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Elder Mortimer update #7

July 11, 2011

Lakeside Ward/Tucson, Arizona

 

HELLO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for the mail and letters I absolutely love them. How is everyone? I'm doing just fine. I love it here. This week has had its ups and downs but more ups than downs. The only down was a struggle to see eye to eye with our zone leaders, they are kind of micro managing us, but its ok and we see where they are coming from so all is well. Other than that it was been so great. I have gained huge knowledge of the scriptures this week and a lot of other things. Many cool experiences and stuff going on as well. Oh, WE GOT A BAPTISM DATE WITH A FAMILY OF 6 have accepted it so that is so amazing. It is for August 19. Please pray for them. They really need it. They have had a ton of struggles and really need as much help as they can get. I really love this family and I can't wait to see them get baptized I just hope they keep the commitment.

 

Answering questions…

About money, I get $120 a month and it gets stretched a lot. I don't know how I do it but it works. The Lord blesses his missionaries for sure.  It’s tight but ok...you really see what you need and don't need.

I do cook every day. I cook breakfast and lunch. For breakfast I always have eggs and hot sauce with toast. But sometimes I have oatmeal. And for lunch I eat frozen chicken breast that I cook. So yeah that’s what I eat and don't forget the hot sauce ;) and then every night I have dinner with a member so that is really nice.
My NEW bike is AMAZING. I love it so much. It fits me really nice and it rides really smooth. I bent the rim (my size) and Rob at the Bike Store fixed it for free, man that guy is amazing I tell you.

I would love to have the New Era and Ensign, so thank you for that it would help me to teach.

Can someone send me the Charley Soundtrack? I can listen to it so please send that to me. I really love the music from it. And any talks or good spiritual music doesn't have to be hymns but anything would be great.
Transfers are next week Tues. so P-day will be Tues. I will email next week on Tues.

 

I met the new mission Pres. and his wife. They are from Delta Ut. She is a RN and he owns his own pharmacy. They are very medical. All I have to say about them is WOW!!!! They are so amazing. They are so down to earth and loving people.  His knowledge of the scriptures is amazing. He got called as a bishop at 32 for 5 years, then a counselor in the stake pres for 9 years and now a stake pres for 4 years and now he is a mission pres. Just such an amazing person. Our quote for the mission is "you have to consistency be who you want to be, to become who you want to be." Such a great quote I thought you would like that dad.

 

This week for P-day we went to Davis Monthan Air Force Base and we saw an A-10’s all over the place.

I got some sweet pics and there is an SR-71 blackbird there. It was something different. I went to the

PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEMEM!!!!!!!!!! It was so cool. It is right next to so sweet. I just loved it.  An old guy told us some way neat stories about some of the planes. It was just so cool, I was soaking it all in and was like wow this is so cool, the Elder I was with was like wow airplanes woohooooo (his sarcasm) but I just loved it.

            

This week really has been good I love my mission. So amazing. I’m so glad I made the choice to go and serve my god and savior. How great is it to know that I’m a missionary. I love calling myself Elder because it just sounds so good. I love the people here and teaching them. It is such a blessing for me and I love this gospel. Thank you so much for all the love and support you give me. I really appreciate it. This gospel is true. Everyday I get a reconfirmation about it. I love it with all my heart. I can see changes in me already and I love it. I hopefully will be the missionary that my Lord and Savior want me to be. I love you all.

Have a great week.

 

Elder Mortimer

Elder Mortimer update #6

July 5, 2011

Lakeside Ward/Tucson, Arizona

 

Hello All :)

 

How have you been? Everything is going all right here in Arizona. This past week has been really hard for me. I have had some big struggles come up. So right now I am really relaying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. One reason is it is so hard right now is some of our investigators are dropping us and we are not teaching a lot of people. Another reason is people who aren’t home when they say, is so frustrating. But it is with the Lord’s time. So after praying for a bit, I read my scriptures. Thank you for never giving up on me when I wanted to give up on myself. You never gave up on me. So yes this week has been hard but I have learned even more now that I cannot do this on my own. I look to my Savior to help me. He is my rock like in Helaman 5:12. He is the foundation that I need.

 

Right now we are on exchanges and I am with my district leader for the whole day and last night. He saw something was wrong and I talked to him about it. And a thought kept coming to me. I am almost done reading the book of Mormon for the first time while on my mission. This is a great experience for me. I have gained such a stronger testimony of the atonement and what it can do for me in my life. Every day now I feel his love his influence in my mission. Man I just love it! Now for the good :)

 

So...we found a new investigator while being on our bikes, he is 16 and he seems pretty cool. I really like him. My teaching is better but...it is nowhere near where I would like it to be. But when I teach I go really slow now...and teach with power and authority. At times scriptures come to my mind and I speak them and it hits them, or I say the first vision and they get the warm feeling. I love that so much. This morning my district leader went over some things that I can improve on and I had to take the pride away and really be humble about it and be the missionary that my Lord and Savior want me to be. I know when I follow the spirit and listen to it I am a little better. I just love this gospel. So much. I love every minute of my mission even the struggles. It is the best decision I have made in my life. I love to serve and teach others about the gospel.

 

SO...yesterday we got a MONSOON...it was so huge! It rained sideways and the humidity was so high. It felt like July in Wisconsin. So I felt at home. Then, the sunset was so pretty I got some beautiful pictures of it so I will send them home soon. It caused some huge floods and it was so crazy...but so cool. My companion and I ran outside and ran around.  Guess what? We taught a lesson, so God works in mysterious ways. The rain was a blessing because the day before, our ward fasted for rain. I think the whole stake did and we got two nights of monsoon. It helped so much. Oh dad I got a picture with a great dane dog. It was massive and the head was bigger than my thigh.  It belongs to a member of the ward and she said oh he’s so nice. When he barks it sounds like a bear! It was NUTS!

 

On Saturday I did an activity called the cinnamon challenge. Which is to eat 1 Tbsp of raw cinnamon. it just sucks all moisture out of your mouth and I got a movie of it. You see a puff of brown smoke coming out of my mouth. It’s way funny. lol.

 

So this church is true. As always. This is his work, and we are all his servants I love it so much.  Thank you all for the prayers because I really appreciate them. I love you all.

 

Elder Mortimer

Elder Mortimer update #5

June 27, 2011

Lakeside Ward/Tucson, Arizona

 

Hey Everyone,

 

How’s it going everyone? I'm doing great here. I really like it here. I love the people here. How is everything going with you all? It is really hot here today. I think it is reaching up to 114 today so it’s flipping hot.

 

The money is ok. It’s hard to get some good food and groceries

For things to send me please send granola bars and other snacks. Anything like that is ok.

I'm ok with the laundry soap.

I did get the first package. Thank you. I liked the snacks. Thanks for the temple clothes.

Right now I only got one card with money so I will probably be get the other one soon.

I'm good with a bike seat, because I transferred the other one to my new bike.

We get a new mission Pres tomorrow :)

 

My adventures of the week.

 

It was a really hard week. Let me tell you. We got 5 new investigators but none of them were home when we went back to see them. So that was really hard. Saturday was the hardest. All people wanted to do was to bash with us. When she started to talk the spirit just left. It was so crazy. She went on for like 30 min how we are following the devil and doing his work. Oh and the best part is she is a Jew that believes in Christ. It makes no sense and the whole time she was telling us how she got possessed. I was trying my hardest to not laugh. I know its bad, but I was trying so hard.  When we left, my companion and I felt so bad we had to stop our bikes and say a prayer to help us.  We prayed and felt better as were driving down the road. We were singing church hymns lol. It was so good to get the spirit back. I know how strong the adversary can work on you. I felt so bad for her and how lost she is.

 

Anyway on a better note, on Thursday we had a zone conference. It was AMAZING!!!  It was the last zone conference with Pres and Sis Walker and even though I didn't know them very well I cried and I felt like a part of me was leaving. It was so sad. We were bearing out testimonies and an Elder said this "I realized that coming out on a mission that you don't come out to stay who you are, you come out to change into who you are to become, and that it is what I am doing to change and become.” I want to be who my savior wants me to be. I love that quote so much. It is so true. I can see changes in me already. I think about how much I pray how much I read the scriptures. I love reading the Book of Mormon. it really is true and I know this because of my reading. I love it so much. The Book of Mormon gives me the best feeling ever and I love it. I just love this gospel. I love helping people find their way back to Heavenly Father.

 

I really miss all of you. It will be sad to not be with you on the 4 of July. But its ok I am doing the Lords work and I love it so much. This is his work and his glory. Well time t get back to work I love you all hope you all are doing well and you are all in my prayers. I love you.

 

Elder Mortimer

Elder Mortimer update #4

Again... Sorry everyone! Its my bad I have not posted new stuff for Ryan...


June 20, 2011
Lakeside Ward/Tucson Arizona

Hey hey hey,

How is everyone doing? So this week has had its ups and it sure had had its down. We made some really good contacts with people, and then it just stopped. Like just stopped. So that was upsetting but its ok, the work will push on I know that. We have a new investigator named Natayna. She is a 30 yr old black woman and we tracked into her house. My companion felt inspired to go there and we started to talk to her. She new something was different with us because of how we acted and looked. She said the Jehovah Witnesses were there that morning. So that was interesting. And so we talked for a while and she let us in her home. She is single and lives with her twin sister. And she was like hey can you come back and teach my mom and sister. We were like for sure. So now we are going back and teach them, and she called us to see if it was ok if she brought a friend. Of course it is. I just love it. SO we gave her the 1 lesson and I did the baptism invite and
first vision. I love doing those things. Our mission pres wants us to commit to baptism on the first contact, kinda scary but amazing, so I can do that. I just love it.

Some answers to questions, it doesn't matter how hot it is we still go out. I am not sunburned but I am getting darker ;). lol My ward is amazing. Its kind of small but I really like it. I am in a safe part of town so no worries there. I have dinner appointments every night so thats nice but I cook breakfast and lunch so it’s not that bad. For breakfast I have eggs and hot sauce (I’m addicted) and lunch chicken and hot sauce :). Then we go out and do the work. I sent a letter and it has the baptism program from our first baptism so I will do that whenever we have a baptism. :) I thought you would like that mom. I actually saw clouds a couple of days ago. It was a miracle. I though I was home and I loved it. It hasn't rained yet but I guess we are in monsoon season but it’s so dry. Before 11am its about 100 and the hottest its gotten it 110. It’s hot but its do able. Other people have so I will too.

We got a key to our gym in out apt complex so now I run and lift so thats nice. So, I can stay in shape. I run a mile to two miles and bench and do rows and stuff. I eat good too. So I have lost a few lbs :) It's the good lbs to loose I promise.

Our ward mission leader is amazing. He works so hard for us and gives us everything. He can tell that if he does this for the missionaries his life is blessed and I can see.

So my new bike,,, Its huge compared to my other one lol. I really like it and its way nice. It’s nice and blue. The seat kinda stinks but thats ok. Other than that it’s a good bike it’s big and it fits. So I like it.

We get our new Mission Pres next week so that will be interesting. Oh pray for Elder Norkyke. We were playing basketball today and he broke his ankle. It was pretty rough. We knew what we needed to do so I anointed him and another Elder gave him a blessing the pain stopped right then, AMAZING I TELL YOU. I love it so much out here. It’s the best thing ever.

This is his week I challenge you to memorize Doctrine and Convents 4. It’s amazing. I love teaching this gospel and how it blesses lives. I can tell that just from the people we teach as soon as they take the lessons their lives are blessed so much. I love seeing that in people. An eternal family is something so big we teach. This is his gospel and I bear witness of that. I love you all and thank you for all the prayers. I feel them lift me up when I need them. I really appreciate them. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you. Oh put my facebook status something dealing with that I would love to hear from people and I love letters and stuff like that and put my address thanks lol. Love you all

Elder Mortimer

Love you all!