Email Letter - April 30, 2012

Hey everyone. Things were good this week. We finally moved it, on Tuesday. It was a pain to wait and live off minimals but sometimes you need to do that. At least the members we were with are pretty great. We're in probably the nicest apartment in the mission now. It's awesome. I like it.
Thursday I was able to go to the temple with Elder Roley! It was really great. I really understood more this time than I have before, and because of that it was a lot more meaningful and the revelation was excellent. You know how last time I saw Ian Bliss at the temple? I didn't see him again, but I did see Nathan Tubbs! Homeboy is fat! I asked how much he weighed. I won't give the weight, but we'll say that he is about 40 lbs heavier than he was when he graduated.  Apparently the Santa Rosa mission goes every 3 months, and depending on where you are in the mission you go to the Sac, Oakland or Medford temple. I think that's how it should be done here too. Oh well. It was good to see Tubbs though. I love that kid! I would send some pictures but the computers at our complex are really lame. About as lame as they can get actually. Looks a lot like windows 98 to me. It probably is. In any case, the Operating System is old school. And there are a grand total of 0 available USB ports. Bummer.
Saturday was Mormon Helping Hands. It was awesome! We did a lot of work at an elementary school, moving sand from one playground to the other, then filling the one we removed the sand from with woodchips. We also removed weeds and put woodchips in their place around the trees on one side of the school. Planted some flowers and fixed up and painted the backstops on one of the baseball fields. That was a whole lot of fun and we got the work done fairly quickly as well. just a couple of hours. I have some pictures from that too, but again, I can't send them. Oh well.
Yesterday The family we've been working with finally came to church! I think they had a good experience. We're making contact with them again tomorrow and are going to find out. There little one was a hastle but other than that they seemed to enjoy it, they participated and definitely felt the spirit. And it was good to finally have them there!
As you can see the week was pretty eventful, and enjoyable. Transfers are next week and I should know what is happening by the time I email. So we'll see how it goes. I think I'm going but you never know. We shall see. Anyway, I love you guys. Have a great week!

Email Letter - April 23, 2012

Hey everyone. This isn't much to say about the last week except the weekend was very busy and very exciting. Saturday was move day for us. Kind of. After we had packed everything up and loaded it into the mission trailer, the senior missionary in charge of apartments realized that it was not us that was supposed to be moving, but the other elders! He flip flopped the days on us accidentally thinking we were the 6th ward elders. Whoops! We decided we would try to move on with the move as best we could and try to get into our apartment anyway. It looked like we were going to be able to, but ended up we couldn't. We got the keys, opened the door, and there were cleaners inside! They won't be done until later today it seems. So we'll either finish up moving in today or we may have to wait until tomorrow. Either way, we're stuck without an apartment. So what are we doing until then? Staying at a member's house of course. We've been taking turns sleeping on the floor and sleeping on the bed. Sadly I think the floor was more comfortable and if we stay the night again tonight I'll be fighting for it. Kind of a sticky situation and not super fun but you do what you have to do.
We had the Roseville stake conference this last Sunday as well, which was excellent. We got to hear from a few people in the congregation, a member of the stake presidency here, President and Sister Weston, President and Sister Baggs (of the sac temple) and from Elder Cordova, whom is an area Seventy in so-Cal. It was great. One of the things that Elder Cordova talked about was recognizing that the most important meeting in the church is Sacrament meeting, because of the Sacrament itself. He told us that we needed to make the chapel as holy as the temple. When he asked how we do that he said it is by recognizing the angels ministering to us as we renew our covenants. He then invited all of the primary children up to sing I love to see the temple, and when they finished he asked if anyone noticed the angels like he did. It was excellent. I love getting the opportunity to go to meetings like that and hear from church leaders. It almost always helps me see a new perspective on something in the church or in every day life. Usually both.
Anyway I think that's all for this week, I love you all and take care!

Email Letter - April 16, 2012

Hello all, things are going good! This week we had all sorts of doors that we knocked on. That happens a lot these days. It's a good thing I really enjoy tracting. I find it fun meeting all sorts of different people and having all sorts of conversations with them. This week we had a really good conversation with a "Christian" man. Non-denominational, one of those "Lord Lord" guys. He criticized us for teaching doctrine on one scripture in the bible. Like baptism for the dead as an example. But only had one scripture to justify what he was talking about. About all we have to do is confess that Jesus is Lord and accept Him into our lives and there won't be anything to stop us getting into heaven. In the end he called us heretics, we said he was wrong, bore testimony, and got up and walked out. Poor guy, too blind to see the truth right in front of him. That's how it goes sometimes. Especially when people think they're educated on our religion because they took a class offered by their church that teaches about us and our doctrine. Oh well.
That's all for this week. Congrats on the Baby Carter and Anna! And welcome little Savannah into the world! I love you all. Take care.

Email Letter - April 9, 2012

Happy easter all!
Things went well this last week. We're still not having as much success as we would like but we're still working hard and trying to find those people that are the elect and searchers for truth. They'll come around for us, it's just a matter of patience. It's a good thing I'm so full of that Christ-like attribute. Not. I need some help in that aspect, but maybe that's why this is happening how it is. Whose to say?
Yesterday I was blessed to teach the Gospel principles class. The lesson was supposed to be on fasting and that's what I had originally planned on teaching but it was suggested about 20 minutes before church that I should teach on the Atonement. It was Easter after all. It fell right so I did, and it was perfect. It was probably more for me than it was for everyone else in the class, to tell the truth. I got a lot out of it, but I think the best part was that I was able to feel the spirit teach through me and testify to the people in that class of the truth of what I was saying. It was far too long of a gap of time from the last time I was able to really feel that way about something that I taught in an organized lesson. Knowing that the people were listening really helped as well. It was good to testify of the Atonement and have the spirit confirm it to myself as well. I think that's the most important thing that came from yesterday's lesson.
That's about all of the fun events from this week, hopefully this week will be filled with more excitement and adventure. because we all love that! Take care and enjoy!

Email Letter - April 9, 2012

Hey there daddio! Yeah the mission let us get on mormon.org/easter to post something about Christ. There was a big campaign this last weekend where they showed advertisements during youtube videos to direct people to that website, so they can see we believe in Christ. We were allowed to participate. Which was great.
That's rough for quin. I know that's not what we wanted to hear, but in essence quin is the one in charge of his body and can do what he wants. In saying that, it's hard not to play but sometimes that's what you need to do. There are more important things than football. But if he feels good enough to play and wants to do it then the doctor really can't stop him. He needs to remember though that if it hurts, he needs to stop. Period.
Anyway, things here are very good. Still working on finding people to teach, still not having success in that aspect, but we're having fun. We recorded our tracting approaches this last week and then shared them with the other missionaries. That was a really good laugh, especially when we brought up that the big bang is only as likely as a dictionary being formed from a printing shop explosion. They people on the door step didn't know what to say. After some silence they said "maybe there is a god, but that doesn't mean you're right about it!" and slammed the door. We thought it was humorous.
Well that's all I really have to say, except happy birthday Jessica! and Happy easter to the family. I love you daddy. Take care.
-Sean

Email Letter - April 2, 2012

HI everybody! (Hi Elder King!)
This week was so great. I just love conference. The Prophets, Seers, and Revelators are just my favorite. I won't go into too much detail about talks but I will say I think my favorite of all of talks was President Eyring's in the saturday morning session. I think I pulled more out of that talk than any other and it really just hit home to me. You know how sometimes you feel as if the prophets are speaking right to you and not to any of the other 14 million members of the church? That was one of those talks.
Things this week were pretty rough still, that's what happens when you're core study is Christ-like attributes at the time and you happen to be studying patience in depth though. It happens.  But it was so much better than the last few weeks. Elder Warren, who is from Wyoming not Idaho, just right on the border between the two, has made all the difference in the work. It's nice to have someone that just wants to have fun but wants to have fun while he works hard. We match up really well that way and we get along super well too.  So even just in that aspect it's been really good. We're working really hard to find some people to teach right now, we've had to turn over just about everyone we've been teaching except for Kristian and Vitta, who came to conference Saturday and happened to see Elder Holland's talk. We're hoping that'll juice them up and help them to see the need to be baptized.
As far as moving goes it hasn't happened yet. We're hoping it'll happen in the next couple of weeks. The senior missionary in charge of the housing is checking out all of the apartments today and will be making the decision. So we should hear about it soon and then hop to. It's going to be good to get out of the place we're at now, the spirit just can't be there. We feel bad for the people moving in after us though, poor people. Have to deal with weed smell and munchies and the such. But at least I'll be out of there!
Anyway, there isn't too much to say about the week. But I love you guys, I hope all is well. Take good care and have a happiness filled week!