I have been chased by men and animal in the mission..

Elder Paxman at Transfer meeting

Dear Mom,

How was transfer meeting? I hear you were transferred to Lafayette. I was sent a picture of you at transfer meeting, from a member, you look great. The transfer meeting was good, the usual nothing too spectacular. I wasn't surprised by any random changes of what I am doing. So that was really nice! I did get to see quite a few friends. Although many of my dear friends have left, especially this last transfer. I still have a few hanging around so that is nice. I am indeed in Lafayette. . I am glad I looked great. I was sick all yesterday which stinks. I am not sure with what though. It was just like my stomach stuff, but I hadn't eaten anything weird or that much either. My guess is that it was just one of those days for my intestines.

Is there a difference between West Lafayette and Lafayette?  What do you think of the area? Is it a Spanish branch or a ward? Tell me about your companion. Lafayette is closer to Logansport, I was in the same zone I am in now as I was then. It is a branch here in Lafayette; it is about the same size as Columbus. The town it seems has more Hispanics though which should be really nice. My companion is Elder Trapp; he was Elder Ryan's companion in the MTC. So he is really nice, I like him a lot so far. I am only his second companion, or follow up trainer. His Spanish is very new, but he will get better I am sure, just as we all do. I am still a DL and now I have sisters in my district!!!! That is new, although I really like the sisters so that should be a fun new adventure for me. I live in an apartment that was frankly a mess when I got here and still is! We are working on that one haha. Missionaries mom, can be some serious pigs hahaha I am not excluded from that either. The area has not had much progress here, although Elder Trapp says he thinks they could have done a lot better. So we are starting from almost scratch again and we will do our best! I really like Elder Trapp so far, he is quiet, but that is never really an issue for me. I like to consider it a talent to become friends with most people if you just give me a few moments with them. I really like him. He is also from Oregon. The new area should be awesome. It is harder to navigate than Columbus, but it shouldn't take me too long to get a grip of things.

Do you feel where you live and the area is a really nice area or a little scary? Is this the only Spanish area you have not served in, in the mission? Ha-ha it is about normal mom as far as scary goes. Scarier than Columbus, but it is pretty much a partner town with West Lafayette, they are separated by the Wabash river. West Lafayette is where Purdue is. I have already half way served here because of Logansport, and yes this is the only Spanish branch left that I have not served in. I have not served in every Spanish area in the mission, but I have served in every unit. I think I am going to like it here. I hope so, seeing as it has a good possibility of being my last area as a missionary. So far I really like it. I haven't been able to get out into it a ton because the cars have been grounded due to weather. So hopefully the weather will warm up here a bit soon. We had 8 inches of snow last night.

Do you have a full time car or do you share? Ok yes I have a car and it is a full-time car as well. Oh so one last thing about this area. There are some factories here, and they do something with Corn Syrup or something.  Let me tell you they put off one of the worst smells ever!!!! (To me anyway). They smell like someone poured sugar into a pile of nice warm cow feces!! It stinks! It is strong and sometimes permeates throughout the entire town, and even into the apartment.... I hate it!!!! So that is the only down side to this area. hahaha.

I hear the mission has started referring to you as the oldest. I don't mind that title. It is true after all. If you think about it, I should have gone home a week ago!! That is a really weird thought. It hit me while we were driving up to transfers. It was a really creepy and weird thought.

My Uncle Harvey passed away this past week and my Cousin Elizabeth came and stayed with us.  Do you remember either of them?  We stayed with Elizabeth’s family when we visited D.C. I do remember Elizabeth. I am sorry that he passed although as dad always says. "We are all born terminal". I am glad to hear that he lived such a good life. I think that is the goal for all of us. At least that is mine, when all is said and done, people can say that I was a good man and lived a life worth living.

I have decided I am going to see if I can get some members to show me how to cook some real Hispanic food. That way when I get home, I can make us some real Hispanic food!! Although you will have to take them slow, they are kind of hot most of the time tehehe.

News from home:  Bro Hair and Michael came home teaching and asked about you.  Brooklyn’s show will finish tomorrow.  I think she has met some great friends and maybe some potential boys to date, think when you get home Brooklyn will only be a month from dating. I love the Hair's they are always such a great family to us. That is strange to think that she will be in high school next year. Dating is not even okay to think about! That is going to be a handful and a half. I might have to make a plaque or something with some kind of bullet casings or something to scare some small little high schoolers. (Although, there is a chance that they will be bigger than me...).

Anywho, as far as adventures go... Let me see. We have had a few already. One being we went and saw the Tippecanoe battlefield site, which was really cool; we are planning to go back and spend some more time there. Also we touched one of those huge windmill thingies!! I took a video of that one! So that was awesome. Check that off the bucket list. Another interesting thing, in my last area of Columbus, the branch had no young men and young women. Now this branch has some, but not a lot, it is really weird to see people younger than me that are not little children, mainly because I got so used to people being older than me.

Well now to the spiritual side of the email. A lot of stuff has been going through my mind, seeing as if I would have never gotten sick, I would be home right now.  I like the way Elder Ryan put it, I am now putting in overtime. It is crazy to think that so much time has gone by. In the mission we must find a balance between being strict and being fun loving. Many missionaries are different. That just comes from our personalities. I have been thinking a lot about this. Where is the line in everything? To me, I am more on the strict side of the scale. I just chose to be that way. I see it a lot of the time, as the fact that God would not give us commandments and rules thinking that it would be too hard to follow them. Now we will never be exactly obedient, there was only one man who ever was, but we should be striving for exact obedience.  I believe that this should be no excuse for doing what is wrong and claiming it to be okay, because we will never be perfect. The Lord commanded us, "Be ye therefore perfect...". Of course we will never be fully perfect in this life, but it is something to strive for. We must be willing to put our best effort forward if we are willing and wanting to inherit the Kingdom of God. Now this won't always happen. That is fine; there is always room to improve. Heck I feel as though every day I have to improve and be better than I am now. I have felt at different times in my life that those who become complacent with who they are or what they are doing will never grow at any substantial rate. Anyway that was more of a random side tangent. So this week with the thoughts of being home and being out here swirling in my mind, a few things came to my attention. One of which is how we spend our time. I shared some thoughts with some people earlier this week. We must be willing to put our full heart into whatever we are doing, it does not matter what that thing is, but we must be willing to put our heart into it. There are billions of times in my life where I have not done this... And I am sure there will be a many more. Although, I intend to make that number smaller and smaller. Another thought was this, my time as a full time missionary is coming to a close... I have a little over three months left. Although the tag and suits will be put away it does not mean, that I cannot still touch people’s lives by my example and the things in which I do. I have a few people in my sights for when I get home... bwahahaha so watch out. I think they already know who they are. Also, the fact that these last two years, have been some of the greatest years of my life, but when I stop to think, they are no more important than any others that I have lived. For me the best two years should be broken down a little. The best moments of our lives should be the ones we are living right now. If they are not this way, we have the power to change it, and only we have that power. Laman and Lemuel had angels visit them and received personal council from prophets yet they still did not believe. Evidence is not the definer of truth. We define truth ourselves, by what we believe, and what we put our hearts into. I had a phone call with some people that I have grown to love very much. It was sad to hear from them that they had been losing their faith; in the things they have been taught. I pondered heavily in their behalf. I came to a lot of conclusions and I do not have the time to share them all. One of which was that I cannot give someone a testimony. No matter how badly I want to, no matter how hard I try, I cannot convince someone to believe. I do not have that power. I may aid in the process as does the Holy Ghost, but when push comes to shove, it is upon their heads that that decision lies. It is sad when someone decides not to take that step, but it is not the end. We hope and pray that they will come back again into the church or come into it for the first time. As members of this church we need to be a lot less judgmental of those who have lost that faith or those who have not found it yet. For we are not better than them, our souls are not more precious simply because we believe! If you believe that, I invite you to do some deep thinking. We as members are here to help others along the path do not forget that promise you made at baptism!! If you have I invite you to read it again. You can find it in the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. As well as many other places. Remember that you remake or renew all those covenants you have made when you partake of the sacrament each week. It is a marvelous chance to recommit and be better. We are to help those in need, especially those who have lost the faith. In my mission I have had the opportunity to talk with thousands of people about the church. Even off of my mission, I have had a small bit of that same opportunity. As do we all. I heard it said once that some very large percentage of missionaries go less active for a time when they get home. Some stay that way and others do not. Elder Holland once said that one missionary who goes less active is too many. I would like to say the same about the members. One is too many. Now we cannot force them to stay or believe or have a testimony, but we better be willing to go through hell or high water to help them obtain that. In my mission I have been threatened, chased by men and animal, made fun of, had things thrown at us, and many more things, as to stop this great work from going forward. And that is but small stuff compared to what others go through for this great work. Many people think, "I wish I could get involved in the work..." The cool thing is... YOU CAN!!! We all can. We all have friends, we all have people whom we love that do not have the light of this gospel, and if not people who do not possess it, than those who have lost it. It is very hard to share the gospel, don't get me wrong, but I am not asking you to share the gospel. I am asking you to but help those around you who are in dire need of your help. Some of these people you may not even realize need your help.  Some may not want your help, but if you do not help them, than who will. Don't think, well I am not his home teacher or I am not his neighbor. Do you think when all is said and done and the Lord is talking with you, and asks what you did to help that man or those people; do you think he will care if you were their home teacher or not!! I don't!! It is our duty and pleasure as members of this church to help those in need, well scratch that not even as members as simple human beings! It is our responsibility to help those around us. It will be hard, and sometimes we will fail, but at least if they reject you or you fail, you can say that you tried and that you gave it your best. If it is unsuccessful, and you are rejected and cast out, or ignored and forgotten, remember that, right there in that moment, you are standing in the ranks of those great men and women who have done everything for this gospel. You are shoulder to shoulder with the greatest man this world has ever known. So don't be afraid to fail. Many of us don't start the journey because of the fear to fail. I have made that mistake many times, and I am sure I will many more times in my life. Thank goodness for the Atonement. The fear that stops one from starting is the fear that stops one from learning, and growing and being the person they were meant to be. Courage is the virtue of all of the heavenly attributes at their breaking points, said C.S. Lewis. So take heart and don't be afraid. There are better times ahead for those who press forward with faith and courage. Those better times may not come till after this life, but they do come. I hope that we can be an instrument in the Lord's hands to bring to pass those better times in someone else's life. Well I have rambled as always. There has been a lot of thinking done on my part lately. Pondering and thinking have I done what has been required of me? Have I done enough? Am I making the right choices? What do others think of me? Am I being an example of the believers? And so many more. Questions to be addressed another time I guess.  Well, I love you so much and hope that this week treats you well. It seems as though it is going to be a cold one here in Indiana. We will see how it pans out. I love you all so much and hope to hear from you soon.

Love, Elder Paxman     

P.S. My emails might be getting shorter over time because depending on companions and what not, dictates how much time we email for.