November 28, 2011

Dear family,

 

Why yes, Mother, I am full of vigor and vim! Especially since I'm not puking anymore. I was thinking about what I was thankful for this past week, and I realized that I'm thankful for a healthy body. It's something that I really take for granted. Think about all of the people out in the world that have various health problems. I seriously can't complain. My body is so awesome that when something gross gets inside, my body wants to get rid of it. It does what it's supposed to do! Isn't that so amazing?? Haha I probably sound weird, but I really am thankful that I was able to get better and eat all of the turkey that I could - for there was a LOT of turkey to be eaten. Pretty much every house that we've eaten at since last thursday has fed us leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Which I'm totally okay with!! We ate at the Mendez house for dinner on Saturday (we eat there every week. They're my favoritest family) and we had some of their leftovers. But the cool thing is that they're Hispanic, so they do things a little differently. Sure there was turkey and mashed potatoes, but it was served with hot tortillas, Spanish rice, and beans. Hahaha I love the Mendez family so much :)

 

The Smith's were more than kind to us to have us over on thursday. They had all the classics: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry jelly... Awwwwww yeeeeaahhh :) I've decided that I have to bike extra hard in the coming weeks to make up for how much I ate. It was overall an awesome day. That morning Bro. Smith took us out to Elkins (a small town in the country past Fayetteville) to have us help chop wood for his son who lives out there. We helped take down a dead tree that could be used for fire wood. Talk about manly!! I do have to admit I didn't do much chopping, but I did stack the wood in the back of the truck. Hey, somebody's got to do it! I saved a piece of wood so I could carve in the words "I survived the Sloan/Smith wood-cutting of 2011" or something similar, but I think I'm too lazy to do it. Just know that I had a fun time choppin' wood with a bunch of men. I wish Dad could've been there. It was such a beautiful day! I'm beginning to appreciate Arkansas more and more each day. There's nothing like low-hanging fog on a cold morning in the Ozarks. Epic. Too bad I have to move away from it all.

 

Why yes! I'm getting transferred! Surprise surprise surprise! To be honest, I was very VERY surprised. I thought for sure that I would stay here for at least one more transfer. I kinda wanted to be here for Christmas too. But the Lord has other plans for me, I guess. So I'm moving to a town in Oklahoma called Elm Springs. It's near Tulsa (I think), and I'll be moving there this Thursday. I was so crazy - Saturday was transfer calls, so we made sure to be back at the apartment at 9:00 sharp. Usually calls come within the first half hour or so, but they can come as late as 10:30. So you can only imagine my thoughts as 10:25 rolls around and the Assistants call. In minutes previous we were all laughs and smiles as we thought we'd be together for Christmas. But sure enough the phone rang and the Assistants were like, "Elder Capitan, how would you like to stay in Springdale for a while? But how would you like to get a new companion?" My heart raced. I'm moving! The Assistants then informed me about where I was moving to, and that I would become senior companion to a certain Elder Jensen. Woohoo I'm senior companion! It was really bittersweet. Like I said, I kinda wanted to stay here for another tranfer. The work has been really picking up and it would've been easy for me to move next year. But hey, I'm excited to meet new people and to meet my new companion.

 

I was a little bit quiet at church because I knew that I wasn't going to see a lot of the members ever again. I didn't really tell anyone that I was moving because I didn't want to cry like a baby. Besides, I'm here to bring souls to Christ, and not get comfortable. I really will miss Springdale though. We're planning on saying goodbye to a few of the members/investigators that I got really close to. I'll let you know how this week goes. It's really exciting! There could be someone waiting for me in Elm Springs. I'll send you my address as soon as I get it.

 

It's so good to hear that you had a great Thanksgiving too. It must've been fun to eat dinner with the Drapers. And ping pong? Lucky! I played recently against a member named Bro. Dias. He's from Brazil and he's really good. But I beat him. It felt so good :) Dad would've been proud. And Mom, I'm so excited for your gingerbread house! I wish I could see it. You should send pictures. I think that's one thing I want for Christmas: a bunch of pictures.

 

Everyone out here is excited for Christmas. Christmas lights are going up like crazy, and the members are preparing for cool programs and such. Some previous elders left a Christmas tree in the closet and so we set it up. I hope I have one in Elm Springs :) You'd be surprised at some of the crazy stuff that is left behind by missionaries. Hilarious!

 

Well, I gotta go. Thanks for the emails and for everything. I'm thankful for the family I have back home. I'll update you on everything that happens this week next Monday.

 

Love, Elder Atkin

 

P.S. Sorry no pictures again. Don't worry - there'll be plenty next week.

November 21, 2011

Dear Family,

 

Oh Mom, sometimes I just ache to give you a big hug too! There are many times that the four of us elders sit around in our living room before bedtime and just talk and talk and talk about our families and what it's like back home. It's probably not the best thing, because it makes me homesick, but I love talking about y'all. The other elders know all about my adorable Mom and super-human Dad and my totally awesome older sisters. Fun times :) Don't worry Mom, you can just make a gingerbread man that looks like me, alright? Include it with your gingerbread house and you're sure to win the first prize haha!

 

I guess if there's one thing that we get out of emailing each other, it should be that we love each other. A BUNCH. There's nothing like a mission to make an elder realize what really matters most in life. There are too many broken families out there. What did I do to deserve a loving family back home?? Holy flippin' luckiness!!! I feel so blessed. It just goes to show how much the gospel blesses families. And that is what I want more than anything: an eternal family.

 

This week wasn't too eventful because of one thing: I was sick. Man, I was as sick as a dog. Don't worry, I'm all better now. But on Wednesday I woke up and just felt horrible. I had the chills and my stomach felt like somebody had kicked it like a soccer ball. I went to district meeting anyways, because I thought that I just needed to man up and go. We even went to a few appointments afterwards, but I didn't feel any better. That night we went to Nichole's house to celebrate her husband's birthday. It was a lot of fun and we watched a cool church movie. But while we were watching it, I suddenly knew that I was going to puke. I quickly ran into Nichole's bathroom and pretty much erupted into the toilet. Oh man, it was nasty! I then knew that we just needed to get home.

 

I had a really bad cough, and so I thought it would be a great idea to take some Nyquil and just go to bed. Stupid stupid stupid. I woke up at 2 AM and it all came out the other end with twice the force (sorry if that was a little TMI...). So yeah, I realized that I basically don't know how to take care of myself. I didn't wake up until 11 on Thursday. I was SO out of it! I got back in bed at 2 and slept until 6, and then I went to bed again at 9. I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life. I didn't sleep as much the next day, but we took Friday off as well. I finally felt better on Saturday, so we were able to do a few things, but I think that I'm only just barely getting back to full speed. Yeah, it was bad. But I feel great today! Especially since it's preparation day :)

 

So yeah, we only taught like 4 lessons last week. It was kind of embarrassing to turn in our numbers last night because there wasn't really anything to turn in. But I'm sure our district leader understands. I really want to hit it hard this week to make up for last week. It seems like we keep on hitting road blocks that prevent us from totally lighting the area on fire. It's really frustrating! But we just gotta keep on working with what we have, and continue to try and find the people who are ready to hear our message.

 

The tough thing is that Elder Capitan isn't really a big fan of tracting. I thought he was when I first met him, but it hasn't really turned out that way. We've been trying to find new investigators with other methods, but I really think that it's not working that well. We've done some tracting, but not nearly enough. I, on the other hand, have found that I LOVE tracting! It's kinda weird, because I never thought I would, but I do. So it's a little frustrating sometimes when Elder Capitan is making all of the decisions (I'm the junior companion), and I don't feel like I have a say.

 

Do you know what's crazy though? Transfer calls are coming up this Saturday! I have absolutely no idea if I'll be staying or going, but I'll be sure to let you know. Craziness!

It's gotten really cold outside here too. The past few days have been really gloomy, dark, and misty. It's kinda cool though. I like it! Winter is definitely coming. It's weird though. It's a different kind of cold. I always heard people talk about it, but it's true that the cold seems to feel colder here. It seems to seep through your clothes. BBBRRR!! I have a good coat though, so I'm not too worried. The only thing I need now is gloves.

 

I'm so glad to hear that Rachel's play went well! I wish I could've seen it. I have to admit that I laughed really hard at the picture of Rachel though. She looks funny as an old lady hee hee hee :) Thanks for sending the pictures.

I'm so excited for Christmas! I'm already looking past Thanksgiving. I'm like you, Mom. I'm ready for the Christmas music :) I don't know what I want for Christmas... I haven't really thought about it. I'll think some more on it and let you know, alrighty? And I would still love to draw names if that is at all possible. I plan on sending gifts too!

 

Well, I don't really have much else to say except that I love you and I'm thinking about you all! Thanks for your support and for the emails. I feel so loved :) Sorry I don't have more cool stories from this past week. Like I said, not much happened because I was really sick. But I hope to be able to update you on a few cool new investigators and potentials we have in the future. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!

 

Love, Elder Atkin

 

P.S.Again. I think my past few emails have been lame so I'm going to write you all some letters this week. Yay. Now I feel better :)

 

November 14, 2011

Dear family,

 

Man, I never know how to start my emails. It's kinda awkward sometimes, ya know? Like even right now I'm like, "okay, this is a dumb way of starting an email. You should delete what you've said so far and write something else..." So I hope you know that I struggle with this. Every week. It's just one of those things. But hey, I can't complain. I like awkwardness. It's what I thrive on nowadays. I eat awkwardness for breakfast. My life is awkward, our investigators are awkward, Springdale is an awkward town.... I'm currently convinced that awkwardness is what missionary work is about. Here, let me explain:

 

Yesterday was a perfect example of awkwardness. We didn't have any set appointments, and so Elder Capitan and I just hit the pavement and visited anyone we could think of, from investigators to potentials to less-actives. Sometimes that's just what you do when things fall through. We first stopped by a former investigator named Richard. Nobody answered the door, so we decided to move on. We were stopped by this kid riding his bike around, and he told us about how he loves Jesus and likes going to church. We gave him a pass-along card and he got so excited that he dragged us to his family's apartment to talk to his mom. So we followed him. I was actually kind of excited to see what would happen. He dragged his mom outside and right when she saw us she flipped out and was like, "Aaahh! I'm busy!" and ran inside. We all just looked at each other in silence. Awkward!

 

Then as we were heading out, suddenly Richard comes walking up to us. He hurredly shook our hands and said that we should come on into his place. Elder Capitan and I were confused, but by all means we followed the man. As we were about to walk inside, his wife (who is blind and couch-bound because of a million health issues) starts yelling, "NO NO NO WAY NO NO You drank 4 beers and your drunk as a sailor NO NO we can't see the missionaries like this NO NO NO..." I then realized why Richard was acting so funny, and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Richard came back out onto the porch and started praising the Lord and apologizing and shaking our hands multiple times and stumbling around. It was so hilarious! We then thought it might be best to just leave before the drunk man did something stupid, and so we said goodbye. But Richard wouldn't have it. He dragged us back onto the porch and begged us to say a prayer with him. He huddled us all together and quickly said an incoherent prayer. Afterwards we agreed to come at a later time next week. Awkward!

 

Later last night, we decided to stop by an investigator who we haven't been able to contact for a while. We knocked on the door and a whole army ended up answering it. Come to find out, we had interrupted a religious meeting that the investigator was hosting, and the pastor (of the church the investigator currently attends) was even in attendance. Before we could say bye, they invited us in to share a spiritual thought with everyone. Call me a bad missionary, but to my dismay Elder Capitan shared something from the Book of Mormon. The pastor used to be Mormon. Awkward!

 

Next we stopped by Dawn's house to see how she was doing. She stepped outside with her boyfriend and they both started to smoke. Elder Capitan and I were both downwind from them, so you can only imagine me trying to not hack up a lung and to refrain from crying as we attempted a lesson on the Book of Mormon. Awkward!

 

Anyways. I've had enough of the awkwardness. And I'm tired of writing the word "awkward." But hopefully you can see that I'm an awkward missionary that faces awkward experiences every day. And now that I'm writing about it, I can only smile :) What an adventure! I'm actually starting to like smelling like smoke when I come home every day because I feel super legit. I feel like I'm getting down and dirty in missionary work. Awwwwwwww yeeeeeeeah :) Like I said last week, things have been picking up. Not big time, but definitely better. We still don't have anyone set with a baptismal date, but hopefully we can change that this week. It all comes one investigator at a time. One awkward lesson at a time.

 

I love the work and I love the people here. Recently we got our haircuts at a random hair salon in old school Springdale. The lady that runs the place is from El Salvador and she's super nice. She loves us so much that she's offered us free haircuts in the future. Money in the bank!!!! We've shared a little bit about the Book of Mormon with her and her husband, and they seem to like the idea that Christ came to the Americas and to their ancestors. They attend their Catholic church regularly, but they are very open. We might have to refer them to the Spanish Elders in the future, but we hope they gain enough interest to read, pray, and possibly attend church. Who knows!

 

I'm really starting to get close to the members here, and so it makes me want to stay here for a while longer. Darn, I was hoping I wouldn't get so attached! It's funny how as I've gotten closer to the members, they've become more trusting and more willing to have us over for dinner haha :) I'm sorta hoping to stay here until after Christmas, but ya never know... The Smith's have invited us over for Thanksgiving, and so I'm pretty sure we'll be fed VERY well. I pretty much love this time of year!

 

On Saturday we had Zone Conference. It was AMAZING. Our president is one of the most spiritual people I've ever met. It was so fun to be instructed by him and the assistants. We also got new phones, so that was exciting too.

 

Well, I don't know what else to say except that I'm loving life and I'm doing well. I love this gospel so much, and it's cool to look back and see how much I've learned already. Thanks for sharing about that lady's talk in sacrament meeting about Dallin H. Oaks. I truly feel like I know Jesus Christ more and more each day, and there's nothing more exciting than that! Man, it's so flipping awesome!

 

I love you so much!

 

Love, Elder Atkin

 

P.S. I'm so excited to get the Ensign from you! I look forward to getting it in the next couple of days. I heard a tiny bit about the missionaries in Dallas, but not much. I'm interested to see what that's all about too. And yes, I plan on taking a picture of myself with the letter M. I have no idea what for, but you've peaked my interest... :)

 

P.P.S. Sorry I haven't sent pictures in a while. You can look forward to receiving some next week. Thanks for sending the picture of mine and April's plaques next to each other. So cool!

P.P.P.S. Good luck in the play Rachel! Sounds like a blast! Hahaha I laughed really hard at the pictures Mom sent :)

 

P.P.P.P.S. Boring??? You're not boring Mom! I hope you know that I laughed BIG TIME when I read what you said about Utah Bear Poop, or Utah Moose Poop, or Utah Bull Crap. Hilarious! Mom, you're like the opposite of boring. I totally think that people will buy those. I would...

 

P.P.P.P.P.S. That's super cool that Dad's been way into geneology lately. I've been surprised at how much geneology and stories of my ancestors can be used in missionary work. I'll have to tell you about it next time.

 

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I feel like I'm forgetting something... Oh well :) Tell everyone hi for me!

November 7, 2011

Dearestestestest family!!!

 

Guess what? I got an email from April!! She's doing well and she just loves it so much! I quickly emailed her back a few minutes ago and told her that I was happy that our preparation days aren't on the same day. Isn't that such a blessing??!! It'll make communication between us easier. Either way I'm just happy to hear that she's doing well and that she's already had some awesome/crazy experiences. Hooray for the two Atkin missionaries!

 

How are y'all doin'? Man, it snowed?! It's been getting a lot colder here lately, and it reminds me of home big time. I looooove the cold! I'd rather be cold than hot, ya know? The fall colors here have been AMAZING, and I hear that this wasn't even a good autumn compared to the past. Whaaaaaaat? I just love this time of year :) Last week was Halloween and all of Springdale was abuzz with Trick or Treaters and such. We stayed home that night and had candy ready to give out to anyone who came. A bunch of Marshallese people came and they'd all take like five handfuls. It was pretty hilarious :) Even the adults were trick or treating! Hahaha a bunch of people in the ward were telling me about how mad they would get when adults would come to there door. Some of them even told them no and closed the door. Wowzers...

 

I do have to say that this week has been a lot better. Sorry if I complained and sounded like a wimp in my last email. I was just having a lame day and a lame couple weeks. This week we picked up a few promising investigators, and I was just overall a happier person. Things are looking up! I like your advice Mom - I just need to remember to look up. It sounds like a really small thing, but often times I just stare at the ground when I'm going from appointment to appointment, or from door to door. This last week I decided I was going to be a happier and more confident person, so I raised my head up more. I realized that I often miss the beautiful world around me. Sure there's a lot of evil and sadness in the world, but there's a lot of good too! The Ozarks are magnificent this time of year, and I notice more of the little things when I take the time to look up. There are so many little tender mercies that Heavenly Father gives us each day, but we're often distracted by negative thoughts, or our lack of "looking up." The other day we were biking and I realized that I was having fun. Having fun? On a bike? With somebody yelling out the window of their car at me??? No way... But yes way!! Life is only getting better, my friends :)

 

So yes, I'm doing well. There isn't much to say about our new investigators, because they're brand new, but I'll update you more in the future. I thought we were going to do a lot of tracting this week, but it didn't end up that way. We put in a bajillion miles on our bikes again, but we didn't do as much finding as I thought we would. Oh well, we probably will this week.

 

That's awesome that you had the missionaries over! I laughed out loud when you talked about the greeny and his awkwardness. SO been there! SO done that! Yeah, I'm still awkward at times, but I'm getting used to it. I love eating with the members and having awesome spiritual thoughts with their families. Our ward is so great! As of late, we've been asking for referrals like crazy. A few families had some cool neighbors they want us to teach, but it all comes in time. They don't want to sic the missionaries on them and ruin relations. Member missionary work it a delicate process at times. But we always thank them for the food and for their service. Members are always trying their hardest to get us referrals.

 

Well, I'm out of time already! But I feel great! I didn't have much to say today, but I hope you know I'm happy(er), and that I'm "looking up." I love this work! I love you!

 

Love, Elder Atkin