November 1, 2016 - Week 29

Hey everyone!

This week was way cool! Monday night we went on exchanges with the Zone leaders, I went to their area with Elder Lauti! It was way cool except we had a zone service project that morning and then I did my District Council right after so after all that plus dinner we only had like 2 or 3 hours to go out and to proselyte together. But those couple hours were pretty great! We just knocked doors mostly but we had some really good experiences. We always pick something for us to focus on during the exchange so I picked bearing Testimony of how the Book of Mormon has effected your life. But as is tradition for most exchanges, we forget about the focus and don't do it. But at the very last door we picked for the night I realized we weren't doing it and I resolved that I would do it. So I looked for some way to bring up the Book of Mormon...and noticed he was wearing a Foo Fighters shirt... So after he said he wasn't interested I said "your just trying to relax and listen to the Foo Fighters right?" He laughed and said yes giving me a chance to say something like "yeah, I used to be like that to but I decided it wasn't good enough. So i started reading the Bible and Book of Mormon and found new purpose in my life." Some how this gave him a reason to step outside, shut the door, and have an actual conversation with us. (he also locked himself out we found out later) The conversation was really cool but in the end he still wasn't very interested in having us come back, such is the ways of missionary life, but now he liked us more and he knows we actually care about people and if he ever did have a desire to learn more he would be more comfortable with us. It was cool. 

Because of Halloween we had to come back to the apartment at 6 and we also had a District Council in the morning so we didn't to go out to proselyte for very long but the time we had was pretty efficient minus the fact it took us 1 hr and 15 minutes to walk to the area we were tracting. There was a guy walking to the mailboxes that waved at us and made the classic "its too early to be trick-or-treating" joke. He was a nice guy but not interested. He checked the mail but he didn't have anything so he walked back to his house but right after we knocked a door we turned around and saw the mail man deliver the mail. So we walked back to his house to tell him that the mail was here and had a really good conversation. Again, they weren't interested but would now be more open to future missionaries. So we move onward and continue to Sow Seeds! You can't harvest what was never planted so I am happy whether I am reaping or sowing fro the future missionaries.

My District Council was really cool. In case you don't know, when you are a District Leader you are in charge of making District Councils for the District. Each transfer we always have 3, so I have to organize 3 District Councils. This time I invited President and Sister Anderson to come to it. He was once the Mission President in Sweden and they were both just released from the Temple Presidency. They were so awesome to have there! It was a fun council!

Nothing else really happened this week except that:

• our fridge is overflowing with Cake and Pie from my birthday and some dinners that were delivered to the house
• The Danes (who we live with) gave us Flannel bead sheets to sleep in and they are so disgustingly comfortable it is ridiculous! So hard to get out of bed now!
• Our Bike is still broken even though we should have gotten the part by now. When the member went to pick it up they had forgotten to order it
• We were walking past the Bethel church and saw what there Youth Program was teaching them...I'll send a picture of the Car they were beating

Love You all!!!

Elder Strong

This Osprey landed in the tree in front of house and ate a fish it caught. Our Members love birds and had a spoting scope out so I took pictures for them (they were out of town)

"Judge Ekstrom, problem Solver"

October 25, 2016 - Week 28

​Hello Everyone!

We had a super fantastic week this week!

So one of the bikes broke this week, shifter just straight up exploded, crazy stuff. But that wasn't that big of a deal since we haven't been riding that much because of my neck anyway but we have had the opportunity to get to know some great members who have been helping us get it fixed.

My Birthday was super great, a few weeks ago we had a dinner with some less active members and asked them to feed us on my birthday! We had an amazing dinner! at first we felt bad because we could tell that it cost a bit of money but then he showed us his Decati (nice nice motorcycle) so then we felt better. Then some members surprised me with a birthday cake! awesome!

We are now keeping track of "Proselyting hours" in the mission and it was surprising to see how far away we were to reaching the missions expectations. This week we improved a ton because we didn't get hurt or sick but there is still a lot of room for improvements and we are excited to make them!

My favorite current investigators Zack and Karissa are moving this week, i'm pretty sad. But we have one more lesson set up this week that is going to be awesome! I am way excited! They will have a lot of fun in Pasco, they will have some really awesome missionaries there!

Not much else to say but it was an awesome week! Love you all!

Steak was Birthday dinner

Elder Gwilliams Blister keeps opening

some Dome interior (where we live)

and some other stuff

Elder Strong

October 17, 2016 - Week 27

Hello Friends and Family!

So this week was kinda different. 

So with the Car back in possession we were able to get to parts of our area we haven't been in because it is too far to walk there. We were able to contact a lot of referrals and potential investigators and after having some really good conversations and setting some return appointments we got a call...from the Assistants...telling us they were giving our car to some other Elders...We just cant get a break! Now we have been given bikes at least, but everyday we leave the house there is a hill that takes 30 mins to walk up and would take 15-20 to bike up except that we cant bike straight up hill that long. And all of our area is up hill so the bikes are only kinda helpful for going down hill our for the vary rare flat areas we have, but oh well, we'll survive.

We haven't had much experience on the bikes yet because I got hurt and sick on the same day. I got this weird Flu/cold thing where I had a really intense fever and was super congested but I couldn't sleep because I hurt my neck. My neck hurt soo bad that I would wake up every 30-60 minutes and then couldn't fall back asleep for a while. So we were told I had to get it looked at and all they could say is that I hurt my neck (probably all the up hill) and it was inflamed and not healing yet. So they gave me some sweet muscle relaxants to put my out at night and I have to take 9 ibuprofen every day to get rid of the inflammation. So pray I don't get an ulcer : ) 

I am doing a lot better now though, but we were stuck in the apartment for 3 days so that kinda sucked.

I am not sure I talked about it last week but we have been doing this crazy service project where we have been going to this guys house and digging out his basement, we did that again this week but this time I couldn't help. This time we got the guy to commit to church this sunday so it has all been worth it!

Not a ton else this week but it was still a good one after all the sickness and junk was over!

Love ya!

Here is us trying to be happy even though we are now helmet missionaries, Elder Gwilliams twinkie box, and how foggy it was one morning since we live on the river.

Elder Strong

October 10, 2016 - Week 26

Hey Everyone!

So had a pretty good week for the most part but there were some pretty sad parts also.

Started off the week with exchanges with Elder Yates back in the Riverview ward. It was way fun and I got to see a lot of people again, I also got to show Elder Yates his area since he hasn't been proselyting in 5 weeks. Elder White and Elder Gwilliam stayed in our area and were in the apartment all day except when they went to the Doctor to get the news on Elder Whites MRI's. Later that night they had a retired Member come read the scans with us and showed us what was wrong with Elder White (and an MRI of his butt, pretty cool) he has something called a  sarynx (something like that) which means there is a sac of unnecessary fluid in his spinal cord that they can't remove without leaving permanent nerve damage so he basically needs to learn how to live with it. And because he needed physical therapy and a few more MRI's they sent him home. It was all pretty sad.

Tuesday we did this super crazy service project where we ended up "digging out" someones basement. Which meant we were in a pre-established home filling 5 gallon buckets with rock and dirt and hauling them back upstairs and duping it into a pile. IT WRECKED US. We couldn't do anything else the rest of the day, it was way too intense. And we have to go back this Saturday to help do some more. Don't get me wrong, it was still pretty fun but holy poop was it hard.

Had another lesson with Zack and Karissa, turns out they'll be moving to Pasco by the end of the month but we're going to keep working them over so that when they get there we can send in the new set of missionaries to get them baptized. They are so awesome!

Saturday we got a call in the morning telling us that a Zone Leader was sick and they needed one of us to go with his companion and attend a temple Endowment with him because he was escorting someone. So I got to go! It was so much fun! It was a really cool experience. 

Well that is basically it for this week but still lots more to come this week!

Love you all!

The Young Men and Young Women in the Ward made us the cake...it was pretty good though!

Elder Strong

October 3, 2016 - Week 25

​Hey Everyone!!!

So I'm back in Richland!!! It is so cool to be back here again, my area is on the opposite side of my first area but I still see all the people I knew when I was here last and I am still decently familiar with my surroundings. I am still a District Leader which is AWESOME! I love it!

My new Companion is Elder Gwilliam, he is from Visalia California (near Frezno). We are in the Hillsview Ward. Our area is SO Wealthy it is Ridiculous, so much different than anywhere else I have been. The area is supposed to have a car but because of another Elders health problem we share it with them and mostly don't have it. He may have a pinched nerve in his back and is getting an MRI today, he might be going home at this point which would be way sad. It is Elder White who lived with me in my first apartment while I was getting trained. Pretty sad. 

The only problem with not having a car in this area is that it is called the Hillview ward for a reason...

Plus it is a huge area.

We live with some pretty awesome Members. We live in "The Dane's Dome". It is the GREATEST Apartment in the whole mission. I hope i never have to leave it at least for the next 6 months. The Danes are super awesome and the apartment is so nice. I only have a few pix right now but Ill get more later.

We aren't teaching a ton of people right now but we did just get some cool new people. Last Week Elder Gwilliam and Elder Jones (his last comp) tracted into a guy that said they could come back for dinner this week. The Dinner was awesome. His name is Zack, he lives with his girlfriend Karissa and have a son together. He also switches days on having is two daughters over that he had with and EX. After the amazing dinner we set up a return appointment to watch General Conference with them sunday morning! it was so cool.

Not a ton much else to talk about, I have kinda just been on auto pilot following Elder Gwilliam while I try to get my feet back on the ground.

Here some pictures of me saying goodbye to Elder Snelgrove, Taylor and Korhonen

Pictures of the Dome

and A box of junk a member brought by :)

Love you all! 

Elder Strong

Here some pictures of me saying goodbye to Elder Snelgrove, Taylor and Korhonen

Pictures of the Dome

A box of junk a member brought by :)

October 3, 2016 - College Place Apartment Pics

​Here are those Pictures I kept meaning to send but never did...It was an ok apartment. 

There are Definitely better and definitely worse.

September 29, 2016 - Week 24

Hello Everybody!

So we had a pretty great week this week but first, here is some news!

I am going to be transferred! They are sending me back to Richland to serve in the Hillview ward! My new Companion is Elder Gwilliam, I am pretty excited to get back to Richland! However, I am not excited to pack, or leave Elder Snelgrove, or to leave Walla Walla, but oh well! Such is the life of a missionary I guess! 

This week we found a guy named Roy, he is a huge SDA and he does something called Call Porting, which basically means he has a garage filled to the brim with SDA literature that he goes door to door selling or gives to missionaries he thinks are mislead...He is an alright guy. We taught him a lesson on the Restoration but we didn't get very far before he just sat there and tried to bash with us. He means well but they just need to know that there is a lot more to church than which day you go to it.

This week we finally met this guy we had been trying to meet for a while. Their family are all active members except the father. He will not be baptized "until his mother has passed away". And because missionaries in the passed would not get passed that, they always pushed too hard so they haven't allowed missionaries through their doorway for a long time. They Mother loves to give us eggs though, she gives them to us all the time and this time we got through the door. We only talked Fishing, Hunting, Blacksmiths, and Falconry the whole time but hey, we got in. 

This week a member sent us over to her friends home, she lives on her farm called Frog Hollow Farm. Guess what religion she is? YUP, SDA. We came over and volunteered some time on the Farm. We spent two hours pulling dead Tomato plants, It was pretty awesome.

Well, Thats what I got for ya this week! 

Love You all!

Elder Strong