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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 68 Baptisms in Mo City

Monday December 17, 2018

Dear Mom,

This week was great. I love biking! I don't know why I enjoy it so much but it is so much fun to bike. Yes, it really stinks when it is raining or something but besides that, I love it! Every now and if circumstances are right, biking in the rain can be fun too though.
Monday we went to the Library, did some shopping and then we stayed at our apartment complex and we went to the clubhouse which has wifi and a pool table and Foosball. The New Iberia Elders came up and spent the end of P-day with us there. That evening we went with the New Iberia Elders to a dinner which was really good and then they dropped us off at an appointment we had near our apartment. It was a great lesson with a little girl who is going to be baptized soon. They just wanted us to come over and teach her a little bit more about baptism and help the Father, who is not a member, understand what all she is doing.
Tuesday we did exchanges with the New Iberia Elders. We had District Council and for our instruction/lesson we read though a talk that was given to a Mission in Spain a long time ago that roasted them a bit and kicked them into a higher gear. They were doing well but the guy that gave the talk saw it as not good enough and that talk was kind of a slap in the face and we had a good discussion on it and it got us fired up to work even harder. It was a good district council. We then all went to Red Robin for lunch. We had a lot of bottomless steak fries! We then started exchanges. Elder Kemp and I did some studies and then we rode our bikes to a dinner appointment with a young couple. The Lafayette English Elders met us there later. While on our way I realized I had the car key in my pocket. I didn't worry about it too much because the other Elders were supposed to be riding their bikes there as well but they called asking if I knew where the key was and I told them I had it. So they had to bike from the apartment cause they thought it to be faster to go get the car. I was kinda glad I had it though cause we didn't have miles to use and they were supposed to bike anyway haha. Plus it wasn't very far. After dinner Elder Kemp and I rode to North Lafayette and had a good lesson there and they fed us as well. We then got a ride back from the Dad.
Wednesday we went to the gym and worked out as usual and then did our studies and ate some lunch. We did some more studies after lunch and then we biked out to an area we hadn't been to yet and we tried to contact a referral we received but they weren't home. We tracted the apartment complex and we ran into a member who lives there and then we later had two separate great lessons. One was very in depth and really long but he was a super cool dude and it was a really good conversation and lesson. We then biked back home for some dinner and then biked to some appointments but they fell through so we spontaneously visited someone else we are teaching and had a super good lesson with them that was much needed.
Thursday we had studies and lunchables and then we went to the nursing home down the road and did some service by playing Bingo again. We then came back and did some weekly planning. We then had dinner and then made some contact with people we haven't been able to visit in a while. We then knocked some doors for the rest of the night. In the 1st half hour we met this super awesome African American lady and we had a really good lesson with her.
Friday after our studies, lunch, and weekly planning, we rode our bikes to Costco and Elder Hawks got his eyes checked. We then went to the church and gave a church tour which in all honesty turned out very interesting. We then biked to some appointments and had a good lesson but the rest fell through.
Saturday was a great day. We did studies, lunch, and then tried to visit some people and then we drove to Morgan City. We attended the baptism for someone I had been working with, Jeanne's daughter. And then after that we attended another baptism of someone else I had been a big part in helping to baptism. It was so cool and I loved it so much! After the baptism they had their branch Christmas Party and we stayed just for a little bit. We ate a little food and I got to say "hi" to everyone there, which was cool. We then came home.
Sunday we had three of the people we are teaching come to church which was great. It was such a perfect Sunday for them. We then had a lesson with a recent convert and then went to a dinner and we had some really good BBQ sandwiches with home made fries which were very good. We then came home did a few studies and then went to a lesson and we were finally able to get into the house of this one guy we are teaching and we had great lesson with him. This guy is hysterical and we laugh every time we visit him. He is tons of fun.
This week was great and this next week is Zone Conference which is apparently going to be really good so I'm really excited!

Love,
Elder Acton

Week 67 Exchanges and Biking

Monday December 10, 2018

Dear Mom,

This week has been pretty good. We have had some back and forth weather and stuff. It has been pretty cold, it has been fairly hot, and it has rained a ton as well.  The weather cannot make up its mind. . .
Monday was a good P-day. We went to the library and emailed and the we grabbed lunch and headed to the church. We played basketball with other Elders and Elder Hawks and I didn't have our exercise clothes because we expected to go back to the apartment so I just played in my proselyting clothes and used another Elder's tennis shoes. We had a good time. We then came home and ate some dinner and then went to an appointment and we had a great lesson with a guy we taught earlier and his sister. We then had a great lesson with a Hispanic family and then biked home.
Tuesday we had District Council and afterwards we went to Taco Bell for lunch. We then came back and we did some studies and then went out to contact multiple people in an area where we are working. We then had 4 solid lessons with a number of different people we are working with in that area and it was a great night. We then biked back home. That day if I remember correctly was one of the colder days being in the 30's.
Wednesday we did some studies, had lunch, did some more studies and then we were gonna go to some appointments but Elder Hawks was not feeling very well because he ate an old hot dog and his stomach didn't like that so we ended up staying home for another couple hours until he was able to leave the apartment. We then drove to the mall and met a referral we received and we had a good lesson with her. We then came back to the apartment for dinner and then we went out again and we had a few good lessons.
Thursday we did some studies after our usual morning workout at the apartment complex gym. We had lunch, did some studies and our weekly planning. After weekly planning, we all four went to the nursing home down the street and did service by helping with Bingo for 2 hours. We then did exchanges and I went with Elder Pedersen, whom I've known from the beginning of my mission cause he was in my district, and Elder Hawks went with Elder Bowser. Elder Pedersen and I biked to an area near the church and we tried to visit some people on the way. We then had a good lesson with a recent convert at the church After that we tried to visit some more people and then came home for a late dinner to end the night.
Friday we did studies, had lunch and the we printed out a small map of our area so we could map out who covers what. We then went to an area we have been working in recently and we taught some good lessons. We then came back home and a recent convert picked us up and took us to his house for some dinner. His mom made us some really good spaghetti and it was fun to get to know them. He then took us home.
Saturday after studies and lunch we did more weekly planning. It rained really hard Saturday morning since when we woke up til afternoon. We then biked over to visit some people and we taught a couple lessons and it was a bit cold outside. We then rode our bikes 7 miles to North Lafayette and had a great lesson with a young boy we are helping progress towards baptism. They fed us some good food after the lesson and then we biked home.
Sunday we went to ward council at 8:00am and then we practiced some songs with the ward choir until church started. Church was good. We had the young boy who we're working with, come to church which was great and then after church we came home for some lunch and studying. After some good studies we went and taught a few good lessons and ended the night well.
I have enjoyed this area so far and I actually really like biking. It is a lot of fun, especially since it's not super hot outside anymore, haha. Now it is sometimes fairly cold and that is my element :)

Love,
Elder Acton

Week 66 A New Area

Monday December 3, 2018

Dear Mom,

This last week has been sad and really good at the same time. It was hard to leave Morgan City and the people there but it is exciting to make new friends here in Lafayette.
Tuesday was an interesting P-day. We did our emailing an stuff, and then we ended our P-day early and visited some people to say bye and then we had a lesson with Jeanne and her daughter and then said bye to them. We then drove to Lafayette and Elder Cannon and Elder Rowe dropped me off. We got all my stuff inside and I met my companion, Elder Hawks. His companion didn't leave until the next day and neither did the other two missionaries that lived in that apartment as well. I didn't know until then that I would be in a quad (apartment of 4 missionaries).
Wednesday the other three missionaries left and Elder Hawks and I cleaned the apartment and did some studies. The other Elders then showed up and we got their stuff in and everything and then we went to our ward correlation that evening. After ward correlation we went to someone we are teaching and then came home.
Thursday we did our studies and then we had lunch. After lunch we took my bike to the bike shop and luckily they were having a very slow day so they were able to get it in really quick. They fixed it in like an hour. We went home and did some weekly planning and then went to the nursing home down the road and did service by helping them with Bingo, I called out all the numbers and stuff. We then went and got my bike and it was at a good price and he showed me the piece that was broken and everything. We came home and then biked over to an appointment we had with a kid we are teaching. We then came back and all four of us Elders drove to a dinner appointment we had. They had a parrot which was super fun to mess around with and they were really cool people. We then had the other Elders drop us off at another appointment we had and they fed us too and the we came home.
Friday we did some personal study and then we went to District Council, which went well. My companion, Elder Hawks, is the district leader and he did a good job. We then went to the mall to get lunch and while eating, a guy came up to us and asked us a bunch of questions and stuff and we all talked for like 45 minutes and it was kinda nice cause he was genuinely curious and not trying to bash us. We then drove to the church and had a meeting/get to know the couple that would be getting baptized the next day. The other set of Elders that used to be in Lafayette both left and two new ones came in so there are three out of us four that are new. We all got to know the couple and made sure everything was good for the baptism the next day. We then came home and did some studies and more cleaning. After that Elder Hawks and I rode our bikes to an appointment which took almost an hour to get to plus it started raining on us about halfway through. We then had a good lesson with some kids we are teaching and their parents fed us. They made us some shrimp cocktail stuff and gave us both a huge bowl which was mostly ketchup, plus the soup was cold. There was a huge empty bottle of ketchup on the table. They also gave us a papaya type drink which was, lets just say not appealing, anyway this was by far the most difficult thing I've ever eaten on my mission. I ate my bowl fairly quickly and drank all my juice real fast without smelling it and then ate the Saltine crackers to get a different taste in my mouth, though all that did was dry it out and we had no water to drink.. .Anyway it was not my favorite thing to eat but we finished it all and were polite and thankful that we were being fed. We then finished our lesson with the kids and then the Dad, Brother Martinez, gave us a ride home in his truck.
Saturday we did some studies and had lunch and then finished our weekly planning. We then got on the bikes and headed out to someone we are teaching but sadly they weren't there. We then tried to visit a ton of people that lived near him and then we tracted for the next few hours. We found a couple people to teach which was good and then we went to the church for the baptism. The baptism went really well. The husband can't see very well and only has one leg so it was a bit complicated to get his prosthetic leg off and get him in the water and baptized and everything, but it went really well. After the baptism we went back to some appointments but they fell through so we visited someone else who ended up really needing it.
Sunday was pretty good. We had church at 10:00 and we had some Hispanic visitors whom we taught the Restoration during second hour. We then were all instructed together about the new Come Follow Me program and singing time was even included for the kids and we also played four corners as a ward which was quite the fun experience, lol. We then had a meeting with a recent convert after church for a while. After that, we came home and did some studies and then went back to the church for the Ward Christmas Party. I always love having a big meal to break a fast on, haha, it was awesome. We then watched the Christmas Devotional as a ward. We drove home and then Elder Hawks and I biked over to an appointment we had and got fed some incredible Carne Asada! Then we came home.
It has been a sad week to begin with as I left Morgan City, but a good week all around and I am enjoying the Lafayette area!

Love,
Elder Acton

 Fun with the Parrot

Our VERY interesting Shrimp Cocktail Dinner

Week 65 Transfer News and Biking!!

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Dear Mom,

So this last week has been good but it has been full of biking and flat tires. Also, Thanksgiving was awesome.
Monday was a good P-day. We got in a really good workout and then did our emailing, grocery shopping, and laundry. That night we knocked some doors for a couple hours and then we had a Family Home Evening with Jeanne and one of her daughters.
Tuesday we had our normal morning studies and lunch and then we drove over to an appointment we had with someone we are teaching, since my bike was broken and Elder Rowe's bike from home wasn't here yet. We then drove over to another appointment we had. We set up a plan of when to come over frequently to teach them the lessons and prepare them for baptism. After that we came home for some dinner. When we were done with dinner, we headed out to visit some people we haven't been able to see in a while and we brought them brownies we had made the day before. We then visited some people in Centerville but sadly they didn't answer so we continued on to Baldwin which is past Franklin. Sadly, they were not there either. We then came back into Franklin and were at least able to visit a few people. Because most people fell through, we had an extra hour or more so we drove back to Patterson and tracted a street there closer to us.
Wednesday we went to the Chevrolet Dealership down the road 2 miles and took our car in for an oil change and a tire rotation and while it was being serviced, we went for a run. We then came back, looked at some new cars for a bit and then drove home and got ready for the day. We left for Houma and went to a bike shop to see how much it would cost to fix my bike and to tune up Elder Rowe's bike. Found out they didn't have the part to fix mine, and it would cost $75-$100. Also, supposedly we ride our bikes hard. The piece that broke is supposed to last thousands of miles. I don't know if I've rode that many miles on my bike but anyway, an expensive fix. Plus, he has to order the part. We then went to our District Council which was really good. For lunch we stayed at the church because we brought all the leftovers that were given to us from the Thanksgiving "linger longer" we had on Sunday after church. After lunch we drove to the house of someone the Houma Sisters are teaching and Elder Cannon did a Baptismal Interview for them. We then drove to some lessons in Morgan City and then we came home and packed a bunch of PB&J's for dinner and we hopped on the bikes (Elder Rowe had his from home and used that, and I used the one he had bought from the mission) and we headed out to some more lessons. We had a few lessons but a number of them fell through and we knocked for the rest of the night, well until 8:00. At 8:00 we went over to Jeanne's and had a lesson with them. Then we biked home.
Thursday was Thanksgiving and it was a pretty Great day. We woke up and did our studies first and then we biked over to the Seumanu's/Albert's and we played some Turkey Bowl, which was a lot of fun. We then biked back home and got ready for the day and studied a bit more and then drove to the Seumanu's for lunch (Thanksgiving Dinner). There was a lot of food and I ate a huge plate and then went back and ate another huge plate and I was so stuffed! It was fun to have Jeanne and her daughter there with us as well. During part of the time we ate, they had a speaker with a karaoke/freestyle activity going. Brother (Hona) Seumanu was in that for a large portion of the time and he is stinking hilarious! It was fun to spend some time with the many different families that were there. We then went to go see some people but they fell through so we knocked for a while and then we came home and got back on the bikes. We headed over to Morgan City and on our way Elder Cannon's tire went flat. We spent a lot of time fixing it and we were gonna replace it but the spare tire he had was too skinny. So we pumped it up and went as far as we could and did that about 6 times or so until we got to the Viator's. Jeanne went there as well with her two daughters and it was some good food. At that moment I was just really full, instead of about to explode, and I ate another big plate and some desserts and I was literally going to die. We then knocked doors for a couple hours and my stomach was so full and stretched out that it was making my back and ribs hurt. We had put our bikes in the back of Jeanne's truck and she took thm home for us and then President Viator gave us a ride home in his Mustang and when we got onto the freeway he stepped on it and wow, that had some get up!
Friday we did some personal study and then we went to the nursing home and we sang to the Elderly people. We then went to the Church and did some studies, ate lunch did some more studies and then we did our weekly planning. After our planning we hopped on the bikes and we biked to Jeanne's and we had another great lesson with her and her daughter We then biked back to the other side of Patterson and we knocked doors for the night. We were able to have a number of lesson throughout tracting which was awesome! Then we biked back to the church, put the bikes on the car and drove home. It was nice to remember that we had the car at the church and didn't have to continue biking in the cold rain, as it had been raining all night. Elder Cannon's bike tire went flat again for a time and we had to fix that was well.
Saturday after our studies, we biked over to someone we are teaching and we had a good lesson with her. We then biked to Patterson for some more lessons and grabbed lunch on the way. The road that the map said led to the freeway near Patterson ended up being an old ranch road and it was fairly long and that was an interesting experience. We grabbed some lunch at a Taco Truck, which was really good, and then we biked to our lessons in Patterson.  We were able to meet with a few of them and we had some good lessons and then we biked back to Bayou Vista and we had some lessons there. After that we went t the apartment and ate some dinner and then went over to set an appointment with some others that we are teaching nearby. We then biked to Morgan City and we expected to have a lot of good lessons but they all fell through so we knocked doors for the rest of the night and found some more people to teach. We then biked home and completed a 30 mile day of biking.
Sunday was an interesting day. Almost every single person in the Branch was sick. Most of the people we are teaching who said they would come to church, didn't and it was kinda empty compared to what we have been used to. After church we did our studies and then had a lesson nearby. We then went home for dinner and then biked to Morgan City for some more lessons and tracting. It was a pretty good night and we ended it with a good 20 minute speed workout of riding our bikes home. (My bike-the one Elder Rowe bought form the mission-was starting to be difficult to ride as the brakes started to rub. Kinda annoying, but oh well.)
Monday was good. We decided to use the car since two of our bikes needed fixing, again. We got transfer calls at the beginning of personal study and I found out that I am leaving to Lafayette, Louisiana and Elder Cannon and Elder Rowe are staying here. I was not the happiest about it and just really sad because leaving this place and the many, many people here that I have become such good friends with is like leaving home all over again. It is hard but I know that the Lord has a reason for moving me. We went to a lesson and it went really well and at the end I said bye and got pictures. We then came home, did some studies, had lunch, and then did some more studying and then went over and had a lesson with Cody and Delmara and their boys Shawn and Dominick and then said bye to them and got pics with them as well. We then came home for dinner and then left to Morgan City for the night. We tried to visit some people over there and they rejected us hardcore. We then visited two member families and said bye to them and then had a good lesson for the end of the night.
Today has been a good day and this last week was a great last week of serving in this area. It really stinks to leave and it is hard to say bye to so much family but I look forward to the people in Lafayette that I will soon be friends and family with as well.
I love you to pieces Mom! I hope that you have a fantastic week full of Joy and Peace!

Love,
Elder Acton

Brownies we made to give away

Leftovers of Thanksgiving Food

Bike Troubles

Scenery along one of our bike routes

 Saying Goodbye to my Morgan City Family

 My Zone while serving in Morgan City

Week 64 Exchanges and food!!

Monday November 19, 2018

Dear Mom

This week we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday in Kenner and we did a lot more service throughout the week!

Monday we were able to get everything done that we needed to and then that evening we had an awesome FHE at Sister Vinning's house with Jeanne and her daughters and another sister from the ward. Sister Vinning made chicken and sausage gumbo which was so good!!! We then played telestrations for the activity and then we had brownies and ice cream for dessert. After we left, we tried to visit a few people in Amelia and then we came home.

Tuesday we let to Kenner after lunch and we started exchanges with the Zone leader and his companion . Elder Cannon, being the district leader, went with Elder, page the Zone Leader, and Elder Rowe and I were with Elder Frazier. I was the designated driver for the exchange which was nice. We visited a number of people and we had multiple good little lessons. There was a family that we had dinner with, the young boy and just been baptized and the mother was a member but the father wasn't. They were Hispanic and the mom and son could speak English but the father could only understand a part of English. I was the only one that could speak Spanish so I was able to speak and practice a lot of Spanish with the husband. After dinner we taught them a lesson and I taught a large portion of it in Spanish and it was fun to speak more Spanish than usual since I was the only one of us that could. We then had a lesson with a Baptist Preacher which was fun. After that we went to a large apartment complex which had a lot of trees and park type of stuff in between the buildings and it felt like we were in a jungle, haha. After we tracted there for a few hours, we came home. There were a lot of missionaries at that apartment since it is a quad apartment and we are a trio.

Wednesday we did some combined companion study and then we headed back so we could make it to our District Council. We first went to get some food before hand because Elder Rowe was super hungry and on our way back we basically drove in circles and road after road we couldn't get back to where we wanted to go because of so many one-ways and roads that should go through but don't because it's such a swamp down here and there are Bayous/canals/water all over the place. We finally gave up and used Google Maps to get back and it still took us in a big circle. We then had a good district council and then we all went to Sam's club for lunch as usual. I was pretty hungry since I didn't eat any breakfast and I thought I would just wait the extra hour and a half to get lunch than to buy food twice. So, I got Pizza and a big salad and it was a pretty good lunch. We then had few appointments fall through so we came home first and dropped off our stuff and packed a dinner. We tried to visit a few people and then we had a lesson with Jeanne and one of her daughters and Sister Seumanu joined us as well. We taught them how to receive personal revelation and showed them the pattern and it was super awesome. The spirit was so strong and there was such a peace and comfort and joy there. It was similar to the feeling of being in the temple and it made me so happy!! We then went to visit someone close to Franklin and we had a great lesson with her. After that we tried to visit some people nearby at that time. I lost my magnet tag, super sad, I wouldn't find that out until late that night. We then ate our dinner and then briefly visited two different families before we headed in for the night.

Thursday we did some studies early and then biked out to do some service at 9:00am and we raked leaves and bagged them for an hour and a half and it was exactly what I needed. At first I was like extra exhausted but then as I continued, I realized it was exactly what my back muscles needed. They need a good workout which raking a ton of leaves easily did. At the end my back felt so much better and I was very grateful for doing service. Plus, I enjoy doing that type of service anyway. We then biked back home and got ready for the day and had lunch. Then we biked over to someone we are teaching and had a good lesson with them. On the way my bike broke and it took us a lot longer to get there because I couldn't bike very fast at all. The pivot point of my pedals, where they connect together, was loose and wobbly which caused friction and moved the chain around. So I had to be careful and try to counter balance the weight I put on my pedals so that it would turn/spin in line and straight. Anyway, gonna have to take it to a bike shop to get that fixed...hopefully it's not too expensive. Jeanne came to the lesson and was there with us and it was a good lesson but it was super long. . .we then biked back home and did some studies. Then we went to Morgan City and visited a bunch of people there and we had a lot of really good lessons. We grabbed dinner at Subway and then taught some more people and tracted a little bit and then we came home.

Friday we did some studies and then we went to the old folks home and did an hour of service singing for them. We then had a lesson with some people we are teaching nearby and then went to the church and ate lunch and did our studies. Elder Rowe and I made a bunch of Mac and Cheese in a tiny little pot. Let's just say we had to get creative! We then did our weekly planning and then went to visit some other people in Patterson. We had a good few lessons and then we went to Jeanne's and we had dinner with her and both her daughters. We also had a good lesson with them which was awesome! We then tracted a bit and came home.

Saturday morning we did more service. this time we drove there. We weed wacked and raked leaves and bagged them and made their yard look nice. We spent about 2 hours doing that and then we had a short lesson with them and afterward, they fed us pizza. We then came home, got ready and then went to a thing for Brother/Doctor Albert (he is running for coroner) at the Berwick Civic Center/park and we ate some really good jambalaya and got to visit with some people we haven't been able to see in a  while. We then soon after getting there, came home and did studies. After studies we visited a family and then came home for some dinner. Then we went to Morgan City and we had about 3 lessons there for the night. One of them, the people just got up and started leaving right before we were done which was really awkward. . .

Sunday we had seven people whom we are teaching, come to church. They loved it and we had some great classes. After meetings and classes we had a linger longer and had some super good food! Afterwards they gave us almost all of the leftovers! There was so much food!! We took it home and then we did some studying. We then ate some diner and went to Patterson to tract for the night. While tracting the cops showed up and ran our ID's and everything and told us to shut it down for the night because if we didn't they might continue to get calls and have to come back out to us. So we walked back to our car and tried to visit a few people in the 15 minutes we had left.

This week was a pretty good and it was nice to be able to do some good service.

Until next week.

Love, 

Elder Acton

Week 63 Another Baptism

Monday November 12, 2018

Dear Mom,

This past week has been a pretty great one! The week kinda flew by since we had Zone Conference and P-day on Tuesday.
Tuesday was a great P-day, we were on exchanges with the Thibodaux Elders. After Zone Conference on Monday we exchanged and I drove Elder Rowe, McRae and I back. For P-day we went to a museum which was really cool. It had lots of cool planes there. We emailed and did laundry and fixed Elder Rowe's bike as well.
Wednesday we did our workout and then our studies and then Elder Young and Elder Cannon arrived for lunch. We all had some lunch together and then after lunch Elder Young and Elder McRae left back to Thibodaux and we drove to Morgan City. We visited a bunch of people we had record of being interested in a visit/message from the missionaries. We parked the car and walked to all of them. It started to downpour while we were out and there was some real intense lightning so we camped out in someone's carport for a while and watched the streets flood. We then had to walk through the flooded streets and yards (felt like we were in a forest jumping across streams and stuff but it was just the sidewalk and driveways and the street. . ) and go to people's houses. We found a few people who were glad to have us and set appointments with others who didn't have time right then. We then walked over to the house of someone we are teaching and we had a great lesson with her. Then we came home for some dinner and then drove to Jeanne's and had a great lesson with her and her daughter. We then drove to Centerville on our way to Franklin and brought a Book of Mormon to someone and we had a great lesson on the Book of Mormon and Restoration with her. We stopped by a couple different people in Franklin but we were only able to set up some appointments because it was getting late and no one had time.
Thursday we did our studies and then we had lunch and did our weekly planning. We then went back to Morgan City and had some lessons with some of the people we set return appointments with the day before and we had a few good lessons. We then went to visit some people but they weren't there so we went to Amelia and had a brief lesson with someone there. And then we came back to the apartment a bit early for the night and took dinner at about 8 because Elder Rowe was getting a migraine. He knew it was coming hours before but he pushed through so that we could be out as long as possible.
Friday we went to the nursing home in Patterson and sang to the elderly as we usually do and it was pouring down rain. Then we went to someone we are teaching and we had a really good lesson with him and his sister! Then we went to visit a referral that we received and we gave her, her copy of the Book of Mormon and had a great lesson. We then came home for some lunch and did some studying. After our studies we got on our bikes and visited some people in Bayou Vista and then we biked to Jeanne's and it started raining. It was also fairly cold so we had our jackets on. I had one of my good jackets on and my rain jacket over that. We got soaked on the way to Jeanne's and it was a bit cold, but I loved it!! We got to Jeanne's house and she was not very happy that we were biking in that weather but that's okay, haha. She is awesome though, always worried about us and checking up on us. We had dinner with her and her two daughters and they both came out for a lesson! It was awesome. We then went to some other appointments and it was still raining really hard and it was cold and windy and our appointments fell through. They said that they were busy as we stood there with our bikes in the cold rain. After those fell through, we stopped by someone we have been teaching and we were actually able to have a great lesson with him as well. We then biked to the other side of the freeway and had a great lesson with a Hispanic family we have been teaching.
Saturday was a pretty great day as we had another baptismal service. In the morning we did our studies, and then we went to the library and made the program for Shawn and Dominick's baptism. We then went to the church and did studies while the font was filling up. We then took pictures a little bit before the baptism and then had the service. It was a great service and it was awesome to have the opportunity of baptizing both Shawn and Dominick. Also it was awesome to listen to Jeanne, our most recent convert, give a talk on the Holy Ghost. She did such a wonderful job. After the baptism we drove to Moran City and we had some good lessons there and then we grabbed some Subway for dinner. We then got a text from someone we are teaching letting us know that he would not be able to come to church because he didn't have any clean clothes to wear so we went to the store and bought him some clothes. Then we did some tracting and we found some new people to teach. We have been using singing as a door approach a lot lately and it is so effective because it helps people feel of the spirit right off the bat.
Sunday was great. We didn't have as many people there as I was expecting to have but we did still meet our original goal of 5 and it was wonderful to see all of them progressing individually and seeing the changes taking place in their lives. Right after church we had a lesson with Jeanne on how to defend your faith because she asked for help in that area. We then did some studying and ate some lunch. After our lunch and studies, we went to visit some people in Bayou Vista on our way home but they weren't there. We did meet someone else though. We came home and ate some dinner and then we visited some other people. We had a good lesson with a Hispanic guy and then we went to some people we met the day before and we had a good lesson with them and sang them another song because they liked it when we sang last time. We then tried to visit another guy but he wasn't home so we went a street over to visit someone else but they weren't home either. It was 9:00 but the Grahams lived next door and Sister Graham has been having to go through a lot lately and doesn't have brother Graham to help at home due to work in Florida so we went over and sang them a song before we went in.
This week has been great and full of wonderful experiences and I am just so grateful for this Gospel and the joy that it brings to all who accept it.

Love,
Elder Acton

 Rain, rain and more rain

What drenched missionaries look like

Elder Rowe

 Shawn & Dominick's Baptism