November 30

Dear Mom,

I did realize that it was Thanksgiving actually. I couldnt get anybody from the US to email me. I was waiting on important answers from the SLC chruch department and they were not in the offices.

President Hart's family came to visit him this week. They did a special music thing yesterday for Christmas time. They had Brody who is in the Motab and his wife Corrine with their three little girls play. They all play very well. Their last kid is the only one that does not play. The girls play violin and Brody plays piano. It was quite a success.

The holidays they have that we dont...They have a lot of holidays that we dont. Pretty much every catholic saint you can imagine has a holiday. They always do the same things to celebrate them though...Drink beer and party. There is no real cultural thing here it is just "have fun".

What movie did you watch?

I will not be transfered this time. Only in January. The transfer is on the tenth of December. My office trainee will gethere and my work load will lighten significantly. I am excited for the change. It will be nice to have a little break from all the work. However it does make me a little nervous. After the office i will enter into my last area. Then i will be home. It should be fine though. 

This week we baptized on Wednesday and today we will also baptize. I will send a picture of the two baptisms on Monday.

I did get the box. It was opened... I was afraid that the ants would get to it before i would. There are a lot of ants in our house. Plus it is a good thing i did. The junior mints were broken and were starting to leak everywhere. It would have been a mess. I am saving all the stuff for christmas though. Dont worry about that.

Thank you so much mom for sending me things and taking care of me. It means a lot. :)

Love you

November 25

Dear Pops,

That is a very good idea that i have heard of. It is such a simple thing isnt it? Just shining somebodys shoes can make their day. Usually what i try to do is make them a cake or brownies or something of the sort. I am not very good at shining shoes.

Mom mentioned the freezing rain that you guys had. That sounds crazy! Only in Alaska would you have freezing rain this time of year. How have things been with my car? Mom sent a picture of it all ripped apart. The first thing that i thought was "Trevor wrecked my car!" I was rather afraid that it had finally happened. I was relieved to read that it was getting fixed and not broken. 

Good luck on your wolf trapping. I hope to see a pelt when i get home :)]

Love you Dad

November 23

Dear Mom,

I really dothank you for doing all that you have done for me. I know that i was difficult at times and more than a little rebellious but as i have said. Things are good now.

I have a story that is rather short but i thought it was funny. Last Friday Sister Hart ,the mission President's wife and my second mom, called me asking if i knew what a certain phone number was. I said that i didnt know what it was off the top of my head. She then asked me if I had my phone. Remember that she called my phone to talk to me. After a moment of silence I decided to be the sarcastic person I am. I said that i had lost my phone. She laughed about that and then she asked "When did you lose your phone?" I just start cracking up hahahaha it was so funny. It totally passed right over her head. I went back and explained to her that she called my phone. She got a kick out of that. :)

Reminded me of some of our experiences. Where are your sunglasses? ;)

Things are going well here. We are starting to see the work get back into progress now. The sisters have really helped the ward get some gas and start to move. We have really tried to help the ward become a missionary ward. The church is relatively new here and still does not have that base of really good members. It seems like every area that i pass in is like this. My companion is training another missionary to be the secretary. He has been doing that for the past month. I dont know if i mentioned that. It has been good to have someone buffer the annoyingness. This way i can at least get some time alone. I am happy today. I actually got to sit down and write my book. I got about seven pages written. I am very excited to be able to really get into it and see the story flow onto the keyboard.

I got a little worried when you sent me a picture of my car. The first thing that i thought was "No! Trevor wrecked my car!" I was relieved to read your email and find out that that is not the case. So apparently my memory card has a virus on it and the computer will not display the pictures. I will switch to another memory card and start taking pictures again.

Anyway I love you mom :) Have a good week

November 18

Dear Mom,

Sorry I couldnt email you this last saturday. We were invited to lunch with some members and the sisters and then president had us over for dinner since it was my new companions birthday yesterday. 

Concerning the reason for which i went to the mission. I had decided that i would serve a mission a long time ago. It was something that i was always told that i would do. It was expected of me. Especially since Trulan went and did not finish. I felt responsible to set the pattern. I went because you all expected it of me. I came to the mission and ran into a lot of problems. I was very insecure. I had a very hard time making my own decisions and was not sure what my role was or who i was. I started to wonder why i was there and what i was doing. I was very afraid. I knew that i wouldn't come home. I could not bear the shame and disappointment that would follow that decision. Had i done that i probably would have become inactive in the church. I knew that i couldnt do that. Having decided this I knew that something was missing. Then it dawned on me. I had never personally gained my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I began to think about it and as i thought about it that was the key. If that book was true then the church would be true and the work i was doing really would be the most important thing that i could be doing. That was when ,for the first time, I felt that my prayer was answered. In spite of all the inner conflict that i had I felt an overwhelming peace. Something that I had not felt in a very long time. That moment was pivotal in my growth and development as well as my salvation. Had i not had that answer i would be in a very different place right now. That was the first step in my journey not only to help myself understand who i am and what role i play but in the salvation of others as well. Because of that i have been able to help several people be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. I know that he is the head of this church and that he is our savior. Every time that i read the scriptures i remember Him and how much he loves me. I remember the time of that prayer and wonder at how a God could look upon me and have that kind of mercy and patience. It is something incomprehensible and marvelous that he could love me so much. That is the reason that i stayed on the mission. Because i knew that if i had left then i would be spitting that love back into His face. I know that that love needs to be shared with all whom we meet.

I am very grateful that you were able to feed those Elders. You saved their day. I know how it is to have a lunch or dinner appointment fall through. I will be transfered to my last area on the twenty first of January. 

Thank you for letting me dress myself :) I think i am able to do that. hahaha

Anyway I dont have that much time. I love you mom :)

November 11

Dear Mom,

Well that is too bad that the doctors were unable to correctly identify the signs of cancer within her. Especially after I received and email from Grandpa saying that everything was ok. Aunt Leisa sounds like she is having a rough couple of weeks. I hope that she gets better.

That is funny that Trevor was the one to come up with the idea. His motives are so different from that of Colby or I. I am glad that they are getting it done though. It sounds like the project has been going on for a long time.

One thing that really frustrates me. People that say they will do something but don't do it because it wasn't convenient or they thought it was too hard. Where are our spines people? Commit yourself already! I came to the mission for the wrong reasons yet i would never quit. I would be too ashamed to ever do that. Oh well what do you do.

Things have started to pick up in our ward. The presence of the Sisters has given people a boost of confidence. We are starting to put our plans into action. The sisters have made a big difference and that has made me very happy. It is difficult to see the ward you are in so dead and disheartened. 

President Hart had a friend visit him from the states and I got to talk to her briefly. We talked about college and what opportunities that I have. She said that it was already the time to start looking and applying for college. The time has come to start planning my arrival. That is an interesting and frightening thought.

Well I love you Mother. :)