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
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