01/15/07

Elder A:

Whatsupatchu-boyeeeeeeee? How’s the work? How’s the weather? It’s freezin’ butt cold out here. I mean, it’s painfully cold when you go outside. I like it like that though. There’s something hard-core about going outside and it hurts just a little. As long as you have a good coat and stuff. If not, then cold is my enemy. But I like any excuse to strut my North Face gear outside. So I’ve been having fun with it. I guess Mom’s and Dad’s furnace went out yesterday. See, that’s when the cold is no longer my friend. Especially having two little girls in the house and one big girl that thinks anything below 72 is uncomfortably freezing cold.

I started my new class today. I got my new wave of kids in and then found out that I keep all my old kids from last year. They are eliminating a teacher spot in the Sunday school and decided to double up my class. Which is fine with me. I don’t mind. Like I said in the last letter, I liked my kids from last year and was bummed to see them leave. So I’m good with keeping them. I think the new kids will be good, there are two boys that seem like they want to pose a challenge though, but I’ll break them in a few weeks.

So the NFL playoffs are done for the week. The Bears beat the Seahawks in OT with a 50 yard field goal. The Saints beat the Eagles. The Colts beat the Ravens in Baltimore, and the Pats upset the Chargers in San Diego. I’m bugged about that. I really wanted to see the Chargers get to the super bowl. Shottenheimer is a horrible coach. That loss is solely on his hands. I can’t stand his bad decisions he made all game long. So the Bears play the Saints in the NFC championship and the Patriots play the Colts for the AFC. I hope the Colts win and I hope the Bears win. I have been a huge fan of the Bears all year long. So I’d like to see them win, but if Payton Manning can get a ring, I wouldn’t be bummed about that. So we’ll see how it plays out. My Steelers aren’t in it, so I can only root for a team I really like in the Bears.

Should we get to the Jeopardy results? I know you have been anticipating this for a while. Here are the one’s you either got wrong or we need to discuss. I know you are in shock right now that I even said you got some wrong, but there aren’t a lot so relax. You did very well! On OT for 7 pts. I believe the question was where David slew Goliath, you said Shochoh? What is that? It should be the valley of Elah. Now, as we go through these few, feel free to debate and if you win, I will overturn your score for a higher one and I will change my answer to be more accurate. So if you want to research it, get back to me if you think you are right and I’m wrong. Next, in Be Careful what you ask for… 4 pts. What did … sorry, I’m super tired. It’s almost midnight on Sunday night and I had to go to work today after the playoffs to do payroll since we have tomorrow off for Martin Luther King day to celebrate my people’s freedoms. Anyway, who was that wise king in the OT again? I can’t believe I’m having a total brain fart. He asked for Understanding more than for Wisdom. But it’s kind of all in the same the way they word it. Wisdom and Understanding, so the judges will allow it. There are 3 in Misc. Name a tree in the scriptures. You said “Judah”..?? Survey says… EHHHHHHH! What the heck? Judah as a tree? What’chu talkin’ ‘bout Willis? I would have accepted Olive, Tree of Life, Cedar, etc. any kind of tree actually mentioned in the scriptures. I have no idea where you get Judah, but if you want to debate it, I’m open.

Next the person who got his ear cut off in the garden of Gethsemane. His name is Malchus. But I suppose I can give you Servant of the High Priest. You squeaked by on that one though. This hymn is hymn #2, you said Come Thou Font? What ?? What happened to the Spirit of God? Are you going out of the 1956 edition out there or what? Debate if you want. And finally, I think the question was the last person to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood before Christ came. You said Nephi and you underlined it with emphasis. So do you know something I don’t? Are we sure Nephi held the Melchizedek? What about Elijah? What kind of time frame are we looking at here? This one needs some discussion because maybe I’m not sure anymore. Send me your justifications on that one. I’m in doubt of my own answer now. That’s it. You did great on it. I’ll send you my other ones in letters to come. I’ll send them in a letter that I send snail mail too so that you can look at the grid and not risk having a line cut off or something again. So what’s all this about a Tornado out there Toto? Mom and Staci made it seem like you landed in Oz on top of a wicked witch and I was like, Yeah, I think he was just riding through town and heard a siren and felt some strong winds. But if I’m missing some details, fill me in. That would be pretty crazy to have a tornado bust through town though. See some cows flying by and stuff like in that fake and stupid show Twister. I mean, how could a cow go flying by hovering in air and that truck still be driving just fine with just a few shimmy shakes on the road? Give me a break!

Well, I haven’t got much to go off of in your last few letters since they mostly consist of saying that you don’t have much time or that you will be sending a longer letter later, or something like that. So let me answer your question about the EFY CDs, I haven’t gotten anymore of those yet. I might have to look around. Older ones are pretty hard to come by. Not much I can do about you getting sick of your songs when your mission is the Opus Dei of the church where it enforces abnormally strict discipline on it’s missionaries. You are just one rule shy of wearing a cilice around your leg, and begin to practice Corporal Mortification by flogging your back with a leather strap. When you only have literally 100 songs that aren’t apostate, you are bound to be way sick of those 100 songs after a while. It’s all good though. You are probably seeing more blessings for the unusually strict music rules.

I talked to Chad’s dad today at church and told him I need to get the Chode’s address for Mike. He said he would get that for me. So maybe he’ll just bring it to church next week. That’s about all I got from him. Maybe I’ll call over there and leave a message if he’s not home and get it over the phone. I’ll let you know as soon as I get it though.

I had a good quote to send you this week and I’ve lost it. I’m kind of out of sorts tonight for some reason. I think it was going I to work on a Sunday and it being so late afterward. Let me go with this one since we are studying Spencer W. Kimball’s teachings now in Elder’s Quorum.

“Prayer is the passport to Spiritual Power.”

Spencer W. Kimball

Isn’t it amazing how much you pray on a mission? I loved it. That was one of the biggest senses of loss when I got home was the lack of opportunities and excuses to pray. It’s funny how I word that too now that I read it back. Excuses to pray as opposed to excuses NOT to pray. How often do most people make excuses not to pray and as a worthy missionary, you take any excuse TO pray. That’s my exhortation for this week is for you to make and take any and every excuse or opportunity to pray. Use that opportunity as this passport to gain access to spiritual power.

What happened with Trey and your other investigator that is close? Did you visit them this last week and lay the smack down? Time to get bold on them now that your time is drawing near to leave that area. I think I shared this scripture with you in a previous letter, I don’t remember, but it’s the last verse in James…

“Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” What a perfect way to look at that as a missionary. You are saving a soul from death. I think we look at it like we are helping someone out by sharing the gospel which we are, but how much more significant is this work when we look at the larger scope of eternity? Literally, we are saving someone from eternal spiritual death. That’s HUGE!

I’m going to end here this week Choch. I didn’t have a ton to go off of recently and I’m not in the zone this week. Sorry. Still waiting for your challenges to all of us. Write back soon.

I’m going to go in and turn on the TraVo and dial up the 2 hour premier of 24 that came on tonight. Tomorrow is the continuation with 2 more hours of 24. How cool will that be? I’m excited.

K buddy, you know the drill from here. Get your butt out there and work like I’m watching you. You would make me super proud to see you in action. I wish I could come out there, watch you and even help you for a day or two. Now that you have that image in your head, get out there and work like the Savior is watching you and make him proud. Because He is watching you and He is working with you and helping you.

Bust your butt, your companions butt and your investigators butts this week. Your family and friends are all behind you and love and miss you every day.

Love you.

Trav