From Scrub to Trainer

March 29, 2010
Hello my lovely family! So good to here from you all. So, the "claw" has chosen who will go and who will stay :) Any guesses? Am I staying or am I going? Is Elder Ralston and I staying again? Did the transfer hog see his shadow again?......................................................haha

Elder Ralston unfortunately is "the chosen one" and is being sent down to Sulfer Wells if that's how you spell it. It's a new area that just got put into our mission with the forming of the new stake so he is being sent to open the area and build up Zion down in the southern part of Ky. I'm really gonna miss him we have been getting along really well. I've learned a lot from him and it truly will help me the rest of my mission. So, I guess you want to know what's happening to me right?

Well, I guess 6 months with only 1 comp is enough to bring on a new missionary! President Glende called me up Saturday and told me I will be training a new missionary this next transfer and will be staying in Carrollton! I'm stoked!!! If you could just say a couple, maybe thousand prayers for me I would appreciate it. haha It's going to be so much fun! Our area is just rockin and will be perfect for a new missionary.

We have kaylee snyder and chris bailey scheduled to be baptized on the 17th of april! AWESOME! And then saturday we taught the shapiros and comitted them to be baptized and bro shapiro said he's been jewish for 68 years and so he doesn't think he'll be able to handle emotionally to give up his jewish traditions. Sister Shapiro on the other hand said she would like for that to happen. We wanted to set a specific date but we had another appointment to go to so we didn't know for sure if that's what she really wanted. Well yesterday we went down to Louisville and took them to a fireside that is held at our mission presidents home the last sunday of every month and it was very spiritual. Afterward elder r started talking to sister shapiro on how she liked it and she asked him if she could be baptized or if she had to wait for her husband, and she asked what she needed to do to be ready and when it could happen. My heart just wanted to jump out of my chest and run around the room and jump up and down for joy! We told her to ponder and pray when she thinks and feels she'll be ready but we will probably try to have her set her date for the 17th as well. We'll see, but the Lord is blessing us tremendously down in our little patch of heaven!

I feel really bad and it made elder r sick to think of the success that will happen here after he leaves but to know that he was a tool in the Lord's hand to prepare these people brings just as much joy as witnessing their baptisms. It truly has been an awesome experience serving with him, but the Lord has new things in store for us so I'm ready to tackle my next opponent! So, probably the rest of today we'll be packing all of his stuff and preppin it for my new son :)

Mother, I sent my camera home today so hopefully we'll be able to get that figured out. Have some bad news. I bought a flash drive to put all of my pics and videos on and it had from the beginning of my second transfer all the way till now on it and i lost it :( So i lost from the mtc to the end of my first transfer, and now i just lost from that point up until now. What a travishamockery! I don't think Heavenly Father wants me to have any recollection of my entire mission. The only memory I'll have will be in my head. Hopefully that will stay. That's ok though I guess. I haven't really been taking any pictures anyways since my camera broke so I guess it doesn't really matter. More important things in life right?

Well it's good to hear about everything at home. I agree that the world is getting darker. I have prayed a lot for the strength of my little brothers and sisters that they might be able to stand up for what's right and overcome the adversary. It's going to be scary raising kids for the next couple generations. All we can do is keep living the gospel and sharing it with others. If we do our part the Lord will always do his. Let's see what else did you talk about?

How's the business going? Keeping busy? Any luck with selling the gas station? How's the mazda doing? I see those cars everywhere around here, and I can just picture my studly father cruisin' around in it ha I love you dad! Mom, elder r wants to know what (i'm going to butcher this) cayenne pepper does for the body? He has a cold and i've mentioned before that you would give that to me for something to make me better but i don't remember what. Oh and what does alfalfa do for the body? I bought a bottle of alfalfa vitamins to take just for fun so i was wondering.

How's jeff doing? Anything exciting in the freshman life? How's tennis going for him. So shaley writes me every now and then and she sent me some pics of emily and joseph. First off, emily is GORGEOUS! She's growing up way too fast! Keep the boys away from her joseph and jeff! I wish i could give her a hug. Emily you are beautiful! Joseph, you stud! I saw a picture of you and ashlin....You're one good lookin kid! Now I have a pic to brag to all my missionary friends about how much of a stud you are. There was also a picture of mom resting her chin on sister merrells head. It made me laugh. How's Noah and Livvy doing? I miss noah so much! There's a young kid in our branch who looks similar to him but acts the exact same and it kills me because it reminds me so much of him. I can just picture noah saying, "Sid, your poptarts are ready......ALRIGHT!" Noah remember when mom yelled at you and when she walked off around the corner you made a funny rock on sign behind her back haha I love you brother!

Olivia you are my little angel! The only picture I have of you is in the family picture and so I have to look at it a lot so i can see you. I can't wait to talk to you again in a month and hear you say, "you big hunk of love" haha. I have been blessed with the BEST FAMILY EVERY! Keep smiling for me ok Olivia!

Drew is almost 21. I remember like it was yesterday that i was emailing him telling him happy 20th bday! Time is ridiculous! He's been a great example to me and has helped me strive to be a better missionary! The gospel is so amazing! Sharing it with others and serving the Lord is the best thing in the world. I love my mission so much! Oh remember Elder Kastendeick who came out with me from the mtc. He's in my new district and he's training too and he's also the new district leader. He was my DL in the MTC so it's cool that he is again and that we're serving around each other. Elder Whipple is getting transferred somewhere new too. Tomorrow will be fun.

I'm thankful the Lord is giving me this opportunity to serve. I hope I can help this new missionary enjoy and love the work as much as elder ralston helped me. It will be a fun adventure. I hope the rest of your week goes wonderful. Can't wait for conference. We're going to have a lot of nonmembers watching it so it'll be sweet! Priesthood session kills me every time. Whenever they make us stand up and sing, I can just imagine dad and joseph and jeff and elder norton #1 standing and singing with me in unison hundreds of miles away. It'll be a wonderful reunion when we're all together again. I love this work. I love you with all my heart family! Have a blessed week! Hurrah for Israel!

The Brother of Joseph!