Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I agree the weeks continue to fly by really fast, i cant believe that is is almost half way through August. it seems like it just started not too long ago. this summer is definitely on the top of summers that have flown by
This week has been a slow week, we really haven't seen that much happen here which really stinks, but we kind of expected it when we decided to work with the inactives and the unknowns. but at least we are getting something done because some of these people have been out of the ward for over 5 years and no one has sent their records out or updated anything on them.
so i guess in a way we are seeing things happen because we are helping the ward narrow down the list but what i meant was that we aren't seeing any progress with investigators. i think bringing inactives back into the church is just as important as baptizing new members. We were able to meet with one of our investigators this past week and answer the questions he had, and it wasn't just a normal teaching appointment ha he took us out mountain biking and on the way up, during our breaks, and the way back we were able to answer questions. that was by far one of the cooler apts i've been to.
Jodi's baptism went really well, and Dave is still scheduled to be baptized this saturday so i'm excited for them. but my time is running short so i have to get going.
we are going to go up to a theme park up ontop of a mtn and i'll have to take pictures of it so you can see. i hope it's fun.
love Randy
This week has been a slow week, we really haven't seen that much happen here which really stinks, but we kind of expected it when we decided to work with the inactives and the unknowns. but at least we are getting something done because some of these people have been out of the ward for over 5 years and no one has sent their records out or updated anything on them.
so i guess in a way we are seeing things happen because we are helping the ward narrow down the list but what i meant was that we aren't seeing any progress with investigators. i think bringing inactives back into the church is just as important as baptizing new members. We were able to meet with one of our investigators this past week and answer the questions he had, and it wasn't just a normal teaching appointment ha he took us out mountain biking and on the way up, during our breaks, and the way back we were able to answer questions. that was by far one of the cooler apts i've been to.
Jodi's baptism went really well, and Dave is still scheduled to be baptized this saturday so i'm excited for them. but my time is running short so i have to get going.
we are going to go up to a theme park up ontop of a mtn and i'll have to take pictures of it so you can see. i hope it's fun.
love Randy
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
On the road again huh? ha must be nice to be able to do all of this traveling and go visit people and different places! it sounds like you had lots of fun on your get away to Idaho, i'm glad to hear. so today is my 18th month mark, crazy to think huh? i will have to record me burning a pair of paints and send it to you here within the week. i've been trying to take lots of pictures so you can see what it's like over here.
Everything has been going well for me out here even though the work hasn't been the best but we are still trying to find people. we've been going through that ward list and also doing tracting and just haven't had any success, which is hard sometimes because you feel like you're doing all of it and not seeing anything from it. but i know that whether or not i'm seeing the blessings in this area or not, that i am still recieving them some way or another.
Dave and Holly a part member family that we were teaching in my last area are going to get married this Saturday and then Dave (who is not a member) is going to be baptized the next Saturday. It is so funny because i was joking with Elder Woollard (my last comp) telling me that i do all the preparing in the field and get them ready and then he is able to harvest lol he laughed. but i think it is so awesome that 2 people (jodi is the other one) i worked with and taught in my last area are getting baptized.
so on Monday we were sitting in the apartment for lunch and i wanted to call Jonathon Van Vleet and see how he was because i hadn't talked with him in awhile and we've been staying in touch. well i left a voicemail because they didn't answer and then they call back like 5 minutes later telling me that they were in Glenwood Springs and asked if they could take us out to dinner, so of course me being my fat self said yes! lol but it was his whole family and it was so good to see them and catch up on whats been going on. David Van Vleet who is Jonathons dad told me that i can come back down to Paonia after my mission and work for him if i want, they are planning on buying a big Ranch out that way and so he offered me a job. it really made me miss Paonia and the people there.
what are the odds of them being in Glenwood at the time i called them!? ha it was great! :) that is one thing i have loved so much about being on my mission, i have been able to make so many great friends that i will stay in touch with forever. and some of those include the ones i was able to share the Gospel with. i think either sometime at the end of this month or begining of next month Brother Benton and Sister Benton (from Highlands Ranch) are planning on going through the temple to be sealed and i really hope that i will be able to get permission to go over there to that. i'm so happy for them!
It is such a blessing to be able to see the growth that people have when they except the gospel and how much it can change their lives. we were also able to give some service this week and hlep a family move out of the ward, i dont know what it is about service work but i absolutely love it. i just feel good while doing it and afterwards, well not physically cuz i'm getting too old for that type of stuff but inside i feel good! lol
so the Warren family here in the ward Darrell (not spelt like dads) Warren is our Bishop and his boy Jeff is like best friends with Wayne Riner! ha we were talking about him the other night. it is such a small world, but the whole Warren family knows him and thinks the world of him! i was like do you know the same Wayne Riner i know! lol just kidding ugly if you read this! but it is neat talking with people about familair things back home. another family in the ward the Page family grew up and graduated from Kenniwick high in '81.. and he said somehow he is related to the Caspers out that way and he is familiar with the basin area.
i love you and am so grateful for all that you do. i hope your week goes well! and i cant wait to hear from you!
Love Randy
Everything has been going well for me out here even though the work hasn't been the best but we are still trying to find people. we've been going through that ward list and also doing tracting and just haven't had any success, which is hard sometimes because you feel like you're doing all of it and not seeing anything from it. but i know that whether or not i'm seeing the blessings in this area or not, that i am still recieving them some way or another.
Dave and Holly a part member family that we were teaching in my last area are going to get married this Saturday and then Dave (who is not a member) is going to be baptized the next Saturday. It is so funny because i was joking with Elder Woollard (my last comp) telling me that i do all the preparing in the field and get them ready and then he is able to harvest lol he laughed. but i think it is so awesome that 2 people (jodi is the other one) i worked with and taught in my last area are getting baptized.
so on Monday we were sitting in the apartment for lunch and i wanted to call Jonathon Van Vleet and see how he was because i hadn't talked with him in awhile and we've been staying in touch. well i left a voicemail because they didn't answer and then they call back like 5 minutes later telling me that they were in Glenwood Springs and asked if they could take us out to dinner, so of course me being my fat self said yes! lol but it was his whole family and it was so good to see them and catch up on whats been going on. David Van Vleet who is Jonathons dad told me that i can come back down to Paonia after my mission and work for him if i want, they are planning on buying a big Ranch out that way and so he offered me a job. it really made me miss Paonia and the people there.
what are the odds of them being in Glenwood at the time i called them!? ha it was great! :) that is one thing i have loved so much about being on my mission, i have been able to make so many great friends that i will stay in touch with forever. and some of those include the ones i was able to share the Gospel with. i think either sometime at the end of this month or begining of next month Brother Benton and Sister Benton (from Highlands Ranch) are planning on going through the temple to be sealed and i really hope that i will be able to get permission to go over there to that. i'm so happy for them!
It is such a blessing to be able to see the growth that people have when they except the gospel and how much it can change their lives. we were also able to give some service this week and hlep a family move out of the ward, i dont know what it is about service work but i absolutely love it. i just feel good while doing it and afterwards, well not physically cuz i'm getting too old for that type of stuff but inside i feel good! lol
so the Warren family here in the ward Darrell (not spelt like dads) Warren is our Bishop and his boy Jeff is like best friends with Wayne Riner! ha we were talking about him the other night. it is such a small world, but the whole Warren family knows him and thinks the world of him! i was like do you know the same Wayne Riner i know! lol just kidding ugly if you read this! but it is neat talking with people about familair things back home. another family in the ward the Page family grew up and graduated from Kenniwick high in '81.. and he said somehow he is related to the Caspers out that way and he is familiar with the basin area.
i love you and am so grateful for all that you do. i hope your week goes well! and i cant wait to hear from you!
Love Randy
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The other day i was talking with my last comp Elder Woollard and he told me that the day after i left they set Jodi with a baptismal date and that she is going to be baptizd on August 7th! i was so happy to hear about it. we were able to teach her the first 3 lessons and then as soon as i leave she gets baptized! ha but it's ok i was just happy that i was able to help teach her.
we've had some success this past week with the in-actives and unknowns, but nothing really exciting we are just talking with them and some tell us they want no contact with the church, others say they want their names off the records and some say they are just too lazy to go to church and would love to come back. so there are all sorts of reasons and it is interesting to hear some excuses or things people have to say.
but there is a guy that we started teaching, that we helped move into his house a couple weeks ago and it has been really awesome trying to answer some of his questions, it has been uplifting with some of the spiritual experiences. Last Friday we were able to go to Grand Junction for Zone Confrence, which is about the same distance as from Connell to Spokane and i have the driving privilege in this area so i was able to get on I-70 and drive.. ha you might think i'm weird but i loved being able to drive i haven't been able to go up to speeds like that in forever! ha i mean here we are in the city so it's always 25 or 35 but none of that matters lol i just wanted to let you know we went to Zone Confrence in Grand Junction and it was fun to drive all the way there.
so Zone Confrence was on repentance and it was really awesome i loved it. it was my first one with President Maynes and it was totally different, he made it seem more personal and it wasn't a talk or training to us all, he involved all of us and asked lots of questions. it was great, i was able to have interviews with him also and we got on the subject of schooling and we talked about how i'll be home in early-mid february and if i should go home a couple weeks early to catch school or if i should wait 'til fall or what i should do. and he told me to bring it up to you (mom and dad) and see what you thought.
The First Presidency have asked that we have zone confrence every 3 months and interviews in the middle of that 3 months if that makes since? so they are making some changes world wide with the way they run things. i'm enjoying this area more and as i am getting to know the members i'm liking it more and more so i'm happy. i hope to stay here for quite a while.
i love you all so much! miss you! :)
love Randy
we've had some success this past week with the in-actives and unknowns, but nothing really exciting we are just talking with them and some tell us they want no contact with the church, others say they want their names off the records and some say they are just too lazy to go to church and would love to come back. so there are all sorts of reasons and it is interesting to hear some excuses or things people have to say.
but there is a guy that we started teaching, that we helped move into his house a couple weeks ago and it has been really awesome trying to answer some of his questions, it has been uplifting with some of the spiritual experiences. Last Friday we were able to go to Grand Junction for Zone Confrence, which is about the same distance as from Connell to Spokane and i have the driving privilege in this area so i was able to get on I-70 and drive.. ha you might think i'm weird but i loved being able to drive i haven't been able to go up to speeds like that in forever! ha i mean here we are in the city so it's always 25 or 35 but none of that matters lol i just wanted to let you know we went to Zone Confrence in Grand Junction and it was fun to drive all the way there.
so Zone Confrence was on repentance and it was really awesome i loved it. it was my first one with President Maynes and it was totally different, he made it seem more personal and it wasn't a talk or training to us all, he involved all of us and asked lots of questions. it was great, i was able to have interviews with him also and we got on the subject of schooling and we talked about how i'll be home in early-mid february and if i should go home a couple weeks early to catch school or if i should wait 'til fall or what i should do. and he told me to bring it up to you (mom and dad) and see what you thought.
The First Presidency have asked that we have zone confrence every 3 months and interviews in the middle of that 3 months if that makes since? so they are making some changes world wide with the way they run things. i'm enjoying this area more and as i am getting to know the members i'm liking it more and more so i'm happy. i hope to stay here for quite a while.
i love you all so much! miss you! :)
love Randy
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Glenwood Springs is a beautiful area, and i know that i will love it the longer i am here but i still get bummed sometimes because i had to leave my last area, like i said last week it is hard leaving areas after being there for so long and building so many friendships with the people. but with time i know that this will be such a great area, it is right in the middle of the mountains with the Colorado river running right through the town and anything and everything an outdoors persons like myself could ask for! ha thing is that i really am not supposed to much like that. i kind of want to stay here through winter but again at the same time i don't because there is primo snowmobiling just 5 minutes away and also tons of ski resorts ha. it is a tourist type town and so there is always people visiting from out of town or state. we are only 40 minutes away from Aspen so i plan on going up there sometime before i leave and getting pictures up there just to say I've been in aspen ha... i know that all of you would love it up here, it is a laid back type of feeling.
My companion's name is Elder Englund and he is from Sweden, he is a great guy and i can tell that we will get along well. it is nice because he goes home at the end of this transfer and he really wants to work out before he leaves so everyday we actually work out it is awesome! :) he is going home a transfer early just because he is a foreigner and i think it is something with his visa or something like that, but he came out with the group of missionaries that would be going home in October so he just leaving like 6 weeks early. i was released as a district leader so i'm a free man now! :) ha i kind of like coming into areas and then taking them over after being here only one transfer. this will be my 3rd missionary that i have "killed" meaning i was his last companion before he went home, and i think he will be the easiest one out of the 3 because he still has a desire to work hard.
Elder Englund and i decided that the best thing we could do for the ward right now is try to find and contact inactive members and "unknown" members meaning no one knows who they are, so that's what we have been doing and it has been really nice. there are just over 200 families that we need to contact so it will take us awhile to get ahold of them all and try to see if they are still around. but the leaders in the ward told us that if we did that we would leave the area as legends ha because it is stressful knowing that there is that many people that no one knows about.
we only have about 130 active each week and so i could imagine how big the ward would be if at least half of those families came back. there are also a handful of investigators that we are working with and we will have at least one baptism before the transfer is over, it's a goal we've made and we know with the Lord's help it will happen! so i'm excited to see what types of things i can do to help this ward/area.
so do you remember the Riley family from Highlands Ranch that i always talked about? well Brother Riley's parents are here in my Ward! ha it is such a small world! So i was wondering how all of these famlies or people have become inactive up here and one of the reasons i thought of was because they might have their testimonies as we all do and it's not that your testimony isn't there, but that you dont "feed it" so to say and so it weakens and eventually leaves you or your dont care enough to strengthen it. so just a challenge i wanted to leave with the family is to make sure that you are feeding your testimony, to continue to study the scriptures and do the things that the Prophets have asked us to do. i know that Jesus Christ died for us that we might be able to return and live with him and our Father in Heaven again someday, but more important i know that Jesus Christ lives and speaks with our Prophet, i'm so very grateful to be a member of the church and for all of the blessings that come with being a member. i'm so grateful for all of you and the continuous love and support you show me.
i love you and miss you! thank you so much for all that you do! :) cant wait to hear back from you..
love Randy
My companion's name is Elder Englund and he is from Sweden, he is a great guy and i can tell that we will get along well. it is nice because he goes home at the end of this transfer and he really wants to work out before he leaves so everyday we actually work out it is awesome! :) he is going home a transfer early just because he is a foreigner and i think it is something with his visa or something like that, but he came out with the group of missionaries that would be going home in October so he just leaving like 6 weeks early. i was released as a district leader so i'm a free man now! :) ha i kind of like coming into areas and then taking them over after being here only one transfer. this will be my 3rd missionary that i have "killed" meaning i was his last companion before he went home, and i think he will be the easiest one out of the 3 because he still has a desire to work hard.
Elder Englund and i decided that the best thing we could do for the ward right now is try to find and contact inactive members and "unknown" members meaning no one knows who they are, so that's what we have been doing and it has been really nice. there are just over 200 families that we need to contact so it will take us awhile to get ahold of them all and try to see if they are still around. but the leaders in the ward told us that if we did that we would leave the area as legends ha because it is stressful knowing that there is that many people that no one knows about.
we only have about 130 active each week and so i could imagine how big the ward would be if at least half of those families came back. there are also a handful of investigators that we are working with and we will have at least one baptism before the transfer is over, it's a goal we've made and we know with the Lord's help it will happen! so i'm excited to see what types of things i can do to help this ward/area.
so do you remember the Riley family from Highlands Ranch that i always talked about? well Brother Riley's parents are here in my Ward! ha it is such a small world! So i was wondering how all of these famlies or people have become inactive up here and one of the reasons i thought of was because they might have their testimonies as we all do and it's not that your testimony isn't there, but that you dont "feed it" so to say and so it weakens and eventually leaves you or your dont care enough to strengthen it. so just a challenge i wanted to leave with the family is to make sure that you are feeding your testimony, to continue to study the scriptures and do the things that the Prophets have asked us to do. i know that Jesus Christ died for us that we might be able to return and live with him and our Father in Heaven again someday, but more important i know that Jesus Christ lives and speaks with our Prophet, i'm so very grateful to be a member of the church and for all of the blessings that come with being a member. i'm so grateful for all of you and the continuous love and support you show me.
i love you and miss you! thank you so much for all that you do! :) cant wait to hear back from you..
love Randy
Thursday, July 15, 2010
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