Connor's Last Missionary Letter!!

I really can not believe that I made it. At times it seemed like I was going to be on my mission for the rest of my life. I really can not believe that this is my last week. We were able to have a baptism this past weekend also. His name is Adam and he is 19. He plans on serving a mission and is just a steller guy.

I have been trying to go around and say goodbye to a lot of people. It really sucks as I hate saying goodbye. I have made a lot of friends out here and just sucks having to say goodbye to everyone. Luckily though I will be able to keep track of them through social media.

I have learned a lot on my mission. Like a freak ton so much I can't even begin to describe the lessons I have gone through. I am tired though, like really tired. Maybe because it is the end but I am just feeling like I'm worn out. Give it the last push this week and then I'll be coming home.

I do want to work quickly dad. What is the starting pay at C.C. Creations. I'll work there if it is better. Going to have to figure out what I am going to do up at Logan though.

WHAT IS THIS BEING RELEASED THE DAY AFTER I GET HOME? Tell the Stake President that I can call him that night and get released then I will come and debrief with him the next day. I don't want to have to spend all day at home living the mission rules, sorry but that would suck having Mary Jane (my computer) sitting right there and not being able to touch her. I know cruel and unusual punishment and this is definitely it. She is the only girl that has been faithful two me for the whole two years;)

Thank you guys so much for everything that you do. Thanks for paying for me to serve a mission. It has been a great two years. I love you guys so much.

Connor

September 30, 2013

Elder Connor Hinckley,

I've called you Connor Boy in all my letters, but I feel it is fitting to write this last letter to Elder Hinckley because that is what you are and what you have become. This is it. You did it. I have a solid feeling of peace I hope that you do as well. I feel like you have done something of great worth, something significant that you might not even completely understand yet. I'm so thankful that you served your mission. I'm so grateful that you stayed on your mission despite all the awful times that it would have been easier not to.

Uppermost on my mind has been the growth and expansion of your testimony of the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. From your letters I have felt that your testimony entered much deeper territories and that has and continues to thrill me. I think I need to serve a mission:)

I just want you to remember that we love you!! And are so proud of you!! Since the day you were born, that has been and ever will be true. I don't really understand a parent's unending, unconditional love. But I feel it. It is a gift that comes from our Heavenly Father.

We have prayed for you. That has been a constant in our lives. Every morning. Every night. And a lot of in-betweens:) I have thought about the changes that will come with you returning home. I don't want that to change and I feel like I need to be more consistent about your sisters. Why does that have to stop. But, you might find we accidentally still pray for your safety on your mission when you have family prayers with us:)

We have missed you for so long. Two years is a long time:) Our world has not been the same without you close by. I miss your spontaneous laughter and our private jokes. Jaylen and you will have to duke it out for the funniest Hinckley in the family;) I long to wrap my arms around you again - to comfort your heart, to feel your strength, and to know that you are safe. But I haven't wanted to say that because underneath it all I HAVEN'T WANTED YOU TO COME HOME.......YET!!! Because I KNOW that you have been doing what you need to be doing. This has been such an important aspect of your life's journey that I haven't wanted you to miss any part of it. I wanted you to experience that more than I wanted you to be with us. The growth that you have experienced these last 2 years has been a mother's dream come true. I'm not sure sometimes if I want this phase of your life to end. And I'm not just thinking about you. For while you have been growing in faith, we have been growing because of your mission. You have blessed us far more than you even know. I testify of that. Just you being where you were supposed to be has helped us more that you can know. Through your mission and the things that happened while you were there I have learned that a loving, compassionate, all-wise God really is in charge:) not me:):) No one learns to trust in God the way a missionary and his mom do;)

All I can hope now is that after two years both of us have learned the lesson of missionary service well enough that when you return to "the real world" our first response to trials and life will continue to be turning to the Lord.

The value of a returned missionary who is truly converted, is priceless.
I saw this talk on lds.org this morning and thought I would send it to you. It is from Gordon B. I thought that was fitting to get a little advice from a relative:)

Quite a few years ago I was in an airport and happened to meet some returning missionaries. Their families were there. They were picking up their baggage, and I said to one of them, “What’s all this you have?” He said, “These are gifts I am bringing home.” And that has given me the title of what I would like to share: “Gifts to Bring Home from the Mission Field.”

1. A knowledge of and love for God our Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). There is no greater gift that comes to anyone in this world than a certain, reassuring conviction that God, our Eternal Father, lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I believe that. I think it is so very, very important.

2. A knowledge of and love for the scriptures, the word of the Lord.

As a missionary, I read each evening before going to bed a few chapters of the Book of Mormon, and there came into my heart a conviction which has never left: that this is the word of God, restored to the earth by the power of the Almighty, translated by the gift and power of God to the convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. I thank the Lord for the testimony which I have of the truth of the word of God as found in these sacred revealed books. And I would hope that every missionary would leave his or her field of labor with a conviction in his or her heart that these things are true.

3. An increased love for parents.

I have attended hundreds of missionary meetings over the years. I love to hear missionaries speak of their love for the Lord, but I also love to hear them speak with great appreciation and love concerning their parents. Boys who had been careless and indifferent stand on their feet and with tears in their eyes thank the Lord for their fathers and their mothers. In these days, what a salutary and wonderful thing it is to hear a strong young man stand up and speak with great feeling concerning his father and his mother, saying things he would never have said before in all of his life. Every boy and girl ought to come home with an increased love for parents.

4. A love for the people among whom they labor.

I love the English people. No one can sell the English short in my mind because I labored with them, I lived with them, I was in their homes at their firesides, I learned to know their hearts, and I learned to love them.
I have learned to love the people of Asia. I spent 11 years among them, and I love them. To me, I love them as much as I love anybody because of the experience I have had as a missionary, as it were, among them.
There’s something wrong if a missionary doesn’t come back with a great love for the people among whom he labored.

5. An appreciation for hard work.

Every missionary ought to come to realize that work, work, work is the key to getting things done, the key to success in life. There is no substitute for work, for getting up in the morning and getting at it and staying with it to get the job done. I don’t know of a greater asset for whatever lies ahead in life than the capacity to discipline oneself to work.

6. The assurance that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is available to each of us when we live for it.

The availability of inspiration—each of us, if we live for it, if we cultivate it, can have it. I love these great words of revelation, these words of promise: “God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost” (D&C 121:26). What a precious gift to bring home—the assurance, the certainty that if we live for it, we have available to us that which comes by the power of the Holy Spirit.

7. An understanding of the importance of teamwork.

No one can do this work alone. We work in pairs. “In the mouth of two or more witnesses shall [all things] be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1). We work together. There is no place for prima donnas in the mission field. Our efforts are largely team efforts, and what a marvelous thing it is to learn to work with other people.

8. The value of personal virtue.

I think there is no greater thing concerning future integrity that a missionary can learn than the value of personal virtue. I think there are fewer words greater than the promise given under the inspiration of the Lord as set forth by the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.” That’s the commandment. And then the promise: “Thy confidence [shall] wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45). That’s the promise to those who walk in virtue.

9. The faith to act.

“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way … that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth” (1 Nephi 3:7).
We ask tremendous things of missionaries. It is so hard for shy and diffident young people to do the things we sometimes ask them to do. But what a marvelous thing that they try. They have the faith to do, the faith to act, the faith to go forward and make the effort. And what a marvelous gift that is to bring home.

10. The humility to pray.

Recognize that there is a power greater than ours, that no matter how good a man is, he is not good enough, that no matter how wise he is, he is not wise enough, that no matter how strong he is, he is not strong enough for all of the things which he will face in life, and that there is a source of power to which he can go with the assurance that he will be listened to and that there will be a response.
These are 10 gifts that I would hope every missionary would bring home with him or her—not a lot of tinsel, not a lot of dolls, not a lot of rugs or furs or dresses or plates, but these great, enduring, wonderful things. God bless you to keep the faith, and while doing so, enjoy with great happiness that which you are called to do.

So no Disneyland souvenirs, though I think the amount of games you sent home was a quite a lot:):)
I count down the days til we get to see you again and I can wrap my arms around you and hear your voice and your wonderful laugh.
Love always and forever as your humble mom!!!

September 23, 2013

So things are going good. I'm so sorry to hear about Jaylen. I'll definitely be praying for her. 

 

Dad please you expect Utah and BYU to play and me not to figure out the score? 20-13 UTAH!!! Held them out of the endzone till the fourth quarter also! UCLA should be interesting though. They seem pretty good this year I hear. I'm excited to be able to watch Utah football again. 

 

Things are going well here though. We are dealing with some sisters in our zone that are walking out of Gospel Principles because they feel that the teacher goes into too deep of doctrine. So they just get up and leave with Investigators still in the class. They are trying to make a statement or something I guess. I'm just tired of dealing with mission drama. These sisters really don't like me either. So not fun to deal with lol. I really don't like being a zone leader. It is just really tough and you are always driving and calling and texting people non-stop. But it is keeping me super super busy. These weeks are flying by. I thought my last transfer was going to be so long but this has gone by so fast. I can hardly believe I am almost done. 

 

We had a baptism this saturday of Emily. It was super neat and lots of people came. We have one next week as well and we are super excited for that one. We are teaching a ton of people also after the baptism we will have 6 investigators still which is more than pretty much my entire mission. If I could describe my mission right now it would be busy busy busy. 

 

I'm excited to come home. We'll all have a lot to catch up on. Hope I'm not too different when I come home :) Maybe you'll hardly recognize me ha ha.

 

Happy Birthday dad in two days! I'll be sending you your present tomorrow. I know you'll like it. I'll send some more stuff home with it also. Thanks for everything guys and I love you!

 

P.S. My comp is a BYU fan so I get to gloat for the next two weeks. :)

September 16, 2013

So looks like I really need to beat up this Baylor kid. What a retard. Tell Jaylen that dating is dumb and to never do it. Tell her not to worry about the dance. I didn't go my senior prom and look how I turned out..........okay maybe you should have her go to the dance. That is so neat about you fellowshipping that other mom though! I am so excited and happy to hear that. Keep on inviting her to things and ask to go to the lessons with the missionaries. It means twenty times more coming from you than it does the missionaries. I am so excited for this.

I did get my Spidey T shirt yes thank you! Ha ha ha it has become my favorite p-day shirt. I love it so much. Thank you.

No worries about anyone coming down they don't have to. I think in the past it was easier because they didn't really have families yet so I was like the only grandchild for everybody. Now that everybody is older they have there own stuff to do. It is totally fine.

My companion was trained by Elder Jackson (my best friend on the mission) in a neighboring ward when I trained Elder Healey. So I basically feel like we have already been companions. It is really neat and we get along super well.

We have two baptisms set up for these next two weekends. One is Emily who is what we call an enternal which means she has been taking lessons from the missionaries forever. The other is Adam who was a golden, meaning he believes everything and has no concerns. We are pumped for them.

I can't wait to be home but at the same time I am scared for coming home. I gotta worry about the real world now and responsibility ha ha. In terms of job though I could work at Best Buy or another retail place up in Logan if Hastings goes under or something. Also does my cousin still have that comic shop? There is lots of options. Just don't want to work fast food. I like retail so I'll sell anything to anybody if it isn't burritos and hamburgers.

I'm doing good and finishing strong. I have to go on exchanges with all the District Leaders this week which sucks. I like staying in my area with my own apartment. I am not a fan of change. Plus some of them are weird. Ha ha should be fun though. Thank you guys for everything that you do. I love you!

September 9, 2013

That kinda bugs me about my packages falling apart. Everything better have been in there if anything is missing I'll have to buy a new game to replace the parts which would suck. Anyways glad that that got there at least.

 

That is awesome to hear about Nana and Papa though. I'm excited for them. As soon as I get home they'll leave ha ha. They will have fun wherever they go. What would really be funny is if they get called here.

 

Tell Kate to stay away from boys. I already am going to have to kill Jaylen's boyfriend I don't want more murders on my head.

 

That is crazy also of Brock. Good for him going though.

 

Being a zone leader is kinda lame. The sisters in the zone don't like me at all. One of them told Hoch my comp. "I don't think Elder Hinckley likes me, whenever he is around me I am always mad at him." Not really sure where she is connecting the dots on that one but only a woman could think like that.....sorry mom. So I go to the mission office a lot now picking up everybody's mail to give back to them. We just had 5 investigators at church yesterday which was crazy!!!!! I have never really taught more than 2-3 people at one time on my mission before and now we are teaching 6! Plus with all the zone leader stuff we have to do; get mail, inspect apartments, go on exchanges, give rides, and help people move, we have like no down time.

 

So with the new missionaries all that has really changed is that there is just more now. Before we had missionaries who wanted to be here ones that didn't ones that were prepared and ones that weren't. Well now we just have more of all of that now. Every single ward in our mission is split. It is insaine and there are so many sisters. When I came out there was 14. Now there is 70+. Like crazy crazy crazy.

 

Speaking of Disneyland though I got our zone permission to go to downtown disney today. We won't go into the parks but we'll be able to take pics and walk it which should be nice. I'll try not to spend too much money at the ESPN arcade jk jk ha ha. Also dad! Why didnt' you tell me BYU and UTAH were playing this year! I thought they had a by. It is on the 21st also!!!! holy cow! BYU beat Texas also that is crazy. I'm hoping Texas is just looking crummy this year and BYU isn't looking good.

 

Love you guys lots and thanks for everything that you do!

September 4, 2013

So things are better. Our phone is constantly going off. It is like missionaries cannot survive without us Zone Leaders telling us what to do every five seconds. I'm kinda just a do it myself guy so having to tell people what they can and can do all the time is kinda lame. 

 

Being in a YSA ward is weird though. Everybody there just wants to get married and it is really weird being a missionary in that environment. We do have a lot of potential coming up though in the ward. We have two investigators with a date for this month and a third investigator who is close to setting a date. Also we are getting three new investigators today from a referral from other missionaries. This is definitely the busiest time of my mission. I am not doing any more missionary work at all but handling the logistics of the zone along with missionary work is crazy. We give so many people rides everywhere and have to go to the office a ton to pick stuff up and get mail and whatnot. I am happy though and definitely will finish out my mission going 150%. I do miss the Euclid ward right now though. The ward I am serving in is the Placentia 4th Young Single Adult Ward.

I still keep in touch with Tyler also. He was my baptism in Yorba Linda 5th ward. He just started his senior year and is planning on a mission after highschool. I am taking lots of pictures mom don't worry. Us as missionaries aren't allowed to go on facebook yet in this mission. It will probably be allowed a month or two after I leave. I think I am going to be really behind on the whole social media thing when I get home. In the YSA ward we have to text people to get a hold of them because they wont answer a phone call ever which is super weird.

I will be better with money also. I am not going to be buying anything really this month because I am going home. I am in survival mode now. I needed the address because I was sending packages home and I got to the UPS store and I couldn't remember it. It has been like two years so give me a break.

So you guys are going to be getting two packages in the mail today tomorrow or Friday. They are kinda big and have a lot of junk in it. I just want you to know that a lot of that junk was given to me by members or I found by the dumpster or garage sales. A lot of it I did buy though but it was over a year ago that I bought it all. You know that thing when I get depressed I start to buy stuff, well when the period of time when I was depressed I bought lots of board games. I really regret it and I have learned to master that weakness on my mission. But I have a lot of junk because of it. So you guys are welcome to play any of those that you want. A ton of them are really fun and I can't wait to play them with you when I get home. As you can probably guess I was really popular on P-day.......we played a lot of board games. But I worked hard on my mission. Don't think I just did that all day also. Thanks for understanding, and I'm sorry.

I can not believe that the girls are so old now though. Jaylen is a Junior? That is just weird. I was suppose to be the only one in High School. How do you think the girls will be when they go to the same school? Will the be friends or enemies? Ha ha.

I hope you guys are ready for when I get home because our house is going to turn into the missionary hub. Every single lesson the Elders teach will be in our home and we will fellowship them all. I'm going to be inviting everybody I know also. Nothing bugs me more than members who feel that it is the missionaries job to find people to teach. That is no more the case. The members have the responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach now.

I love you guys so much and thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for letting me go and stay out on a mission. The scarifies you have made financially and emotionally are more than I could ever ask for. I feel like I have learned and grown so much since I cam out. I have a real sense, like real actual, and tangible sense of Heavenly Father and his relationship with me. I have learned so much about the gospel and the church and I feel my faith has grown so much. I still have so much to learn as well about everything. I love you guys so much.

Connor

August 27, 2013

Sorry guys for taking so long to write back. We went to the temple last week so our p-day was moved and then I didn't have enough time to e-mail. The new temple video is really really neat though. Really emotional. 

 

My birthday was really neat though. Thank you so much for the package you sent. Tell nana and papa thank you also because my account wont let me e-mail them for some weird reason. The Sorenson's, the family that is really neat took me and Sister Hawker (the sister that shares the ward with me) out to eat at Olive Garden and we all got the endless pasta bowl. 

 

Then what I have been spending all my money on is that I took everybody to an all you can eat sushi bar for mine and Hawker's Birthday another day then I threw a surprise birthday party for sister Hawker. Her birthday is on the 24th and it was really fun. She was super surprised and we decorated her apartment and got a bunch of other missionaries there. We were able to play some card games and stuff. I cooked chocolate chip pancakes for everybody also. Super fun, well as fun as it can be while your on a mission ha ha.

 

But something terrible happened and I was transferred. I am not a Zone Leader. I don't know why president put me as one for my last six weeks but I am not happy about it. I am now in the Placentia Young Single Adult Ward. I am with Elder Hoch (pronounced Hoke) which is really cool. When I trained Elder Healey in Yorba Linda Jackson trained Hoch so we are super good friends. I don't know how I am going to do in a singles ward I am use to talking to people older than me. I am more comfortable with that.

 

Whatever is easiest on the family and everbodys schedule is fine for when I come home and talk. I can speak whenever they or you need me to and people can come visit if and when they want to. I'll let you know more about the area after I have been in it longer that 24 hours. Thank you again guys for the birthday stuff. It was really neat. You guys are the best ever. See you soon.

 

August 12, 2013

This week has been pretty rough. The sisters when they split the ward took all of our investigators and our Less Actives that we had been meeting with. So we did a lot of tracting and meeting with members. Finding is always the toughest part of being a missionary. President said that he is going to transfer me my last transfer which would really suck. I hope he doesn't because I love this ward so much. I brought it back from civil war and made the relationship with the bishop good again. Because of that I just feel like I have a lot invested here. 

 

Yeah it's pretty hot here too. I think it got up to 92 degrees the other day. So we just went and stood in the shade and it was pretty okay ha ha ha. I am going to die when I come back to Texas weather. 

That is weird to think about going back to school and getting a job again. Like being a missionary is just so much a part of my life now. I am pretty sure I have a job at Hastings when I get back also (if they aren't bankrupt). It might be nice too be able to transfer to the one in Logan also. How is the comic book store with Trent also? Would he take me? Is he being successful? Is he going to go bankrupt? ha ha if all else fails I could work at CC. That is a T-shirt making place right? 

 

 I don't think I want the meal plan at USU. I have gotten so use to cooking for myself/buying groceries for myself. When does the Spring Semester start at USU? When do I have to enroll for classes? There is so much to do when I get home I kinda don't want to go home ha ha. Oh well don't have to worry about it for 8 more weeks. 

Thanks for getting me a phone. A Samsung galaxy III or IV or a Samsung Note II would be really nice :) ha ha ha thanks you guys for everything. I love you

August 5, 2013

So my companion finally decided to stay!!!!! I've have been so stressed about that lately. I feel like a huge weight has just been taken off my back. Transfers are coming up in about three weeks. President told me that Elder Kolega is going to be training so I needed to get him ready for that. It really sucks though because I will probably get transferred out and go serve my last transfer in a new area. I don't want that to happen especially because I know so many cool members here that are awesome. The Sorensons are the ones that texted you. They are a really neat family. They are also the ones that sent you a picture of me kissing that pig statue. They have a 18 15 and 14 year old sons. The 15 year old is inactive so we are trying to work a lot with him.

 

 I am glad to hear that the girls are keeping busy with soccer. That is awesome to hear about Jaylen also. She can go be a cowgirl over at Wyoming ha ha. That would be really neat also if she came to USU with me. I could show her around campus and introduce her to.............well I think that she would know more people than me there probably ha ha. We are going around to all the ward members and sharing little messages with them about the Restoration. Then we are talking about their friends and who would be good to start the missionary process with. That is what steps the members can take now to eventually invite them to meet with the missionaries. It has been really good so far. I will be sending home some stuff probably soon, especially if I get transferred so look out for that. I love you guys so much and thanks for everything!!!!

July 15, 2013

Transfers was today and nothing new really happened with us. We are
still staying the same. We did get our ward split so now 4
missionaries are in our ward. Sister Hawker and her companion will be
covering the south part of the ward while me and Kolega will be
covering the north part. I'm really excited I get to stay in the North
because the coolest families are up there. I kinda pulled some strings
to stay up in that part of the ward also because I got some info ahead
of time they were splitting the ward.

The Sorenson family is really
neat. They are the ones that sent you the picture of me at the BBQ
they have three adopted sons. One of them is LA and doesn't come to
church so we go over and teach them a lot. They are the neatest family
and Sister Sorenson said that I am her adopted son now ha ha. They
really take care about us and they are super cool. Also the Rushforth's in
the ward are in the north. They have a 19 year old who isn't doing
anything with his life. Hasn't gone on a mission are tried to go to
school and kinda plays video games all day. Kinda like I would be if I
hadn't gone on a mission or go to school. So I can connect to him
really well and we are working on getting him to do something with his
life. We take him to a lot of our lessons.
For my b-day I would love to have either a phone or a car. I left on
my mission with both and now I will be returning with neither. If it
is a car just one that runs please if it is a phone then either a HTC
or a Samsung Galaxy or Note. No iphone. I am done with Apple.
The ward has really rallied around Josh a lot which is really neat to
see. Make sure to help any RC feel welcome to the ward because that
really makes a missionary feel really good. Like you care about what
he does.
Don't worry about me going Less Active after my mission. Our house is
going to be the cool house where the missionaries always hang out when
I get home. I'm going to go with them to every single lesson.
Don't get ahead of yourself mom with the whole dating/marriage thing
class. I still need to re-learn how to talk to girls again. It is easy
as a missionary because nothing can ever happen so like it is no
pressure. But when I get home. I am terrified of going out into social
situations again. I don't think I am going to want to date for awhile
when I get home. Lets just get me use to watching TV or not wearing a
Tie every day first ha ha.
I love you guys so much. Thank you for everything that you do!

July 8, 2013

So the baptism went amazing. Elder Kolega was able to baptize him. It was his first time and that was just really neat to see. Reminded me of my first baptism a year and a half ago (as well as 30lbs ago). Elder Kolega is having really hard times staying out. His country just entered the EU and now they have a property tax. Because he lives outside the country he is going to end up owing $60,000 to the government in taxes when he goes home. So he is really thinking about going home early. He can't though. The entire church of Croatia is depending on him staying out. President told me that I can't let him go home and that the fate of Croatia is in my hands. He also said that Elder Bednar put Elder Kolega in this mission to be with President Bowen and that so I could be his trainer. Elder Bednar wanted me to be his trainer specifically. Do you know the type of pressure that puts me under? I can't let this kid go home. It is like though in his mind he has already made up his mind. I am under like so much stress.

Anyways I will be praying for the girls. They are sure traveling a lot though. It is kinda crazy. So when does Jaylen start playing in the US team? Ha ha I can't believe how involved you have to be to do this. I guess though I am the king of non commitments ha ha. Everything else seems to be going really well though. They are splitting our ward into two different areas so now there will be four missionaries in our ward. The other two will be sisters so it should be interesting. I love you guys so much.

July 1, 2013

Subway because I get less fat from it :)

 

So the whole Facebook thingy I talked with President and he said changes were coming soon to the mission. He said that we are getting smartphones and tablets and we will have constant internet access. I was like okay in like six months to a year right? He told me that I will see it before I leave. So it is going to happen in the next three months which is crazy.

 

Disneyland is in the Assistant to the President's area. So that lesser missionaries aren't tempted to go there.

 

The more Jaylen doesn't spend with Baylor the happier I am. Whenever you say his name also I think of the school first. Did his parents know there was a school named Baylor and that it was also the name of farming equipment?

 

I never get sick ha ha. No I really have never been sick sick on my mission. I have had food poisoning and a flu here or there but nothing that knocked me out for more than a day.

 

Where do you work at now mom? How is the new crazy political job doing dad? Guess you really did use your poly sci major after all ha ha.

 

I'm glad that girls are doing well in soccer. Did I ever become this committed to anything like the girls are to soccer ha ha. I could barely stand one basketball camp a year. Kate went by herself on a plane also? That is crazy.

 

So Josh is getting baptized this Saturday and we are really excited for it. We also picked up a new investigator yesterday. She is the 9 year old daughter of a less active who wants to come back to church. If every member could not baptize their kids till they were nine then a missionaries life would be so much easier ha ha.

 

I am doing well thanks for everything that you guys do. I love you all lots.

 

June 24, 2013

Hey guys, it is going well over here. That is really sad to hear about Zach. (We heard about a friend of the family who had to come home for a really bad ankle injury) If he can heal up before a year then he can go back to the mission that he was in before. If it is over a year then he just re-applies and can get sent anywhere again. I hope that he goes back out.

 

I can't wait to see Kate play basketball. I remember going to I think Jaylen's games and like there were she-mans on the courts that looked like their fathers injected them with testosterone since they were three. There is going to be a lot of things that i need to do when I get home ha ha. I don't think it will be very relaxing from my mission when I get home.

 

I sent the pictures so you should get them today or tomorrow. 

 

My companion is twenty three, he went to 2 semesters of LDS business college in SLC. He wants to have his old job back and travel the world again as a travel agent. 

 

Our apartment is really nice. The new housing coordinator at the mission office has been moving missionaries out of their old apartments and into nice ones. 

 

We have pretty much the same restaurants as anybody. Subway, Flame broiler, Five Guys, Wendy's, and things like that. 

 

Josh came again to church which was amazing! We set a firm date with him for July 6th and he is on track for that. He told us he believes the BofM to be true. We are so so excited for him. He is still super shy though and it is really hard to get a conversation out of him at times. That is really neat about the family that you referred though. I hope that it works out. 

 

So yesterday we had a worldwide broadcast to all members of Ward Council and missionaries. In it it went over policy on how members and missionaries are suppose to work together. Perry gave an excellent talk about how the common practices of talking to people on the street and knocking doors is outdated and that we need to do new finding ideas. He then announced that missionaries will be able to use tools like Facebook, Blogging, and other social media to further the work. So we don't know when or how it is going to happen but it will probably be up to our mission president. But that was kinda a cool announcement. 

http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng

That is the link to the conference it was a really really neat little thing. Like they had videos throughout it and just was really neat. I really suggest watching it for FHE. I was really entertained for it. All about missionary work also so I loved it ha ha.

  

I love you guys. Thanks for everything that you do! 

June 17, 2013

Kinda scary...

Happy Father's day dad!!!! I hope that you had a good one. Things this week have been going good. So my companion's family is the largest LDS family in Croatia. His older brother and father are not members but his two sisters and mom and then his sisters family is mormon as well. He was a travel agent before he came out so he has traveled all over the world. He told me he couldn't remember a place where he stayed more than 2 months at for the past three years. The mission is going to kill him that way it being so small.

An investigator came to church yesterday! Josh the 17 year old that we are teaching. He was super shy but I hope that he enjoyed it. We are going to be able to really start working with him now. The Garcia family is another story. They have been playing hookie with us. We can't seem to meet with them all of the sudden. We'll keep trying though.

Glad to hear that you guys had fun in Florida. I get to see the Disneyland fireworks every night at 9:30. That is how we know we are late coming home sometimes if we are driving and see the fireworks ha ha.

I did get your guys package. Thank you for the trail mix and the chex mix.

I can't believe that I have less than 4 months left. It is scary to think about. I am sending pictures don't worry I just forget and am lazy sorry (recognizing the problem is the first step to repentance so I am on track to repent on laziness). I'm doing well though. Thank you guys for everything.

June 10, 2013

My new companion is great! So he speaks English very well. He is like a sick companion. I can't wait to play basketball with him today. So he isn't the first Elder to ever serve from Croatia but he is the only Croatian missionary in the world right now. It is crazy. We get along really well right now though. 

The missionaries in your ward sound like they are having a tough time. Not having anybody to teach though isn't their fault it is yours. Get them people to teach. Ask Emilio's mom over to dinner. Just say that you'd love to get to know her and if she could come over for dinner one night. The missionaries would love you guys forever. 

Ha ha the girls are going to be all alone. I don't think Jaylen would throw a party but I know for a fact that Kate would. I don't think I would have had that problem because I didn't know enough people when I was in High School to really throw a party ha ha. I guess I could have invited all the mormons over and we would have probably watched a movie and everybody would have been home by 12. Whooooooo Party!!!!!!!! Ha ha ha, they will probably be fine.

So we have a family with a baptismal date named the Garcia's. The family has Larry (dad) Maria (mom) Genasis (16 old daughter) and a 7 year old daughter. The mom really wants this though and she is the one working and holding the family together. We are really trying to get them to church. That seems to be the hardest thing here. Nobody wants to come to church. Especially if it is the 9:00 session. Good luck. Ha ha

That is awesome about Nana and Papa serving. I can just see them in like Kenya or something like going through the jungle or the savana ha ha. 

I haven't gotten the package yet but I probably will this Thursday. Thanks so much for sending me things. I am sending you pictures today on a flash drive. 

Most of the members here in California feel like they are all from Utah. They all went to school at BYU like all of them. Then got their masters at USC, Cal State Fullerton, UCI, UCLA, or someplace then settled here. I don't notice if they are cute or not either because I am on a mission mom..... ;)

Just don't have them do the summer bridge activity books mom. Those were the worst things in the world. Ha ha ha ha :) I don't think they are as addicted as me though to the screens so I wouldn't worry. You guys have fun in Florida. 

Love, 

Connor

June 3, 2013

So guess what I'm doing this transfer.........training. Not training any missionary though, I am training the first missionary to come out of the country of Croatia. He is 6'5'' and they say that he speaks good English but no one really knows. I will get him sometime tomorrow. This is really crazy. I've already trained one missionary from Kenya, had a companion from Hong Kong and now one from Croatia. I think that I can say at this point that I served a foreign mission. So hopefully I'll be able to show him a good time in America. Elder Bottorff is going to be a zone leader in the new mission. That means that out of the group that I came out with. Three of us will be left after the mission splits. Jackson is going to the new mission, which is really really sad. The mission will split July 1st so today is the last transfer day that we will be together as one. It is weird to think that I only have three transfers left. When I am done training I will only have one left. That is even crazier. It is really going to be over before I know it. I was able to confirm someone yesterday for the first time on my mission. A 10 year old girl we have been working with in the Acacia Park ward was baptized Saturday and asked me to confirm her. That was really special. I'll let you know more about my companion when he comes. Hopefully he plays bastketball ha ha. Love you guys!

May 28, 2013

So things have been going good. I did get your package thank you so much. The scotcharoos were amazing thank you so much. I had forgotten how much I really love those things. We had a baptism this weekend in the Acacia Park ward. It was really great. Her name was Joy and she is a single mother who has had a hard time. The Baptism went great and one of her kids now wants to get baptized this weekend so we are getting ready for that. Covering two wards has been so crazy so so so crazy.

 

The Allergy medicine I like is Allegra, whatever is in Allegra really works for me. So on the box of Allegra it should say what is in it.

 

We are doing okay as a companionship right now. We are still having troubles, Elder Johns and Bottorff just don't really mix a lot ha ha. Only one week left.

I have no idea what will happen with me next week with transfers. I could go with Johns stay with Bottorff or go somewhere totally different. Should be exciting.

 

I really like the Euclid ward now especially with all the members. The Bishop is still kinda crazy but the members are really really nice. I hope to stay here.

 

Thanks for telling about Grandpa Hink dad. I want to read his war diary some day. All I know of WWII comes from Call of Duty pretty much. Oh and the movie Patton. So from those accurate portrayals of American War history I am now an expert on WWII.

 

Tell Jaylen to brake up with the dude. If he doesn't respect her friends he wont respect her. He will die when I come home. No mercy now. Like six months to scary just got a jump start.

 

Ha ha definitely Kate is special when it comes to personality. Ha ha she is going to be even more of a wreck when it comes to dating than Jaylen or I (little of it that I did) was. At least I will be home for that. Only problem is that it won't really be the boys causing the drama. I think it may be her ha ha. Have fun with that one guys.

I am doing well and taking care of my body mom don't worry. I love you guys all so much. Thank you for everything that you do.

May 20, 2013

Hey guys things have been going good. We do Laundry every week dad so no it doesn't just pile up around us ha ha. I'll go to some of the girls games, it should be fun. Things here are about the same. My companions are really about to kill each other. I came to Elder Johns with a peace offering though. Elder Bottorff's scriptures are really destroyed and like pages have been falling out and what not so we went in and got him some new scriptures because he needed them really badly. We said it was from both of us and so now we are all in an uneasy truce and I'm 40 poorer but it was worth it ha ha.

 I got your package! Thank you so much! You forgot stamps though ha ha, when you send me some stamps I'll send you pictures. Also I got my blessing, thank you for sending that. You guys really take care of me.

Oh gosh so it is just kinda crazy right now. This week has been crazy crazy. Covering both wards has just been unbearable. We are running from place to place and both wards are not happy that we are not just covering them. But, we are getting a lot done I like to feel. Thank you guys for everything that you do. I love you guys so much.

May 13, 2013

It was great to talk to you guys. I really don't have much to say because I said it all yesterday haha. 

 

Elder Johns and Elder Battorff (my companions) are going to kill each other.  So it is just like bad blood. Like the cryps and the bloods meeting up in spiritual warfare (if that makes sense). Can't wait for the package. Thank you so much for everything that you do. I love you guys so much. I'll see you in 5 months ha ha.

May 6, 2013

Hey guys this week was better. Ha ha I have just learned to kinda just go with what happens sometimes. Just grin. Sometimes the members look at me after some things and I just smile and go with it ha ha. We are doing okay though. Honestly Board Games are saving our companionship ha ha. That is really cool about finding my patriarchal blessing. Thanks for looking. I'm glad you got the letter from  Bro and Sister Miller. They are really great members in our ward. My shirt was frumpy probably because it had been a long day, I'd been out working and moving around. I don't look the best all the time ha ha. I am still at 185 comfortably and I'm sitting there. It is a perfect weight for me. No more 200 plus for me anymore.

 

In the Box you could send your love ha ha. I am on the slide now of my mission (last six months) I'm going into survival mode. I don't need much anymore.

 

I will call you on Mother's day. We have church from 9-12 so I'll probably call around 1 or 2 my time.  If those numbers have changed e-mail me before mothers day and I will check it when I do Mormon.org.

 

Me and Elder Bottorff are doing fine. He hasn't hit me yet or gotten angry, well he got angry when other Elders came to our apartment. He doesn't like social things. He gets angry frustrated and starts saying weird things like, "you should crush skulls" or start singing New England chants. We we are alone in the apartment though we get along just fine so far.

 

The area is great right now. We are working on Teaching two 15 year old twins that are not members but there dad we think is an excommunicated member who is coming back to church now. So a little touchy but we are trying to get in.

 

I will probably be staying in the Anaheim mission. Makes me sad we all won't get to leave together. I could get switched over though and they could get switched as well so who knows we got one more transfer call before it happens.

 

You can send me scotcharoos!!!!!! I miss those things so bad and when you sent them to me that one time they were perfect!

 

I love you guys a lot. Thanks for everything that you guys do.

April 29, 2013

So it has been going okay so far. I feel a little dead inside. I am very energetic and positive and need to keep moving when I do missionary work or else I find I don't do anything. My companion is very logical and tactical in what he does. So I have been trying to stay motivated as much as I can. The ward we are in a little hard. We are just trying not to pick sides and get everybody to come to church. 

 

We had an investigator who went MIA yesterday right before his baptism. So we have no idea where he is and had to cancel the baptism last second because we couldn't find him. Pray for us to find him and resolve his concern. We are trying to gain member trust as well but it is a little hard. I am trying the best that I can. Pray for me to stay motivated. It has been so hard this past week.

 

 President told me that I only have to do this transfer and then I would be put somewhere else. 5 weeks left in the transfer. Then I'll only have 4 and a half months left on my mission. That is kinda freaky. I always kinda was friends with the missionaries that were older than me (mission time wise). They are all home now. So I am the old one now in the mission. Feels weird. So many new missionaries are coming in also.  It is crazy. 36 missionaries this last transfer and 30 this next transfer. The group that I came in with was 7 and that was a big group. 

 

I am in Fullerton now. The name of the ward is the Euclid ward. My apartment right now is a dump but they are moving us on Thursday into a new one. The one that I am in Missionaries have lived there for 9 years........... That is a really really long time. The apartment is pretty trashed. We have some good potential though in the ward. Two 15 year old twins are non-members and they come to church every week and everything so we are really hoping to baptize them. We are hoping to find James Styles also (the man who skipped his baptism). It is good to hear that Kate stood up to her friends. That will only get harder as she gets older. Glad to hear they are doing well in soccer as well. Tell them I say hi and that they can watch all my cartoons in the video closet ha ha. I would like a bed when I get home also so thank you for getting the girls new ones. Love you guys so much!

 

Connor

April 23, 2013

Do you guys remember way back a year and 5 months ago when I was in the MTC and I had a certain companion. Well guess who has him again. That is right I am back with Elder Battorff!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!  We both got transferred up into the Euclid ward in Fullerton. We are whitewashing which means we are both new to the area. Apparently there was a lot of problems with the bishop and the last missionaries. I really didn't want to leave. I loved Garden Grove 4. I was only there like six weeks but when I said by to all the families that I had gotten to know they were all crying and it was just awful. I'm going to try and do it with Battorff though. I really don't know much about the area because I have only been here a day.

 

I can't e-mail nana and papa because his e-mail service won't let me. It always sends it right back at me. I am going to be sending them a letter though. I have been getting their packages and letters though and they are super nice.

 

 I want to be transferred out at the end of this six weeks.

 

We should have a baptism this Sunday though which should be cool. Walked into it. It is a guy who has served a couple tours in Iraq. We are going to meet him today.

 

That is really nice for you driving home the missionaries. We really do appreciate it and the Taco Bell is always nice. Members do do that for me here too. It is kinda weird being in a really nice area again with a lot of white people ha ha. I am really going to miss Garden Grove, the members and the missionaries that I was serving around.

 

Wish me luck this week. Hopefully he wont attack and punch me like he did in the MTC! If he does well I might be coming home early because I killed him ha ha. Love you guys a lot.

 

Connor

April 15, 2013

So it is good to see pics of my two sisters. Anyways a lot of cool things happened this week.

So I met the mother and brother of Mic Mars the lead guitarist of Motley Crue! That was so sick. I got a picture of some LP records and a guitar pick signed by him with his face on it. Like coolest thing ever. I was like in awe! Apparently they are still on tour in Australia. But ya way cool.

Then we watched a building catch on fire, it was a paper factory. That was really cool. Took a video of that. So that was the exciting things of this week.

We got to go to the temple today also that is why I am e-mailing today. The work is kinda really slow in this area but I am hoping to pick it back up. We are working a lot with the Bishop and trying to get trust back there. We are getting a lot more referrals, which is cool. Congrats on the temporary maybe permanent promotion dad. I guess it is a good thing you didn't run the Boston this year mom, I heard that there was a bombing or something there. Service for the missionaries can be anything. I have weeded and planted and done so many things for members that were totally active and probably they should have asked the Elders Quorum to do. But I had fun doing it and it built member trust so yeah if you want to have them do yard work do it. Just have a referral for them after that ha ha. Have to be short love you guys so much. Thanks for everything.

April 7, 2013

Hey guys everything is going great. This week was a lot better. Two missionaries went home last week, both because of disobedience and one was a really good friend of mine. It really really sucked. With the mission split and them going home I feel like I am loosing a lot of good friends. I've haven't really had friends like this before my mission. It is kinda weird. That is really cool about giving the missionaries service. We do service every single friday for a part member family. There house needs work so we fix it up for them. Missionaries love service so provide more of it for them. Also that is really cool about your conversation with the lady dad. Keep on meeting with her and decide when you should invite the missionaries to come with you to a lesson. I love you all so much

How is the missionary work going?

     It is going good. We are teaching Anthony still. He has read almost through 1 Nephi and we just got him to start praying about it also. We are super stoked about that. Other than that we are doing a ton of finding right now. It really sucks. It is the worst part about missionary work. If I could teach all day long I would be the happiest person in the world.

Did you get your Easter basket yet?

     I did get the Easter basket yes thank you. I swear you can find a Spider-man anything mom. Ha ha thank you I really enjoyed it.

Tell me a funny story about your companion?

     Well he was homeschooled.  He has a little twitch every so often and clears his throat alot. It is super funny during lessons. He is alright though. I can't really think of any funny stories. I do have a lot of laughs with other missionaries though. 

What did you get out of conference?

I got that I can't focus on my defeats and have to focus on my victories from Elder Holland. I wrote down some more stuff but I can't really remember it. I know I know that is bad. 

Where did you watch it?

At the church building. 

Are you eating good?

The members here don't feed us as much but I am eating good. 

Are there any families in the ward that take you in and are really nice to you?

Two of my previous comps have served here and Jackson has also. I already know this ward so all the members are super nice. I guess my comps said good things about me when I was here.

What are you doing on your p-day?

We normally play basketball. It is pretty fun.

Connor attending Savior of the World

April 1, 2013

I know nothing about any UPS account or anything. I never set one up. The only thing I can think of is when I went on my amazon binge someone just paying for the UPS and sending me a bill later. I made sure about all my purchases though. I really don't know anything about that.

Things are going well. It is the new month so I have money now. Thanks, though getting transferred at the end of the month really sucks. I don't have much time today the computers here are extremely slow and stuff. 

 

I have learned a lot of lessons on my mission though. The most valuable one would have to be that I can't control other people and what they do is not my responsibility or fault. That has been a hard one because I take every failure as my own failure and it kinda sucks. 

 

When ever someone asks you about the Trinity though never say that you do believe in it or that you don't. Always say you believe in the Godhead. God the Father God the Son and God the Holy ghost. If they press further say that God the Father and God the Son both have bodies of flesh and blood and are different personages but they are one in purpose. The trinity is one of the easiest questions to combat. Kolob, is a little bit harder ha ha. I am doing well though. 

 

We had Easter dinner at the Bishops so hopefully we will be able to build up some trust there. About living at USU, I definitely want to live in the dorms, but I may have some people that I can room with. Jackson may be going to USU. He has to decide soon so that would be awesome if I could room with him. I do not want to live in the Towers. Anywhere but there. Thanks for everything that you guys do 

Love,

Connor

March 26, 2013

This week was pretty good. So I feel like I am walking in Elder
Jackson's shadow here. He was here for six months before I replaced
him and all the members know him. One of the members even thought that
I was Elder Jackson and that Elder Martin was the new Elder. I get
called Elder Jackson all the time. It is tough sometimes because I
love Jackson and he is my best friend for like life but I still want
to be myself.

Ward Council is harder in this ward. So it was really weird
for me when I told them about our new investigator they didn't even
comment on him. No, "Is he coming to church?" "What can we do to help
fellowship him?" "Who do you think would be good to take to lessons?"
"What is he like?" There was nothing. I even had to introduce myself
halfway through ward council because they didn't even recognize me as
being the new elder. We have no ward missionaries either and our ward
mission leader is leaving in like 2 months so I have no idea what is
going to happen. Okay my rant is done haha.

The week has been good though, we did get a new Investigator which was
really cool. He seems sincere and we have a lesson with him today so
it should go great. The missionaries that I am serving around are
really neat also. That helps a lot. So something really funny. A
member of our ward came back from BYU and brought a girlfriend from
Dallas with him. When I introduced myself saying that I was from Texas
she was so relieved. First question she asked me was, "Are you like as
much cultured shocked as I am? I have never been in a place with so
little white people before." I had a good laugh. But really that is
how it is. Vietnamese and Korean people rule garden grove. So it is
really interesting here.

I could use more money. I am out of Soap, face wash, toothpaste,
deodorant, and ants have taken over our apartment so I could use some
Raid as well. :) Don't worry I smell like the rest of the people in
Garden grove not using that stuff haha. I love you guys. Thanks for
everything that you do.

Oh and yes, God does answer prayers and teach me things through
speakers all the time. Sometimes even through things my companions
say. I always carry a little red book in my back pocket. It is my
book of Revelation that I write down all the things that the Spirit
teaches me so that I can remember them. It is cool because I can read
it and it is my own little personal scriptures.

Love you guys

March 18, 2013

Well guys I met a girl in this ward and we decided to get married. It
has been great. We wanted a low key ceremoney and didn't invite
anyone. You will probably be getting a call from my mission president
soon so don't be suprised. Don't worry I am happy and in love........


Just kidding ha ha

Garden Grove is great and sorry about money I got transferred and that
is always tough because you can't take everything and the other
apartment doesn't have plates or cups or just like food. If you could
put more into my account that would be awesome and you'd be the best
parents ever! :) Compared to a year ago though I am doing a lot better
with finances. I am learning. I will not have another overdraft the
rest of my mission though. That is my goal.

The district actually believe it or not is our training videos that we
watch during companion study to learn how to teach. We have those dvds
in our apartments ha ha. We make fun of them and quote them all the
time. (The District tv show)

Garden Grove is great. I replaced Elder Jackson here (my good friend
that I came out with) and Elder Austin (my second companion from
Arkansas another good friend) served here awhile back so all the
members know who I am because they all talked about me. It has only
been my first week so I don't know everybody really well yet. We had
stake conference last week so I didn't really get to meet most of the
members. We are teaching a lady though that has a baptismal date for
July of next year because you can't be baptized until you are not on
parole anymore. We are teaching another black lady also who we haven't
been able to meet yet either. Ha ha little bit of a change of pace
from my mission. I am doing well though.

With Jaylen it is kinda ridiculous to ask them to break up. So what I
would do is just control what they do until they are a little older.
Make sure they are always with other people and just put a curfew
like you did with me. Just don't enforce it as strict as I did. It is
okay if she comes home 5 min. late mom. Not like I ever got in trouble
for coming home 5 min. late after curfew...................... Ha ha
just make sure she is surrounded by good friends. When I get back I
will beat up this Baylor dude so just keep it in control till October
and then it will be all over with.

I love you guys and I am glad to hear about all the fun family things
that you do now that I am gone. (We told him about our trip to Galveston)
Ha ha I'm not bitter or anything. Love
you guys lots.

March 12, 2013

I did get transferred this week. I am now in Garden Grove. It is
nicknamed Garbage Grove and is basically the armpit of the mission. I
have served in some of the richest areas in the U.S.A for the past
year and a half and now I am in a pretty poor area ha ha. It definitely
is different.

My companion's name is Elder Martin. He is from Georgia
and was home schooled.... so it is interesting. I am super excited
about my district though. My district leader (I was released from
being a DL) is Tanavasa who is in the Samoan program and probably the
cousin of the guy you met. He is a really good friend of mine so I am
super excited about that. Also Moi is in the Samoan program and
another good friend of mine. The missionaries in this zone are really
cool and actually forced me pretty much to do d&d on p-days for them.
I guess word spread of me doing in like twice in Irvine.

I don't know
much about the area but I hear that the members are pretty cool. I am
sorry to hear about Jaylen's ankle I hope she gets better soon. Maybe
the choice to do soccer on Sunday isn't really your choice though. I
think it is Jaylen's and that she should make it free on her own
without guilt trips or trying to persuade her one way or the other.
Their are a lot of professional athletes on mormon.org with videos
and they all had to play on Sunday and the church puts them on the
front page of their website. So maybe watching some of those videos
will help. Hope you guys have a better week. Love you guys so much.

March 4, 2013

That is really weird about my patriarchal blessing. Because I left the original with you guys so you should have it. I only brought a copy with me out here and I made like three copies of it and we put them all in my folder. I really remember that. Anyways things are really crazy with the whole mission split right now. Missionaries are just talking away at what is going to happen, but really no one really knows. Not even President. So I don't know what mission I am coming home from. Transfers are next Monday and President told me in interviews that me and Elder Shiu aren't staying together which is kinda sad. I really like him. So dad I met the son of a Nebraska fan here. His dad is like the president of the Nebraska association in California and like ESPN has been to his house twice to view his den of Nebraska stuff. Thought that you might like that. We found out that our investigator Kelly is crazy this week. She called us up last Monday because she thought that the gardeners were going to hurt her. When I asked her why they were going to hurt her she said it was because of the mean stuff she said about her neighbors. When I asked her how they knew about the mean stuff she said she told me that her neighbors have her house bugged and her phone lines tapped. The gardeners were working for the neighbors. So that has been really fund dealing with a crazy person. I would say she has paranoid schizophrenia. It is kinda funny because I taught a person with schizophrenia in Costa Mesa as well. I am just sent her to teach the crazies I guess ha ha.

Where do you go when you eat out?
     I don't usually eat out it is too expensive. When we go for district lunch every thursday I usually use gift cards that I have gotten from members. To like in-n-out, CJs, Mickey D's, sometimes Asain places.  

What do you eat everynight?
     Um a lot of Speggetti and pizza lately. The members seem to go through trends where they will feed us different things. We get a pretty good variety though of meals. The members really take care of us in the ward.

What do you eat for breakfast?
     Usually a yogurt  Though I just bought pancake stuff because I want to use my new spatula! Thank you so much for that. I had no idea that something like that even existed. 

What are you reading right now?

     I just finished the Book of Mormon and now am starting to read through D&C. In the Bible I am in Chronicles. The New Testament can get very very weird sometimes ha ha.

 

What are you loving right now?
     I am loving packages from home right now ha ha. Um, I guess just everything. I like being out here. It is fun and just so cool.
 

What are you struggling with?
     Finding. I am not very good, I love to teach and talk to people but finding new investigators is really hard. It has been my whole mission. Maybe because I have really only been in rich areas.

 

How is the teaching going?
     Right now we have two investigators Kelly and Lisa. We are trying to get into a part member families home right now the Ybarra's but not really going well right now.
 

How is your companion?
     Elder Shiu is great. Really wish I could be with him longer. Besides my first companion Elder Catmull (who goes home in a week yeah!) I have been really lucky in companions on my mission. 

 

Did you get your spatula????????
Yes

 

Are you going to the new mission???? 

     I will not know until two days before I go. That is when transfer calls are. The split is happening in July and they are taking the Irvine and Newport zone with them. That is all we know right now. Not knowing is killing me. 

Thank you guys so much for everything right now. I pray daily that Jaylen's boyfriend will die or that they will break up. Guess my faith isn't sufficient for that right now because it isn't happening. I miss you guys so much. Thanks for everything that you do.

February 25, 2013

Sorry I didn't write last week the libraries were closed because of
some holiday. Hey, so I think someone stole Kate's e-mail address and
e-mailed me..... because the person that sent that e-mail was not
Kate. She was like using all this slang and hip words and stuff. I
felt like I needed a Urim and Thummin just to read it. You guys are all
going to be so different when I get home. It is going to be crazy.

So I don't know if you heard but they announced a new Mission called the
Irvine Mission. They are going to split up our mission and a bunch of
the surrounding ones to make a new one. I have no idea what the
boundaries will be either. But I could end up in a new mission before I
go home which would be kinda lame I feel. It is supposed to happen in
July. I just hope that the group that I came out with stays together
because I really like them all.

This week was just the same. Me and Elder Shiu are getting along great. We are still teaching Kelly Gordon and she is progressing really well. We found another family we are
teaching as well. Unfortunately, they go to a church  that preaches very
heavy anti against us. I mean we just work all day. We laugh some but
we have been working really hard, riding our bikes everywhere. Irvine
is a tough area. Not much else is new though. Thanks for everything
that you guys do. I love you!

February 12, 2013

I am sorry to hear about Jessica's baby. I am glad that all is well with the rest of you though. I seemed to have misplaced my patriarchal blessing. I was wondering if you could send me out another copy as quick as you could. Thank you! So it was the Chinese new year this past Saturday and that is the activity that you saw me in the picture at. Because Elder Shiu (pronounced shoe) is from Hong Kong we got permission to go to the Chinese branches party. It was really cool and fun. I didn't understand a single word the entire time but other then that it was fun. We sang karaoke because apparently that is really big with the Asians. Elder Shiu has a really really good voice and everybody wanted him to sing again and again. I even sang a song. They had a couple of English ones. So I sang Dust in the Wind. It was one of the few that I knew that they had ha ha. It was a lot of fun. Elder Shiu has one older sister who is married and his family is all members. He is a really really cool guy and the first companion in a long time that I haven't felt like I had to be his mother at the same time. It is really nice. His English is really good, they have to learn it in school over there, and everything else is going great right now. I am a district leader right now not a zone leader mom ha ha. All that means is that I teach district meeting every single Thursday and I go on exchanges with the Elder's in my district. It really isn't that big of a deal. It sounds like the girls are really busy like always. Make sure they are having fun also.....just not with boys. I am sorry that this is so short but I have to go. Seems work here is never done. I love you guys so much.

February 4, 2013

Alright, I am coming home. I need to kill this Baylor kid. He is not allowed to talk, look, or even be around Jaylen anymore. She is too young for a boyfriend!!!

Anyways I got a new companion today. His name is Elder Shoe and he is from Hong Kong. First I got a comp from Kenya now Hong Kong. I guess I am just going to come back very cultured ha ha. It is really good because Irvine, where I am at, has a huge number of Asian people in it so now they won't be able to pull the, "No no, no English." card because Elder Shoe will start talking Asian to them.

I have been super sick this week also. I got the flu so I have been buying a lot of medicine. I got a really bad canker sore also so I really couldn't eat. It sucked. I am just getting over being sick now. Not much happened this week because we stayed in while I had a fever. It really sucked. Being sick as a missionary is awful because you can't do anything. You can only watch the Testaments so many times...... I am getting better now though.

That is good to hear that Kate is doing well though. I pray for the girls a lot. They are going to be so different to me when I get home. Dad those shirts look amazing and I want one. :) Tell them you won't let them produce them unless you get a sample, size large, for your son. I love you guys so much. Thanks for everything that you do.

Love,
Connor

 

January 29, 2013

Sorry about the late e-mail. P-day yesterday was really crazy. So the baptism of Marc went really well. He asked me to baptize him which was really neat. I worry sometimes that this is only my third baptism. I feel like I am like not up to par with some missionaries who are on like 6 or 7 and they have been out like 3-4 months less than me. I know it isn't a compitition, but still kinda stinks ha ha. It is alright though because we are all on the same team.

Transfers are this week and we are getting 9 19 year old sister missionaries. The Elder's in this mission are really excited ha ha. It is going to be so crazy when they all come. The mission is going to be so jam packed with missionaries there really isn't going to be enough work to go around. Other than the baptism this past week was kinda the same. We just visited Marc a ton. He is really a cool dude, a really good friend of mine now. That is the part that I love most about missionary work. Being able to make really good friends and then get to share with them the gospel. I got to do that with every single one of my baptisms so far which is really neat. Especially with Tyler who I still keep in touch with.

I hope that I get a new companion this Monday which usually means that I won't ha ha. I am very big with acting a certain way around members making it look like we are super on the ball and responsible and what not. With Parry that kinda just gets thrown out the window ha ha. I usually can laugh it off though so it is okay.

 I can't believe about Bro. Sharp being Bishop that is really cool. It seems like so long ago that I mowed his lawn. Ha ha those were the times. I am enjoying my time out here, I think that I am over my shulmp of crappy stuff. I still hurt a lot from Jess, but I am okay now. I think I can finally say that. I still don't want to come home though ha ha. The real world terrifies me now, actually dating and working and worrying about real world stuff. That is why I am enjoying just the simple life of the Lord's Missionary. Thank you guys so much for everything I love you so much.

January 22, 2013

Sorry I didn't e-mail you guys yesterday. We went to the temple today so our p-day was changed to today. It was really good and went really well. This week has been really good. Marc the bike guy is getting baptized this Sunday and we are super excited about that. His story is that he married a less active member. They are both in their mid twenties. They have been married for about 6 months now. He got one of the lessons before they were married but then we started to teach him. It was super easy and me and him get along really well. We are both kinda nerdy so we can talk about computers and stuff like that. We helped him install a projector in his house this week which was super fun. We are going over to watch a church movie, either the Testaments or Prophet Joseph Smith this week. He is reading really well though and feels the spirit when he reads. He really is like a golden investigator. The Lord has been preparing his heart for a long time. He didn't have any problem with any of the commandments which is really cool. I have found it very valuable to be able to connect with people in the mission field. Sometimes people can't feel the spirit when you teach unless they trust you. People only trust people that they respect, or connect with. So being able to be friends with my investigators and teach them at the same time has been really really valuable and just a neat experience.

I am happy to hear that Jaylen is doing well with everything going on in her life. I do pray for the girls all the time. I hope that Kate will get better too. I haven't been sick yet but with the change of seasons my allergies are getting worse. I am experimenting to see what brand works best and I think that Allegra works the best for me.

 Dad you might find this fun, I am running a D&D campaign now on P-day for 9 missionaries in the zone. It is two groups of 4 and 5 and they alternate P-days that they play. I am DMing. Ha ha we really don't have an athletic zone, so basketball really isn't a viable p-day option. Partly because all of the Asian Languages (Chinese, Vietnamese,  Korean)  are in our zone ha ha.

Our other investigator Lisa Clark is being a party pooper. It is one of those where she knows it is true, knows what she needs to do, tells us she wants to be baptized, then doesn't read and come to church. It is frustrating to have to watch people make their own decisions and then make the wrong ones. But I am learning patience and unconditional love. I am doing great. Thank you for everything that you do. I love you both. Tell the girls hi and good luck.

January 14, 2013

Hi mom and dad. You guys really aren't helping me out by telling me that Jaylen is having boys over, and is talking about dating now. Ha ha also that she failed her driving test. That instills a lot of confidence in seeing my car again. So what are your plans with my computer? That is good to hear that Jaylen and Kate are doing so well at sports though. We all know that in the south if you do sports in high school you are a god. That is really cool that Jaylen got a letter from the U! That would be really funny if she went there and I didn't ha ha.

So I got my tire all fixed and Marc did it for super cheep which was really nice. The bad news is that I got a flat the next day ha ha. Marc is being awesome though and is going to bring over a tire tonight to help me replace it. I think God is causing my bike to have so many problems so that we can see Marc a lot and check up on his reading and progression to baptism ha ha. 

This week was pretty normal, we walked a lot because we didn't get my bike fixed till Thursday night. I don't really like being a District Leader, just means I gotta do more stuff and be a better example and all that fun stuff. I am completely content with being a jc (junior companion) the lowest position in the mission. 

We are getting nine 19 year old sisters in about four weeks. It is our fist batch. The mission is kinda pumped because they are suppose to be kinda cute ha ha. I think it is so funny with these 19 year olds coming out. The mission president is going to have so many mission romance problems on his hands. We had a special training meeting for all the leaders specifically on how to deal with stress for the new missionaries because they are coming out younger. We got told that women sometimes have special times when you don't mess with them ha ha, and that men sometimes have feelings too and need to be encouraged. Basically what can happen is new missionaries can arrive and other missionaries can be all like "I want to show them how hard missionary life is" and make it really hard for them. Kinda what my trainer did to me. Well President is worried about this and doesn't want it to happen when these youngins come out.

So we are working on developing a ward missionary plan for the year of 2013 and also we are going to each family and making a ward mission plan. We are setting up three goals and asking them to set them playfully. They are: How many people will you invite to church? How many people will you invite to hear the missionary discussions  How many times do you plan on having someone taught in your home? I think it would be cool if you guys picked numbers for the year 2013 and made your own family mission plan. Maybe that could be a cool FHE. 

I am doing good and we are working hard. I could use some more man soap, shampoo, and contact solution. Thanks for everything that you guys do. I love you!

January 7, 2013

Whoa whoa whoa what are you planning on doing with my computer? That is my baby. Has my name etched on the bottom of it and everything. Ha ha but I can't really upgrade that computer so I probably will want a new one. What I would love is a really cool Desktop that I can game from and upgrade and stuff and then like a little 100-200 dollar notebook that I take to classes to take notes on and stuff. MaryJane (the laptop I have now) is just too big to take to class. So I would hope to get that when I get home. Idk only speculating. The answer is no though I wasn't planning on having MaryJane for very long. I was going to sell her pretty soon after I got home. 

So my prayers were answered this week and I guess Jaylen didn't pass her driving test ha ha just kidding. She better take that test 7 times and pass it every time before she drives ha ha. Tell her that she isn't allowed to go on a date with a boy especially one named Baylor. Gosh Texans have the weirdest names. At least he plays sports so he'll be a little normal. 

I totally forgot about that CD that I made for mom. That was like my Jr. year I think. That is pretty cool. That is cool to hear about Nate also. I am glad that he is happy now. He sent me a letter on my mission. I never wrote him back though. I am pretty bad at that ha ha. 

So tragedy struck this week. My bike tire bent. I was just pedaling along and then my front tire caught on something and my entire wheel looks like a taco now. That is why I had some purchases this week. I had to get a new axel and some other things from amazon. Luckily our investigator Marc works and manages a bike shop for really hi end bikes. He hooked me up with some sick discounts and is fixing my bike for free. So a huge blessing there. A 100 dollar repair just costs about 40 bucks now. But he can only fix it on Tuesday so we have been walking for the most part this past week which is hard but we have been doing good. 

Our investigator Lisa Clark has a baptismal date for the 19th of January and then Marc has a date for the 27th so we are super excited about that. They are both on track to hit those dates. 

I am learning lots of love and patience with Elder Parry. I have learned to just laugh and not really worry about things like that so much. It has been great and I am having a ton of fun with him. He has had an obsession with racist jokes lately and thinks that they are so funny. He loves to tell them to everybody that we meet. One of his favorite is. How do Chinese people name their children? They throw pots and pans down their stairs. We live in a community of about 70% Asian. It doesn't go over to well ha ha. 

I have to go but I love you all. Thank you for everything that you do!

Love,

Connor

December 31, 2013

This week was pretty good. I am adjusting to the new area really well. Me and Elder Parry are getting along really well also. We laugh a lot and that makes things a lot easier sometimes. He is super slow at riding a bike. Like we could run faster than we ride ha ha. So we have to plan a lot of travel time in between appointments. It was really great to see the whole family again. It has been so long. I can't wait to be home again. At the same time though I don't want to leave the mission field ha ha. I'm having too much fun and it is so neat here also. I'm doing really okay. We had a new investigator move into our ward from another ward. She had a baptismal date but she is kinda flaking on us with the move so we are trying to work with her. We are also teaching a Part member family. The husband is not a member but he seems really sincere about it and wanting to read.  So we are super excited about that. Other then that nothing really has changed since I talked to you. Love you all lots.

Connor

December 16, 2012

Hi mom, I'm happy that everybody got a good early Christmas. I did get your and Mackenzie's presents thank you. But, I got transferred today. President assured me that we were staying together for one more transfer but that changed. I am now with Elder Perry. He is special. He is kinda like Mikey just not as happy all the time haha. I am in Irvine now also. I am not too happy about his because I have no idea what is going on for Christmas. Mackenzie did get his presents though and he is thankful for them. I have no idea what time I will be calling/skyping you guys yet I'll e-mail you sometime this week when I find out. It is just going to be really really crazy this week. Thanks for everything that you have sent me mom. I can't wait to open my presents and see what I got. I'm doing fine though. I can't wait to talk and see everybody also. I love you so much.

December 10, 2012

So Elder Mackenzie is a medium size t shirt and a 30 size waist. I gave him my razor because Nana got me that new one so I think he is fine there. He could use some replacement heads though for the razor. Gillette Fusion pro glide or something like that. He would love a Panda gift card and needs more ties. That is all I can think of right now. Thank you so much for doing this.

I keep praying for the girls. Looks like we both are going through a hard time. Elder Mackenzie and I just hit 0 with Investigators. So we are going back to finding. The thing I like worst about Missionary work ha ha. I love teaching but finding is hard and usually unrewarding. But we are working hard to try and find someone else ready to hear the gospel. That is really cool about the Heisman trophy. Also cool about the mormon kid. We need good press like that right now. Other then that I am doing good. Thanks so much for everything dad.

December 10, 2012

Hi guys, just wanted to let you know that I can Skype for Christmas! So be excited for that. Also I got your tree mom thank you so much for it. I will send you pictures of it set up soon. The ornaments are great. I can't believe that you found a Utah tree. It is just perfect. I love you guys so much, thank you for everything.

December 3, 2013 to dad

Hey dad. Sorry to hear about the Huskers, at least they weren't as bad as the Utes this year ha ha. I hope that Texas A&M has their QB get the Heisman. The Elders Quorum was talking about it this Sunday on who was going to get it. I hope that your business trip went well. Fanatics is that store in the mall that charges like an arm and a leg for shirts right? Haha, don't tell them that I said that. That is good to hear that Utah State is doing well. They are still so small time though, they need to be given a chance like Utah or Boise to grow a little bit in a bigger conference. I will be praying for the girls. High school isn't easy, I know that better than anybody. I just take comfort in the fact that Jaylen and Kate are a little bit cooler than I was in high school. When does Kate start her freshman year? Read mom's e-mail for a lot more updates. Love you dad.

Connor

December 3, 2012

I was able to watch only half of the devotional. Being on bike you show up late to stuff because people need to drive you everywhere ha ha. It was good though.

About Christmas though mom. Elder Mackenzie has never gotten a Christmas present before in his life. They don't do that in Kenya. So I would rather have you send him stuff instead of me. He loves Panda Express and he could use some more ties. Like more than anything else if you could send me that for him that would be awesome. I want to make sure he has a really cool Christmas also, because he isn't going to be getting anything from his family.

I could use an extra pair of Athletic shorts though.

The last time I was at the mission home was when I trained for the first time to pick up Elder Healey. You don't go there that often. You got there to pick up a trainee or to go and get yelled at by the mission president ha ha. For Christmas we will probably be going to a members house. Hopefully the same one that we went to for Thanksgiving. The Moates are really cool. So are you going to Nana's for Christmas or where are you going to be spending it? I hope that you guys have fun in Utah. I don't know if we get to skype this year. I don't think that we will. I will still get to call you though.

I did listen to those CDs. They were great thank you so much. Music out here is like gold. I don't get to listen to it too much though because we are on bike and we normally listen to music in the car. But I turn it on when we are in the apartment. I am getting out those Christmas CDs you gave me last year also and have been playing them lately.

This week was tough with missionary work. Jeramie dropped us, told us he prayed to God and he told him not to get baptized. Told us also to never come by his house again. Just really sucks, I hate it when that happens. We finally had to let Mili go also. She just never has called us back. The Rodriguez family canceled our appointment with them also. Just a tough week. I will see the Rodriguez family baptized though before the end of the year. That is my goal.

Thanks for everything that you do mom. I will send more pictures soon.

Connor