Saying "Goodbye" to Elder Bufton at the airport on May 27, 2015

This is it!

Hey Everyone!

This week was a pretty good week! It was the last week of the transfer so of course everyone is wondering if they were staying or going! It was really nice to know that I wasn't going to go anywhere! So I'll be finishing up in Avendale but get a new companion tonight!

So this week was crazy when it came to stuff we had going on!

On Tuesday we go to district meeting and our investigator sends us a text and she's like so I've been praying for the 30th for my baptism and the number 26 keeps popping up so I think that's the day!! So that was pretty cool! She's now praying about which month! So hopefully it's next month!

Thursday was the crazy day cause it was Elder Bufton's departing dinner so it was kind of weird just sitting with him and like talking about the mission and how fast it goes by! He's helped me a ton! Gave me some good advise for my last transfer that I'm now in! So it was a good night! Jenny also went and did temple tours that night with my comp and another elder so that was a good experience for them!

So Saturday was kinda a depressing day! I went with Elder Bufton back to MV1 and said our goodbyes before we both go home and it was just like emotional! Like I grew to love that ward a lot it was my family ward and to say goodbye was pretty hard! But its comforting to know I'm only 12 hours away from here! haha

So yesterday was Memorial Day and we have a member who's name is John Crozier who is a special ops like recon marine! Does crazy stuff that he's not allowed to tell anyone not even his wife! So this guy is crazy! So we find out he's doing a Marine workout called the thrasher which included like 205 deadlift as many times as we can.. tire flips.. 132 lbs. kettle bell walks of 100 yards and about 18 different work outs all in a circuit! So we decided to ask if we can come and he says yes but make sure to drink a "can of man" haha it was crazy! I thought we were only going around once and he said at the end of the first round that we're going again! So it was just nuts it was so intense!! After the work out we decided to go to gold's gym and work our some more! I was actually pretty impressed with myself being able to bench 200 after the work out with Brother Crozier! but today I'm regretting it now and probably will for about a week! haha but it was fun!

Sorry this letter is all over the place and don't make sense haha!

Love you all!

Elder Hess (6 weeks!!)

Scripture!

1 Corinthians 10:13

 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Farewell Elder Bufton

Dinner at President Orgill's home.  Farewell dinner for Elders McCullough, Morgan, Robles, Bufton, Toombs, Redhouse, Jensen, and Schwallier.

Pictures taken after district meeting

 

Elder Tanefski & Elder Hess

Hey Everyone!

To start off I want to give my Cousin Mitchell and his Wife Amanda a huge shout out!!! Congrats on the Sealing!! That's super sick!!!

This week has been a solid week! There was a lot of cool things that when down.  We also got new ideas to do the work and hopefully see more success which means.... Tracting is back!!

On Wednesday of this week we were able to meet with Jenny which went really well! We first started off by showing her the Conference talk by President Uchtdorf entitled "Receiving a testimony of light and truth" or something like that and it went better then expected! After the talk we asked her what she liked about it what stood out to her stuff like that and her response was " well I haven't been reading... and I think my prayers aren't as effective as they could be. I feel like I'm just asking for a date and one is going to just pop into my head but that's not working!" So right there I'm just thinking in my head  that was the most perfect thing she could have said! So after she got done talking I told her that we were thinking the same thing and that we to have been praying and we feel like the 30th of this month is your time to shine and she was like ya I'm going to start praying for that date and hopefully get the answer to get baptized then!! So that was super cool! We are taking her to the temple on Wednesday so she can do a tour that the sisters are in charge of!!

Then on Thursday we had our ZTM which was really good! We had a guest speaker who is the institute director! His name is Russ Griner!! He's a scriptorian... like the smartest guy I've ever met! He came and gave us a training on the survey I was talking about last week! So now Tracting is back!! We're going to be knocking a ton of doors this next transfer so I'm excited for that!! It's going to be crazy!

So on Saturday I was able to go on a split with Elder Tanefski in the Covenant Hills ward for his dinner appointment which was a wedding reception! This 4 day old RM came up to us and was like telling us all about how successful he was in Brazil and how there was visa waiters that served in the Irvine mission that came to his mission and how they were lazy and not good elders and how his mission was like the military and how in state missions are so much easier than out-of-state missions and all this and Elder Tanefski got super mad and gave the kid a handshake and probably broke the kids hand!! It was hilarious!! It was a good night though that's for sure!!

I can't thank each of you enough for everything you do for me!! I really am grateful for the roll you play in my life!! Love you guys!

Elder Hess (7 Weeks!!)

Scripture!

Doctrine and Covenants 75:19

19 And in whatsoever house ye enter, and they receive you, leave your blessing upon that house.

"Your missionary is serving in my ward and we saw him and his comp at a wedding reception last night!  Thought I'd send you a pic, they are doing great".....Teri Draper

Roller Coaster

Hey Everyone!!

So this week was pretty rough!! We had a series of unfortunate events which just did the snowball effect one after the other ha looking back it's pretty hilarious but it's whatever!

It all started with Jenny getting sick!! Which is never good for anyone!! She got hit pretty hard and it put her out for a couple days so we weren't able to meet with her! But she's feeling better now so we should be able to meet with her this week!

On Tuesday  we had district meeting which was good! Then we went out to lunch with the district! then after is when it all went down hill! So we call our car guy Elder Ferrari (no joke) and tell him we need to take in the car so he approves it so we go home to change out of our suits to take it to pep boys... so we turn the car off, go change come back to the car to head out and the car don't start!!  So we all sat in the car waiting for other Elders to come jump us... so we see the Elders coming and we all get out of the car and shut the door... the doors all lock with the keys inside!! So we called a locksmith like we were told and right when they're about to show up Sister Ferrari comes rolling in with the spare keys haha so we finally got it jumped but it was too late to take it in to pep boys so we planned on taking it in Thursday.

So Wednesday it continues! The day started out good till about 2:30 when I had to get a small procedure done on my foot! Which sucked pretty bad and it wouldn't stop bleeding so that put me out the rest of the day!! On top of that I got strep throat! So it was just bad news!! I was able to study a lot though which was good!!

Then Thursday we take the car to pep boys at 10 am and didn't leave till 3:30 pm (don't go to pep boys) haha they take care of the car and come out and tell us it needs a new battery and to take it in to Chevy cause its under warranty!

So Friday we take the car into the Chevy dealership and they say its gonna take till Monday afternoon! Which was ok! I'm fine with walking just wasn't the greatest with my foot but it was good!

So we call the Dealership this morning and they tell us the car was ready on Friday haha LAME!!:)

But none of that really mattered cause Sunday made everything so much better!! It was so good to talk to my family for a little while!! As crazy as it sounds... I actually miss them!! It was good to see Kellen being his annoying self!:), Karlee being the queen as usual! Mommas lookin good though!! and it was a little weird to see my dad in the kitchen instead of on the couch?? haha and the best part was it wasn't as trunky as I thought haha!! I love my family!! :)

Things are going way too good here in Cali!!

Love you all and thanks for everything!

Elder Hess (8 weeks!!)

Scripture!

D&C 121 7-8

 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

Happy Mother's Day!

Last Skype....59 Days left!

A day spent at Newport Beach Temple

Back on the course!

Hey Everyone!

Just got back from the Golf course with Elder Bufton before he goes home in a couple weeks!! Along with Elder Mcgary and Hancock!! There's really nothing more relaxing then playing 18 holes in beautiful California on a p-day with your best friends!!

This week was a good week though we were able to go to the temple on Tuesday which is always a blessing!!! We were able to meet with Jenny! We committed her to pray about a date before our meeting! So she said she has been praying but with no answer so it was a little frustrating! Not just cause she knows it's true but she has been reading this book about God that has like messages of the day.   So the message of the day for the morning we were meeting with her was to delay! I was like are you kidding me!! So frustrating!! But it's all good! We're gonna go with a different route and set the date for her and tell her to pray about that date specifically!! Cause we all know that when you ask God specific questions you get specific answers... right?? hahaha

That was like the big things this week! I also got to go on exchanges with Elder Tanefski! that was really fun we went to his area! We were able to do something pretty cool! So the church is coming out with like ways to get us in the door when we are tracting so Tanefski and I were doing the trial run of a survey that they came out with... the questions are like... Is a strong close knit family important to you? Should churches make better programs for children and youth? Do you believe in God? Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you think the bible is the Word of God or just a history book? Would you read another set of scripts if it testified of Jesus Christ.... just questions like that! So we tracted  out like half of his area and did this survey it was lots of fun! Too bad not a whole lot of people were home! But it's all good!  Then later that night we went to a member's house who is a 3rd degree black belt or something like that and we did some tae kwon do... I learned some stuff so you don't want to mess with me now ha-ha JOKES!! It was fun he's a really cool guy he's a convert of about 5 years and just a solid member it was good to get to know him!

So it was a pretty good week!! haha hope all is well with everyone!! Happy Mother's Day this week!! Can't wait to talk to my Madre that's for sure!!

Thought!

“Faith in God includes Faith in God's timing.”
― Neal A. Maxwell

Love you all!! Elder Hess ( 9 weeks!!)