Monday 3/17/14 - Sunday, 3/23/14

Monday – Today was a pretty great P-day. We played some basketball again at Twin Hills Park. It was pretty good. There are some good players there. Most of them aren’t that great though. We played together with the 2^nd Ward Elders and one other guy. It makes me chuckle that 3 white kids and a Peruvian who are Mormon tore up a bunch of black kids who are more athletic and play way more. Then later that evening we went to the hospital to give Barry McCall a blessing and got a bit lost in the hospital because the signs weren’t clear. Well at least not to us. Finally found him and gave him a blessing. Then Brother Burbidge came to teach Mark Hayes with us. That went pretty good. He told us some of the same stories he told the first time. Then we had a fun little FHE with the Haines. We taught about the Plan of Salvation. William and Brent are so cut and energetic and Isaac their newborn is a cute little guy.

Tuesday – We headed down to Niceville first thing in the morning to go to their district meeting and see how Elder Smellie is doing as district leader. He is pretty new at it but his district is doing a really good job. They tend to get a bit off topic but who doesn’t at times? Then we ate at a place called Taco Town which was pretty good food. They had some fried cinnamon tortilla things that were pretty good. Then we traded off. Elder Smellie went to Crestview with me and Elder Rasmussen and Elder Swenson stayed down in Niceville. We had a great day in Crestview. Had a lesson with Wes and Erica was there. Went good. It was more of a get to know lesson. Then had dinner with the Peterson’s which was awesome as usual! Had yummy pulled pork sandwiches. Then had a weird lesson with Jamie. Brother Kriser came with and Jamie seems to just be playing games with us. Then Brother Hartwell came to Tony’s and it was a great lesson. Tony set April 26th as a baptismal date and we read 3 Nephi 11 and he liked us. Great day!

Wednesday – Traded back first thing and also did some role plays. During role plays we were all doing different voices. Elder Rasmussen did “Herbert the Pervert”, Elder Swenson did Batman, Elder Smellie did a gay southerner and I did “Gollam” from Lord of the Rings. At one point we were talking about having a “party” jokingly in our accents. Then Elder Smellie said something about bringing the meat and Elder Rasmussen responded with ”I hope you’re not talking about your friend’s ye sick a**”. It was unexpected and he didn’t even mean to say it either. Typed up a mission call letter for our member MTC tomorrow to help split up the groups. Then had a lesson with Wes. He is so ready for baptism and that is so cool to see. They are going to take us out to eat Saturday. Ate at Azteca with the Boyd’s. It is a pretty good place. Mexican food! Taught Andy a quick lesson. Brother Peterson came and was awesome once again. Had some funny role plays with Andy. He pretended to be his brother and I pretended to be him. Then we practiced what he might say. Had coordination which was short and sweet. Then gave a blessing to Fay Mason. It was a bit weird because I had the thought to tell her to move on but didn’t know if it was my thought or the Lord’s.

Thursday – Today we had our weekly planning session. It was pretty good. Didn’t get to do our comp inventory but finished everything else. Had a pretty good lesson with Chris and Tina Washington. They told us they would come to church with us. Should be sweet! Also saw a Nissan GT-R at one point which was sweet. Flew down to eat dinner with the Wadas’. They are awesome and have a ton going on right now but they are still awesome and always great conversations. Then flew to our apartment to pick up some family proclamations. Then flew to the church for the member MTC which wasn’t as big as we were hoping but it was still fun. We ended up doing some role plays, some online media stuff and Preach My Gospel Jeopardy. Pretty good stuff. Then we talked to the Bishop and Brother Ratcliff about a family history booth we plan on doing next Saturday.

Friday – Today was a slow day. Started off great! Had a lesson with Pat Dunn and had Sister Gray come and he just couldn’t say no to her. She is such a sweet 85 year old lady. She grew up with Pat’s grandma so they are family friends. Then Sister Gray made us some sandwiches which were lovely. Talked with Wendy O’Bynne, a referral, but she was sick and we talked to a couple of her neighbors. Talked with Krista and her cousin recently committed suicide so that was sad to hear about. Also read with Chris Robbins a bit. Wow he is a spiritual 17 year old. Day was rough at that point and we were tired so we went and got drinks at Walmart. Talked with Henry a bit which was good and played volleyball. Might just rename Tucker to Spike because that’s all I did! I was on fire!

Saturday – 19 months! Holy cow! Had a great time with Miss April chopping down some trees. Actually we were chopping trees up into roughly 3 foot logs. Made a little bridge/path with them. Then we made a really weak bridge over the creek and I almost fell in a few times. It was really fun! I got a huge blister on my left palm from axing. Stopped by to see Josh for a minute. Had an interesting conversation about all the things he wants to change in his house. He is a great guy! Then headed to the church to teach Wes. He got there a bit late so it took a minute to get started. Had the lesson and then they took us down to Fort Walton to dinner at Logan’s Steak House. It was pretty good. But they messed up so we got back late. Got to talk to Wes about a ton during the car ride though and talked to him about fasting for his divorce to be finalized.

Sunday – Today we had our Ward Council Meeting which went pretty well. Then we had a good old fashion chat with Brother Burbidge. He is such a funny guy. Went home and had lunch while watching “Legacy” and then studied a bit. Had church which was pretty good. We taught Gospel Principles and was reminded of how powerful the Bible videos are. We also taught Mallory King. I wish he would let Christ help him. He is sadly frustrating. Figured out the signage of our family history booth. After that lesson we got a lot of support from our ward for the booth. Should be sweet! Had dinner with the Cockrell’s and they were telling us about the springs throughout Florida and how there is a giant vacuum like thing going under all of them. Then taught Andy a good lesson. We showed some of the Bible videos and talked about Christ. Also helped them put their new mattresses on their bed frame.

Monday, 3/10/14 - Sunday, 3/16/14

Monday – P-day! It was way fun! We played ball at Twin Hills with a bunch of black guys and tore them up pretty good. They cheated a ton too. Had one guy travel terribly and wouldn’t admit it. Later we ate at the Peterson’s which was really fun! They are such a celestial family. Had a lesson over at the Thomas’ but Brother Thomas didn’t even sit in and Brother Hansen even came out with us. Then got lost in a neighborhood when he was driving us all to the Rodriguez Family home to give Sister Rodriguez a blessing. It was such a funny memory. Then had a great blessing that Brother Climer gave.

Tuesday – Today we headed down to Fort Walton to go to each of their district meetings. I went to Elder Schwartz’s District Meeting. It was good! Got kinda weird but funny when in our role play Elder Schwartz, Elder MacLay and I were a TV and Elder Schwartz started stripping. At least he only took off his jacket, belt and tie. Then had our exchange after district meeting with the 1^st Ward. Elder Atagi came to Crestview with me and Elder Rasmussen and Elder Schwartz stayed in Fort Walton. We also did some role plays with them before we split. We didn’t have a ton of success during our day. We gave Sister Maldonado a blessing before she headed to Utah. Taught Jamie a bit which was good. She is still planning on church with us this Sunday. I really hope she comes! Saw Mark Hayes briefly and set up an appointment. Tracted with no success so we visited with the Haines a bit. They really like Elder Atagi because he is Samoan and Sister Haines is Fijian so we all talked about all sorts of Polynesian stuff. Then we had dinner with Sister Blum, the Blum kids, Sister Roberts and Sylvia, my mom’s cousin. They took us out to Mia’s Italian Restaurant. It was pretty good. Wow Elder Atagi can pound some food! Tony fell through but we talked to his brother Henry for a minute or thirty and also got a referral from him to go see his uncle. Then we did the exchange report and Elder Atagi played some tunes on his guitar. He is a great guy! Huge 360 pound “teddy bear” type of guy.

Wednesday – Today we traded back and Elder Schwartz did some “personology” on me. It was so weird! It is really accurate. He looks at your traits and tells you what personality/tendencies you have. Then had our exchange with the Fort Walton 2^nd Ward Elders. Elder Rasmussen went with Elder Bochenek and then Elder Sorrell came down to Crestview with me. Did some planning stuff because Elder Sorrell wanted us to help him plan a bit better. So I did my best to help him. Then we went to see Chris Nichols but he was gone so we put that on the back burner and tried to contact a guy. Couldn’t find his address so we went back to see Chris because he told us he was back. Read a bit and had a good lesson with him. President Pocket called us. We called him back and I asked him to call my Dad. I haven’t heard from him for a really long time. Don’t know what is going on there. Taught Austin again for the first time in forever. Ate a great dinner with the Boyd’s. Sister Boyd made some daghum good cake/brownie with ice cream in the middle and fudge on top. Then had a great coordination. Talked about our member MTC which should be sick!

Thursday – Today we traded back with Fort Walton and did some role plays. Went well and it was pretty fun. Then headed home for some weekly planning and finished it pretty quick and painless. Taught a good lesson to Josh Vining and it went well. We are going to help him tomorrow with his jeep. Also set up a church tour with him and his family! That will be sick! Then we had a great dinner with the Bissen’s and a great lesson with them after. Had Brother Peterson come again and he did awesome again! Then had a pretty good lesson with Jamie. Brother Climer came with some great testimony to add to our lesson. Went pretty well. Also got to kneel down in prayer with Andy and he prayed to open a joined fast with him and Brother Peterson and us. It was powerful.

Friday – Today we had a good morning. Went to see Pat, an old potential, and got to teach him about the doctrine behind family history. It went really well and he invited us back. Had service with Josh which was kind of slow but we got a bit of work done and it was fun to get to know him a bit more. Then had a pretty good lesson with Chris Robbins. Got to answer a couple of questions and help him understand the gospel a little better. Devon came to teach Theresa and Ariel after that. Ariel seemed a bit sad but she wouldn’t let on. She did wake up form a nap so she was probably just tired. Had a quick dinner and then went to have volleyball. Took some things down that were in the cultural hall for tomorrow to put them back up when we finished. They showed up to set up more before we were done so we set up and did some beach volleyball to finish it up. It was way fun to play in the sand at Twin Hills again.

Saturday – Today was sick! Had a sweet church tour with Josh Vining with Bishop Parker there. It went really well too. Josh set May 31^st to work toward for baptism. Decided to go to Taco Bell but put that on hold for Eric and Stephanie Eliot. Eric is not a member and had a ton of questions for us. They were all valid questions. He was feeling sick and allowed us to give him a blessing. I got to act as voice and it was a powerful experience. I felt that I shouldn’t say something that the spirit was directing me to say. But the spirit wouldn’t let me move on so I had to say it. Went and enjoyed happier hour at Taco Bell. Brother Harter came to teach Tammy and try to resolve her concern but Brother Harter kinda exploded and talked about way too much. Went to the Grice’s but that fell through. So we went to volleyball because they decided to do it again. Unfortunately none of the investigators we invited made it there. It was really fun though!

Sunday – Today it rained like crazy! We went to Tony’s first thing and his street was literally a river. Brother Boyd came with and we had a really good lesson. He sorta accepted but didn’t accept a baptismal date. He was there at church though and that was sweet. He is a cool guy and his son, Ryan, and his daughter, Toni, are so cute. Church was really good. After church we taught Jamie. She is so nervous to pray so we were encouraging her to do so. Had to help her get into their truck so she could get the key out. Somehow Elder Rasmussen did it while I was on the phone with Brother McKenzie who was telling me we couldn’t do it, so that was kinda funny. Had a great dinner with Bishop Parker and his daughters. Role played missionary invites with them. Then Bishop took us to the Bissen’s where we had a powerful lesson with once again the “spiritual giant” Brother Peterson! Brother Peterson bore strong testimony of eternal families and told a really powerful story about his wife dying and the comfort the Plan of Salvation brings him. The spirit was so powerful. Then Brother Peterson took us home.

Monday, 3/3/14 - Sunday, 3/9/14

Monday - Today was kind of a weird day. Elder Evans spent most of it prepping to send his bike home. It was hard to see someone prepping to go home. It has been a great time with him. We found out Elder Rasmussen, my MTC companion, will be my new companion here in Crestview. Had dinner with the Thomas' as well. I really love them! Bore some strong testimony to Brother Thomas which was good. Then went to see Ben because he is being deployed tomorrow so we won't see him again. He went down to South America. Then we flew to the Harter's for a Family Home Evening.That was really fun! Things seem to be getting better for the Harter's. He told us some funny stories about him getting tazed and taxing other people too. So funny!

Tuesday -Today we had a great District Meeting with our own district finally. It was really good. Elder Urquiaga is a great district leader. Then we did some district pictures. After that we had some lunch with the Burbidge's at Whataburger. The manager was LDS and ended up giving us and Brother Burbidge our food for free. We were all so mind blown by it too.  Went to see Mike but he told us he didn't want to learn. That was a weird situation. Met John, a referral, and he was nice. Hope he is interested. Went out with Brother Jones from the 2nd Ward and he took us to go see a couple of his friends in our ward. Didn't work out but he told us a cool story about how he needed a hip replacement but got a priesthood blessing which healed it. Ate dinner with the Taylor's which was awesome as usual! They are so much fun to be with. Then we went to the Barbecho's with TJ to butcher a chicken for her. Quite the experience. I had to cut its head off while it was alive. Chickens do still run around with no head. It was trying to but Elder Evans held it.  Then we had another really good lesson with Andy and Brother Peterson came again. Andy prayed after we left! So awesome!

Wednesday - Today we mailed off Elder Evans bike for only like 108 bucks which seemed pretty cheap. Then we went to lunch with the Vining's at Wayne's Catfish. I think that's what it was called. I had white fish which was pretty good. Met a young lady named Kandice that was baptized in Niceville. She met the Sisters so we will leave that up to them. Saw the Fluhrer's for a brief second but they were eating lunch. So we tracted and met a Japanese lady who wanted a Japanese Book of Mormon. Saw Jamie briefly for Elder Evans to say bye and give one last testimony. Also saw the Washington's briefly and got to chat and share a little bit of the gospel. Also got to teach Chris Nichols and read some from the Book of Mormon and Aaron, his roommate, even sat in and listened and gave some great insights. Had dinner with the Boyd's for Elder Evans "last supper". It is always a good time there. Coordination was cancelled so we saw Theresa and Ariel early. Great final lesson for Elder Evans. Had a great lesson and great laughs. They are so funny.

Thursday - Today was transfers. We headed to the transfer spot first thing to pick up Elder Rasmussen and help out with everything else. Everything went smooth at our transfer spot and then we sent the rest away. Then we headed home so Elder Evans could finish packing up the loose ends and Elder Rasmussen started unpacking his stuff. Went back to transfer spots and said goodbye to the rest of the people leaving the zone and to Elder Evans. It is weird to see someone going home. Then Brother Wing came out with us and we had everything fall through so we ended up tracting after he left. Met Tammy who was Muslim at one point and changed her name to Jannat Hajar Coulibauy. She is Christian now. Also met Chris Robbins, like off Winnie the Pooh. Cool kid that reads the Bible at least an hour a day. Saw Brother Spears briefly. He is doing pretty good. Just a way busy guy. Also shared a short message with the Woodring's. Then ate some grub at the Cockran's. Always a good time there. Tried to see a couple potentials and then headed home to unpack.

Friday - Started the day off figuring out zone stuff and doing some weekly planning. It all took so long because I am trying to get Elder Rasmussen up to speed on the area and on being a zone leader. Went to Josh Vining to work on his jeep. He begun sandblasting it and we also took apart some leaf springs. He is sandblasting the tub of the Jeep so that he can repaint and weld anything that needs to be. We had some kinks with the sandblaster but he kind of got it going near the end. Went home and ate and went to see Joe Olivera who Elder Bailey told us to go see. Nice kid just doesn't quite get it all yet but who really does? Then we had volleyball which was pretty fun. Not as many came but it was still pretty good.

Saturday - Did a ton of weekly planning today as well because we didn't finish. Played basketball too. It was supposed to be Elders Quorum but the 2nd Ward Elders just invited a bunch of kids. So that was weird. It was really fun. Most of our stuff also fell through today. Unfortunately Tina was sick and we didn't get to go to the Washington's. Brother Wanner came out with us to teach Jamie and that went really well. Jamie wants to know if the church is true and came out and said she wants to come to church. Had our 8 o'clock appointment fall through. So we talked to Devin Grice for a minute and then tried to see a less active. Then went to a potentials named the Steele's and we knocked and the lady looked through the window which was creepy but it gave us a good laugh.

Sunday - Had Ward Council and then had a long conversation with Bishop about some people in the ward. Had lunch and then taught Tony with Brother Boyd. It went well only Tony didn't come to church. We also met Wes Carrol again at church and his girlfriend Erica (member). He has taken all the lessons and wants to be baptized. He is from Crestview but they just moved down from Utah. So the Lord is handing Crestview a baptism. We talked for a while and they are cool! Also my mom's cousin Sylvia was at church again and I eat with her and Sister Blum on Tuesday. After church we taught Kevin Harnett a bit. He is a less active but still believes. His wife is just against it. Then we helped his neighbor build a slide for a jungle jim thing. That was random but really cool. Ate at the Bissen's and then Brother Peterson came and we shared a lesson. Andy is a tough one. Then we headed home for a quick study because morning meetings killed that part of our day. 

Monday, 2/24/14 - Sunday 3/2/14

Monday – Today was a great P-day. Went and had some pizza buffet with the 2^nd Ward Elders. I am not a big fan of pizza or buffets but I enjoyed being with the 2^nd Ward Elders. We also played basketball with them which was really fun. I went pretty hard and my ankle feels pretty good. So it is healing okay, I think… Highlight of the day was that we got to finally see the Roger’s for the first time in my time here in 6 months. We answered some of their questions and hopefully that will open up a door for us.

Tuesday – Today we started the day off going down to the Destin District Meeting. It went pretty well. I wish Elder Simmons cared a little bit more about fulfilling his district leader responsibilities because he is a great missionary. Then we had our exchange with the Destin Elders. Elder Miller came to Crestview with me and Elder Evans stayed down in Destin with Elder Simmons. We had a pretty good exchange. We got to go to do home teaching with Brother Hansen and then Brother Hansen came to the Thomas’ with us. I think Brother Thomas liked him. We also got to teach Andy which I feel went really well. We accidentally set Saturday the 1^st as a baptismal date and he accepted. We talked about the spirit and it was awesome. Then Johnny fell through so we said hello to Ben. He was packing for his deployment. Then we ended the night. I also had a cool experience. I have been thinking a lot about extending my mission. Only 30 days is allowed right now. Any way I thought I should ask God and after doing so felt strongly that I should extend.

Wednesday – Today we headed to Niceville to exchange and do role plays with both Destin and Niceville. Then we started our exchange with Niceville. Elder Smellie (Smay-lee) and Elder Evans went to Crestview and I stayed in Niceville with Elder Swenson. Weird day, Elder Smellie took the car keys with him on accident so we ended up walking all over the place with no one being home. We did meet a couple ladies that might have some potential. We also tracted a bit with no one letting us in. Ate dinner with Brother Young. He is a good guy and made some really good cinnamon bread. He is very opinionated! Also saw Sister Whitzel and tried to teach her. She is an “internagator”. She has had missionaries coming by for 15 years. Nice lady! I also talked to President Smith this morning and he told me I would have to talk to my mom/dad before I can extend but that he would love to have me 30 more days. So we will see!

Thursday – We had a pretty good day today. We exchanged back and headed to Crestview to do some weekly planning. Did as much as possible but we had a ton of appointments today. Had a really good lesson with the Skylark’s. They asked a ton of really good questions. It made it a really fun lesson and Ishmael also felt the spirit. Hope they come to church Sunday! We also went to the Woodring’s but Robert and Maribel weren’t there so we shared a message with Daryl and Devin which went well. After that we went to see Johnathan. He is a gator that was referred by the Crestview 2 Sisters. Interesting lesson. Met his dad, Bill, and his mom, Angela. We believe Bill is a preacher of some sort. They knew a lot and also brought up a lot of anti-material. Then had a great lesson over at the Bissen’s with Brother Peterson. Spirit was so strong! Andy knows it is true but is pushing it away. Brother Peterson is a spiritual giant! He bore strong testimony to Andy! It pumped the spirit into the room! Sooo CooL! That’s right notice the capital L on cool.

Friday – Today we finished up our weekly planning which took forever. Also got to teach Chris Nichols. That lesson went really well. We taught him how to get more out of his scripture study and showed him some techniques. It seemed to help him a lot! Headed to the Fisher’s after that for dinner. Sister Fisher made some really good soup for us and we also talked to them a bit about some new move-ins that we can help with. Then we shared a message with the Fisher’s and invited them to kneel down and pray with us. Brother Fisher offered a powerful sincere prayer to conclude asking God for opportunities to share the gospel with those around them. Then we finished the night with volleyball which was really fun!

Saturday – Weird day! We had our usual meeting with President Miller over breakfast which was really good actually. Then went to the Ralph’s to go over the ward roster with them and all the Sisters. That was productive but just took forever! Brother Thatcher came out with us as well. Our appointment fell through but we ended up having a weird visit with Johnny. He was working on his cars and then we taught him. Invited him to church and Stacey, his “wife” got all snooty telling him his daughter wouldn’t sit through it. She has been rude the past few times we have been there. Contacted a referral named Mike. We will teach him in a few days. Then tried to “tract” into James Purcell’s house but that didn’t work. His stepdad was outside. We tried to talk to him but he was clever and avoided us by holding his dog. Talked with Skyler Nunley who gave us some grub. That was awesome, much needed snack. Then we went to the Higgins. Brother Higgins has been having a hard time and we bore testimony of the atonement! It was so powerful.

Sunday – Today we saw a ton of people and got to finish the week strong! Saw the Anderson’s and taught the doctrine behind family history. We were surprised Brian didn’t dispute a bunch of it. Then we headed over to see Jamie and taught her a little bit. Invited her to come to church as well. Ben drove up a little bit later and we invited him too. Sadly they didn’t come. They told us about the new movie “Son of God”. They went and saw it and must have liked it. Had church which was great. Fast and Testimony Meeting was fantastic! Brother Peterson came out with us to see Andy again and that was a really good lesson. Brother Peterson is a SPIRITUAL GIANT! Andy will get baptized soon. He knows it is true. Then we had dinner and a lesson with the Wyatt’s. Brother Wyatt knows the church is true so it was awesome to help him regain what he knew. Then to finish the night we had a fun lesson with Theresa and Ariel. Theresa was just crackin’ jokes which made is so funny.

Monday, 2/17/14 - Sunday, 2/23/14

Monday – Michael Jordan turned 51 today and Larry the Cable Guy did too. It was a good day. We emailed at the Wyatt’s because of whatever holiday it was. Library was closed. Then we headed to Walmart to shop. We also stopped by Hibbett Sports because I was thinking about getting a Michael Jordan shirt or something. They had some sweet “Nike Elite” socks and “Jordan Elite” socks that I wanted but they were too much for me. We also played basketball which was hard. I wrapped my ankle up a ton but wasn’t very effective playing. We also had dinner with Brother Moore at Ryan’s again. Then we went to see Mark Hayes who gave us a pizza because we were too full. Taught him a good little lesson. Then we went to the Andersen’s to do some genealogy with them.  They also had sloppy joes for us to eat. We were still too stuffed. Ryan’s is a buffet so we were way full. That was our day!

Tuesday – Today we headed down to Fort Walton to go to both district meetings. I went to Elder Schwartz while Elder Evans went to Elder DeGroff’s. Elder Schwartz does a really good job teaching to his district’s needs. He is a powerful district leader. After District Meeting we got to go on an exchange with Fort Walton 1. I got to be with Elder Sorrell and Elder DeGroff went with Elder Evans to Crestview. We had a pretty good day in Fort Walton. We went and taught John Gorham, their recent convert. He is such an awesome guy! He is prepping for the Priesthood and for the Temple. We also walked over to do some service for a less active guy named Mike Pernos. He didn’t have the moving truck so we just taught a little lesson. Also saw a really cool guy named Ken and was going to teach him but unfortunately he wasn’t feeling up to it. Had some dinner and then we went to the Smith’s. They are such a cool family! I think they will get baptized someday! That was a fun exchange! I love Elder Sorrell.

Wednesday – Today we did some role plays with Elder’s Sorrell and DeGroff. That went well and then we ate at the 1^st Ward Elders. Elder Anderson and Elder Schwartz made us some food for lunch. Then we had our exchange with them. I stayed in Fort Walton with Elder Anderson and Elder Schwartz went to Crestview with Elder Evans. It was an interesting day that Elder Anderson and I had. We taught a guy named Wilton about the restoration of the gospel. He liked it but was hesitant about one true church. After that we talked to a guy about God and invited him to ask God if he was there. He just kinda laughed at us. Then headed to a less-active’s house named Alfred. He loves missionaries. We took a crazy picture together, Elder Anderson and I, for his wall. Then we went to the Wall’s and had an interesting visit with them. Didn’t get to teach anything really, Kaitlin was taking someone some food and she was talking about all these weird medical things she had read about. We also tried to contact a guy that worked at the mall. Had dinner at home. We then went to the church to talk to a couple people before heading to the Johnson’s to try to teach them. But unfortunately they weren’t in a lesson mood. They are the family we did the interviews for baptism. They are a really awesome family. “Mickey” is so fun and energetic.

Thursday – Today we did some role plays with Elder’s Anderson and Schwartz. That was interesting, but fun. Then we headed home to do some weekly planning. Didn’t get to finish and we ended up not finishing because we had to fly over to the Skylark’s. Theresa came with and bore some strong testimony to them. It was so cool to be a witness of that. Had a really quick dinner after that before heading over to see the Woodring’s with Brother Climer. That was awesome! They opened up a little bit more with him there. The Woodring’s really seem to like Brother Climer. Then we went to the church to meet the Anderson’s and do some family history. They are really loving it. Then we went to Johnny’s with Brother Ratcliff and taught him. Basically just talked about trust in the Lord the entire time.

Friday – Started the day off with some service at Robert Washington’s place. He is one of the Sister’s investigators. He is a good guy but is very talkative. It was so funny when he invited us in for a drink and said, “I bet you’ve never been in a black man’s house before.” It really cracked us up. After that we had lunch and then we had some weekly planning. Then we had a great lesson with Theresa and my awesome 2^nd cousin Brother Aaron Blum came with and taught very well. Then we briefly talked to Sister Parson’s at her door before heading to the Tatro’s house for dinner. That was a really good visit! Brother Tatro really wants to read more as a family. Then we headed to church to play some volleyball. I gimped around trying to play on my ankle. It was pretty fun actually.

Saturday – Today was a really good day! First thing was a church tour for the Skylark’s and Brother Cochran came to help out because he is the teacher for the 8 year olds and the Skylark’s have an 8 year old son. It was a great tour and hopefully they will come to church tomorrow. Then we headed home and did the rest of our weekly planning. Right after that we headed to see Chris and Christina Washington and taught them about the restoration and also about the spirit world a bit. It went pretty well. Chris can talk! Then we went to see the Barbecho’s and taught a lesson to Jamie and all the kids. We struck a chord with Alie, the Barbecho’s niece, because she started crying. It was sad! We were talking about the atonement and that it can lift us and I guess she is being bullied and she started crying but her cousins gave her hugs. Then we went to “Chill” a frozen yogurt place and Chris’ friend, Aaron, gave us free yogurt. Then we stopped by the Harter’s and they gave us cookies. That was our “dinner” and then we headed home.

Sunday – Today was a great day! We had our Ward Council Meeting and studies in the morning. Had a quick lunch and then went out to teach Tony about the Plan of Salvation. Him and his son then followed us to church and that was fun. We actually got to sit in Primary with his son Ryan which was fun. All of the lessons at church were really good too! That being said Primary seems to be the place to be. After church we went to the Ralphs’ who are the senior couple that replaced the Bailey’s. The Bailey’s also went home today so I gave them hugs and said bye. They are the best! Anyway we gave them a poster and info about the ward. Then we went to Johnny’s for dinner which took forever! Adam Leone was there. We taught him a while back and he seems really interested. Then taught an awesome lesson to Andy Bissen. They just got back from vacation in Vegas and Utah. Then went and taught Brother Wyatt and he feels that he received an answer that the church is true. So that was awesome! The end!

Monday, 2/10/14 - Sunday, 2/16/14

Monday – P-day! We balled it up with Elder Burnham and Elder Urquiaga at Twin Hills Park. We have been playing outside recently and it has been really fun. We won all three games. They were all close. We also had dinner over at the Thomas’ and the Bailey’s were there also. That was really fun! We got to teach about the Plan of Salvation after and Elder Bailey also invited Brother Thomas to be baptized which was so cool to see! After that we went to see the Nimmo’s and Samantha let us in so we figured Sam was home but he wasn’t so we tried to get out quick but Samantha had a lot to say because we hadn’t seen them for a while. They have been way busy with soccer recently. We also saw Johnny briefly which was interesting and we set up a time to go back and have some grub!

Tuesday – Today we spent a lot of the morning doing zone conference preparations. We actually got a lot done. It was sweet! Then we went to see Theresa and taught about eternal families and priesthood. Ariel wasn’t feeling well so we didn’t get to teach her. Brother Kriser was with us and he was a great help. Saw Chris Nichols and talked with his roommates Aaron and Ciara. Unfortunately it is not the most spiritual atmosphere for Chris. We did get to talk about scripture study though. Visited a referral very briefly name Mark Hayes. He didn’t have a moment for us with his wife sick. Went to see their son briefly but he wasn’t at his work so we looked around a bit. He works at a sweet pawn shop. Ate at the Harter’s. Played outside for a bit with the kids before dinner because Brother Harter was still on his way home. Then we headed down to see the Barbecho’s. Taught Ben a bit and then set a time to go have a Family Home Evening. Then we started our exchange with 2^nd Ward.

Wednesday – Today was our exchange with the Crestview 2^nd Ward Elders. Elder Urquiaga came to our ward with me and Elder Evans spent the day with Elder Burnham in the 2^nd Ward. Elder Urquiaga and I had a pretty interesting day. Went to do a church tour because Sister Comaniuk and Sister Barrick didn’t have a third lady to go on the tour so we had to go so it would be okay. We all showed Robert Washington around. It was really interesting and long! He wanted to sing a hymn so we all sang “How Great Thou Art”. We didn’t harmonize well at all. He kept mentioning my deep voice and how powerful it was. Such a good guy and such a funny experience. Had lunch after that. Then had an awesome highlight were we got to teach the two Grice boys and their cousin Aaron and friend Clay. Taught about the restoration. They all paid attention pretty well. The Grice boys are less active by the way. We also taught Randy Fluhrer. He is actually pretty solid which really surprised me. Had a really good dinner with the Ratcliff’s! They are a great family and the monkey bread was delicious. Sister Ratcliff gave us the recipe! Then had coordination and traded back.

Thursday – Today was good but not too much went on. We did some planning for zone conference and some weekly planning as well. Taught Michelle with Brother Moore there and it went pretty good. She really loved the Plan of Salvation. She really loved that kids don’t go to hell when they die. We also taught the Woodring’s a message and they are starting to get comfortable with us. Then we headed to Fort Walton to do some baptism interviews. Unfortunately we each had one that didn’t pass. But two of them did which was awesome! The rest of the family is just a matter of time. Also had dinner with a great member and then the Johnson’s that we interviewed fed us as well. Then went to the 2^nd Ward apartment so that we didn’t have to waste a ton of miles going back up to Crestview when we will just have to come back to Fort Walton.

Friday – Today was great! Stayed with Elder DeGroff and Elder Sorrell. Made some great French toast for us in the morning. Headed to the church to set up for our zone conference. President had Elder Sorrell share his conversion story and it was so powerful. I will share a bit. Elder Sorrell heard a voice that told him to “wait one more day” and not commit suicide. He met the missionaries the next day. He then heard another voice another time. President then talked about how those voices could have been his ancestors. He has been pushing family search to find with. Elder Evans, Elder Wright, Sister Comaniuk, Elder Schurtz and Sister Medlyn all bore strong testimonies at the end. I kissed Elder Wright…on the cheek! Had a last minute dinner with the Fisher’s and Brother Moore when we got back to Crestview. They took us to Ryan’s. Then we went to volleyball which was really fun! Even with the rolling of my ankle. It was pretty painful and it was kinda scary.

Saturday – Today we had our meeting with President Miler at Ryan’s. That went pretty good. Went home for our studies and then went to see Josh Vining and helped him out with his jeep a bit. He has a really old jeep and we were taking out the bolts that held the body on so he can get the body fixed and restore the jeep a bit. After getting home we did a bit of weekly planning. I was really tired and so was Elder Evans so that was a bit of a struggle. We headed over to Theresa and Ariel’s after that for a lesson. We kept getting way off topic though. It was really fun to spend some more time and to teach a bit. Then we had dinner with the Hansen’s which was fun. They have some really good stories. Then we went down to see Johnny and taught a really really good lesson! Johnny seems very sincere right now.

Sunday – Today we had a sweet MLC in Bonifay with Elder Munz, President Smith and all of the Stake Presidents. It was powerful and the Spirit was strong. It was cool to see how things work in the church and how much the spirit is involved in every decision. We drove there and back with President Miller which was nice. President Miller told us some good stories. Had Sacrament Meeting and lunch down in Bonifay as well after the MLC. We did get back to Crestview in time to attend Gospel Principles and Priesthood. After church we had a really short study and then went to see Danny Vinson and Louis Gomez for the first time in a long time. Iona, Danny’s girlfriend, was there. She is a member in the Fort Walton Beach 1^st Ward. We had some delicious steaks that Danny made and shared a really good message. Danny told us that he is planning on being baptized soon but isn’t completely sure when.

Monday, 2/3/14 - Sunday, 2/9/14

Monday – P-day! Today we did the usual P-day stuff. Played some basketball outside at Twn Hills Park. It was fun! I did role my left ankle twice and both times I was just planting. Had dinner at home. Sister Cockrell dropped off some delicious Mexican food. Headed to the church to do a church tour with the Peterson’s. They invited their friend who decided not to go but it was still a great tour! Then we headed home and actually got to eat because before we didn’t really have enough time to eat. Then we planned for zone training tomorrow.

Tuesday – Today we role played a bit in the morning to finish up our zone training preparation. After that we headed down to Niceville to have our zone training. I feel like it went pretty well except we had some technical difficulties with the slide show presentation President Smith asked us to show. After some of the missionaries went to Dairy Queen to eat so we went and it was pretty good. Fast food is all kind of the same though. Had an exchange today as well with Elder Rasmussen, the old MTC companion. That was fun! We got quite a bit done. Met a guy named Nathaniel and another guy Iran when we were trying to see Devonte. Devonte wasn’t home. Taught Theresa and Ariel about temples and we are going to do some family history Thursday. Ate at home before heading to see the Bissen’s and we read with Andy from Alma 34. Talked a lot about prayer. Tried to see Johnny who wasn’t awake so we talked to Stacey for a while. She is really cool.

Wednesday – Today I did the exchange report in the morning with Elder Rasmussen. Then we exchanged back pretty early so that Elder Evans and I could get to our appointments that we had set up. Unfortunately the first one fell through so we tried to go see a headquarters referral that we received yesterday but they weren’t home. Headed home to eat lunch and to study and make some lesson plans. Then we went out to see Tony but he called and cancelled so we saw Napier and unfortunately we had to drop him because he wasn’t keeping commitments or more, so told us he wouldn’t keep any more. Then taught Chris Nichols and we gave his roommate a Book of Mormon. Tried to see Brenda but she wasn’t feeling well. Tried to contact some potentials and some lady decided to be rude and it really ticked me off. Which that made the rest of my night kinda crappy. I overreacted a bit. Had a great dinner with the Boyd’s. Made mini pizzas and then had coordination which finished our night.

Thursday – Today I was even more sick then I have been so I decided to just get some extra rest. Well my body more so just forced me to fall asleep. Then today I realized that I am not trusting in the Lord enough with my missionary work. That was a good thing to realize. We also had weekly planning and got most of it done. Went to see a bunch of people with Brother Wanner but none of it worked out. Went to contact our headquarters referral and talked to their roommate Sam. He was a cool guy. Picked up some grub from the Wirt’s and then helped the Hartwell’s move for a little bit before heading to the church to do family history work with Theresa, Ariel and Brother Fisher. That was pretty awesome! Theresa found a couple people that very well could be her ancestors!

Friday – Today we finished up weekly planning then went to help the Hartwell’s move into the ward. They are so cool! Brother Hartwell hunts gator and he is going to make us some! I have never had gator and I have wanted it my whole mission. Went and ate at Hardee’s after that. That was decent. Then we drove to a hiding spot to change in the car which was weird. I forgot my belt and Elder Evans aid, “It would be worse if you forgot your tie.” That is when I realized I did forget my tie. We called the Taylor’s and they let me borrow one. Then our appointments fell through. We did see the Thomas’ which was pretty fun. Went to see Tony and Henry but they were busy so we rescheduled. Then saw Mallory King and started the 12 step program and he seemed to like it. Then we tried to see some less-actives but hat fell through so we finished with some dinner and then played some volleyball for our fellowship night.

Saturday – Today was exciting! We had our meeting with President Miller at Ryan’s. Then went to the Bailey’s to help Elder Bailey. He wanted us to be a part of fixing the car that Theresa just bought. That was fun, we put on a bumper on the rear because the car was previously in a wreck. Had our studies after that and then the rest of the day was interesting to say the least. We saw Brian Anderson and tried to just do family history but he started asking questions. His questions are all over the place and he never likes our answers but family history went well. One of his lines went way back. We also met some really, really cool people. Unfortunately we didn’t get appointments with any of them. Charity was one of them and we talked to her for a long time. Really cool lady and she took a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked tons of questions. Her friend Christ told us John the Baptist was the biggest MC ever. Shot some hoops with them on a kid’s basketball hoop. Also saw the Vining’s and did some family history with them unexpectedly. They were way interested. Then we saw Johnny. I used his bathroom and came out to discover Elder Evans and Johnny carving raw turkeys. That was random. Then we taught a lesson and I really feel Johnny is sincere.

Sunday – Today was a roller coaster. Had ward council where the Sisters tried to steal one of our gators which really kinda ticked me off. We work hard and love our gators but we ain’t backin down. It’s our gator! It is more so the Lord’s gator. Had studies and church and dinner. Then Brother Harter asked us to come over. So we went there to talked about some things. Hopefully that will get worked out. Then we had an awesome lesson with the Barbecho’s. It was so cool! Jamie sat in and the spirit was strong. She was even a bit emotional. We had a great prayer at the end with the whole family there. It was so cool! Then we went and taught Brother Wyatt which went really well. He is progressing really well. That finished our evening.

Monday, 1/27/14 - Sunday, 2/2/14

Monday – Today was P-day! Got some Pleasant Febreeze. Played some basketball with the 2^nd Ward Elders. Elder Urquiaga (Erk-ee-aga) is one strong guy! He just muscles his way into the lane. He is pretty good. Did the usual things. Went out that evening and met Ryan Kirkendoll (less active). He was really happy to see us. Really cool guy, convert of about 10ish years ago maybe. It was when he was like 18 or 19. Tried to see Johnny and a few others with Brother Cockrell and it didn’t work out. Brother Cockrell is awesome so we really want to teach with him.

Tuesday – Today we enjoyed a District Meeting with the Defuniak District for the 2^nd week in a row. Came home and called/texted a ton of people to try to get people out with us. Went out to see a few people before seeing Theresa and Ariel. The Bailey’s came out with us to see them and their testimonies are growing so much! I love them! Then Bishop picked us up to go eat dinner with them. It is always way fun going over there. They are such an awesome family! Then Bishop Parker took us to the Wyatt’s for a lesson to teach the Plan of Salvation. It went really well! Phone fell out of my pocket at the Wyatt’s so we had to go back and get it so we were way late home. There was also a crazy ice/rain storm that lasted all day! It was cold enough to snow but for some reason it didn’t. Bishop also told us when talking about the ladies, “talk to even the ugly ones because even the ugly ones have pretty friends”.

Wednesday – Today was supposed to be MLC but that got moved due to the extremely horrible weather yesterday. There was ice covering everything when we looked out in the morning. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It looked like snow but it was ice everywhere. We spent most of our day weekly planning and did a very thorough session of weekly planning which was good. Then we went on a walk because we weren’t supposed to drive. Tried to see Robert Hill but he wasn’t home so we saw Brother Brandt who is almost 103 years old. He is such a cool guy and that was a good visit. Brother Boyd picked us up from there and we had dinner at his house. That was good! Had soft tacos and she was taught by a Hispanic how to make the tortillas. It was awesome. Then we had a little coordination with Brother Boyd and discovered that we are teaching some criminals. That was interesting. During weekly planning Elder Evans made me laugh so hard that I found myself on the floor.

Thursday – Today we had Zone Training prep first and also had interviews with President Smith. I always love seeing President and getting to talk with him. After that we went out and walked up to see Donna. It has been a while so we wanted to go and say hello. That was good. We talked to a really nice guy who knew Mike Wing in our ward. Then we went and taught Chris Nichols who is a recent convert of 2^nd Ward that just moved into our ward. He is a really good guy too. Met his friends that he is living with who are really nice. Then we went and saw the Woodring’s and that was really fun. They opened up a little bit with us. It was good to see them too. Dropped by and talked to Brother Spears for a bit. Then we headed off to the Harter’s for dinner. Sister Edington made some delicious soup. Then we went out with Brother Climer to see Ben. It has been a while since we have seen him because he was in North Carolina fixing his house so someone can rent it again. That finished our night.

Friday – First thing today we went to MLC down in Fort Walton which was good. It was fun to be with all the other missionaries and President and Sister Smith. Got back from that and went and taught Brian Anderson. He is all over the place and challenging to teach but a good guy. Came home and Sister Miller brought us a ton of delicious food for dinner. The assistants also came. So we ate with them and then Elder Wright and I taught Johnny about scriptures and church. I really hope he comes! Then taught Andy and we are going to start a 6 week experiment with him to help him know this message is true. I love this guy! Elder Evans also went and had an exciting day with Elder McPhearson. We also made our calls to everyone in the zone to find out who they taught.

Saturday – Today we continued our exchange with the assistants. Elder Wright and I first went to our meeting with President Miller at Ryan’s. Gave the manager a Book of Mormon and he said he was going to read it. He loves reading and said he would start on his break. Then we headed home for our studies and also did some role plays with the assistants. Then Elder Wright and I got to teach Theresa and Ariel which is always good. Elder Wright taught her once before and was able to see how far they have come and how much the spirit is in their lives now. Then we taught Napier about the Plan of Salvation and Elder Wright was money! Then we went to the church to watch a broadcast for the hastening of the work. L. Tom Perry spoke and he is so funny and so passionate about the gospel. It was so good! Then we went home to eat and study for zone training because both of our appointment fell through.

Sunday – Started the day trying to see Alonzo. He wasn’t home but his girlfriend asked for a ride to church. Then we headed to see Johnny who was showering so we went over to the Barbecho’s to remind them of church. Then we went to see Henry Frazier and met his brother Tony who is a really good guy. He told us we could come by later that day to teach him more. Went to see Napier to meet Brother Boyd there. Brother Boyd took him to church. He liked it but said it was too long. After church we taught Tony about the Plan of Salvation. The spirit really seemed to dictate the lesson which was awesome. Had dinner with the Taylor’s and that was good. It is always way fun to go there. That basically finished the night. We had to go home and plan for Zone Training.