9.27.2010

This past week was pretty slow. Not too much happened but the big news is that we got our transfer calls. Elder Woods is coming over from his area (jefferson) which is closing to be with Elder Fackrell and be the new district leader. So He is staying in the same ward and they will cover both areas. I'm being moved to an area called Munroe and am staying in the district. I'm pretty excited. I'm going to be with Elder McCleave. He is a very quirky missionary but he is really funny and we get along so I'm excited. I get a truck (the truck is a Chevy Colorado) which I'm also excited and I'm prime driver. I've been prime driver for the past 6 months (senior companions are usually prime drivers) but we didn't have a car. My old area is getting a car as well.

I'm literally moving two areas over. I'll still be going to the same building but just the other ward. It is the London ward. I'm going to miss Gateway ward (my old ward) because they have some great members but I'm excited to start a new ward. It's weird because my district leader now is the elder at Munroe and everytime we went on exchanges I went to his area (even if I was with his companion) so I've taught all but 1 of their investigators. That will be nice and make it an easy transition. Munroe has two baptisimal dates. They are two girls (12 and 14) whose mom and step dad are super active but their real dad is anti. The mom and step dad have full custody so she can get baptized regardless. They are all super active and the girls are really great. They are already members, just haven't been baptized. They will be baptized the week after General Conference. They also have an investigator named Catherine who is Golden. I've taught her before. She asked the missionaries when she can be baptized and was reading the gospel principles manual and said "I really have a desire to be get married for eternity but I just need to find someone with that Melkizidek Preisthood" haha. She is really great.

So this past week we also taught Melina and have her set for a Baptisimal date for December 11th. She commited to come to church 3 times a month at least and to go to the fireside that weekend (it was another one of those Elder Masters' fireside) which was yesterday. Well, her new boyfriend won't let her go to church or the fireside so we are kinda stuck with her. She can only leave his sight for school and work. I don't know why people put themselves in these positions but it is stupid. Sometimes people are just dumb. Not too much else to report.

Our ward now has a ton of Filipeano members. they are the best people ever. One of them asked us to come over and give their house a blessing (first one I've ever done, I didn't even know that people did that. Did we do that to our house?) When we got there we realized she had invited us over for her sons 4th birthday party and their was a lot of Filipeano people and tons of good food. Then she asked me to bless it in front of everyone. haha I was nervous about doing it infront of just them. It went well though. She also decided for fun, she would make us Balut (Ba-Loot). Balut is a fertilized duck or chicken (we had chicken) egg that is almost devloped. You boil the eggs than crack the shell, pull off a little of the skin, drink the fluid, eat some of the yoke, than you can see the actual bird (beak, feathers, etc.) and gobble that down. It didn't taste bad but it was so gross. Hopefully I'll get time to send pictures today. I Think you'll enjoy it.

Our birthday lunch was good. It was at a place called Mongos. It is a mongolian stir fry restraunt where they have a ton of veggies, meats, noodles, and sauce and you put everything that you want into a bowl and then they through it on the grill right in front of you. It is pretty fun and tasted really good. I'm sure you could understand it better if you had pictures but I didn't take any. Look online, I'm sure they have some.

Well I love you all. Hope your week is good. I'll try and respond to everyone who wrote me but I'm gonna try and send pictures first so if I don't get to it, I will next week. Love ya

Elder Turner

Me holding the last bite of balut.

Balut...One is before you open the egg, the other is after. Can you see the birds head?

More Balut Look at how good that cake looks. Good thing I didn't throw up on it.

More Balut. This was really fun to do. I had to do it but i know you just love the pictures (esp. mom and Destiny)

Two pictures from a birthday party.

Marco Anthony (he's 4 now) playing with Elder Fackrell's Camera

One is of all of our zone at P-day activity (last transfer) and the other was at an Elders Quorum activity. We had a pig roast. That is the head.

This is from left to right Elder Fackrell, Elder Burch, Elder Woods, and I. Elder Burch, Elder Woods and I are pretty good friends. The first picture is serious and I think Kevin, and Cami will probably get the second picture ("Make the Face of your character!!) haha

9.20.2010

Hello everybody.

I hope everybody is having a great week. This week wasn't too bad for us. We did have somebody come to church for us this week which has been the first time in a while. He is from Sudan (Africa) and his name is Joshua. We might have to turn him over to the Young Single Adult Elders because he is that age but we are hoping on starting to teach his whole family. His English is ok but he really liked church. He had to have been the spirit because he doesn't understand too much English.

Karen has once again disappeared. Hopefully we get ahold of her soon. I don't know what to do with her. With Melina though we had a really great lesson with her. She is starting to learn again which is great but she wasn't able to come to church this past week because she was going to the zoo. Her boyfriend isn't the best example for her but she stated that she needs to be the example for him. Hopefully good things continue to happen with her. Things are starting to slowly build up again and hopefully it continues to go up.

That member (the DeFrancescos) fed us cafe rio yesterday. It was so good. Thanks for sending the recipe, she appreciated it as well. She had a recipe for the dressing that tasted exactly like it so she said she would copy it for me to give to you.

Not too much else happened this past week. Next Sunday is transfer calls and there are going to be a lot of changes in the mission. 9 missionaries are going home including our assistant so it is exciting to find out who our new leaders will be. Well I love you all and keep on keeping on.

Love,

Elder Turner

9.6.2010

This week has been pretty good. We still haven't found anybody to teach but we did find alot of potentials that should be paying off soon. Our mission has had the goal of getting 50 to church for a while. In the summer it gets really hard to get people there and for the past 4 or so weeks we have gotten under it. This week we all fasted for it and we were grate full to get 57 at church. Our zone had 25 (there are 4 zones in all). Unfortuately we weren't able to help at all in the goal but we are definately working for it this week. Karen finally called us on Sunday and apologized and said she felt like she needed a little break so she wants us to start coming over again. I wasn't even mad that she took so long to call, I was just so excited and happy/overwhelmed that she called. It really was a great feeling.

Not too much is going on here. Because of the new schedule thing that the church put out zone confrences are every other transfer so this transfer we aren't haveing zone conference but there is a huge training meeting for all the leaders Wed, Thurs, and Friday from 8 am to 5 pm every day. They eventually invited everyone to go in Winnipeg so it will be sort of like a Bi-zone conference but spread out over three days. I'm pretty excited for it but this whole week is shot. Monday was P-day Tuesday District meeting than shopping and emailing (the stores and libraries were closed due to labor (or Labour up here) day. Wed thursday and Friday is that huge meeting all day, saturday is a Pig Roast for the ward, a couple appointments and we have to find time that day to plan for our upcoming week for three hours and than Sunday is Church, Monday will be P-day. Not too much actual missionary work will be happing this next week but that training meeting will be really great and help us in the long run. It is on the new way to use Preach my Gospel video so its gotta be good.

BTW Sorry I didn't write yesterday, as I mentioned earlier, it was Labour Day here yesterday.

Mom, a couple in the ward had us over for supper one day and we started to talk about restraunts in the states and I mentioned Cafe Rio and she said that is one of her favorite restraunts and I said that you had the recipe for Cafe Rio Pork and she said (and I quote)
"If you can get me the recipe, I will make it for you" There is no way I am turning that down. If you can get me the recipe that would be really great. Also if you can find a recipe for Cafe Rio's house dressing (or if you know one) that would be great to.

Well not to much else is going on here. A couple of the apartments have been getting bed bugs and we thought we had one the other day but the guy who checks the apartments looked at the bug we trapped and told us it wasn't a bed bug. What a relief...those things are terrible. On the brightside though the mission pays for you suits to get dry cleaned if you get them.

Well I love you all and know that I pray for you often as well and I definately feel your prayers.

Love,

Elder Turner

P.S. I didn't hear anything about an earthquake, thats crazy. Thanks for the notice