I have been transferred to the Tundra!!

** It's a long one. :-)

Dear Mom, 

My new address for now, until new house is acquired... (I will get to that later)

is 1722 10th street Apt. A, Elkhart Indiana ZIP# 46516  

So that is my address. So for your other questions yes, I did get transferred!!  My new area is 3 hours and some change away from Cumberland!!!!! I am way freaking north in the Tundra!! Hahaha. I love it up here.  It is much more my speed. My goodness. As for the housing…. We are temporarily living with six elders in one house.  The Assistants told us that we have to find a house and move into it in the next few weeks. So I will be close to this address if I do move and there will be elders living in this address that will get me the package.  It doesn’t look like we will be moving for about a week, so we will be good there for now.   

My new companion is named Elder Mancilla.  I served around him at the beginning of my mission. He has been out for 14 months and just got done serving in his last area training in English speaking. He is fluent in both languages. We are getting along really well so that is good. We share a car again, but we have it most of this week because of the need to find a house and move into it. So send the packages and then if my address changes I can let you know the new address. Crazy week I know. Our apartment is nice I have been sleeping on the couch so that is ok I guess.  We are living out of suitcases for now. But the assistants called telling us to find a house, saying that we had to find one within these parameters and get all that sorted out.  Until then we are living with 4 English elders. Today I will finally be buying some groceries, so I will spend probably about 20 bucks today for Kefir and one or two other things just to get me by with minimum till we get a more secure housing situation. Although, I am loving living with the English Elders.  It is a split floor house, the upstairs lives an English set with 2 Elders that are awesome and super fun. One is thinking of giving me one of his girls to write! And the other, Elder Reeder is a bud back from the city who I served near and saw on P-day activities etc. Than we live in the bottom with Elder Ladezma who is being trained and is from the Philippines.  He is really cool and learning English, although, I feel bad for him he has no family and his home just got wasted from the Typhoon..... So he is really struggling... But we are trying to keep him going and help him through. He has really been contemplating going home. His trainer Elder Owen, me and him are super close.  I also served around Elder Owen in the city when he was new.  He is a young missionary and we get along like 2 peas in a pod it.  It is awesome. So it has been super fun with that. 

As for the house itself, I have a real shower which is awesome, but they almost always give me last shower (because I don’t complain) although the water is freezing cold. So that has also been an adventure. The insulation is bad, so it gets cold at night but other than that it is great!  The lack of space stinks we are living in the front room, and sleeping there, and studying there... So that is interesting. Overall the housing is super fun.  

The area to me is nicer than the last, out of the big city, but I am way used to it by now. No more tornadoes, although it has been freezing!! I don't think in this new area I have had one day of sun shine.  It rained for the first three days and then dropped to 25 and has snowed ever since or been overcast and freezing.... (If any of you saw the BYU vs Notre Dame Game, his new area is 13 miles East of South Bend so that awful snow is what he has been having.) It is so cold here, the city (Indianapolis) is still semi-warm. It’s to be expected, I am only like 20 min away from Michigan and Lake Michigan so we get pretty good lake affect. 

I have been back to full health pretty much, I am healthy so can’t complain. Other than that I have a cold which I hate... But it could be worse, so I am doing pretty good on the health front. Food wise has been hard, but today we can buy food that goes in the fridge finally, so that is good, because we won’t have to be eating out as much and I can now eat somewhat better food.  

I am not sure what the plans for Thanksgiving are.  The branch here is doing something from noon to three, and then I think we are eating with the branch president’s family that night which will be very nice.  

I did get to say goodbye to my investigators, most of them anyway, a few I did not.  I also got email addresses and now I just have to get permission from president to email them.  Also a recent convert female hugged me…. that was weird, haha but whatever haha. The Diaz family was coming to church and I think they will make it and then I get to go back and baptize them and see them. 

(We sent him Christmas CD’s) I have been able to listen to several of the CD’s and I like them all!!  It is nice to have music, although I left them and my camera charger in my last area.  Urgh!  My camera has now died, so I am low on pictures for now but I will take some soon.  I should be getting that stuff back in about a week, then I will take a lot of photos and send you the SD card.  

The new area is awesome with people.  We got double transferred in and are opening it!! But we have been doing really well with it. We only taught four lessons this last week but we have over 20 set up for this week.  We should be well on our way shortly. Most of the people we are teaching are formers (I don’t know what he means by formers) or were investigators when the area closed a long time ago. We have two planning to be baptized in December and hopefully more in the coming months. The work overall is going great, although house shopping is taking up a lot of our time as of late and so we haven’t been able to teach a ton.  This week we are going to teach a lot and meet members and house shop so this week will be another crazy one.  

My language is good, not great but manageable and it improves daily!! Although, I think it might take a hit with a native speaker because he talks a lot more than Elder Hjelm did, so I talk less.  But we are working on that and also it is still improving.   The thing that I am way bad at right now is my conjugating, there are a ton of forms and I am way bad at it but getting better. 

Wow dad is looking at Pinterest and getting crafty?!?... Man dad is taking a hit without me being there to help hahaha kidding. Also I distinctly remember a time walking into the fire station and watching all the big husky fireman making bracelets.... So yea haha.  No Fireman ornaments on the tree, will be weird. Making new ornaments sounds fun and being able to decorate the tree.  I remember how that would get sometimes, ha ha, good times. 

I think Grandma and Grandpa are so going to Europe or Asia, like maybe Japan or like France hahaha or Spain that would be awesome!!

Poor Brooklyn, I hope she gets feeling better.  I hate feeling sick a lot. That cat is a high maintenance creature and it would be funny to see pictures of her shenanigans if you can send them. What the random, you saw two llamas walking down the middle of the road!!  That is interesting and really funny. I seem to remember there are a few farms with a few of them up in that area.  Korea for Cory, that is intense and awesome. I know near the time I get home we should have a whole grundle load of missionaries out on the field from the home ward. 

A story… We were out stopping by formers (maybe he means a former investigator) home one night and we go walking up to the yard and see a dog.  We are like ok, I wonder if it has a chain? I look around and see it in the snow and was like okay good it looks short and it is on the side of the house.  We start walking up and the dog makes a run for us.  We take a step back and it just about kills us, the chain was forever long and the dog got to within a foot of us!!!!. Ok so we try to walk around it and the dog blocks any way of getting to the door.  We try for about 5 min to calm the freaking bear of a dog, because it was huge, and we want to get to the door... This doesn’t happen so we decide we will come back another day in the day time. (it was 730 at night and freezing) As we start walking across the street we see the guy step out and take the dog, so we run across the street and try to catch him but he goes inside. Now this is one of those houses with 2 doors one goes into a little indoor landing thing and then one into the house.  We go walking up to knock on the outside door and we look around to make sure the dog is actually gone, we can’t see him so Elder Mancilla goes up to knock on the door when all of the sudden this dog head pops out of a hidden dog door made out of the same material as the house, so it blends in perfectly!  Instantly this little noise comes out of my companion like a high pitched squeal mumble like hummannnnababa and we look at each other and sprint for safety, the dog tears after us!!  Elder Mancilla also shoves me back to save himself, that dirty little bugger almost got me munched hahaha!!!  It was super funny and we laughed about it later.  Anyway we escape and try for another 5 to calm the dog than I realize the owner had a wire attached at the gate that rings to the doorbell!!  Man we are idiots sometimes.. hahaha we finally got a return appointment for them. 

This last week I have learned a lot about the pre-earth life and obedience as well as just going with things. This week has been so crazy but we have been able to do so much and experience a lot in a very short time. So my testimony has definitely grown so much, on how we are called to not only serve in our missions but our areas as well. Also two of the English elders were almost at each others throats when we got here and now they are getting along.  Us being here has helped, the Lord works in mysterious ways and everything happens for a reason, that is one thing that I know for sure. Well this letter has been long and I still have to write other people so I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week and that things continue to go amazingly well. Love you all and have fun, for this life was meant to be enjoyed even in times of hardship.

Love, Elder Pecoso Paxman

Tornado's and Transfers!

Dear Mom, 

I did get the package and I really liked the CD's!!  It has been nice to have more music to listen too. Also we did find out earlier, I am getting transferred to I have no idea where, and Elder H. my companion will be training.  

Yes I do really like all the weather gear you have sent me, it has helped a lot and will really help when it gets cold. Also, I figured I should say this sooner than later none of the 8 or so tornadoes that hit Indiana where threatening to me and where I am serving. I have not bought a blanket because there is a ton of spares in the apartment and I have not been cold. Yes I will need a small speaker with the iPod, if you do get me one. 

I would not be surprised if you get to meet the Diaz family one day, because they have been talking of going to Utah when I am done with my mission to visit and stuff, so we will see. Also I did get permission to be able to go back and baptize them no matter where I am at in the mission. So it looks like I will be doing the same as dad did with his baptisms. The Diaz family is doing really well and progressing towards baptism.  They are coming to church now so they just need to come 2 more times in a row and then they will be ready to be baptized.  Other than them, the work is going well.   I have gotten 2 sets of referrals over the last week which is the most I have ever had on my mission. Also someone made this comment that was really interesting and it was that I have spent a third of my mission here in Cumberland!! That was insane to think about, although I wouldn’t be surprised if I stay in the city for more than a year of my mission. All of the other investigators are coming along nicely as it seems they always do right when it’s time for someone to leave an area haha.   We continue to teach and tract.  

I am glad Bailee now can cook really good! I am excited to try some food when I get home haha. (All of the next paragraph is in reference to Brooklyn) Don’t ask my opinion about stake dances, I thought they were super lame, and that is because no one ever danced and I was super shy anyways so I struggled to ask girls but did it anyway. So who knows she might really like them, there were some fun ones, and the others were just a little well a lot lame. Ba ha ha! Middle School is just straight up vicious, they are the years that everyone dislikes.   That is hard with the drama and everything, I wish I could help, but sometimes we just have to push through these kinds of things because there will always be people that we don't get along with the greatest.  Heck, I have learned that with some of my companions.  At times I want to throw them out a window or something and I am sure they feel the same way about me. Although, those moments don't happen hardly ever and when they do they are gone shortly after, but the principle is still there. Just really make sure you ask her what she wants to do because it is her school life and it makes an impact on a lot of other things. 

(We have been toying with the idea of having a foreign exchange student from China) Oh come on you are going to replace me with a Chinese kid!!!!!!!! Come on wasn’t I enough haha. I have no idea what you should do on that one. It might be fun to have a foreign exchange student. How old would they be? Or do you even know? I still can't believe you are thinking of replacing me... I am going to get home and there is going to be a Chinese kid in my room, that will make life interesting... (The student would be gone by the time he came home.) You will have to let me know what you decide. It might be a really good idea, I have no idea... If you do get one make sure to treat them as your own and then the experience will be a wonderful one for all.

(Brooklyn and I are addicted to Hallmark movies and the countdown to the Holidays.) You two and your Hallmark movies haha!!  I swear you do this every year when this time of year swings around. Also my companion has been telling me of a movie he is going to be sad to miss this year called "The Ultimate Gift" Or something like that.  I guess he watched it during this time of year, I have no clue he is like a small child when this season comes around...J....  

As I mentioned earlier a ton of tornados hit Indiana yesterday.  It is still way windy even today. Buffalo Wild Wings was awesome I really like it and I think dad and you would too, although go on a Tuesday or Wednesday because it is like 60 cent wing day or something like that. Also they have like 18 flavors of wings and all the ones I have had are really good! So even though a tornado didn’t hit Indianapolis or at least that I am aware of it was like a crazy storm here!!  Light poles had been ripped out of the ground, lots of trees toppled, tons of rain water everywhere and it was crazy. But luckily we had a meal appointment and then the members were able to give us rides everywhere else.  Good thing because if not we probably wouldn’t have been doing so hot. We looked outside and it was literally like walls of water flying through the air smacking into cars and houses and everything, it was pretty cool and crazy at the same time.  

We don't really have any plans for P-day today at least not to my knowledge.  We will probably play sports and do that sort of thing. Although speaking of health, I got really sick last night and I was also pretty sick the night before so that was not fun. It has been the first time I have thrown up on these three transfers with Elder Hjelm. So that stunk, I feel a lot better today but I am going to be taking it easy just in case. Laundry isn’t too bad I am not pro but it gets done haha and my clothes are holding up okay.  I need to dry-clean one of my suits here soon and then the hem or whatever it is called on the bottom of my pant leg on the brown slacks came undone. Other than that everything is holding up okay.  My shoes are already lookin pretty beat up though haha. So other than that stuff the week has been pretty normal.  I have felt good except for Saturday and Sunday which was not fun at all especially Sunday, I got really sick.  

During my studies though, I have been studying the Pre-earth life for several reasons.  One because it is mentioned several times in my Patriarchal Blessing, and two because it is something I have been very curious about and could use some more knowledge on so I can actually teach it. So one interesting thing that it talks about as I have been studying is an analogy Joseph Smith used to describe our spirits or intelligences if you will. It is said he holds up a ring and says if you cut it, it has a beginning and an end, but if you leave it there is no beginning or end and this is how our spirits are, they are without beginning and without end.  I found that very interesting. I found a lot of really interesting things that are very very deep, which I enjoy because it helps me to grow my testimony but yet I can simplify it and teach it well to other people. 

Transfers are this week, which I am stoked for. I also read probably one of my favorite talks ever by Hugh G. Brown I think is his name.  He talks about a bush and relates it to his life I can't remember the name of the talk but it has something to do with Gardeners and such and I have heard it before but only quoted in another talk so when I found this one I was so excited. If you can find it I highly suggest it. Kind of as closing thoughts I will talk about something I have come to know and discover and that I am still coming to discover as of right now. It follows along with the word Realize. Everyone talks about how we need to remember who God is and remember Christ’s atoning sacrifice, but in my studies and personal thinking I found out that that isn’t too hard, what is the hard part is to realize it in our daily lives. I heard once if we were to remember who we were before this earth and who we truly are (Children of God) than we would not sin or do bad things nearly as often. I thought this was very true, but even more so than that is to realize that we still are what we were before and that Christ is our savior and all the things in the gospel. Not simply to remember but to realize and feel it in your life. I thought of it as once we realize the life we had before then even more we are going to want it back and the added upon blessings after this life. So to realize something has a very deep meaning to me now and I really like it. So I suggest if you have time to really realize things that are around us, and see and realize the footsteps of the Lord in our lives. So that is about it.  I thought it was really cool, but maybe that is just me haha. Well I love you all and hope everything continues to go well at home and the parts that aren’t I hope that they fix themselves. I love you and hope to hear from you next week, I will also tell you my address and all that new stuff next week. 

Con Amor, tu hijo, Elder Paxman 

The Loyal Steed is Limping along...

Dear Mom, 

Sorry mom, but I am reading this on Tuesday because of Veterans Day... I am super excited for my package because it snowed here for the first time this morning and it is freezing cold!! Ha-ha. So thanks again for that, it is really funny and ironic. (His package has his winter weather stuff in it.) 

The Loyal steed is still limping along, it makes terrible noises and sounds as if it is going to die shortly, but still movin along.  (He is referring to his bike, I also instructed him to purchase a light for his bike asap!) Actually my companion got a light from home, but already has one so he gave it to me. So that was awesome.  

(I told him this was his last chance for a Christmas request since I need time to purchase/package/mail) For Christmas I could use either an IPod or some CD's with music especially Allred Christmas and Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band Christmas.  Any other really good Christmas music would be great! Also all other music you can think of. Some good photos, that photo of Christ we have hanging in our living room just a smaller size. Oh the little frame maybe that is in my room that talks about a missionary, well I don't want it but I want it to be put upstairs with some photos of the mission on it. Also I need you to get on Facebook and see if Sister Ivonne or Jesus or Andee or Kevin friended me on Facebook, they wanted to do that.  Oh and ties and tie clips/bars. Or really whatever you think I would like, I am not picky.  

My health has been good this last week no hiccups so we will see how everything continues to go. I want you to send Trenton a rubber fish and a rubber snake mwahahaha!!! It’s a personal joke.  Milkyways used to be a candy he really liked and peanut butter, I do not know if they have that in Japan so maybe peanut butter and chocolate chips haha.  I am going to send my SD card when I get to the new area or whatever happens at transfers.  

Happy anniversary way late, but hey better late than never. I bet Ruby River was yummy we are actually going to a place tonight called Buffalo Wild Wings or something like that tonight so we will see how that is... That is good Brooklyn is going on to regions tell her good job for me, because I do not have a lot of time to email this week seeing as how it is a Tuesday and not a Monday we have a really limited time. That is a good idea to put up the Christmas lights and outside trees and such because it will be easier in the warm.  Last year doing that in the cold was not fun at all!!  

Missionaries have frustration with people and commitments too.   I have many ideas to help with that if you want because it is probably one of the things I can help with.  One is to make the challenge or action meaningful to them and make sure to... Do it with them!  When they don’t do it, tell them they need to try again, that they must, for the Lord asks us to complete our tasks, not forget about them. And of course we all forget a lot of the time, but we are not trying to demand perfection because that does not come in this life, but we must expect improvement. You could also give the commitment/task in an indirect way. 

The role model for us is Christ as well as other great teachers, but Christ was perfect, remember he taught using parables and questions. When referring to the Pharisees he tells a man who is paralyzed “thy sins be forgiven thee”, and they say that it is blasphemous because only God can do such things. Right after which he turns to them and says something like, “why do you think evil in your hearts would it be easier to say arise and walk or thy sins be forgiven thee?” Then he heals him. The statement “wouldn’t it be easier”, to me isn’t directed towards the power behind it, because he can do both, but because he shows them the way, and says something like “that ye may know that the son of man hath power to forgive sins I say unto thee arise and take up thy bed”.  He gave them a commitment there that is hidden and I will let you find it because it will have much more worth to you. I really enjoy things like that, anyway a little bit of my advice for you. 

Ok now I will include the things about the work. First off the Diaz Family (Ivonne, Jesus, Andee and Kevin) are doing great they are progressing well and have taken the commitment to leave their other church and come to ours only for a while, this is a good start.  We are going to have a movie night with them on Thursday and watch Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration with them it will be fun, and then we will teach from it afterwards. The Pastor loves us now and is still doing well.  He didn’t come to church this last week for transportation issues it sounded like. But he is reading and doing everything else so we shall see.  The down side is he is going back to Honduras in December so odds are he won’t be baptized here, but who knows so we shall see here shortly. We also found some less-actives that want to come back and a boy they want to take the lessons and be baptized, he is 9. Other than that, lots of tracting and just working. We did have a freezing bike ride on Wednesday because we were going along and it had been cold all day so we had coats and stuff but it started to rain this Ice cold rain and it was about 7:45 at night and all appointments had cancelled, so we were biking to and fro to find people.  We taught one lesson on the porch while they stayed inside and we stood outside and it was cold. This was because there was no man in the house. But I rather enjoyed it even though it was miserable.  It just shows that sometimes we might just have to sit in Gethsemane for a few minutes and suffer for these people out here and for the work, so I rather enjoyed it. So the Diaz family probably won’t be baptized before I leave, but they want me to do the baptism, so I am trying to get permission to come back and do it when they are to be baptized. They are also a family that after my mission I want all of you to meet. I love them so much and see them as my own and I am blessed to feel the love Christ has for them even if it is just for moments and slivers, it is still all worth it!! So that is about it for this week in the field. Overall things are amazing and we are just rolling along.  Well I have to go and email other people so have a great week and I hope everything goes well. 

Love, Elder Pecoso Paxman

Called and Chosen by God

Dear Mom,

I do love the snow when it is the big snowflakes and I don’t have to shovel.

That is sad that you had to carve a pumpkin for yourself.  Your right you have to have at least one Jack-o-lantern out front on Halloween. Speaking of which we got to do a haunted house for the kids at a trunk or treat activity.  The young women asked us to help, they gave me a scream mask. Sadly we made quit a few kids cry and I am afraid they wont like us much anymore, it was really fun though. Yes my compa and I played with the Halloween things you sent and took plenty of pictures with the Halloween glasses on.  We used the night light too, don't worry haha.

Oh Oh Oh before I forget, interesting story, so this last Monday after six a member took us out to this place to eat, it was called 45 degrees.  I felt like I entered into the movie Tron when I walked in, it was way cool and weird. So we sit down and a waitress comes over looks at us for a second and she than asks “are you all 21”, after being taken aback for a second we are like no.... She than says this is technically a bar and you can’t be here bahahahahaha!!!  My favorite member of all time who is super solid took the missionaries to a BAR!!!!! We couldn’t stop laughing after we got out of the resturant.  It was hilarious and he was like great now you are going to tell your parents I took you to a bar... So that was funny!  After we left the bar, he took us to a sushi place which was really good. He is awesome his name is Hermano Martinez.

Well it was really weird, the Doc appointment... He came in and sat down, I asked him the questions, he gave a few suggestions, but than said, really eat whatever you want.  Peoples bodies are different, so I was like okay, he then said I was a smart kid and knew what I was doing. Than he had me lay down on the table and he looked at my stomach and asked how often did you meet with your Doc back home... I said well recently very rarely but we went a time where I saw him at six month intervals.  The doctor said great that is what we shall do.... I was in my head like WHAT!!!??!?!? That's it..... Ok I am cool with that, he also filled the prescriptions I have and said to use them if I need to. He also said that if there is anytime I need to come in before April, just come on in.... So that was really weird... He didn’t even talk about the test results or anything, I was lost... So I am going to call his nurse today and ask her the same questions and also get the prescriptions just in case, as well as ask about the tests and what they thought and all that... So overall the Doc was super weird.... We will see how things go as time goes on. He said you’re a tough kid and I wouldn’t be able to be in your shoes, than walked out the door!!! So it was way not what I expected. (blank look from mom here)

(I told him that I got a little emotional in Sunday school this past Sunday, and that I hate being such a cry baby) Don't worry I am a boob too mom. (I also told him about a poem that was shared in Young Women’s on Sunday about the ten virgins and told him I would send it to him.)I am up for the poem, actually there is another poem about what kind of Fisherman you will be, it is really good as well.

(I told him about the 100 years of scouting celebration broadcast)WHAT!!!???!?! I was not able to see this, Scouts were repelling from the ceiling, that is sick, that sounds super cool!!  I wish I could have seen that.

Transfers are the 20th of this month and the Mission President told me that for sure I am being transferred!!!! So I will have to let you know of all the new things when that happens. He also said that if another Doc appointment is needed that we will get me there no matter the distance. So that was good, but I am hoping no doctor’s appointments till April, because if I need one it will be because something isn’t right... Other than that in the mission a few exciting things happened.  One was that Ivonne and Jesus read from the middle of 1st Nephi all he way to Jacob!!! In less than a week, it was crazy!!  Also, that they really want to be baptized, but when they feel ready, so that will be great. So I will have to get permission from President to come back to this area when they do because they want me to baptize them. Another amazing thing is that Celeste is getting baptized this Saturday!!! I am way excited to be there for that. Other than that we had an investigator who is a Pastor in a Pentecost church come to church yesterday and bear his testimony.  During his testimony he had us stand up and he said that we have been called and chosen by God. And that he really needed this message in his life and he desires to be Baptized!!!! What!?!?! I know right! We have also only taught him twice and had felt he just bashed with us mostly, but who knows so we will see how all of that works out. Overall this week was really good in the mission and I am growing to love it more and more.

A quote by Elder Uchtdorf really stuck out to me this week, he says "It is not only our responsibility to Endure to the End, but to Endure it well." I really liked that quote this week it had a big affect on me. Well that was about it from the field this week, I hope everything is going well at home, and that you are all having fun. I love you all and hope everything goes amazing and I can't wait to hear from you next week.

Love, Tu Hijo,

Elder Paxman

P.S. I have two requests for music and you can just burn the CD's off of I tunes but I need Allreds Christmas Album and Ryan Shupe and the Rubberbands Chistmas album too. We are able to listen to pretty much all Christmas music, but I remember that these two were some of my favorites. Also "Mary did you know" and the song "Christmas shoes". Thanks Love You