June 22, 2008

Poor Elder S. got punched in the nose!

Just kidding.

It's just a nose bleed... but a bad one at that!
Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks...Isn't he so cute-- no matter what?!

Josh is doing great and working hard.
It's getting really hot in Sacramento and he tracts many miles.
We are so proud of him.

Thank you Sister Larson for the pictures!
(More exciting news to come soon!)

May 28, 2008

We taught 14 lessons last week. It was pretty awesome and we have a lot of cool investigators. We have an investigator getting married on May 30th and then the next week she is getting baptized along with her sister.
We tracted into this really sweet family last week. We taught them 3 lessons in just one week! They have a lot of questions, but we are praying that it will all go well. They make us great desserts whenever we go over.
We have some really good cooks in our teaching pool. Speaking of food.... today we were grocery shopping and this man came up to us and started talking. He is from San Jose and his son is in the same mission as my friend Tanner. He then just paid for our groceries! It was so sweet! My dad did that for missionaries once... you will never realize how much that means to us.
I saw Elder B. at zone conference. He is now a zone leader in Stockton. It was great to get the chance to hang out with him again.
Our zone has a goal to baptize 14 and we are well on our way. We could baptize 8 just here in Tracy. So awesome... We are truly being blessed. There has never been so much activity in Tracy and I am so excited to be a part of it!

Love,
Elder S.

Determination

Last year at this time, Josh and his track teammates were setting state records in the 1600 Medley at the state track competition. Josh was very passionate about running track and was able to do it with some of his best friends. You can see the determination in Josh's face in these photos.
It's the same determination that Elder S. is using throughout his mission to be successful. The pictures are more powerful than I can put in to words....

Josh has a great appreciation for the beautiful areas he has served in around Sacramento. He sent these pictures so that we can see the beauty as well. Josh always ends his letters with, "there is no other place I'd rather be." He truly loves his mission, the people and Sacramento!

One Year Ago...

....Josh was at his high school graduation and looking forward to receiving his mission call just a couple weeks later. He headed to the MTC in August of 2007. Josh loved high school and was a friend to everyone. He excelled at anything he set his heart on-- just like his mission. He loves his mission and all of the people he has met and had the opportunity to teach.

The mission call

Josh was very excited to get his mission call to Sacramento. He knew he was going to a great place with wonderful people. Here he is with the map... all the way to beautiful Sacramento!

May 9, 2008

I have received a couple letters from Josh this week and am excited to post some current news with you. So look for an update really soon!

In the meantime, enjoy these awesome pictures of Josh from one year ago this month. :) We love you Elder S. and are so proud of the decision you made to serve a mission!

April 7, 2008

I am in Tracy now. I miss Elk Grove, but am excited for a new experience. It is a lot cooler here so that has been really nice, but it's really windy!
One of my first days here we were picked up by a lady named Charlotte. She's so sweet and she is set to be baptized April 26th. She came to conference on Sunday and really enjoyed it. Her daughter joined the church about 3 or 4 years ago and is an active member. So that has been a really good influence. Charlotte has about 13 cats. haha. She's so funny. One is about 20 years old and the other one is 19. Can you believe she has cats older than me?
I would have to say about 40% of the people here speak Spanish. At times it is frustrating, but at least my Spanish is improving. That's always a good thing.
I will be sending pictures soon. I'm excited for the transfer, but I miss Elk Grove so much. I love the people there, just like I am sure I will love the people here. As I get settled, I will write more.

Love,
Elder S.

Looking Back

Josh has been recently transferred and doing great. While he is adjusting to a new companion and area, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane when there is not much else to update you on...

Isn't Josh the cutest little boy? We like to call him "a big, handsome kid."

The Most Recent Baptism

Elder S. & Preston

March 10, 2008

The work is going so well right now. I have an awesome comp named Elder B. He is from Spring City, Utah.... I have no idea where that is. March is going to be a busy month for us, it seems there may be a baptism once a weekend as of right now. It is honestly amazing what you can do when you put EVERYTHING you have not only into your mission, but into the Lord. He will make everything possible, and we have been really trying to do that and have been blessed for it.

One of our investigators, Preston, was a member of a gang. Well we are teaching the lady that he lives with, and he showed up to the lesson and ended up crying and loved it. He has been to church twice, and has an interview to be baptized. I really can't wait. He has been such a blessing for me to work him. His Mom doesn't even have a bed. Working with these people makes me realize how blessed I have been.

I hope all of you are doing well. Work hard, the only way to true happiness is the harder you work...I know each of you will be blessed.

Love,
Elder S.

March 3, 2008

This will be short because I haven't been feeling very well at all. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and the blessings that come with it.

I'm really excited to share my mission with my friends and family. I think the blog is a great idea and I think it will be a great way for my family and friends to keep up with me.

I love Sac-Town. There is no other place I'd rather be.

Love,
Elder S.

February 25, 2008

The work here is going extremely well. One thing I have noticed is the harder I work the happier I am. The happier I am, the more I baptize. I have really tried to put that into my mission, because it's totally true.
I am still serving in Elk Grove with another companion, Elder B. He is from Spring City, Utah (wherever that is?).
We are having a lot of success. Not to say there are not some hard, frustrating moments, but for the most part things have been great. That's totally how the mission is-- it can be a roller coaster, but there isn't a part that doesn't end up being rewarding.
Preston is getting baptized on March 8th. I am doing that baptism and it is exactly my 7th month mark as well. He is such a stud. We teach him every single day and after each time he ask us, "are we doing this again tomorrow?" He's on fire! I love it. He has just been through so much in his life. It's hard for me to even imagine. Our trials we face (at least mine) are so small and insignificant in comparison. I am so grateful that I'm able to work with him. As of right now, we are trying to find him a bed because he sleeps on the floor.
Judy is doing okay. The smoking is really taking a toll on her and it's hard and sad to see. We love her so much. She comes to church and loves it! She loves the Relief Society and our ward has really been great to her. I know she will progress and she will be so blessed for it.
I am doing good. The work is going great. We are keeping really busy. The rain has been coming down pretty bad! That sure hasn't stopped us! I seriously love it out here. It seems like every day I learn something new-- not only in my mission life, but also in life in general. I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful for my parents, sisters and Abby that love and support me and so many friends and family as well.
We get a new mission president in 2 1/2 transfers. It's going to be so hard to see him go.

Love,
Elder S.

February 18, 2008

Our zone got a lot of new missionaries. So it has been pretty tight. A lot of cool ones. Our zone is doing really well right now. We baptized 15 last transfer and right now we have 11 going into the next transfer. Me and my comp have 3 right now... but the work is still tough. The Lord is just really blessing us.
Brandon M. got baptized on Saturday. It was so so so good. I was so happy for him. We were able to bring two of our investigators there. Judy W. and also Preston. When we were there Preston was very impressed with it. So we pointed out the Spirit to him and we gave him a baptism date of March 2nd. When I was first talking to him I gave him a date of March 8th and he looked at me and said, "is there any possible way I can do it sooner than that?" haha I could not believe it. So of course we said yes!
So a lot has been going on... even though today is p-day we still have a ton of stuff we have to do. But that's the mission life and I LOVE IT!!!!
So the work is for sure going really well right now. I have a new comp, his name is Elder B.

Love,
Elder Squashy

February 4, 2008

Happy 6 month mark! Can you believe it? I can't. It's hard to think about! Anyway....
This has been a very exciting week.
Saturday night was supposed to be the baptism of Tom R. I am inside the church filling up the font when he called us and told us that his parents were not going to let him go through with it. It turns out he didn't really tell his parents everything so he didn't get baptized. I can't even tell you how bad that day was. I guess in a way it was good for me cause it reminded me how hard missions really are and that there are always trials.
But on Sunday the Lord just totally blessed us. We had so many miracles. We had 8 investigators come to church. It was so amazing. We had our investigator from Afghanistan come. He comes to church, so I guess it's alright. Then we had a member bring this lady named Judy W. She is way awesome. We are going to teach her on Tuesday. So I'll let you know how that goes!
There is only one more week left in this transfer. It's so crazy the time seems to go by faster each transfer. As of right now, I think I'll be getting transferred, but either way works fine. We have a lot of great people we are working with in Elk Grove, but I would also love the experience somewhere new. So either way I guess.
The weather is starting to heat up a lot. But those days it rains are so hard.
That's really all the news for me. Things are going great!

Love,
Elder Squashy

January 28, 2007

My mission has just been everything I hoped for and more. What a learning experience it has been. Each day I learn something new. I seem to always be able to work on my weaknesses and enhance my strengths. It's been so awesome.
I love being able to work with people and see their lives change with the gospel. It's fun going out and meeting new people too.
The missionaries here are really cool too. My comp is a stud.

Love,
Elder Squashy

January 21, 2008

Things are going very well here. Elk Grove is on fire. We are teaching a ton and having a lot of great success as well. We have a baptism set for the 26th. His name is Tom R. He is so awesome and I have loved being able to work with him. I will actually be the one doing the actual baptism. This is going to be my 1st time baptizing someone. But it should be awesome. I can not wait.
We had an amazing thing happen to us at church. This kid named Brandon M. came to church by himself and so after Sacrament instead of taking him to Sunday School we taught him the first lesson with Bro. C., the Spirit was so strong. We gave him a conditional baptism and he said yes!
Just a little things like that remind us missionaries that this truly is the Lord's work and we are the tools in his hands. And that he is preparing certain people for us to teach.
We have a lot of great people we are working with as well that are close to Baptism. We just got to keep workin' on them.
My comp is so fun. His name is Elder B. He is a really great guy and we have a lot of fun together-- that's for sure. We are having so much success as well. That's really all you can ask for.

Love,
Elder Squashy

January 7, 2008

This week has been so crazy! So here is a run down of whats going on. We have 5 investigators with baptism dates and 2 that are close. 2 of them are 11 and 12. Their dad is an active member but got into a divorce and that's kinda why they have not been baptized. So we have been teaching them the lessons and stuff.
Then we went tracting and we tracked into this part member family. These guys are golden. They went to an LDS funeral not too long ago and it touched him pretty powerfully. Just with the plan of salvation and stuff. So a lot of other stuff has been happening as well and they are getting baptized on January 27th. I'll make sure I send some pics if I remember. So we will be baptizing the dad and his daughter. This guy will do anything to be baptized too. He is getting work off for the church and everything.
Then we have this kid named T. He is a stud. He comes with his girlfriend and we taught him. He says he wants to be baptized so he is on January 19th. haha. I am loving it right now. I have a new comp, Elder B. He has been out about 11 months and the other two Elders moved out. So it's just us in the apartment. haha. It's pretty awesome and our apartment is massive.
So I'm sure you heard on the news but there were 70MPH winds in Sac. and like everything got destroyed. Tons of rain too. They said it was hurricane weather and Sac has been on a state of emergency. It was kinda scary. A lot of houses are messed up and everything! That was my 1st really big storm I have ever been in. It was really intense.

Love,
Elder Squashy

January 1, 2008

I had a really good Christmas and my New Year's was a blast too!
The other two Elders live in a very wealthy area and we went to their member's house and played "game show." They gave us a ton of money and gift cards to just about anywhere if you win. It's pretty amazing. So we did that till about 10 and then celebrated New Year's. whoo hoo!
This next transfer I will have a new comp. His name is Elder B. from Idaho Falls! So that should be really exciting. I will for sure be sending a lot of pics with this letter. Everything is going great and I am lovin' my mission right now. We have a ton of awesome people we are working with as well.
There has been a lot of changes in this zone to try and mix things up. So I am getting really excited for it! We'll see how things go. I get a new comp. I'll be running the area for a little while. I am very excited! Everything is going great!

Love,
Elder Squashy

December 25, 2007

We are now at a members house just hanging out! Our Christmas has been pretty well. This morning we spent it with an awesome family and of course we got to call home.
So it was pretty cool. I had a very good Christmas and I totally loved all of my gifts.
We then played soccer during the day and now i am dead tired. Now we are at another families house. Last night was a blast though, we went to a really cool member's house and hung out there. Then after that we went and played basketball for awhile.
When we leave here we are going to go shopping, so that's it! It has been a blast. I love it.

Love,
Elder Squashy