Aug 17
Hey Fam!
Ok, I was transferred yesterday. I'm in Layton now. I'll finish here. I'm a ZL again with Elder Bogdan. He's sweet. He's from Alberta Cananda. My first foreign comp. He's a couple inches taller then me too. Crazy huh? He goes home October and I'll have one more comp after him. I need to write Chris and Elder Coon. Could you get me Elder Coon's email address from his family. I'll just email him.
I was in Sunset. Which is pretty much the smallest town in Utah. It was 2 miles by half a mile. It was good. Elder Lunt was a little nervous about taking over after just a few weeks. His new comp goes home in two weeks. He'll have 3 different comps within a months time.
I'll go back to Sunset for a couple baptisms this week. We got some sweet news this last week. We are teaching a girl and her dad was talking to the bishop and wants to get re-baptized. Pretty sweet! They are a way cool family.
I went and said good-bye sunday night to a family I really love. The Perry's. Tricia is a potentially active member. Her husband is a nonmember. I've been working with them for a little over a month. He is worried he won't be able to quit drinking. Anyways, I went to swing by and Tricia was talking to me. She said Brandon was laying down, she went to ask if he wanted to say goodbye and I heard him yell "Just make sure you're at my baptism." I had a good talk with Tricia and encouraged her to help her husband get there. He needs her help. She said she would.
Elder Lunt called me last night and Brandon set a date for baptism for October 10th! That's his goal. I'm excited. I'll be back there for that for sure. So it's nice having a car for sure now. We had the car only part of the time in Sunset.
Give Fred my email address. We'll go out for sure. I miss the kid. I missed his farewell cuz I accidentally slept in and I still feel like an idiot for that. Oh well. Yeah, that would be great though.
So I'm trying to learn the area. It's a lot bigger than Sunset. 3 stakes again. That's ok though. I'm going to focus where the work is. Had a good first day in the area. Elder Bogdan will be a good comp for me. He'll keep me working hard these last few months. I'm on section 97 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Reading it backwards.
Nice glasses Mom. You look cute.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE THE CUTEST LITTLE SISTER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!! TELL THE BOYS IF THEY TRY TO KISS YOU DREW IS GOING TO COME KILL THEM!!!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!
Good luck with the school board. I don't know how you do it mom. You do so much for everyone. Not just our family, but all those around you. Thanks for your great example mom.
Well, a little note. I'm excited Dad is coming up. I'm thinking a little more about home now. It's not affecting the work. But just something I look forward too. It will be great spending that little bit of time with Dad. He's the man. When should I get a hold of EAC? For school and the dorms and stuff. I want to room with Joseph in the Towers if he will be there.
Well take care family. I love you all and keep you in your prayers. Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Norton1
Aug 24,
FAMILY!!!!!!!!!
I love you all!!! Things are going great. I went back to Sunset for two baptisms Saturday. Jagger Malone Strickland (sweet name huh?) and Hailey Clifton. Both 9 years old but we did some reactivation with the parents too. It was sweet. I gave a talk on baptism.
So the church has a lot of new things they are emphasizing for missionaries. The first one is focusing on our purpose, baptism! Second is teaching by the Holy Ghost (listening to people). It's sweet. These are two things that have been my focus the last 7 months or so. There are 8 points of emphasis all together. They are supposed to be simplifying preach my gospel too. It's gonna be sweet.
Chris wrote me and told me the things they have been emphasizing I've already told him to do over emails, so that's cool. I'm really excited for it. I think the baptisms in the church will be higher then ever because of it. I've seen how a focus on baptism, helping others come unto Christ has changed my mission. It's going to be amazing. Chris is a rock star, he's a Norton!!!!
We have two baptisms this week. A girl named Jazmyne who is 12. Her mom is coming back to church too. Also another person from Micronesia named Belinda. She's about 20 years old. She didn't want to be baptized this week but as we asked her some questions and listened to her we found out the real reason why. She told us at first she wanted to learn more. Then we got it out of her that there is a party the first week of September and she thought because she is going to be a member that she can't dance or wear shorts, or something funny like that. Just misconceptions she had about the church. She is my second micronesian baptism on my mission! So far I've baptized a korean, chuk, a kashai, sioux indian, and taught people from several other cultures and religion. I feel like people move here to Utah to get baptized into Christ's church. It's the best.
Don't worry about me mom. If I have to by my own car I will. I'll be living for free and working at school so I can save up the money for whatever I need. I feel better when I buy my own things anyways. It will work out either way. I'll make it without a car. I did for about 10 months of my mission :).
A few sweet scriptures about parenthood. 3 Nephi 18:20-21, 3 Nephi 22:13, Helaman 3:21 with the question in mind, Why did they grow up unto the Lord?, D+C 68:25-28. Here is the best one ever. A member shared it with me and I know it is true. One of the greatest blessings in the scriptures the way I see it. Mosiah 4:11-16. 11-12 is the commandment. 13-16 are the blessings. Look at 14 and 15. It's the promised blessing not the commandment. If we repent daily parents won't "suffer their children to transgress the laws of God, fight and quarrel on with another." It's sweet. I think Elder Cook spoke on it. I'm not sure though.
Things are going good. I love the work. You'll do great with your talk! I love you guys. Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Norton1
Aug 31
Hey Fam!
Chris is a stud! He hasn't learned much from me. He has learned it all on his own. Yeah, we had a day of training all ready and some more coming in the next couple weeks. Our mission didn't want to take 4 days straight to do it all.
Belinda (from Kashia or however it's spelled) called us up Friday the day before her baptism and said she wasn't getting baptized! NOOOOOOO!!!! So she wouldn't talk or tell us why. We were on splits that night, I swung by and she happened to be home. They had been at Lagoon all day but swung by to drop off her uncle since he was sick. Caught her at the perfect time. We talked to her and she said her friends in Hawaii didn't want her to join. She said it's my choice I'll get baptized tomorrow. Then an hour and a half before her baptism she texts us and wants to move her baptism back. NOOO!!!! We went over and talked to her and she decided to do it. She called us that night and thanked us so much. Her confirmation was great too. We had to beat Satan twice. Victory for Christ! Belinda is awesome. Way cool. We took pictures in lavalava's at the baptism. I'll send a pic this next week.
Jazmyne was baptized this last week too. That was awesome. She is really shy but was really excited and happy at her baptism. It was good to see. I really enjoyed it.
So I'll be killing Elder Bogdan off in 6 weeks. 6 weeks more I'll be dead. I have a goal to baptize every week the last 12 weeks. I've done it for a few transfers now (or averaged one a week more like). It's awesome.
We got a couple of guys to church this week in there 50's and 60's. Two single guys. Joe and Robert. They are willing to quit smoking and get there lives in order.
Teaching a sweet kid named Preston. Had one of the coolest lessons of my mission last week. Spirit was way strong. He texted us after the lesson just to tell us how grateful he is we are teaching him. He's 15. Super stud at bball. Colleges are already looking at him and he is a freshman.
Met a guy named Halliday who played qb for Notre Dame. That was cool. He's LDS. We have a sweet area. Elder Bogdan and I have lessons everyday.
I'll try to send some pics since I've been a slacker. I've got to get running. Sorry I don't have time for more. Hopefully going down the hill into south weber this week for a baptism in my old area. love you guys. Hurrah for Israel!!!
Elder Norton1
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