Jesus is the Christ, 7 Weeks left to serve!

 He is holding a microphone, it was supposed to help with background noise. 

We convinced him to do something funny... this was his pose. :)

WE had an amazing 1 hour Skype with Elder Paxman last night, our last one..  We feel blessed we have had 5, 3 mother's days and 2 Christmases. So this letter is very short.

Also, it is official, we received Elder Paxman's travel itinerary, he will arrive home June 30^th at 10:12 a.m. 

Dear Mom,

I am not getting buff sadly, we have been struggling the last few days working out. My body is trying to kill me lately; it feels like yesterday and today I have been running a fever and have been achy all over and tired... It stinks, also sleep is going pretty bad, so hopefully that will fix itself here soon.

  

Are you okay with having your homecoming on July 19^th?  I know it’s almost 20 days after you get home, but the weekend before is Calin’s farewell and I thought you would want to be to that. Yes I do.  I am excited to hear him speak and be there for him!

During our skype you said you were wearing a suit that was left in the apartment.  Do missionaries often leave stuff on purpose and have you left stuff behind before? Yea we always leave stuff. I have left all sorts of things it various on the area, mostly just food, sometimes some random stuff. It all depends.

Elder Paxman skyped us from an investigators home after giving them a lesson and having dinner.  How did the lesson with the investigators go?  Did they seem really interested? We kind of made a return appointment, they were not the most interested, they are a little hesitant, but they said we could come back. So we will see we are hoping to just go little by little with them.

Are these investigators the same ones you asked us to add to our prayers last week? Yes if I remember right it is.

Transfers are next week, do you hope you get to stay and finish out your mission in Lafayette?  I hope you do. I hope I get to stay as well, but I will go and do the things that the Lord hath commanded, right?! Yea I will keep you posted about that.

How has the work been this past week?  I wanted to ask more about that in our Skype, but with the investigators being around I didn’t want to do that. Any fun stories? Well as far as the work goes, things are going good. We are still trying to find more people, and help as many as we can along the way. Other than that a lot is pretty much the same. Stories, I do not really have any, except me trying to jump a chain-link fence and cutting myself on a rusty fence and maybe breaking a finger... tehehehehe yea that was right before I talked to you guys hahaha. No just kidding, I just jammed it badly I think, it’s a little swollen and starting to bruise. The cut wasn't deep just enough to draw a little blood that is about it. So yep adventures.

Anyway spiritual thought. I shared it in my testimony at the end of our Skype, but it was in Spanish so you probably didn't understand it. So this last week I was reading in Jesus the Christ (it is next to the toilet in our apartment, hehehe).  I read a part and for some reason it coupled with the scripture touched my heart in such a way, it was amazing. It is one I have heard so many times, yet it was very powerful to me at this time, I think for several reasons. So the scripture is in Matthew and probably a few other places haha. I am not sure; I am not the greatest at the scriptures. Anyway it goes like this basically. Christ after talking to a multitude asks the disciples "Who do you think I am?? "Or whom thinkest thou me??”  If you want more scriptural sounding. One of the twelve then goes on to say, stuff like people say you are a prophet, some say Elias, and some John the Baptist brought back to life. Anyway Christ than asks again but whom do YOU think I am? Peter being that eager apostle and loving friend says "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God..." Afterwards Christ says something like, “you do not know this by wisdom or sight, but because my Father which is in Heaven has given it unto you”. When I read this it almost brought me to tears, because I felt then as I do now, that Jesus is indeed the Christ, and I know it not of myself, but because the Father hath granted it unto me by the Holy Ghost. I have known this in degrees throughout most of my life, but I have found out, that often times we learn the same lessons over and over again in this life. It was one of those sweet moments for me to re-learn or realize again that great knowledge, which in turn helped me to realize something of my Pat. Blessing which was really cool. So anyway that was my cool experience for the week. I think we all strive like Peter to say those same sweet words. I know, as I have known earlier in my life, that Jesus is the Christ, the very son of God. It has blessed my life, and can bless the lives of others. I know it. It means so much to me and can to so many others. I love that I have come to know this, and I cherish it greatly. Well I love you and I will talk to you next week. I hope you have a great week! I love you all so much.

Love, Elder Paxman 

8 weeks to serve: We got a referral from a member!!!

Dear Mom,

I am doing pretty good this week. Father in Heaven definitely likes to put me to the test sometimes that is for sure. The motivation has returned, I guess being trunky is a real thing. 

We went and saw “Children of Eden” at RHS, have you seen it? I can’t remember. I actually have not seen the show, but I really enjoy one of the musical numbers in the show called "lost in the wilderness". I believe it is sung by Cain. I really like it.

Will you be calling/skyping/FaceTime for Mother’s day any idea? I actually have no idea what it will be like for the mother’s day thing... We still have to work all of that out. My guess is face time if we can do it. If not it will be skype, we will see. I will do the phone call the day before to set up everything. So don't worry about that. It will be weird because of the short amount of time between the Mother’s Day call till I will see you all again.

Do you still hear from any of your friends now that they are home from the mission?  I am not hearing from any of those hoodlums. They all have lives now, so I don't even really expect an email from any of them. I haven't been in contact with hardly any of my friends from before the mission. Which I don't blame them, I am sure they are super busy, plus it is hard to write when you are at home. Trust me.

How has the mission work been this past week? The mission work has been going pretty well. I will probably talk about that more at the end.

How long does your companion have left in the mission?  Are you still getting along and do you work well together? Elder Labrum still has a year on his mission. We get along alright yea. I feel we work pretty decent together. The lessons are a lot of me talking, he is really and I mean really quiet. There are lessons where he doesn't say a single word... I even stop and look at him and wait, but I can't wait for too long or the investigator gets uncomfortable. He talks in some, and not in others, so I think he is working on it.  It might be that he is not super comfortable with the language. I am trying to think of a way to help him grow as a missionary. 

How was our blitz of the other area of Frankfort?  Explain to me do you go there and stay overnight with the Elders or what? Is it part of your district?  It was really good, we did a lot and I mean a lot of service, which isn't what we were expecting, but it was really good anyway. Except the fact I got fried that wasn't cool... Oh well. Frankfort is striped right now, so both Spanish and English. We went down to help the Spanish work, although not much of it was done. That is okay though. It was still really good though. Yea so blitzing is where we go work with the Elders of that area to help strengthen it. Yes we stay with them in the apartment for the days we are there. This will be something we do more frequently, so it should be good. So pretty much we go down there and change companions and work in their area to help build the area. It usually only lasts over one night, but we did a long one with 2 nights so three days. That is pretty much it. So blitz both companionship's work in the same area, and exchanges you split up and work in the two different areas with a different companion. Does that make sense? It was not part of my district, I am kind of over the Spanish work in the area, but not really, I am a source of help for the Spanish elder there.

I told him that a new sister in our ward who just moved here from the Midwest got up and bore her testimony on Sunday and talked about how in their old ward you had to shoulder your way up to bear your testimony.  We have talked about this before, why outside of Utah the members really love to bear testimony and there is a constant flow,  but here sometimes there are not very many people who do.  I wondered what the difference is and what his thoughts on it were. Okay so as far as the testimony meetings go. I have put some thought into this. So many ask what is the difference between the saints in Utah and the saints in other places around the world? In my opinion… First, I think sometimes it is just dependent on the Ward/Branch. There are many other things too. So I will talk about a few of them. First off, Members of any ward or branch or unit of whatever size around the world, stop doing what I do all too often, and that is comparing yourself to others!!! So what if the guy next to you was a Bishop or Stake President once, it does not mean his testimony is more valuable than yours! Get that out of your head right now! You are a beloved son or daughter of the Great and Eternal Living God! You are special and unique to Him!! So quit thinking my testimony is of little worth, you never know the impact you may have on those around you. Second, you can only grow your testimony to a certain point without sharing it!! That is why we are COMMANDED to be "Every member a missionary!" If you do not share what you have, all you are doing is letting it rot in the corner. Testimonies grow in the act of sharing them! If you don't have one or it is weak, it does not matter, Heavenly Father and The Christ have both said, that the gospel will be preached by the weak. I am so weak, at times our faith falters, that is alright, but do NOT let it hold you back. Peter walked on water, and then doubted and sank, but after his faith faltered he got back up and tried again throughout the rest of his life! He denied the Lord 3 times, but he testified of his love for him three times as well. He then lived his life the best he could, I am certain with mistakes along the way, but he did not let his weakness hold him back. If he would have let his fear and doubt hold him down, there would have been no chief apostle, no rock, only the shadow and fading’s of a great man. So do not let your fear and doubts stop you from bearing the slight testimony you have. Every person has a testimony of something, so use it. Third, Many will say, when I feel inspired I will go up. Of course there are times and seasons for all things, but if you are not willing in the first place to bare your testimony, then why would he urge you to go against the very gift of free agency he gave you and bare a testimony. If you are not willing he will not make you! Today is the day of decision. So where do you want to be? We all dream of greatness whether that is in the courts above or the earth below, either of them do not come by sitting and waiting! Faith is a principle of action! Testimonies are so precious no matter the strength or size, they all have worth, and they are all written in the books of records in Heaven. My testimony has faltered at times in my life, as has everyone's I believe. Even Joseph Smith, we have three sections in the D&C of him asking God some very deep and saddening questions. We are all weak in one way or another. Ether 12:27 states it perfectly. 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.  So do not let it stop you. Fight for what you want, because it is the only way you are going to get it! These apply to everyone including and maybe especially me. So those are some of my thoughts on that subject.

How are lessons going?  Teaching many people?  Things are going pretty good, we are really trying to still find more people to teach. So I hope and pray we may continue to find more. I have a few goals I wish to accomplish before I come home, that are very personal to me. I hope and pray that I may obtain them. We actually got a referral from a member!! It was awesome and I haven't gotten one of those in what seems like forever! It was for her soon to be mother in law, also we got invited to the wedding of her soon to be sister in-laws kind of thing... The sister of her soon to be husband. Anyway we went and at first it was a tad awkward, but after a few moments I relaxed and was able to talk to a lot of people. We have three appointments from it this coming week! So that was awesome! They are such a great family with a lot of potential! So we are hoping that they will have a desire to come to church, investigate and be baptized! Their names are Maria, Vicenta, Daniel, Guadalupe, Perla, and Aurelio. I hope it all goes well! So if you could add your prayers for them that would be amazing! So that was the big thing for the week! We have another wedding to go to this Friday which will be awesome!! So that should be great. It is of the member who gave us the referral! 

Anyway this has gotten long. I love you so much and hope that things go well for you this week. Remember those daily prayers both when you get up and go to bed! ;) hahaha. Oh so tiny spiritual thought. Do not put a restraint on God for there are none! Do not doubt His potential to lift you up, to guide you, and to bless you. He loves you and is in the details of your life! So don't put limitations on Him or on yourself, for you have that same seed of divine potential, I mean our spirits are the literal off-spring of God! So go out there and fight for what you want and believe. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee if your desires are righteous. Anyway I love you so much and hope you have a great week! I am also excited to talk with you on mother’s day!

Love, your son, Elder Paxman

Letter to Dad: Trials make the man

 You'll understand the pictures after you read the letter.
He wondered if he would ever serve a full time mission.
But as he says... Trials make the man.

February Zone Conference

Dear Dad,

I am feeling a bit better. Yea it seems as though I have got an alright grasp. I am hoping it was just a bug or a hiccup. Who knows we will see. These trails have been a really good experience for me, although they have been rough at times. I feel though as you said, that this will accompany me in this life. Which I am not bothered by. It reminds me of Joseph Smith when he talks on how he has known these things (persecutions and afflictions) his whole life, and he would not know what entirely to do without them. For me he says a part about how he is want to swim in deep water... Better deep than shallow. I thought the other day, what would have happened if they would have caught the problem soon in my life? I then thought this simple and to me powerful thought. "You would not be anywhere near the man you are today." I would not be willing to change that for many things in this life. As the health has come back up as an issue, it has made me think of the gift of a body we are all given. Mine has some malfunctions, but it is mine none the less. It’s like the toy that after years of being outside and now looks thrashed, that has no less value to the kid who loved it then when it was new. My body is not perfect, and no one’s is. It has its flaws as do we all. But as the Lord said to Ether and Moroni, "I will make weak things become strong unto you..." Plus, I can still run, I can still eat many foods, I can still do many things that some unfortunate souls cannot. I owe much to how my life has turned out and will turn out because of my health. I wish with all my heart to finish out my mission. I would give just about anything, but if it is not the Will of the Lord for me, than that is what needs to happen. Although something as dramatic as last time will have to come up for me to even think about it. I will let you know if there are any big medical decisions I am unsure about.  As of right not, I am just getting ready for the test on Wednesday, hoping all goes well. So we will find out.

I love the mission, it makes me really sad to see it coming to a close for the second time. I am hoping to do all I can in these last few months to keep pushing forward. I am sure you realized it at times when you were on the mission. The time that I bet you learned some of the most is when your Father passed away. I cannot imagine what that would be like... I am sorry it happened that way. Although I am sure it has been a blessing in your life as well, as it has in mine. I still remember that day in the temple when we were talking with the Temple President, I will never forget that experience... Well I will stop writing it has gotten long. I hope this week is an amazing one for you dad!! I love you so much and am so grateful for everything you have done for me in my life, all the love and support. I told my companion right after I was done talking to you on the phone, with tear filled eyes. "He gets me every time with that one..." He then said what. I said "When he says Son, I am proud of you." Dad that means more than the world to me. I hope I can continue to live up to what you expect of me. I love you so much and look forward to hearing from you soon. My prayers are with you always.

Love, your son.

A side note: Elder Paxman has been having a few small health issues. Nothing really serious, but whenever he has an issue he fears it will be the beginning of the end of his time in the mission field. He had a big test on Wednesday just to make sure there wasn't something serious going on.  We talked to him a few days before, and he was feeling almost back to normal from having a few sick days the week prior.  He was happy and lovig the work. We have not heard anything back about the test on Wednesday and assume no news is good news.  According to the President and his PA he continues to work hard, looks good and doesn't let this get him down.

I want to be baptized in a river.

Dear Mom,

My health is doing pretty good. Not perfect, but better than before. My appetite has been sporadic, but for the most part good! As far as energy goes I have been doing fine. I hope not to have to take IV Iron. It sucks. I think my Iron is good enough to just be doing the pills. I have been eating fine mom. Don't worry. I know you will, but don't. I had a feeling as I was preparing to come back out, that my health would falter at times. So I am not too shocked about it, although for it to happen so sudden, that was interesting. So yep I am doing good overall. We will see how my test Wednesday goes.

I have been able to get out and do work for the most part. When it is really bad, we stay in the residence, but I am kind of stubborn, so that hasn't been very often. 

 Did you get our package? I did get the package and I did really like what was in it. The HoHo's are awesome. I love those things. Although, I have not eaten a ton of the stuff that is in there. I am rationing it. I haven't really shared with my comp... Oh well he will live... tehehe. I have shared a few things.

How is the mission and the work going?  The mission is going good. Sometimes slow, but that is okay. Also we have had some really good lessons, so I can't complain one bit. We will always look for new people to teach, but we just won't focus on that. We are going to focus more on the LARCS and part members. Both President Cleveland, and myself, have felt impressed to really work with those people in this area. I feel as though the President likes this plan of attack, so we will see how it goes.

How is the branch? The branch. I have attended once. Once was stake conference and another we cancelled because of weather. So this last Sunday was my first time. I really liked it; it seems like a great little branch. It is a small branch. We are getting fed by the members, probably about 3 to 4 times a week. It is also increasing which is nice. So that is going well, and they make really good food!

How large is your area?  You mentioned a place called Frankfort?  Where is that? How often will you go there?  The area pretty much covers the stake so it is huge. Frankfort is kind of our area; they have put a Spanish Elder there to stripe it. So we don't really go there, unless he needs help. It is about 30 min from Lafayette.

How is your investigator from the Dominican Republic doing? He is hard to understand, but I can do it, if there is not a ton going on. We taught him today. Also and interesting thing with him, we stopped by Saturday night quite late. While there we got talking about baptism. He said, I wish to be baptized as soon as possible. We were like... okay we can do that. He then said he also wants to be baptized in a river! So that was cool and we got permission from Pres. for that. Now we just have to talk to the Branch President to make sure he is okay with that. I talked with President last night about him, and because he is the husband of a member and has been coming to church for a while, we have moved up his date. He has only had 3 lessons with us. He read's everything we give him and understands well. So while talking to Pres. I said when is the soonest we can baptize him. President then said. You can baptize him this week if you feel he is ready!!!! WHAT!!!!!???!?!? So yea we talked with him today and as of right now he will be getting baptized the 28th. Mainly because we still have to teach him a few things and get him his interview. So that was really exciting. So hopefully all continues well there and we can keep going forward and baptize him then or sooner! Also an 8 year old we are teaching is probably going to be baptized here in about 2 weeks as well. So things are going well. Hopefully we can find more people to teach and keep helping this area grow. We will see how it all goes. We are very thankful for the blessings the Lord has given us in this area though. There is another woman named Margarita whom we taught for the first time this week. She is the wife of a member in the branch. She is very sweet and reminds me a lot of you. She has been taught a lot before, but never really wanted much to do with the church. Although this last lesson, some stuff came up and we ended up talking about Joseph Smith. It was probably one of the more powerful lessons I have been a part of that was discussing Joseph Smith, it was amazing. There was such an amazing spirit there, so hopefully things will go well with her. We have another lesson with her here on Saturday.

Do you like the apartment you are living in?  I do like the place where we live, it is nice. I also feel that I am getting to know my comp better and better.

Has spring finally arrived in Indiana? It sounds like it has been really nice weather in SLC. That is really nice.  It is spring time here finally. It is usually around 50 degrees or more each day.

Daddy is riding his motorcycle to the fire academy in May and has decided as he passes through Indiana he wants to take you and your comp to lunch.  Is that against the rules?  Yea he hasn't mentioned anything about the ride to the fire academy. I am not sure if that would be against the rules. I have heard of things like that happening before, but I am not too sure. I would be excited to do that, that wouldn't bother me one bit.

MOM:  Don’t say, "say what!" Not that cool. Sorry mom, plus that kind of died a while ago ;) 

Have you had a chance to see the Diaz family while in Indy for the Doc?  Do you think you will get to see them again before you come home? I haven’t seen them in a long time. I have talked with them on the phone recently. I will hopefully see them again once or twice before I come home.

I shared with him that our Stake Conference was themed around strengthening family and building family relationships. I expressed my gratitude and love for our family and our family relationships.  I feel the same way about our family. Even though we bicker sometimes and stuff I have found we have had a really good relationship as far as a family goes overall.

You mentioned that your emails might get shorter, is this because your time has been decreased? The reason the time is going to get shorter is because my companion doesn't email for very much time, and I don't want emailing to be a burden on him. I am still trying to develop a good friendship with him. So that is one, also the library here is a little different so just expect that.

Well I have to wrap up with the spiritual thought because I have like no time left. This week a lot has come to my mind as I have been thinking of health and everything else. So one thing that I have found is that this "sickness" will probably last my entire life. Although to some this sounds kind of sucky, and in some ways it definitely isn't that great. To me it is no problem really. I have been blessed with a life full of many happy moments and great people. Sometimes we have to feel the most sorrow and pain to be able to feel the most joy. Like child birth! ;) hahaha So you know yea it is at times hard, and there may be times in the future where it will be worse or better. Whatever comes, I want to say what I have heard Apostles and Prophets of our dispensation say. "Come what may, and love it!" Sometimes in our lives this is much easier to say than do. Although, if we are founded on our sure foundation of Jesus Christ and his Atonement, we will never fail. We may falter yes, but we will never fail. I have seen it in my life. We at times may not be able to see why we are going through things, but there is always a purpose. For me one of the greatest purposes of my trials; has been to make me a better man, and one day father. I have seen that when we learn from our trials and use them to help us go forward, the world changes and everything is a little better than it was before. Maybe nothing changed except the way we see ourselves and the world. I am grateful for my trials, for they are my greatest blessings; sometimes they just need a little bit of a spit shine to see it. The greatest treasures are those that we work for I believe. Well I am out of time, so I love you so much and hope that this week is great. Maybe you will get more free stuff, maybe not ;) We will see. Although I hope it is filled with what all of you need, I hope we can see people as God does, with the divine potential of becoming. Also that I and others can keep using their trials to better their lives and the lives of those around them. I love you and pray for you often. Have a great week!!

Love, Elder Paxman 

I'm Getting Transferred! I'll go where you want me to go...

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

The Chicago Temple and a Sealing

Elder Paxman and Elder Ryan at a dinner following the sealing of the Ramirez family in Chicago.

Elder Paxman riding the saddle at The Texas Roadhouse for his 21st birthday last week.

A member took him and his companion. 

Dear Mom,

The temple was amazing!! The picture you have seen was taken at a chapel in Chicago after we went to the temple.  We went there and ate with the extended family and friends of the Ramirez family. So it was awesome. All those girls with us in the picture, by the way are sister missionaries that serve in the Ramirez families older ward that they used to attend. We rode with the Nehring’s but the drive was hatin it. The road sucked the whole way and it was way snowy. So that wasn't awesome. Chicago was freaking butt cold, but other than that, a really pretty city. We were only able to drive through it at night. So pictures of it are scarce. Also my camera was having a freak out when I tried pictures, so I switched to video, so I don't have many pictures, but I do have a few videos. It was a beautiful temple! I liked it a lot. It was amazing going to the temple after not having gone in such a long time. I loved every minute of it and the sealing was amazing! My first one, so that was awesome! The peace and revelation gained in the temple is amazing. I can't wait to be able to go back once again, when I get home. Also I still have one more temple trip available before I return home. This one counted for the last six months. So it was amazing. I got to watch the old video again, which was nice, but I wanted to see the one I haven't seen yet! Oh well, one of these days I will get to see it. No one else from the branch went besides the Nehring’s and one lady named Catalina. She went and did baptisms.

I will work on the haircut before transfers. (I saw in the picture his hair was long, I told him he needed a haircut) Transfers are this next week... We will find out what is happening in this area here soon... My bet is that I am leaving... Which I do not want to, but that is my guess what will happen.

How was Texas Roadhouse for your birthday?  Tell Eddie thank you so much for the pictures. Yep I ate a pound and a half of steak and it was amazing!! Ribeye we even had to get it specially ordered. Eddie is a single member; he is coming back into activity. Great guy! I really like him a lot. I will tell him thank you from you for the pictures. He is a great guy and has returned into activity in the last oh probably 2 months. I really like him a lot.

How is the work?  Are you still teaching your 2 investigators? Can you believe that if I had not gone home, I would be coming home in a week!!! That is crazy to believe! It blows my mind, and I am thankful that I still get to serve every day! With Judy and Sergio things are going well. We are still teaching them, and we are hoping they can both make it to church this week. If so that would be amazing! We are continually trying to find people to teach and other than that, just doing our best.

Dad got your bike out because the weather has been nice. I cannot wait to get back on the motorcycle and enjoy that. It is snowing here finally. A decent amount too. 

I told him about our Valentines activities. What movie did you watch? Eddie said “The Kingsmen” is a must see! So add that one to the list! What movie did you watch with dad and Uncle Troy?  That is nice that Brooklyn and Mayce got to go to the Stake dance on Valentines. That was probably fun. I was always more of a tractor days guy myself! Yes mom I guessed the Chocolate covered strawberries. That is a dead giveaway. Brooklyn probably stole one too. Things don't change mom hahaha.

I sent him the picture collage I put together for his birthday. I was a cute little fart wasn't I?? ha-ha Oh how times change... Now it is like... "what happened!?" hahaha. Oh the days when life was easy, and all I cared about was how many snakes I could catch and bugs I could eat... Good times, good times...

So this week we had a Zone Conference with the two zones in the surrounding areas, and President was there. While it was going on, he turns and says. “Columbus Spanish, what is going on there?” I was shocked... I didn't know what to say. President is having a really hard time with this area, because he does not know why the work isn't going forward as it should be. There are a few reasons for this I believe. I won't really go into it too much today though. He paid us an amazing compliment though. He told the ZL's that he has some of the best missionaries down here and still not a lot is happening. I think we really need to be increasing the members trust in us, even more. I thought we had it, but I am not sure. That is the biggest issue that I can see at this moment, or possible issue. So we will see how this goes. Although I feel this area has grown well, since Elder Ryan and I have gotten here. We went from nothing to now two people on baptismal dates and some less actives coming back to church. This is all thanks to the blessings of the Lord. I really hope I can stay in this area, but most likely I will be transferred.

I have a question.  I would love feedback from anyone who reads the blog. I don’t know how I could get feedback, but if there is a way I would like to hear what they say. This is the question. "What do you expect out of missionaries?" I am curious to see what people say. (I think if you want to email him your thoughts ideas that would be great, benjamin.paxman@myldsmail.net)

Oh actually before I forget, I was wondering if you could do something for me. Could you get my CTR ring and get a dog tag chain and put it on it, and if you could then send it out to me that would be great. I never liked wearing it on my finger a ton because it bugged me, but around my neck, I can do.

Anyway... So this last week was really good. Karina Banda came to church this week for a bit. It meant the world to me. I was so happy that she was able to come. She is very dear to me. I can't remember if I told you this or not. So when I first met her with Elder Rowberry and Elder Blood, I had this distinct impression come to me, you will impact this women's life and she will do the same to yours. She, I truly believe is one of the reasons I came back. It has meant the world to me, to be able to get to know her and grow close to her. She is someone I hope to stay in contact with for the rest of my life. We were talking to the branch President last night about this. We were talking about what can we do to make this area flourish. I have felt that this area has the potential to baptize many and bring many others back. This area can be a great area. I have felt it, and I have felt it about everywhere I have had the privilege to serve. I know that this work is progressing. I am sad that I will only be a full time missionary for a few more months, but I am determined to prove faithful. In another man’s words, that I now take as my own; There are many souls whom I have loved, and to them I am determined to prove faithful. At times in my life, I have felt as if I have failed. I have felt it at times in the last few days; many times this is the adversary working his wiles and schemes to make us doubt ourselves and the potential of others. I know that I am so far from perfect and that I continually make mistakes, but I also know that every day is a new day, and that I can become better than I was and make up for my mistakes, through the Atonement of Our Savior. I hope to prove faithful in that great and last day and every day to it. I know there may be days I am not, but that if I try, I will get there, and so can everyone else. There is a section in the D&C I believe 76 and it states what kind of people will be in the Celestial Kingdom of God. It is those who will Overcome all by Faith in the One who has loved them. That is not exactly how it is phrased, but oh well. President gave us a compliment that was amazing, he said something like: "in the last year and some change we have had many missionaries come and go, but I feel that the 4 Elders we have now are truly great missionaries" This was touching for me to hear, and something I needed at the time, for I had thought that I had failed. We are destined to succeed if we but try. I have seen it in my life; there are times, when I feel that I am truly lucky to be alive. I know that I am. I hope and pray that I may live worthy of those extra moments I have been granted.

Well I love you all so much and hope that this week is an amazing one. Remember that we are the makers of our own happiness not the substance to be acted upon (or the consequences of someone else's actions. Whatever sounds better) We are to be happy and joyful, it is stated again and again throughout holy writ. Well I love you so much and hope that you can all make this week one worth remembering! 

Love, Elder Paxman

[:{D

I don't feel older!

Happy Birthday Elder Paxman!!

He is 21 years old today! 

His letter is below, but I just had to add a few pictures first!

I scanned a few pictures of our sweet, cute little blonde boy.

Now he's all grown up, but still just as sweet.

I am very proud to be his mommy!

Dear Mom,

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes!! I really liked the package mom it was great! I loved the little book!! It is amazing, I want its counterpart which I think is the little missionaries quote book, or something like that! Although I want it too!

Is your camera working good enough to take pictures? Are you taking pictures?  I am taking pictures, it is hard when the camera does shut down every once in a while.

I know you don’t usually choose birthday cake, so what would you have chosen in place of cake?  I would have Peanut Butter Frosts for my B-day dessert.

Do you have any fun plans for your birthday? We are going out to eat with an awesome member named Eddie tomorrow. He is taking us to Texas Roadhouse!!! He said we are all buying the biggest steaks and eating to our hearts content!! Maybe I will even ride the saddle!!

Are you going to the temple soon with the Ramirez family?  Are you still going to be able to do that? Brother Ramirez, Erik went and got Endowed this past week and we are going this Saturday. They are getting sealed this Saturday. So we are going to go do Endowments and then go to the sealing.

What do you think of a cruise for Christmas instead of spring break?  I am do down to go on a cruise!!! That would be awesome!! Especially since I want to work on having a rockin bod by the time we go ;) bahahaha. Yea right I enjoy junk food too much. Sounds like a fun Christmas to me!! I will look forward too it. What if I have a girlfriend though? hahaha if only mom... If only.

I told him we had the kids over for homemade Café Rio salad on Sunday and thought of him for his birthday. Also that the weather was so nice we went for a Sunday walk.  I am jealous of the weather!! When I get back it will probably be in the 100's and way hot! Here it is cold and snowing off and on. It was warm the last two days though. Homemade cafe rio salads huh... I would have had to adjust that a little. Salads are for rabbits, that and I can't really eat lettuce.

How has your health been?  Feeling better?  Does Sister Steadman check up on you frequently or just let you coast along? I am feeling better, today I am doing alright. I am not sure if I should start the anti-biotics or not. I hesitate sometimes to take it. I will get it in the works to go get my blood drawn soon.  She usually just lets me coast along. She calls and checks on me probably once a month, unless I let her know that I am sick.

We enjoyed your story last week and are glad you were a good example. I know missionaries can get a little rowdy, and that is fine. But there is a very fine line. Maybe I am just a stickler though. I am glad as well that we were able to be examples for one another and hopefully rightful representatives of the church. We goof around too, but it is all in its own time and space. I am glad you enjoyed the story and everything that came with it afterwards.

How are Sergio and Judy your two new investigators doing? Is Judy an investigator or a less active member? Sergio is doing really well, we had a lesson with him today that went really well. We have one with Judy today too! So that should be really nice and fun. They are both progressing well, Sergio very very quickly. Judy is an investigator although she feels like a member a lot of the time haha.

Do you think you can get a baptism before transfers? That would be awesome for Elder Ryan. That would be amazing, but transfers are in just a few weeks, so I am thinking that will not happen, unless we stay for another, which is near impossible.

How is the new convert Carlos doing? Carlos comes to church every week and is doing well. They struggle at times, but they are still active and are trying.

How are the Seymour Elders?  Have they still been teaching Bertin? The Seymour elders are doing good as far as I can tell. We will be going on exchanges here soon with them. Bertin though is now not taking lessons which is really sad. They ran into him having a huge bible class with a bunch of other people and he told them he had found his church... This broke my heart mom... I still believe one day he will be baptized. I have felt it, I just know it!

Are you still enjoying being DL?  What do you do at a DL meeting and how often do you have them? I am still enjoying it. It is stressful, but worth it at the same time. We have them usually once a week. It entails training's and talking about the work. Helping lift and inspire on all fronts.

Have you heard from the Diaz family?  How are they doing? I have not heard from them. I am going to give them a call this week, to hear how they are doing and everything. From what I know they are still doing well and going to church and everything. We will find out here soon.

Do you feel old now that you are 21? I am trying to get back into working out really hard in the mornings; it is hard to get motivated to do that sometimes. I have been working on drinking a lot more water as well, just to be healthier and everything. I don't really feel a ton older, yet I do... So yea that hasn't changed much.

I shared a few fun memories from when he was a little boy.  Hahaha the good old days when all that mattered was how many bugs I could kill, snakes I could catch, adventures I could have and time I had with dad, good old times. Now there is a lot more to worry about, although I enjoy just feeling like a kid sometimes. hahahaha. We will always be your little kids though mom, even if we live far and grow up and do other things. That is one of the promises isn't it? Although some of those memories I would rather not remember... hahaha so yep it feels so close yet so distant, as does much of the past and the future, so might as well enjoy today, before it becomes the same.

Okay so my spiritual thought and then I will wrap up. So we had a lesson this week with one of my favorite people in this area a LA (less active) named Karina Banda.  She is an amazing lady that I have come to love. I have had a many spiritual experience with her.  So it starts with Saturday, we were there visiting, and I told her something. "So it is my birthday on Monday and I only have one wish..." She asked what it was. I said "I want to see you in church this next week. I will save you a spot and everything. So she thought about it and said YES!!!! I pinky promised her on it. (yes literally). So she told me she always sat in the back right. I said okay, then I will be waiting back there. So about 45 min before the meeting she texts and says she won't be able to come. After much time giving her a hard time, I said okay. I will keep up my promise though and sit in the back right, all alone. So I did. We also got pictures of it. So anyway, later we were going to swing by seeing as she wasn't at church. We had Hno. Creast with us, who is an awesome guy. So we went and were able to talk to her for about 3 hours!!! It was long, but I think amazing! We talked over many things. The biggest one and the one I will talk about today is this. "You make your own happiness!" I realized that I had learned this or had to learn it early in my life. We are the makers of our own happiness. For we are here to have Joy as the scriptures say. So it was amazing. I feel so strongly about this. I have had an interesting life, and it has been filled with so much emotion. Gladly probably the biggest one is joy. Sheer happiness to be alive. Enough to smile at people and see them smile back. I have tried many times to be happy in my life. It is very hard some days, but it is so worth it! I love to laugh and have a fun time as do everyone. So we just try our best to be happy and move forward. For me it is in the little things. God is in the details for me. He is in the letters from home, the smiles from a friend. The letter from a girl you have had the biggest crush on since you met her. The love of the Lord, and so many other things. I truly know and testify that we are the makers of our own happiness!! SO be happy, make it happen, it will be hard some days. I know it is, trust me. Although I know there is always something to be happy about. There are always starts no matter how dark the night. The dawn breaks even in the darkest of days. I love this gospel and the happiness it brings me. I know it can bring it to the entire human race, if they but accept it. "So love your life, perfect your life, and beautify all things in your life. That way when it comes your time to die you can sing your death song, and die like a hero going home" I love that quote. Happiness is to be had, so my challenge is to go find it.

I love you so much and sorry this email is a little shorter than some. I hope you have an amazing week filled with the true Joy of the love of our Heavenly Father, for it is always there for the taking. I love you so much and hope you have an amazing week!!

Love, Elder Paxman