Hey everyone!!
I'm in hot florida! its not just sunny, its blazing hot. As soon as i walk
outside the door sweat starts to drip off my face. But so far i love it. My
companion is Elder Kriser. He's been here since April and he's from Toole (or
however you spell it). He's got red hair, big upper body and a nasty temper in
the moring. He kinda looks like Austin Crossley, just not as cool. ;)
I've been getting your messages mom. I just didn't have the time in the MTC to
read and write. The computer shuts down after 30 minutes and if you're not done
you lose everything. I'm glad to know shannon and megan are working just as hard
as I am. Megan better win some of those tournaments or i'm going to feel really,
really bad.
I'm located in Tallahassee, Flordia. I'm in the city on Tallahassee Community
College. That is my area. We contact people around campus and tract in the dorms
and appartments around campus. Our target is 18-30 year olds. Its very exciting
and i'm happy to be on a campus. Its just like the U when i was working with the
missionaries tracting, teaching and going to baptisms, but this time i'm a full
time missionary.
Our investigators and ward members go to the singles ward. There is one singles
ward for the entire city. In Tallahassee there are three college's Tallahassee
Community College, Florida State University and Florida A&M. In our ward we have
6 Elders (3 companionships) and 3 Sisters. We sometimes over lap onto each
others area, but our focus is TCC's campus.
Its really hard to find investigators right now. No one is on campus except for
the summer school kids and there is no one in the dorms and appartments too. Its
really dead and its hard to find someone to talk too. They have some really
great ideas to try and get some 'gators' though. On thursdays they set up a both
in the Union building and on Friday's they draw the 'plan of salvation' with
chalk on Florida State University's Campus. Last friday was hard because there
was a lot of orrientation kids there and the other missionaries told me not to
talk to them because they weren't permenantly staying. It was lame. I just sat
there and said hello as they walked by. :(
I got the letter you sent me with Devon's e-mail. That's so awesome that he got
so many 'gators'! I'm going to try to get that many 'gators' during my transfer.
Its a small goal, but its only my first transfer and i haven't found the secret
yet. Hopefully if i stay here on campus a little longer and when the fall comes
i'll be able to get more than Devon but we'll see how I do with my first month.
I forgot to tell dad happy birthday. I was in the MTC and i actually got swine
flu on his birthday. That was the day they sent me to Isolation. I also forgot
to tell him happy fathers day. So, Dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!
haha. Oh and kristen's birthday is on Wednesday. My gift to you is...well...its
kind of a mess, but there is a piece of paper on the right side of my Headboard.
Its a Utah notepad paper. On there is some 'boyfriend' guidelines and there is a
story in my Power Basics Book that goes along with it too. I think its chapter 4
or 5. I might be totally wrong on the guess, but I know its no higher than 15.
Its a story about a prince who can't get this princess or mistress to love him
or even notice him. It's really funny and jenny might like it too. You can share
it with her, that way she won't get bit. :)
We'll it started raining and thundering like crazy so i get some more time in
the Library. We have a couple of girls who are at different stages of Baptism.
One just got baptized and we're teaching her the new member lessons. Another has
a baptisimal date for July 25 and we're preparing her for the baptism. The third
is an Investigator and hopefully we can get a commitment from her this week,
either on wednesday and friday. We're teaching her the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. I
like how Baptism is right in the middle, right where it should be. We are
missionaries and our goal is to get people to the Temple by helping them go
through the doors of Baptism. Its a great and wonderful calling!
I love you all, keep smiling and keep sending me letters, I really like dad's.
:)
Love Elder Call
The Boys;
Well my time in the MTC was short and i'm already in Tallahassee Florida. I'm a
Campus Missionary on Tallahassee Community College's Campus. Florida State
University is up the road and Florida A&M is a little farther north. Its awesome
here. The singles ward is so cool and the young students minds are so open to
new ideas. It reminds me a lot of when I went to the U. there were so many
freshman looking for something new, different, exciting or rebellious. They want
to make decisions for themselves and cut the ties from their Parents. Its
awesome and scary at the same time. There is so many wrong paths for them to
take. Elder Kriser and I are teaching a girl named Rachel who took one of those
long roads. She's struggling to come back, but from the 2 times that i've seen
her she looks happy and safe. Its amazing what the gospel will do for people if
they just let it. If they just push away worldy things and let Jesus Christ come
into their lives and show them a better way.
I love you all and I hope you all can join Tim and me (and anyone else i haven't
heard from yet) in the field. There are people waiting for the message of the
restored gospel.
Love Elder Call

Off to Tallahassee

We got a phone call from Braden at about 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. He was at the Salt Lake Airport. He talked to Wayne while we assembled the rest of the family, then we put him on speaker phone. Each person got a chance to talk to him with the rest of the family listening in. He seems to have recovered from his MTC illness. He says he feels great and can't wait to get going in Florida. We haven't heard from him in Florida yet so we don't have an address. This is my very first try at blogging but I hope to have a space where we always have his current address. He has mentioned he LOVES letters.