6.6—Impending Transfers :}

Dearest Peoples of the Internet,

I hope all is going well with you!  Well with most of you ;) 

Anywho, things down in New Mexico have been very good! So the apple trees have started to blossom in one of the villages, High Rolls, and it is BEAUTIFUL! :) I have missed seeing green lawns and blossoming trees! #igotluckytobeincloudcroft 

Also, one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Schneider, came up to Cloudcroft this past week for a 2-day exchange. Which is really strange because typically ZLs don't regularly hold exchanges with normal missionaries. Also it was strange because it was for 2 days--the average exchange only lasts for 1 day. And so we were a little curious of why he was coming, but it actually turned out really well. As it turns out, the Mission President had asked him to come on exchanges up to Cloudcroft to check out the area and see if there was enough work to justify having missionaries up here... Whew! And Elder Schneider loved it up here. He recognized the unique problems that we face in our area, and he said that he thinks it still  has good potential for missionary work! He says that as long as we can go the extra-mile, we can transform our area into something amazing! So yep, that was our week! Also, fun fact, Elder Schneider is the oldest missionary in our mission--he just turned 27, and I gave him a hard time that my dad was only 5 years older than him :} Muahahahah

Oh and also, we were able to get a new investigator this week! Her name is Shirley and she seems very excited about the Gospel. One of her Co-workers introduced her to the Book of Mormon, and she feels that this is the church where she needs to be to come closer to God! :)  It's funny to see how God works to bring his children to the truth.

Anywho, that's all  that's really new with me! Oh wait, transfers will be next Tuesday, and since Elder Barlow has been here for 7 1/2 months, I think he's getting the boot, but I guess he could also stay! So maybe next Tuesday I will have a new comanero!  It will be sad to see Elder Barlow go, but I think it's his time!

Anywho, take care!

Elder Jacob Guymon

6.5--Keeping Busy

Dearest Ladies and Gentlemen,

This has been a very good week! :) Yep, we kept busy for most of this week by doing service for others! And I am very much OK with that! 

Oh other exciting news, we contacted our referral and hopefully that means that by the end of the week we should have 2 new investigators!! Yay! We only have 3 that we are meeting with now, so that would effectively double our teaching pool! :)

In other news, our Bible Study Class will be starting tomorrow! :) We are both very excited about it and hopefully we should have people come to it!

I don't have a whole lotta time to email, but a quick funny story that happened to me this week before I take off!

So we were eating dinner with a family in our Branch, and they have 2 kids--a 3-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. The 3-yea- old wanted us to watch a movie with him, and so the dad asked us what movies we were allowed to watch while we were out on our missions.  We said that there wasn't too many but that wasn't true for all missions. And en passe I brought up that "My Girlfriend is serving her mission in DC, and for Christmas, they got to watch 'It's a wonderful Life'"  And as soon as I said the comment, their 6-year-old girl stands up on the table and she says "Whoa! Hold on there a minute! You have a GIRLFRIEND?"  I blushingly said, "Yes." Meanwhile her parents asked, "What's wrong with him having a girlfriend?", and she got really really quiet. :) Bahaha! And then out of nowhere, she said, "I will be soooo mad if you marry her." And once again her parents asked, "How come?", and she got really quiet. Again. :) And then she looks at me and says, "I will never ever have a boyfriend!"

 Hahahah! Kids say the darndest thing sometime! :)

Anywho, that's it for now. Paz!

Elder Jacob Guymon

6.4--No ipads

Dearest Ladies and Gentlemen, 

As the prior-mentioned-title states, we didn't get iPads.... NOOOO! Hahah jk jk! Actually, fun fact I wasn't able to attend Zone Conference this week either due to the fact that I was throwing up all the night before! Bleh, not the ideal situation, but everything worked out so Elder Barlow could go with our District Leader, and one of the other missionaries stayed with me!

In other news, as of yesterday I have officially been out for 8 months now! Where has my mission been going? It seems like just yesterday that I left for the MTC, and now I am 1/3 done with my mission! And it's been a blast! I have learned so much being out here, I have had good times, and there's been some rough patches in there as well! But mostly good! Probably the one thing that's stuck out to me the most on my mission is how awesome our Savior Jesus Christ is! I didn't really realize it  before, but He is Everything! He is my super hero! Whenever I read the scriptures I think to myself "Why are You so cool?". He's the Master Teacher. The Exemplar. The Servant and King. The Lover and the Chastener. The Hope when there's nothing else. I am glad to have gotten to know Jesus while I have been out here on the mission, and for me it truly begs the question for my decisions "What would Jesus do?"

In other news, we got not just one, but two referrals for people to teach!!! Wahooo! :) One of them we got because we made the decision to serve. We volunteer every Thursday up at the Senior Center up in Cloudcroft and take an hour or two and help them out with whatever they need! And one day, we were asked to help a man out to his car because he had trouble doing that on his own! And so we helped him to his car and had a good discussion and thought nothing else about it...until last Friday when his wife comes up to us and asks "Which of you young men helped my husband into his car?" 

I replied, " We both did actually." 

And then she gave us both a big hug, and Elder Barlow and I are still trying to figure out what's going on. She said, "I used to be Mormon, and now that my husband has met you, he's started asking me questions. How would you like to come over for lunch sometime so you can talk with him a little more?"

Can you say Miracle? :)

Anywho, it really impressed me that the small decisions that we make can really make the difference. I mean what would have happened if we were just "too busy" to help him out? Or what if we had decided not to go? Not that those questions really matter right now, but the cause me to think about the eternal nature of the little decisions that we make on a daily basis! :)

Anywho, tht-h-th-th-th-that's all for now folks!

Elder Jacob Guymon

6.3- Mardis Gras, Miracles, and Sandstorms

Greetings People of the Internet!

This week was very Fantastic! :) But first a couple of questions? 

1. So Russia is occupying Ukraine? Elder Barlow's friend is there, and he says there is occupying forces there! Tell me more! :) #missionariesinthedarkonworldnews

In other news, Cloudcroft had their Mardis Gras Celebration this week!! (Don't worry we didn't participate in the Celebration). But a ton of people came from all over to celebrate! Also, I learned that Smokey the Bear was from NM, and we may or may not be serving in his hometown! What? So cool!

Anywho, this week was really good for missionary work! :) We were able to get a new potential--named Jordan--who is the grandson of a less-active member that we were going to visit! We were able to make contact with another one of our potentials, who owns a bakery and gave us doughnuts!

On a sad note, the Pattersons dropped us (again) and B. Patterson says that he and his wife are going to stay baptist and are done investigating! But Sister Patterson says "We'll See", so we will just have to see what they future will bring! :)

Also, we had a wonderful Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday! :) The Spirit was very strong, and it seemed to resemble the theme of Looking For Small Miracles In Our Lives! :) And it was so fun to hear from everybody the "tender mercies" that they had seen in their lives (see 1 Nephi 1:20 and "The tender mercies of the Lord" by David A. Bednar). People shared about infertility and their miracles with having children, miracles in finding housing for Missionaries, miracles for family members, and miracles of having family members helped by prayers!

Hmmm..... yep, we have Zone Conference tomorrow, which hopefully means...... Ipads! Or probably not... but whatever... "come what may and love it" --Joseph B. Wirthlin

Anywho,  that's all she wrote folks! Have a good week!

Elder Jacob Guymon

                   

6.2 Dawn of the ipads?

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

How in the world are all of you doing? I hope all of you are enjoying the beautiful February weather!  :) As far as life here goes...Things are going very well! :)

In all honesty, not much has changed down here! The new transfer has taken off same as usual, and it is good! :) Hmm, oh so the reason for the title is that we should hopefully be getting ipads this transfer!! Wahooo! How we know that is, one of the ladies at the Mission Office accidentally let it slip! Muahahahah, and we have a Zone Conference in Las Cruces next week, and so hopefully that means that next week we should have reached the digital age!!

Oh, in other news, Elder Jewett is back in the Mission!!! Yay! Good for him! He actually experienced a miracle back at home--his elbow actually healed itself (with the help of many prayers, fasts, and a blessing)! What? He is currently in El Paso, and so hopefully that means I will get to see him next Tuesday!

Hmmm, other than that, things are going awesome! Nothing too new has happened! The Pattersons didn't come to church on Sunday... :( but we will get them to church soon! :)

I think that's all!

Love,

Elder Guymon