Week #15

Hey Mis!

It was great Skyping you guys on Christmas! Glad to see you're all doing well. That was definitely by far the highlight of my week. It was a rough week aside from Christmas. No one wanted to meet with us this week, and no one really wanted to talk to us either haha. Most of our investigators were out of town, so no one came to church really. 

On Christmas we hung out with the Foremasters, where we played Risk and ping pong, and other stuff. Then we had dinner with the Voganns. Brother Vogann LOVES guns. He plays a game that wherever you stand in his house you're always within ten feet of a gun, and you have to find it. He's an interesting guy haha, but he's really cool. Christmas Eve we had dinner with the Foremasters, and it was HUGE. We had a good time there, but the rest of the week was rough. Although, we met a girl named Shay. We had stopped by her house before, but we stopped by again on Saturday just for the heck of it. She actually answered and invited us in! She had some friends in town, and they're LDS! Their names are Candace and Brian. They talked to us a lot about how they've been trying to get Shay to join the church for a while haha. Candace was born in the church, but after she married Brian, Brian joined the church. She said she can probably get Shay to join too hahaha. Also, apparently Candace is on the US Track Team, and Brian played defensive tackle for the Buccaneers and Cowboys, and is working out with the 49ers and Falcons right now. You couldn't even tell cuz they barely mentioned it! They're awesome, they were telling us how they just got sealed in the temple a year ago too. We're going to visit Shay sometime this week, I'm excited! It was frustrating trying to find people, but hopefully after the holiday season things will get better. 

Elder Balajadia is really quiet, so it's tough cuz I have to take the initiative most of the time in street contacts. I don't really know how to help get him going. He's been out longer, so idk it's just tough. We'll work it out though. How's break been? 

Love you Mis!

Trev

P.S. Pictures in a separate email.

Trevor with his zone (Sent 12/28/15)

Trevor with his zone (Sent 12/28/15)

Trevor with Elder Balajadia (Sent 12/28/15)

Week #14

Hey Dad!

Sorry Saturday was rough for you. I thought about you guys a lot that day. At least Moxie's sounded like it went well for you guys, I'm glad. I heard Bronco was headed out, oh well. I don't think he ever beat Utah, did he? Haha. I attached some stuff in a separate email for my anniversary gift to you.

My week was awesome! First off, I met Elder Balajadia. He's really cool! He's from the Phillipines. Even though me and Wightman butted heads a bit, it was still tough to say goodbye when he got shipped off to Needles. But Balajadia is really cool! He's really quiet, but he's such a spiritual guy, and a powerful teacher. One of the ZLs knows him really well, and he said that he starts off quiet/shy, but he opens up in a week or so. He's awesome though. Most of our investigators are busy till the end of the holidays, so we tried to find a lot more people, and we had a ton of miracles. We met a guy on the street named Chris, who told us about a near-death experience he had that made him believe in God. He was shot nine times (once in his head) while he was outside his house in the street. He said he had a crazy dream, where God asked him what he was doing, because his time wasn't done yet. He was in a coma for like two weeks, but then woke up, and walked and talked fine. It was crazy. We have an appointment to teach him after the holidays.

We also met a part-member family! It's funny because when we knocked on the door, a 20-something year old girl opened the door, and Balajadia got really nervous and stuttered! Hahaha it was really funny. Her name was Ivy, and she's a member of the YSA ward here, but she's the only member in her family. She gave us a TON of snacks. It was awesome haha, and she was super nice too. We're going to see them either this week before Christmas or next.

MIRACLE OF THE WEEK. We received a referral from the West mission for Chereyl and Manish. We tried to contact them throughout the week, but we never met them. We met their daughter, Mishawn, and set up a time to come back Sunday at 4. Then on Sunday after church, Balajadia and I were eating lunch at our apartment when we got a phone call from Brother Drysdale, the executive secretary. He told us that there was someone at the church who wanted to meet us. We quickly biked over, and it was Manish! He wasn't sure which ward he was supposed to go to, so he asked around and found out which one, and which missionaries he's supposed to talk to. We talked to him a little bit, and then we confirmed 4pm. He had a friend that was baptized that day, and that really peaked his interest in the church. When we went to his house with Bro. Jones, we met his family. They are SO prepared. They said they want a good foundation for their kids, and that they wanted to bring their family closer together. They also said that they felt like something was missing at the other churches that they went to, and wanted to figure out what it was. I'M SO EXCITED!!! We're going back to visit them Tuesday morning, it's gonna be awesome!

So we also had two baptisms this week, Martha and Tawnee, and I got to perform Martha's! I also got to confirm them both on Sunday. It was my first time with either of them, so it was really nerve racking, but amazing at the same time. I felt the Spirit so strongly.

So that was my week! I hope you have a great week. As for Christmas, there's nothing in particular I really want. And I placed an order for an extra name tag, and they said it'll take about two weeks for it to come in. So you'll prolly get it in three. I'm sorry I haven't gotten a picture yet, but I hope to this week. As for Skyping, we'll prolly have to do later in the day, because Balajadia's family is wayyy ahead in the time zones in the Phillipines. Would 2pm my time or 5pm your time work?

Love you Dad!

Trevor

Here's your anniversary present! We had two baptisms on Saturday haha.

Tawnee had a friend, Jacob Horlacher, baptize her (Sent 12/21/15)

Martha had me baptize her, and her boyfriend Jay was there too.

They're both awesome! (Sent 12/21/15)

Week #13

Dear Misa,

A lot of stuff went down this week, but first, let me answer your questions:

1. Did your Mission President only talk to you, or did he interview your companion as well about the situation?

Nope, just me. I don't know why he didn't talk to Wightman, but I'm not worried about it. It ended up being a big blessing talking to him, which I'll explain later in this email.

2. When are your next transfers?

Transfers are this Tuesday, and the next one isn't until February 3rd. Elder Wightman is getting transferred to Needles, California. I'm staying in North, Sierra Ranch ward. This past transfer was difficult, but it was a good experience. We're different people definitely, but the biggest thing was that we sort of had different styles and tendencies in the way we worked. One thing that I liked is that he ALWAYS wanted to work hard. He knew his purpose. But I didn't always agree with how he did it. He liked to play a lot of stuff by ear, while I wanted to plan ahead. Maybe I was a little too up-tight with him. He just wasn't the most organized, and now I see why Mom and Dad harped on me growing up to be organized haha. But honestly, he has a good heart. That's what matters. I don't hate him, he's a good guy. I learned a lot working with him. My new comp will be Elder Balajadia (Ba-la-ha-jzuh). He's from the Phillipines. I've never met him, but from what I heard, he's a good guy and a good missionary.

Wednesday we did a service project at Three Square. We made 1,500 lunches for under-privileged kids in the Las Vegas area. It was a blast! Miss Universe showed up on her tour or whatever. She showed up, talked to some people, did absolutely nothing, took pictures, and left. It was pretty random and funny hahaha. One of the ZLs got a picture with her haha. On Thursday, we met Noah and Ara. Noah is a ten year old who we threw a football with in the street. We told him about the Christmas video, and he invited us to visit him and his mom. They LOVED it. We gave them a Book of Mormon, and they're really eager to learn more. We're excited! Friday was the Christmas Conference. It was fun. There were a lot of awesome trainings, and then there were some skits and talents that people did. It was pretty funny. Probably my favorite was an elder read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", but he did it while doing impressions of people, from celebrities to presidents to general authorities, to even other missionaries haha. Saturday was the ward Christmas party. It was really fun! We had a couple investigators go, and they enjoyed themselves. We got to know a lot of the members too since the boundaries were switched up. Church was awesome! Martha and Tawnee both came. They both had their baptismal interviews that night too, and they both passed! Tawnee is going to be baptized Saturday at 10am, while Martha will be Saturday at 3pm. We're stoked! Wightman is getting transferred to Needles, California on Tuesday, so he won't be able to go to the baptisms.

So that was my week! I'll send you pictures and stuff in a separate email. Things have overall gotten better with Wightman and I. We still prank each other. Like I walked out of our bedroom under our Nerf hoop, and he dunked on me. I'll definitely study PMG Chp. 8 this week. I actually studied two more attributes this week, and I plan on continuing to do that throughout my mission to help me continue to retain them.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun this week on your dates! I'm glad you had a good experience at church too. I've never realized how much of a boost church can be. Like back in Binghamton I didn't really utilize it as a boost, just a way for me to socialize with people. But it can really be a HUGE boost! That's still crazy to me that Kendal is getting married. Is Josh married yet? What's Marshall doing? What about the rest of the old crew, any news with them?

I hope you have a great week!

Love you Mis!

Trev

Trevor with his zone at ZTC (sent 12/14/15)

Getting festive with Elder Wightman (sent 12/14/15)

Christmas Conference (sent 12/14/15)

Week #12

Hey Mis!

So none of those friend requests are people from Vegas. I didn't see any to accept either. The package was awesome! The ZLs are bringing the mail later, so hopefully I'll have it then. I'm glad you had a good time in NY. As for Christmas, I can't really think of anything else. I'm not too picky, things haven't changed hahaha. Those sound like good gifts for Dad! As for Asia, get her a job! Haha just kidding. Just buy her BYU stuff, try to sway her hahaha. I would do that if I was back in Rexburg. That's crazy that Kendal is getting married. Isn't Josh already married too??? Tell Marshall to wait to get married until I get back. You too haha. This was easily the toughest week of the mission. Elder Wightman and I butted heads a TON. One argument was so bad that I honestly just sat on my bed for like an hour, not saying a word to him. He called President Snow, and so I met with President the next day. I have been missing Mom a lot lately, especially because she loved the holidays so much, and so it's been really difficult recently. He talked to me about it and gave me a blessing. As we were discussing, he gave me some great advice. He talked about the Brother of Jared, and how he asked the Lord for help. The Lord asked him what he wanted him to do, and the Brother of Jared initially didn't know. As you know, he made the sixteen stones and asked the Lord to touch them. He told me that sometimes we go through very difficult things, and we ask the Lord for help. But we have to 1) be willing to work through it and do our part, and 2) be more specific when we ask for help. He invited me to ask Him to help me utilize the Atonement more, that I may be able to access the enabling power to help me through this tough time and to continue the work. He also told me to go to the temple at some point this week and spend some time in the celestial room. I'm planning on going tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to it.

This week was also full of disappointment. It started off great. I got to do an exchange with Elder Aitchison! That was a ton of fun, and it was also our most productive day of the week. While we were biking, we saw an older guy and a woman moving furniture into a UHaul. We stopped and offered help, and the guy said "would you still want to help even if I told you we won't concert?" We all laughed about it, and me and Aitch helped. We moved a lot of dressers and bed frames, the fridge, a few TVs, and we broke down their swing set in the backyard and packed it away. We were probably there for an hour. We got to know the people too. Their names were Papa Joe and Renée. They were really nice, and Papa Joe even called us "his angels". He said that us showing up was no accident, and we carried a certain spirit about us that he couldn't figure out. Well duh! Later in the week we met with Szilvia, the Hungarian lady who gave us treats when we knocked on her door. We taught her about the Book of Mormon, and her husband Mark sat in on the lesson. Mark opened up a TON. Before he married Szilvia, he was married, but his wife died of cancer. He said that that took a huge roll on him, but he met some missionaries, and they really helped him out. He said that he's really eager to learn more. We're excited! A bunch of people cancelled on us this week, so that was really tough. We attended a baptism with a couple investigators. Martha was able to go, as well as Anthony. Anthony is scheduled to be baptized on the 12th, and Martha the 19th. However, when we met Anthony outside before the baptism, he had a cigarette in his mouth. It seems like he had been lying to us, so we've got some more work to do. Besides that, Martha and Anthony both really enjoyed the baptism. Hopefully that'll motivate Anthony to give up smoking.

So I also met someone who knows Aunt Sherrie. I forgot his first name, but his last name is Fontano....? I think. He said he knew Sherrie when they were YSA, and that she emailed or texted him when she found out I was in North Las Vegas, where he lived. Why do people out here know me??? So that's my week. I hope you have a good coming week! How are all your boys? Pull through finals! You got this!

Love you Mis!

Trev

Trevor with Elder Aitchison (Sent 12/7/15)

Sent 12/7/15

Sent 12/7/15

Sent 12/7/15

Week #11

Hey Mis!

I picked up my package on Tuesday! Thank you SO MUCH! I'm still eating all of that stuff. I'm actually eating some of those veggies as I type this haha. That's cool you came home for Thanksgiving! I see it was interesting.... But hey, nothing can be done now. I guess we're just gonna roll with it.

Sounds like your time in NY has been good though. That's cool that you guys saw dad's cousin from France! If I remember correctly, I think dad told me he's an actuarian or statistician. Pretty cool stuff. Thanksgiving was tough for me, we had a few people yell at us and swear at us when we knocked on their door. Plus I really missed you guys, and Mom too. It was weird not playing football in the morning and chilling with you guys for the whole rest of the day. But hey, one down, one to go!

My week was really good! We met a couple guys named Demarlo and Guy. We talked to them for a little bit, but they didn't want to talk to us, so we challenged them to two-on-two basketball. If we won we got to teach them. We won. Thursday night basketball back home continues to have been a blessing in the mission field haha. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation, and they had TONS of questions. It was pretty cool. Then yesterday, we followed up with them in the afternoon. They told us they were no longer interested. We asked them why, and Demarlo said that his cousin is a pastor and said that there was no proof of the Plan of Salvation in the Bible. We tried to explain it more to them, when out of nowhere this guy came cruising by on a mo-ped. "It's the Mormons!" he said. Then he pointed at us and turned to Demarlo and Guy and said "Listen to these guys! They're telling the truth!" He then told us that last week he was in an accident on his mo-Ped, and he could barely walk because he messed up his back. He said that other missionaries gave him a blessing. "Six days later," he said, "here I am!" He stood up and started dancing. Then he said goodbye and drove off. Then Demarlo and Guy asked a TON of other questions, so we set up another time to meet with them. It was awesome!

We also met the Baldivias family. We actually met them last week, but didn't get to meet until yesterday. They are so cool! There are two parents, five kids, and a grandmother that live with them. We taught about the Plan of Salvation, and they had TONS of questions too. Their oldest son, Alex, is studying with 7th day Christians or whatever they're called, and so he's very quick when it comes to the bible. The cool part was at some point of the lesson, each one of the Baldivias said they've always wondered which church was true. They're in dire need of the Restoration, so we're really excited to teach them that next time! They're SO nice and loving, they already seem like members of the Church haha. We're really excited, we've got some good people to teach.

We also got three investigators to church! That's the most we've had since I've been here. Anthony sat with us, and he's going to be baptized either this Saturday or next. Martha was there, and is supposed to be baptized December 19th. Then Velia came with her member husband, and she's been progressing very well lately. It's been great!

Thanksgiving for me was good, even though I missed you guys a lot. We ate with the Stowells, who are a really cool family that recently moved in. Then the next day we got special permission to eat with the Hendersons. She fed us mac & cheese, stuffing, shepherds pie, greens, yams, duck, chitlins, peach cobbler, meat pie, and sweet potato pie. It was all really good, except for the chitlins. They were nasty. I didn't even know what they were until Saturday. Apparently they're pig guts. Never eating that again!

So at least on Thanksgiving you didn't eat pig guts. Could've been worse! Haha. Me and my comp just watched the Christmas video. It's pretty sweet! As for what I want.... I'm cool. Maybe more music? Maybe some more mission-appropriate Mat Kearney? Or Owl City? Whatever works. People keep trying to steal my CDs here now haha. I'm doing an exchange with my MTC companion tomorrow, the tall British guy. I'm stoked! Anyways, I hope you have a good week! I love you and miss you!

Love you Mis!
Trev

Trevor's Zone Leaders (Sent 11/30/15)

Sent 11/30/15