Baptisms and Investigators Make the Difference

So the little girl was a girl we were teaching before I got moved then she was baptized not to long ago.  Her name is Katie L-- her parents are from Vietnam and we had to get temple square sisters over to help talk to them.  But, she is now baptized.

 

Well last night Elder Munyer and I  picked up a new investigator and so my week has turned. Learning to live with a new companion can sometimes be annoying.  So far I'm just building my patience, that's the Christ like attribute the Lord wants me to work on right now. I guess, but im doing fine.

We are going to the temple today to do endowments. I can't wait ,my first one in the. So far. I haven't heard a thing from Elder Peterson or the others that have come back home. Tell them if you can, I live next to the Jordan River Temple it's a 5 min. walk from where I'm staying; its great!

 I'm making my companion get out of the car now that we have been in a car for a month. So we walk from 1 to 5  pm in the area.  Yeah, I'm eating great.  I have learned that the gospel is the fruit of the tree of life and it is feeding my soul, with the knowledge and mysteries of God.
My feet healed in the last area, in Kearns after a while like 3 weeks before I left there.  It was fine now, I'm gaining weight again because he won't get out of the car.  He said he biked for the past 3 months, that he didn't need to do it anymore; and I told him to not give me that load of crap again, because I walked my last 3 months. So I said fine, we will walk and his feet were hurting and he complained that his bag was too heavy. But I was feeling fine haha!  It felt good being under the sun again and walking.  Yesterday is the first time I've felt that great sense I've been here so it was good. So that has been my week.

Love,

Elder Crawford

 

Standing Amazed

Hymn 193: I Stand All Amazed

vs 1. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner he suffered, he bled and died. Oh it is wonderful. That he should care for me, enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

 

 

vs. 2 I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine. That he should extend his great love unto such as I. Sufficient to own to redeem and to justify. Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

 

vs. 3 I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt. Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget. No, no I will praise and adore at the mercy seat until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me, enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

 

This song is my testimony, that no matter what Christ loves us. Enough that he came to this mortal earth to save our proud and rebellious souls. I love him more than anything on this earth just short of family. I love him so much, I took 2 years from my life to serve here in Utah, and it is the best choice I have made so far in my life.

 I will never back down from who I am and I will never hide who I am from the world because its not popular. I am a child of God and I want everyone to know that they are too! I am not ashamed of being a latter-day Saint nor should anyone be. What people say now about the Mormons will have to answer for it later; and those that denied being a Mormon will stand before the Lord one day and will have to tell him why they were afraid of being who we are. Stand strong in your faith and you will find favor from the Lord! I love all of you.

                                                             (This is my new room)
Love,
 Elder Crawford

 Happy birthday Mom!  I love you with all my heart despite the fighting
 and yelling.   We sang I stand all Amazed in sacrament today and it makes
 me cry because of Christ and his sacrifice for my proud and rebellious
 soul.  But, it also reminds me of you and all the pains I've put you
 through.  I love you and I'm sorry.

South Jordan

Mom, I tell your convert story all the time out here and people like the story on tithing as well.  I think it humbles people a little out here.  So, we have 11 wards and 2 branches in this stake.  I think we are getting another ward here as well.  They will be splitting one, but they are great wards.  I'll have to take a picture of our house, it is really nice and the people are great! 
 There are many beautiful young women, and for Kayla. a lot of good looking guys out here. Tell her she needs to check it out!
 My companion is from Southern Cali and he is pretty cool. He reminds me of Joey Patalon.

This week I read aloud the sacrament prayers to change my attitude for this area.  I repented for being angry and afterwards I felt so much better.  It was neat to feel that change and honestly I can start to see the Lord helping us out here.  We are beginning to start teaching, I know its still less active lessons, but its still teaching!

 Here are the better pictures of the mountains if you can see them.

 We went to the temple with Rusmey before I was transferred out.

Dad,
I miss that Derrick (from Minnesota) haha, he was a great friend and the girl would be his girlfriend or maybe fionce.  I don't know, I do know he moved back to Minnesota when he came home from his mission.  Desi his sister told me that he wasn't going to go back out because he wanted to get married and stuff like that.
 Oh and some members gave us potatoes, so I  made my companion and me some fries; they were good!  We are going to go on a hike in the bigger one, remember Bell Canyon.
 Tell the family in Minnesota I said hi.  Did you send my package from Kiley yet?  We need to get a lighter for the noise makers for the 4th of July. 

Love,
Elder Crawford

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.)