Well it is the season of giving thanks and I am grateful for many things. We actually had about eight offers or so to go to eat with on Thursday. We have narrowed it down to three. We are eating with the Zillah Elders for the three of them. The first will be just a regular family dinner. The second is so big that it will be at a high school. They say there will be something like 300 people there. That will be crazy. The last one will be the Clements. That’s the lady that called you guys. It should be really fun. I am looking forward to it. Let me know how all ya'lls
Thanksgivings went.
Well things have been pretty normal here. We didn't have as many to the Spanish branch as we did the week before but we still had a solid 50 or so. It is a lot nicer to have a lot of people there. There are two families that have come for three weeks in a row. There are now two deacons to pass the sacrament every week. It is really nice. I don't know if I told you or not, but while I was gone they got a new branch presidency and I think they have a new fire under them. They really love these people and just want to help them.
Well the report on the Morales is good. They came to our Saturday activity and they had a good time. The little boy MJ (6) is so funny. It was really fun. Then we were talking to the dad about coming to church and he said he would be there. He said “I just have to come to set the example for the rest of my family.” It was amazing. Well Sunday rolled along and they weren't there so we went by Sunday night and asked what happened and he said he got up late and by the time he got ready it was 9:30 and I said well church starts at 10:00 and he got this confused look on his face and he was like really? So I guess he got confused, but that night he prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help them get to church on Sunday. Heavenly Father wants them at church so they will be there at church. They are an amazing family.
Well I don't have much to report on this week...obviously. I do want to say if you guys are doing a gift exchange. I would like to be in on it. I mean, if I can. Another thing...dad asked a few weeks ago about what I wanted for my birthday/Christmas and I told him I would think about it. Well here is my short, very missionary version, of my Christmas list:
1. That calendar I mentioned before with the pictures and what not.
2. Nice black shoes that I can wear to church and other meetings - size 8.5.
3. A pack of brown socks and a pack of black socks
4. Two long sleeve white shirts, JC Penny Stafford super shirt, no button collar - size 15.5/32.
5. Of course...ties.
6. A gray suit to wear to church and meetings, mine are looking kind of dull and I don't like wearing them to meetings. (This one could be tricky but let me know how you want to do it.)
7. A new watch, I have had mine since the 7th grade and it is pretty dinged up.
8. I heard at missionariesmom.com or something like that, they have a small-sized PMG. An elder here has one and I like it.
Anyway that is my list. So I thought it was a pretty good one.
Anyway I better run, have a great week and remember to be thankful...of course that goes without saying but I everyone else is saying it so I though I should too.....
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Well Hello (11/17/2009)
Well things are going pretty well here. The weather has warmed up. There was been frost outside every morning but it has been warming up into the high 50's throughout the day which isn't bad. I guess I will have to wait some more for snow.
So I have another injury to report. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday they play basketball at one of the local high schools around here. So every once in a while we will go. So we went on Friday and everything was going well. I was guarding this guy that was just running all over the court. Well one time he was running towards me and he stepped on my shoe and since I was already going backwards, I just went down with nothing to break my fall except my rib, which usually isn't a good thing to break your fall....usually. So anyway, I get up and I was fine and I just played the rest of the day. I didn't think much of it but it was kind of achy throughout Friday and Saturday. Sunday it was doing better but it was still hurting when I would try and move in bed. So I talked to an athletic trainer in the ward and she said that it is either cracked or bruised, but the only thing they can do for it is wrap it in an ace bandage. She said either way it will just heal on its own. So that is my injury report for today.
Well Saturday we had an awesome opportunity to hear from Jeffery R. Holland. Elder Jay Jansen of the presidency of the seventy accompanied him and he was awesome as well. He just gave us the typical rebuking of “you need to be obedient” but he said the mission doesn't really need that. You guys need to teach with more power and authority. We were able to shake his hand before and he said he interviewed during that split second that he looked into our eyes. He turned to president Belnap and said President “you have a good mission here, there are 3 or 4 that are struggling but we all have struggles”. It was pretty intense. It was a worth while experience.
So there were even more people at church this week for the branch. We were up to 64 for this week. It was definitely a good sight. Although I was asked to speak so that was a little interesting thinking there will be maybe 30 than speaking to 64. But it was fun none-the-less.
On Sunday I walked into opening exercises of priesthood meeting and they had already started and said we will be singing a cappella unless we have a piano player in our midst. I am not at the stage that I volunteer to play but I don't like singing a cappella, especially in priesthood, so I told them I would play and they were tickled pink. You would have thought the prophet had just walked in. Hopefully they aren't asking every week now.
Well the Morales are doing well. They seem to enjoy us coming over and what we talk about. I know they feel the spirit; it is just getting them to church. If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it. It is like pulling teeth trying to get them to go to church.
There is another girl, Morgan. I don't know if I have talked about her or not. She is 18 and works at the Taco Bell here in town. That’s where we met her. We have been teaching her for a little while and she believes everything. She has even been to church three times. Her problem is that she doesn't know if she can repent. I think it is she is afraid to get new friends because she said she will have to if she doesn't want to do the "bad stuff" again. Whatever that means. So we will see about that.
Well that’s about all I have to report. We have seen some success in the less-active aspect of work. There have been two families that have made their way back to church a of couple times in both the branch and the ward.
Oh, another story. So there is another ward that meets in the church building that we meet at after us. After our meetings were out, there was an older man that was struggling getting up the steps into the church house. Some people were helping him up the steps while I was holding the door. I didn't know him but I guess he has been a mission president in Chile and a Stake President in the stake I am in. They call him President Allsop. Anyway we got into church and we left. Well I guess as the sacrament was being passed he took the water and he has having trouble getting it down. I guess he was coughing it up. Well the Bishop goes down to help the man’s wife and they get the paramedics there. They came into the chapel in the middle of the Sacrament. That would be definitely interesting. So they took him to the hospital where he died at 4 the next morning. They said he had a stroke. He was teaching the gospel principles class the week before. So he was doing all right. There will be a funeral Friday.
Well I better run. You guys have a great week.
So I have another injury to report. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday they play basketball at one of the local high schools around here. So every once in a while we will go. So we went on Friday and everything was going well. I was guarding this guy that was just running all over the court. Well one time he was running towards me and he stepped on my shoe and since I was already going backwards, I just went down with nothing to break my fall except my rib, which usually isn't a good thing to break your fall....usually. So anyway, I get up and I was fine and I just played the rest of the day. I didn't think much of it but it was kind of achy throughout Friday and Saturday. Sunday it was doing better but it was still hurting when I would try and move in bed. So I talked to an athletic trainer in the ward and she said that it is either cracked or bruised, but the only thing they can do for it is wrap it in an ace bandage. She said either way it will just heal on its own. So that is my injury report for today.
Well Saturday we had an awesome opportunity to hear from Jeffery R. Holland. Elder Jay Jansen of the presidency of the seventy accompanied him and he was awesome as well. He just gave us the typical rebuking of “you need to be obedient” but he said the mission doesn't really need that. You guys need to teach with more power and authority. We were able to shake his hand before and he said he interviewed during that split second that he looked into our eyes. He turned to president Belnap and said President “you have a good mission here, there are 3 or 4 that are struggling but we all have struggles”. It was pretty intense. It was a worth while experience.
So there were even more people at church this week for the branch. We were up to 64 for this week. It was definitely a good sight. Although I was asked to speak so that was a little interesting thinking there will be maybe 30 than speaking to 64. But it was fun none-the-less.
On Sunday I walked into opening exercises of priesthood meeting and they had already started and said we will be singing a cappella unless we have a piano player in our midst. I am not at the stage that I volunteer to play but I don't like singing a cappella, especially in priesthood, so I told them I would play and they were tickled pink. You would have thought the prophet had just walked in. Hopefully they aren't asking every week now.
Well the Morales are doing well. They seem to enjoy us coming over and what we talk about. I know they feel the spirit; it is just getting them to church. If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it. It is like pulling teeth trying to get them to go to church.
There is another girl, Morgan. I don't know if I have talked about her or not. She is 18 and works at the Taco Bell here in town. That’s where we met her. We have been teaching her for a little while and she believes everything. She has even been to church three times. Her problem is that she doesn't know if she can repent. I think it is she is afraid to get new friends because she said she will have to if she doesn't want to do the "bad stuff" again. Whatever that means. So we will see about that.
Well that’s about all I have to report. We have seen some success in the less-active aspect of work. There have been two families that have made their way back to church a of couple times in both the branch and the ward.
Oh, another story. So there is another ward that meets in the church building that we meet at after us. After our meetings were out, there was an older man that was struggling getting up the steps into the church house. Some people were helping him up the steps while I was holding the door. I didn't know him but I guess he has been a mission president in Chile and a Stake President in the stake I am in. They call him President Allsop. Anyway we got into church and we left. Well I guess as the sacrament was being passed he took the water and he has having trouble getting it down. I guess he was coughing it up. Well the Bishop goes down to help the man’s wife and they get the paramedics there. They came into the chapel in the middle of the Sacrament. That would be definitely interesting. So they took him to the hospital where he died at 4 the next morning. They said he had a stroke. He was teaching the gospel principles class the week before. So he was doing all right. There will be a funeral Friday.
Well I better run. You guys have a great week.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Pictures (November 2009)
Elder Bair's most important baptism.
A group of Elders
Elder Bair with a new friend.
A group of missionaries (Elder Bair second from right)Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Things are getting back to normal (11/09/2009)
Well after a crazy transfer last transfer, I feel things are finally getting back into place. I feel like an NBA team that has come back, last season was tough, but it is good to get a new start.
Well first off for the weather report, it is down right frigid. It was in the low 40's all of yesterday and it seemed as though it was going to snow but it never did. It is dropping into I am assuming the mid 20's at night but I don't really know since I am not out at that time. But all in all, it is very chilly. Never in my life have I seen leaves change colors and fall but it is in full force here. It is so very pretty and we have been able to help a few people pick up their leaves. I am not going to say that I didn't have a chance to jump in a few piles.
Well we had a good week. Sunday we had 53 people at church in the Spanish branch. We usually average about 35 to 40 so that was really good. It is more than likely since the harvest is dying off and people now have "time" to come to church. We will see what happens next week.
We were able to go over to the Morales’ house last Wednesday and talk to them about Alma 32 and faith. We are now at the point where we just need to get in there and get them to read the Book of Mormon and start praying. They are such a great family and have a desire to learn. Coming to church wouldn't hurt either.
My ear is feeling better. There is no more fluid coming out which is always a plus. Pretty much the whole week when I swallowed it sound as though it was popping which was really annoying. You don't realize how much you swallow until you can hear it. That has seemed to stop though in the past couple of days so maybe it has finally healed over for good. We will see though. I asked the doctor if I need to do anything for my ears and she said the only thing really to do is get tubes put in. So that doesn't sound very exciting. Also she listened to my heart and lungs and said I was kind of wheezing. She asked if I wanted an inhaler. I asked if I needed it and she said are you having trouble breathing? and I said no, then she said don't worry about it. She said remember, no matter what a doctor tells you, it’s about how you feel, not what they think. So that really calmed my nerves down. Oh and also my allergy problem has been solved. I told her that I had an allergy problem and she told me to take Zyrtec and I said yeah I had looked into that but that is quite expensive and she said yes that’s what I thought but at Costco they sell the generic and you get a year supply for 16 dollars. So I asked a member if they could pick me some up and I have taken it for about 5 days and it has worked like a charm, I can go to any dog or cat and not even think about sneezing. It is very nice.
Last Sunday was high council Sunday for the stake. Usually they can get people from the high council that speak Spanish but they couldn't this month I guess. So I had to translate 3 talks from English to Spanish. They would say a sentence and I would say it in Spanish. It was very hard but very rewarding. Although one guy started talking about planets and orbits and another guy was talk about the engines in cars. That was a tough one.
Well sorry but I can’t think of anything else. I need to get back to writing things down so I can remember them. Have a great week.
Well first off for the weather report, it is down right frigid. It was in the low 40's all of yesterday and it seemed as though it was going to snow but it never did. It is dropping into I am assuming the mid 20's at night but I don't really know since I am not out at that time. But all in all, it is very chilly. Never in my life have I seen leaves change colors and fall but it is in full force here. It is so very pretty and we have been able to help a few people pick up their leaves. I am not going to say that I didn't have a chance to jump in a few piles.
Well we had a good week. Sunday we had 53 people at church in the Spanish branch. We usually average about 35 to 40 so that was really good. It is more than likely since the harvest is dying off and people now have "time" to come to church. We will see what happens next week.
We were able to go over to the Morales’ house last Wednesday and talk to them about Alma 32 and faith. We are now at the point where we just need to get in there and get them to read the Book of Mormon and start praying. They are such a great family and have a desire to learn. Coming to church wouldn't hurt either.
My ear is feeling better. There is no more fluid coming out which is always a plus. Pretty much the whole week when I swallowed it sound as though it was popping which was really annoying. You don't realize how much you swallow until you can hear it. That has seemed to stop though in the past couple of days so maybe it has finally healed over for good. We will see though. I asked the doctor if I need to do anything for my ears and she said the only thing really to do is get tubes put in. So that doesn't sound very exciting. Also she listened to my heart and lungs and said I was kind of wheezing. She asked if I wanted an inhaler. I asked if I needed it and she said are you having trouble breathing? and I said no, then she said don't worry about it. She said remember, no matter what a doctor tells you, it’s about how you feel, not what they think. So that really calmed my nerves down. Oh and also my allergy problem has been solved. I told her that I had an allergy problem and she told me to take Zyrtec and I said yeah I had looked into that but that is quite expensive and she said yes that’s what I thought but at Costco they sell the generic and you get a year supply for 16 dollars. So I asked a member if they could pick me some up and I have taken it for about 5 days and it has worked like a charm, I can go to any dog or cat and not even think about sneezing. It is very nice.
Last Sunday was high council Sunday for the stake. Usually they can get people from the high council that speak Spanish but they couldn't this month I guess. So I had to translate 3 talks from English to Spanish. They would say a sentence and I would say it in Spanish. It was very hard but very rewarding. Although one guy started talking about planets and orbits and another guy was talk about the engines in cars. That was a tough one.
Well sorry but I can’t think of anything else. I need to get back to writing things down so I can remember them. Have a great week.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
So transfers this week... (11/03/2009)
Well, on Halloween we found out what was happening next transfer. Elder Viera and I are staying in Toppenish together for another transfer. Since Elder Viera only has 2 transfers left. We will either stay together the next 2 transfers or I will leave after this one. Let’s hope that we stay together.
Well I went to the doctor on Thursday. We had a nice little visit. We talked about a lot of things and it reminded me of when Stacy went to the doctor one time and she made a list of all the things that she could think of that were wrong with her so she could remember to tell the doctor. Anyway, we go in and the doctor asks me a few questions about what happened and what not and I tell her that I got sick. She asks me questions about that and tells me that I had the Swine Flu. She said that the Swine Flu is the Flu for this season and that it is not as bad as people are making it out to be. So she looks at my ear and said that it had already healed over but it was very very thin and I would probably rupture it again by just sneezing or blowing my nose. Also there was an infection in the outer ear canal that was similar to swimmers ear. She said it looked like proud skin. I thought my skin isn't very proud; I get sunburned all the time. But anyway, so that was that. She prescribed some ear drops and said that the clogged sound and the ringing in the ear will be there for about a month or so. I thought, oh joy!
Well anyway, to go along with the medical theme. Elder Viera had his wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. Someone in the stake did it for free. He had all 4 taken out so he was laid up pretty much all weekend. I was left to take care of him. That was a chore and a half. But I must say I made him take his pills on time every time without fail. So that was good.
Well since I had that doctor’s appointment in Yakima and Elder Veira had his wisdom teeth taken out we didn't have much going on this week. I did talk to Connell and the Rodriquezes are set to go for this Saturday. I don't know if I will be able to make it down there or not. If I get a ride, I can, but it’s hard to find a ride for a Saturday night.
We didn't do much for Halloween. Friday was the ward trunk or treat so we went to that. Nothing too spectacular happened. Then Halloween, we had to be in by dark which rolled in around 6:15. Plus Elder Viera wasn't feeling too great anyway so we didn't do much. I read a lot, that’s about it.
Well sorry this letter is so short. Not much really happened. There was snow over in Sunnyside which is about 20 minutes east of here so maybe snow should be coming soon. Someone told me the Suns are 3-0. That is amazing. Are they playing against good teams?
Well I better run. Sounds like you had a great Halloween. Dad your pumpkin looked really good. I was impressed. Grace your outfit was....original. Sounds like you had a lot of fun. You must have had a lot of pizza. Have a great week.
Well I went to the doctor on Thursday. We had a nice little visit. We talked about a lot of things and it reminded me of when Stacy went to the doctor one time and she made a list of all the things that she could think of that were wrong with her so she could remember to tell the doctor. Anyway, we go in and the doctor asks me a few questions about what happened and what not and I tell her that I got sick. She asks me questions about that and tells me that I had the Swine Flu. She said that the Swine Flu is the Flu for this season and that it is not as bad as people are making it out to be. So she looks at my ear and said that it had already healed over but it was very very thin and I would probably rupture it again by just sneezing or blowing my nose. Also there was an infection in the outer ear canal that was similar to swimmers ear. She said it looked like proud skin. I thought my skin isn't very proud; I get sunburned all the time. But anyway, so that was that. She prescribed some ear drops and said that the clogged sound and the ringing in the ear will be there for about a month or so. I thought, oh joy!
Well anyway, to go along with the medical theme. Elder Viera had his wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. Someone in the stake did it for free. He had all 4 taken out so he was laid up pretty much all weekend. I was left to take care of him. That was a chore and a half. But I must say I made him take his pills on time every time without fail. So that was good.
Well since I had that doctor’s appointment in Yakima and Elder Veira had his wisdom teeth taken out we didn't have much going on this week. I did talk to Connell and the Rodriquezes are set to go for this Saturday. I don't know if I will be able to make it down there or not. If I get a ride, I can, but it’s hard to find a ride for a Saturday night.
We didn't do much for Halloween. Friday was the ward trunk or treat so we went to that. Nothing too spectacular happened. Then Halloween, we had to be in by dark which rolled in around 6:15. Plus Elder Viera wasn't feeling too great anyway so we didn't do much. I read a lot, that’s about it.
Well sorry this letter is so short. Not much really happened. There was snow over in Sunnyside which is about 20 minutes east of here so maybe snow should be coming soon. Someone told me the Suns are 3-0. That is amazing. Are they playing against good teams?
Well I better run. Sounds like you had a great Halloween. Dad your pumpkin looked really good. I was impressed. Grace your outfit was....original. Sounds like you had a lot of fun. You must have had a lot of pizza. Have a great week.
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