December 27, 2011

Dear family,

So what's new since two days ago?? Heh heh just kiddin' :)

Man, yesterday was probably one of the lamest days I've ever experienced. Nevermind that the days previous were some of the best that I've had. Yesterday was just quite boring. I usually try to make the most of my preparation days and stay busy, but neither Elder Jensen nor I felt like doing anything. I'm absolutely convinced that December 26th is the worst day of the year. It's not like I'm a kid back home, out of school, and have lots of toys to play with. There was such a build-up to our phone call, don't you think? It was so awesome to talk to you! But I do have to say that I'm glad that I've gotten through the first one. Hopefully future phone calls will be a lot more chill haha. I think that Sunday proved that I'm still a greenie :)

Well then. It's time to get back to normal life. Elm Creek's teaching pool is as low as ever, but we can only keep trying to find people. Last week we went through a list of like 30 potentials/formers and only one of them was interested. ONE OF THEM. And that one is moving to Cleveland (Oklahoma). A large part of the list lives in Catoosa (a small town in the bottom corner of our area), and so we had a Catoosa trip with our ward mission leader. We tried to contact about 10 people and guess what? Nuthin. The biggest success we had from our Catoosa day trip was a nice lady answering her door and kindly saying, "No. I attend the Kingdom Hall" when we asked her if she was interested. Usually Jehovah's Witnesses aren't the friendliest so I considered it a tender mercy. I'm so tired of people saying that they attend a certain church or that they're "Christian" like it means something. The lady might as well have said, "I attend the Kingdom Hall and so because of that very fact I can't listen to you...Even though I would love to." So many people are filled with junk about Mormons from their churches. It's ridiculous. Elder Jensen and I are trying to think of unique door approaches as to get past the initial inhibitions that are so often attributed to the white shirt and tie. Got any ideas? Anybody? We'll probably tract today after I send this...

Jim is probably still our closest (to baptism) investigator. But each week he seems to drift further away. We'll probably see him today or tomorrow with Bro. Kennedy (ward mission leader) and lay it all on the table. We've already met with him too many times with too little of commitment from him since I've gotten here. We've decided that we need to be bold with him. It's really sad when it comes to this point, but we can't just keep meeting with somebody that enjoys the company. I am planning on sharing Elder Uchtdorf's talk with him, Mom, so we'll see what happens with that. Hopefully you were inspired :) Elder Jensen and I are praying that we can just find and teach somebody. We want to teach someone soooo bad!! It seems like forever since I've actually taught a real missionary discussion. We've decided that during companion study we'll do some role playing once in a while to keep our skills up.

I'm glad to hear that Reggie is doing well. What a man! Extending his mission? Sweet! I've thought about that a few times, but I don't know if I could ever do that haha :) I'm still in the beginning of my mission so I don't need to worry about that yet anyways. Tell Frank that I'm super proud of him for going through the temple and getting his endowments. I miss going through the temple. I wish I could be there.

April and I had a wonderful conversation! We both talked at a million miles an hour and I still felt like I had so much to say. I flippin' hate that feeling. Either way it was so cool that we got to talk to each other though. I'm thankful that her mission president allowed her to talk to me.

Thanks again for all of the gifts that you sent me. It really was so perfect. I was as happy as I could be, but Christmas night we went to the Gaylords for dinner. When we arrived, we were surprised to see a TON of presents under the tree waiting for us. Apparently some members of the ward came together and bought Elder Jensen and I a bunch of stuff. I don't know all of the details, but it must've cost a lot of money. We had no idea it was coming. I couldn't believe how much stuff they had gotten us! Both Elder Jensen and I were so humbled. Man, I love Elm Creek :) I'll include a picture of all of our riches.

Well, I hope you had as great of a Christmas as I did. I will never forget it. Thanks for loving me and talking to me! Have a great week and be safe.

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Other pictures included: A sweet domino tower I built. Me talking to you on the phone with a gift in hand.

Elder Atkin talking to family and opening presents

Presents from ward members

December 19, 2011

Dear family,

Merry merry Christmas to you too! Boy, Sunday can't come quick enough. I have so much to say to you in so little time today, so I'm happy that in less than a week I can just pour out my soul into the phone. I sent Dad an email talking about some of the details, but I'm still not sure on everything. I just hope and pray that I can just call successfully and talk to my family. That is ALL I flipping want for Christmas, Santa. That is all I want for the rest of my life, too - to just spend time with family and hear your wonderful voices. I'm already satisfied anyway. I received probably the best present I've ever gotten in the mail the other day. You know, the picture chain. When I opened it I seriously wept like a baby. I just laugh about it now :) It just goes to show how much I miss your faces! I'm going to treasure those pictures forever. And all of my little nephews are looking so adorable!

 

Mom, I loved hearing about your story with the Napolis. That scripture you shared is awesome :) Your story reminds me of Jim - the geneology buff. His mother is going through a lot of pain in her very old age. He just doesn't understand why she's going through this and why she's still here. We met with him last night, and we talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation. Jim agrees with basically every doctrine our church teaches, and he loves the Plan of Salvation. I've mentioned before that he thinks that Mormonism is the closest to the truth. It's just frustrating that he's still not doing anything and refusing to accept our beliefs. He submits names to the temple, he loves our church and the missionaries so much, and he dearly wants to have the ordinances of salvation for himself. But there's just something holding him back. We think that it's his mother. She was a preacher for another church for basically her whole life. He feels like he'd be betraying his family heritage (even though his dad has had temple ordinances done for him). Golly, Elder Jensen and I just don't really know what to do. At least Jim loved the William Atkin journal.

 

This week wasn't the best number-wise, but we're still happy as ever. Elder Jensen and I are still pals, and we're working super hard. It's a little frustrating at times, especially since this area hasn't had a baptism since 2010 and we haven't had any new investigators yet, but the Lord blesses us in other ways. We've done a bunch of tracting, but it hasn't been successful. Everyone out here is Baptist. I mean EVERYONE. At least they're all pretty nice to us. It's just that I ache to teach the Restoration. I've seriously only taught a new investigator a couple of times. That's another thing that I want for Christmas - someone to teach!

 

We did a lot of service this week for the local Community Resource Center. They do a Toys for Tots sort of a thing and we helped give presents to people in need. It was so much fun! I loved seeing all of the peoples' faces light up when we'd hand them a bag of toys and goodies. Charity never faileth, my friends :) We also got to talk to a man (who was also helping with the gifts) who is a member of the Community of Christ church. It was really interesting to talk about the priesthood and the Book of Mormon with him. It was really cool to talk to someone who isn't a member of our church, but still believes in the same stuff. But at the same time it was really frustrating. Flipping PROPER AUTHORITY. Ugh...

 

Well, I'm about out of time. I look forward to talking to you on Sunday! Don't cry too much when you answer :) Haha have a great week!

 

Love, Elder Atkin

December 12, 2011

Dear family,

Man, I feel so jolly today!! It's a dark and cloudy day and it's chilly outside (my favorite weather by the way) and Christmas is in the air. I never thought it would feel like winter/Christmas in Oklahoma, but it surely does. I guess I'm just getting used to things out here. Can you believe I've been out over 5 months?? Not like I'm counting or anything, but I just can't believe that 2012 is right around the corner.

So how are y'all doing? It's so fun to hear from you each week. I'm doing more than fine, Mom. In fact, I absolutely love Owasso to pieces already. Elm Creek is such an awesome ward, and everyone's all ready to help us out with the work. You should see our meetings with the Ward Mission Leader. He's a convert of 3 years, and he's ready to burst with his testimony. Nothing against Springdale, but I feel like this ward is more ready/willing/capable of helping us out. Right now we're planning for the 2012 ward mission plan and organizing events to help bring the missionary spirit to this area. We're going to get the youth involved and we're even planning on having President Merkley either talk in church or talk in a fireside. Owasso's about to light on fire!!! I'm not trying to brag or anything (I'm serious), but I think the ward really likes me. There have been lazy/trunky missionaries in the past here, and they're all really excited about me coming in. Elder Jensen and I are pumped and ready to go.

Speaking of Elder Jensen - We're already the best of friends. It's only been a week and a half and I would already give an arm and a leg for the guy. I feel like I've known him forever! I have to admit that we might joke around a little too much, but that's what makes things great. We have such a good time haha :) I feel like I can tell him anything/everything and we trust each other big time. Think of this: We actually are excited to have companionship study and to weekly plan for 4 hours. What. The. Flip. I could go on talking forever, but just know that I have a new favorite companion (don't tell my past companions).

So about the health clinic visit. To make a long story short, I had a big ol' nasty in-grown toenail. Yes, I'm sorry I didn't take care of it before the mission. I thought that maybe it would heal, but it didn't. It's just been getting worse and worse until I couldn't handle it anymore. But one day I saw Elder Jensen's big toe and how half his nail was missing. I was like, "woah, did you have an in-grown toenail in the same exact place that I currently do?" And he was like, "why yes, dear companion, we are going to get yours taken care of this Wednesday whether you like it or not." And I was like, "Oh my heck I'm scared to death, but okay." And that was that. On Wednesday we went in and they stabbed me with a bunch of needles to numb it up (yes, I freaked out a little bit. I'm a baby) and then this really nice lady dug it out and cleaned it all up. It actually wasn't too bad. But we had to take a couple of days off to let it heal. It hurt worse than I thought it would afterward, and I had to elevate it all the time. But don't worry, it's getting better! And you don't have to worry about me breaking a limb or anything haha.

But even lamer was the fact that both Elder Jensen and I got sick on Friday. Yeah I know - sick again! We don't know where it came from, but we both were puking our guts out. I was the first to puke. We were actually in the car and so we had to stop on the side of the road so I could open the door and heave. Ugh, it was nasty. We had to stop twice. Elder Jensen puked like 10 times the next morning. The result of all of this was horrible colds for both of us. We both have tons of phlegm and we've been coughing like crazy. It's been getting better, but we had to take a couple of days off for that too. Talk about an unproductive week. But hey, Tuesday was a good day! We saw Jim (the family history buff) and we shared some of our family history with him. I brought the "William Atkin Journal" and shared the story about their little family crossing the river and not wetting the axle tree of the cart. Jim was literally on the edge of his seat. I offered to let him borrow it and read the whole thing on his own time and he about peed his pants in excitement. This guy will do anything for stories about peoples' ancestors. Jim has been taught for years, and he just can't let go of his Baptist beliefs, even though he believes that Mormonism is the closest to the truth. So we've been trying to provide anything to give him that extra push - that really spiritual experience. Who knows - maybe William Atkin's conversion and testimony will touch Jim's heart. If you have any other sweet stories about our ancestors that you think would be good, let me know. I also told Jim about Atkinville and such and he thought that was super cool too. Hmmm... We'll see what happens in the future.

Besides Jim, there aren't really any solid investigators. Sure, there are some people that have been investigating for years, but nobody really willing to change. Elder Jensen and I have been studying in the scriptures and PMG to try and receive inspiration on what to teach these various people. Golly, I wish everyone would just accept the message of the Restoration! It's not always perfect though. We're planning on tracting/finding this coming week, even though Owasso's been tracted out in the past. We've knocked on plenty of doors already (before my toe and sickness) where the people were kind of bugged and told us that the missionaries knock on their door like 3 times a year. At least most people are nice about it. Most everyone out here is Baptist. There's a baptist church on every corner. There's a Baptist church that's a movie theater and the congregation watches the latest movies together. Weird, huh?! But overall, Owasso is a pretty nice area. It's cool to see the high rises of Tulsa in the distance. I just love the city feel. Today we're going to go on a Tulsa trip to visit a member and do some fun stuff. Cool cool.

Man, I'm so stoked for this area! There's just so much potential with the members and such. Elder Jensen and I have clicked big time, so that certainly helps. I thought we'd get sick of each other because we were stuck in our room for most of last week, but it was quite the bonding experience. We've set goals to read Doctrine and Coventants all the way through together this transfer and to memorize a scripture together each week. We've also decided to recite 3 Nephi 5:13 each morning in epic voices. Because we're that epic. And it's epic being Christ's disciples. Ooooohhhhh yeeeeaaahhhh!!!!

So life is good. The other day I received a package from the Wilkes family. They sent me a nice card and the MOTAB/David Archuletta CD you were talking about. Isn't that so nice of them?? You'll have to call them up and thank them for me. And isn't the CD so good? I love it!

I'm glad you finally got the Christmas tree up. I'm so happy that the Stapleys have an awesome Christmas tree. It wouldn't be Christmas without one.

As far as what I want for Christmas, I really can't think of too much. But I do want a nice dark sweater (good for a missionary). My red one's nice, but I want something a little more conservative. Either gray or black. And I also want a CD case. You know, one that can fit a bunch of CD's or DVD's. It would also be great if you could send some great music. Hey, surprise me! Piano or guitar (soft of course) would be nice music to listen to. We have a CD player. I also could use another tie or two. Once again, surprise me. Y'all have great taste anyways. And lastly, if you can't think of anything else to send me, money always works. Haha :)

Thanks for letting me know about Sacrament Meeting on Christmas. I'm still not sure on when I'll call y'all but I'll figure that out for next week, okay? It'll probably be in the afternoon.

Thanks so much for everything! I've ran out of time so I'll talk to y'all next week.

Have a wonderful week! I love you so, so, so much!

Love, love, love, Elder Atkin

Elder Jensen and Elder Atkin

December 8, 2011

Dearest Family,

 

This is your long lost son emailing from Oklahoma. Remember me?? Haha jk :) Oh man, I don't even know where to start! Hopefully I can fill you in on everything that's in my mind right now. But, as always, I'm okay Mom. In fact, I'm absolutely excellent! I always need to address that question first.

 

So yeah, I got transferred. Holy moley. I packed up all of my stuff Wednesday night, and within 24 hours I had arrived in Owasso Oklahoma, met my new companion, and moved into the Stapley's home. What fun!! It was quite the whirlwind of events, but I couldn't be happier right now because of where I am. Owasso is right next to Tulsa (Elm Creek is the name of the ward haha) and it's got that city feel. There's a little bit of country side, but it's mostly suburbs and busy streets. I love it! There's an older part of town, but the part we live in is actually pretty nice. Compared to Springdale, Owasso seems super wealthy. And if you remember anything from my marching band years, Owasso High School was a huge marching band school. We pass by the school all the time, and the football stadium is just MASSIVE. It looks like a college stadium. But I hear that it's that big for the marching band, even though football is big around here. Cool stuff!

 

Like I mentioned, we live with some members here. I love them so much! It's only been a few days, but I already feel at home with the Stapleys. I'm pretty sure you and Sis. Stapley would be best friends, Mom. She is WAY into decorating and being cutesy and stuff like that. It reminds me of you so much! And Bro. Stapley and Dad would get along too. His dry humor is seriously the funniest thing I've ever witnessed. Oh man, what a good time :) We live upstairs in a nice big room with big beds and a big bathroom with 2 sinks. Boy am I getting spoiled. I'm already super sad to hear that we might be moving in with some different members before Christmas. Noooo!! Oh well, I can't complain.

 

All the members here are really cool. Church was awesome yesterday. There are about as many people on the ward roster as Springdale, but more of them are active, so the chapel was pretty full. I already love a few of the families already. We ate dinner with the Sadweeks last night, and all their kids were there with their kids. It felt like a family reunion. We ate Hawaiian Haystacks (chicken sundays) and I was seriously one happy camper. I'm sure you understand, family :) They were so nice to me and I felt like part of the family.

 

Now it's time to talk to you about Elder Jensen. Elder Jensen.... (pause) OOOOOOHHHHHHH YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH. What a man. What. A. MAN. He's seriously my favoritest already! When we first met at the transfer point in Tulsa, we clicked right away. Elder Jensen is from Ammon, Idaho (near Idaho Falls) and he went to school at BYU-Idaho. He loves sports (we talked forever about our favorite teams), he loves girls (don't worry, we're trying to not talk about that too much), and he loves music. Sounds like me right? We get along so well, and we have similar goals. His trainer was a lot like mine (trunkiness, laziness, etc.) and so we're both ready to tear it up. We've already done some tracting together and walked a bajillion miles in the rain on Saturday, so we've bonded big time. Sure, the tracting was unsuccessful, but it was a lot of fun and we met some funky people. The area has been tracted hard core in the past, so we're now brainstorming new ideas for finding. Got any cool ideas of attracting people to the gospel? We're thinking of setting up a hot chocolate stand. It's been quite chilly around here, ya know... But oh man, I love Elder Jensen so much already. He's super nice and he has an awesome family back home. I don't even feel like his senior companion, because we've agreed that we're both going to be equal and keep each other accountable. The area is in need of some awesomely obedient elders, and so we've set the bar high. The Lord will bless us and this area.

 

I'm already out of time! I only get an hour here at the Library in Owasso. I love you so much and I look forward to telling you more about the work and such when I meet more people. There's so much to do! Love you so much!

 

Love, Elder Atkin

 

P.S. my address is:

13128 E. 80th St. N.

Owasso, OK 74055

 

P.P.S. My favorite Christmas treat is cookies. Snickerdoodles. And frosted sugar cookies. Oh boy! And no, we don't get the New Era. I would love it though...

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

October 31, 2011

Dear family,

It's good to hear from you! And I'm glad you enjoyed my letters :) I just try to send you what I can whenever I have the time. Remember this: I love ya!

Another week, another preparation day! Boy, sometimes it seems like years until the next preparation day, and other times it seems like a snap of the fingers. This week it was both. It didn't seem like I emailed you that long ago, and yet this week seemed to drag on forever.

First of all, you have to know that our investigator pool has been dropping like crazy lately. I haven't mentioned too many investigators the past few weeks because there really are none left. It's very disappointing to see people just not care anymore. As Elder Capitan came in, a bunch of our investigators were dropping off because of no interest, lack of keeping commitments, etc. It's actually quite the sad deal :( To make a long story short, I've been doing well, and I'm still happy, but the lack of investigators has really been weighing down on me and making me a little depressed. It's kinda tuff when you don't have any set appointments!

So we've been hitting the pavement. Big time. This past week we went through a whole list of potentials and a bunch of former investigators from a couple of years ago. This, combined with barely any miles left on our vehicle (which we share with the other elders) means that we had to put in the miles on our bikes. I've already gotten used to biking a lot (it was a full-bike when I first came here), but we rode ourselves into the ground. Man, my legs are so sore! But I'll survive. At least I feel like I've accomplished something this week...

It's tough to deal with rejection. Boy do I hate rejection. People in Springdale, AR just don't care! Maybe we're going to all the wrong houses... This coming week we're planning on tracting our guts out, and so I'm not too excited. It seems like I'm getting to the point on my mission where I'm no longer the little guy who barely knows anything. I have a big responsibility and a lot is expected of me. No more tagging along with Mr. Senior Companiero. I just feel kinda trapped and it's frustrating sometimes. Missions are hard! Why didn't anyone tell me this before??? haha jk, I knew it would be hard :) It's just all hitting me at once, you know? It's not a little summer camp. It's the real deal. 20% of a decade. 2 years sure seems like a long time... I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining all the time. I'm just learning a lot, and real fast at that. To be quite honest, I'm really out of my comfort zone. Heavenly Father is sure whippin' me into shape for something.

But don't worry. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. And that is preparation day :) Your letters and emails keep me sane. And hearing about April just makes me giddy! Thank you so much for sending me her email! I can't wait until she emails/mails me herself. I can't believe that she's already out in the field, doing missionary work. There's two of us! Two Atkins, "stopping the world" as my MTC president would say. I'm sure she's loving it so much already. I'm glad you had a good cry after you talked to her. Phone calls from your missionaries must've been precious moments.

Man, I haven't really had much to say lately. Like I said, there aren't really any investigators to talk about. We have a few potentials that we set return appointments with, so I'll update you next week. Betty's family looked so promising, but we just can't get a hold of them anymore. What did I do wrong?? I know it wasn't all my fault, but Satan's really good at making me feel that way sometimes.

Okay, I'm done venting to y'all. Life's good in the OTM!!! :) And it sounds like life is good back home. I really wish I could hug you all right now. I miss you! I miss my friends a lot too. I wish I could've been to Stake Conference so I could've seen President Monson speak! That's a way cool story that he shared.

Mom, I'm so proud of you for being a missionary. I'm so overjoyed to hear that you were able to share your testimony with someone who wasn't a member, even if you didn't know it at the time. I like to imagine you or dad in my place. Mom and Dad, tracting in Springdale, Arkansas :) Thanks for the words of advice and comfort. It really does help A LOT. While there may be negative forces trying to attract my attention, the good forces always prevail and give me strength. I know you're all praying for me, and I know that I can always count on you for support.

The Lord is shaping me. Little by little he's making me into the missionary that I've dreamed of becoming. It hurts sometimes! But the outcome feels oh so good!

I love you and I know this gospel's true. I plan on being more intersesting in my letters in the future, but I hope you know that I have a solid witness. My testimony is unbreakeable. My will to serve the Lord is as sharp as a knife. Satan can't get me down, because I know this is true with all my heart.

It's time to hit the pavement. It's time to bring souls to Christ. It's my time!!! (epic music) Tell everyone hi for me! I'll talk to you more later.

Love, love, love,
Elder Atkin

P.S. Here's me in my biking legit-ness. Enjoy!

October 24, 2011

Yokwe family!

 

Wow what a week! It seems like forever since I last read your emails and responded. So much has happened this week, and so last Monday seems a month ago. It's been a week full of lots of changes, so hopefully I can fill you in. But just know that I am doing great and that I am happy.

 

Thursday was the big day. The day that seemed like it would never come finally came and went in a jiffy. We loaded up all of Elder Navratil and Elder Rodriguez stuff and drove up to Bentonville to the transfer point. In a matter of a few minutes Elder Navratil and I said goodbye and Elder Capitan was dropped off. No time for tears. No time for cheers. Just the way I like it :)

 

It was kind of awkward at first, because we didn't really know what to say, but we soon hit it off like old pals. Elder Capitan is so awesome! Just a little bit about him: Elder Christopher Capitan is from Aneth, Utah (near the Four Corners area) and has been out for 17 months. He's a veteran, but he isn't too trunky yet, so I'm not worried. He's full-blooded Navajo and he even speaks Navajo. How legit is that?!? His whole mission has been spent in back-woods small towns, so Springdale is his first city. He is a funny guy and so we're going to get along just fine. I'm sure there's more I could say about him, but overall he is a really cool guy who loves the work.

 

It's only been a few days, but our apartment has already bonded big-time. Elder Latrik also got a new companion named Elder Jones. President could not have made a better choice to replace Elder Rodriguez in the Marshallese branch. He's humble, full of love, and up to the hard task of fitting in with the Marshallese culture. What a man.

 

So yeah, I'm excited for this transfer. I'm officially not a greeny any more and the work can only progress from here. I'll miss Elder Navratil and Elder Rodriguez, but it was time for each of them to move on. I'm excited for both of them, but I'm also excited to not have to talk about them any more. Hooray!

 

Speaking of transfers... At the transfer point I met a couple missionaries who met April in the MTC. Elder Golder was in her district and had only the highest of praise for her. He seems like a really good guy, and I was so happy that he spent the time looking for me just so he could tell me about April. He also said that their whole district knew about me because apparently April said a lot about me. Oh boy... It was just really cool to meet someone who's seen my sister more recently than me. Man, I miss my family!

 

I'm so stoked for April to leave. Elder Golder said that she just can't wait to get out of the MTC, and he thinks that she'll do great in the field. He said that she was the most prepared missionary out of anyone there. Yep, that's my sis :) You'll have to tell me all about the conversation you have with her on the phone (if it happens). I'm sure she wants to talk to y'all so bad. I remember when I talked to you in the airport in Denver. I almost cried like a baby because it was so good to hear your voices. It's crazy how much a simple phone call meant to all of us. I can't wait until Christmas, then I can talk to you again. 2 months baby!

 

Frank is going to Armenia???!! HOLY CATS that is so fantastic!!! Tell him that I am so excited for him and that I'm so proud of him. Frank is going to touch many lives over there, I just know it.

 

That's so neat that Michael and Jennifer came up! I wish I could've been there to play with Sunny and the kids and have a good time. It sounds like you had a blast. Except for the dog poop part... Haha the back yard is a mine field :) You'll have to pet Sunny for me today, okay? Wow, they sure have a ginormous motor home! That must've taken up the whole driveway. Fun times, fun times.

 

That's cool that you're feeding the missionaries next week. Feed them well. I totally have a new understanding of what it's like to be fed by members. Missionaries need meals or else they starve. I also really like the breakfast idea. I've had breakfast a few times for dinner while I've been out and it's like the best thing ever! Man, that's making me hungry... Most the members out here include dessert, but it's not an essential part of the meal. Don't worry about it too much. I have to admit that I've gained a few pounds while I've been out, but my legs are sure getting strong. Imagine that - a pot belly and muscly biker legs haha. I'm going to start doing more sit-ups in the morning. Keep me accountable, okay?

 

AAAAHHH!! I just looked and I only have a couple minutes left! For some reason this short letter took forever to write. But don't worry, I'm planning on writing you all individual letters today just because I feel like I need to. Like I said, I'll try to do it every few weeks.

 

Thanks for all your prayers and support. It really means a lot to me :) I love you so much! I agree with you Mom - I do feel like I'm growing spiritually just a little bit each day.

 

Talk to y'all later!

 

Love, Elder Atkin

 

P.S. Thanks for sending pictures! I love it. Here's a picture of my own. It is Elder Capitan and I just chillin'. Enjoy!

October 17, 2011

Dear family,

I'm doing great, as always! You have to know that I'll say that I'm doing great pretty much every letter unless I had an absolutely horrible week - which hasn't happened yet. So I guess to be more realistic, I'm doing just average. But don't worry, that's a good thing :) I'm just truckin' along out here in the OTM and I'm still alive. I'm not sick anymore, so don't worry too much. But yes, I'm a happy missionary and I love life.

Before I forget, transfer calls were this past Saturday!! Any guesses?!? Any guesses??? Hmm???????? Haha jk :) I'm staying here in Springdale and my new companion's name is Elder Capitan. I don't know much about him, but from what I've heard he's a fun missionary with lots of experience, he's Indian, and he's from the Four Corners area. We'll see if that's all true this coming Thursday, but the one for sure thing is that Elder Navratil is going home. It was super funny when the Assistants called us because they told Elder Navratil that he's "being called home and you'll be junior companion to the woman of your choice." It was pretty funny. I'll tell you more about Elder Capitan and his awesomeness and diligence and un-trunkiness next week.

Anyways. Thanks for sending the Ensign! It's seriously one of the best Ensign's ever! Our apartment has one (it has to stay in the apartment), but it will be nice to have my own copy wherever I go. I love it when you send me stuff in the mail :)

I'm sure jealous of your little kabob get-together. Sounds fun! We get fed well out here, but I could always go for a kabob. And that's sweet that Daniel gave his farewell talk. I wish I could've been there. He's going to be a great missionary. Wish him luck for me!

Elise is engaged? To a redhead? Hahaha sweet :)

Wow, I'm really impressed with the cake, Mom. I really like it. But I wish I could've had some of the cake trimmings. It's little things like that that make me miss home...

As to answer your question, every Sunday we go to Gospel Principles for class, because that's where all the recent converts/investigators go. Sometimes we teach the class because Bro. Lieutard (the teacher) is gone for work a lot. The story of Paul is sure a great one. It must've taken a lot of courage to preach the gospel in such hostile environments. That makes the OTM sound like a cake walk. We use stories like his (as well as other apostles) to show people that people were converted to the gospel through awesome missionary work, but eventually the apostles were killed off, thus leading to the Great Apostasy. Interesting stuff. Mom, I'm proud of you for bearing your testimony. It just shows that sometimes it's hard to harbor the beast of a testimony you have :)

This week was stake conference for the Springdale stake. Elder Navratil and I sang in our ward choir, and so it was double legit. It was one of the better stake conferences I've been too, and the spirit was very strong the whole entire time. Man, the members here are so awesome! President Phillips (1st counselor in the stake presidency) gave a really great talk about missionary work and being examples to those around us. He brought up some of the stuff that's been said about our church lately. I really loved one of the analogies he shared, so I thought I'd share it with you:

Just imagine yourself walking into the forest. You're carrying a jar full of honey. You walk for a long time, until you are in the middle of the woods, and you place the jar on the ground. Then you walk away. Now imagine yourself walking back the next day and finding the jar again. It's honey is all gone and you notice that the jar is even tipped over. Whoever ate the honey must've really liked it and gotten quite a good share. Maybe there were multiple partakers of honey.

We can relate this jar of honey to ourselves and even more specifically - members of the church. We've got the honey. And people wonder about our honey. It's a very peculiar honey, and a very special honey. Some people can say bad things about our honey, but others take a taste due to curiosity. Some even taste it when we aren't looking. Are our jars full? Full enough that if you tip it just the slightest bit, honey drips over the edge? (I laughed at that one. He was VERY descriptive and just overall hilarious) We need to have our jars full, because we never know who's watching. And yes, there are many watching. Some are watching our every move. For others, we are "the only Book of Mormon they've ever read", or the only honey they've tasted. Keep your jars full, place them out in the open, and let people have a taste. Remember, we have the honey :)

We weren't able to get any investigators to stake conference, but at least we got Nichole to bring Kevin. As I've mentioned in the past, Kevin has slowly but surely been coming back to church. Yesterday was his first Sunday back at church, and I could tell that he absolutely loved it. He even got emotional sometimes. Either way it was a perfect stake conference for someone like him. They're totally going to get sealed in the temple! We've been making plans with them to make a "map to the temple." They're thinking about a date next year when they can go, and the map is to help them achieve that goal. I'm so excited, and the ward is too. There are quite a few less-actives out here, but when we get a couple like Nichole and Kevin, the ward gets excited.

We tried to get Betty and her family to stake conference, but they weren't able to make it. It's starting to look like they weren't as golden as we originally thought, but our hopes are still high. She had to cancel our appointment yesterday afternoon, but she mentioned that she has a lot of questions after watching the Restoration DVD again with her kids. She's still very interested and very intrigued. We'll see what happens.

On Saturday I got my first flat tire. Hooray! I hit a curb too hard and it slowly went flat. It took us a while to get back home, but I was able to repair the tire when I woke up this morning.

I love you so much! Thanks for all you do and for your prayers. 

Talk to you soon.

Love, Elder Atkin

October 10, 2011

Dear family,

It's Monday... again!! This morning I kept on chanting, "email email email." I'm pretty sure I was bugging the other elders, but I just couldn't contain my excitement. Email email email email email email email

It's been another great week. Not too many crazy experiences, so I'm sorry if this letter is a little short. I'll try to make it exciting and include some cool pictures. Either way, I'm doing fantastic! I've gotten sick the past couple of days with a sore throat and enough phlegm to fill our apartment, but I'm doing alright. I just feel really tired all the time, so it's kinda hard to bike, but at least Elder Navratil isn't too bent on working hard haha :)

I'm definitely becoming more comfortable each week when it comes to teaching. Each year the church is coming out with better material for missionaries, so I've been trained really well. Elder Navratil has a trainer checklist that we go over in companionship study and we're getting close to getting done with it. Pretty soon I won't be a greeny anymore! Haha I'm pretty sure I said that last transfer, but it will be legit this time. Transfer calls are coming up this Saturday, and so the week after that is when the new missionaries arrive and the old missionaries leave. Which reminds me of something awesome! Elder Navratil's parents are picking him up from the mission home and they'll be driving all the way back to Canada. They're going to stop in Kansas City/Independence to look at church history sites and the new temple, and so they'll probably go to the visitor's center. I'm not quite sure if April's going straight to the visitor's center, but wouldn't that be sweet if he saw her there?! On like her second day on the job???!! We just thought it would be so funny if he saw a Sister Atkin, walked up to her, and said, "I'm your brother's daddy." Haha we had a good laugh about that one :)

We were able to meet with Betty and her family last night. We met with Betty a week ago and she loved what we shared about prophets and revelation. She wanted her whole family to sit down and listen, and so we brought over the Spanish Elders to translate for her husband, Jose. We're still deciding on whether we'll hand them off to the Spanish Elders or keep them ourselves because Jose doesn't speak very much English, but the kids don't really know Spanish. Hmm... But anyways, the lesson went really well. We watched the Restoration DVD (which gives me chills EVERY time, by the way), and talked about why the Book of Mormon is important. The kids actually paid attention, and I could tell that Betty totally felt the Spirit. She even said that she felt "warm" while watching the video, but she doesn't know if that was the Spirit. Jose was a little skeptical, but I think he liked what we shared. We plan on meeting with them again next Sunday, and so hopefully they'll start reading the Book of Mormon as a family. Man, I have high hopes for Betty and her family!

Yesterday was a really great Sunday. Our ward decided to hold Fast Sunday the week after Conference. The combination of being sick and fasting really made me weak, so that might not have been the best idea. But I really felt humbled and I was able to have the Spirit with me all day long. I was so eager to share what I felt about Conference that I just had to get up and bear my testimony. I kinda got a little emotional, but it was legit. Elder Navratil got up after me and immediately said, "Well, not to be outdone by my companion..." Haha what a guy :) He thanked the ward for their kindness and made sure to make it known he was leaving. It's funny because we've had a hard time filling up our dinner calendar this month, but after church we were able to fill it up until Elder Navratil leaves. Now that's the way to get a ward to feed you: tell them you're leaving.

I'm so stoked to get the Conference Ensign next month! Each companionship get's the Ensign every month, and so you don't have to worry about sending me one. I just didn't know we got them each month because the mission office has been shirking the past couple months with our supplies. Hopefully that changes.

That's so sweet that you were able to make it to Melissa's farewell. I'm so excited for her! Haha it's okay to tell me about "America's Got Talent". Man, I wish I could've seen it! I remember that I totally loved that guy. I'm glad he won. And I totally hope that Vocal Point wins. They are really good.

The story about the pastor from Dallas just breaks my heart. I just don't understand how somebody could feel that way about our church. So many people claim that we believe in "a different Jesus" and that we are a cult. To be quite honest, it bugs the dickens out of me. I don't believe in a "Mormon Jesus." I believe in THE Jesus Christ who perfomed miracles and died on the cross at Calvary. Satan is really good at using that as a tool to make missionaries like me angry. But I just have to always remember that God loves everyone more than I can comprehend, even if they are a knucklehead who believes anything they hear over the pulpit at their local church. But when a well-known pastor decides to spew off like that... I totally agree with you when you say that they're just digging themselves into a hole. Betty is a prime example of someone who hates hearing about other churches from a pastor, and just loves The Word. Of course there are people who will take the side of the pastor, but there are quite a few people that hate hearing negativity about other churches and will drift away from him.

I love the Church's response to the whole fiasco. Yay for us!! But like I've said many times to my companion, I really don't think that the true church on the Earth today would have leaders proclaiming crazy things like that. Can you really imagine Pres. Monson saying something like, "Jehovah's Witnesses are so far from the truth that we shouldn't associate with any of them. They have achieved cult status, and should be shunned." Uh, yeah, right. And the funny thing is, Webster dictionaries simply define cults as: "a system of religious beliefs and ritual." Well, according to good ol' Webster, all churches are cults. So Mr. Pastor, is Webster wrong? Are you not part of a cult yourself? Do you even know what a cult is?? The hole will only get deeper, and he will fail. God's work will only keep getting stronger.

It makes me sad too, Mom. While the church is exponentially growing, so will it's enemies. It's a sign of the times. But in all seriousness, if one hasn't read every single page of the Book of Mormon and sincerely prayed to know if it's true, they can not claim that it's not true, or that we all belong to a cult. God has promised that he will reveal the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon to any true seeker. Now that is pure religion - going to the source of all truth.

Anyways. Sorry if I sounded like I was preachin' :) I just love our church and am becoming more defensive of it. Conference sure helped with that, and hopefully it doesn't become a negative thing or a weakness of mine. I just know it's true, that's all!

Thanks for emailing me and tell everyone hi. I love my family so much! I sent April a letter last week so hopefully she responds. It's sounds like she's doing well and loving it so much. Thanks for your testimony and your prayers!

I also know that the Savior lives. I know that this is His gospel, and that "no unhallowed hand can stop the work." The priesthood authority to act in sacred ordinances and covenants is very real, and it is on the Earth today. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. And the only way I know these things are true are through The Comforter himself.

Talk to you later!

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Thanks for the pictures! Here's some pictures of companion study in action. Yeah, pretty intense, huh? I'm totally rebuking Elder Navratil in the 3rd picture haha. Enjoy!

October 3, 2011

Dearest Family,

Hola! Estoy bueno! (I don't know why I speak Spanish sometimes. It's legit) Holy cow have I really been out for 1/8th of my mission? That sounds like a lot at first, but when I think about 21 more months it still looks really long. But hey, that's a good thing! More nations baptized!

Oh. My. Fruitcakes. General Conference was simply incredible. I ate up every minute of it. Elder Navratil and I have been looking forward to it ever since we became companions, and so it was truly epic. As a missionary, we really only have a few things to look forward to: General Conference, calling home twice a year, Zone conference... The rest - such as baptisms, spiritual experiences, etc. - just come when they come. So you have to know that I was probably more excited for this conference than any other conference in my life. I seriously sat on the edge of my seat the whole entire time, took notes like a madman, cried during almost every talk, and laughed too hard at every joke. It seriously was so amazing! I felt so happy during Conference that I wish it could've lasted forever. It meant so much to me that I wanted to grab every person on the streets outside the church and have them come in and witness for themselves a true prophet of God. I guess I could almost say that I was carried away by the spirit. Man, the church is true.

Last night Elder Navratil and I were sitting around before bedtime. I was sitting at my desk just pondering. I suddenly became very sad. Conference was over! I literally felt so empty. I realized that this was probably my favorite General Conference so far in my lifetime. They talked about missionaries and the Book of Mormon and all sorts of stuff a missionary would love. It was just what I needed to hear. None of our investigators showed up so I was kinda sad, but hopefully we can still get them to church. And I totally agree with you mom, when I was watching conference I could imagine everyone in our family watching it at the same time. It made me feel like I was close to you, even if it seemed so very brief. Conference is the perfect event to make a missionary homesick, but it's also the perfect event to build a missionary up. I also loved Sis. Dalton's talk on Fathers. I'm such a bawl baby :)

I loved Elder Scott's talk on scripture study. I loved it when he talked about memorizing scriptures and how they become old friends. I realized that I love my scriptures so much. They are truly dear to me. If I were to lose them somehow, it seems like I would just fall to pieces. So many marked scriptures and so much personal revelation make them so special. Of course, i could always get a new set, but there's nothing like well broken-in Sticks.

I also loved Elder Callister's talk on the Book of Mormon. Man, if only every BOM doubter could've seen it! Nobody can truly say the Book of Mormon isn't true until they've READ EVERY PAGE. Dave can't claim that. Many anti-Mormon's can't claim that. God will reveal the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon to any and every sincere reader, wherever and whoever they may be, if they it and truly pray about it. It doesn't replace the Bible, but it only goes hand-in-hand with it so there is no mistake that Jesus is the Christ, that this is His true church, and that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God.

I know that we'll get a copy of the Ensign when it comes out, but I kinda want my own copy if you could possibly do that. I want to mark it up and use it as a tool. I seriously covet one right now haha! And yes, you can send me a copy of the Oct. Ensign. I would truly appreciate it.

Well, hopefully you can see that I was edified by Conference. Because of Conference, Interviews with President Merkley on Thursday (awesome! I love President Merkley), and lots of service (mowing lawns), we weren't able to do too much missionary work this week. We did have an awesome lesson with Betty (the lady who cut my hair) and picked her up as an investigator. She is so excited about what we share that she is going to have her whole family sit down and listen to us next time. MONEY IN DA BANK. Haha I'm super stoked :)

That's so great to hear about April! I look forward to someday meeting some of the Elders in her district. I'm sure I'll see one of them. A tripanionship? Holy cats. I hope she likes it.... I sent April a short email telling her that I love her and that she needs to watch out for the flirtacious elders in the MTC. Trust me, I know how it is. Sheesh.

Oh and one other thing: I read the whole William Atkin journal and thought it was amazing! I love our family history! Personal study time is now my favorite time. There is also another elder in our zone who has Atkin ancestors from St. George and Hurricane. We couldn't make an immediate connection, but we'll find out more in the future. I'm sure we're distant cousins.

I love you so much! I'm out of time, but thanks again for emailing me. Thanks for the pictures and thanks for everything. Talk to you soon.

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. This is what happens when you have a lot of time on preparation day. Enjoy!

September 26, 2011

Dear Family,

Today is a wonderful preparation day.

It's great to hear about April's talk from both you and Rachel. It must've been soooo good!! And thank you for the pictures. Just so you know, I LOVE pictures. Most of the pictures you've emailed me I've saved on my card and then printed out at Walmart. I now have 3 more to add to the collection :) Oh man I wish I wish I wisssssssshhhhhhh I could've been there for April's farewell talk!!! Is there any way you could send me a copy of it, or maybe a summary of it, or anything? I just really feel like I missed out... You see, every time I tell somebody that I have a sister going on a mission it reminds me that I won't be able to see both her farewell and her homecoming talks. Bummer! I'm sure she spoke wonderfully about the Restoration.

I can't help but get a little teary-eyed when you talk about Floyd Israelsen. What a giant of a man. I feel the same way as you in the sense that I feel that he touched my life individually also. He always shook my hand at church and he always asked how I was doing in such a sincere way. If only I could become like him someday. Whenever we're riding bikes I like to think that I'm bikin' all over the Ozarks just like Floyd did. I probably would've bawled my eyes out if I had been at the funeral. But wow, it sounds like y'all have had quite the emotionally and physically draining week.

My week was actually pretty slow. Elder Navratil's been sick most of the week and so we didn't get too much done. We've also been suffering from a baptism hangover. Nichole's baptism was so epic that it's actually a little hard to be motivated to find more investigators.

On Wednesday we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It was pretty awesome because it was my first exchange where I stayed here and made all the plans myself. I was kinda nervous because I'm still getting the hang of things, but it went well. Elder Gordon was the Zone Leader that came here, and we really worked hard. We biked about 20 miles and visited a good mix of investigators and less-actives. I'm pretty sure Elder Gordon was impressed with my work ethic. I'm totally going to be the next assistant. Haha jk :)

That night (with Elder Gordon) we met up with a potential named Entimo. Entimo is a senior in high school that was first found by Elder Gordon himself a few weeks ago. He referred Entimo to us because he was in our area, but we weren't able to get a hold of him until Elder Gordon came here. Totally meant to be! We began by just asking him what his beliefs were and such. Man, he's such a great guy! Entimo expressed his feelings about how he had heard we had apostles and prophets, and how he didn't know why churches didn't have that organization today. You can only imagine how eager Elder Gordon and I were :) So we talked about Christ's original church and how Joseph Smith restored that same organization. Entimo was totally eating it up and kept on saying, "I like this, you're totally answering all the questions I have in my mind." It was so cool! The only disappointing thing was that he was a tiny bit wary of the Book of Mormon. He didn't accept a copy and he told us he'd think about what we said. We're going to see him this Wednesday, so hopefully he'll agree to start reading and praying. Cross your fingers! This guy could be golden!

Well, I'm looking forward to a week with the car. This will probably sound bad, but I think that sometimes we get a lot more done when we have the car. But I truly am excited to shake off some dust and get things rolling. We have a few people we're going to visit this week that have a lot of potential, so things are looking up. Thanks for emailing me! I'm loving life and I'm excited for the work. Good luck, April! I love you! And I love all of you :) I look forward to hearing from you again.

Thanks for updating the blog! I really appreciate it.  Hmmm... how is Reggie doing? I'm super excited for Frank to get his call! Please tell me where he's going when the time comes, okay?

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Frank is totally going to..................................... The Japan Saporro mission or the OTM :)

September 19, 2011

Dearest family,

Hello! Sorry to email you 3 hours later than I normally do, but that's just how it's going to be today. Our zone had a super fun zone outing at the Renfroe's house today and last night (Bro. Renfroe is in the mission presidency and he lives in Fayetteville). We just barely got done and we decided to go straight to the library on our way back to Springdale. So yeah, here I am emailing :)

Today is one of those lazy days that seem to just last forever and make me very sleepy. It's sunny outside with a few clouds rolling by, and the temperature is in the 70's or 80's. It definitely is starting to feel like autumn around here. The past few days it has rained like crazy and so everything is so green and fresh. It makes it very humid, but I like the humidity when it is cooler. It is absolutely beautiful out here! I'm starting to love the many trees and the sprawling Ozark landscape more and more each day. And the thunderstorms lately have been AWESOME. Torrential downpours and lightning igniting the sky = epicness. But enough about nature... I'm just feeling very nostalgic and pensive today.

I don't have too much to tell you about, but that's alright. Maybe I can write a good letter to Pres. Merkley for once haha :) Thanks so much for the cookies Mom!! You were right- I was very surprised to get a package, and so great was my joy when I saw the still-fresh cookies inside. The other Elders were VERY jealous when they saw me bite into a few soft cookies. Thank you thank you thank you! Oh and your letter to me with the Colbert Report... hahahaha you know me too well, Mom! I totally read it out loud in a news reporter voice to the other Elders before I even read where you told me to. Hilarious! Oh boy, I hope y'all know how much I appreciate getting mail from you. I seriously can't explain how happy it makes me to see letters in the mail from each of you. I love you (all of you)!!!

Mom, I'm sure you'll do great on your talk. Don't worry about it too much, just speak from your heart. I'm not any expert on missionary work, but thanks for asking me for advice. The best way I can think of you presenting a talk on temples to non-members is just the way a missionary like me in the OTM would teach it. Invite the spirit with a prayer (that shouldn't be too weird), teach the basics of what goes on inside, and spend a large majority just bearing testimony of the importance of the temple and of your feelings of the temple. I haven't taught too many lessons on the temple yet, but I find that it is very effective when I look an investigator in the eye and tell them how I feel about the temple from the depths of my heart. Just last week before her baptism, we taught Nichole about the temple. We watched the video "Between Heaven and Earth" (you might use that) and explained what she could look forward to. Elder Navratil and I both bore our testimonies of the temple. I just told her how I felt when I walked into the Celestial Room and saw my parents and grandparents sitting and waiting for me. When investigators realize that the temple isn't some crazy ritual palace, and that it's mostly just a place for us to feel closer to Heavenly Father, it's really helpful. Anyways, I know you'll do great :) I'm very jealous that you could go do sealings with April. I feel like a kid all over again - dreaming of going to the temple someday!

I wish I could've seen the primary program! Haha I looooooooove primary programs. Aren't little kids just so adorable?! You can only imagine how fun it is that I've been able to go to primary the past couple Sundays and talk about missionary work to the little kids. I have to be all animated and loud so they'll pay attention, so it's pretty hilarious :) I'm actually going to be singing in a ward men's choir sorta thingy in a couple weeks. We practiced yesterday after church and we actually sounded pretty good for only 7 guys! I thought it would be a disaster. I had to volunteer Elder Navratil and I so there would be enough singers. He wasn't to happy.... tee hee

Oooh I almost forgot! (not really, I was just saving it for last) Nichole's baptism was amazing! I'll have to apologize right now because I forgot my camera, but just know I'll send a couple pics next week. Nichole has been having a lot of back pain lately, and so she came with a cane. But when it came time for Elder Navratil to baptize her, she went right into the water and came right out with the happiest look on her face. The program was very sweet and I know that each of the few people that showed up felt the spirit, including her husband. We're confident that he'll eventually come back to church. It was truly a perfect day :) I was just so happy for Nichole! On Sunday she was confirmed by Bro. Hornberger (the ward mission leader). She looked so happy :) I don't really know what else to say because it was just so perfect!!

I'm going to miss having an investigator like Nichole. You can't really plan on having a "golden investigator", but we try to approach each lesson like they are golden. Besides Nichole's baptism, we actually had kind of a rough week. Caroline is more confused than ever. She likes meeting with us because she's searching for the truth, but that also means she has a lot of other influences. Lately she's been attending something called "Science of the Mind", which teaches a bunch of junk - the kind of stuff Caroline thrives on. It's getting to the point where she doesn't believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, as well as other things. I could spend forever talking about all of the other stuff that she believes, but it just makes me really sad. Her husband doesn't really want her to meet with us anymore, and so we just had to leave our last visit with encouragment to read, study, and pray about the BOM. I basically begged her to at least believe that Jesus Christ is her Savior. Man.....

But I'm happy :) I'm doing great! I love attending church and being edified by the members and missionaries around me, and I love the gospel. I love my mother's cookies, I love the rain, my name is Willie Atkin, and I'm a Mormon. Haha jk :)

I'm sure I have much more to say, but I'm out of time. But I'm not too worried because I have a plan, and a few more hours of prep time. Y'all can be expectin' some letters in the mail this week. Hooray! I love you so much!

Love,

Elder Atkin

P.S. I found my nametag!