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Why cant I think of what to start these with? 

We had a fun week though, every day we just had a blast.

Monday we ate at Torchy's with our district, and then played some spider ball and frisbee. We went out with Brother Bevan and Zach in the evening, and got to ride in Brother Bevan's Hellcat which was a brand new experience for both Elder Bjazevich and Zach haha--so they spent the whole night with big eyes. Especially when we tested out track mode. We had a good lesson with a recent convert family, and she has a referral for us to teach!! 

On Tuesday we went to Zone Conference and Jack came with us! He picked us up at 7:45, and then went to Zone Conference with us and stayed out until about 9:30 pm! Zone Conference was fun, got to see Elder Sauer which both Jack and I were very pleased about. We learned a lot about the reasons for why we have Key Indicators, and looked at some data to back it up. Unfortunately most people don't know how to analyze data, or account for all the variables, so their arguments didn't hold much sway for me. :) Don't get me wrong I understand the need for some of the Key Indicators, but there are a lot of other problems certain ones create too, and everyone seems to just think they are all so great haha--but yeah overall Zone Conference was good. Learned a lot about love and expectations and what God expects of us as well which was good. 

Elder Sauer gave his departing testimony and Jack and I agreed it was the best one we'd ever heard (it being the first Jack has ever heard)!

After Zone Conference we exchanged with the Greenville West Elders, and I went back to Heath with Elder Layton. Jack just stayed with us and we spent the afternoon in Garland talking to people. In the evening we had dinner with a PMF, and had some really good pizza. We also visited some referrals we had gotten from members, and then went down to Forney. 

The next day Elder Layton and I had an amazing comp study, we talked about so much! The best comp study I've had in a while. It's refreshing to talk with someone who agrees with me in almost every way haha

Then we drove up to Greenville and exchanged back, and went and I showed Elder Bjazevich how to type up the SPR! It was really fun, although there were a ton of atrocious errors in many of the reports we got from missionaries, probably even more then are in this letter! We went out with Joey Gauseman in the evening, and got to ride in his lifted truck! It's outfitted with all sorts of lights from the wheel-well lights to the flashing strobe lights on top. We went out to Garland, and ended the night with a super good lesson with Robert.

Thursday we did service, went out with Hermano Velazquez, and had an SPR meeting. So nothing extremely eventful happened, but it was still a great day! We met a guy named Korvin who was as high as a kite and probably not worth teaching but he seemed nice :)

Friday we did a bunch of weeding for Ruth and then went on exchanges with the Forney Elders. I went back to Heath with Elder Morriss, and he's a super cool guy! He is extremely talkative, so it was funny hearing about all of his shenanigans back home. We got to go out with Spencer in the evening, and taught several lessons! One of them was a lady named Celeste, and even though she was making dinner she said she needed a message right now. We also met a guy name Matthew in Rowlett who talked to us about Faith and miracles for about 40 minutes haha--he said he will come to church soon. 

On Saturday Jack took us to breakfast at Waffle House in the morning, and then we exchanged back. In the evening we went to Alejandra's grad party because she said she would have a nonmember there for us to teach!! It was super cool, his name is Umberto. We talked with him for a while and he's interested in coming to church! Also got to talk with a bunch of others there, and eat some good food! It was really fun. Talked to a girl named Penny too who's inactive but had lots of good advice about Study Abroad!

Sunday was good we had dinner with the Bergs, Forscutts, and Rojas! We also went out with Jovanni and met some people in Royse City who want to come back to church.

-Abe

Mad ducks are bad

Hi everyone we had a crazy week here!

Monday we played more Frisbee Gold, and got our frisbees in many a creek. We went out with Gene in the evening, and his old truck kept stalling haha--luckily it never died completely though! We stopped by a guy named Tre, and got to teach him on his porch! We talked about church, and the Restoration with him. He seems mildly interested. Then we went out to Garland, and visited some people out there! We met two different guys who happened to be outside, and were able to give off a referral to each of the Rowlett wards. We also talked with a guy named Daeveon about his BMW for a while. I think maybe I will get a BMW...

On Tuesday we had District council, and went put with Jack. We had a good hamburger dinner at the Nelson's, and eventually the conversation turned inevitably to the topic of pink pineapples, and if they were really worth it. Nobody knew the answer but after much research we came to the conclusion that pink pineapples taste the same as regular pineapple, and are not worth the monstrous price. We also talked about other colored fruits. The Nelson's really liked Jack as well. After dinner we had a lesson with the Watkins, and then went out to the boonies. We visited some people in Quinlan, then West Tawakani, then finally Lone Oak. We were so far out there now that we were starting to question if we should really have come out here, if it was really an effective use of time. We had one more visit to a girl named Sky, so we drove out to her place. It was 8:40 pm, dark, in the woods, and the driveway went way back and we couldn't see the house. It looked really creepy, but we decided to explore further cause there must be some reason we were there! So we walked down the private dirt driveway as it wound back into the woods. We found the house but there were some vicious barking dogs guarding the gate to their yard. So we decided to just start writing a note to leave. As we were doing that, a lady with a lantern came out and asked who we were. We told her we were the missionaries, and asked for Sky. She said "I'll go get her." Sky then came out and was extremely nice! She had just came back in town from school, and had been thinking just today that she wanted to come back to church. She said she had been looking for nearby ones, and we had come at the perfect time! She has no car but we said we could get her a ride. Then her nonmember husband came out and said "why are they visiting so late?" Sky told him that this is the time the missionaries used to visit her, and scolded him for being so grumpy haha--he said he might go to church with her! Unfortunately we had to send them over to the Greenville Elders, but they have a member right by them that can bring them to church!

Wednesday we did out Park-Your-Car day. We met some cool people while biking around. Nobody was interested but it was still cool! We ate dinner with Alejandra (our RSP in the YSA), and coordinated our efforts so we can be more unified with the RS. It was really good, Alejandra is going to do such a good job! We went out with Alex in the evening, and taught Daeveon and Robert. Alex is very good at talking to people. After our evening, we got a text from President Seitz saying we needed to cancel out other exchange, and exchange immediately the next day with a certain Elder who I will call Elder 8. He said to reach out to Elder 8, and NOT his companion. He didn't give us any more info than that.

So Thursday we called just Elder 8, told him we were going to exchange in 45 minutes, and drove out to an un-named city. I went with Elder 8's companion Elder S back to Heath. We drove back and did service at the Thrift store. Elijah was there as usual, and it's always fun talking to him! Elder S was veryyyy quiet. Throughout the day any time I would try to get to know him more he would give 1 word answers, or just say he didn't know or didn't have an opinion. He didnt seem to feel passionate about ANYTHING. And he never asked any questions, so it was very one-sided. So we ended up just staying in silence most of the time. Comp study was even worse he didn't have a single interesting thing to contribute. (This is kind of harsh, hence the name changes.) Luckily we had a fun evening out with Brother Palmer, so I got to talk to someone who actually converses again! He told us all about his company where he pumps foam into the ground to push concrete back up and make it level. He also uses it to plug leaks and lift roads! It was super fun to talk about, and we talked to some cool inactive members as well!

Thursday night we got a call from President saying to cancel our other exchange too, and to do a second day on this exchange. So Friday was the same. There was so much silence between me and Elder S it was almost funny! I started being obnoxiously upbeat and pointing out the smallest things I liked, nothing but a scowl came from my delightful friend though haha-- We did some walking around and talked to people as went to visit YSAs in Rockwall. All I was met with was gloomy silence from Elder S, and I was tempted to laugh but decided to try and keep it in. At 4:45 right as we were heading to dinner our rife for the evening cancelled, which I was not too happy about. I didn't want a night full of silence. So we decided we'd call some people after dinner and see what we could do, cause we had a lesson in Garland that we definitely couldn't drive to. We had dinner at the Thurgood's and their son Braden was in town and is going on a mission in a month! He also happened to have no plans for the evening! So you know exactly what we did...

It was super cool that God helped us out so much, and we ended up having a great night with Braden!

Saturday we exchanged back and they immediately exchanged with their DL after that. I now know all the reasons for this exchange, which I do not have time to say here, but if you email me directly maybe I will tell you! That night Elder 8 got ETed to be a DL somewhere else.

We did service at the Thrift store, and had a lesson with Jack as well! He's doing so well. We went out with Brother England in the evening, and he has a thick Tennessee accent. He is so fun to talk to, and when we visited an inactive member they proceeded to talk about guns for half an hour. Then Brother England payed $450 cash for an SKS, and we just sat and watched as various guns were handled and exchanged. It was really fun!

Sunday we had 3 inactive YSAs we've been working with show up! One even bore her testimony.

-Abe

To Tyler

Hi everyone,

This week was good, we did a lot of fun things!

Monday we played frisbee golf with our District, and unfortunately the Nielson name was tainted by both me and the Sister Nielson in our District performing poorly :(

It was fun though! We went out with Zach (priest) and Brother Hobbs in the evening, and it was super fun to drive around town in his Jeep! A lot of people we visited had moved, bit we had a great lesson with Robert where we encouraged him to keep reading and praying! He's doing well, and is honestly seeking truth. We don't want to push him into baptism before he's ready.

On Tuesday Jack picked us up at 10 am, and stayed out with us until 9 pm. It was so fun! He came to District council with us, and then he took us to In-n-out for lunch. In the afternoon we went up to Wylie/Rowlett, and visited some people that haven't been visited in a LONG time. We talked to a very interesting guy named Jerzy Franklin, and he said he would love to come to YSA activities! We also walked around a bit and talked to some people who were out and about and unfortunately nobody was even slightly interested haha--We saw some crazy cool cars as usual though! 

For dinner Jack took us to this Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse, which was really good! Reminded me a lot of Bonzai. The fried rice and Japenese beef I got was super good. We also got some sushi which was pretty good as well. In the evening we went and taught the Davis family, and then went up to Greenville! One of the places we visited was definitely an abandoned Crack house, sadly nobody answered. 

Wednesday our exchange got canceled cause Elder Morriss got sick, so we had a pretty normal day! We visited some people in a Hispanic neighborhood, and met a guy named Efren who is interested in learning more! We went out with Sam (priest) and Feki in the evening, and had a cool lesson with Marvin! Hes YSA aged, and interested in the Book of Mormon! Both Sam and Feki were able to relate to him, and invited him to activities and church. 

Thursday we did service at the Thrift store, and got to help someone move! They had lots of records and old CDs which were fun to look through. We had dinner with a very interesting family, who call themselves "radical" Mormons. And they have a lifesized doll in their living room. 

President Fisher took us and 2 priests out in the evening. We shared a lesson with the Smarts, and the Barisof's (who are a PMF)! The priests were able to contribute some good insights, and President Fisher is always fun to talk to as well. We talked about how the new mission president transition will work!

On Friday we had MLC, in which they talked a about working with members (I agree), and about how we are here to baptize and we shouldn't be wary of saying that (little less sold on that one, I think there is much more to missionary work). The drive home usually takes 40 minutes, but it started POURING and there were several accidents, so it took us 2 hours instead haha--luckily I love driving in the rain! In the evening we went out with Spencer, and went out to Quinlan. It was still super rainy, and it was dark and there was lots of lightning as well. We were also driving along dark forest roads, so the whole night felt like an adventure! 

Saturday we helped Ruth with some yard work, and went out with Brother Boyles. One of the people we talked to was Brother Hewitt, who's 92 and is still working 5 days a week cause he wants to haha--he has SO many tools and machines, and can basically make anything from Guns, to violins! We also had a lesson with Jack, and helped him get his Patriarchal blessing set up as well as his church account so he can be an FSY counselor. 

Sunday was crazy as usual but the main event was when President Pauga from the Stake Presidency brought his neighbor with him to the YSA! Later that night we went over and taught him, and apparently he was prompted by the spirit to ask about President's beliefs the day before! Since that point President Pauga taught him the Plan of Salvation, the Law of Chastity, the Word of Wisdom, Tithing, and the Book of Mormon! We taught him the Restoration, and then President put him on date for May 20th! So thats exciting, it all happened so fast.

-Abe 

No Way a Papaya Won!

Hi everyone, I am again writing to the 5 of you who read this :)

Monday was good, Elder Gamett had to pack and deal with a bunch of stuff, and then we went and played Pickleball with our District, and an inactive YSA named Zoe! It was pretty fun. And in the evening we went and said goodbye to people for Elder Gamett, Richie drove us around. We also "taught" (actually just talked and said goodbye), and Jack may have tossed his dog into the pool. (Slightly sad, but not enough to not laugh and document it)

Tuesday Jack drove us to transfers! Once we got there Jack, Elder Sauer, Elder Dawe, and I all talked about various things for about 3 straight hours haha--After that I met up with Elder Bjazevich and we drove back. After getting some really good Mexican food, we settled in and went shopping. In the evening we went out with Brother Cline, and visited a guy named Todd. Todd's super cool, he used to work on oil rigs, and also was a fireman. Brother Cline and he also used to be serious bicyclists, and so they talked for almost an hour! It was super cool that they got along so well, and Todd seems really interested in learning more about what we believe!

Wednesday we went out with Spencer, and drove up to Caddo Mills. We visited some country trailers out there, and one person we visited was a less-active YSA named April. She wasn't home, but her mom was, and her 39-yr-old special needs Brother. We tried to share a message but it was impossible with him making inappropriate jokes, and straying from topic to topic endlessly with no purpose. We finally gave up and got out of there. We stopped to get gas at one point, and there was a car show happening! So we talked to some cool car owners there, and took a few pictures.

On Thursday we did service at Helping Hands, and for Ruth as well. We went out with Jack, and after eating at Five Guys, we went down to McLendon-Chisholm and Terrell. We talked to Brother Stewart and got to see his '89 Porsch 964! It was super cool. We also talked to some very interesting people in Terrell, and even though none of them were interested it was fun to interact with them haha--one guy thought he was SUCH a jokester, and told us his name was Jason and then said, "just joking it's George." We were rolling on the floor laughing. We also talked to a lady who couldn't hear and so the encounter was just Elder Bjazevich saying something, and the lady replying with "What??" Jack sadly was not able to grab a cat this time. Next time he has to find two I guess...

Friday we had mission conference, and then went out with Feki in the evening. We were able to teach Diego, and also went down to Forney! We met a lady from Africa that only knows French, and from what we could gather from her animated manner, she's ready to get baptized!!!!

Feki is super fun to hang out with, it feels like we're just talking to a friend.

Saturday we helped keep time for the ward Spring 1k and 5k, helped make cotton candy, did service at the Thrift store, and helped a guy build a playground. In the evening we went out with Brother Thatcher, and after getting us Braums we headed to Heath. I had felt like we should visit this inactive guy who probably didn't even live there when we had planned, even though it was a bit out of the way. So we headed there first, and on the way Brother Thatcher mentioned that he's been thinking of seeing the Gomez family sometime. We realized they were in the same neighborhood we were heading to, so we decided we might as well visit them while we were there! When we pulled up, not only were the Gomezs there, but so was there daughter who we talked to with Brother Thatcher a few weeks ago with. She had said back then that she wanted to get all of us together, and then it had never happened. Brother Thatcher is good friends with all of them, so we had a great conversation together! After we shared a message which they said was just what they had needed, the daughter asked us to give her parents blessings since they had been struggling with health AND family issues. Elder Bjazevich was able to give blessings in Spanish to all 3 of them, and even though we never got to the other guy we had planned to visit, this was obviously they reason we had needed to head there!

Sunday was fun, the 2nd hour in the YSA was all about dating haha--it was a very strange lesson to have as a missionary.

-Abe