April 22nd, 2019 Sleepyhead - Passion Pit

Aaaah aaah aaah aaah aamedahh
If you know ya know🤷🏽‍♂️
It seems like just 20 minutes ago I was writing you last time. Time moves at the fastest slow pace I've ever experienced.
Well now for the w
Monday
We taught our catholic friend and she said she would read the Book of Mormon but only if we read the Catechism and prayed about it being true as well. After that we went to the Ks and taught the first missionary discussion to D while T sat and listened. So hopefully this idea works.
Tuesday
I was in Antietam with Elder B2!!! We had a pretty wacko day. Do you wanna hear about it? Well too bad I'm telling you anyway. So we were walking down the street in downtown H, which is sketchy stuff (they call it mini Baltimore), and this guy yells to us and says, "Hey do you guys have a Book of Mormon!?" which as a missionary is like the prime situation. So we turned and said, "Yes do you want one." And he says, "I wouldn't want to take your only copy" and we said "Oh don't worry we have tons." And he says, "Nah." And we just sat there and were thinking what the heck just happened when not even 5 minutes later we knocked this door and this probably 11 year old girl answered the door and walked outside. She said, "is that a book?" and I said, "Ya" and she said, "Do we have to read it?" and I said, "Only if you want too." and she says, "I'll read it." and I said, "You can have this one." and she grabbed it and walked inside. That was soooo weird.
Wednesday
We exchanged back at Mcdonalds in C. Then we talked to this guy named Chuck Norris. Lol like seriously Chuck Norris. That was funny. Then we had our last lesson with the M's. We talked about the Priesthood because J just got the Melchizedek Priesthood. And at the end he gave his mom a blessing. And since his dad isn't a member we got to teach him how to give it. That was a cool moment. We found this new lady named D in these hidden apartments. That was cool. Then we talked to E for like 2 seconds.
Thursday
We mowed Brother Os massive yard that is on a hill.  Then we found this lady who is super interested in our message and she has 5 kids, all older than the age of 8 and she is married. So if they all get baptized at the same time that would be super cool. Then we saw our man D. Then we saw J for like 2 minutes and finished out the night with C.
Friday
We went on an exchange with the H Elders and since their ride had to go to C we had 4 missionaries in H at once. We went to a "Cross-walk" not the kind that children use to get to school. They legit had a guy carrying the cross up the hill to the Catholic church. We went to represent. I got to ring the bell at the Catholic church tho. The rope for it was a little high in the air so when the bell would swing up and pull it in the air it would lift me like 6 inches off the ground so that was hilarious I was DYING! Then we went to H. We taught some sweet lessons.
Saturday
We switched back. Thank goodness, then we had a meeting about family history that was cool. We had a pretty uneventful day after that tho... It was rough but we had a good time. We got to see the Hs. That was good.
Sunday
We found out about transfers. This is one thing nobody prepared me for. It is so dang stressful lol. Well I am leaving this little slice of heaven for L. Amish country. Should be fun. And I'll be with a new companion Elder A2. Should be a great time. Anyway Sunday was basically the beginning of our farewell tour. We kind of just visited our favorites and said goodbye.
I am definitely going to miss this place. I love the people and I feel like I am part of the community in a way that I wasn't expecting. The people here might have less teeth than I do fingers and yet somehow the same amount of hair but it has still been amazing. Definitely going to miss it.

Question time
How do you feel about being transferred? I feel sad/excited/nervous but mostly nervous tbh
Who will you miss the most? I am going to miss the H family the most. They pretty much are your family when you're a missionary here.
What did you do for Easter? We visited members mostly that we wanted to say goodbye to.
CAn you tell the story about the money Aunt Teresa sent you? Well I came home from the exchange and got the money from Teresa which was super awesome. That night we got a call just as we were going to bed. It was E and she was telling us about how their dog D needed to go to the hospital or else he was going to die and they needed 90 dollars or else he was going to die. So we ran over and gave them the money Teresa gave me and a few more dollars that Elder A had on him and the dog as far as I know is still alive! Plus when we went over there someone else we teach was there and saw us give them the money and it made her really happy to see us do that.
Did you go on any exchanges this week? Yes 2
I went to H and A
What was the best thing you ate this week?Taco Bell!
What is the funniest thing that happened this week? Probably the guy asking for a Book of Mormon and then giving it back in like 4 seconds

Sorry I don't have any crazy spiritual stuff this week.

Hope everyone's Easter was fantastic!
Don't let the cat in the house!
Elder Pew!

Saying good-bye

Mirror selfie

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Saying good-bye

   

Good-bye "Elder Bush"

Saying good bye

April 15th, 2019 Bruises - Lewis Capaldi

This is the greatest song to listen to when you are just big depressed as a high school student,  procrastinating your homework, and you're just waiting for the next big dance. So basically who I thought I was for half of high school lol... good thing people change. Song is flames tho. 
This week was totally amazing.
So the wk
Monday
We had a sick member lesson with the Ws. We challenged them to pray for missionary experiences. I'd like to challenge all of you to do that as well! But he had the idea to start a bible study at his house. So I guess we are going to see how that works out. If that works out it will be dope! Afterwards we had a million voicemails from D so we went by to see what's up. Nothing really has changed there. This dude is going to kill me one day he knows it's all true he just doesn't do anything about it. 
Tuesday
I woke up confused. Why you might ask? Because I had a dream where me and Elder A were at a monster truck rally (already weird but just wait) and I was playing the music (yep weirder) and then Elder A turns to me and says, "hand me the aux so I can play some fire." So I did (Ya'll are probably freaking out right now) and the first song he plays is "This is The Christ" by the Tabernacle Choir At Temple Square. You already know we got so hyped about that. But anyway. We had district council and that was good but afterwards I went on an exchange! With Elder L! He is Braden Oswald and Jake Garvins (neighbors)

best friend so that was actually so hype! (Shoutouts to Braden and Jake tho) He has as many months left as I have been out. But we had a grand ole time walking and talking to people. We had a sweet lesson with the Ks about the afterlife! That was sick!
Wednesday
Before we exchanged back me and Elder L went to a lunch appointment with this goon who is a scientologist and he still thinks Korihor is the best character in the Book of Mormon. Then we knocked an entire street so that was sick. Then we exchanged back. We didn't do much else that day.
Thursday
Elder A woke up sick. Again. So we went out at like 4. But we had an absolutely fire lesson with J! She said she wants to get baptized. Idk why we didn't ask her when but she wants it. She couldn't come to church on Sunday but she committed to next Sunday. 
Friday
We went out at 1 cause Elder A was still sick. Smh. We went to this lady's house to talk to her and she was real confused and thought the pre mortal life meant we believed in reincarnation but before we could answer her, her dad came out and was yelling about how all we need to do is pray to Jesus and accept him into your heart. Then he told us he is a prophet and that is when the spirit left. So we did too. We actually blasted This is The Christ to get the spirit back lol. We saw A who hasn't been coming to church because her son is playing travel baseball. Pretty much everyone here thinks their kid is going pro which like ya maybe but it isn't worth risking your salvation. We visited T who is the same way with his son J but I actually think they might come back soon. We shared the talk by President Nelson where he said "Time is running short." The daughter was visibly shook by that. Then we taught the plan of salvation to S so that was cool.
Saturday
We got rid of the couches in our apartment which is a new rule our mission has so ya. Basically we are Amish now lol as I email on a Galaxy S8+... anyways. We went and gave someone in H a baptismal interview so that was good. After that we street contacting a million and a half people... only in B. We are pretty sure we saw Miss West Virginia there tho. That was kinda cool. We could tell cause she had 1 tooth lol jk...
Then we had the ward pinewood derby in which we got 8th out of 12. Super fun tho! After that we talked to E for a little so that was cool.
Sunday
We went to church which was good. Then we had "dinner" at the S home with the Ws. Brother W served his mission here and married someone from this ward so that's where he came from. Then we saw Ms husband again and talked about Easter. That was cool! Then we had a good lesson with J and we talked about conference. That was fun. Then we went to the Cs and taught them.

Question time
Did you get the package????  Yes
If so was it okay?   Also yes
Did you have any exchanges this week?  Yes 2
Did you find any new people for your area?   No but the goal is to find one every day this week.
What was the best food you ate this week?  Best food was this good Mexican restaurant in B 
What is the funniest thing that happened?  Me and Elder L were laughing the whole day. LPOD
What is the best thing that happened this week?  Best thing was the lesson with J
Is Elder A getting better? Did you take him to the doctor?  Yes, no
How is the weather? Is it warming up?  HAWT
How are you doing on vitamins?   Vitamins 6/7 so better...

There was a day this week where I was having a tough time. (A surprise I know) I felt like everything I did was a failure. Every lesson we tried, every plan we made, ended in failure. I wrongly felt as though I was the only person who felt this way. But! God is mindful of us and reminders to use the atonement are everywhere. That same day we went to a random Chinese restaurant. I got some half cooked shrimp that tasted like a sweaty eyebrow and some noodles that tasted like maybe they were boiled in some armpit sweat. This was a grueling meal. Adding to the intensity of my stomach pain that I had been going through due to stress. All these things kept a getting stacked upon each other. This was the absolute worst thing I had ever been through. Then they bring out the fortune cookies. Since fortune cookies are fun and I like to do fun things, I opened it up and read the fortune on the inside. And to my astonishment Heavenly Father answered my prayer through the fortune. It said, "You must experience failure to appreciate success." I am and have been stunned by Heavenly Father's awareness of who we are and who we can become. He is always there watching over us. Take comfort in knowing that. The most powerful being in the universe is watching out for you.

Lastly I'd like to speak to the many of you who feel as though you are a failure. You are not. You do not need to feel that way. Trust in God. Trust in the atonement. Only through that can you become a success. Remember God is the only person who can turn a mess into a message. Become a servant of Him and you will become that mess that turns into a message. Remember "you must experience failure to appreciate success."

Don't let the cat in the house,
Elder Pew!

District

April 8th 2019 Under Pressure-Queen

Hey it's me again Hank the Cowdog
Alright alright alright!
This week was totally cool, boring, and lit at the same time!
Let's jump right into it shall we???
Monday
We kind of just aimlessly walked around B after having dinner with E. We talked to this guy R who we haven't gotten in to see in forever so that was cool. He had hip surgery and one of his legs is now longer than the other by an inch. Thus making me decide I never want hip surgery.
Tuesday
We had interviews with President. Cool story he was wayyyyy behind on schedule, which if you've been on a mission you know it's totally normal. So since he was so far behind, and because me and Elder A are workhorses we went and knocked doors at this apartment complex that is brand new and super nice and just ripe for the gathering of Israel. Anyway Elder A has pretty much put me in charge of everything, which is soooooo exciting, so I felt very strongly to knock on this dudes house. He said he had read the Book of Mormon a few times with his wife and he liked it so much he wants the missionaries to come back and talk to him. So there is one person found for the H Elders. Then we knocked on this other house. This guy named R answered the door! He has like 15 friends that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and so he also wanted the missionaries to stop by. So there is another person found for H. All those miracles and it wasn't even 1 yet. Anyway we had to sprint back to the church cause it was our turn for interviews. My interview was great, as seen on Facebook. After that we had district council which was good. Elder E, who is best known by when he spoke in conference. He is a former member of the seventy and also he and his wife are in my district, instructed about time management. Sheesh I needed that lol. Anyway. Then I went on an exchange with Elder M! Since the apartment in C got wrecked by elders a few years ago they don't want elders there so they had to do a little switcheroo and now the H Sisters are there and the C Elders are in H. So I was in H he has only been out one transfer more than me so neither of us really knew what we were doing but we had 2 bomb lessons on the plan of salvation, with help from Elder and Sister E who came along for them because they are single women we were visiting. 
Wednesday
We were still on exchanges. He told me before the exchange that his goal was to talk to everyone. So I looked at him and I said, "Everyone?" And he said, "Yes." And since you all know that is basically my strong suit we went to work. We were sprinting down streets, knocking on car windows, and talking to every person we could have possibly talked to. We found them one new person to teach and handed out 8 BOOKS OF MORMON!!! That was sick! After that we went and exchanged back at the McDonalds in C. Then we had a lesson with the Ms which was good and after we went out with J again. He has kind of a bummy car so after one of our lessons the car wouldn't start. And since we were in the middle of Timbuktu they both started panicking and I just sat back and said a prayer. Then the spirit said, "Tell him to try and turn it on one more time." And I was like, "K." And so I did. And guess what??? It worked. Prayer is soooooo real! After that experience we went and found a bathroom at the gas station. I had to go pretty bad and as I sat on the porcelain throne the song Under Pressure started playing on the speakers. That was hilarious in my mind lol.
Thursday
Elder A woke up super sick so we did nothing. Those days are the worst.
Friday
He was sick again. So once again that day was kind of the worst.
Saturday
General Conference was awesome! We didn't get anyone to watch it sadly even though we invited like 20 people lol. I'll talk more about conference later! Since Elder A was still kind of sick we only went out for like 20 minutes to work. We actually found someone new to teach in between sessions that was cool. But the ward threw a bbq for Priesthood so that was really fun. M is the funniest dude alive. Then President Nelson rebuked all of us. That was sick.
Sunday
Conference again! We went out and worked tho, and ate dinner at the H's so that was cool! After conference we saw the Ks and we finally met M's, husband. He is the coolest guy! After that we went to Es and talked about basketball. She was watching American idol so that was cool.

Well anyway conference recap by Izak:
They are REALLY pushing gaining your own testimony of the gospel and making our homes a place of worship! My favorite talk was Gary E. Stevenson's. Not just because he talked about Jimmer Fredette but the principles he taught were good for me to learn. Also President Nelson threw down thrice on the whole church. Plus Jeffrey R. Holland is the greatest speaker of all time! Also I discovered by accident that Lavell Edwards spoke in conference in October of 1984 and it's actually a fire talk for anyone thinking about serving a mission.

Anyway this week I was thinking and I realized my life is basically like if I got trapped in a Hank the Cowdog book and I started laughing my head off because of it. Anyway

Question time!
I felt down last week and a little of this week. I kind of struggle with giving myself too high expectations and that got me down but it's ok I am figuring it out.
Honestly nobody really progressed this week but this week is going to be fire flames I can feel it
Funniest thing was me realizing that I am in Hank the Cowdog
Best thing was CONFERENCE
Vitamins 2/7 I'm lowkey pathetic lol

Spiritual thought for the week:
Isaiah 40:28,29,31
28 ¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The other day I was feeling discouraged. I felt like no matter how hard I worked, nothing I was doing was helping the people I taught. I spent a few days feeling this way. As a missionary we are told to expect miracles according to our obedience. I felt as though I was being obedient and yet... no miracles. Then I had my interview with my mission president. In the interview he asked me to look for the miracles. I asked him where to look because I felt like they weren't happening. He then told me something I will never forget. "You are looking in the wrong place," he said, "have you looked inside yourself to see the miracles. You will never see the outward miracles unless you see the inward miracles first. Be patient my beloved, you are the miracle." So I wanted to share that with all of you. No matter who you are, what you are going through, if you are using the atonement of Jesus Christ in your own life and trying to be better. As long as you keep trying to be better every day. You. Are. The. Miracle. So keep trying. No matter where you think you are, or how far away you think you have gone. Keep trusting in the Lord and keep trying. "For tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" Joshua 3:5

Love you all!
Time is running short,
Elder Pew  

Not sure what this picture is about

on exchanges

a house in his area

watching his dad sing in General Conference

March 25th, 2019 Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Buddy Lous was playing it outside the restaurant so ya.
Someone with a name that rhymes with Slavery complained that last weeks email was too short so I'm going to do my best to fix that.
Monday
After a very short preparation day we went to Bs.
Anyway B loves horses so we think she will do a great job being a friend to H. They also breed German Shepherds. They have like 30. And as we left I was like shoot I forgot to take pictures. Sorry Mom. But I got to hold the cutest tiny dog in the world so that was great.
At dinner they invited the S's over as well. So they got in a conversation about tractors. So I was very confused for like 35 minutes. Ya. Wild.
Tuesday
We were sick. Oof. Of course I hadn't been feeling well since Saturday of last week but then Elder A got sick too so we had to stay in. Which is SOOOO boring! But I did get to take a nap like 14 times and I read 21 chapters of Genesis. Which now I understand why we need the Book of Mormon. Because the Bible is very confusing.
Wednesday
We were sick again. We stayed in most of the day. But we went to the Ms and taught them a lesson about our DIVINE POTENTIAL so that was pretty cool. Then Brother O called and asked if we could stack his wood. So we did it. I haven't really talked much about my physical shape since I left the MTC. I started working out hardcore a couple of weeks ago, but I lost 12 pounds really fast and then I gained 15 back in muscle. I am actually way proud of myself. But anyways while we were stacking wood he asked me to throw some of the wood like 15 yards away. Each piece of wood weighs about 8 or 9 pounds. I was throwing for like an hour. All that wood. It was soooooo much fun to do something other than pushups and stuff like it for once! After that we had dinner with President H. That was awesome cause C is the greatest cook ever. Anyway that was sweet. After we went to the church and taught A a recent convert lesson. She's awesome and her daughter and her are coming out to Utah for General Conference and to tour BYU. So I told her all the coolest places to go in Utah. Made me feel like such a veteran lol.
Thursday
We didn't feel fantastic still so we stayed in till 12 and then went out. We didn't get into any houses but that's alright. I love walking. It was raining SO hard. Like it doesn't rain like that back home. So we drove instead of walking... But then we had dinner with B who is my favorite guy ever. He is just the greatest. After dinner we went out with President H and we went to the Ks. That man would make a great apostle if he didn't have such a thick southern accent.
Friday
It was ZONE CONFERENCE! I got to see Elder B who is basically like my 12th best friend now. He's so cool. Anyway. Zone conference had a lot of stuff on our attitude. I've noticed when I have a good attitude things are soooo much easier. Plus President dropped a teaser about how much changes are going to happen in the next transfer and by the sounds of it H is getting another set of missionaries. That will super help this place out! If that happens I think I am going to move down to B so that would spice things up for sure. After that we had a BOMB lesson with D. He is very slowly progressing. But while we were giving the lesson his mom, who we gave a bunch of pamphlets the other day, asked me to explain to her living prophets and she LOVED that idea so I think she might be coming along faster than D.
Saturday
We only got in with the Ks all day. But they are cool and I love them so that was good. We tested out our lesson we were going to use later that night on them and it went fantastic. We had dinner with Ss aka the 4th smartest man in the world.  We had lasagna and I had a not pleasant experience afterwards if you know what I mean. My stomach seriously hurt for like 20 minutes. But then we had a ward missionary meeting. That was good to talk about some things the ward needs. After that we had to go to H and do a baptismal interview. Since it was a 19 year old girl I had to go into the interview with Elder A and I had the strongest impression ever to tell her that as she lives the gospel she will bring a ton of people into the church with her. She was super happy with that. Then afterwards the Elders in H told us she was thinking about serving a mission and I was like confirmed the church and spirit are true. After that we had a lesson with the Ds. They are sweet. We used the lesson we practiced earlier with the Ks.But anyway the lesson was on eternal marriage and he told a story about himself. He was on his way to stay in DC the night before him and his wife got married in the temple and he fell asleep at the wheel. He drove a car, with him and his sister, into a ditch. He wasn't too hurt but his sisters eyeball popped out. Sidenote, Elder A is squeamish so he almost threw up when he told this story. So he got out of the car and there was a man at the top of the ditch who didn't have a car. He told President H that he had already sent his companion for help. Then help arrived. They never found out who the guy was and I am convinced it was John the Beloved. Anyway he told that to explain that if you truly desire a temple marriage Heavenly Father is going to help you make that happen. That was pretty sweet.
Sunday
We had church. After church they had a linger longer with cookies and milk. I ate way too many cookies. After that we had dinner with the S's. They live way the heck out in L which is by G which isnt by anything. It's like 20 minutes from B. But he has a HUGE house and he said after my mission I could come stay at their house and I could tube down the river by his house cause he owns a mile of it. So ya I'm going to have to do that. He has the nicest dog named B and I love it. I wish every dog was as good as B, unfortunately, there is only one other I've met I my life and its name is Z and he is the most adorable husky ever.
That's all for the week folks

Now for question time!

Did you miss church because you were sick last week or did you go home after the first hour? 

No I was there the whole time  

Are you still sick? No

Have you shared Gwen's email and Emily's testimony with the girls?Yes on the email no on the video. She is really shy so don't be surprised if she doesn't ever respond but I know she appreciated it. So thanks Gwen

What did you get from Pizza Hut? Was it good?I got an entire large pizza with extra cheese and stuffed crust. It's funny every time I eat now I think of Taran cause most of his emails are food reviews. I love it.

What was the best thing that happened this week?The best thing that happened this week was the lesson with the D's tbh

Did you learn anything new this week? No

Did you pick up any new people to teach? No

Are the people there into March Madness? If so who do they root for? Not really. E is but we didn't get to see her cause we were sick.

Do you like calling/video calling? Why? Yes. Because I get to talk to my family.

How was the weather there? Does it rain a lot?The weather has been mostly fine. It hasn't rained a ton but when it did it was wild.

Are there any foods you miss?I miss sweet pork. That's pretty much it.

How is D? D didn't come to church but it's ok I am being really patient with him.

How did you do on the vitamins?Vitamins 7 for freaking 7 woot woot! Now if I can do it twice in a row I'll be surprised but yep. Nailed it.

Anyway missions are the greatest. Oooh I forgot cool experience.
Wednesday night I was trying to sleep and then the spirit said, "Get up!" And I was like ok. But nothing happened so I went back to bed. I fell asleep and then I woke up to the same thing. So I got up and nothing happened so I went to sleep. Then it happened again! I woke up and I went into another room and started praying. As I was praying some pretty powerful things happened and I got some serious personal revelations about missionary izak and post missionary Izak and it was pretty amazing. If we listen to the spirit this can happen for anyone.

Well much love from Hancock!
I love all of you. Keep emailing!
Don't let the cat in the house,
Elder Pew

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