06/28/2010 (Cabo Rojo)

Two Companions -- Elder Simons & Elder Gordon (Threesome)

Wow! Clear up in Canada! Haha! I still wear my Canadian pin on my suit jacket every Sunday and everyone always asks me if I'm from Canada and then I tell them nope but my mom is – haha! It’s kinda funny but wow Canada is a great place. I haven’t been for so long kinda crazy the last time we went (well I guess I went) was when we went to the mall wasn’t it? I can’t believe that Kim is getting divorced that is really sad and crazy I hope it all goes decently well.

That had to be fun to see all that old stuff and memories from Canada. I'm not going to lie I pretty much don’t know really anything about the family in Canada.

But yeah everything is going way good here. We are all combined in the same area now, me and Elder Gordon and Elder Simons. It’s pretty cool cuz we are a three some and we have a ton of people to visit and they gave us a car so that’s pretty awesome! That family I told you about is getting ready to get married. The wedding is on the tenth and then they will get baptized on the 17th so that should be really awesome! I’m way excited for them and then we are also teaching some other really cool investigators. One of them we taught last week for the last time though because she is moving to the states :( but she said she will talk to the missionaries there and she will probably be back in about a month.

Our new Mission President comes into Puerto Rico today so that should be cool. I will be writing a letter to him instead of President Martineau. It’s really kinda sad cuz President Martineau is the coolest mission president ever so it’s going to be weird getting a new one but he's really cool as well -- I just hope I like him as much as I liked President Martineau.

Well I’m going to get going but I hope you guys are having a wonderful day and that mom you’re enjoying your time in Canada with the family!

Love ya,
Elder Ward

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from our transfer meeting!

Elder Ward with the Ward Mission Leader in Cabo Rojo and his wife!

Elder Ward & Elder Pliler

All the guys I came into the mission with!!
This is the first time we've all been together since our first transfer!
Crazy huh!

Elder Simons, Jacobson, & Ward

Elder Ward & Elder Gordon

06/22/2010 TRANSFERS! Staying in Cabo Rojo!

Haha! I want a bbq so bad you lucky duckies but anyways you guys are crazy - you let Eric drive up to the Freer’s that's like letting a bomb loose! haha jk! Eric told me he drives the Tundra all the time now and I told him he better let it rest and use the Honda so that he can have some good first vehicle experiences haha. So what are you guys doing with the Ranger? Do you still have it? And the Explorer as well? Are you still driving that? And the Jetta?

WOWZY!! You guys are older than I thought -- 25 years married that’s half way to 50 haha and we just did Granny’s 50th not to long ago :)

So anyways tomorrow is transfers again and I'm staying here with my companion we are not sure but I think me and my companion are going to combine into a three some with Elder Gordon and they are going to combine our areas but we aren’t too sure yet we will see tomorrow.

One week from tomorrow President Martineau goes home and Elder Alvarado comes and it all combines into one big mission and then I guess we’ll see what new stuff happens when he gets here. haha cuz its pretty cool President Alvarado becomes the president the second he steps off the plane and then President Martineau gives him the phone and the keys and tells him good luck and then he gets on the plane and leaves. haha its kinda crazy cuz the old president doesn’t tell the new president anything they just start all fresh with new ideas and go for it!

We have some good people that are coming up to get baptized still that whole family and then we have some cool investigators that we are teaching but none of them have a baptismal date or anything yet.

The ties were good they are all pretty much used I think but in really good shape they are pretty much like DI ties haha! O and yeah I got the letter from Bishop Rhead this week I think I still haven’t written back but yeah it was him and Mallory and it was all in Spanish haha but yeah I should probably write back soon. So did they do that Helaman Camp yet? Eric goes to that right?

But yeah the heat is crazy its calmed down a ton but man it was killer bad for a long time and I got the heat rash because we have to ride our bikes really really really far to get to our area and doing that with the noon day heat is a killer but yeah I'm all good now and no problems.

That’s so crazy that Jordan gets home soon. Man that’s nuts! But yeah it’s probably a good thing that she wants him to start working so soon that’s what I want to do I'm going to get a job that pays way good so I can save up for school and start working right away. I was thinking I might try to get one of those forest fire jobs but we’ll see :) that’s a long ways away :)

Sounds like you are all doing good and that you will have a lot of fun with the whole family over. That should be really cool but yeah I got to get going you guys have a great day and week and I’ll talk to you in a bit!

Love ya,
Elder Ward

06/14/2010 w/pictures!

Two Elders getting out of the RAIN!!!

HOLA

So everything is going pretty darn swell over here! We had a pretty good week this week. We had a new lady that we invited to church that came and she really liked it. She’s kinda crazy and a bit difficult to teach but we are moving along just fine and she is enjoying it.

We also found this really really awesome lady that a member knows and she’s really old. She walked to church all by herself and she has a cane. Kinda crazy but also we went back and she can’t see very good but she wanted so badly to read the Book of Mormon so she said she said a little prayer that she would be able to and then she found a magnifying glass and a flash light and she said if she held it just right she could do it. It was amazing and she just loves reading. But yeah she will be getting baptized this Saturday. Me and my companion aren’t the ones that teach her because she lives in the other area but really she is awesome and we are so excited.

We also have another family (that I have told you about before) – they are doing great - they have a wedding date on the 10th and then that following Saturday will be baptized.

That’s really cool about BSU that should be really fun to watch them play BYU haha. But yeah Eric told me they went up to the cabin and sounds like they worked on the road a bit and got it all good to go.

Man you have no idea what I would give for a nice 70 degree weather bbq with ribs and potatoes and some salad WOW!!! its been so so so so hot for a long time I was dying from a really bad heat rash for a while but it all cleared up and now I'm pretty good haha!

But anyways yes I did receive my ties and they are awesome! I gave two to my companion and then one to each of the other Elders I live with and yeah they are awesome. It’s a way better way to buy ties - that’s the way we should have done it from the beginning but I guess we’ll know now when Eric goes on his mission! Haha!

But yeah sounds like everything is going great back home! Everything is just WONDERFUL here and I’ll talk to you next week

Love ya,
Elder Ward

Pictures!!

Hey! Here are some pictures!
The Baptism is the guy I was teaching in Mayaguez and the other ones are from a little family home evening activity that we did ENJOY! :)

love ya

06/07/2010 (Cabo Rojo)

Haha - Dad tried to cook another one of his crazy treats and it actually turned out! That’s pretty amazing! Haha! I'm always inventing and cooking good stuff for me and the other 3 missionaries its kinda funny because you have one hour to cook lunch and I always just do it right after studies so we have to cook it pretty fast so I always invent quick things it’s pretty funny but they always like it and now they think it’s fun to call me Betty Crocker!

So I still don’t have the package. President just came down to do a fireside with the Ward but I’ll get it Wednesday and all the other letters waiting for me! Haha! (I hit my year mark so I haven’t gotten letters for a while haha!) But yeah it was a really cool fireside … he just opened it up to questions and then we discussed it. It was pretty cool and then me and my comp rode back to the apartment with President and he talked about the Ward and everything with us. It was pretty sweet so hopefully we can get the Ward going strong with the missionary work!

So Andrea and Bill are already planning to come down and see everyone - that’s pretty crazy! haha You guys were just there and WOW! That’s a lot of money. I'm kinda bummed I don’t think I’ll ever get to go to England again and I wanted to tour like all of Europe while Andrea was over there. I want to go to Scotland, Ireland, and Germany and maybe Holland that would be awesome. We saw a returned missionary that came to the fireside with his family. He was back in Puerto Rico after being home for two years. haha It was pretty cool and President made him stand up and talk. It was funny! but yeah I think that will be the coolest thing ever to come back and see all the people that you taught on your mission!

-but yeah the missionary work is going great… our family is doing good. They aren’t going to get married the 12th but they will soon and then they will get baptized. We are working hard with them and they are doing great and then we found some other really cool people that I'm way excited to teach this week so hopefully we get some good things going. Well I better get going but before I leave I’ll try and send you some pictures :)

Love ya

Elder Ward

06/01/2010 (Cabo Rojo)

MAN! you guys have no idea how much I would love to have a bbq! haha I've been trying to organize one here for a zone activity but we haven’t quite done it yet. But man a nice beautifully cold weather bbq would be like the coolest thing ever. I've decided that when I get back from my mission I'm gonna freeze like frosty the snowman cuz it’s SO HOT here haha

I like speaking in sacrament meeting. haha It’s my one chance to tell the whole ward at the same time how I think we could get better haha Sacrament talks are great -- my bishop said he is going to have me speak at a youth fireside I'm not sure on what yet but I'm not going to lie I'm a little bit nervous about that.

So I didn’t get the ties yet because no one has come over from the offices in a bit, but president will be over on the 6th so I'm sure I will get them then :) Did you get the letters that I sent home? The one for the youth camp and one to Sami Jo?

Wow that is so crazy that Natalie is going to have twins. It just must be the twin era haha that’s way cool! Maybe they will be boys too and someone will take my advice and name them Timmy and Jimmy! I think that would be the coolest thing ever!

So anyways things are going great here I love being on my mission :) I got to see a guy that I taught get baptized in Mayaguez and that was so so so so awesome. President gave me permission to go over and watch and it was way cool. He kept telling me after words that he was clean and that he just feels good. It was awesome! It’s always amazing to see someone you’ve taught get baptized. but yeah our investigators here are doing great and they are getting ready for the wedding and they are awesome. We had an amazing fhe with them last night and they are just doing great and then the others are doing good too and I can’t wait to teach them this Thursday WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you guys

Elder Ward