Week 7

Date:  Oct 15, 2012
Companion: Elder Moorhouse
Area: Newburgh Bike

 

Sup everybody?

The wheather this week was getting warmer until we got rained on yesterday and that cooled it off a little. It is inbetween fall and summer wheather still it seems. I bought a jacket this week because the one I brought is too heavy for just when it's raining. I'm going to have to buy a splash guard for my rear tire because when it rains it flicks the water up at me and I get a nice line on my backpack and the back of my shirt. Speaking of backpacks I'll need to be getting one of those too because mine broke! It lasted it's worthwhile. It was only 5 bucks anyways! Yet another example of "you get what you pay for"...

Right now my companion and I are doing what we can to find new investigators. It's not that we aren't getting any but the rate at which they are coming isn't meeting the standard that the mission has. We had Zone Meeting this week and the Zone Leaders gave a good training on making sure that we are incoorperating the Book of Mormon into every aspect of our teaching and finding. It wasn't really a "how to" so much as a "this is important" type of deal. So I believe the quality and quantity of our investigators should improve.

That's actually all that I wrote down for my outline for the letter this week :0 Hopefully something exciting will happen this week. Oh.. today at basketball I jammed my finger... I thought that I had broke it but then some of the pain went away and it was all good. Well now I'm going to go and play some raquetball so I'll catcha next time!

Good advice from the Book of Mormon: 3 Nephi 27:33

Shoutouts!

Those who paid attention in seminary: I sure wish that I had!

Hope you all have the most fantabulous of weeks!

With <3

-Elder Denton III (Strikes again)

Week 6

Date:  Oct 8, 2012
Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

 

Sup Everybody?

 

So it was inevitable... I'm a Zone leader. Well... only for a couple days because our Zone leader became an assistant so my companion and I are just in a trio with him... Ha? So ya I didn't get transfered but the rest of our district got rocked. Should be exciting to see the change. General Conference was too cool! Did everybody take notes? Too cool about the new age elegibility huh? Personally, I'm glad that it was 19 when I went out I was super grateful for the job opportunity that I had. I did pretty well through conference but like most, probably faded off a little at the end. I watched the first 4 sessions at our stake center and the last one at an investigators house. It wasn't our investigator it was the Zone leaders so don't be getting too excited (: On Saturday before Priesthood session the ward does a "pizza potluck" which was pretty good. Anytime you don't have to make food for yourself is simply the best... we don't get fed too much by the members but it does happen so nothing to complain about (:

 

Tomorrow is transfer meeting but you know on the Saturday before if you are being transfered so that it will give you time to pack and clean. I never did make it to Fall Festival which was too bad! Last Tuesday I went on an exchange with the guy who ate all my food and it went... better than anticipated. I made sure to plan where we were going to eat so he wouldn't chow down on all of our food again. My companion was in the area where the Festival was so he was able to go.

 

We get service opportunities fairly regularly but not like... daily or anything which is okay. Anybody who comes off their mission and would like to go into the moving buisness should be perfectly qualified. Service opportunities are nice because it gives you a break from the usual and you'll generally get fed.. although it isn't expected. We look for service opportunities everywhere we go.

 

Well I think that's all for this week! I love all of you so be safe!

 

 

 

Good advice from the Book of Mormon: Mosiah 4:27

 

Shoutouts:

 

Mariah Sivertson: For just being amazing and putting up with me (:

 

President Woodbury: For his leadership and ability to keep sanity with all the... harder to deal with.. missionaries.

 

 

-Elder Denton III (Strikes again)

 

Week 5

Date:  Oct 1, 2012
Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

Sup Everybody?

I hope you're all super excited for General Conference! I know I am! Before my mission I never realized the severity of its awesomeness, hearing from a Prophet of God and all. It was always just good because I got to sleep in! Now, however, I know of how important it is to listen to what is said because it is all revelation recieved for us! This is what we're always talking about- Modern day Prophets- so we should probably take notes! (: 

 We have had the opportunity to find some new investigators, but so far none of those have been super solid Preach My Gospel perfect investigators. It's definately a sifting process. So I probably won't talk much about investigators unless I'm sure that they are about to be baptized so don't be sad! We are having success.. Just not major success! Not yet. It'll come!

Fall Festival starts today! It's a pretty super huge event from what I hear and it's only a mile or so outside of our area! I believe we will be going a few times this week to check it out and contact some people! I'm excited! The scouts have a booth called "monster ears" which I believe are just scones that they sell to raise money.

Also, I've pretty much just accepted that I'm going to be dying at an early age due to second hand smoke inhalation. It's gross. There are a bunch of people out here that smoke and I guess I just have to deal with it! And it's funny because everybody has smoked or done drugs or whatever and now theyre on disability..... pfft.

On Saturday we took a second attempt at contacting a referral that we had recieved. We biked over there and he let us right in! Unfortunately, he was trying to figure out what he was going to do because that night he had to be out... he had gotten evicted and had a 3 day notice but apparently got the days mixed up and about an hour previously had remembered that it was, in fact, Saturday. It was unfortunate.. hopefully things start to look up for him! 

I have definately noticed that the biking has been becoming easier. Part of that I would attribute to the new bike being so easy to ride and part that we just do it so consitently that I've built up my quads. Anyways, it's been nice to not get so winded, or have to put forth as much effort just to get back and forth.

Well I'll wrap this thing up with a new advice column provided with Book of Mormon references. Oh and fun fact: Dale Murphy's son (one of my zone leaders) is sitting next to me.

Love ya!

Good advice from the BOM? Jacob 6:12

Shoutouts!

Barry & Melody Sivertson: for being awesome parents to an awesome girl! Well.. girls.. but I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about. (:

Kyle Denton: for writing me on my mission regularly even when I didn't write you very often...

 More to come!

-Elder Denton III (Strikes again)

Week 4

Date:  Sept 24, 2012

Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

 

Sup Everybody?

 

This week seemed to be another good one! The wheather has been nice and such which makes everything good. This week we had Zone Conference on Wednesday and then Stake Conference yesterday. Both were really good! There were a lot of good insights and I'm remembering from high school how bad of a note taker that I am! I just drew instead and then listened while I was drawing and that seemed to make it easier. I probably have ADD. It's whatever.

 

So I don't know if I've already mentioned it but they have a game here called "bags" which is basically just a bag toss but it's more serious out here! The why to that was explained to me as even a drunk person can be good at bags... so there ya go. I say this because I want to play but we just haven't yet. I feel like we will soon.. I'll definately letcha know how it goes!

 

The picture that's attached is just a park where we commenly find ourselves trying to find people. A lot of people will go there to feed ducks because there are a TON of them. There are also geese and a ton of squirrels and occassionally you'll catch a blue herin just chillin'.

 

 

Well I'm starved and tired right now so I apologize for the boring letter.. hopefully it will improve next week! I hope everybody has an awesome day! And week! I love you all! Peace!

 

Shoutouts:

 

Mom: for being awesome and helping me out with the things that I should have done before the MTC!

 

Paul Murdoch: for being a cool cat.

 

Tyler Coles: for being an amazing home teacher! If everybody was as awesome as he is then retention and less active members of the Church would not even be an issue.

 

-Elder Denton III (Strikes again)

Week 3 and pictures!!

Date:  Sept 17, 2012
Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

Sup Everybody?

Hey there! I hope everybody has been having a magical week! I finally got some pictures on here and the first 2 are old news from the MTC. The one with just me was my first full day there. I'm cute, i know. 

'The second one was me and my comp with our last teacher (like I said we had like 9).   

On Tuesday I went and bought a new bike as you can see in the pictures! It was 'posed to be $440 with tax but (you know how I do) I was able to get it for $375 instead with a kick stand and water bottle holder included! Cool huh? It has made riding SO much easier and our pace has increased and I can keep up! Woo Hoo! I bought it from a place called Gilles. It also has a 3 year warranty where they will adjust everything for free if it gets out of whack.

Also on Wednesday we our regular District meeting and my comp and I (for some reason) were asked to give the training. I felt weird giving all of the other Elders in the district advice but I felt like it all went smoothly.

The picture of the egg samich is simply my amazing creation. It turned out better than expected and I've had a few of them this week (: I haven't run out of food just yet I've been doing an okay job of shopping... frozen foods are bomb!

Oh! This coming Wednesday were having Zone Conference so that's pretty exciting!

The weather here has been either nice out and not too hot or rainy. I enjoy it. I don't enjoy riding in it. We had a cool lighting storm pass over a week or more ago and that was cool as well. My comp says that I missed most of the hot hot summer they had which... isn't dissapointing! (:

As far as investigators go my area had a baptism the week before I came and we are in a state of finding right now. We do have a few investigators but they are not really progressing... so we have not had to drop anybody really yet but hopefully things turn around!

I think that's about it! I'll wrap up with some shoutouts!

Dad - teaching me how to cook eggs

Forrest Sutherland - being a stallion and having a companion that I know? Mostly being a stallion

Whitney Denton - for being an awesome sister and (I'm sure) and even awesomer teacher!  

Take care now!

Elder Denton III (Strikes again)

Week 2 in the field!

Date:  Sept 10, 2012
Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

Sup errybody?

Well since last Monday it's all just kind of meshed together besides Wednesday! There wasn't anything super duper special about Wednesday except that I went on an exchange with my District Leader, Elder Rigby. It was a good experience and not only did I get a break from the bike for a day but we were able to teach 3 different lessons and also found a new investigator. There was more to it but those were the highlights. I wasn't exactly sure what to do for food so I just skipped breakfast (on the exchange still) and we went out for lunch and had a dinner appointment for dinner. I figured mine and Elder Rigby's companion had done the same until I got back to my apartment and found that a bunch of my food had been eaten. I was pretty upset but what can ya do yanno? It wasn't anything my companion did wrong but.. just... ya... grr.

As far as cooking has gone I've just stuck to the basics. I get a fair variety of cereal, mac n' cheese, samiches, and microwavable corn dogs. Pretty legit'. My companion isn't necessarily an amazing cook but he has some good ideas when it comes to food. I have to force myself to drink water so I don't get dehydrated. The Brita filter pitcher that I got has worked wonders! I just got back from shopping and got some eggs, eggos, frozen pizza, and some other unhealthy-because-I-can't-afford-anything-else foods.

 Were everybody else's letter that long? Man I'm really stretchin my brain right now for more of what we did. It all just seemed to blend together.. Probable because the majority of it was missionary work. I guess siblings wrote more about their investigators... whatever! Oh and I forgot my camara again this week so... sorry for being a failure!

Shoutouts:

Mom: for all the little things I do that you taught me that make my days easier!

TJ Sutherland: For being AWESOME and making the decision to serve a mission! The GKLM (Great Kentucky Louisville Mission) IS where it's at.

Stephen Sutherland: The shoes! They are working out excellently and are muchly appreciated!

Love you guys!

The Church is true!

First Week in the Field!

 Date:  September 3, 2012
Companion:  Elder Moorhouse
Area:  Newburgh Bike

Sup everybody?

Sorry I missed ya last week! So I flew to Kentucky and we landed at about 4 o clock.

President Woodbury and his wife and the assistants were all there to greet us.

We piled into a few different cars and went to the mission home which is actually only about 10 minutes away from the airport.

The first thing that hit me when we stepped off of the 'plane was --you guessed it-- the humidity! Phew! It's going to take some getting used to for sure! Sister Woodbury had an AMAZING dinner waiting for us. It was probably so amazing because we'd only had MTC food for the last three weeks... but it was still good :)

 The next morning we got up and had breakfast

and then went the transfer meeting where I was paired with Elder Moorhouse.

He's a pretty cool cat! We are serving in the "Newburgh Bike" area. You read me correctly! I'm on a bike! If you saw the pictures of my companion it's fairly obvious that he is fit. If you have seen me it's fairly obvioius that I'm not. I'll get back to that. Newburgh Bike is just the name of the area. I am physically in Evansville, Indiana. Feel free to send me all the mail and packages that you'd like (: It's a pretty area! There aren't too many hills. (thankfully... going back to the riding a bike thing) (e-mail Whit for his address...I didn't want to post it online.  whitneyndenton@gmail.com)

It was about a 2 1/2 hour car ride to our apartment from the chapel where the meeting was held and then I moved in real quick and the zone leaders came and picked us up to do some shoppin'. We meet up with them often to go places because.. well... they have a car. I felt super lost in the grocery store because I was not prepared by any means to go shopping. I felt like I needed to plan it all out what I was gonna do for meals and such but nontheless I feel like I did a pretty good job of winging it! We don't get too many dinner appointments but I've eaten twice so far out in the field where it was prepared for me. There was a bike left there that I will use until mine is shipped to me that had a flat tire and I actually was able to repair it! It went pretty smoothly! The bike is a little rough but will work for now.

Other than that it's just been a lot of proselyting this week. I enjoy it. I haven't had a door straight up slammed in my face but we're getting there. I need that experience. Street contacting is fun as well. When we get on our bikes to ride to an appointment or wherever Elder Moorhouse is always up ahead of me.. he has been biking for awhile now I guess so he has a quick pace. It pushes me but I make sure to not push it too hard or I'll be dead once I get to wherever I'm going so he stops and lets me catch up. Today we are going to get a brita filter because the tap water is atrocious and it is so so important to stay hydrated. It makes the difference between a good and bad day for surely.

UMMMM oh! Every Monday morning we play basketball at the Church and because school was out today there were these two kids who were like... amazing. Turns out the taller of the two is rated number 1 in the city (he is a junior in hs) and has a full ride scholarship to like... anywhere he wants. He was on my team though so it was all good.

I think that's it ya'll? My laundry is about done and I'm not sure I have anything more to say. The Gospel is true. Amen, right? Right.

Elder Denton III (strikes again)

Ahh oh BTW a complete miracle happened on Sunday that I forgot to mention! (bashful face)

SO - last week there was a lady, who's name will remain anonymous, was baptized and this week in testimony meeting I stood in for her confirmation. Her husband (soon to be ex i believe) was the one who the missionaries had gone to see but ended up meeting her instead! She didn't even know that he had been a member. He is inactive... and by that I mean it's been 21 years. He went to church and during testimony meeting got up (which made my comp a little nervous) and basically said he was going to start coming to church again and asked for everybody's help! so cool! The Spirit works wonders!

Thats all

bye again