Changes and Traveling

Hola,

Well Sarah I think that for looking that good you might get someone to pay for your dinner. Dad you look like you got a little more tinsel in your hair, but you look good. Might be able to beat me up when I get back.

But this week has been pretty good and man it was a lot of great experiences. We were in the three day training last week and that was a great opportunity to learn and be with other missionaries. We had a great training and it was just over the new curriculum that the MTC will be training missionaries on and that we'll be putting into practice with our District Meetings. So then after that we went to Bridgeton, NJ with my good buddy Elder Lake and his companion. It was a good exchange and the area was great. Elder Lake and I were able to talk about how we need to control our thoughts and not think about farming or other things when we get home. We dont think about them that much just that we think about them now and then and it needs to be decreased because our time is winding down as missionaries. But his companion is a project. His companion was one of the New Jersey missionaries and the majority of them were horribly disobedient so this Elder has given Elder Lake a rough time with every rule. It was a good exchange though and we learned some new stuff and took pictures on an old Farmall tractor out back of where the Elders live so I'll have to send you my card soon.

We had a good week though and things went really well with church and meetings and then today with transfer meeting. Im still here in the same area and still have my same companion so it will be a good six weeks. We are no longer in a threesome so thats good. I am going to really have to pray a lot though and have more love this transfer to be able to help us as a companionship come closer together. Thanks for your support guys and I hope you are having a good week and do good in your activities. Blake, why dont you play football with a cast/club on? you should still be able to play. If youre not gonna be able to play, get your hunters license and a four wheeler and have Brooks take you out to the mountains. But have a good week and remember el amor.

norman

On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 1:34 PM, Daryl Nielson wrote:

Are you still a Zone Leader? Are you just a regular companionship.?
What is your current role?

We are still "Zone Leaders" but there is no zone. So in the next six weeks we will be doing exchanges with all the spanish elders in the mission and then we also might do a training on just spanish and culture. So we are basically traveling Elders without numbers and the responsabliliy of a zone. We will only be in our area for about 2 or 3 days out of the week and then we'll be living on the road out of our suitcases. It will be a lot of planning

Demons, Snakes and Frogs

Hola,

This is the week when we go to the mission home for three days for this new leadership training meeting and then on thursday to friday we'll be in Bridgeton with the spanish Elders there. Transfers are this next week on Monday but I'll get youre letter so dont worry about it, just do it. I don't think I'll be leaving because my companion has already been here for 4 transfers so its about time for him to go. But the time is flying, I realized yesterday that it was already the end of week 5 in the transfer and also General Conference is in two weeks.

Thats pretty cool Raymond is going already and is ready to leave. I hope he has a good time in the MTC down there. This past week was really good and we had a lot of crazy experiences from being in the same house as a lady who was posessed by a demon, to catching a snake on a road in West Chester, to confirming someone at Church yesterday. It was nuts. We had our Zone Training on Thursday and it went really well. We did a good job and the Elders really enjoyed it. I tried to help us with our role play and so we did kind of like a personal film session after the practice we did. I tried to impliment the benefits I got from watching film Saturday mornings after football games. It was neat. But then I was in West Chester with an Elder from Utah and it was a good exchange. We talked a lot about how we can enjoy the work and not just be robots. So when we were driving to an appointment one night on this mountainous road, it was really pretty over there, frogs were jumping all over the road so some we would hit and some they'd just go right under us. So I had the Elder stop us at the next frog we saw because I was going to catch it. He stopped and I backed him up so we could see the road, night time, but then as he's backing up I see this long stick looking thing and realize its a snake. He stops with his lights on the snake and I caught it, we took a picture and left, never found the frog.

Then yesterday I was able to confirm Dennis who was baptized last week. It was a cool experience and I was a little nervous at first because I was afraid of what would happen and if I'd get the wording right. But then when we went up to the front and we put our hands on his head, it was just peaceful and I just began to talk. He was glowing red afterwards and later in the priesthood meeting he got the priesthood. So he will baptize his daughter this next Sunday and is really excited about that.

Blake dont get down with your wrist or basketball ok? Dont worry about what happens, just worry about how you are doing personally and if you are doing your best. Try not to compare yourself with others because that will just make you get down. I have that problem as a missionary because sometimes I look at others who know so much about how to do things and then I feel like I cant do it. Last week I was a little worried about my spanish because I wasnt as good as other Elders with speaking like a Puerto Rican. That made me have a horrible day because I was always thinking about how my spanish is and I struggled. So then I just decided to just talk and not worry about it and I had no problems with spanish. So just listen to "I got soul but Im not a Soldier" and youll be alright.

So things are going good and we had a great past week. Things are going to be changing a lot as to what I'll be doing next transfer and how because I dont really know yet. But you guys have a good week and we'll talk to you next week. Philly Love

norman

?Did you get my package?

Answers Some Questions

Hola,

1. Yes, Elder Glover was the Hannah Montana blanket guy

2. P-Day changed because the missionary department in Salt Lake says that mondays are the best days to have P-Day so President changed it to go more in line with the Church program.

3. The wedding and baptism was awesome yesterday. They really received a lot of support from the members and we had a lot of investigators there too. But the wedding was quick and sweet right before sacrament meeting in one of the side rooms. Then the baptism afterwards was great. There were about 30 people that came to the baptism, most of them for the food, but it was a great experience for everyone. I was able to baptize the husband and my companion baptized the wife. I was a little nervous at first because this was the first time I'd ever actually baptized someone. But I felt just like I was getting ready for a big game or something. I was thinking why am I nervous? Why do I have the butterflies? So then when we got into the water I got a little more nervous because the water was only up to in between my mid thigh and belt so I was thinking I gotta dunk this guy. Luckily we only had to do it one time and his feet didnt come up. But it was an awesome experience and they are really are excited.

4. Easton PA is up north about an hour and a half. Close to Nazareth or Allentown. Its right on the border of PA and NJ so the Elders live in NJ but cross the bridge everday. It was a really pretty place.

5. We dont work in Camden at all. Just went there for exchanges with those Elders. Camden is pretty dead and dirty. There are a lot of drugs there and a lot of the people dont work there.

But things are going great and we are going to Atlantic City tonight for an exchange with them. Also we are going to West Chester later this week. There are only two more weeks in the transfer so we'll see what happens. They are going to have a 3 day training for all the leaders in the mission this week and next week. we go next week so it will be a great learning experience living in the mission home for 3 days and doin a lot of stuff. This next transfer they are going to dissolve our spanish zone into the geographic areas so next transfer I might be like a traveling Elder with lots of exchanges and less teaching and finding. So we'll see what happens but have a good week you guys. You should probably go do something outdoors with the trees changing and the weather coolin down. but thanks for your support and have a good one.

oh by the way go check out youtube and a video "philadelphia mission" or something like that. its a video they made for President Murray and im in it. also i might be having a facebook account soon for missionary purposes only. we are one of two missions in the world that they are trying this out with missionarys. we will be able to teach and share things from mormon.org and mormon messages with people. it should be really cool. philly love

norman