a bit to work out some medications and then come back out to the mission. We had a good day at church and then we had a baptism afterwards for an 8 year old girl we have been helping learn more about baptism, per the request of her family. It was a great baptism and everything went really well! We had pizza and lasagna and cookies afterwards and then we came home and Elder Hawks did some packing. We then went to a members house for dinner and they cooked some bomb BBQ! We then drove to Bishop's for a YSA dinner/activity at which we had some people we are teaching. The Morgan City Elders met us there and picked up Elder Hawks. I said bye to the missionary I trained, Elder Rowe, also to Elder Hawks (though I'll probably see him soon). So now I am in a Trio with Elder Bowser and Elder Pedersen for the rest of the transfer. Trio number 3. It'll be fun though. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week was pretty good but it ended with a huge Surprise!
Monday was a pretty usual P-day. We shopped for groceries, played basketball and then later had dinner with some members and then we got back and we biked to an appointment and had a good lesson.
Tuesday we had some lessons set up in the morning but they fell through. The other Elders were on exchanges and so they came with us to dinner and we visited with this elderly lady in the ward. It was great to visit with her.
Wednesday we had District Council and brought our lunch form home and just ate at the church. We had some appointments that went well and then we got a text from a member asking us to come and teach their kids about baptism and help them prepare. We are also working with their Dad who is not a member yet. That was a great way to end the night.
Thursday was a great day. We did our studies, ate lunch, went to do service and help with Bingo at the old folks home and then we biked to some appointments. We made contact with some and rescheduled and then we were able to contact some kids we are teaching and had a great lesson with them. We then right after that were able to contact another person and set up an appointment with them. We then biked to a different appointment and had another great lesson.
Friday we did a lot of biking. We had a few over the phone lessons fall through around noon and then we biked out to an area that is farther away so we could visit some people out there. We talked to a few people and then biked up to another area to visit some others. We met some cool people and then biked up to another and talked with the Grandma of a kid we are teaching, who is in a part-member family. We then biked back down to our apartment and got picked up by a member who is 17 and we went to his house for dinner with his family. He is the only member . His mom cooks super good food too!
Saturday was alright, we had a pretty slow day until the evening. In the evening we were able to have a couple lessons that were really good and then we came home and made calls to arrange for rides for our people to get to church.
Sunday was an interesting day. In the morning we got a call from President Varner telling Elder Hawks that he was getting ET'D (Emergency Transferred) to Morgan City. Because a missionary I trained is needing to go home for a bit to work out some medications and then come back out to the mission. We had a good day at church and then we had a baptism afterwards for an 8 year old girl we have been helping learn more about baptism, per the request of her family. It was a great baptism and everything went really well! We had pizza and lasagna and cookies afterwards and then we came home and Elder Hawks did some packing. We then went to a members house for dinner and they cooked some bomb BBQ! We then drove to Bishop's for a YSA dinner/activity at which we had some people we are teaching. The Morgan City Elders met us there and picked up Elder Hawks. I said bye to the missionary I trained, Elder Rowe, also to Elder Hawks (though I'll probably see him soon). So now I am in a Trio with Elder Bowser and Elder Pedersen for the rest of the transfer. Trio number 3. It'll be fun though. Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Me and Elder Hawks
At the Baptism
Week 73 Mission Tour Zone Conference
Monday January 21, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week was an interesting one for sure. We had Zone Conference really early in the transfer and it was with half the mission because a member of the Seventy came to tour the mission so they only did two conferences.
Monday we all took a P-day morning nap which was quite glorious. We did our shopping and then we changed and went to the church to play ball. We played ball for a while and then Bishop opened up the family history computer room for us to use to email for that day and then we played some more ball with a member who came. We then came home, ate dinner, changed and went out to visit people. No one answered so it was a bum night.
Tuesday we had a pretty good day planned but Elder Hawks got sick, he thinks from something he ate, and he was in the bathroom for most of the day so we weren't able to make it out of the apartment. I made a lot of calls and had a lesson or two over the phone. I also was able to schedule some lessons but besides that I just got in a lot of studying. That night the Opelousas Elders and New Iberia Elders came over because they were to spend the night with us so that we could car pool to Zone Conference the next day.
Wednesday was Zone Conference and luckily Elder Hawks was doing good enough to make the drive up there and back. It was a really good Zone Conference. Elder Foster of the Seventy came to tour the Mission and we heard from him and his wife and from President and Sister Varner. Elder Foster gave like 4 different "talks" many were very interactive. They said this was their last mission tour ever so they wanted to make it special for us. We had lunch afterwars and it ended at about 2. We then had to stay because Elder Pedersen was in the leadership meeting. All the missionaries that were not in the meeting, went into the chapel and we watched the worldwide youth devotional that was on Sunday night and it was really good. We then came home ate a little food, I then made some calls cause Elder Hawks wasn't feeling good. We then went to the church for ward correlation and we have anew ward mission leader (the Elder's Quorum President) and the meeting went super well and we got so much done! It was awesome! He then took us out to a burger joint which was pretty good. After that we had Elder Pedersen and Elder Bowser drop us off at the house of someone we are teaching and we had a good lesson to end the night. Then we walked home.
Thursday we had exchanges and Elder Hawks went with Elder Pedersen, the District Leader, and Elder Bowser came with me. We did studies and I had a lesson in Spanish over the phone with someone who lives far away. We then went to do service at the assisted living home near us. Elder Hawks and Elder Pedersen weren't able to make it to service because Elder Hawks was still not feeling well. After service, Elder Bowser and I biked to go visit some people and we were able to make contact with a few people but most weren't able to talk for long. We then biked back to be ready to go to dinner The whole time we were out biking, the wind was super strong and made it pretty difficult to bike. We the went to dinner and had pancakes for dinner. We then came back and we didn't have time to bike out to where our appointment was so we made calls.
Friday elder Hawks was feeling a little better but we still weren't able to get out until late afternoon and at that point we had to head to the church to be picked up by a member for dinner. We had to drive for quite a while to get to his house. They fed us some gumbo, which was pretty good, and then we had a lesson. He then drove us home. We were going to go visit someone that night but we got home a lot later than expected.
Saturday we did our studies and then we did weekly planning. After our weekly planning we biked to our main area and we tried to contact multiple people. We ended up having a good lesson with one of them and weren't able to contact the rest. We had to start riding out to our next appointment for the night. It was a pretty cold day and the wind was even worse. There were times when we were riding against 30mph winds or so and it was a bit difficult but I enjoyed it. We had a great lesson with that part-member family and they fed us pizza. Then the Dad brought us back home in his really nice new Chevy Truck.
Sunday we were supposed to have a lot of people at church but one family wasn't able to come. It was really nice though because the family we taught the night before came and another part-member family we are teaching came. It was interesting to only have 2 hour church. This was our first real 2 hour church Sunday because the last 2 weeks have been Stake and Ward Conference. We did some studies after church and then we biked to our area and tracted for the night. Then the Opelousas Elders came over to spend the night for P-day and exchanges and we watched the Lunar Eclipse.
It has been a weird week, as we have not been able to do much work due to Elder Hawks being sick. I am hoping this next week is better. Until then!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week was an interesting one for sure. We had Zone Conference really early in the transfer and it was with half the mission because a member of the Seventy came to tour the mission so they only did two conferences.
Monday we all took a P-day morning nap which was quite glorious. We did our shopping and then we changed and went to the church to play ball. We played ball for a while and then Bishop opened up the family history computer room for us to use to email for that day and then we played some more ball with a member who came. We then came home, ate dinner, changed and went out to visit people. No one answered so it was a bum night.
Tuesday we had a pretty good day planned but Elder Hawks got sick, he thinks from something he ate, and he was in the bathroom for most of the day so we weren't able to make it out of the apartment. I made a lot of calls and had a lesson or two over the phone. I also was able to schedule some lessons but besides that I just got in a lot of studying. That night the Opelousas Elders and New Iberia Elders came over because they were to spend the night with us so that we could car pool to Zone Conference the next day.
Wednesday was Zone Conference and luckily Elder Hawks was doing good enough to make the drive up there and back. It was a really good Zone Conference. Elder Foster of the Seventy came to tour the Mission and we heard from him and his wife and from President and Sister Varner. Elder Foster gave like 4 different "talks" many were very interactive. They said this was their last mission tour ever so they wanted to make it special for us. We had lunch afterwars and it ended at about 2. We then had to stay because Elder Pedersen was in the leadership meeting. All the missionaries that were not in the meeting, went into the chapel and we watched the worldwide youth devotional that was on Sunday night and it was really good. We then came home ate a little food, I then made some calls cause Elder Hawks wasn't feeling good. We then went to the church for ward correlation and we have anew ward mission leader (the Elder's Quorum President) and the meeting went super well and we got so much done! It was awesome! He then took us out to a burger joint which was pretty good. After that we had Elder Pedersen and Elder Bowser drop us off at the house of someone we are teaching and we had a good lesson to end the night. Then we walked home.
Thursday we had exchanges and Elder Hawks went with Elder Pedersen, the District Leader, and Elder Bowser came with me. We did studies and I had a lesson in Spanish over the phone with someone who lives far away. We then went to do service at the assisted living home near us. Elder Hawks and Elder Pedersen weren't able to make it to service because Elder Hawks was still not feeling well. After service, Elder Bowser and I biked to go visit some people and we were able to make contact with a few people but most weren't able to talk for long. We then biked back to be ready to go to dinner The whole time we were out biking, the wind was super strong and made it pretty difficult to bike. We the went to dinner and had pancakes for dinner. We then came back and we didn't have time to bike out to where our appointment was so we made calls.
Friday elder Hawks was feeling a little better but we still weren't able to get out until late afternoon and at that point we had to head to the church to be picked up by a member for dinner. We had to drive for quite a while to get to his house. They fed us some gumbo, which was pretty good, and then we had a lesson. He then drove us home. We were going to go visit someone that night but we got home a lot later than expected.
Saturday we did our studies and then we did weekly planning. After our weekly planning we biked to our main area and we tried to contact multiple people. We ended up having a good lesson with one of them and weren't able to contact the rest. We had to start riding out to our next appointment for the night. It was a pretty cold day and the wind was even worse. There were times when we were riding against 30mph winds or so and it was a bit difficult but I enjoyed it. We had a great lesson with that part-member family and they fed us pizza. Then the Dad brought us back home in his really nice new Chevy Truck.
Sunday we were supposed to have a lot of people at church but one family wasn't able to come. It was really nice though because the family we taught the night before came and another part-member family we are teaching came. It was interesting to only have 2 hour church. This was our first real 2 hour church Sunday because the last 2 weeks have been Stake and Ward Conference. We did some studies after church and then we biked to our area and tracted for the night. Then the Opelousas Elders came over to spend the night for P-day and exchanges and we watched the Lunar Eclipse.
It has been a weird week, as we have not been able to do much work due to Elder Hawks being sick. I am hoping this next week is better. Until then!
Love,
Elder Acton
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Week 72 New Transfer, New District
Monday January 14, 2019
Dear Mom,
This week we met some cool people, did some good service and met the new Elders in our District.
Tuesday was our P-day and all four of us Elders in our apartment were staying and not getting transferred so we just had a pretty normal P-day. We shopped for the month and emailed and played B-ball and then we had dinner and went to some appointments. We finally were able to get in contact with a kid we are teaching and we had a super cool lesson with him and his friend. They had such great understanding of the scriptures as we read and he was super excited for his baptism.
Wednesday was Transfer Day but because we all stayed it was just like a normal day for us. After our studies and lunch we went to a members apartment to help him move some furniture for his girlfriend who lives up the road. She is really into antiques and interior design so we moved super expensive furniture and there was a lot of cool stuff. We did that for like four hours and then we went to our ward correlation at the church and they brought pizza as usual. We talked about those we are teaching and how to help them. We then went to some appointments that night and we were able to talk to some people but most weren't available for lessons.
Thursday after our usual morning we had an over the phone lesson with a guy that lives far out in our area and that went really well. He is such a cool guy and is so willing to learn. We then went to the hood where we teach most and contacted a lot of our people there. We didn't have a great day of success there though. We then went to an appointment we had in another area and we ended up tracting for a bit. We later talked to the guy we had an appointment with and he had so many questions and we just answered them and had a good conversation for a while. We then came home and Brother Dakota Fontenot picked us up for dinner in his mom's brand new Cadillac Escalade and it is super nice. We had a really good dinner with them. She made meatloaf and cajun rice and corn and a couple other things and then gave us dirt cake at the end and all of it was so good! We were able to have a wonderful spiritual thought/lesson with him and his Mom, who isn't a member, and his brother, who isn't a member, and they felt the spirit and loved it!
Friday we had our district meeting and met our new district. We have got some great Elders and this transfer looks to be a great one. We went to Subway to get lunch. We came home and planned for our week and then went to some appointments again and no one answered! We just tracted for the night and found some new people to teach. There was a fight in the hood where we were at and like the whole neighborhood was out there so not many people were at home.
Saturday was a pretty busy day for us we had many lessons and did a lot of knocking. We had some great success and our Bishop came to a lesson with us and it was a great lesson and exactly what they needed. Then he took us to Canes and got us some dinner which was great. We then spent a couple hours working on getting people to church. We were supposed to have like 10-15 people to church.
Sunday was a great Sunday but sadly none of our people came to church. They slept in, were sick, etc. . .so that stunk but we did have some great Gumbo afterward for the Ward Conference tradition. We then brought some Gumbo to someone we are teaching because we promised them we would when they said they wouldn't be able to make it. We then had a great lesson with someone else we are teaching. After that lesson we went to the girlfriend's house of the member who we helped move furniture during the week and we had dinner with them and it was really good food. It was awesome to get to know them better and share our thoughts about Ward Conference with them.
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This week we met some cool people, did some good service and met the new Elders in our District.
Tuesday was our P-day and all four of us Elders in our apartment were staying and not getting transferred so we just had a pretty normal P-day. We shopped for the month and emailed and played B-ball and then we had dinner and went to some appointments. We finally were able to get in contact with a kid we are teaching and we had a super cool lesson with him and his friend. They had such great understanding of the scriptures as we read and he was super excited for his baptism.
Wednesday was Transfer Day but because we all stayed it was just like a normal day for us. After our studies and lunch we went to a members apartment to help him move some furniture for his girlfriend who lives up the road. She is really into antiques and interior design so we moved super expensive furniture and there was a lot of cool stuff. We did that for like four hours and then we went to our ward correlation at the church and they brought pizza as usual. We talked about those we are teaching and how to help them. We then went to some appointments that night and we were able to talk to some people but most weren't available for lessons.
Thursday after our usual morning we had an over the phone lesson with a guy that lives far out in our area and that went really well. He is such a cool guy and is so willing to learn. We then went to the hood where we teach most and contacted a lot of our people there. We didn't have a great day of success there though. We then went to an appointment we had in another area and we ended up tracting for a bit. We later talked to the guy we had an appointment with and he had so many questions and we just answered them and had a good conversation for a while. We then came home and Brother Dakota Fontenot picked us up for dinner in his mom's brand new Cadillac Escalade and it is super nice. We had a really good dinner with them. She made meatloaf and cajun rice and corn and a couple other things and then gave us dirt cake at the end and all of it was so good! We were able to have a wonderful spiritual thought/lesson with him and his Mom, who isn't a member, and his brother, who isn't a member, and they felt the spirit and loved it!
Friday we had our district meeting and met our new district. We have got some great Elders and this transfer looks to be a great one. We went to Subway to get lunch. We came home and planned for our week and then went to some appointments again and no one answered! We just tracted for the night and found some new people to teach. There was a fight in the hood where we were at and like the whole neighborhood was out there so not many people were at home.
Saturday was a pretty busy day for us we had many lessons and did a lot of knocking. We had some great success and our Bishop came to a lesson with us and it was a great lesson and exactly what they needed. Then he took us to Canes and got us some dinner which was great. We then spent a couple hours working on getting people to church. We were supposed to have like 10-15 people to church.
Sunday was a great Sunday but sadly none of our people came to church. They slept in, were sick, etc. . .so that stunk but we did have some great Gumbo afterward for the Ward Conference tradition. We then brought some Gumbo to someone we are teaching because we promised them we would when they said they wouldn't be able to make it. We then had a great lesson with someone else we are teaching. After that lesson we went to the girlfriend's house of the member who we helped move furniture during the week and we had dinner with them and it was really good food. It was awesome to get to know them better and share our thoughts about Ward Conference with them.
Love,
Elder Acton
Week 71 Mission Conference
Tuesday January 8, 2019
Dear Mom,
This past week has been a crazy one! We had New Years and exchanges and a Mission Conference and it was quite the week!
Monday was New Year's Eve so we were to be inside by 6 so our P-day was all day. We played some good B-ball and had some fun and then we were starting exchanges so the other Elders were spending the night at our apartment. We spend part of our evening working out. It was nice to get in a good workout. When New Years hit it was just a rumble of fireworks and it was really loud. It didn't stop for like a half hour or more. It almost sounded like a continuous rolling thunder.
Tuesday we would normally have our District Council but because we were going to have a mission conference on Saturday, we didn't have district council for the week. We did our studies, ate lunch and started our exchanges. Elder Bagley went with Elder Hawks and Elder Aliche came with me. We biked to the hood where we have been working and we had lessons fall through and we tried to make contact with everyone there but we ended up talking to maybe like 3 or 4 people total. It was quite dead. Everyone was probably toast after their New Years celebrations. We then knocked doors for a bit and then biked to a different part of our area and tried to visit people over there but it ended up being a very unlucky day.
Wednesday after studies and lunch we did a lot more contacting of the people we are teaching and again many didn't answer and it was another day without much success. Sadly we will probably have to drop many of the people we are teaching in that area because even though they say they are interested and act like it when we are there, they don't keep commitments, return appointments or make it a priority in their lives. We may have to start fresh with new people. We rode our bikes to the strip mall and picked up Elder Hawk's glasses and it was rainy and wet. We then went to the church and called some people we are teaching over the phone because they are far away and we had a good lesson with them. We then had ward correlation that evening and they bought us pizza which was awesome. they just talked a lot about random stuff though and it was hard to actually get anything done. Sadly our ward mission leader didn't really have a positive attitude about them having to take care of the meal calendar now and they were kinda grumpy about it. That was a bit frustrating as we were trying to get things accomplished. We drove home with the other Elders and then got on our bikes and went to another appointment but it fell through.
Thursday we worked out in the morning, ate breakfast and got ready, did our studying, ate our lunch and then made some calls before we went to service at the Blake (the nursing home) and played Bingo with the old folks. We then went to contact people and make visits and finally we had a great day of contacting people. We were able to get in contact with almost every single person we had planned to contact. We had planned a contact for someone we are teaching for every five minutes for over an hour. We just talked briefly with most of them and set a time to come over for a lesson and then later we were able to have a great lesson with some people we are teaching and we found three new people to teach.
Friday we had apartment inspections and they went well. I cleaned a bit before hand but didn't have to clean hard because it has been kept clean pretty well. We did some studies and then biked over to an appointment and had a great lesson with a family we have been trying to have a lesson with in a long time. On the way over, Elder Hawk's back tire blew on his bike and it bent the wheel too so he had to walk halfway to our appointment. We then made some contacts while over there because we then had no way of getting back unless we wanted to use miles on the car. We did a bit of tracting and found two new really awesome people to teach and then we came back and we had a few really good over the phone lessons with people who are too far for us to bike or drive to. We then drove to our dinner appointment at a Chinese Buffet with some members. We then came back and went to another appointment but he wasn't home.
Saturday was a really good day. We had to be at the church at 11:00 to get on the van that Elder Ferrel, a Senior Missionary, was driving to Baton Rouge for the Mission Conference. There were 10 of us Elders on there and it was fun ride over. We got there a bit early and we were supposed to be ready for pictures by 1:30 but it ended up being later so it was fun to talk to and see other mission buddies as everyone in the mission was there. We got all set up for the picture and then had to remember our spot. We then all went down on the gym floor and gathered in groups by district. Elder Gong wanted to meet us as districts. Our district leader would introduce us as we shook his hand. Then Elder Bowen, Elder Johnson, and Bishop Davies followed after and we got to meet them too. We then resumed our positions for the picture and we got a picture with the WHOLE Mission and the General Authorities and Elder Gong. We then moved to the chapel and we heard from Bishop Davies and his wife and then Elder Bowen and his wife. We then had a special musical number which was really good! Then Elder Bowen and Bishop Davies and their wives were excused by Elder Gong to go to some other assignments. Elder Johnson and his wife then spoke to us for a bit which was great and then Elder Gong spoke to us and he got a wireless microphone and came down by us. He made some funny jokes and it was great to listen to him and laugh and to learn so much. We then, after they exited, started to leave and while we were in the foyer, Elder Gong made his way through the midst of all of us telling us he had forgot about the Book of Mormon he said he would leave for us to look at and we could go check it out. It was fun to talk to him again and shake his hand again, haha. We went back in and looked at the Book of Mormon and touched its pages. It was super cool because he had said he didn't have THE original copy but he had one of the copies that looked just like the original and inside were some pages from one of the original copies of the Book of Mormon. We got to take a picture of it and touch it and it was really cool. We then said bye to all our buddies and mission friends and loaded back up on the van and came back to Lafayette. We then went to Red Robin for dinner as a district. They gave us $7 extra dollars for dinner and told us to make it a finding activity. We passed out many cards and talked to multiple people about sharing our message with them and if they knew anyone else who we could share it with. We also drew the Plan of Salvation on their chalk board at Red Robin and wrote mormon.org and lds.org on there. It was fun.
Sunday we had Stake Conference back up in Baton Rouge and we got a ride with a member. They picked us up at 6:30am and we were the first people there, haha. We got great seats and greeted people as they came in. We saved seats for Jeanne and her daughters and it was fun to sit with them. I was also able to see a bunch of people from my last area which was cool. A bit before it started, Elder Bowen and Sister Bowen came in the back side door to the chapel where we were greeting people and it was fun to be able to talk with them for a bit and then introduce Jeanne to them. Stake Conference was great! The Stake President spoke, a little maybe eight or nine year old spoke and he did so very well and then a young woman spoke. There were some musical numbers and then Sister Bowen spoke followed by Elder Bowen. He gave a great talk! It was so good! He talked about temples and families and the way we are to love ourselves, others, and most of all God. He also talked about missionary work quite a bit and it was cool cause every time he mentioned the missionaries directly, he pointed to Elder Hawks and I and he was looking at us most of his talk and it was really cool to have that connection with him. He is a super awesome guy! We then said bye to some people and then rode back with the members that gave us a ride there. We studied for a bit and then had appointments lined up every 30 minutes for the whole night. We had many fall through and free up time but we also had a few good lessons and contacted some people. We got a call from our Mission President that evening telling us that he got a call from our Bishop and how he told him how happy he was with us and the work we are doing and stuff like that and it was such an awesome call to get from the Mission President. It was really cool to have him talk about the good work we are doing. It was a boost I needed. It's nice to get recognized in your hard work and know that it isn't going unnoticed.
Monday we did our last exchange needed for the transfer. We found out that Elder Hawks and I are staying together for another transfer. Elder Bowser and I went on an exchange together and Elder Pedersen and Elder Hawks went together. It was a good day and we had some good lessons. We also found out that Elder Pedersen will be the District Leader this transfer instead of Elder Hawks so that will be a change.
It was a great week and I am excited for another great transfer!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This past week has been a crazy one! We had New Years and exchanges and a Mission Conference and it was quite the week!
Monday was New Year's Eve so we were to be inside by 6 so our P-day was all day. We played some good B-ball and had some fun and then we were starting exchanges so the other Elders were spending the night at our apartment. We spend part of our evening working out. It was nice to get in a good workout. When New Years hit it was just a rumble of fireworks and it was really loud. It didn't stop for like a half hour or more. It almost sounded like a continuous rolling thunder.
Tuesday we would normally have our District Council but because we were going to have a mission conference on Saturday, we didn't have district council for the week. We did our studies, ate lunch and started our exchanges. Elder Bagley went with Elder Hawks and Elder Aliche came with me. We biked to the hood where we have been working and we had lessons fall through and we tried to make contact with everyone there but we ended up talking to maybe like 3 or 4 people total. It was quite dead. Everyone was probably toast after their New Years celebrations. We then knocked doors for a bit and then biked to a different part of our area and tried to visit people over there but it ended up being a very unlucky day.
Wednesday after studies and lunch we did a lot more contacting of the people we are teaching and again many didn't answer and it was another day without much success. Sadly we will probably have to drop many of the people we are teaching in that area because even though they say they are interested and act like it when we are there, they don't keep commitments, return appointments or make it a priority in their lives. We may have to start fresh with new people. We rode our bikes to the strip mall and picked up Elder Hawk's glasses and it was rainy and wet. We then went to the church and called some people we are teaching over the phone because they are far away and we had a good lesson with them. We then had ward correlation that evening and they bought us pizza which was awesome. they just talked a lot about random stuff though and it was hard to actually get anything done. Sadly our ward mission leader didn't really have a positive attitude about them having to take care of the meal calendar now and they were kinda grumpy about it. That was a bit frustrating as we were trying to get things accomplished. We drove home with the other Elders and then got on our bikes and went to another appointment but it fell through.
Thursday we worked out in the morning, ate breakfast and got ready, did our studying, ate our lunch and then made some calls before we went to service at the Blake (the nursing home) and played Bingo with the old folks. We then went to contact people and make visits and finally we had a great day of contacting people. We were able to get in contact with almost every single person we had planned to contact. We had planned a contact for someone we are teaching for every five minutes for over an hour. We just talked briefly with most of them and set a time to come over for a lesson and then later we were able to have a great lesson with some people we are teaching and we found three new people to teach.
Friday we had apartment inspections and they went well. I cleaned a bit before hand but didn't have to clean hard because it has been kept clean pretty well. We did some studies and then biked over to an appointment and had a great lesson with a family we have been trying to have a lesson with in a long time. On the way over, Elder Hawk's back tire blew on his bike and it bent the wheel too so he had to walk halfway to our appointment. We then made some contacts while over there because we then had no way of getting back unless we wanted to use miles on the car. We did a bit of tracting and found two new really awesome people to teach and then we came back and we had a few really good over the phone lessons with people who are too far for us to bike or drive to. We then drove to our dinner appointment at a Chinese Buffet with some members. We then came back and went to another appointment but he wasn't home.
Saturday was a really good day. We had to be at the church at 11:00 to get on the van that Elder Ferrel, a Senior Missionary, was driving to Baton Rouge for the Mission Conference. There were 10 of us Elders on there and it was fun ride over. We got there a bit early and we were supposed to be ready for pictures by 1:30 but it ended up being later so it was fun to talk to and see other mission buddies as everyone in the mission was there. We got all set up for the picture and then had to remember our spot. We then all went down on the gym floor and gathered in groups by district. Elder Gong wanted to meet us as districts. Our district leader would introduce us as we shook his hand. Then Elder Bowen, Elder Johnson, and Bishop Davies followed after and we got to meet them too. We then resumed our positions for the picture and we got a picture with the WHOLE Mission and the General Authorities and Elder Gong. We then moved to the chapel and we heard from Bishop Davies and his wife and then Elder Bowen and his wife. We then had a special musical number which was really good! Then Elder Bowen and Bishop Davies and their wives were excused by Elder Gong to go to some other assignments. Elder Johnson and his wife then spoke to us for a bit which was great and then Elder Gong spoke to us and he got a wireless microphone and came down by us. He made some funny jokes and it was great to listen to him and laugh and to learn so much. We then, after they exited, started to leave and while we were in the foyer, Elder Gong made his way through the midst of all of us telling us he had forgot about the Book of Mormon he said he would leave for us to look at and we could go check it out. It was fun to talk to him again and shake his hand again, haha. We went back in and looked at the Book of Mormon and touched its pages. It was super cool because he had said he didn't have THE original copy but he had one of the copies that looked just like the original and inside were some pages from one of the original copies of the Book of Mormon. We got to take a picture of it and touch it and it was really cool. We then said bye to all our buddies and mission friends and loaded back up on the van and came back to Lafayette. We then went to Red Robin for dinner as a district. They gave us $7 extra dollars for dinner and told us to make it a finding activity. We passed out many cards and talked to multiple people about sharing our message with them and if they knew anyone else who we could share it with. We also drew the Plan of Salvation on their chalk board at Red Robin and wrote mormon.org and lds.org on there. It was fun.
Sunday we had Stake Conference back up in Baton Rouge and we got a ride with a member. They picked us up at 6:30am and we were the first people there, haha. We got great seats and greeted people as they came in. We saved seats for Jeanne and her daughters and it was fun to sit with them. I was also able to see a bunch of people from my last area which was cool. A bit before it started, Elder Bowen and Sister Bowen came in the back side door to the chapel where we were greeting people and it was fun to be able to talk with them for a bit and then introduce Jeanne to them. Stake Conference was great! The Stake President spoke, a little maybe eight or nine year old spoke and he did so very well and then a young woman spoke. There were some musical numbers and then Sister Bowen spoke followed by Elder Bowen. He gave a great talk! It was so good! He talked about temples and families and the way we are to love ourselves, others, and most of all God. He also talked about missionary work quite a bit and it was cool cause every time he mentioned the missionaries directly, he pointed to Elder Hawks and I and he was looking at us most of his talk and it was really cool to have that connection with him. He is a super awesome guy! We then said bye to some people and then rode back with the members that gave us a ride there. We studied for a bit and then had appointments lined up every 30 minutes for the whole night. We had many fall through and free up time but we also had a few good lessons and contacted some people. We got a call from our Mission President that evening telling us that he got a call from our Bishop and how he told him how happy he was with us and the work we are doing and stuff like that and it was such an awesome call to get from the Mission President. It was really cool to have him talk about the good work we are doing. It was a boost I needed. It's nice to get recognized in your hard work and know that it isn't going unnoticed.
Monday we did our last exchange needed for the transfer. We found out that Elder Hawks and I are staying together for another transfer. Elder Bowser and I went on an exchange together and Elder Pedersen and Elder Hawks went together. It was a good day and we had some good lessons. We also found out that Elder Pedersen will be the District Leader this transfer instead of Elder Hawks so that will be a change.
It was a great week and I am excited for another great transfer!
Love,
Elder Acton
Ugly Christmas Sweater
Zone Conference with Santa
Enjoying God's Creations in Louisiana
Super Foggy Morning
The wind was blowing so hard it blew
all the patio furniture into the pool
The rain is coming down hard!
Me and my Comp, Elder Hawks
My delicious surprise package from home
Home made bread is the BEST!!
Mission Conference
Shaking hands with Elder Gong
Elder Gong's special
Book of Mormon
Week 70 Christmas and More Rain
Monday December 31, 2018
This week has been great. I loved Christmas and getting to talk to the fam!
Monday was another good P-day ending with us caroling to people which was fun.
Tuesday was Christmas day and at 6:30 I opened my presets lol :) it was fun and we had a good time. We caroled at the nursing home down the street for an hour and then we went to Bishop's house for lunch which was super good and it was fun spending time with them. We then came back home for a bit and we did some studies and then we went to the Boussards and video called our families and then they fed us some dinner which was really good! We then came home and some of us left to carol some more.
Wednesday we had interviews with President Varner at the church and then we had District Council. We had exchanges and I had Elder Carter with me. We went to lunch at Olive Garden and it was really good! We then came home and got ready to leave and Elder Carter and I then biked over to the area we are working. We had some appointments fall through and we sadly had to drop a kid we were teaching because he was putting fortnite over God. We then biked back and a member picked us and the English Elders up for dinner. We had some good chili over Fritos.
Thursday we did studies and then we went to the nursing home to help with Bingo after lunch. We were going to bike over to some appointments but sadly it was storming very hard and there was a tornado warning and lot of lightning so we had to cancel. We started contacting referrals because there was a ton of them built up because missionaries hadn't been contacting them. We were able to contact many of them. We then drove to a dinner appointment with a recent convert and she cooked some really good fried pork chops. We then had a little lesson with her which ended up being just her talking basically, haha.
Friday was a pretty good day. We did studies, had lunchables and then went to some appointments. We weren't able to have a lesson with either one of them but we were able to reschedule one for later in the day. We then biked home and did our weekly planning for a couple hours We ate some dinner and then we went to the appointment we rescheduled and we had a great lesson with them and helped them set a date to be baptized. We were able to see some other people in the area but we didn't have any more lessons except a brief doorstep Restoration lesson when we were tracting.
Saturday after our studies and lunch we biked back to the hood where we are working and we were able to have a few good lessons and then the rest of the time was making contacts, and tracting. We then drove to dinner and we had spaghetti.
Sunday was really good. We had a great day of meetings and we had 3 people that we are teaching come to church :) We then came home and did some studies. Before we went out I fixed my bike's brakes so that they worked better and oh man I was so proud because they are disc brakes and I restored them to being like brand new! :) I also figured out what was wrong with my back tire and stopped it from wobbling a little. I was also able to clean my chain and make my gears work better so my bike felt almost like brand new when riding and it was awesome! We biked in the rain and got all muddy again. We saw a few people but there were some family members who ran us off from the people we are teaching.
It was another good week and this next one is the last full one of the transfer! It should be a good one.
I just want to share with you that I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to serve my Lord and Savior full-time. It has brought me so much Joy and has also helped me become better and change along the way. I have gained a much greater love for my Savior and understanding of the Atoning Sacrifice He has made for us and for me. There is so much Joy to be found in helping others find the truth and increase in their faith. I LOVE being a missionary! Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
This week has been great. I loved Christmas and getting to talk to the fam!
Monday was another good P-day ending with us caroling to people which was fun.
Tuesday was Christmas day and at 6:30 I opened my presets lol :) it was fun and we had a good time. We caroled at the nursing home down the street for an hour and then we went to Bishop's house for lunch which was super good and it was fun spending time with them. We then came back home for a bit and we did some studies and then we went to the Boussards and video called our families and then they fed us some dinner which was really good! We then came home and some of us left to carol some more.
Wednesday we had interviews with President Varner at the church and then we had District Council. We had exchanges and I had Elder Carter with me. We went to lunch at Olive Garden and it was really good! We then came home and got ready to leave and Elder Carter and I then biked over to the area we are working. We had some appointments fall through and we sadly had to drop a kid we were teaching because he was putting fortnite over God. We then biked back and a member picked us and the English Elders up for dinner. We had some good chili over Fritos.
Thursday we did studies and then we went to the nursing home to help with Bingo after lunch. We were going to bike over to some appointments but sadly it was storming very hard and there was a tornado warning and lot of lightning so we had to cancel. We started contacting referrals because there was a ton of them built up because missionaries hadn't been contacting them. We were able to contact many of them. We then drove to a dinner appointment with a recent convert and she cooked some really good fried pork chops. We then had a little lesson with her which ended up being just her talking basically, haha.
Friday was a pretty good day. We did studies, had lunchables and then went to some appointments. We weren't able to have a lesson with either one of them but we were able to reschedule one for later in the day. We then biked home and did our weekly planning for a couple hours We ate some dinner and then we went to the appointment we rescheduled and we had a great lesson with them and helped them set a date to be baptized. We were able to see some other people in the area but we didn't have any more lessons except a brief doorstep Restoration lesson when we were tracting.
Saturday after our studies and lunch we biked back to the hood where we are working and we were able to have a few good lessons and then the rest of the time was making contacts, and tracting. We then drove to dinner and we had spaghetti.
Sunday was really good. We had a great day of meetings and we had 3 people that we are teaching come to church :) We then came home and did some studies. Before we went out I fixed my bike's brakes so that they worked better and oh man I was so proud because they are disc brakes and I restored them to being like brand new! :) I also figured out what was wrong with my back tire and stopped it from wobbling a little. I was also able to clean my chain and make my gears work better so my bike felt almost like brand new when riding and it was awesome! We biked in the rain and got all muddy again. We saw a few people but there were some family members who ran us off from the people we are teaching.
It was another good week and this next one is the last full one of the transfer! It should be a good one.
I just want to share with you that I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to serve my Lord and Savior full-time. It has brought me so much Joy and has also helped me become better and change along the way. I have gained a much greater love for my Savior and understanding of the Atoning Sacrifice He has made for us and for me. There is so much Joy to be found in helping others find the truth and increase in their faith. I LOVE being a missionary! Until next week!
Love,
Elder Acton
Week 69 Zone Conference and Caroling
Monday December 24, 2018
Dear Mom,
This past week has been a fun week but it has been a bit different. We had Christmas Zone Conference and then exchanges with the Zone Leader and then we did some caroling Sunday night while on exchanges again.
Monday was a good P-day ending with a great dinner at a member's house and then some appointments.
Tuesday we left to Baton Rouge for Zone Conference early and it was super foggy the whole entire drive and we could barely see. We got there and it was great to see everyone. It was a combined Zone Conference so there were a lot of people there who I got to see again. Zone Conference was great! The whole mission had made little videos describing how much/why we loved the Varners and a Senior Couple put them all together. It was so awesome and funny! We also had an amazing lunch! President and Sister Varner's whole family came down and they brought over 200 pounds of Tri-Tip with them for the mission. So. . .we had Tri-Tip for lunch and Sister Varner's wonderful salad and really good rolls and then some good dessert. Santa came and we got pics with him and Sister Varner gave us some candy that her fam made for us :) President Varner disappeared during all of lunch and for a while which was weird but yea it was cool to meet his family and it was Awesome that they had Santa come, haha :) We then had another session of teaching and training and then we did a white elephant gift exchange, which was huge! We made a circle in the gym and took up more than half of it! It took a while. We then waited for the Alexandria Elders to do interviews and then we drove them up with us to their apartment because they don't have a car and we went to do exchanges with them. Elder Hawks put the address in the GPS and just trusted it would take us there without looking at the route it was gonna take us and then after a while we realized we were driving back to Lafayette instead of up to Alexandria and it was taking us the long way around. So we had to re-route and head up to Alexandria, we then ended up on a levee road which was really long and it was dirt so that was interesting. We were in the middle of nowhere lol, but hey it saved us some miles haha. We eventually made it back to the apartment before 9:30.
Wednesday we had our exchanges, Elder Hawks had received 3 large packages from home and he doesn't like waiting for Christmas to open his presents so we had an unwrapping present session which was funny. I went with Elder Peterson and we got a ride from a member and went to a lesson which went really well and we helped him set a date to be baptized. We then came back and did some studies, ate lunch and then went to the church to do a study with the other Elders. We then tried to visit some people and then came back and got picked up by the same member and he took us to his house for dinner. There was us four Elders and the Sisters there. It was fun to get to know that member family. We then came back and Elder Hawks and I had to start driving back home.
Thursday we did our studies and had lunch, did some more studying and then we went to the nursing home down the street. We helped out with Bingo as we usually do, which is always a lot of fun. We then went back and got our bikes to bike to some appointments. Two of them fell through and we had one good lesson later. We then came back and a recent convert that's 17 picked us four Elders up and took us to his house for dinner. We then came back and had one more lesson which was really good.
Friday we did studies, ate lunch and then we had some more studies and weekly planning to do. We then ate an early dinner and went to visit people. We biked for a while and had a good lesson. We then had that recent convert come out with us, he also just got called to be a ward missionary and he is like the most reliable member ever!!! He is only 17 and he's showing up everyone lol, it's awesome. We had a good lesson while he was with us.
Saturday was a pretty good day. We had our usual morning of studies and lunch and then we hopped on the bikes and headed over to an area that we work in and we knocked doors for a couple hours. We found a couple new people to teach which was good and then we were able to have a lesson with one of the people we are teaching over there. We then biked back and a member picked us up and took us to his house and we ate dinner with his fam. And then we did a fun little activity with them and the kids to help them learn. We then got dropped off at our apartment and Elder Hawks and I hopped on the bikes and headed out to an appointment but it fell through so we tried to visit a bunch of other people over there and ended up meeting a cool dude. We then biked home.
Sunday was a pretty good day. Church was awesome. It being one hour long wasn't the reason but the one hour service was really good and I enjoyed it. We also had a number of people come that we are teaching which was super cool. After church we met a lot of new people as they were leaving. We then came home and did some studying. The Opelousas Elders then came down and we started exchanges. Elder Bagley and I drove to visit some people he knew from when he served here and we had some real good visits. We then came back and all 6 of us walked over to an area and caroled for 3 hours. It was AWESOME! We were able to meet so many people and "Light their World". Many said they were feeling down or having a bad day and they needed it. I loved doing it!! And with 6 of us Elders, all low singers, it was super cool and actually sounded pretty good, it was fun :)
It has been a great week and this next one is one to look forward to! Yay Christmas!!!
I love you mom! I am so excited to talk to you tomorrow!!!
Love,
Elder Acton
Dear Mom,
This past week has been a fun week but it has been a bit different. We had Christmas Zone Conference and then exchanges with the Zone Leader and then we did some caroling Sunday night while on exchanges again.
Monday was a good P-day ending with a great dinner at a member's house and then some appointments.
Tuesday we left to Baton Rouge for Zone Conference early and it was super foggy the whole entire drive and we could barely see. We got there and it was great to see everyone. It was a combined Zone Conference so there were a lot of people there who I got to see again. Zone Conference was great! The whole mission had made little videos describing how much/why we loved the Varners and a Senior Couple put them all together. It was so awesome and funny! We also had an amazing lunch! President and Sister Varner's whole family came down and they brought over 200 pounds of Tri-Tip with them for the mission. So. . .we had Tri-Tip for lunch and Sister Varner's wonderful salad and really good rolls and then some good dessert. Santa came and we got pics with him and Sister Varner gave us some candy that her fam made for us :) President Varner disappeared during all of lunch and for a while which was weird but yea it was cool to meet his family and it was Awesome that they had Santa come, haha :) We then had another session of teaching and training and then we did a white elephant gift exchange, which was huge! We made a circle in the gym and took up more than half of it! It took a while. We then waited for the Alexandria Elders to do interviews and then we drove them up with us to their apartment because they don't have a car and we went to do exchanges with them. Elder Hawks put the address in the GPS and just trusted it would take us there without looking at the route it was gonna take us and then after a while we realized we were driving back to Lafayette instead of up to Alexandria and it was taking us the long way around. So we had to re-route and head up to Alexandria, we then ended up on a levee road which was really long and it was dirt so that was interesting. We were in the middle of nowhere lol, but hey it saved us some miles haha. We eventually made it back to the apartment before 9:30.
Wednesday we had our exchanges, Elder Hawks had received 3 large packages from home and he doesn't like waiting for Christmas to open his presents so we had an unwrapping present session which was funny. I went with Elder Peterson and we got a ride from a member and went to a lesson which went really well and we helped him set a date to be baptized. We then came back and did some studies, ate lunch and then went to the church to do a study with the other Elders. We then tried to visit some people and then came back and got picked up by the same member and he took us to his house for dinner. There was us four Elders and the Sisters there. It was fun to get to know that member family. We then came back and Elder Hawks and I had to start driving back home.
Thursday we did our studies and had lunch, did some more studying and then we went to the nursing home down the street. We helped out with Bingo as we usually do, which is always a lot of fun. We then went back and got our bikes to bike to some appointments. Two of them fell through and we had one good lesson later. We then came back and a recent convert that's 17 picked us four Elders up and took us to his house for dinner. We then came back and had one more lesson which was really good.
Friday we did studies, ate lunch and then we had some more studies and weekly planning to do. We then ate an early dinner and went to visit people. We biked for a while and had a good lesson. We then had that recent convert come out with us, he also just got called to be a ward missionary and he is like the most reliable member ever!!! He is only 17 and he's showing up everyone lol, it's awesome. We had a good lesson while he was with us.
Saturday was a pretty good day. We had our usual morning of studies and lunch and then we hopped on the bikes and headed over to an area that we work in and we knocked doors for a couple hours. We found a couple new people to teach which was good and then we were able to have a lesson with one of the people we are teaching over there. We then biked back and a member picked us up and took us to his house and we ate dinner with his fam. And then we did a fun little activity with them and the kids to help them learn. We then got dropped off at our apartment and Elder Hawks and I hopped on the bikes and headed out to an appointment but it fell through so we tried to visit a bunch of other people over there and ended up meeting a cool dude. We then biked home.
Sunday was a pretty good day. Church was awesome. It being one hour long wasn't the reason but the one hour service was really good and I enjoyed it. We also had a number of people come that we are teaching which was super cool. After church we met a lot of new people as they were leaving. We then came home and did some studying. The Opelousas Elders then came down and we started exchanges. Elder Bagley and I drove to visit some people he knew from when he served here and we had some real good visits. We then came back and all 6 of us walked over to an area and caroled for 3 hours. It was AWESOME! We were able to meet so many people and "Light their World". Many said they were feeling down or having a bad day and they needed it. I loved doing it!! And with 6 of us Elders, all low singers, it was super cool and actually sounded pretty good, it was fun :)
It has been a great week and this next one is one to look forward to! Yay Christmas!!!
I love you mom! I am so excited to talk to you tomorrow!!!
Love,
Elder Acton
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