Day 188

I owe you all an apology, I've taken a week off, and am very late getting this post out.  We will hear from him again on Monday, and I will be better about getting that one up on time.  Thanks for you patience!


We were able to Skype with Ryus on Christmas day and I loved seeing him.  I told him I just wanted to sit and stare at him. 


Why did you want to stare at me? haha. I wished I had done a few things different, I kind of wished that I would have gone to a more private room,that way everyone here wasn't involved in my conversation. All of you looked good as well, even though you wouldn't look in the camera, I wanted to see you as well. Kate was very pretty, Korinne looks weird with earrings. Overall Christmas went really good. We got fed twice on Christmas, the members here seem like they do like to feed us. It seems like there are a few members that like to feed us twice a week. Christmas made me feel a little homesick, just thinking about all the family and all of the fun things that we usually do.

Best Moment?

My best moment this week was probably teasing some of the members about living in Canada, they started listing off "logical" reasons why Canada was better than the states so we teased them about a few things that are Canadian.

How long has Elder Scott been out?

He has six months left, so just the reverse of me.

How often do the four of you get to work together?

If it's a service opportunity, all four of us usually will get together, or if the members want to feed us we'll usually both be there.

Do you get meals more easily here, than in swift current?

It seems like it, It feels like the members view the missionaries more as family than they did in swift current, which is nice because I feel like the trust factor is definitely here.

Tell me about some of your investigators?

The Only investigator I have met is Tess. Everyone else seems to be away for the holidays.

So who is going home next transfer?  Elder Allred, and...?

Elder Allred and about twenty other missionaries. I think that only six are going to come in to the mission. They are going to have to combine some areas, which is good because there are six missionaries in every ward in the mission. (two sisters and two elders) 

What kind of car do you drive?

We drive a subaru legacy. one year older than the new one we got in our last area. the only bummer is it doesn't have heated seats.

Did you get pizza?

We did get some pizza last week from some of the members.. unless you're talking about something else.

Which tie are you going let them cut in the end?
My mission president will go home in june, so I'm not really sure what's going to happen with that, they might not do the same things when missionaries leave.

Anyway, Hope you have a great week!

Love Ryus.

:)

Day 181

I've had a lot of fun the last week just getting settled into Kenora, I like it a lot here, the people are nice and the weather is good. actually all over Canada the weather has been pretty good, it has been hovering right around freezing the last week or so.  I think Christmas is going to be a lot of fun. This week has been weird because everyone is super busy until January, lame. but we have been doing well out here. I would have pictures to send but I forgot my camera :(

So the big question on everyone's mind is where are you going?  

What do you know about it?

Kenora is really nice, I emailed Dad about it, Tons of water, tons of deer, there are actually hills and things. I like it a lot here

Who's your new companion?

Elder Scott, He's a solid missionary and a solid companion. He is from Vancouver. He is half Chinese, We tell him that he is actually North Korean. He is a lot of fun.

Do you know anything about him?

Yes I live with him. :)

Have you had to speak in your branch?

I bore testimony when I left, and I bore testimony to start here

Do you know who's coming to replace you?

Yes, his name is Elder Wilson, I don't know anything about him except Elaine Messaged me and said "has a handshake like a wet dish rag." Not very nice of her. 

Are you going somewhere where you know anyone (other missionaries)?

Elder Allred is here serving his last transfer. So I have been having fun being here in the same district. the city has been divided for this transfer, All of us are pretty funny here and we all get along really well. I feel like this is going to be a great transfer :)

Best Moment?

The best moment of this week was when we met with one of our investigators, she agreed to move out of her boyfriend's house and to come to church, after that she will be able to be baptised.

How's Elaine doing, especially with you leaving? 

Elaine seemed sad, she gave me a towel and a Christmas card. It was really sweet it honestly made my day.

I'm sure with you leaving(probably) you've been eating with people a lot, anything special happen?

I was surprised at how warm the branch was to me just before I left, (maybe they were glad to get rid of me) but everyone was extremely nice. It mad me really happy :)

Did you shed a few tears?

No, but Marvann, a less active lady who is from blackfoot Idaho, started crying when I was going to leave and it made me really sad :(

Day 174

OK, this is totally my fault.  I got on this morning to type my letter and I didn't refresh my mail.  He was on and didn't get my letter till it was about time to go.  So hopefully he will answer my other questions next week.  But he did include a small summary of the week and his new area.  It sounds like he is leaving today!


This week has been great, It's been jam packed. I am getting transferred to a little town called Kenora Ontario, It's all the way on the other side of the mission. Should be tons of fun. It's somewhere around 10-15 hours away from swift current, I've been running around a lot trying to visit everyone before I leave. usually I would have until wednesday, but they are trying to get us all moved and settled as soon as possible before christmas, so I'm leaving at about 2 oclock. Brother Clements was joking and telling his wife that it was rushed so it must be an emergency transfer, don't worry, it's not. I'm all packed, I've got a few more things that are around the apartment that I need to grab, with my luck I'll forget it all. My new companion is Elder Scott, he's a canadian, I guess he is a really good guy, I've only heard good things. Kenora is where Elder allred is serving right now, so I'll get to be with him for a transfer before he goes home in February. I'm pretty sad to leave Swift Current, but I am excited and a little nervous to go. I'm sure that it will be just great. Other than that, It's been great. Everyone has treated me really well while I've been here and I have no complaints, Kenora is supposed to be about the same size as swift, really touristy, and colder and snowier. Oh goody. Bring it on.

Day 167

This week has been really good, we had zone conference, we went to a hockey game, that was pretty fun saw a few fights, probably my favorite part. I'm not too into hockey but the fights were good, they dropped their gloves and helmets and just punched each other till one of them fell down. I've been doing body weight exercises (pushups, situps, things like that) everyday and my body is responding well to them. I've gained some weight out here, with my all clothes on (no jacket or winter gear) I'm about 190 pounds, probably something like 2-3 pounds heavier than when I started. I've been good about working out and making sure that I'm having productive mornings, I think that's the most essential thing of mission life, I drink lots of water (3-4 quarts a day) I'm pretty healthy and I feel good almost all the time, I've stopped popping my knuckles and almost stopped popping my back and I feel a lot better in that respect. I guess I am just gaining a testimony that this schedule that I am asked to keep is the best way to do it. Where I'm lacking is in my diet, I need to eat better, and I need to work out more consistently. It's a little bit hard, but if I just get up and do it it's great.

Yesterday we (us four missionaries) sang two Christmas songs, silent night and angels we have heard on high, in a community event in Gull Lake. It was a fairly good turnout, probably close to two hundred people heard us. It was great. 

Thank you so much for the Christmas package, especially the cinnamon gum, I haven't been able to find that anywhere. 

How was your Zone Conference?

Zone Conference was really good, we watched Meet the Mormons, President Thomas gave a good talk, talked about not turning into a punk when you get back home, doing what we are supposed to. I really enjoyed it.

Did you get to see much of the city of Regina?

Not really, but the cities out here aren't really that impressive.. 

Did you get my email about participating in the family gift giving?  Thoughts?

Yes I did, I do want to participate, but I am having a hard time thinking about what I could get/do/make for Dad, tell him to not get his hopes up and I'll need any suggestions that you can give me.

Do you ever have to play piano?  You didn't mention that in the things that you do for your branch...

I have a little, but Elder Elliot can play so I don't really have to very much. I've been practicing, I think that I have done enough practicing to bring me up to speed pretty well on my hymn playing

Would you be disappointed if it turned out you had to stay another transfer?

Not too disappointed, I like the area that I am in, but I do think that a change in the atmosphere would be good for me

How are the newer PI's?

They are good! a few of them have become new investigators, a few have told us to not come by anymore and that's ok :)

How soon are you notified about transfers before you have to leave?

I should know this Saturday, a little excitement is building, I would then leave on Wednesday of next week.

Best Moment?

This week on Friday we shared the churches "he is the gift" video with a lady we work with at the thrift store. She said it was beautiful, and really enjoyed it. Then she gave us a meat pie and a berry pie.. so that was pretty great! :)

Is Elaine pretty close to Elder Hawkins? 

Yeah she likes him, and I know that he likes her a lot as well. I think that she'll continue progressing even after I leave.

Are all Canada Winnipeg missionaries, fb missionaries?

Yes, I think that its a good thing and a bad thing, It's good because we are able to reach out to people that we know, especially back home, it's bad because it can be a real bad time waster. We are encouraged to be on everyday, and we can spend up to an hour on it. I kind of think that is a little too much, but it has the potential to be very productive if used correctly.

How old is Elder Hawkins?

He is twenty. 

Have the other set of missionaries switched out, since you've been there?  Probably huh?

Yes the original four people that were here when I got here are all gone now. Each of them stayed exactly six months, one leaves every transfer and one comes.

I love you! I love hearing about your week. I look forward to it every week.

Love Ryus

Day 160

How was your week?

My week was good, we got a lot of meals fed to us, we shovelled snow, we had a few good lessons, we taught the plan of salvation, found some more potential investigators, and made a few of them into real investigators, It's kind of a bummer because I probably have only about two more weeks in this area.. Transfers are on the seventeenth and I'm probably gone :( On to the next adventure I suppose. this week was lots of snow shoveling, lots of exchanges and it was pretty fun. :)

Does anyone ever speak French to you?

No, No one is really French here, Brother Trifaux knows French but he doesn't speak it unless I ask for it, The Trifaux are my favorite..

When is the next transfer day?

The seventeenth is when they will happen, I'll know transfers not this Saturday but the next one.

Do you get packages on transfer days?

Yeah we get mail most transfer days, It just depends on if a missionary is coming from Winnipeg out to here which does happen most of the time.

How is Elaine?

Elaine is good, they cancelled church yesterday because it was cold. It was only -13 F outside but I guess with the wind chill it blew it right up to -40. psh pansies, it was cold though.

Really the only thing holding her back is smoking, and it's kinda hard to see.

All our snow is gone, do you get snow regularly?

Not regularly, but all of our snow is still here... One of the missionaries here drives dumb in the snow, hopefully he doesn't hit anything.

Do you shovel snow all day sometimes?

We've done it for a few hours, it's hard to get a ton done because everyone wants us inside for hot chocolate, and especially if they aren't currently investigators it's pretty hard to say no.

How did all that service pan out?  Any PI's

Yes, we have Nancy, who is a Lady that we work with at the MCC thrift store, the only reason she isn't an investigator right now is because we weren't able to set a return date, we'll just run into her again, when we shovel her walk, and a lady named Loretta, she's a nice lady, she told us that she isn't happy, and so we'll meet with her again on Thursday. 

Does your branch have a primary program, Tyler said they don't because they are too small..?

We had it a week or two ago, we actually have a fairly large primary, bigger than I thought. they did a great job, and they're all so cute. haha

BEST MOMENT? 

Best Moment? This one is a little weird because the moment itself wasn't the happy part, When we were talking with Loretta, she told us that she didn't know if she believed in God, or anything like that, she was raised Catholic, but she did know that she wasn't happy, that was my best moment because I knew that the happiness that the Gospel has is something that she can have and hopefully I can have a small part in bringing that to her.

Might you get to go to the temple IF you get transferred?

I might, I hope I get to, I feel bad for some of these missionaries that have only gone a few times total, I guess the temple isn't the primary focus for us as missionaries, the church wants us working more with the living I suppose.

How many youth are in your branch?  Do you interact with them much?

There is One Young man, and One young woman, we probably see them both once or twice a week.

Do they having you doing any callings in your branch?

No callings, they have us clean the church every once in a while, and we help with the sacrament every Sunday, but we have no specific callings. 

OK, well, I'd better get busy.  I'll be thinking of you.  I totally miss you!!!!

I miss you too. Christmas is just around the corner and I'll be able to Skype and say hi! ;)

Day 153

I asked about Christmas needs...
well, I don't really need anything, Everything that I could need I was able to find at the thrift store, I have coats, gloves, jackets, boots, wool socks, and everything else that I would need. I'm actually surprised how much I like thrift store shopping.. everything is so cheap and if I'm willing to look around I can usually find anything that I want or need. I'm pretty much scrooge on buying anything with the card I have from home, I don't mind spending the monthly allotment, pretty much I get food.  I would need suggestion on what I should buy that I enjoy. A lot of missionaries buy ties or watches or that kind of stuff and I just don't get it.. I have no shortage of ties, I came out with twelve and just trading around I have something like fifty plus ties. So I don't really know. I bought a suit bag a while back at the thrift store so that will be pretty nice, won't have to fold my suits anymore. This week was a good week, but it was fairly average.

I'm sure your new car is awesome, anything you don't like about it?

I like it alright, I would buy a Subaru like it, I wonder how much they cost...

Any guesses about where you might be transferred?

I don't have any good guesses, but it would be fun to go to a city or to the states part of our mission.

How's Elaine?   I put her name in the temple, but I couldn't remember her last name so I just put from Swift Current.

Thank you so much! She is doing well, she is improving, not as much as I like, but she has been reading her scriptures more. She didn't come to church on Sunday because she went to her great grandchild's baptism.. at the united church so that was lame. 

How's "Elder Weins"?

we haven't been able to get in contact with her again. :( we'll get her though

Do you remember the funny things that happened last week that you were going to tell me?

Nope. :( 

Why is it hard or yucky to sort Christmas stuff at the thrift store?

It's just not interesting.. I don't care about cute little light up snowmen.. I want to look at their jackets or suits or that stuff. It's fun though because since we volunteer there we can look through the things that are not in the storefront yet.

Best Moment?  (do you hate this question, since I always ask it)

I am not bothered by that question. This week was good, the best part was that we went out to a little town and helped a younger couple move a freezer, it was heavy because it was full of rotted meat, we took a while and widened some doorways to get it out, but we did. then his wife had some pizza stuff laid out and we got to make our own pizzas. It was great! Everyone has given us tons of meals this week, not in their home but just leftovers or just made us meals. That was amazing. We haven't had to eat food that we bought for a while.

If they ask me to talk about you for Christmas, what would you like me to point out?

I don't know :/ Probably just that I'm very humble and I take pride in my humility.

Anything new for service since the holidays are here?  Missionary caroling...?  People might let you in if you look cold....

Just lots of snow shoveling, we'll be out doing that tomorrow! :)

What advice did you mission president say the last time you talked with him?

He just told me to work hard, not anything crazy, He was very nice and told me this is probably my last transfer in swift.

Tell Kamas to feel better, and tell everyone that I miss them.

These are pictures that he has sent us but our computer wouldnt let me upload them.  So these are from a while back.

Here is a "snap-chat-like" picture, the kind he used to send to friends.  Nice eyebrows 

 Mission Training in Saskatoon with Elder Ringer from the MTC.

The Moose Jaw District at Mission Training in Saskatoon 

Chugging his mouthwash before going out for the day.

Day 146

This week was good, I've had a really good week just doing normal good week things, we do a lot of volunteering, which has really increased the amount of potential investigators that we have.. that's pretty great, this week we pretty much just did service and taught Elaine, she's not progressing as well as I'd like her to be but she is progressing, she was at church yesterday. we also went over yesterday and watched The Testaments with her. We got a new car this week, a 2015 Subaru, it is extremely nice, heated seats, AWD, the whole shebang. We have a potential investigator that seems to think that us trying to be called Elder is kind of like someone with a masters degree trying to be called "master" so she insists on us calling her "Elder Weins" a few other things happened this week that I thought were funny that I was going to tell you but I forgot :( I should have wrote them down. I'm glad you had so much fun in Disneyland, I'm sure it was a very enjoyable experience, it's been about 0 degrees Fahrenheit here for the past week so I've been wearing a coat (shown below) I need to polish my shoes so they stay nice, we got fed yesterday and that was really good food. Other than that not a lot is new, I'm looking forward to having my beanie, that will be pretty nice, I acquired a comb recently and have been parting my hair a little. Otherwise I have nice winter clothes, enough food, a warm safe car and a pretty good companion ;)

Sorry, no questions this week.  Our doggie passed, and we were a little distracted.  But Ryus was on task.

Day 139

This week was eventful At the beginning of the week we had an exchange and that was fun, then we went to a Zone training meeting, I gave a portion in that, it was decent I thought. Then at the end of the week we got transfer calls.. and I have another 5 weeks in swift current! (usually six weeks but we don't want it to fall on Christmas.) Same companion. It's going to be a lot of fun.

(I asked him to elaborate on the above and here is what he said)

we had an exchange where my district leader came to swift current, we had some success in the Area but we had a really good heart to heart, it is his first time being in leadership and so we talked about that, he and I both have sort of dominant personalities and so sometime we clashed, so we got out some of our differences and had a really good exchange. My portion was on how to most effectively use the Lord's University (your mission) to grow, I talked about some actions we can take to most effectively learn and grow and then tied those back to steps in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was only ten minutes, so it was all very simple and direct. how's that?

I had an interview with President Thomas (skype) and that was really good. I really enjoy talking with him, I walked out feeling all warm and fuzzy.  I'm not being transferred anywhere, I'll probably go somewhere right before Christmas, I asked President Thomas if this was my last one in swift current and he said probably

Today it is -2 Fahrenheit with wind chill. Kinda cold but I have my leather Jacket.

That's good about having a good coat, did the leather one work well?

The leather one works really well, it is wool lined so it's warm, breaks the wind well, cheap and fashionable.. ;) probably was a 200 dollar jacket once upon a time.

we drove out to Gull Lake on Saturday because one of Elder Sorenson's investigators was throwing him a party for being 20. that's pretty neat.

(I frequently attend an Institute class in the Seminary building and our last topic was Polygamy.  Lots of people attended)  I'd be interested to know a little about what he said about Polygamy, How have you felt doing that Institute class has lifted you spiritually?

(Karl has been running and working out and has lost weight.)  Dad is starting to put the pressure on! I'm going to have to start working out like a maniac here. I think I could get pretty ripped just off of 20-25 minutes every morning, it's just a matter of doing it. It's going to be fun. At some point I'll have to buy on of those doorway pull up bars. but I told myself that if I wanted one I'd have to be working out consistently.

I read Ty's blog this week and he just turned 20, it was funny because he acts like he's an old man, sore feet, sore back, do you feel that way?

Not really, I mean a few aches and pains sometimes but It's not too bad. I've noticed a difference since I've stopped popping my back and not really drinking soda. and drinking water, lots of it. I just feel better you know?

Do the members ever offer to drive you places? 

oh.. not really, we are pretty much on our own. I guess that's not a hundred percent true, We were able to ride with Brother T out to see Brother B. that was a lot of fun. Brother T is probably my favorite member. speaking of which, this is important. Ask around and see if you can aquire a Mack truck Bulldog hood Ornament. If you could do that, that would be so amazing. If not it's ok, but try!

Do your miles count when you have to go to conferences?

yes but they give us extra in that case.

Can you tell us about some more of your investigators?

To be honest, Swift is struggling with finding new investigators, we've been blessed lately in finding a few potential investigators that we are planning on meeting with soon, but other than that we have Elaine, and Wade (he is difficult to meet with and not sure if he wants to commit to the Word of Wisdom.)

We have a couple others that we are trying to work with, but they are "busy"

Did you do anything special for Canada Thanksgiving?

Yes, actually none of the members fed us, but I got to go on exchanges to Gull Lake and got fed there, so Elder Hawkins and the other missionary in gull lake got no thanksgiving dinner (awwww.) haha

Do you have Americans up there, that might invite you for Thanksgiving?

yes, we have a Less Active member from Blackfoot Idaho. she said she probably won't be able to feed us on thanksgiving, but she would do a Thanksgiving dinner the sunday before.

So are the members feeding you more often?

oh not super often. :( but that's ok. I found a new store with cheap food that I've gotten some and I have more variety now.

How's Elaine?

She's good, we are making a big effort to teach her in about five member families homes. if we do that I think we'll make a lot of progress with her.

Best Moment?

The funniest moment was when I was sitting in Sacrament meeting (you may want to censor this from some people's eyes) but I was sitting next to this old man who is a member (I won't tell you who) and I elbowed him in the middle of sacrament meeting (not hard) and he looked at me and then he flipped me off right in the middle of sacrament meeting. and it was super inappropriate but it caught me off guard and made me laugh.

Did the guy in sacrament meeting think you were being rude or was he just being "silly".. Is that a Canada thing?

no just silly, he was just being funny.

How was your zone conf?

Really Good, I think I already told you but we had a seventy there..  my favorite quote that he said was "it is cheaper to spend twenty million and succeed than it is to spend ten million and fail."

Do you feel like you got this thing now? or do you still feel green?

I don't think that I'll ever feel like I have it.. I feel comfortable being a missionary, but I try not to put my confidence in myself

Have you seen Meet the Mormons?  Our sisters haven't, seems like that can't..

We probably will be able to, if it ever comes to Canada...

Have you got batteries for your camera yet?

Yes I have, I bought some batteries and a charger. you'll be getting a picture once in a while now.

Day 132

I saw pictures of you on the Mission fb page.  Its always nice to see you.  It looks like the Relief Society up there took good care of you guys.  Its nice that there are some mamas looking out for my guy.  

Yeah it was really good food, any time we get together they really take care of us. This week we are going to have Zone training meeting, this last week we had a games night and we invited Elaine and a younger less active member who lives in swift.. kind of an odd group, three twenty year old guys and one seventy-nine year old lady.. just playing the game of life. We've been doing quite a bit of service, been going to an old folks home, working at a thrift store, a soup kitchen.. ETC. just trying to improve people's opinion of missionaries. The work is still pretty slow as far as investigators, but we are keeping pretty busy. we've had pretty good luck getting Less Actives and sometimes our Investigators to church, we have a few appointments with Potential Investigators lined up that could pan out well for the work. Yesterday we got fed two massive meals by two member families about two hours apart, so that was good, I was afraid my stomach would burst.

there is a skate shop that I was at today and they said in a few weeks they'll have some Vans like the ones I used to have. they'll probably be expensive though, we are supposed to meet with him and his wife in a few weeks. maybe he'll give me some sort of deal. ;)

Did the snow stick?  (We got some snow on the Butte and finally turned on the furnace)

we had a little bit of snow this morning, but not too much. we've had the furnace on for a while, since Elder Allred and I tried to last as long as we could, and it was like 55 degrees in our house.

How big is your area? 

South-west Saskatchewan. it's huge.

Do you ever travel on P-days? 

Travel? we don't have enough K's to go anywhere.. we get about 1200 k's to use... and they run out quick unless we are being careful.

Does your companion like to exercise?

He's athletic, but he doesn't like to work out in the morning.

Do you ever do splits with the other missionaries?  Or members?

yeah we have done splits with other missionaries, but we haven't yet gone on splits with members. we've had a couple member present lessons though

What are some of the funner service projects you've done

Probably when we went to Brother and Sister B.

What are some of the less fun services you've done?

Sometimes we sort Christmas stuff at the thrift store, and I hate doing that.

I like doing service, It's nice to be able to work sometimes, mission life is a little bit hard but it's not usually physically exerting.

What are your companions interests?  On or off a mission?

My companion is about 5'4" and he played baseball in Highschool, we don't bond super well, but he's really easy to get along with.

Did you get to make some yummy food?  (I think I'll do a Personal Progress Project on making a book of recipes for my kids for my YW in Excellence project, you are my inspiration, actually Kate's been asking for that for a while)

I haven't been trying to buy anything for them yet, I've been thinking maybe I'll make crepes, those are pretty cheap and easy.

How's Elaine?

Elaine has been sick and hasn't been able to come to church too much the past few weeks, we did get her to the game night and she had fun there. she hasn't made too much progress on smoking, we're trying to get her more involved with the members but we've not had too much luck so far, should be better in the future.

Best Moment?

hmmm.. this week was pretty tame, but it was good, I enjoyed when I saw one of our Less Actives at church.

Day 125

 

Today it finally snowed. I've been waiting forever to be able to wear a coat or jacket and today was the first day that I could! ha-ha, cheese is pretty expensive, but I am still trying to see how these will fit in our budget, maybe they will.  (I emailed him some of his favorite recipes). Elaine said if we gave her a recipe she would get the ingredients and we could make it.  thank you for mailing my package :) that was nice of you, how much did it end up costing to send it? we've had a good week and we are excited for some of the things that are going to happen with the work in swift current, mainly just finding Ideas like games night or sports night and so on..

So how did your meeting go?

the meeting went great, I think what I took was that in meetings like this we have to be willing and humble enough to change, so I considered a few things that I could do to be better at missionary work and be an effective missionary. he was pretty interesting to listen to, I would tell you what stood out to me but I don't have my notes in front of me..

Hows Elaine?  Did she miss you guys?

yeah I think she did, but we weren't really gone that long, we only didn't see her for a couple of days

How are the coats?

the coats are great, today is the first day that I really had to use one.

Did you get some wool socks?

not yet..

Is there a common meal that people make for missionaries?

I don't know if I've really had the same thing twice, mostly the members seem to like making different kinds of food (indian, thai, steak and potatoes, etc.) everyone has been really good.

Do you have a favorite/least favorite?

no, I always like Chinese food when it comes around though.

Does Swift Current feed the other missionaries too?

yeah, but a lot of the people in the small town like to feed them, not really investigating but they'll have them over. they get fed quite a bit.

For the most part, are you able to get everything you need to do, done on P-days?

yeah, for the most part, we rarely have to do anything outside of P-day. there isn't a lot to do on P-days though.

Are you still meeting new people or do you know most all the people by now?

we meet new people, the town is pretty big.. like 14,000 people, we keep trying to get involved in more service so  that keeps us meeting new people.

Do people ask you what your first name is, and do you tell them (probably multiple times spelling it too)?

yeah sometimes, it kind of bothers me when people try to call me by my first name out here, especially after I tell them that we are called elder.

Are there as many FLIES up there as there are down here?  (Im always killing flies)

there were, there are a few in the trailer right now, but we'll get them.. we'll get them.

Is the ice cream/exercise guy still around there?

yeah, we kind of flopped on that for now, but I'll get better. he did end up buying me ice-cream.

Day 118

Today will be a little short, we are meeting with a seventy tomorrow in Saskatoon and we have to leave in an hour or so.

a lot of miracles happened this week it was really interesting, it's been a good week.

How goes the time management/getting things done that are important and letting the other stuff fall into place thing?

Things have been really good, we have been trying to start an open Gym night that we can invite whoever to it. we prayed about it and didn't have a lot of luck with any of the local churches (we don't have a gym in our church) we exhausted our resources and didn't really have anywhere else to go, then we were eating dinner at one of the members homes that feed us pretty consistently, and we told him about our Idea and he said that he was thinking about renting the rec center once a week so that his kids could go to it and said we would be welcome to use it for any of our purposes if we get back to him on the rate (I think it's like 20 an hour) so our prayer was answered in that way, in the lord's way and in his time. That was a really neat experience.

Has Elaine been pretty consistent in coming to church or hit and miss?

Two really interesting things happened with Elaine this week

first, she prayed for us for the first time in a while, in her prayer she said that she knew that she needed to join the Mormon church and that she needed to quit smoking, it was probably my most favorite prayer that I have heard. 

Second Elaine has been pretty consistent, she wasn't at church this last week but she was sick. we went over to visit her later Sunday night and she had talked to her son about the Mormon church and instead of negativity her son told her that the Mormon church is a good church, and he told her that she should become more active in the community with service and such especially since "The Elders" had helped her so much, maybe it was time to give back. He also independently reiterated that she should do a lot of things that we have tried to help her do so far. it's really neat because Elaine was Concerned about getting flack for becoming a member of the church and it sounds like her kids fully support her. Elaine is truly being prepared by God.

Is driving up there different at all?

Not really, weather has been nice

Has anyone had any accidents?

Last winter I guess was pretty bad, but I haven't seen any

Best moment?

Probably with Elaine

Any food at all this week?  (that makes me so sad)

yes, A member family fed us on Saturday, the food was really good.

How do you meet new people if you don't tract, only through members?

it's really hard, especially in Swift Current, we are trying to get more involved in the community and gain more member trust. I kind of delivered a zinger to our branch president yesterday but we asked what we could do for him and he said "baptize ten people" and I said, "give us someone to baptize and we'll have it done, if ten people in the branch gave us one person, we could teach and baptize them all" he may not have quite liked that too much, but  I don't regret what I said.

Can you use our money up there? or only Canadian $

yes of course, the allotment card that we have is a bank of America card. it's pretty nice.

thank you for thinking of me, you're really great, you'll have to apologize to everyone for me being short in the email department, there is a family the C's that has a daughter named kate, just kate, thought I'd let you know, their the ones that feed us and rent the rec center for us. have a wonderful day and I hope I didn't forget anything.. oh this week I got a big down parka from the thrift store, so that's pretty neat. the zipper even works. it's pretty ugly, I'll have to get it dry cleaned. but yeah, I'm all set on winter coats now for sure. I'm becoming a pro thrift store shopper, grandma would be proud. have a great week. love you!

Love you!

Ryus

Day 111

(I went to see the movie "Meet the Mormons" and asked if he had seen it yet)


I would love to see that movie, I'm wondering if president will let us watch it.. I bet he will especially if we watched it with investigators. lately I've been trying to work on things that impact other things, that way I have to worry about less things.. (eg. if I get up on time, work out, and am on time to studies, and study well, the rest of my day I know I'll do my best because I have my heart and mind in the right place, or something that a regular person might do, I've been trying to drink at least three water bottles of water a day, or about 3/4 gallon. that way I eat less and what I do eat is healthier.) just focus on a few things that impact the rest of the things and do those, then everything else will fall into place. It's kinda a bummer that dad didn't get to go hunting though :( too bad I don't get to see the birdies, I love those little guys...

So tell me whats going on with you?

Today is thanksgiving in Canada, so we didn't have a lot to do, we don't have a lot to shop for, so my companion and I played chess for three hours or so.. he knows how to play, and I usually play with one of the other three missionaries in my district anytime we have lunch together.. it's pretty fun, they've beat me a few times, but they are getting better quick and it makes me nervous..

So the mission fb page says 2013-2015, does that mean you will get a new mission president half-way through your mission?

yes ma'am. kinda nervous about that, but it's ok

Best moment?

best moment? we are still teaching Elaine, and she is still progressing. she came to church this week, I think she's starting to come because she wants to, not because we want her to.. we are working on getting the branch to love her, and I think it will work because she is a very lovable old lady, we are trying to help her quit smoking and I think it will happen, maybe not while I'm here but It should happen. 

You didn't answer my question about your conference shirt, how did you get monson and are those their ages on the front?

haha, yes those are their ages, and a member of my district said "Hey elder peterson, get in this picture and put this shirt on.. I love president Monson, but I didn't really have a choice.. 

Are you cooking more, with this new companion?

yes, it's not very hard, it doesn't really bother me. just mac and cheese, spaghetti, bananas, this morning I had a baked potato for breakfast, we got some little hashbrown patties for pretty cheap at the store.. Perogies, usually just pretty simple things to make, I like to make eggs and just flip them in the pan and pretend I'm some chef or something..  

How do you want me to send the recipies?  on paper, or email, thumb drive?

Just email them, paper would be fine

Can you print things out there?

yes I can, we just use the clerks office at the church

Do you ever do any family history stuff?  Elaine might like that.

we should work with her on that, but she does know that the church is big into that.

We are pretty much the only ward feeding our set of missionaries, so we kind of know how your branch feels, kind of.  Best meal this week?

no meals this week :(

Do you ever go sight seeing (on pday of course)?

haha, there isn't anything to see around here...

Did you ever get to go to the temple during the time you had transfers?

no ma'am, I haven't been to regina yet.

 

Day 104

This week has been good, not a lot went on, drove to moosejaw, spent a few days there, I really enjoyed General Conference, my favorite talk was probably that jorge guy. Elder Bednar was good, and I really enjoyed that talk. It seemed this conference was focused on leaving behind excuses and being the best kind of person you can be. This transfer I feel like I need to work a little on how I respond to direction, I've been trying to be better about making small course corrections, it's been going alright, you just have to pay more attention to your thoughts and desires rather than your actions and words, then you catch and correct before you even have to worry about anything.

Hows the new companion?

He's really great, His name is Elder Hawkins and he is a good guy.

Best thing about him?

He's really Laid back, but still a hard worker, We've just been watching conference so.. that's fun

Where's he from?

South Jordan Utah, same town as Elder Allred, but they don't know each other.

What kind of car do you have? Is it 4 wheel drive?

A Chevy Malibu.. not four wheel, and it's kind of a massive car..

Do different areas have different types of cars?

Yeah, but not for any rhyme or reason that I can tell, some people have Subarus, and they're pretty nice. A couple Elder's have trucks, and there are a few Equinoxs  

Did Elaine go to conference?

We watched the sunday afternoon session at her house, so she got to hear Elder Bednar's talk, I think she enjoyed it, I don't remember if I told you, but she also watched the Woman's broadcast and thought that was good, although she thought the women were a little whiney, she liked President Ucktdorf.

Best Moment?

The best moment was watching conference with Elaine, she made us a ton of bread! it was pretty good and we have tons left. Afterward we spent some time with her and discussed it I spent some time in Moosejaw this last week and that was fun, I was with an Elder Hornberger. He's a really nice guy from tremonton Utah, He's about as tall as I am, but he's an Ox. He wrestled throughout Highschool and really strong. I tried to surprise him and take him down, but he just manhandled me like I was a child. I got him back though, he's a little bit awkward, and I teased him that he had a crush on a sister missionary in his district.. he doesn't (that I know of) but he still went a little red and got defensive.

  

With your new comp, are people still excited to feed you?

So far, we've been fed once, it's been good, mostly we've just been watching conference... so much conference, I don't know if I've ever sat down and watched all ten hours of conference...

Have you gotten a new coat yet?

I did, I got a down vest from a thrift store for two dollars.. but it's a womens vest, but you can't really tell, it just says "firefly" pretty small under the back collar, but it's warm (duh it's down). also I bought a nice looking brown leather coat from Salvation Army, it is great in the wind and has a wool Liner. I'm still looking for coats because the leather one is pretty nice and I might just want a regular coat, but I'm pretty set at this point, I won't be cold..
 

Getting cold yet?

it hasn't decided weather it's going to be winter or not.. (get it? weather?) it was around zero degrees last weekend (Celsius) ps. metric system is stupid.

Any news about Ipads now that its oct?

no news yet, we'll find out.

When you drive do you do the 'get out and watch while I back out' thing?

Yeah we do that, it's kinda dumb, but I don't really mind.

Snow?

it tried to snow a few weeks ago, but it was so insignificant that I didn't mention it.

Other than that, everything has been really really good, no complaints at all. I hope you're having a great one! 

so much Love,

Ryus