November 19, 2012

Last week Calvin wrote 6 lines. SIX LINES!! I didn't feel like it was worth an entire post for just SIX LINES! But I felt really awful for my friend in Texas; her son didn't write anything. Nothing. Zip. Nada. So, my young friends who are planning on going on a mission, please remember this: Missionaries know that mail is their lifeblood, but mail is just as important to your mother!! (and college students would do well to take note too) And no, I'm not proofreading these for spelling/grammar mistakes.

Here is Calvin's email from last week:

Momm,

Thank you for giving the missionaries dinner! Every time I walk out of a dinner appointment, feeling like im gonna pop, I think of you and say THanks momm!

Keep reaching out to others, especially new members! they need that support sooooooooo much! I think I have about 50 new facebook friends for you! [My companion] told quite a few people to friend his mom, so I thought why not?  anyways, I'm glad to hear all is ok at home.

This week we committed another person to baptism!!!! it was super cool, but all of our member present lessons have fallen through! We could have had 10, but only got 5. People are busy in these latter days! So, not much new has happened this week, and we dont have much time today, but know I love you, and MIGHT send some letters, but  idk.

LOVE youo alll lots!!!!!!!!!

Calvin

Okay, so it looks like more lines here on the blog, but trust me it was only six lines in the email! I guess I should count my blessings that I got anything at all.

This week was MUCH better.

Hey momm!!!!! 

Great to hear that you have been doing well this week! Oh gosh, Sophie's picture. I'm going to prepare to break heads when she gets older! [I sent him a photo of Sophie in the sweater I knitted for her] Yes i am lucky to celebrate thanksgiving twice, although my waistline is telling me otherwise. This week we have a dinner appointment every night except one, and on that day we have a breakfast AND a lunch appointment. The breakfast appointment is with the new BIshop, and the lunch appointment is with [a family]. Anyways, other than that, not too too much has been going on. we are doing a lot of knocking because we continuously get stood up at our appointments, but its just because people are busy. the Lord always gives more miracles than letdowns. WAYY more! And no, I'm not homesick. There are plenty of amazing people here, so much so that I want to take home and superimpose it on this landscape, and see if all the empty spots are perfectly filled by home. Then save it and live there! But, i'll have a second home at Couer d'Alene. [did you know Calvin was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho?] Mercie Beaucoup pour tous vos prieres, et pour tous votre amour! Je veux que vous pouvez etre ici de voir tous les peuples qui habite ici, mais je ne peux pas. But!!!! I can come back as soon as I'm home!!! And i want to!!!! At least once a month!!!!!! PPPPPPBBBBBBBBRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

   Wow, now that I've been super childish, time to be more mature. Yeah, missionaries are often transfered at the last 6 weeks. [One of our missionaries here is being transferred for the last 6 weeks of his mission] Often they are also transferrred when they love their area a lot. I love my area A LOT. I'm freaking out a little, because I'm sure I'm getting transferred, but I love this area! oh well, it will happen in the lord's time. 

Well, LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

Calvin

5 November, 2012

Calvin has been on his mission for over 5 months now. He is in his 6th month! Wow! 1/4 of the way through! The time has flown by (for me, at least). We miss him a lot, and we pray for him every day that he will be safe, and that he will love what he's doing. I really enjoy his letters and I can tell that our prayers are answered. His love for the people that he's serving shows in every letter home, and I am glad that he's kept safe as he drives! So here is this week's letter. YAY!

Hey momm,

Im glad to hear that you guys pulled through ok. Everyone here has been asking how you are all doing. I wasn't worried because we are up on a hill. Here, we didn't get it too bad. I was dissapointed. But I guess its better than having everyone  here in more need. This week has been going well. We have a few people who are super interested in the gospel. One is pretty much a definate for baptism, it's just that her mom doesn't like mormons. We got our baptismal committed to church this week, even though our investigator church attendance has been at an all time low lately. We still get 4 investigators to church, so we are still feeling good. My biggest concern now is keeping our new converts in the church. PLEASE make friends with the investigators, and have them over to our house, and be their friends, and most of all LET THE MISSIONARIES know that you are doing these things. Members give you the best info ever. Members have the most important role in missionary work ever. The members here are really good at that, it's just that there are so many of them, it's hard to choose. Anyways, we are trying to work hard, and use our time the most effectively. However, I feel great because not a day goes by that I dont see at leaast one miracle in it. I feel very blessed. I think back on Jeffery R. Holland's talk this past conference, and think I can never go back to my old nets. I will need to be, and will be changed. Totally changed.

[I am giving a talk in church this coming Sunday on repentance, so I asked him if he had any input and any messages for the branch]

Anyways, as for your talk, I  would stress the importance of the bible dictionary. Also, stress that repentance is CHANGING your life. It's not just not doing the bad things anymore, it's completely changing how you think to cut those bad things out. You try to not even think about doing bad things, and your mind and thought process becomes focused on good things, and uplifting thoughts constantly. 

oh, I loved the package!!!!! I loved that one sheet of paper that everyone [in the branch] signed. That meant a lot to me. thanks for the Book of mormons, but why did you send them? I can get 50 billion of them free if I want. But I'm sure they will come in handy sometime. Thanks for the package, it made my millenium!!!! I didn't have to pay anything, but I dont know if the office did, I havent gotten notified about anything. 

Any tell anyone anything messages? Well, I got stamps, so tell the girls there might be a few things coming to them soon. As for ward members, tell everyone I think of them and they are a huge source of encouragement and support to me. 

Thank you for all the support you give me mom, I love you so much, and I know the world is a tough place to live in, but keep going! Keep your mind on the Gospel, and the principles of it, and how you can help the Lord first, then look everyday for at least 2 miracles. Then tell me about them!

Keep it up!

Love

Calvin

[Wow. My missionary son gave me an assignment! Guess I'd better work on it! I sent him a note asking how he liked the package, and attached a picture of his friends' Halloween costumes, and he sent this back:]

oh my gosh, [she] would. [be Rosie the Riveter]

[He's] the pumpkin head, right? Pretty cool, and the other girl is the main charecter from adventure time, right?

That's pretty awesome!

So the ties i liked , the letters too (Sophies' story was so cute!) And the candy was amazing!!!!!! I got so much candy this week from members, it's like "Who needs trick or treating??" We had a lesson, so we couldn't do all the fun things the other guys were. but we were real missionaries, and did real missionary work, so that's ok.

and the organ CD is awesome!!!! I love it!

For christmas. D&D miniatures. and lots of love. and letters, and drawings. but mostly love and D&D minis. Its a tradition!!!!!

I love you sooooo much!!!!!
Calvin

PS. So, we have an american family who already signed up for thanksgiving, and another family already signed up for christmas. so sign up for the missionaries now!!!!!!!!

[We usually get new D&D miniatures for our stockings. It is a fun tradition and after 10 years of doing this we have quite a collection!!]

October 29, 2012

This is Calvin's letter from last week. Sorry it's late. With the storm and the end of Field Hockey it was a pretty busy week. I have left in some of what I wrote, so his answers make sense. Calvin's answers are in bold.

Momm,

This week has been wierd. Transfers happened this week, and I got my new companion. He is from Edmonton, Canada. He is awesome! He was my MTC companions' trainer, which is cool. I found out how much my last companion meant to me this week as well. I miss him, but I got over it pretty quickly, because we have seen some success so far, and we hope to watch that success climb.

So, what happened this week? Well, I drove by myself this week for the first time, all alone, because of transfers. Umm... not much else else happened. We did a lot of knocking, and found some people who might be interested.

I guess I'll reply to your letter.

Dearest Calvin,
  Chantal says she will nevereverevereverevereverevernever forgive you for the comment about her looking like Justin Bieber again, because he wishes he looked as good as her. *winky face*

 

lol, Sorry Chantal, but it is the truth! I love your hair, though. I want to see some senior pics.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought of you this week, and I was like "oh, momms' bday is this week, I should do something!" So our zone went out to sushi. My first time, and I loved it! it was super good! we also went to the mall, and then to a party for [my companion] when he was going away.

 

  Wednesday I had to go renew my driver's license. I got all the stuff together and went down to the DMV. I was in and out within 20 minutes! Yay!!! I thought about you and how you wanted to do your
KISS face when they took your picture for your permit. *grin* I went across the street to deposit a check for Dad. Then I went to Barnes and Noble to return the book [I got for my birthday]. So I have a "store credit" for the price of a paperback book. I might get a book about knitting socks instead.

 

nooo!!! get an art book! an art book!!! or an anne mccaffery. Oh, there was a member who was giving/ throwing away a piorot book ,and a dragonriders of pern book. But I had no idea how I was going to send them back, so I left them there! Sorry!

 

I came home and Dad went to work. Miranda called me to ask me if I could sign her out early so she could see Chantal's game. The game had been moved from Afton to Harpursville (because Afton's field was flooded). So we signed Miranda out and went to the field to the game. The girls won their first Sectionals game 2-1 in sudden death overtime.

 

GOOOOO HORNETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Chantal made some awesome saves!! Then we came home and went to Mutual.
  Thursday Chantal had another sectional game in Greene. Sophie, Miranda and I drove over there and got there about an hour early, so we waved at the Harpursville bus as they came into the parking
lot, then we walked over to Raymond and picked up leaves along the way. When we got to Raymond, we found the van and stuffed leaves in between the windshield wipers on the front of the van and
on the back. We thought Dad would appreciate our sense of humor. *grin* Dad walked over on his break and watched about 5 minutes of the game (YAY! First game he's been able to attend this year!). They lost their game 7-0

 

AWWW! @^#*@ (parents, now would be a great time to cover your kids' ears) $& GREENE!!! Sorry, missionary thoughts, missionary thoughts.  ok, I have control of myself now. (sorry elder, No, really, the computer just flew twords your head all on it's own! No, I'm serious!)

 

(but Chantal informs me that Vestal lost to Green 9-0 so I think Harpursville did pretty well!)

  Saturday we went to the temple. It was really nice, even though we only had 3 girls [doing baptisms. We had 4 girls with us]. While everyone else went into the temple, [a friend from school], Sophie and I walked around the temple and I explained a little about the temple to her. Then we went to the Joseph Smith home and the log home, and took the tours there. [She] stood on the bricks where the plates had been hidden. *grin* Then we walked around the Sacred Grove for a while. We got rained on, and since most of the leaves have fallen off the trees we got really wet. Sophie soaked through her sneakers and socks and her pants were wet almost to her butt - because she kept stopping to pick up leaves and things. Sophie was scared of the animals in the woods. When I asked her what animals she was afraid were in the woods, she said, "Bears and Tigers and Lions and Monkeys." After we got out of the grove, we went back to the temple to wait because we only had about 20 minutes before they were scheduled to be done.

 

Sophie is sooo cute! that's just too funny.

  Grandma and Grandpa came over after the trip for dinner and birthday cake. I made the same cake I did for Sophie's birthday - except not Totoro.

 

Darn. Was it at least in the shape of Darth Vader's face?

  Today was Branch Conference. Sophie was in rare form! She has started sticking her tongue out at people and giving them the raspberry. I made her apologize to everyone she did it to. RUDE CHILD!!

 

Lol, she learned from the best!

I didn't get to sit in the chapel to hear all of conference. I had to go out into the Nursery with Sophie. *gasp* I got to go to RELIEF SOCIETY today!!! I got to be an adult today!

 

YAY! adult time! Oh, and my comp just reminded me, he has a talk by J golden Kimball. We listened to it, and OH DEAR!!!! he was super funny!

I'm glad you are having home teachers over. Home teaching, and member splits are super awesome for missionaries! Please help the missionaries out as much as you can!

  We're all getting ready for Hurricane Sandy. They handed out a phone number in sacrament meeting for people to call to report damage. *is it coincidence that the hurricane segment on the Sesame
Street DVD just came on?* They're evacuating parts of New York City, and they shut down subway and rail service in NYC, and they're shutting down bus service there too. Greene Schools are getting
out early tomorrow. Hancock school has closed tomorrow. This is supposed to be a big storm. Looking at the different models, I'm not sure if we'll get lots of rain or just a little.

 

I heard everything from "the perfect, epic storm of the century" to just a tropical storm. So, i think personally that Binghamton is going to get flooded again.

 

I think Elmira is going
to get lots of rain. Anyway, I hope you guys don't get too much rain, and that you're safe. Did you get winter stuff from the "free store?" I hope you did. Please let me know if you didn't and if you
need stuff. It's getting colder and I worry about you. Do you have enough blankets?

yes

 

Do you have stuff for emergencies?

 

yes

 

Like extra water and a little food?

 

sortof

 

and flashlights?

 

sortof

 

 and stuff?

 

Umm......... sure!

  Okay, I have to get going. I'm really tired and starting to get a headache. *Storm's coming Ani. I can feel it in my bones.*

 

LOL!

Momm, I love you and miss you and everyone else at home! I'll try to send some mail home, but I send love home everyday!

 

Love

Calvin