Transfered: The Grass May Not be Greener...

Dad,
  I have tried a few things from the Double Dare package, I have had the smoked octopus, but nothing else yet.  In this area I can finally do some of this stuff cause we are not as busy teaching. 
  It's a bit depressing, I feel worthless as a missionary here my purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ. and his atonement.  To be repentant, have a baptism, receive the gift of the holy ghost, and endure to the end.  I think my new companion may be discouraged.  Our baptism goal as a zone here is 11, where as in Kearns it was 30.  In my mind, I keep thinking about Ether 12 verse 14, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that baptized the Lamanites. We are going to have to recharge the area!

 

	South Jordan is not the same as Kearns..... we haven't had any investigator lessons at all. In my old area we would have had 10 lessons by now. All we have done is practiced 3 lessons and they were all on members. I'm ticked..... My new living area is really nice and my new companion, Elder Munyer is pretty cool though. I told president my happiness level from teaching a bunch of people has gone way down. We were eating lunch and some guy and lady took pictures of me and my comp and sent it to dad's phone.  That was pretty cool.  I like your idea about writing one letter for friends and family, sounds like a good one, I'll do that.  Dad was right, I don't get much time to talk

Elder Sturgell stayed in Kearns..... what I've come to learn is a happy missionary is a successful missionary . I think we need a change of attitude here, they think exact obedience will baptize. However, I've learned obedience is a product of faith and I'm not saying they dont have faith, but if they had faith to baptize then they will.  I had a missionary here tell me baptisms are not important.  In Doctrine and Covenants it talks about the joy you will have when we bring many souls unto Christ not the other way around.  I think I will need to work hard here and show them some of the skills I learned in Kearns.

Love,
Elder Crawford

My District

Dad,
That trip sounds like it was a blast, I wish I could have gone.  Did you get any pictures of the trip?  You should send me them.

This week was a great week. I still don't know where I will be at though, transfers are tomorrow and Wednesday so I'll let you know for sure if I stay or get shipped out.

The district 

 the little kid is cash he is so cool

  the group of people is our district

the view is the mountains from our house

 my bed 

Mom,
Well I am doing great, my week was great and we had a fun week!  I know where I go tomorrow (for transfers). We had this district meeting and it was so much fun. I'll send you some pictures. No, I don't need new bedding, so far I have bedding. This is my bed right now.
 Well this week we did so much walking it killed and we bike all the time to get to contacts to talk to Samoans. It has been very physically demanding, but its good. My shirts are now big on me, its pretty funny and I am getting really tan. We had dinner with the 3rd ward last week and this family, well are ward mission leaders fed us it was not good, but last night they gave us leftover Olive Garden so that was good. Well this week has been the same as every other week, but that was my week just really busy with lessons!

Love,
Elder Crawford  

Lava Lavas

 A member here got us lava lavas (Samoan traditional dress) because we cover a Samoan Ward here. So all I know how to say is Samoan is Talofa- hello, Faafeta- thank you, Lava- very much and Mea ai- for the food. 

All my shoes have holes in them, but one pair that I got here at the DI. I need new shoes all together all those days of pounding the pavement has killed all of them.  I don't think I need anything other than shoes.  Maybe a smaller bag, I thought I would need a big bag, but I walk around with my
iPad,  a Book of Mormon, my flashlight just in case, and thats it haha!  I don't even carry my scriptures with me cause they are to heavy to carry, but I would hold off on that request.

 The things I have learned since I've been on my mission is to stay faithful in the gospel and to never stray from it because when people do their they have a hard time when they try to live without Heavenly Father's influence. I read today in my studies that the baptismal font is under ground to represent death. I never noticed that until I thought about that.

Yes, Mom I'm very happy now. I have talked to my mission president about everything and it got so much better.  My health seems better, so far I'm still tired but that's not going to stop till  I come home from my mission.
  The spending is going ok, I don't need money anymore the card refilled.   So far the best part of my week was I confirmed Rusmey a member in the church. It was the best part of my week along with her baptism.

There is a chance I'll be getting a mission change to the SLC West Mission, but I don't know.  So my address might change I'll let you know when I do.  If I move I could also be getting a car, so I wont need a bag at all it just all depends.

Love,
Elder Crawford

The Work Continues Despite the Shoes

Dear Mom,

That invitation Sunday was a good idea for investigators.  I bet they were good talks.  So far I've had to give two talks in sacrament.  One was on the talk President Uchtdorf, "Lift Where you Stand." Which is an excellent talk by the way.  The other was on the Life of Christ.  They were really good talks.  The weirdest thing that happened to me this week was we were walking by a house and some guys came out after us.  They said the lady in the house needed a blessing.  She was raped the night before.  It was a good thing we were walking by.  I found a link in our genealogy that goes back to Adam!!!  I can't catch a break with my shoes.  The boots I bought to help with my feet tore apart while we were walking...

Dear Dad,
I'm feeling a little bit better, but I'm still really tired.  Everything is going good so far and the people we teach are receiving the lessons well.  We will be having 4 more baptisms in the next two weeks.  We have a huge teaching pool, like 25 people or so.  It is nuts!  I think we have 9 on date for baptisms.  I think this is the perfect place to teach because you are surrounded by good members everywhere and that influences people to meet with us.  Sometime it is just for financial assistance, but oh well.

So far my companion is doing good.  He is a little judgmental because I am not a strong, as fit, or my hairstyle is not what he thinks is cool, but most of the time we have a good time.  I am older than him by 6 months.  His birthday is the third. 

Love,
Elder Crawford
(some other items written home were personal between the two of us.)

Endurance

Dad,
Well that sounds cool (the new camp stove).  I'm already getting trunky, I'm tired and I'm ready to go home. Ha!Ha!Ha!  I want to hang out with my family and friends again.  Walking around pounding the pavement is getting to my body, I hurt all the time, but its a sacrifice I need to make.  Kiley sent me an email she is graduation and just got a debit card and is going crazy on spending, I bet Kolin and Hope are going to have a good time with that.  Have fun fishing with Kayla, looks like fun.

We do bike some times, but its really only when we are working the Samoan ward.  It is hard biking because the leadership live up by the mountains and its a struggle.  But, riding down is really fun, we were going 30 miles an hour down this highway it was a blast, but so scary.If we wreck it is an instant going home early because of the injuries or getting sent home in a box. Neither sound very fun to me. 

Mom,
Well, I have a dollar on my mission card and I have no other way to pay for anything so I needed to use my debit card.  So far I am doing good, I get frustrated with my companion because he thinks he is the best at everything, but I can deal with it.  The families are doing great we had a baptism that I got to perform.  They boy is a little ornery kid though.
We get fed every meal here, but I have lost 7 pounds in the field so far, I'm 195 pounds.  I went in the MTC at 210ish.  So far I don't need anything and the last package we have not been able to really do any of the foods because we are not home from about 10 in the morning until 9 at night.  I wish we could, maybe when I get transferred on the 17th of June.  I might get to or I might not and have to stay here, carless; walking all day.
That is not the best mountain picture, but its the only one I had so far.  It is warming up, we got rained on so much it was terrible.  It got cold, but its warming up.  It will be nice for you to have a break from the kids at school.  I miss sleeping in, I'm so ready to go home and sleep after my mission haha!  I love you too, have a great day off.
Love,
Elder Crawford

 

Rainy Day Blues

Dad,
I was sad for a little bit after the phone call.   I miss you all too.  I will most likely be in the area for another month or so, this area might go to the SLC West Mission.  So if I stay till that happens then I might be there for the rest of my mission.  I'm not sure yet.
You need to have the Young Women email me, I got a box from them and I would like to thank them.  
 Where is the high adventure trip at this year? I wish I could go it would be so much fun. Make sure if you see Kiley to give her my email.  She would talk to me all the time back home, I miss the weird child.  I also miss my dummy (Blair). I wish I could have seen you and her Mother's Day.  I was upset how everything went down, that I couldn't see you or talk to you longer, but what do you do. Here are some pictures of my area, we cover the Samoan Ward and we had to walk so far in the rain.

 I was soaked from head to toe; it was bad ,but it happens.  The work must move on.

Mom,
 Saturday we were walking for quite a while in the rain and it was miserable, I was soaked from head to toe.  My umbrella is broken so it droops down in the front.  I don't know what happened to it.

 That's great the Yukon sold. I'm going to miss that beast; I loved to drive it although I didn't care for buying parts for it.  So that's nice. What's the lady's name there that is getting baptized?  There is a chance I might know her from my many trips to Home Depot with Dave.  I saw that video already, "The Lift," it is a really good one . We saw it Tuesday or Friday, I don't remember. 
  I hope you get that job and I'll pray for you, but if you don't get it its fine.  You might be a principal in Minnesota, and maybe that's why they are falling through on you. So don't get down because of that!

Love,
Elder Crawford

Mother's Day Chat and P-day Hike

Dad, I forgave you a long time ago about that and I love you too!  Yesterday I went to Bell Canyon and hiked up the mountain to a waterfall it was so beautiful.  I wish you could have seen it.  It was a very hard hike to get up though, so when you get out here to pick me up we can try to as a family.  I couldn't get any pictures, but it was amazing.  I love you, have a great day.

Mom,
Can you guys pray for Danny, Lani, and Mary Jane M. they are our investigators that are the Polynesians.  Also pray for Rushmey, she is so close to being baptized; as well as the Rodrigez family.  They are kinda moving along.  Just after we got off the phone Sunday night I was told that we will be taking over the Samoan ward.  So that will most likely give us a car and we have some members that live in Salt Lake, so it is pretty cool.  I'm pretty excited to start this up.