Dear Mom,
I am doing pretty good. Freakishly stressed for a variety of
reasons, the biggest of which is I am being Transferred!!!! I am so sad to be
leaving this area. Although I have been sad leaving every area. So at least I
am used to it by now. So, like I said I am going... Which has its ups and
downs, but I wish I was staying. As far as details go, President has changed
how he does things a little. Unless you are being trained, you have no idea
what is happening till you get to transfers. So I am freaking out!! I have no idea if I will stay DL or be going
back down to normal missionary... That could be very nice. Elder Ryan is
staying in Columbus which is good for our investigators he is such a fun kid, and
in Seymour Elder Porter is getting transferred and Elder Baird is staying. Also,
because of transfers hold off on mailing any letters or anything.
I have also started something you might find interesting. I
think Griff challenged me to do it. When I had 138 days left I started at
section 138 in the D&C and am reading it backwards one day at a time. It is
crazy!! I like it though.
Do you think this will be your last
companionship change or do you think you will have two more before you come home?
I bet I at least have 2 more companions before the mission is
done though.
So you have been getting a lot of snow and cold
how is it? The snow was awesome. I quite enjoy snow, the
cold no, but snow yes indeed!! We were able to do lots of shoveling service so
that was really nice. hahaha I do not mind the snow at all though. Although,
you guys do need the moisture over there at home big time.
Did Calin (his cousin) write and tell you about
his mission call? He did.
He will love it! I am jealous, that will be so cool for him! I hope we get to
spend some time together before he leaves on his mission. That would be really
nice to see him once before he goes.
To the family: That is
awesome you were able to go and see Bailee’s show of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I
bet she loves it! Well I know she does haha. She told me she highlighted her
hair, I bet it looks good on her, although I would have to see a more recent
picture. I am sure you do get lonely with Brooklyn being gone so much, although
you realize that there is a possibility of within a few years of me coming home,
I will be gone too? Also Brooklyn will be in High School which means even more
lonely. I hope Brooklyn’s knees start getting better, I am sure that does not
feel good when they hurt. All these cousin weddings, Alex and I both agree,
"They are dropping like flies!". I am happy for them though. Here
soon he and I are next in line for marriage as far as the grand kids go!!??
HA!! Yea right, maybe in like 4 years or so!!
How is the work? How are your investigators? Who is the Karina Banda you mentioned I don’t think you
have told us about her? The work has been good; we still have been
teaching both Sergio and Judy, so that is really nice. Although, neither of them were
at church this week which was a bummer. Yea I have mentioned Karina Banda before. She is
the one who asked me what I was thinking and also the one I gave the tag to.
She is 28 and married. It is crazy! I also hope that whomever takes my place
does the work and helps this area grow. I have grown to love many people in
this area. I will miss them. Although on to a new adventure right?!
I’m glad you enjoyed your time in the
temple. It’s such a blessing in our
lives. The temple is amazing and it will be great when the one here
in Indy is done.
Would you like a Spanish CTR ring sent to you
instead of your English one? We have the camera ready to send to you as
well. If you want you can get a Spanish one that looks really cool. That
would be awesome. You can also include it on the chain. Just get it maybe a
half size smaller than the one I have or the same size. You will want to
post-pone the camera mainly because of the transfers. So when I find out where
I will be I will let you know. If you could send me a blank SD card that would
be great as well, then I will send you the older one. I have tried to take
pictures when I remember, but it has been hard.
How are you doing after being sick a while
back? Are you watching what you eat? Do you need more antibiotics to have on
hand? My stomach is doing pretty good, some days better than others, but
for the most part doing good. I watch my diet more than you know mom. Although
I have found it is much less what I eat, as it is how much. I have to really
watch how much I eat. I have no anti-biotics right now. So I am on the C ones
right now. I can't remember what they are called.
I would agree this has
been some of the best times of my life, along with many other moments
throughout my life, I am sad to see that they are going so fast... Oh well we
will go on and do our best. Okay so now
some stuff on the work. So with Karina it has turned very sad. We ran into problems
with the cousin that lives there as well as the husband. They do not want us to
come back, and let’s just say they were very forward about it. I hope all goes
well there, even with the new Elder who comes in. She means so much to me in my
second mission life. I hope and pray that things will get better every day. We
are hoping to at least be able to stop by and get a picture and swap contact
info. So we will see how that goes. Sergio is doing well, we have another lessons
with him tonight. Judy I probably won't be able to see before transfers which will
be sad. We have found more people to
teach and I hope they pan out for the new companionship over the next little
while. So hopefully all will go well with this area. I will be sad to leave it.
This week was a very trying one in many different ways...
Sometimes I feel we are tried not to see if we will break, but to see how much we
can take and keep going forward. I have been blessed with a life filled with
joy and happiness. I have had the pleasure of seeing the miracles of God in my
own life as well as the lives of others. I have enacted the powers of heaven to
perform miracles many times in my life. Whether through simple prayer, through
blessings I have received, blessings I have given, or simply actions I have
done or the example I have been, and that others have been to me. I asked my
Heavenly Father that there might be a miracle this week in the life of Karina with
all these issues and problems that are going on... We fasted and prayed and
worked hard to make it come to pass. Although, it has seemed as though it has
not happened. I learned some very key things from this event, and I am
continuing to learn from it as well. Maybe that was the miracle in and of
itself. One thing that has come to my mind, is that of timing. We in our lives
often ask for something and expect it now or in the near future. When we in
reality should be willing to accept whatever time frame that God has set.
Another thing I have learned is that a miracle is determined by the one who
sees it. I have had many of them in my life some so incredibly small, others
immensely large. Just because a miracle is not perceived as one does not mean
it is not there. When we ask the powers of heaven to intervene in a cause, we
in reality do not know by what means it may come. Some will be as the Brother
of Jared others as Enos. In whatever form they come, it matters not. Sometimes
we are the very means of heavens power that we ask to be given to those around
us. So sometimes we just must simply be willing to be the miracle in someone
else's life. Then at times when it seems that no miracle has happened, remember
that you are still breathing, the world is still turning and prayers are still
being answered. Miracles are an everyday experience; sometimes we just don't
see them as such. I hope that we may be able to see that. At times I forget it,
and when I do, life is a little harder to bear. To be happy is an active
decision, only to be determined by the one who wishes to be happy. Miracles are
there for the taking, and or ceasing, but only to those who are willing to
look, no matter how detailed. Hope for me has come in the quiet moments when I
can appreciate the very breath I take, the snow on the ground, the mountains
all around, and maybe even the weight of trial of which I am passing. Hope,
Happiness, Faith and Miracles are always there for those who are willing to see
them. Well I hope that this week is a great one for you, and that it is filled
with those things which you desire. As for me, I will be panicking and trying to
figure out what is going on. So wish me luck. I love you so much and can't wait
to hear from you soon.
Love, Elder Paxman [:{D
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