God Squad

God Squad     March 19^th 2013

This week was actually pretty eventful. It is exciting that things are pulling together. The Lord just kinda directs things and I just hope that I'm doing what I need by doing what I can and in the end I see all these different pieces fall perfectly together and it doesn't even surprise me anymore. I'm so surprised in fact when things don't work out  perfectly after a good effort is put into something.

One such miracle that has really pulled together is the story of MLT. I don't know if I had made mention of this 4 weeks ago but Elder Jacobsen and I were walking home and we saw a street I had never noticed before. We decided we would go down it to just get a little more affiliated with potential work and to say that we know the street. Well as we walked we contacted into an old German man who had been in Germany during WWII and we commenced to get a great story about how he survived as a boy. Well as we listened to this man's story, a lady rode up on her bike and asked hesitantly "Are you the Mormon missionaries?" We of course said yes and she told us that she was a member but she has not been to church, our church, in 16 years. She has been in a really tight spot in life and she really has been having dreams over the past 2 weeks about how she needs to find out where the LDS church was in her area. As these dreams as been bothering her we just happened to be out her front door as she was leaving the house. On Sunday we arranged for a Family to pick her up from her home and bring her to church with them. It was perfect because she found a few more people at church who are going through similar experiences as her and they were all able to become friends and help each other through these tumultuous times in their lives. 

Another big thing that happened this week is that 2 Visa waiters in our Zone recieved their Visa's to Brazil so we lost 2 missionaries and 1 came in yesterday leaving an odd number of missionaries. They made some changes for a few days while we locate one more missionary but for the next few days Elder Hegland will be in a Tri-panionship with Elder Jacobsen and I. It is fun and we are still getting a lot done. It is just a little different and I see that Social Loafing is more likely to set in, but I will avoid it. I love Elder Hegland. What a truely great friend I have made out here. On an exchange this last week with him it was just like old times and we got to talk about how our New MIssionaries are doing and what we can do for them and such. It was definitely needed. 

Walking, Talking and Helicopters

Talking and Walking March 12, 2012

Talking to so many people can be pretty exhausting. We talked to so many people today as we look for more people to teach but it is ok. The weeks always have their highlights. I apologize if there isn't as much content in this letter as others. I have a cold currently that I came down with the other day. Super simple common cold. I'm just a little more tired and a little less focussed, so deal with me.

I feel like I'm really getting in shape pretty well now. We run a ton every morning, walk everywhere around town. We walk around because it is significantly easier to talk to people if we are walking rather than biking and in this part of town everyone is out on the sidewalks so there are lots of people to talk to.

On Sunday was Ryan's farewell, so he leaves to England for his mission Tomorrow morning, but I still have my good friend Zach Farr. He is another ward missionary who is waiting to leave for his mission. He is a WHOvian gamer and we have a lot in common. He knows Kalen Black really well which was a weird discovery. We should having him out with us often from here on out if things go well.

OH SOMETHING EXCITING I JUST REMEMBERED. So Friday morning we are weekly planning and we start hearing this Helicopter. It passes over our appartment like 6 times and suddenly there is this loud speaker that just comes down and can be heard everwhere. We couldn't tell what it was saying but we were thinking it was coming from the Helicopter that was circling. We got out of the appartment and started asking people what it said. We were told that it said to get in your houses and lock the doors cause there is an Armed Felon in the area. Ah man it was great. I guess there was a man who escaped from a prison in Oceanside and he made it to some abandoned appartments about a 1/4 mile from our appartments (Other side of a busy highway.) They got him eventually but it was pretty interesting to hear about. I guess that isn't too uncommon in Carlsbad, no one seemed to be freaking out or anything. It was almost an everyday thing for the residents in the area.

Things are really just falling into a Groundhog day Idea. Everyday is the same. It gets really bad if you don't take the effort to find joy in the small things. Yesterday I took my mountain bike on a quick side trail and jumped some tree stumps and did some stunts and it was EXACTLY what i needed. OH GOSH DO I MISS THE MOUNTAINS! ;( I Dream of snowboarding .. wait no I actually did last night. Snowboarding with Doctor Who ... What a great Dream. but at the exact same time. When I get to talk to people on the street and I see people come closer to Christ and Just SMILE! I am so happy to be a missionary. It is so good to put on that badge and sweat and work hard and try my best. So much good in this life, I just can't even contain it.

Well I must go now. Shopping to do and stuff. I'm really love Elder Jacobsen. We are getting into some teaching situations with members. LOve you all! I can write friends now by the way! New rule in the mission today!

.SUper glad that my brother is getting his papers in! And that that thing didn't have to happen to him. Some of you know what I'm talking about. SHUDDER