Hey all of everyone and stuff
this past week was pretty average. Nothing really note worthy. We did however get this new investigator guy. We went by his house like around 11 on Thursday and he wasn't home so we started biking up towards the top of our area to see some other people when I get a call on the phone. I didn't recognize the number and I answered the phone. It was they guy who we just tried to see and he said that the office of the apartments said that they saw two guys in suits knock on his door so he gave us a call and said for us to come over. So we turned around and went back and taught him a lesson. He was super interested and everything. Unfortunately his girlfriend got sick so we had to cancel his appointment on Saturday night and he couldn't come to church. On Saturday we pretty much spent 60% of the day giving some service to a member so Saturday was kinda shot.
We got to teach the lady who might be unaccountable this past week. We figured if she can understand what repentance and baptism are then she is prolly accountable enough to be baptized. So we did a few activities with her and stuff to try to discern if she is or not. So far she remembers bits and pieces. She is gunna meet with bishop on Wednesday and hes gunna talk to her and depending on what she says we will keep going or stop teaching her.
This next week is gunna be crazy. We have exchanges tomorrow with our district leader, weekly planning on Wednesday, and zone conference on Thursday. So we have like 2 1/2 working days this week if not less. I did get the package and thank you so much. Regarding people who sent me things for Christmas that i haven't written back, I don't really have the addresses because i got transferred right after the holidays so the packages with the addresses are all in my old apartment. I'm starting to run low on stamps so if you guys could send me some more sheets of them that would be awesome.
The weather has been way crazy lately. It has been in the 60's lately. I think it even got into the 70's one day but that is long gone now. Its like in the teens and snowing today which really stinks so we got a ride to the library so we didn't have to ride our bikes there.So the members we live with said that some crazy stuff is going on with Egypt. but as missionaries we are completely clueless on whats going on. And its extremely conservative here so pretty much everyone hates Obama. The members always have fox news on so we hear it as we go down into the basement. Anyways i cant really think of anything else to say. I cant believe this transfers almost over. Its week 4 already and Elder Michener goes home in 18 days. I'm not sure what the arrangement is going to be for me between the time he leaves and when transfers happen cuz transfers are on the 21. So we'll wait and see. I love you all and would like to hear from anyone who reads this.
-Elder Butler
A blog for close friends and family to keep in touch with Elder Butler while he is serving a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
1-24-11
Yeah I'd say I'm more happy here haha. I really love this new area. And I know for a fact that I will be here next transfer too since im "killing off" elder Michener. I think my favorite part is being back in civilization and having dinners every night. My least favorite things are not having a car and all the hills in the area. The members are awesome and they really help out a lot. We've been able to talk to a lot of people. There was a lady that was an investigator from the last set of elders that we have been working with. We dropped her though because she wasn't making any commitments and wasn't progressing. So we really didn't have any investigators. We've been trying to see a lot of the part member families and less actives. Along with tracting and dinners and everything else. Its been way crazy. Elder Michener Likes to talk a lot too so we don't have a lot of time for things. We get to bed just past 10:30 every night and its so hard to wake up every morning. On top of that we have to ride our bikes everywhere. But things are good and I like it.
There is this lady that other missionaries had told us about. She apparently can't remember anything the missionaries teach her. I guess she has a mental disability. So all the other missionaries say that she isn't accountable enough to be baptized. But our ward mission leader really wanted us to go by and start teaching her again. The was a time where she really wanted to come to church so she started walking and got lost. So the other day we go over there and gave her our phone number and told her to call us if she could get off work early so that we could get her a ride to church. Sunday comes and she called us and we called up a person in the ward and she was able to come to church. Between sacrament meeting and Sunday school she told me that she only needed to come to church 2 more times and then she could be baptized. We had never told her that so apparently she is remembering some things. So we think that she just has a learning disability where she cant remember things that she reads so were gunna work with her and see if we can get her to learn the major things so that she can be baptized.
So that's really all that's going on with me. There are a few things that I would like. So somehow a little moisture got into my watch and its getting foggy all the time. So I was wondering if you guys could send me my watch warranty so I can go to JC Penny and get it fixed or replaced. I would also like a wallet size of my Patriarical Blessing and my line of authority. And besides that I think I'm pretty good.
As for those questions I'll try my hardest to get that done and sent to you but there just isn't a lot of time sometimes. So I will do my best to get at least mine and my companions done. I love you all and its really great to hear from everybody!
-Elder Butler
There is this lady that other missionaries had told us about. She apparently can't remember anything the missionaries teach her. I guess she has a mental disability. So all the other missionaries say that she isn't accountable enough to be baptized. But our ward mission leader really wanted us to go by and start teaching her again. The was a time where she really wanted to come to church so she started walking and got lost. So the other day we go over there and gave her our phone number and told her to call us if she could get off work early so that we could get her a ride to church. Sunday comes and she called us and we called up a person in the ward and she was able to come to church. Between sacrament meeting and Sunday school she told me that she only needed to come to church 2 more times and then she could be baptized. We had never told her that so apparently she is remembering some things. So we think that she just has a learning disability where she cant remember things that she reads so were gunna work with her and see if we can get her to learn the major things so that she can be baptized.
So that's really all that's going on with me. There are a few things that I would like. So somehow a little moisture got into my watch and its getting foggy all the time. So I was wondering if you guys could send me my watch warranty so I can go to JC Penny and get it fixed or replaced. I would also like a wallet size of my Patriarical Blessing and my line of authority. And besides that I think I'm pretty good.
As for those questions I'll try my hardest to get that done and sent to you but there just isn't a lot of time sometimes. So I will do my best to get at least mine and my companions done. I love you all and its really great to hear from everybody!
-Elder Butler
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
1-18-11
So the past week has been kinda crazy. Right after i finished emailing I said a few goodbyes and then started packing as fast as i could. I got everything all packed up and my goodbyes said by like 3 or so. Then me and another elder that i have become good friends with, Elder Smith, drove up to springs. The pass to get out of the valley was supper icy. We were going about 20 mph behind these two semi trucks. We didn't know exactly where we were going when we got to springs. We ended up getting to where we were spending the night at about 9:30. We got there and we were dead tired. We had to wake up pretty early the next day to eat some breakfast and get to the church building by like 7. So we got there and i hung around till the transfer meeting started. We got to see all the new missionaries and stuff. Then i met my new companion. His name is Elder Michener. hes from Anaheim, CA. Hes a convert of like 4 years or so. This is his last transfer so I'm "killing him off". So we are in the Springs 6th ward. The area is way small compared to fox creek. its between Academy and Powers from west to east. and constitution to Barns from south to north. And we are on bikes which really stinks because there are tons of hills and crap in the area. SO its all up and down hill. Oh and by the way we were flushed in. So the past few days we have been trying to learn the area and find people to teach and get to know all the members. Its really nice though because there are a lot of members and we get fed every night. The ward is super awesome and the ward mission leader and missionaries are amazing. Elder Guymon was pretty mad that he was staying in fox creek because hes been there for 10 months now. He is going through some tough things with his new companion but i didn't have all the details yet. Its really cool being in this area because there are actually people to talk to and plenty of streets to tract. The only thing I don't like though is being on bikes haha. Were living with members right now in their basement and they told us a little while ago that they are planning on moving because they can't find a job. Were living with this lady and her son. He has a really bad back from a work accident so he can't do very many things work wise. He's prolly like in his 30's. But anyways their basement is really cold. It'd be really nice if you could send me some sweat pants. The ones that DON'T have the elastic on the leg holes.
That's way cool that you guys are having a convert baptism in the ward. And I'm glad that your feeling better mom. I'm kinda getting over a small cold but its nothing. Its weird every time i get to emailing i can never think of things that i need/want. OH! It'd be really cool to have a tie rack so I don't have to hang all my ties on a plastic hanger. I cant believe you guys just get all this new stuff as soon as i leave. I knew that was gunna happen. Just as long as you don't get a new car that Andrea can drive. I did get dad's note by the way. One way that you could study the scriptures is by reading preach my gospel and looking up all the references in that. It gives a ton of scriptures in all the standard works throughout the entire thing. That's one thing you could do. Right now I'm working on finishing the book of Mormon again.
So anyways i cant really think of anything else to say. That's pretty much it for me. I love you all and would love to hear from everyone!
Elder Butler
That's way cool that you guys are having a convert baptism in the ward. And I'm glad that your feeling better mom. I'm kinda getting over a small cold but its nothing. Its weird every time i get to emailing i can never think of things that i need/want. OH! It'd be really cool to have a tie rack so I don't have to hang all my ties on a plastic hanger. I cant believe you guys just get all this new stuff as soon as i leave. I knew that was gunna happen. Just as long as you don't get a new car that Andrea can drive. I did get dad's note by the way. One way that you could study the scriptures is by reading preach my gospel and looking up all the references in that. It gives a ton of scriptures in all the standard works throughout the entire thing. That's one thing you could do. Right now I'm working on finishing the book of Mormon again.
So anyways i cant really think of anything else to say. That's pretty much it for me. I love you all and would love to hear from everyone!
Elder Butler
Monday, January 10, 2011
1-10-11
Dear the family/everyone
O this week has been the first full week in quite a while. Since we baptized Jammie we didn't really have any investigators. We have been meeting with Jammie still doing new member lessons and watching church movies with him. The past week or two we have found five new investigators. We taught all of them the fist lesson but since then we haven't been able to meet with any of them. None of them are very solid or they re just out of town a lot. So we've been doing a lot of tracting and things like that and such. But other then that not much happened. But anyways i don't have a whole lot of time. Because I have to pack up all my stuff. I'm being transferred to the Springs 6th ward. So i have to go say goodbyes and pack. I don't really know how i can get a tape recorder. And ill try and work on those questions. I love you all and miss you.
Elder Butler
PS I need another journal or two.
O this week has been the first full week in quite a while. Since we baptized Jammie we didn't really have any investigators. We have been meeting with Jammie still doing new member lessons and watching church movies with him. The past week or two we have found five new investigators. We taught all of them the fist lesson but since then we haven't been able to meet with any of them. None of them are very solid or they re just out of town a lot. So we've been doing a lot of tracting and things like that and such. But other then that not much happened. But anyways i don't have a whole lot of time. Because I have to pack up all my stuff. I'm being transferred to the Springs 6th ward. So i have to go say goodbyes and pack. I don't really know how i can get a tape recorder. And ill try and work on those questions. I love you all and miss you.
Elder Butler
PS I need another journal or two.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
1-6-11
Hello everybody!
How was the new years celebration? Ours was pretty lame but ill get to that in a second. So the marriage/baptism of Jammie was really good. But also a disaster. So the wedding was planned for 5 with the baptism right after it. We got there at like 4:15 with Ja* and Ne* to take a few pictures. We get into the building and we don't hear anything. Elder Guymon went to the font to check on it while I talked to Ja*. And guess what happened?!? No one filled the font. It takes three hours to fill the font with nice hot water but we had less then an hour till the baptism. So we scrambled to get things together while taking pictures and setting up. So in order to fill the font in time we just had to blast it. It got all filled in time but the water was about 60 degrees. The marriages went well and everything and then we had the baptism. The water was freezing and it was all yellow. I had to push him under all the way because he almost didn't make it and i didn't want to be in that water any longer. Then we confirmed him after we changed and that was pretty much it.
On Tuesday we just did a lot of tracting and we talked to this guy named An*. We taught him a first lesson so we'll see how that goes. On Wednesday we found another new investigator off tracting. And then I went to Manassa on exchanges. In Manassa they don't have a car so we have to ride bikes. That day we biked around 15 miles. A lot of which was into the wind with heavy snow. It really sucked. But we got to teach an Amish family off tracting. That was cool. By the end of the day my legs felt like I had been shot with a gun. The worst thing is that most of the roads there are dirt so its so hard to ride a bike on them. Anyways we didn't have much of a chance to do anything on Friday cuz we have meetings in the morning and then, because it was new years eve, we had to be in by 5. But in the little time we did have we taught this kid named Ju* and he is now a new investigator. So after we got in at 5 we kinda sat around the apartment and we both fell asleep. So we decided to to go and lay down in our beds for a quick nap. We ended up waking up at like 1 in the morning so we just decided to keep sleeping and we ended up getting like 12 hour of sleep. On accident. Saturday was a PDay and we stayed at manassa. Sunday was Sunday and it was all good. And that was pretty much it.
How was every ones holiday season? I have a lot of gift cards to McDonald's and Subway so ill have enough money for fast food for the rest of my mission. Too bad the nearest fast food is half an hour away. ha ha I love you all and cant wait to talk again
Elder Butler
How was the new years celebration? Ours was pretty lame but ill get to that in a second. So the marriage/baptism of Jammie was really good. But also a disaster. So the wedding was planned for 5 with the baptism right after it. We got there at like 4:15 with Ja* and Ne* to take a few pictures. We get into the building and we don't hear anything. Elder Guymon went to the font to check on it while I talked to Ja*. And guess what happened?!? No one filled the font. It takes three hours to fill the font with nice hot water but we had less then an hour till the baptism. So we scrambled to get things together while taking pictures and setting up. So in order to fill the font in time we just had to blast it. It got all filled in time but the water was about 60 degrees. The marriages went well and everything and then we had the baptism. The water was freezing and it was all yellow. I had to push him under all the way because he almost didn't make it and i didn't want to be in that water any longer. Then we confirmed him after we changed and that was pretty much it.
On Tuesday we just did a lot of tracting and we talked to this guy named An*. We taught him a first lesson so we'll see how that goes. On Wednesday we found another new investigator off tracting. And then I went to Manassa on exchanges. In Manassa they don't have a car so we have to ride bikes. That day we biked around 15 miles. A lot of which was into the wind with heavy snow. It really sucked. But we got to teach an Amish family off tracting. That was cool. By the end of the day my legs felt like I had been shot with a gun. The worst thing is that most of the roads there are dirt so its so hard to ride a bike on them. Anyways we didn't have much of a chance to do anything on Friday cuz we have meetings in the morning and then, because it was new years eve, we had to be in by 5. But in the little time we did have we taught this kid named Ju* and he is now a new investigator. So after we got in at 5 we kinda sat around the apartment and we both fell asleep. So we decided to to go and lay down in our beds for a quick nap. We ended up waking up at like 1 in the morning so we just decided to keep sleeping and we ended up getting like 12 hour of sleep. On accident. Saturday was a PDay and we stayed at manassa. Sunday was Sunday and it was all good. And that was pretty much it.
How was every ones holiday season? I have a lot of gift cards to McDonald's and Subway so ill have enough money for fast food for the rest of my mission. Too bad the nearest fast food is half an hour away. ha ha I love you all and cant wait to talk again
Elder Butler
12-21-10
I'm sorry that last weeks letter was so short. Me and elder Guymon were both really sick. He was throwing up and I had really bad diarrhea. And then the next day i wasn't feeling good either so we stayed in on Tuesday too. The rest of the week we spent 90% of it tracting. All the investigators we had before have dropped off the map so its been difficult for us. The only solid person we have right now is Ja*.
Ja* has come to church twice now and we have taught him all the lessons except for the commandments. That's what we plan on teaching him this week because his date is on Sunday. So far he looks good except the big problem. He has been living with his girlfriend and they aren't married. So he needs to get married before he can be baptized so hopefully when we teach the law of chastity tonight everything goes well.
So Sunday night we drove to Pueblo, CO for a Christmas conference. It was really cool. It was like a zone conference except shorter. We watched this DVD called "To This End Was I Born." It seemed basically the same as lamb of god. It was really good. We talked a lot about how we can improve our missionary work and things. After we had finished everything we went back into the gym and they brought out all our packages. I was surprised cuz i had a ton. I got one from you guys and one from sears and Kmart. Then i had one from the Ellison's, one i think from David and Jodi (someone from twin falls), one from the relief society, and then one from Rachel Gibson's family. Then every missionary got a bag with some gifts from President and Sister Pfile. Everyone got a tie. Mine was this really cool silver and black one but its kinda skinny. But President bought it so it must be approved. Then we got some small things like candy and such. Oh and i got this really nice red fleece throw. Its so warm and soft. Anyways, my companion has a girlfriend back home that's waiting for him but she has decided to go on a mission too so she'll be gone before he gets home. She told him when i first got into the field that she was gunna send him a package. so he's been waiting since then to get this package and he finally got it at Christmas conference. He was way excited.
I sent you guys a package the other day and you should have it by now. It just has some small gifts that are wrapped up. Open the box and take them out because there is also something in there for the Milners. So if you guys could get that to them That would be way awesome. Ill be calling around 10:30 or 11. What will happen is ill call you and have you call me back so that the members phone we're using doesn't have to pay stuff or something. I'm not sure what number to call so as far as now ill just call Dad's cell. I Love Everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Elder Butler
Ja* has come to church twice now and we have taught him all the lessons except for the commandments. That's what we plan on teaching him this week because his date is on Sunday. So far he looks good except the big problem. He has been living with his girlfriend and they aren't married. So he needs to get married before he can be baptized so hopefully when we teach the law of chastity tonight everything goes well.
So Sunday night we drove to Pueblo, CO for a Christmas conference. It was really cool. It was like a zone conference except shorter. We watched this DVD called "To This End Was I Born." It seemed basically the same as lamb of god. It was really good. We talked a lot about how we can improve our missionary work and things. After we had finished everything we went back into the gym and they brought out all our packages. I was surprised cuz i had a ton. I got one from you guys and one from sears and Kmart. Then i had one from the Ellison's, one i think from David and Jodi (someone from twin falls), one from the relief society, and then one from Rachel Gibson's family. Then every missionary got a bag with some gifts from President and Sister Pfile. Everyone got a tie. Mine was this really cool silver and black one but its kinda skinny. But President bought it so it must be approved. Then we got some small things like candy and such. Oh and i got this really nice red fleece throw. Its so warm and soft. Anyways, my companion has a girlfriend back home that's waiting for him but she has decided to go on a mission too so she'll be gone before he gets home. She told him when i first got into the field that she was gunna send him a package. so he's been waiting since then to get this package and he finally got it at Christmas conference. He was way excited.
I sent you guys a package the other day and you should have it by now. It just has some small gifts that are wrapped up. Open the box and take them out because there is also something in there for the Milners. So if you guys could get that to them That would be way awesome. Ill be calling around 10:30 or 11. What will happen is ill call you and have you call me back so that the members phone we're using doesn't have to pay stuff or something. I'm not sure what number to call so as far as now ill just call Dad's cell. I Love Everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Elder Butler
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