Family!
I love love love getting your e-mails (and letters) and hope you love my e-mails too. This week has been quite interesting. Let's just start from the top. We only had to bike from our place to Wamego twice this week. We set a new course record on Friday. Our previous record was 42 minutes and 41 seconds. On Friday we got 35 minutes and 51 seconds. Boy were we booking it with the wind at our backs...man it was fun yet tiring...and of course sweaty. "But mostly, sweat." (See Cody and spongebob quotes). It was a pretty slow week, though because we were on bikes and limited our options to just Wamego and St. George. Even though we had some good lessons, our investigators are just not progressing. Even Mike (our super solid recent convert) has been on the down side. Of course being really sick never helps. He will actually be moving to Mississippi later this month, so we won't be able to baptize his wife in time because she has to be done with all Word of Wisdom issues 2 weeks before baptism and attend church at least twice which she has already done with the rest of her family. Okay, now the BBBBIIIIGGGG news of the week. So, on Friday morning the Assistants to the President called (or just AP's) and told me that I will probably be training this week because of transfers and all. So, on Saturday, I had to go to Independence to the mission home and have a training meeting for trainers. It was a nice meeting and I am nervous that I'll be able to be a good teacher. I know I'll be obedient but I hope my companion and I will be able to teach AND find people well so that the gospel can bless the lives of the people in Wamego. Over the weekend we also had stake conference. It was really weird to have it broadcasted to our building from Salina especially since there would be 2-minute periods where the audio would go out and we would just be sitting there in awkward silence while we watched the person give a prayer or talk. I swear I am so spoiled to have the stake president that we have because he is sssssoooooooooo inteligent in the gospel since he's an institute teacher. I think he'll actually be a mission president in the future. Also, my mouthguard snapped in half this morning while brushing it. You know the thing that I put in my mouth at night to prevent grinding. Don't worry, though. It still works when you put it in one piece at a time (you don't have to put this part on the blog). So, on Halloween it was just a normal proselyting day until about 5 when a million little trick or treaters started downtown and we couldn't go in until 6. I am surpised how many anti-Halloween people there are here. I mean it's just a fun holiday to be with the family. We went to a member's house for dinner and had chili, white chili, and brocoli soup. I had the last 2 and they were super good. Obviously the white chili didn't have any beans in it since I ate it. But we just stayed there the rest of the night for obvious reasons. I am also surprised how poor of reasons people have that they are voting for Obama. Yesterday we ran into a guy who said "I'm not voting for Romney because he's a Republican." Oh, like that has anything to do with anything. Whatever. I agree with what Dad said in that God is going to be in this election.
Dad, I always love hearing about your struggles (not in a bad way) because I know that you and I are having discouraging moments at the same time. That just means that the Lord is going to bring us higher together as brethren in His priesthood. But I always admire at how much you get done in one week (there goes the tornado siren again). I hope I can be hard working too. Sounds like you are just so close to finishing Cody's eagle project. It's hard to think that he's turning 17 in a few days. 17!!!!! Is Cambrie 16 yet? I just hope Cody can get his mind set on serving a mission and preparing now. I know that the thing I struggle with most that is spirit-withdrawing is my thoughts. I need to do better at that. Sounds like Halloween there sure was a blast. I feel like I got so much candy that I can't even devour it in one day like I used to be able to do. I wonder if Jayson is going to have so much candy that it takes until March to finish it. That's what I had. Hooray Caitlin! Can't wait to hear from you and your move to DC. Good luck in school! I just wanted to ask you a question: if the announcement to serve a mission at 19 came out before you graduated high school, would you have gone?
I'm glad I'm on a mission and avoiding lots of sports because I'm sure being at Uncle Mike's house on Saturday would have been brutal. Yes, I heard about the LSU-Alabama game. Ugh! Ohwell. Now I've got to let it go. Okay, I have definitely seen myself growing because if I had to go home right now, I would refuse. OH THAT'S WHAT I WAS FORGETTING. You know how I forget things easily. So, you know Elder Ellis, my MTC companion right? Well apparently I learned that he went home becuase of personal issues! It doesn't surprise me but it does. I am just dissappointed in him and wish he and I could have a heart to heart talk. I have been trying to get the mission mindset written into the tablet of my heart thereby being able to love and serve everybody a little better and bring them the gospel. People can be so hard hearted at times. I have had many experiences of that already. I always ask myself how that could be Christ's church when you say "as long as you believe and do good things by being a true Christian, then there's no need to be baptized LDS and there's no true church." That just ticks me off because the devil believes and is he going to be saved? no. Chirst taught except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That brings me to just a question to ask Dad or Mom or anybody who knows the answer (I think I know the answer. I just want to see what you think.). In the pre-Earth life, was it God's plan the whole time to follow Christ's plan instead of Satan's plan? Just wondering. So what have I learned about myself? I have noticed that I need to be more selfless and also be more self-reliable because I relied so much on you fixing the car for me or making me lunch and dinner. I have also learned to adapt my desires to the desires of my companion. It is tough being able to look at yourself before your mission and then change but it must be done in order to be successful. Well, I'm sure I've forgotten some stuff that I wanted to say, but I'll get going. I thank you for all that you have done for me and wish you the best in your lives. Great! great! great! That's 3 greats!
Love,
Elder Sutherland
"kfaifbawefb. And then I ate some rotten berries. Man I had some mean gas eakin' out of my ---- that day."
"Why are you following me?!"
"I'll tell you why...Cuz I'm all alone. There's no one here beside me. My troubles are all gone [I forgot what he says] there's no one to deride me. But you gotta have friends!"
"Donkey! Well it's no secret why you don't have any friends!"
...
"What is that?! Who would want to live in a place like that!?"
"That would be my home."
"Oh, well it's just beautiful just marvelous. I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder."
