I just wanna punch em in da head

"You can only wear your fist out so much punching people in the head"

-Ran Davis III (Mom note - Ran Davis is a recent convert from Mississippi. Bayou folk. Ran Davis II, III, IV all live together in a trailer.  Taylor says he wants to take a voice recorder next time they visit because it's always a hoot)

This has been a pretty good week. It was really odd but we made do. Seems like most everything that we had planned fell through. But we have been able to teach a good amount of people. An 18 year old we are teaching set a baptismal date for the 11th of March. She just moved here from California to live with her Aunt and Uncle who are members. She has had a pretty rough past so were are really excited for her.

We also had a lesson with a traveling preacher guy named Richard. He is pretty sure that the Book of Mormon is true and he knows Joseph Smith actually saw God. It is way cool because he believes that there needs to be a restoration of Gods church and believes basically the same things we do, and has come that that through his study of the Bible. It is so cool to see that. He just doesn't quite realize that the church is exactly what he is looking for.

We are working with a few other families that will hopefully end up doing really well.

We are also working with several people that members have found for us to teach.  I love it, it is basically the best thing ever.

On Sunday we got to teach the 15-16 year old Sunday school class which was a ton of fun. We got out PMG and had them all teach a point in pairs. It went well and they really enjoyed it. there is just a really good group of kids here.

There are just a lot of cool things happening here in Monett and in the rest of our zone. It is awesome to see the way the culture of our mission and our wards is changing. it all comes from the keys.

Loving my time as a missionary serving the Lord.

Have a great week.

Lazy Day

Hello everyone. Hope yall had a good week. It seemed to really fly by here.

We have just been really busy which I am totally ok with. Nothing too exciting happened this week out of the usual. We taught people and did a bunch of Service, Saturday we pretty much just wore service clothes(I like those days).   We are still working with all of the same people as last week.  We are starting to see some good progress with several of the families.  One family I went to see while we were on splits yesterday.   it was nice out(80*) so we tossed a football around with the family.  It was really cool because the dad got everyone out side and then once we started he asked everyone to say what they were thankful for whenever they caught the ball.  Probably one of my favorite lessons.  I really just love being here and working with all of the members. They are all so strong and supportive. It is nice to see.   We spend a good amount of time helping build the members faith so that they have the faith to be member missionaries and invite their friends. It is so much more effective than knocking on doors.   They also do a really good job of feeding us here. I don't think there has been a day yet that we didn't have a dinner.  

But besides the missionary work there is not much to do here in Monett.  Need to find something good to do on Mondays.

Love yall

Procrastinate=Ugly date. An old Indian Proverb

Happy Monday everyone.  We have had a really good week here in Monett, been super busy this week. and this coming week will be even more packed.

We spent a lot of our time this week getting to know a lot of the members and all of our investigators. We had a couple of service hours this week. We played poker in an old people home for a while and then on Saturday when it was 80* outside (it is supposed to still be winter)  we helped a Potential investigator and a Recent convert dig some trenches and then plant raspberry bushes.  We had lunch with the investigator and he was kind of Amish but he brought a friend that just really wanted to bash so that was lame.  We have also done quite a bit of tracting, just around appointments that fall through. Surprisingly enough everyone here is very nice, they will talk to us for 5-10 minutes even if they aren't interested. It's kind of nice.

thursday we had Zone Conference and we had a really good meeting there. Afterwards we went to  a meeting with the Stake Pres and the missionary council. 

The members here are all just so strong and friendly, its refreshing to not have to do all the work myself for a change and be more of just the cheer leader for the members ;)

Right now the main people we are working with:

      The McWilliams family: Our Elder Quorum President invited him to church and has been investigating for several weeks now and the family of 7 has been coming to church every week. Not only that they bring their friends as well.  So far we have only taught the father and not the family. He seems to be really searching everything out and is progressing well. They ward loves them and they already seem like they are members

       Josh and Sherri, Devin, Kaylen, Draysen:

They were tracted into and are a really promising family. When we come over the Josh (step dad) gets all the kids together and has them sit down so we can read the Book of Mormon. Devin is probably the best reader and love reading the book of Mormon he carries that and his bible around with him where ever he goes. Super cool!

        Welman: used to be an investigator. But Yesterday a member showed us an article in the newspaper that he had had a house fire... And then was arrested and sent to prison for child molestation...   so yea. ..we aren't seeing him anymore

        Melissa:  She is 18 and is staying here with her aunt and uncle (members) and really likes the church.   She's doing awesome

We also do a lot of work with the youth here.  There are a lot of them and they are all pretty cool.

Another neat thing about Monett.  The big family here is the Leavitts. Dad Leavit has 15 kids and a 32 year spread   2 of his sons live here and are the Stake President and Bishop, one daughter is married to the EQP and then he has 2 sons and a daughter that are still in young men's and primary

They all live on the family farm in a few houses,  Known to the locals as Farmville. It is basically Zion. It's pretty cool.

Anyway-have a great single awareness day tomorrow!

Monett

Hey Everybody.  
So not a ton to report on as I only emailed like 5 days ago.

But, it has been a pretty great few days.  On Wednesday, our last day in Pittsburg, we got to go to a baptism and then we had a going away ice cream party. It was nice to be able to see everyone, and I got a tie signed by everyone too. It was a good last day.

Thursday was transfers. As usual it was freezing so standing outside all day was rough. Also found out that not only was I shotgunning (both companions being transferred) out of Pittsburg, I was Shotgunning into Monett. It has been a bit of an adventure trying to figure everything out. Especially getting around here because there are a lot of just rural farm roads.  We normally expect to get lost 4 times on the way to each appointment and arrive about a half hour late. haha   But it is going really well.

We are working a lot with the members. We are teaching a family of 7 right now that was found by a member. They are doing sooo good and it is great to be here just teaching and supporting the members.  I got to go on splits with the Stake President and that was a great experience as well. His family is pretty amazing. He is one of 15 kids and most live in the area. His brother is the bishop and a sister is the Elders' Quorum President's wife and then there are a few siblings that are in YM and YW.  Everyone tells me that I look like one of the brothers so that is interesting.   I am just so glad to be here. It is cool to see what some good missionaries can do for an area after a while.

And I am upset that the Patriots won - but life is good! 

Love y'all and have a good week!

$0.50 Corn Dog Day (Guess we know what the missionaries are having for lunch today!)

Hello everyone!  It has been a good and long week.

I am getting transferred to Monett, Missouri, and am sad to be leaving Pittsburg.

This past weekend we had a baptism!  Jurnie Smith was baptized by her friend Quincy. Was a great experience!

We had a lot of other really exciting things happen with a World Wide Training for missionaries where our schedule was changed and a few other things. It has been interesting adjusting to. But it is a good new.

I wrote a really long letter to President so I thought I would just include that here:

This has been the best week I have had in this area so far. We had a baptism this weekend and had a huge number of nonmembers there. The YSA group is really doing amazing at being member missionaries, maybe because all of them are preparing to go on missions pretty soon. It has been neat to kind of include them in Elder Wrights training and see them progress.

Recovering from a fierce ping pong
battle at FHE Monday

I suppose I need to stop planning events for the Saturday after transfers. We were going to the temple with 2 new converts this week and I had found some family names that had actually lived here in Pittsburg so I was pretty excited about that. I guess it will have to wait. Also this past 5th Sunday Bishop gave the lesson on member missionary work after I spoke on that topic in sacrament. It was good to see him start to initiate all of the things we have been working on with members for the last year with the missionaries helping the members with their own mission plans and then the special sacrament meeting also. It is good to see the ward's progress.
From the world wide training the biggest thing that i have been applying has been spending more time out of the apartment. We have been doing companion study and 12 week training and other activities on campus here and it has been good to just be seen by a lot of people. It also gives the members a chance to talk to their friends that see us with them.
As for faith what has come pretty strongly to me was something that Elder Bednar brought up in the WWT. He quoted Ephesians 1:10 about all things being gathered together in one in Christ. That was also the scripture that i had chosen to memorize for that day (funny how things work like that) How he related that to the Doctrine of Christ and that it is one thing and that it all works together. So applying that specifically to faith it means that we have to Repent, Keep covenants, have the Spirit, and Endure to the end, to increase our faith. 
The District has been great. I have especially loved seeing the new missionaries progress with their trainers these last few weeks. Last Tuesday we went and blitzed Parsons for a day. They still did not have any investigators but had just been meeting with members. We spent 4 hours finding. Elder Fish and Wright decided to go through formers and found a new investigator from that. While Elder Greenwood and I biked, it was cool to see people just placed in our path. We ran into several less actives with friends and also a member from Pittsburg at a Burger King, and her less active daughter, whose husband is wanting to take the lessons. It is never a bad idea to stop and get ice cream!

Anyways, I am sad to be leaving this area but am looking forward to new opportunities in Monett.

Love you all  . . .