8 July, 2013
Hey Momm,
So this week was really busy. apart from the baptism, it wasnt the best week in the world, but with the baptism it was!!!!!! I'm so excited that it happened, but I want to make sure she understands everything. We just gotta get those new member lessons going! So, super excited abut her!
We also have a baptism coming up in 2 weeks. Super nice guy, who truly wants to follow Christ. He was Muslim before, but he believed that Christ was the Son of God, instead of just a prophet, as most of the Muslim community does. Really cool guy, who accepts everything we teach him.
Other than that, things have been going well. I love my companion, and we are getting along really well. I just hope I can learn everything he has to teach me!
It's been the same for the last while, tracting, lessons, DA's (tons, by the way), striving to be more obedient, and just loving the mission. Oh, this week, we went to Montréal for zone study, and to meet our new mission president. He is truly prepared. I was nervous that I wouldnt feel the same love for them as i felt for the Cannons, but that was quickly taken away. They are going to do a great work here. President Patrick is already stressing member work, and working with ward leaders. Luckily our Ward leaders are already super on the ball with everything! Members are sooooooo important, especially inviting investigators over to their house. And inviting friends to your house to eat a meal goes a long way! The person who was baptized this week was super prepared by the members, the members invited her over to eat all the time, they were right there for her the whole time. That is a missionary's dream member family. I just hope that when I get off my mission I can do the same!
So, yeah going to Montréal was super fun! It's COVERED in graffiti tags, and pictures, and cool stuff like that. I will probably NEVER be a missionary there because I wont be able to pay attention to what i'm doing, I'll be so distracted by all the cool stuff going on around me!
So, I'm glad to hear all is going well at home, and that everyone had such a fun time at the castle! I was just thinking during sacrament and priesthood about all the things I'll have to do with you all when I get back! Especially spending time with the girls. I thought a lot about that only because they were talking about families, and stuff like that
Well, Love you all TONS!!!
Calvin
15 July, 2013
Momm
Ok, now for the real email!
So, those baptisms didnt work out. We have one whom will have to stop smoking for him to get baptised, but that's not bad, because he still wants to get baptised, and he is getting professional help to stop smoking. [I included this little bit because I think it is amazing that someone would pay the money to get professional help to quit smoking just so they can be baptized. This man must have incredible faith. And I am humbled that he is asking for help to overcome a habit that he cannot overcome himself. I think there are a few habits I could use help overcoming.] the other one is still on!
Well, this week was slow. We did TONS of knocking because all of our investigators went away for the week, but we found tons of cool people, and had one SUPEr creepy experience. I'll have to tell you about it when I get home, it's too creepy.** But, this week went well besides that. Last night we went to a meeting with the mission president, the zoneleaders of quebec zone, and the stake president and his councillor, and the stake mission leader, it was cool and they outlined for us what they want to do for this stake, and taught us about keys, and line of authority, and stuff like that. It was super cool. So, we got home last night, with our mission president's permission, at 10:39. The other elders in our appartment were worried about us, they had called and texted twice.
Well that's a look at my life now. I have just been thinking a lot about the blessings I have received from the mission, and I feel soooooooo blessed! One of the Elders, Elder Lucas, who is from tahiti, we were talking about who we were going to mary, and he was like, "You will marry a beautiful woman, that's one of the blesssings of your mission! that's how the Lord pays you back," and I was like , "Yeah,but he has ALREADY paid me back with all these blessings DURING my mission! " It's nuts.
tell Sophie that I think about her a lot, and I plan to spend LOTS of time with her, and do fun things with her! Did I twell you about the dream I had a while ago where I came back, and Sophie spoke fluent french? That was super fun!
I am so glad your concert went well, and that everyone adored sophie!
Is Chantal heading out to college soon? I hope she sends me pictures of her experience, and I cant wait to write her about it.
tell Miranda that I cant wait for her to blow me away with her next art work. How much did that guy pay her for the book?!?!
Love you!!!
Calvin
**I wrote to him about this experience and I explained that he cannot just say he had a creepy experience and leave me to wonder! Not that I necessarily WANT to know the details, just that I want to know he's safe.
22 July, 2013
Hey Momm!!!!!!
So, that scary expirience, wasnt too too bad, it was just some creepy lady, that's all. It was just weird. But, off of wierd stuff, we had an ok week this week, goal wise. We had to do knocking, and passbyes, because our investigators were all out of town, but we did some Less active, recent convert work, which was great. it's kind of sad, sometimes, seeing people who got, or are getting discouraged with the church, but we still go over and see them. So, oh, we also went and blitzed another missionaries area. They have been having a hard time, because last transfer they dropped all their eternigators,** and now they are working with nothing. But they are both still super happy missionaries. So to help them out, we both went over there to work in their area, and we brought pizza! [pizza makes everything better] That was fun. Sunday was the most exciting, because all three of the most recent recent converts were at church, and one less active! So, that went well. However the biggest news is that we got our TRANSFER CALL!!!!!!! We are stayig companions, but swapping wards with another team of missionaries. SOOOO wierd, but I'm excited to start over with a clean slate, and get to work. The members were kinda sad and confused, but we are going to split the other Elders so we can mutually get to know each others area. So, that is the biggest news. I'm super happy to hear that the girls want to go to church, now we just gotta get them there. [I explained that I had headaches the last two weeks, so the first week I didn't go to church, just stayed in bed and Todd didn't wake Miranda or Sophie up when he left, so they were both very upset when they woke up and their ride to church had left. Then I had a migraine at church and had to go home. It's difficult for everyone to go to church and to STAY at church when I have headaches like this.]
Thanks so much for helping the missinaries out!!!!! I know how much we LOVE members that help out, so keep it up!!!
I love you sooooooooo much, I hope all keeps going well, and i hope your migranes get better!!!
Love You!!!!!!!!!!
Calvin
**"eternigator" is someone who has been investigating the church and asking questions, and investigating the church and asking questions, but doesn't show progress towards baptism. Though the missionaries love them very much and do all they can to help them and to answer their questions, if they aren't committing to anything, sometimes the missionaries have to stop visiting them. Sometimes the missionaries will stop visiting for a while, and then start visiting again at another time.
29 July, 2013
Momm,
Hello Everybodeeeeeeeee!!!! [He must have been channeling Grover when he wrote this. Sophie LOVES "The Monster at the End of This Book" and this is how Grover starts the book.] So, this week was pretty hectic, because we flushed into an area. So, when we got to work this week, it was filled with knocking, and stopping by member's houses, so we could get to know them. That was fun, but the rest of the week was full of zone and area orginizational stuff. Meeting with the 1st councillor, stuff like that. Then i had to give a talk this week in sacrament, and I was nervous that I wouldn't take enough time so my companion would have to fill in with a half an hour long talk, but I actually went way overtime with my talk. So i was happy that i could ramble on in French, but my companion and the other speaker only had 2-3 minutes each. oops. [MY son? Rambling on in French?! Wow!] Oh well, I was happy. So what else happened this week, oh, we had zone leadership council this week, so my companion and I got to go into montreal again. I enjoy montreal, it's full of graffiti, and is super busy. However, I dont think we should drive on the island if we go, because drivers are HYPER agressive. Busses will literally cut you off even if you are halfway through passing them, and they won't care. Zone council was cool. President wants to turn our mission into a mini Utah, where missionaries don't tract, they just drive from lesson to lesson, getting referrals along the way. Also, president cracked down on rules, such as you can't learn another language on your mission, unless you are called in that language. So I packed all the Hatian Creole stuff I had been reading away. Momm, I highly reccomend you pick up Hatian Creole, it's SUPER easy. It's just like French, but NO conjugations. It's cool! Anyways, I'm in an appartment with 2 spanglephones, and one white kid who was called in spanish in addition to french. so, half the conversations are in spanish, and sometimes the Spanish elders bring home leftovers from their spanish [dinner appointments].
Momm, dont worry about me. I'm fine, I wont get run over, I always look both ways before walking, I mind the pedestrians..... I'll be fine. :) We arent even NEAR trains. (however, one did explode near here, causing the biggest train wreck in Canada history) [yah, I read the news about that and IMMEDIATELY found a map and looked up where it was. I was very sad to learn that so many people were missing or had already been accounted for as dead. Such a tragedy, and in a small town. I was heartbroken for the people of the town and their families.] And IF i die, I WILL visit you as a spirit, and I will say sorry, and you were right, etc. but until that day comes don't worry. I love you too much to be THAT careless. I promise that i follow the rules of the road, according to my knowledge. My companion too. The only things I'm struggling with are speaking my language, and getting to bed on time, and I think that's it.
Anyways, I love you All, and I hope all is going well for you!!!
Keep going well
Work hard!
Kick the missionaries out after an hour at the house!
Help them out as well!
Do your home teaching!!!!!!!! and visiting teaching!!!!!! I'll tell you, LOTS of our problems would be solved if members did their home and visiting duties!!
Love!
Calvin
5 August
Momm
THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL THE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they made my day!! I'm glad Sophie loved her toys. It's really funny, but when I went to the post office to send the package, (we had to do it on a day other than P day, because we were super busy) and while we were there, immediately this guy walks up to my companion, and starts reading his tag. My comp's tag is in spanish, so non one, but spanish people can read it. It's super effective for finding people! So, my companion starts contacting this guy, and the guy starts to go off about how Elijah and Jean the baptist had something no one else did, so we got his number. [I left in the French spellings. :-) ] Meanwhile, another lady, who was quebecoise, and she started speaking to all of us in perfect english aboput God, and all that. Then this other guy walked up to us, while these other two are going off about some stuff, and he said, "you mormons?" We said yes, and he said "good day" and walked off. It was such a cool experience! So, thanks for letting me know it was Sophie's b day!!!! Umm.. I will write more later, the mac dude is kicking us out. Bye! LOVE!!! [They write to us from the Mac store in their area. Blessings on that Mac store, wherever it is! May their business triple!]
*later that day*
So, I'm back, what else happened this week... well, we are still trying to get the area in good working order, but its hard because the bishop and ward mission leader are both on vacation, so we dont have too too much information about the area, so we are just passing by what people we can, and are doing a lot of knocking. I love the ward here, there are a LOT of artists, and the bishop himself is working at Ubisoft doing concept art sketches and storyboarding. soo..... i'm pumped for that. Oh, this week we also helped a hatian family paint their living room. with the 1st counciler in the Elders quorum, the sister missionaries, and another member of the ward. It was lots of fun to hold a PAINTBRUSH again. anyways, that's all that really happened this week!
Je vous aime beaucoup!Et Sophie, bon anniversaire!!!!!
Amour,
Elder Messinger
[We are very happy that Calvin was sent to this mission, and that he's had so much interaction with people in the video game business. Calvin wants to be a concept artist, and he has made some wonderful friends, and learned a lot about what his focus should be in school, and additional skills that will make him more marketable in the industry. This has been a testimony to us that the Lord will do all in His power to help us achieve our goals.]
No comments:
Post a Comment