03/30/2011

haha wow! It sounds like you guys are having funny and running around all over the place. You’re going to have to keep Eric on a leash. He turns 16 and he thinks he can just buy swords and go dancing with the Flamenco Dancers huh?

That’s awesome that you’re taking a lot of pictures. I really should get better about that but yeah. I think I told you that transfers were on the 6th but they’re not they are on the 13th so yeah I got a little mixed up. But yeah so transfers are on the 13th and then starts my nine week program. Today I have to turn in all my flight home info :(

That’s cool that there were so many Mormons on the trip. How many kids were there? and how many adults? Yeah I really want to hear Kennady talking like a Brit haha.

WOW! I completely forgot that I will be calling home in like a month haha that’s weird. That will be a weird Phone Call. It’s a good thing I extended my mission. :)

Things are going good - we are working hard and having fun. We have found some really cool families. One is an Adventist family that are really strong in their church but they are listening and studying and learning and progressing well. Another family is the granddaughter of one of the members and she and her daughters are going to church and they went to a baptism the other day and they are doing really well as well. I think in the next little while there is going to be a lot of success in the ward and that is exciting :)

Things are going great and I’ll talk to you soon
Love ya

Elder Ward

PS So I was going to ask you to talk to Bishop Price because for like the last 4-5 months I haven’t been able to wear my contacts because I put them in and my right one hurts my eye like crazy and if I leave it in my eye just produces a ton of eye boogers and all sorts of junk. The other day I opened a new pack and tried them out again because I hadn’t tried for like 2 months and I wore them like the whole day but it kept bugging my right eye and then I took them out to go to bed and when I woke up my eye was like sealed shut with eye boogers it was crazy. So yeah I’m not really sure what’s wrong but if you could ask him about that or what I should do that would be great. But if we can’t figure anything out I’ll just wear my glasses till I get home J

03/23/2011

Hola!

My birthday was pretty good - we had to do a lot of running around that day but it was good we had a meeting at the Stake Presidents house and his wife made us some homemade pizza so that was awesome. I’m not going to lie I forgot it was my birthday until about half way through the day haha.

Well it sounds like you had a fun little time in London running around all over the place. That’s funny they went to an antique shop. I’m pretty sure Bill nailed it right on the head haha. I can’t believe it’s already been a week to tell ya the truth. Time just goes way way way too fast now and I don’t know what the deal is. We are already 4 weeks into the transfer. Transfers are on the 6th and then that starts my last transfer so that’s when I’ll be with my whole group. I can’t wait to see what they have planned cuz they still won’t tell us all of it. Haha! but it will be fun I’m sure of it haha.

That’s so awesome that Adam is coming home on the 22nd that means I’ll barely beat him back home. haha You can tell Nathan that I told him good choice haha he needs the full 2 years ya can’t just cut it short!

So it sounds like the whole Howard crew is doing good. Do we know when for sure they are going to be moving to Texas? It will be nice having them there - maybe me and dad might have to try another little Texas trophy hunt just this time pick a better spot haha.

Everything here is going really well. We had a cool little learning experience on Sunday. Sometimes ya think when you’ve been on the mission for over a year and a half you have it pretty well figured out. So for weeks we have been just running around like crazy trying to get all our extra responsibilities done and also keep everything going in our area and complete with all the things president has asked us to do and we were just going crazy. So Sunday I got a bit frustrated haha (yes missionaries can get frustrated :)) so I said ya know that’s it we are going to do it right we are going to be diligent and plan everything out and not “run faster than we have strength” and so we started that this week are exercising a little more faith and it’s amazing. We are getting way more things done and its just going smooth and successful. (too bad I’m just now really learning that lesson huh?) It’s a dang good thing I added that extra little month on the end :) So yeah things really are going great we are working hard and just loving it.

love ya

elder ward

ps have fun in spain thats going to be a blast :)

03/16/2011

HOLA!

Yeah I got the package last night. I was in the office and it was there so THANK YOU!! Me and Elder Dennis are dieting! Haha! so we’ll have to share the treats with everyone. It’s so funny because when I was with Elder Dennis the first time he told me he was going to diet and lose weight and so him being my companion and all I decided to help and do it too and we did good for a while and then he broke and it went down hill from there hahaha! but the other day at the beginning of this transfer he told me again it was so funny “he’s like you got to help me Elder Ward” so I told him no messing around this time so I’m officially Elder Dennis' personal trainer hahahaha even all the Ward members know we are dieting and they don’t even try to give us pop anymore (that’s a blessing) :). But yeah thank you very much I ate one of those taffys today and it was pretty dang good.

So yeah we heard all about all that Japan stuff and I heard they got some nuclear power plant problems and if it keeps getting worse it will effect the Western United States so yeah we don’t get to much news but i talked to a couple people in the street about it.

What else is new? O yeah the coolest thing every that family that just got baptized we got it all figured out how to get them to the temple this week so that they can do baptisms for the dead it was AWESOME! They left yesterday and are going to be in Florida for a month so we got them all set up and got there recommends and everything I’m SO excited for them :) we told them they have to wear a skirt and white shirt and a tie so we got that under control I had a white shirt that someone gave me so I gave it to him with a tie haha.

So this week we had a really cool experience and found two new families. so we are really excited about that. They both seem very interested and one even has some family that are members.

but yeah thanks again for the package I hope you enjoy your trip you’ll have to send me some pictures and let me know all about it. You guys are going to have a blast.

Love ya

elder ward

03/09/2011 - Letter to Dad!

Dad,

That’s cool Brad got his truck. I bet he’s just way excited.

So does the cabin have everything finished then? or is there still a little bit more to do? Did you ever decide to do a porch? I can’t wait to stay in it and the ones up at the farm. I told Elder Burton that me and him are going to go to the cabin up in Rocky Bar and spend a few days on the lake this summer haha so you better have all that all ready to roll :)

How much do those Rangers cost? but yeah I heard they are pretty fun. I can’t remember which one it is but I think it’s the Yamaha that makes a really nice one too. I was talking to Elder Dennis about it him and his family are way into all that stuff. He’s the one whose grandpa was your teacher at Ricks but yeah they build all sorts or sandrails and do all that stuff. His dad’s way way way good at all that stuff so I told him we might have to go to town on the Willys after the mission haha!

Jason was talking to me about hunts. I have no idea when they are so you’ll have to just put in for me this year and see if I get an extra little blessing on top for serving a mission! Hahaha!!

Love ya

Elder Ward

03/09/2011 - A New Treat ... PIGS FEET!

HOLA!!!

You can tell Eric I’m going to have to whip him that phrase is bad haha it means something else so don’t make that mistake in Spain or you might get in trouble! :) The correct way to say it is. Como Estas? Tu tienes calor? You can’t say that someone is "Calient" (hot) you have to say "do you have heat" Tu (you) tienes (have) calor (heat) but don’t worry you’ll get it hahaha :)

That’s so crazy that it’s still snowing a bit. I really don’t know what I’m going to do because I think my body is ruined and I’m like thin blooded now or something because I don’t really get hot anymore and I freeze when it’s 70 degrees. I hope I’m not ruined for life. Haha!

That’s cool she bore her testimony and even cooler that she is going to the temple. Our recent converts are going to Florida on the 15th so they are going to go to the temple and do baptisms for the dead. I told them in a year that I’d go to the temple with them so we might be taking a little trip hahaha. They are way excited!

That’s so awesome so many missionaries are going out. I can’t remember who said it - I would have to look it up but someone promised that the more missionaries that a Ward has out the more that Ward is blessed. So the Ward should be seeing some good blessings by the time I get back right! :)

Well everything is going good here. Yesterday I was on a trade off with Elder Zenger (the one that’s going to live with me at school) it was pretty fun. I made him have to sing a solo at our recent converts house haha it was awesome. (two weeks ago I got Elder Dennis twice and now Elder Zenger I’m on a roll :) neither of them were very happy hahaha) but yeah I also got back on a bike for a couple hours yesterday and that was fun it had been a while but President wants us on a bike at least once a day so we are trying it out. I like it - it makes me feel like a real missionary haha.

What else... o yeah so the other day we had this big family night and then we ate after and they gave me a big old heaping plate of rice, beans and pigs feet. That was a treat! haha I don’t think there is any meat on those things just a bunch of bones and you just have to suck and slurp the fat off around the bone. Pretty crazy experience it was a first for me and Elder Taylor. We just looked at it, looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and then went to town on them hahaha!!!

But yeah we are going to have a big family night tonight with our recent converts and the mom’s sister and her family so that should be way fun we are excited!

WAHOOOO!!!

Love ya,

Elder Ward

03/02/2011 - Transfers! Zone Leader again!

Companions: Elder Dennis and Elder Taylor

HOLA

Well things are going great here in Puerto Rico I LOVE IT!

This week was a great week we had our zone council which is always good so that was fun and there is a lot of crazy changes going on. One thing I’m back with Elder Dennis again but we are in a threesome with my same companion. So me, Elder Dennis, and Elder Taylor and we are all zone leaders. It’s Elder Dennis' first time as zone leader so we will all be working together but at the same time me and Elder Taylor will be working with every elder in the zone so that’s going to be pretty crazy. The first three weeks Elder Taylor will be traveling all around the zone and then the next three weeks I’ll leave and do it. It will be fun but will probably give me a bad back – haha - an air mattress for like 6 weeks! Haha! This will also be my last transfer as zone leader :) then I just get sent to San Juan area where I get to just work hard for my last 9 weeks and enjoy being a hard working missionary! WAHOOO!!! So yeah I’m excited about all that!

The week also ended super good cuz yesterday we got to go out and work with all the new Greenie missionaries that got in yesterday. So all last night me, Elder Taylor, the APs and some other Zone Leaders each took out a new missionary and it was so fun! I was way excited it reminded me of my very first day as a missionary and we just worked like crazy! We placed 3 Book of Mormons and taught a family - it was way fun. Oh and I forgot to tell you a new missionary will be coming in next transfer from Magrath Canada cool huh? (That is the town I grew up in (Karen).)

Yeah I don’t really know what to do about the whole byu-i thing. There isn’t really much I can do. But they love missionaries so I think I’ll be ok! Haha!

I got 4 out of 6 of the DVDs you sent. Yeah you got the right ones - its just everyone wants them cuz they have that new movie so they are on back order so we might have to wait a while. But yeah really I can’t think of anything for my birthday so don’t worry about it I’ve got too much junk I don’t know what I’m going to do with at the end of my mission.

That’s cool you talked to Charles. It will be fun to see him when I get back. We’ll go hunting or camping or something and then I’ll make him go to church for my homecoming talk or something cool hahaha

That’s awesome Brad got his truck finally. Is it brand new? and is it diesel?

So does Eric work at the car wash everyday? and do you still have the hispanic guy working there? What’s the ranger doing? Does anyone drive it? Do we still have it?

So where are the Jensen's from? That’s cool their boys must be about my age when do they get back? and where are they serving?

Yeah the valentine made it thank you :)

Little kids are awesome! He made a good choice of scripture haha. There’s a little 9 year old boy that we teach him and his family and he cracks me up. Last time we were at his house he was outside on the porch burning leaves with a magnifying glass and I told Elder Taylor to put his hand in the light and see how hot it was and he was just messing around and he’s like ouch! and pulls his hand away! But yeah the kid loves us and they all think I’m like the mastermind and Elder Taylor is my Hench man haha so he tells his mom that I told Elder Taylor to do it and he burnt his hand. It was pretty funny! We are always joking around with them and for some reason they think I’m a prankster and Elder Taylor just carries out what I tell him to. It’s way funny!

But yeah life is going great and we are having fun!

Love ya,

Elder Ward