Showing posts with label Knoxville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knoxville. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Pictures!
Rely and Apply
Well for all of you who have not yet been informed....I will no longer be able to call Knoxville home. They are finally giving me the boot. I guess I was called to the Iowa Des Moines mission tho and not just the Knoxville Iowa Mission. I have loved this area sooooo much! I will miss it a lot but I am determined to not let my absence from Knoxville take me away from my presence in wherever it is that I find myself tomorrow afternoon. All I know is that my last day in Knoxville will be packed. I have so much to do and so little time to do it....I guess that's just preparation for life tho! I have been called by the Lord to be a zone leader. I feel pretty inadequate for the job but I guess like it says in Doctrine and Covenants...that's kind of a prerequisite for the job. "And by the weak things of the earth the Lord shall thresh the nations by the power of his Spirit." (D&C 35:13) I guess I'm in the right spot!
Knoxville has given me so much! I've obviously been here for too long tho because I can't separate the days anymore and what happened. I have no idea what we did this week because I can't remember when the weeks started and when they ended. I feel a lot like Charles Dickens...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
I have learned so much here in Knoxville. I decided tho that I would spend some time in this letter to convey what I most learned in this area. I have titled my letter "Rely and Apply" because that is what I have most learned here in Knoxville. I have learned through experiences beyond counting that you have to rely on the Lord. I have found in my tenure here that when you rely on yourself too much and the Lord too little...you are very off balance and eventually you will fall and hit the bottom where you learn the lesson I did. You must rely on the Lord. I have read countless times in this area Proverbs 3:5-6...."Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I have learned the pattern for successful living is as this...we must pray as if all depended on the Lord and do all in our power as if it all depended on us.
The next most important thing I have learned is to apply what we learn. We have to do so. I would go as far as to say it is the biggest problem in the world. We fail to apply the lessons that we have personally, individually, and collectively learned. We cannot progress without application of what we learn. Nephi even said.... "for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." (1 Nephi 19:23) I can also testify of the principle of application. James E Talmage I believe is the one who said, "Knowledge used constitutes wisdom." It is essential for us to do so.
This week we built a retaining wall. That was quite the chore. It will be cool to drive friends and family by someday and say, "hey, I did that." It took me back to my 6th grade days building the wall out in Casper. I remember that's where I got the Birds and the Bees talk! haha! It brought back some good memories! Time flies. That was a decade ago!
Kind of a bummer...we will have a baptism here in Knoxville on 11-11-11. (That was my idea for a date) :) Jared will be baptized and I couldn't be happier for him! I committed him to send me pictures tho!
Things I learned this week----
-You can never allow yourself to be too comfortable...when you do, change is certain.
-The definition of a missionary 10 for 10. "I give you 10 of my ugliest ties and you give me your ten ugliest ties."...I'm planning a ten for ten with Elder Wilson tomorrow!
-Space Bags are amazing. They take your suitcase space to a new level. I can fit so much by vacuuming out all the excess air!
-Hairspray will always outdo gel. Gel is nasty. Hairspray is awesome.
-I've been with Elder Smith too long....I choke on my own saliva way too often now! Thank heavens for transfers! =) Love ya Smith!
It's a week of change. I've learned to truly appreciate change. I used to not enjoy the feeling of vulnerability and I still don't think that I do completely, but I enjoy it because I know it is the precipice and preceding feeling before growth. Change is essential for growth. If our bodies did not go through some sort of physical change, we could never physically grow, and so it is spiritually. If we don't spiritually change, we will never spiritually grow. It's an eternal principle. I am grateful though for one thing that has never and will never change. That is the nature of my Heavenly Father. "For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?" (Mormon 9:9)
I have learned another principle over the span of my short lifetime that regardless of our ever changing choices, worldly morals, and day to day actions, our Heavenly Father does not change. Regardless of the times we forget, or perhaps purposefully do not call upon his name in prayer, and how long apart the instances may be when we do pray, he is always there waiting for us. His arms are always extended towards us.
I am so thankful for all the opportunities that I have. I can only now hope to take all those opportunities and succeed in doing so. I love ya'll! See ya in a few! =)
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Knoxville has given me so much! I've obviously been here for too long tho because I can't separate the days anymore and what happened. I have no idea what we did this week because I can't remember when the weeks started and when they ended. I feel a lot like Charles Dickens...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
I have learned so much here in Knoxville. I decided tho that I would spend some time in this letter to convey what I most learned in this area. I have titled my letter "Rely and Apply" because that is what I have most learned here in Knoxville. I have learned through experiences beyond counting that you have to rely on the Lord. I have found in my tenure here that when you rely on yourself too much and the Lord too little...you are very off balance and eventually you will fall and hit the bottom where you learn the lesson I did. You must rely on the Lord. I have read countless times in this area Proverbs 3:5-6...."Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I have learned the pattern for successful living is as this...we must pray as if all depended on the Lord and do all in our power as if it all depended on us.
The next most important thing I have learned is to apply what we learn. We have to do so. I would go as far as to say it is the biggest problem in the world. We fail to apply the lessons that we have personally, individually, and collectively learned. We cannot progress without application of what we learn. Nephi even said.... "for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." (1 Nephi 19:23) I can also testify of the principle of application. James E Talmage I believe is the one who said, "Knowledge used constitutes wisdom." It is essential for us to do so.
This week we built a retaining wall. That was quite the chore. It will be cool to drive friends and family by someday and say, "hey, I did that." It took me back to my 6th grade days building the wall out in Casper. I remember that's where I got the Birds and the Bees talk! haha! It brought back some good memories! Time flies. That was a decade ago!
Kind of a bummer...we will have a baptism here in Knoxville on 11-11-11. (That was my idea for a date) :) Jared will be baptized and I couldn't be happier for him! I committed him to send me pictures tho!
Things I learned this week----
-You can never allow yourself to be too comfortable...when you do, change is certain.
-The definition of a missionary 10 for 10. "I give you 10 of my ugliest ties and you give me your ten ugliest ties."...I'm planning a ten for ten with Elder Wilson tomorrow!
-Space Bags are amazing. They take your suitcase space to a new level. I can fit so much by vacuuming out all the excess air!
-Hairspray will always outdo gel. Gel is nasty. Hairspray is awesome.
-I've been with Elder Smith too long....I choke on my own saliva way too often now! Thank heavens for transfers! =) Love ya Smith!
It's a week of change. I've learned to truly appreciate change. I used to not enjoy the feeling of vulnerability and I still don't think that I do completely, but I enjoy it because I know it is the precipice and preceding feeling before growth. Change is essential for growth. If our bodies did not go through some sort of physical change, we could never physically grow, and so it is spiritually. If we don't spiritually change, we will never spiritually grow. It's an eternal principle. I am grateful though for one thing that has never and will never change. That is the nature of my Heavenly Father. "For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?" (Mormon 9:9)
I have learned another principle over the span of my short lifetime that regardless of our ever changing choices, worldly morals, and day to day actions, our Heavenly Father does not change. Regardless of the times we forget, or perhaps purposefully do not call upon his name in prayer, and how long apart the instances may be when we do pray, he is always there waiting for us. His arms are always extended towards us.
I am so thankful for all the opportunities that I have. I can only now hope to take all those opportunities and succeed in doing so. I love ya'll! See ya in a few! =)
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Q&A - November 2, 2011
1. Transfers!! Where are you??
I have no idea where I will be tomorrow, but as for today, I am still in Knoxville next to Elder Smith. Today is the day before transfers so we'll see what happens!
2. Who is your companion and where is he from?
Elder Smith from Provo, UT. :)
3. Your forecast says snow today. Are you getting some?
Not yet. Some good rain tho. We are supposed to play some soccer today, rain or shine, with some people. I'm pretty stoked. I love rain games!
4. Was there one particular person or family in Knoxville that it was extra hard to say goodbye to?
All of them! I've loved the people here in Knoxville!
5. What was your biggest challenge this week?
Smiling with my teeth....I'm learning! :)
6. What was your biggest accomplishment?
Smiling with my teeth....I have a love/hate relationship with the idea of that. I'm learning to love it tho!
7. Do you know how much your family loves you?
I try to guess! :)
I have no idea where I will be tomorrow, but as for today, I am still in Knoxville next to Elder Smith. Today is the day before transfers so we'll see what happens!
2. Who is your companion and where is he from?
Elder Smith from Provo, UT. :)
3. Your forecast says snow today. Are you getting some?
Not yet. Some good rain tho. We are supposed to play some soccer today, rain or shine, with some people. I'm pretty stoked. I love rain games!
4. Was there one particular person or family in Knoxville that it was extra hard to say goodbye to?
All of them! I've loved the people here in Knoxville!
5. What was your biggest challenge this week?
Smiling with my teeth....I'm learning! :)
6. What was your biggest accomplishment?
Smiling with my teeth....I have a love/hate relationship with the idea of that. I'm learning to love it tho!
7. Do you know how much your family loves you?
I try to guess! :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Pictures!
Applying for financial aid is as easy as.... (Great attention grabber!)
Man what a fast week! Elder Smith and I have been astounded at how fast the moon will be full and then in the blink of an eye there is no moon again. It's beginning to all just be a blur and hard to remember what happened when. For example...Elder Franz when I got here had nearly 8 months left on his mission...he now has one transfer. Elder Johnson who served in England for 15 months and then came to Iowa the same week as me goes home after another 6 weeks. It's crazy to me. I only have 6 transfers left and I've been in Iowa for 4 of them. How the time flies....
I guess I should first start out by talking about why my email is one day later than normal. Well...we have planned for months now to go with the Downey family to the hospital when Michael, the dad, had surgery on his heart. The wife and daughter, who is 12, wanted us to be there with them just in case of emergency and to help occupy their time during the 4-6 hour surgery. So yesterday, we woke up at 5 and went to Des Moines to the Iowa Methodist Hospital. He ended up being in surgery and recovery for nearly 8 hours but we didn’t leave til probably close to 5:30. It was kind of a long day but I loved it. I really want to work in a hospital. I just love the environment. We played with Raven, the daughter, for hours. We played Connect 4 and Uno and Speed. It was a lot of fun. We sacrificed a P-day to do it but I wouldn't have done it any other way. The surgery however was unsuccessful in taking him out of atrial fibrillation but they are gonna adjust his meds and hopefully see some regularity in his pulse from now on. All in all....super fun day.
Wednesday we helped scrape a garage so it could be repainted. That was decently fun actually. We did it with the young men and the elder's quorum so it went pretty fast. It was really nice to just do some work tho. That wasn’t the last of the work that we would do for the rest of the week tho...
On Saturday, for the first time in my life, I had blisters on my hands from all that we did. My pectorals still are sore! Saturday morning we went with the branch president and his wife to Attica, a small town south of Knoxville, and cleaned out a pioneer cemetery that someone discovered. We found 3 of 9 headstones. It was a lot of work. We cut down some trees and weed-wacked a half acre but it was really cool to sit on that grassy knoll and imagine those pioneers traveling right through my area. It made my work a lot more meaningful anyway.
Saturday afternoon we helped a guy we met on the street named Denny. Reminded me of omelets at first hearing his name but nonetheless...We helped him dig out a pit of 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep by 10-12 feet long of hard Iowa clay for a retaining wall. My shoulders could not lift to sustain people in Sacrament Meeting. It was well needed. I miss hard labor a lot! When I come home....put me to work Dad!!
I ate something interesting and totally against what I would ever have before. I had squash. Typically I hate squash. I had it once and that was one too many times. But on Saturday night we ate with Sister Edwards who is gluten free so we had spaghetti squash. It was awesome. I also ate eggplant and mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I used to hate them but now I love them. Can’t get enough. Funny how things like that change. All false premonitions are crushed with attempt and effort.
Things I learned this week--
-Iowa weather is similar to Idaho weather. Totally unpredictable.
-Honeycrisp apples still remain to be the best.
-People get happy when bad people die...I think that's dumb. Every person is a person and we should never cheer with their death! That's wrong.
I am so grateful for where I am. I think consistently about how hard I have worked to get here and it has been so hard. Every day is really hard here but I look at it in such a new light. It's all such a blessing to be here. To be tried is such a privilege. It's an opportunity to grow and I'm so thankful to be blessed with that opportunity. I love watching miracles and I have seen many, starting with myself, and in others. I know that this in the Lord's only true church. I have zero doubt that all churches do good things for billions of people. But I know that they are either all right or all wrong. God is a black and white kind of guy. It's either right or wrong. I know because of the restoration of God's authority on the earth to His church, there is now only one true and completely correct church with the permission to act in his name. I'm so honored to represent Him and His church.
I love ya'll!
Elder Excell
I guess I should first start out by talking about why my email is one day later than normal. Well...we have planned for months now to go with the Downey family to the hospital when Michael, the dad, had surgery on his heart. The wife and daughter, who is 12, wanted us to be there with them just in case of emergency and to help occupy their time during the 4-6 hour surgery. So yesterday, we woke up at 5 and went to Des Moines to the Iowa Methodist Hospital. He ended up being in surgery and recovery for nearly 8 hours but we didn’t leave til probably close to 5:30. It was kind of a long day but I loved it. I really want to work in a hospital. I just love the environment. We played with Raven, the daughter, for hours. We played Connect 4 and Uno and Speed. It was a lot of fun. We sacrificed a P-day to do it but I wouldn't have done it any other way. The surgery however was unsuccessful in taking him out of atrial fibrillation but they are gonna adjust his meds and hopefully see some regularity in his pulse from now on. All in all....super fun day.
Wednesday we helped scrape a garage so it could be repainted. That was decently fun actually. We did it with the young men and the elder's quorum so it went pretty fast. It was really nice to just do some work tho. That wasn’t the last of the work that we would do for the rest of the week tho...
On Saturday, for the first time in my life, I had blisters on my hands from all that we did. My pectorals still are sore! Saturday morning we went with the branch president and his wife to Attica, a small town south of Knoxville, and cleaned out a pioneer cemetery that someone discovered. We found 3 of 9 headstones. It was a lot of work. We cut down some trees and weed-wacked a half acre but it was really cool to sit on that grassy knoll and imagine those pioneers traveling right through my area. It made my work a lot more meaningful anyway.
Saturday afternoon we helped a guy we met on the street named Denny. Reminded me of omelets at first hearing his name but nonetheless...We helped him dig out a pit of 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep by 10-12 feet long of hard Iowa clay for a retaining wall. My shoulders could not lift to sustain people in Sacrament Meeting. It was well needed. I miss hard labor a lot! When I come home....put me to work Dad!!
I ate something interesting and totally against what I would ever have before. I had squash. Typically I hate squash. I had it once and that was one too many times. But on Saturday night we ate with Sister Edwards who is gluten free so we had spaghetti squash. It was awesome. I also ate eggplant and mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I used to hate them but now I love them. Can’t get enough. Funny how things like that change. All false premonitions are crushed with attempt and effort.
Things I learned this week--
-Iowa weather is similar to Idaho weather. Totally unpredictable.
-Honeycrisp apples still remain to be the best.
-People get happy when bad people die...I think that's dumb. Every person is a person and we should never cheer with their death! That's wrong.
I am so grateful for where I am. I think consistently about how hard I have worked to get here and it has been so hard. Every day is really hard here but I look at it in such a new light. It's all such a blessing to be here. To be tried is such a privilege. It's an opportunity to grow and I'm so thankful to be blessed with that opportunity. I love watching miracles and I have seen many, starting with myself, and in others. I know that this in the Lord's only true church. I have zero doubt that all churches do good things for billions of people. But I know that they are either all right or all wrong. God is a black and white kind of guy. It's either right or wrong. I know because of the restoration of God's authority on the earth to His church, there is now only one true and completely correct church with the permission to act in his name. I'm so honored to represent Him and His church.
I love ya'll!
Elder Excell
Q&A - October 25, 2011
1. Have you had any time to knit lately? If so, what is your latest project?
I have found zero time. I downloaded about 150 talks from BYU devotionals given by prophets and apostles so I have been listening through those and have been busy busy!
2. It looks like the weather has turned pretty cold there. Are you staying warm?
Weather here is almost as unpredictable as Idaho. Today is was 64 degrees when we went running at 6:30 AM. But it's supposed to get cold again. Who knows. The coat that you sent for my birthday is so perfect! I love it. Nice and toasty. I think I'll be buying some classic red one-piece long johns tho! :)
3. How many times per month do you eat at a restaurant?
Well, each week for district meeting lunch. So that's 4ish. Plus maybe 2 others with members...6 maybe. Not too much.
4. Do you take turns fixing meals or does one of you enjoy cooking more and spend more time in the kitchen?
Well we both love to cook but I spend a little more time in the kitchen. I buy more things to make from scratch and Elder Smith sticks to the oven or microwave.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment this week?
I am soda free for nearly 2 weeks now. I miss it. It looks so refreshing but so is my cran-apple and cran-grape juice! =)
I have found zero time. I downloaded about 150 talks from BYU devotionals given by prophets and apostles so I have been listening through those and have been busy busy!
2. It looks like the weather has turned pretty cold there. Are you staying warm?
Weather here is almost as unpredictable as Idaho. Today is was 64 degrees when we went running at 6:30 AM. But it's supposed to get cold again. Who knows. The coat that you sent for my birthday is so perfect! I love it. Nice and toasty. I think I'll be buying some classic red one-piece long johns tho! :)
3. How many times per month do you eat at a restaurant?
Well, each week for district meeting lunch. So that's 4ish. Plus maybe 2 others with members...6 maybe. Not too much.
4. Do you take turns fixing meals or does one of you enjoy cooking more and spend more time in the kitchen?
Well we both love to cook but I spend a little more time in the kitchen. I buy more things to make from scratch and Elder Smith sticks to the oven or microwave.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment this week?
I am soda free for nearly 2 weeks now. I miss it. It looks so refreshing but so is my cran-apple and cran-grape juice! =)
Monday, October 17, 2011
NOTICE TO HISPANIC AND/OR WOMEN FARMERS AND RANCHERS
I think I am going to title every email from here on out with a phrase from something posted on the board next to me. It makes for a good attention getter I think. And, I learned those attention grabbers are vital back in the 8th grade! Apparently if you fit into the specified category in the title and feel as if you have been jipped on some loans from the years 1981 to 2000 you could sue someone for millions. Oh ridiculous! Give me a break. But if you feel so inclined you may contact the USDA about this matter...now onto more important things!
This week was great and need I even say it anymore...ok I will...it flew. Never ceases to astound me.
Monday we had a great p-day and it was awesome to see Mr. Andy Newman. He’s a good kid. We went to a not so good Chinese buffet....I ‘ve felt sick up until last night. Not very pleasing while teaching lessons or sitting through church. But regardless, the company was nice and we had a good chance to catch up. It’s crazy to think where the time has gone. It has been more than 3 years since I was roommates in college with him. Man...I’m old. Life moves on tho. With or without you. We played some basketball. You would think my many hours of playing against myself in the driveway would pay off at some point, but alas, playing against a human is different and I stink.
Tuesday we had a decent day. We had quite a few people to go see but none were home and so we just moved on down the list. We ended up seeing and teaching a couple people but we wish we hadn't. Not that it would make a difference. Bonnie dropped us. Her exact words were "well I’m not quite sure why but I don't want to study with you boys anymore. I've been thinking of a reason all day and I just don’t have one." oh well.....it felt like getting broke up with for no reason. No closure just goodbyes. She’s a sweet lady tho. We’ll still stop by and rake her leaves and clean out her gutters when she needs.
Wednesday we had exchanges with the Oskaloosa Elders in Knoxville. It was a great time. I got to work with Elder Lewis...the one that looks like Dilbert. We had a good day. We walked about 1.5 miles in the pouring rain and just were drenched head to toe. As soon as we got into someone's house it quit and as soon as we went back outside it poured. Just our luck. We laughed our way through it tho. We had to break into our own house afterward to get dry clothes and supplies so that made for quite a sight I’m sure. It’d be a lot easier if we didn't live on the second floor. =/
I played travel agent for someone this week. She’s a member and she needed to go to Vegas for a narcolepsy conference. She's a hoot. I guess she loves me...I spent 300 bucks for her. I just laughed the whole time tho...I just kept thinking, "I am buying tickets for a woman who has narcolepsy (the disease that makes you fall asleep instantly like the guy on Rat Race) to go to a conference with other people who have narcolepsy"....I would pay money just to watch that conference. Conferences put normal people to sleep. Let alone those who are already apt to do so. I feel bad for the speaker. He's got no hope in that atmosphere.
I found a new old folks home friend. Her name is Francis. She’s a cutie. She’s from Texas and if there is one thing better than a cute girl with a southern drawl it is an old woman with Texas drawl. She’s awesome.
I just about cry every time even think about leaving this place. Part of me is so comfortable and ready to leave but the other part of me, the larger part of me, just wants to be the exception to all things logical and stay in one area my whole mission. I guess we'll see with time.
I gave up some things this week. I decided to start a 40 day fast and refine myself and better qualify myself for this work. I have put 10 things on a list to either fast from or do better and really focus on for 40 days. Here are a few...
-Music....motab and talks from apostles only.
-Letters....I’m not opening them til Sunday night at 10 p.m.....I can't do anything about them anyway til p-day so what's the point in distracting myself.
-Better workouts everyday...I’m getting fat.
-Patience with myself and others. (It’s just a must in life)
-Eating habits....I have sworn off soda for...get this...for life. No more carbonated caffeine for me. It’s just a luxury and good and all but I feel as if it is setting me back from who I want to be. I don’t want to be enslaved to it anymore. I am 4 days sober by the way.
It's been really good so far. I feel so much better as I set these small goals to be who I really want to be. More focused. More dedicated. More consecrated.
Things I learned this week---
-Window seals are dirty and will stain your white shirt when climbing through them.
-Missionaries shoes are dirty and will stain your white shirt when hoisting them into open windows.
-Spray and Wash is a modern miracle.
-Having a companion who snores and plugging his nose while he sleeps can be fun.
This week I have been thinking about marketing schemes again. I don't have too many ridiculous things this week but I've thought of them in a new way. A successful business uses advertising. They use it as much as they possibly can. Watching any TV show you can see all sorts of product placement that is promoting a certain company or a certain ideal. I have thought about what products I am placing. What advertisement am I providing to the people I associate myself with? I have come to learn and realize that I am a product of Christ. I wear his name everywhere. All Christendom does in reality. When we take His name upon us we wear it all the time. Others associate us with Him. It's caused me to step back and wonder if I am promoting that good name more positively of tearing it down by my actions. Now for me this is the conclusion... Christianity is defined by the very way I act. Missionaries or our faith are defined by the way I conduct myself. Idahoans are measured by the way others measure me. It's the same for all of us. Whoever it is that we may represent...I invite everyone, myself included, to measure yourself. Are you placing the product you have well? Are you a worthwhile advertisement for that which you represent? If not...readjust and try again. Improvement is always possible. Progress is always our goal. The atonement of Jesus Christ is how we accomplish both. Whoever you are...be a good one!
I love ya'll,
Elder Excell
This week was great and need I even say it anymore...ok I will...it flew. Never ceases to astound me.
Monday we had a great p-day and it was awesome to see Mr. Andy Newman. He’s a good kid. We went to a not so good Chinese buffet....I ‘ve felt sick up until last night. Not very pleasing while teaching lessons or sitting through church. But regardless, the company was nice and we had a good chance to catch up. It’s crazy to think where the time has gone. It has been more than 3 years since I was roommates in college with him. Man...I’m old. Life moves on tho. With or without you. We played some basketball. You would think my many hours of playing against myself in the driveway would pay off at some point, but alas, playing against a human is different and I stink.
Tuesday we had a decent day. We had quite a few people to go see but none were home and so we just moved on down the list. We ended up seeing and teaching a couple people but we wish we hadn't. Not that it would make a difference. Bonnie dropped us. Her exact words were "well I’m not quite sure why but I don't want to study with you boys anymore. I've been thinking of a reason all day and I just don’t have one." oh well.....it felt like getting broke up with for no reason. No closure just goodbyes. She’s a sweet lady tho. We’ll still stop by and rake her leaves and clean out her gutters when she needs.
Wednesday we had exchanges with the Oskaloosa Elders in Knoxville. It was a great time. I got to work with Elder Lewis...the one that looks like Dilbert. We had a good day. We walked about 1.5 miles in the pouring rain and just were drenched head to toe. As soon as we got into someone's house it quit and as soon as we went back outside it poured. Just our luck. We laughed our way through it tho. We had to break into our own house afterward to get dry clothes and supplies so that made for quite a sight I’m sure. It’d be a lot easier if we didn't live on the second floor. =/
I played travel agent for someone this week. She’s a member and she needed to go to Vegas for a narcolepsy conference. She's a hoot. I guess she loves me...I spent 300 bucks for her. I just laughed the whole time tho...I just kept thinking, "I am buying tickets for a woman who has narcolepsy (the disease that makes you fall asleep instantly like the guy on Rat Race) to go to a conference with other people who have narcolepsy"....I would pay money just to watch that conference. Conferences put normal people to sleep. Let alone those who are already apt to do so. I feel bad for the speaker. He's got no hope in that atmosphere.
I found a new old folks home friend. Her name is Francis. She’s a cutie. She’s from Texas and if there is one thing better than a cute girl with a southern drawl it is an old woman with Texas drawl. She’s awesome.
I just about cry every time even think about leaving this place. Part of me is so comfortable and ready to leave but the other part of me, the larger part of me, just wants to be the exception to all things logical and stay in one area my whole mission. I guess we'll see with time.
I gave up some things this week. I decided to start a 40 day fast and refine myself and better qualify myself for this work. I have put 10 things on a list to either fast from or do better and really focus on for 40 days. Here are a few...
-Music....motab and talks from apostles only.
-Letters....I’m not opening them til Sunday night at 10 p.m.....I can't do anything about them anyway til p-day so what's the point in distracting myself.
-Better workouts everyday...I’m getting fat.
-Patience with myself and others. (It’s just a must in life)
-Eating habits....I have sworn off soda for...get this...for life. No more carbonated caffeine for me. It’s just a luxury and good and all but I feel as if it is setting me back from who I want to be. I don’t want to be enslaved to it anymore. I am 4 days sober by the way.
It's been really good so far. I feel so much better as I set these small goals to be who I really want to be. More focused. More dedicated. More consecrated.
Things I learned this week---
-Window seals are dirty and will stain your white shirt when climbing through them.
-Missionaries shoes are dirty and will stain your white shirt when hoisting them into open windows.
-Spray and Wash is a modern miracle.
-Having a companion who snores and plugging his nose while he sleeps can be fun.
This week I have been thinking about marketing schemes again. I don't have too many ridiculous things this week but I've thought of them in a new way. A successful business uses advertising. They use it as much as they possibly can. Watching any TV show you can see all sorts of product placement that is promoting a certain company or a certain ideal. I have thought about what products I am placing. What advertisement am I providing to the people I associate myself with? I have come to learn and realize that I am a product of Christ. I wear his name everywhere. All Christendom does in reality. When we take His name upon us we wear it all the time. Others associate us with Him. It's caused me to step back and wonder if I am promoting that good name more positively of tearing it down by my actions. Now for me this is the conclusion... Christianity is defined by the very way I act. Missionaries or our faith are defined by the way I conduct myself. Idahoans are measured by the way others measure me. It's the same for all of us. Whoever it is that we may represent...I invite everyone, myself included, to measure yourself. Are you placing the product you have well? Are you a worthwhile advertisement for that which you represent? If not...readjust and try again. Improvement is always possible. Progress is always our goal. The atonement of Jesus Christ is how we accomplish both. Whoever you are...be a good one!
I love ya'll,
Elder Excell
Q&A - October 17, 2011
1. You've had several pictures with glasses on. Where did you get them and do you kind of like wearing them for fun or what?
So Elder Howard and I found them while tracting. We call those types fo things tracting treasures! They are the best! They don't have lenses so I like them. I feel more intellectual. People trust me more til I scratch my eye where the lens should be. Then they double-take. Pretty fun!
2. Did you enjoy your time with Andy this past week? What kinds of things did you do?
We went to lunch and then just kinda chilled and played basketball. It was awesome to see him. He even brought me and Elder Smith some ties!!
3. It was cool to see that you've heard from Justin lately. When does he come home? We were thinking that it might be pretty close to the same time as you.
Ya, he will come home almost 6 weeks after me. Same with Chad Davies. We are all pretty close in time and we all write each other too. Elder mail is always fun!
4. Are you staying healthy?
You'll have to wait and see what I gave up this week.
5. What was the hardest lesson you learned this week?
Patience with myself. It's a continual lesson I learn very frequently.
6. What was the best thing you learned this week?
Patience with myself. I am making progress. I've learned patience starts with yourself and when achieved there, can be used with others. :)
So Elder Howard and I found them while tracting. We call those types fo things tracting treasures! They are the best! They don't have lenses so I like them. I feel more intellectual. People trust me more til I scratch my eye where the lens should be. Then they double-take. Pretty fun!
2. Did you enjoy your time with Andy this past week? What kinds of things did you do?
We went to lunch and then just kinda chilled and played basketball. It was awesome to see him. He even brought me and Elder Smith some ties!!
3. It was cool to see that you've heard from Justin lately. When does he come home? We were thinking that it might be pretty close to the same time as you.
Ya, he will come home almost 6 weeks after me. Same with Chad Davies. We are all pretty close in time and we all write each other too. Elder mail is always fun!
4. Are you staying healthy?
You'll have to wait and see what I gave up this week.
5. What was the hardest lesson you learned this week?
Patience with myself. It's a continual lesson I learn very frequently.
6. What was the best thing you learned this week?
Patience with myself. I am making progress. I've learned patience starts with yourself and when achieved there, can be used with others. :)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Pictures
Q&A - October 10, 2011
1. How do you feel that your training sessions went?
Well.....I felt I could have done better but I will explain in the letter!
2. You got to see Elder Howard! How is he?
Oh man....I miss that kid! He is awesome! I love him to death! I'm praying to serve with him again.
3. Who was invited to attend the Leadership Conference? How many missionaries?
Probably 50 out of the 180 in the mission - district leaders, zone leaders, and a.p.'s. with the 1st transfer trainers.
4. Since you are comparing prices, are missionaries allowed to drink Coke or Pepsi?
We can drink anything here. Surprising as this may be....I have become a big fan of pepsi max. 0 calories.
5. How many "investigators" do you have right now that you are working with?
I would say probably 4-5 solid investigators.
6. What is the best thing you learned this week?
ooooo....switching up the final question eh...well I learned that Heavenly Father knows all of his children and their needs.
Well.....I felt I could have done better but I will explain in the letter!
2. You got to see Elder Howard! How is he?
Oh man....I miss that kid! He is awesome! I love him to death! I'm praying to serve with him again.
3. Who was invited to attend the Leadership Conference? How many missionaries?
Probably 50 out of the 180 in the mission - district leaders, zone leaders, and a.p.'s. with the 1st transfer trainers.
4. Since you are comparing prices, are missionaries allowed to drink Coke or Pepsi?
We can drink anything here. Surprising as this may be....I have become a big fan of pepsi max. 0 calories.
5. How many "investigators" do you have right now that you are working with?
I would say probably 4-5 solid investigators.
6. What is the best thing you learned this week?
ooooo....switching up the final question eh...well I learned that Heavenly Father knows all of his children and their needs.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Pictures!
Statements divide, questions unite.
Man oh man. What a week it has been in the old IDMM. It has been so busy this week. Seriously, life just went from one thing to the other to the other, and I loved it. And can I just ask, was General Conference not just amazing!? It was so great and I wish it lasted a lot longer than just two days.
Tuesday last week we had zone conference. It was phenomenal. I went with a lot of questions in my heart that I wanted answered for me. Needless to say, the Lord hears our prayers and answers our questions. It seemed as if everything that was spoken was what I needed to hear. Now I don't want to paint a dark picture, but I've been struggling lately. Not with the work, nor with companions or anything of that sort, but with myself. I just have felt as if I was not doing ALL that I should be for the Lord and for this work. I went to zone conference feeling that way and during zone conference I became very inspired to be better and to give more. When I left zone conference, I still felt as if I was on cloud 9 but while driving home I just got so frustrated with myself. I started to pick myself apart and realize how incapable and weak I was in this work. When we got home, it continued. I was so overwhelmed with who I needed to become because I thought it was me who had to do it all. I lay on my bed with what felt like battery acid rolling through my veins. I kept beating myself up all night until about 10 P.M. I started to go back over what I had taken notes on during zone conference and it hit me as pure as day. I relied on myself and no one else to help me. I had forgotten to apply what I was teaching to others and rely on the Lord. In the recent days, I have refocused all that I do, with a special interest in what it is the lord is helping me do, and things have been infinitely better. I am not perfect but I am progressing and the Lord is helping me do it.
This week we went to jail. Well ya - kinda. One of the families in our branch has a son who has gotten into some trouble. He stole a radiator from a semi and then sold it. Well, he got caught. One Class D felony and a 2 week stint in jail during his birthday is the county's cure. He seemed so miserable in there. Whoever it is that helped me avoid situations like that in my life, thank you so much. I am so glad that I never had to learn my lessons in that hard way.
This upcoming week is gonna be so busy. Today is p-day. Tomorrow is a normal work day. Wednesday I have leadership conference at which I have to train on the new training program since I was the first to do it. I get to train for 60 minutes and I get to partner it up with Elder Howard! I miss that eld so much! Love him. Anyway, then Thursday is normal. Friday is interviews with president and then exchanges in Indianola and Saturday is district meeting at which I will train for 2.5 hours on what we learned at leadership. Then, we will have district lunch and weekly planning for the upcoming week and try to work a little bit Saturday. Sunday is church and Monday I’m back here again. Nuts!!
We had a stupid car trade at zone conference. We had a 2011 Ford Fusion with 6,000 miles. We now have a 2008 Fusion that is a bad red color with 46,000 miles. When we got it, the CD player and audio system was shorted as well. Good thing I learned a bit about cars last year. Fixed her up and in all respects, she's a good car. Just not as nice as the last one. Haha. Oh, and I bought a gps last month. Scrimped and saved for that and I named it finally. Her name is Sadie.
We got lost Wednesday night regardless of the gps. It doesn't help when your dinner appointment doesn’t live on a real road. Class B highways that are unkept. Shoulda known that was gonna be a disaster. 30 minutes late but we found it tho. All is well that ends well. That’s what they say anyway.
Marie, my best friend from church, went back to Bountiful, Utah this week. She is such an amazing lady. She is about 75-80 years old and is the mom of one of the members in our area. She had been here for the summer just to live here because she's lonely in Utah. I sat by her every week in Sunday school and she helped teach me how to knit. When she said goodbye to me she said, "I love you Elder Excell" and started to weep. Ah man...I lost it. Love that woman! I will visit her soon!
We met with a woman who is a member but hasn't been to church in 2 years this week. She is amazing. Such a role model to me. Her husband is half paralyzed on his right side and cannot talk but they have the best relationship. She can’t leave him alone tho due to medical issues and so we are trying to accommodate her somehow. She misses church but just can't go. Really cool lady tho.
Conference was amazing! I had a very spiritual moment and witness during the Sunday morning session. It had nothing to do with the talks but all to do with those that were present. Saturday sessions, Elder Smith and I sat alone in the chapel, but on Sunday we had people there. We had a blind guy, a severely deaf guy, a mentally handicapped guy, a paraplegic woman and a little 6 year old girl belonging to the blind man. Being in charge of how things were set up, I wanted everyone to be accommodated. We got a projector so the practically blind guy could see - his screen was 120 inches. We got a small 12 inch TV with good sound for the nearly deaf guy and we had coloring books for the little girl. We made it work. And after much stress of getting it all together, after conference started, and the talks commenced, I looked around and realized what it was that I had missed. I started to cry. Why did I stress so much about everyone being accommodated?! Because-this-gospel-is-for-everyone. This gospel accommodates everyone because that is the very basis of its message. We leave no one behind. It was a very sacred special moment I will treasure forever.
Conference also was very special because I wrote down 5 questions that I have been wondering for some time now and expecting and praying for answers from conference. I was given the answers to all 5. Incredible how the Lord works. :)
Things I learned this week----
-Coke is cheaper than Pepsi. They won me over.
-Creme filled wafers make oatmeal so good when cooked with the oatmeal.
-People take oatmeal baths....weird.
-Statements divide, but optimistic questions unite.
I just want to reiterate what I previously said. This gospel is for everyone. It is for everyone because everyone is a child of God. There is no one person on this earth that doesn’t have that divine hereditary trait. I know that I am a spirit child of my Heavenly Father. I know he loves me. I know that I am where I need to be in his grand plan and that his plan brings happiness. It just makes sense and I am so grateful for that closure and for the peace and the answers the gospel brings to me. I know that it answers everyone's questions. I have zero doubt in that. Christ's atonement is for everyone and so is his gospel in which we may access that awesome power.
I love you all. Seriously.
Elder Excell
Tuesday last week we had zone conference. It was phenomenal. I went with a lot of questions in my heart that I wanted answered for me. Needless to say, the Lord hears our prayers and answers our questions. It seemed as if everything that was spoken was what I needed to hear. Now I don't want to paint a dark picture, but I've been struggling lately. Not with the work, nor with companions or anything of that sort, but with myself. I just have felt as if I was not doing ALL that I should be for the Lord and for this work. I went to zone conference feeling that way and during zone conference I became very inspired to be better and to give more. When I left zone conference, I still felt as if I was on cloud 9 but while driving home I just got so frustrated with myself. I started to pick myself apart and realize how incapable and weak I was in this work. When we got home, it continued. I was so overwhelmed with who I needed to become because I thought it was me who had to do it all. I lay on my bed with what felt like battery acid rolling through my veins. I kept beating myself up all night until about 10 P.M. I started to go back over what I had taken notes on during zone conference and it hit me as pure as day. I relied on myself and no one else to help me. I had forgotten to apply what I was teaching to others and rely on the Lord. In the recent days, I have refocused all that I do, with a special interest in what it is the lord is helping me do, and things have been infinitely better. I am not perfect but I am progressing and the Lord is helping me do it.
This week we went to jail. Well ya - kinda. One of the families in our branch has a son who has gotten into some trouble. He stole a radiator from a semi and then sold it. Well, he got caught. One Class D felony and a 2 week stint in jail during his birthday is the county's cure. He seemed so miserable in there. Whoever it is that helped me avoid situations like that in my life, thank you so much. I am so glad that I never had to learn my lessons in that hard way.
This upcoming week is gonna be so busy. Today is p-day. Tomorrow is a normal work day. Wednesday I have leadership conference at which I have to train on the new training program since I was the first to do it. I get to train for 60 minutes and I get to partner it up with Elder Howard! I miss that eld so much! Love him. Anyway, then Thursday is normal. Friday is interviews with president and then exchanges in Indianola and Saturday is district meeting at which I will train for 2.5 hours on what we learned at leadership. Then, we will have district lunch and weekly planning for the upcoming week and try to work a little bit Saturday. Sunday is church and Monday I’m back here again. Nuts!!
We had a stupid car trade at zone conference. We had a 2011 Ford Fusion with 6,000 miles. We now have a 2008 Fusion that is a bad red color with 46,000 miles. When we got it, the CD player and audio system was shorted as well. Good thing I learned a bit about cars last year. Fixed her up and in all respects, she's a good car. Just not as nice as the last one. Haha. Oh, and I bought a gps last month. Scrimped and saved for that and I named it finally. Her name is Sadie.
We got lost Wednesday night regardless of the gps. It doesn't help when your dinner appointment doesn’t live on a real road. Class B highways that are unkept. Shoulda known that was gonna be a disaster. 30 minutes late but we found it tho. All is well that ends well. That’s what they say anyway.
Marie, my best friend from church, went back to Bountiful, Utah this week. She is such an amazing lady. She is about 75-80 years old and is the mom of one of the members in our area. She had been here for the summer just to live here because she's lonely in Utah. I sat by her every week in Sunday school and she helped teach me how to knit. When she said goodbye to me she said, "I love you Elder Excell" and started to weep. Ah man...I lost it. Love that woman! I will visit her soon!
We met with a woman who is a member but hasn't been to church in 2 years this week. She is amazing. Such a role model to me. Her husband is half paralyzed on his right side and cannot talk but they have the best relationship. She can’t leave him alone tho due to medical issues and so we are trying to accommodate her somehow. She misses church but just can't go. Really cool lady tho.
Conference was amazing! I had a very spiritual moment and witness during the Sunday morning session. It had nothing to do with the talks but all to do with those that were present. Saturday sessions, Elder Smith and I sat alone in the chapel, but on Sunday we had people there. We had a blind guy, a severely deaf guy, a mentally handicapped guy, a paraplegic woman and a little 6 year old girl belonging to the blind man. Being in charge of how things were set up, I wanted everyone to be accommodated. We got a projector so the practically blind guy could see - his screen was 120 inches. We got a small 12 inch TV with good sound for the nearly deaf guy and we had coloring books for the little girl. We made it work. And after much stress of getting it all together, after conference started, and the talks commenced, I looked around and realized what it was that I had missed. I started to cry. Why did I stress so much about everyone being accommodated?! Because-this-gospel-is-for-everyone. This gospel accommodates everyone because that is the very basis of its message. We leave no one behind. It was a very sacred special moment I will treasure forever.
Conference also was very special because I wrote down 5 questions that I have been wondering for some time now and expecting and praying for answers from conference. I was given the answers to all 5. Incredible how the Lord works. :)
Things I learned this week----
-Coke is cheaper than Pepsi. They won me over.
-Creme filled wafers make oatmeal so good when cooked with the oatmeal.
-People take oatmeal baths....weird.
-Statements divide, but optimistic questions unite.
I just want to reiterate what I previously said. This gospel is for everyone. It is for everyone because everyone is a child of God. There is no one person on this earth that doesn’t have that divine hereditary trait. I know that I am a spirit child of my Heavenly Father. I know he loves me. I know that I am where I need to be in his grand plan and that his plan brings happiness. It just makes sense and I am so grateful for that closure and for the peace and the answers the gospel brings to me. I know that it answers everyone's questions. I have zero doubt in that. Christ's atonement is for everyone and so is his gospel in which we may access that awesome power.
I love you all. Seriously.
Elder Excell
Q&A - October 3, 2011
1. Are you going to have enough room in your suitcases to transport all these clothes that you are acquiring? :)
I'm not sure!! Then again...when I come home I won't be bringing 18 white shirts and 17 pairs of pants. :)
2. How are your shoes holding up?
I've got plenty of shoes. I think the ones you are referring to are doing fine tho. Iowa isn't near as hard on the shoes as Brazil was.
3. What was your favorite talk from conference?
Jeffrey R. Holland's from priesthood. I wanted to sign up for another mission after hearing that. I loved Sister Dalton's and I also really enjoyed Henry B Eyring's talk from Sunday morning. Loved Conference!!
4. What was the best part of your week?
It was all just so good. I can't honestly and rightly pick one favorite moment.
I'm not sure!! Then again...when I come home I won't be bringing 18 white shirts and 17 pairs of pants. :)
2. How are your shoes holding up?
I've got plenty of shoes. I think the ones you are referring to are doing fine tho. Iowa isn't near as hard on the shoes as Brazil was.
3. What was your favorite talk from conference?
Jeffrey R. Holland's from priesthood. I wanted to sign up for another mission after hearing that. I loved Sister Dalton's and I also really enjoyed Henry B Eyring's talk from Sunday morning. Loved Conference!!
4. What was the best part of your week?
It was all just so good. I can't honestly and rightly pick one favorite moment.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Pictures!
In a world slowly dimming...
This week has been phenomenal!! It has been a short week but then again, which of them are not. I know I rant about time and the speed by which it passes us every week but I have finally figured out some sort of reason to it all. When you are loving your life it flies and my life right now, I am happy to say, is flying!
Wednesday last week we spent some time just writing letters and trying to catch up on a few things. I made some cd's for some other elders and I wrote a talk that I will give someday when thousands of people will listen to me...probably not anytime soon but it never hurts to be prepared. I’ve just come to realize so much that the principles which I find myself teaching others as a missionary of this gospel are not just for spiritual matters and those who like religion. They are ever reaching eternal principles that will always be true for anybody with hearts open enough to receive them. I used to think that what we learned in church was good and that it would benefit me at church but those things which I learned up until this point in my life, as aspects of this gospel, help me in every-day non missionary decisions. Pretty incredible.
Wednesday night we had dinner with another one of my favorite families, Wes and Danelle. They are pretty funny. They are both really inactive members of the church but we had a great dinner with them. Wes gave me some of his old clothes that he was throwing out because he was changing his style. Pretty funny cause what I got seemed to me to be brand new but oh well. They are both finalizing divorces with other spouses and combining families and now have five boys under the age of 9. Pretty crazy house. Once again I have decided that I can wait a bit for kids. :)
Thursday and Friday we spent mostly just working. I can't really remember too much of what we did. Thursday we had dinner with the Collin’s. Funny older couple that are just a hoot. I have never laughed so hard. And we had real Idaho potatoes. From Idaho. I felt at home. It was great.
We also are helping a less active member get the Aaronic priesthood which he received this Sunday. That was pretty awesome to see. This week we are helping him memorize the sacrament prayers tho because he is blind and so he obviously can't read the cards. He’s awesome tho. He has a little girl that is 6 whose name changes one day to another. One day her name is Christallyn and the next it's Keith and then some days it will be Bravestar. Never get it wrong tho or you'll be confined by the metaphorical handcuffs of 6 year old tears to drawing butterflies for about 45 minutes straight. I’m practically pro at drawing butterflies with Crayola markers that have been left cap-less for weeks. :)
Matt, our baptism from June is doing super good. He also has been given the Aaronic priesthood and is working towards the temple. Although we are trying to replace habits with others. We went over the other day and he was playing his computer which is fairly typical of Matt, but I asked him how many hours he has played that game and he looked on his profile to see how long he had played accumulatively ...the equivalent of 3 years six months and 23 days straight. Wow.
This upcoming couple of weeks is a bit hectic. So this week we have zone conference tomorrow. We also have leadership the week after. Both of which are in Des Moines. We have exchanges with Oskaloosa somewhere in there and also have interviews with President which we have every other transfer that week. Of course you throw in the district meetings weekly and the weekly planning. P-days. Regularly occurring appointments. And conference. We’re a tad busy....oh yeah and we have to work in our area sometime. I’m looking forward to it tho. It will go by so fast unfortunately.
Today so far, I have had the best day ever! I miss manual labor so badly. It’s hard to explain but the feeling of a drill in my hand and a tape measure in my pocket just was exhilarating as we put up some sheetrock with Brother Fee. (Took us to Nauvoo pageant). It was amazing. I miss working like that a lot. I guess I just love working. We finished a 16x16 room with 4 walls, a ceiling, two windows, 8 outlets, and two doors in about 3 hours this morning. It made me miss my dad a lot. I can't wait to work with him someday soon. He taught me everything I know.
Church was phenomenal....we had 5 investigators of the Lord's gospel there and 6 less active's we have been working with. The meetings were great. Our branch president likes to misquote scripture tho... pretty funny. Last week he said, "If ye love me...serve one another". I love this branch tho. I can walk up to any person and just talk with them for hours and love it. I miss them during the week and look forward to seeing them on Sunday. It’s just a great area. I have been so blessed to serve in Knoxville.
Things I have learned this week....
-I want to ride bikes a lot when I get home. I rode this recumbent (the kind where your almost laying down) and it was awesome! I want to do rag brye race in 2013. Dad I want you to do it with me. You put your back tire in the Missouri river and go til your front tire hits the Mississippi river in 7 days.
-The gospel brings happiness. (Old news I know, but I learn it over each week)
-Sunsets set in the West....I guess that's why I like them. It connects me to those people I love.
I can't help but think pretty regularly about the situation that we, as an American society, find ourselves in. Maybe it's cause I get to see a pretty wide spectrum of people or perhaps it's because I grew up in a bubble, but regardless I find myself worried for the future in which I hope to raise my kids. It’s frightening that wrong has become right. And right has become wrong. 6,000 years ago, Adam and Eve lived with God and look at us now. How far we have fallen. I have many theories. All of which will probably never be read by more than a handful of people but oh well. I’ll speak my mind freely because I can. I believe in self-control. I have learned in my life that it brings confidence. I have found it to bring hope and happiness. I believe it is something far too under-valued today. Anybody who believes that they sometimes just can't control themselves surely must not believe in the same plan I do. The phrase "that's just who I am" was, is, and ever will be a fallacy. The divine potential woven into the fabric of your soul is that nothing is impossible including the ability to overcome anything. Self-control is a lost habit among society. Debt, broken families and all unhappiness seems to stem from a lack of self-mastery or self-discipline. The commission given by Jesus Christ is to become like him and be his disciples. To become a disciple...discipline is necessary. I am not quite sure where I am going with this but I guess it all stems from a thought I had while in the shower this week. (My most sacred place of thought and inspiration). I just realized very vividly and confirmed by the spirit that I am not my body. I am much bigger than that and that all sin is conceived in my very human heart and mind but not in my spiritual soul. This world is a time for us to win the battle over ourselves. It is for the spiritual man or woman inside us to overcome that natural woman and man on the outside. And it is possible. Some of the most intense battles fought by men are those fought within themselves. The best victories always come from those same battles.
I wish I had a way to convey everything that I have learned from the spirit in my life. I am so very blessed by my Heavenly Father to be given the opportunities that I have had. I love being Elder Excell. But my missionary work will not end on august 24th, 2012 because I know that there are more people out there who I may impact. I know the gospel brings happiness and that's the bottom line. And as a side note to that...love makes all the difference.
I love ya'll,
Elder Excell
Wednesday last week we spent some time just writing letters and trying to catch up on a few things. I made some cd's for some other elders and I wrote a talk that I will give someday when thousands of people will listen to me...probably not anytime soon but it never hurts to be prepared. I’ve just come to realize so much that the principles which I find myself teaching others as a missionary of this gospel are not just for spiritual matters and those who like religion. They are ever reaching eternal principles that will always be true for anybody with hearts open enough to receive them. I used to think that what we learned in church was good and that it would benefit me at church but those things which I learned up until this point in my life, as aspects of this gospel, help me in every-day non missionary decisions. Pretty incredible.
Wednesday night we had dinner with another one of my favorite families, Wes and Danelle. They are pretty funny. They are both really inactive members of the church but we had a great dinner with them. Wes gave me some of his old clothes that he was throwing out because he was changing his style. Pretty funny cause what I got seemed to me to be brand new but oh well. They are both finalizing divorces with other spouses and combining families and now have five boys under the age of 9. Pretty crazy house. Once again I have decided that I can wait a bit for kids. :)
Thursday and Friday we spent mostly just working. I can't really remember too much of what we did. Thursday we had dinner with the Collin’s. Funny older couple that are just a hoot. I have never laughed so hard. And we had real Idaho potatoes. From Idaho. I felt at home. It was great.
We also are helping a less active member get the Aaronic priesthood which he received this Sunday. That was pretty awesome to see. This week we are helping him memorize the sacrament prayers tho because he is blind and so he obviously can't read the cards. He’s awesome tho. He has a little girl that is 6 whose name changes one day to another. One day her name is Christallyn and the next it's Keith and then some days it will be Bravestar. Never get it wrong tho or you'll be confined by the metaphorical handcuffs of 6 year old tears to drawing butterflies for about 45 minutes straight. I’m practically pro at drawing butterflies with Crayola markers that have been left cap-less for weeks. :)
Matt, our baptism from June is doing super good. He also has been given the Aaronic priesthood and is working towards the temple. Although we are trying to replace habits with others. We went over the other day and he was playing his computer which is fairly typical of Matt, but I asked him how many hours he has played that game and he looked on his profile to see how long he had played accumulatively ...the equivalent of 3 years six months and 23 days straight. Wow.
This upcoming couple of weeks is a bit hectic. So this week we have zone conference tomorrow. We also have leadership the week after. Both of which are in Des Moines. We have exchanges with Oskaloosa somewhere in there and also have interviews with President which we have every other transfer that week. Of course you throw in the district meetings weekly and the weekly planning. P-days. Regularly occurring appointments. And conference. We’re a tad busy....oh yeah and we have to work in our area sometime. I’m looking forward to it tho. It will go by so fast unfortunately.
Today so far, I have had the best day ever! I miss manual labor so badly. It’s hard to explain but the feeling of a drill in my hand and a tape measure in my pocket just was exhilarating as we put up some sheetrock with Brother Fee. (Took us to Nauvoo pageant). It was amazing. I miss working like that a lot. I guess I just love working. We finished a 16x16 room with 4 walls, a ceiling, two windows, 8 outlets, and two doors in about 3 hours this morning. It made me miss my dad a lot. I can't wait to work with him someday soon. He taught me everything I know.
Church was phenomenal....we had 5 investigators of the Lord's gospel there and 6 less active's we have been working with. The meetings were great. Our branch president likes to misquote scripture tho... pretty funny. Last week he said, "If ye love me...serve one another". I love this branch tho. I can walk up to any person and just talk with them for hours and love it. I miss them during the week and look forward to seeing them on Sunday. It’s just a great area. I have been so blessed to serve in Knoxville.
Things I have learned this week....
-I want to ride bikes a lot when I get home. I rode this recumbent (the kind where your almost laying down) and it was awesome! I want to do rag brye race in 2013. Dad I want you to do it with me. You put your back tire in the Missouri river and go til your front tire hits the Mississippi river in 7 days.
-The gospel brings happiness. (Old news I know, but I learn it over each week)
-Sunsets set in the West....I guess that's why I like them. It connects me to those people I love.
I can't help but think pretty regularly about the situation that we, as an American society, find ourselves in. Maybe it's cause I get to see a pretty wide spectrum of people or perhaps it's because I grew up in a bubble, but regardless I find myself worried for the future in which I hope to raise my kids. It’s frightening that wrong has become right. And right has become wrong. 6,000 years ago, Adam and Eve lived with God and look at us now. How far we have fallen. I have many theories. All of which will probably never be read by more than a handful of people but oh well. I’ll speak my mind freely because I can. I believe in self-control. I have learned in my life that it brings confidence. I have found it to bring hope and happiness. I believe it is something far too under-valued today. Anybody who believes that they sometimes just can't control themselves surely must not believe in the same plan I do. The phrase "that's just who I am" was, is, and ever will be a fallacy. The divine potential woven into the fabric of your soul is that nothing is impossible including the ability to overcome anything. Self-control is a lost habit among society. Debt, broken families and all unhappiness seems to stem from a lack of self-mastery or self-discipline. The commission given by Jesus Christ is to become like him and be his disciples. To become a disciple...discipline is necessary. I am not quite sure where I am going with this but I guess it all stems from a thought I had while in the shower this week. (My most sacred place of thought and inspiration). I just realized very vividly and confirmed by the spirit that I am not my body. I am much bigger than that and that all sin is conceived in my very human heart and mind but not in my spiritual soul. This world is a time for us to win the battle over ourselves. It is for the spiritual man or woman inside us to overcome that natural woman and man on the outside. And it is possible. Some of the most intense battles fought by men are those fought within themselves. The best victories always come from those same battles.
I wish I had a way to convey everything that I have learned from the spirit in my life. I am so very blessed by my Heavenly Father to be given the opportunities that I have had. I love being Elder Excell. But my missionary work will not end on august 24th, 2012 because I know that there are more people out there who I may impact. I know the gospel brings happiness and that's the bottom line. And as a side note to that...love makes all the difference.
I love ya'll,
Elder Excell
Q&A - September 26, 2011
1. With General Conference this weekend, will you get a chance to watch all the sessions and where will you watch them?
We do get to watch all...hopefully with investigators but if not we are still able to go and we will watch at the church. Crazy that after this weekend, I only have one more conference as a missionary.
2. Do you have any investigators or less active members lined up to watch with you?
As of right now...we do for 3 of 4 sessions. We'll get the last one covered tho. I've been waiting for this weekend for months. It's kind of a sacred weekend for me besides the fact that it's conference. 12 months ago I came home from Brazil. I love seeing where I've been and where I am.
3. We haven't heard anything lately about your knitting. Have you given up or just not had time for such things?
I have been so busy lately. I letrally have had time to make a hot pad and that's it. I don't know if i could even remember how at this point! haha.
4. If Jared is not going to be baptized until November 12, does that mean you will most likely miss the baptism because of transfers?
Most likely, but that's not what's important. The important part is he is going to be baptized. I'm just the cheerleader.
5. How far away is Indianola from Knoxville? How often do you do exchanges with the Elders there?
Twice a transfer and it's about 30 minutes. I love doing exchanges tho. It just really switches things up and keeps things interesting. Plus, since oskaloosa is in our district, we exchange with them twice a transfer as well. I love it.
6. What's the plan for P-Day today?
It's been the best day so far!! I'm excited to write about it.
7. What was the best part of your week? Even if it was a short week since we heard from you. :)
It was all good. It's just so great to watch people change for the better and to see miracles happen.
We do get to watch all...hopefully with investigators but if not we are still able to go and we will watch at the church. Crazy that after this weekend, I only have one more conference as a missionary.
2. Do you have any investigators or less active members lined up to watch with you?
As of right now...we do for 3 of 4 sessions. We'll get the last one covered tho. I've been waiting for this weekend for months. It's kind of a sacred weekend for me besides the fact that it's conference. 12 months ago I came home from Brazil. I love seeing where I've been and where I am.
3. We haven't heard anything lately about your knitting. Have you given up or just not had time for such things?
I have been so busy lately. I letrally have had time to make a hot pad and that's it. I don't know if i could even remember how at this point! haha.
4. If Jared is not going to be baptized until November 12, does that mean you will most likely miss the baptism because of transfers?
Most likely, but that's not what's important. The important part is he is going to be baptized. I'm just the cheerleader.
5. How far away is Indianola from Knoxville? How often do you do exchanges with the Elders there?
Twice a transfer and it's about 30 minutes. I love doing exchanges tho. It just really switches things up and keeps things interesting. Plus, since oskaloosa is in our district, we exchange with them twice a transfer as well. I love it.
6. What's the plan for P-Day today?
It's been the best day so far!! I'm excited to write about it.
7. What was the best part of your week? Even if it was a short week since we heard from you. :)
It was all good. It's just so great to watch people change for the better and to see miracles happen.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Pictures!
Hold Hands and Stick Together
Oh, what a week, what a week, what a week! This week is commonly referred to as heck week in the Iowa Des Moines Mission. When p-day is not on Monday because of transfers, it just throws the whole week off! It’s crazy how much altering your set-in-stone schedule can change things up mentally. It’s been a great week tho!
This week, as far as big news, we got a phone call from one of the AP’s, Elder Dahl, and were told that we were staying together in Knoxville for another 6 weeks. I was so happy when i heard that! I love this town and all the people I have met. When I finally do get kicked out of here, I think it will take all the way from transfer calls on Saturday clear til Thursday of transfers to say goodbye to everyone I care about here! I just love this place so much. But until that day comes, I will not think about leaving. I will live up every moment and build even stronger relationships here in the town before I leave! If we spent all our time thinking about the end, we would never enjoy the present.
Last p-day we had a district p-day. Super sweet! So much fun! I love the Elder's in our district. Only one of them is getting transferred on Thursday so that made me happy too. And the crazy part is he is going to train a missionary in a brand new area never before opened to missionary work! That’s crazy! But on district p-day we played Risk...I took second! Sugar shoots! Made me a little upset. After all the years of playing at Grandma's table during Thanksgiving break i just couldn't pull out a win for the Hyde/Excell trained team! Sorry gang. We also played dress up tho. It’s amazing what you can find at some of the free thrift stores around here. I now have 7 suits...yikes. Time to give it to my boy. He does have the birthright after all.
We had a great lesson with a less active member named Beverly. She is a crocheting machine. She makes blankets like the world is in need of them or something. She is making a king size spread right now and I guess it's only gonna take her about a week! Wow! She’s good! She came to church this week after about 3 years of not going and loved it. She said that she just felt so good and happy. Fist pump!
Jared is still stoked to get baptized. His parents won't let him tho until he is old enough to make the decision by their standards and so as soon as he turns 18 he will be baptized. He wants to do it on November 12th. Super excited for him! He’s in seminary and just a rock star all around. He’s gonna be a lifelong friend for sure.
Yesterday we went on exchanges with Indianola. It was awesome. I worked with Elder Nelson from Omaha/Orem Ut. He’s such a stud. Awesome kid! We took our dinner hour and went to watch Christina (member girl in our branch) at her swim meet. It was at Simpson College and we just happened to be in town so we went to support her. It was fun! She broke a school record so that was sweet. Elder Nelson was a swimmer so he loved it.
Saturday we helped some people move out of a shed and weed through some unnecessary items and put it back in. UPS should really hire me. I’ve mastered the technique of applying Tetris to cardboard boxes. It was actually the family from Idaho. They are awesome. Felt bad for them tho because they got water damage on the first about 9 inches of stuff and lost quite a bit. A lot of it pretty valuable. But we had a good time with them. They needed the help and we were happy to do so.
Things I learned this week...
-Mail trucks are really funny looking...I never quite noticed it until this week. I spent about 30 minutes unconsciously analyzing why the federal government division of post would drive such an automobile. I haven't yet come to a conclusion.
-When needing pizza dough in a tight spot...use a package of biscuits and roll them out together. Works great and tastes great.
-My diet works. The diet of eating two dainty princess snacks among my other royal meals has been working. I’ve lost 10 pounds and am back at where I was when I left and a branch member even asked me if I had lost weight. Holla! The best!
-Technology can be an addiction. So annoying.
This week my thoughts come a little from a thought I heard and I’m not sure if I am quoting it quite correctly and I have a lot of my thoughts within there so I am not plagiarizing but thank you for whoever originally said this. You’ve inspired me.
Most of what I really know about how to live and what to do and how to act I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain. It was in the sandbox all along. These are the things I learned.
-share everything
-play fair
-don't hit people
-put things back where you found them
-clean up your own mess
-don't take things that aren't yours
-say sorry when you hurt someone
-wash your hands before you eat
-flush
-warm cookies and milk are good for you
-live a balanced life
-learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.
-take a nap every afternoon
-when you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together
-be aware of wonder. Remember the seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows quite why but we're all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die and so do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned. The biggest word of all - it was "look"- everything you need to know is there somewhere. The golden rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.
If only we could just go back to the basics. I firmly believe that to be successful, all we would have to do is internalize and apply these simple principles in all we do. Share what you have and share freely. Everything we have comes from God and is really not all that much "ours" as we may think. Play fair and be fair in all that you do. Don’t hurt people, whether it be physically or emotionally and with those people you hurt, apologize and make things better and after the apology, play as if nothing ever happened before. Put things back where you got them from and clean up your own personal messes. Don’t expect to live off of others generosity. Wash your hands before you eat and prepare for every important thing you do in the same way. Flush the bad things away. It’s ok to have some warm cookies and milk and take some time for yourself even tho it may not be a nap. Live every day as if there was the world to explore and it was all at your fingertips. Put the effort into your life that you put into it at first. Never quit doing and always be doing something good. When you go out into the scary world, find someone like you, be their friend, hold their hand, look before you cross, and stick together through thick and thin. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. It has all the potential in the world as long as it is cared for and loved. You are no different. You have all the potential in the world. Care for yourself and love yourself. You can be a big kid someday. I firmly believe that these principles are not to be looked over. They apply to everyone and have more depth in them than a senior thesis paper.
I love this life I have and the potential that has been given me and I am so thankful for the God that gave it to me. I know He is my Heavenly Father and the nurturer of my spirit. I love Him dearly and I know He loves me.
Until next week my loves,
Elder Excell.
This week, as far as big news, we got a phone call from one of the AP’s, Elder Dahl, and were told that we were staying together in Knoxville for another 6 weeks. I was so happy when i heard that! I love this town and all the people I have met. When I finally do get kicked out of here, I think it will take all the way from transfer calls on Saturday clear til Thursday of transfers to say goodbye to everyone I care about here! I just love this place so much. But until that day comes, I will not think about leaving. I will live up every moment and build even stronger relationships here in the town before I leave! If we spent all our time thinking about the end, we would never enjoy the present.
Last p-day we had a district p-day. Super sweet! So much fun! I love the Elder's in our district. Only one of them is getting transferred on Thursday so that made me happy too. And the crazy part is he is going to train a missionary in a brand new area never before opened to missionary work! That’s crazy! But on district p-day we played Risk...I took second! Sugar shoots! Made me a little upset. After all the years of playing at Grandma's table during Thanksgiving break i just couldn't pull out a win for the Hyde/Excell trained team! Sorry gang. We also played dress up tho. It’s amazing what you can find at some of the free thrift stores around here. I now have 7 suits...yikes. Time to give it to my boy. He does have the birthright after all.
We had a great lesson with a less active member named Beverly. She is a crocheting machine. She makes blankets like the world is in need of them or something. She is making a king size spread right now and I guess it's only gonna take her about a week! Wow! She’s good! She came to church this week after about 3 years of not going and loved it. She said that she just felt so good and happy. Fist pump!
Jared is still stoked to get baptized. His parents won't let him tho until he is old enough to make the decision by their standards and so as soon as he turns 18 he will be baptized. He wants to do it on November 12th. Super excited for him! He’s in seminary and just a rock star all around. He’s gonna be a lifelong friend for sure.
Yesterday we went on exchanges with Indianola. It was awesome. I worked with Elder Nelson from Omaha/Orem Ut. He’s such a stud. Awesome kid! We took our dinner hour and went to watch Christina (member girl in our branch) at her swim meet. It was at Simpson College and we just happened to be in town so we went to support her. It was fun! She broke a school record so that was sweet. Elder Nelson was a swimmer so he loved it.
Saturday we helped some people move out of a shed and weed through some unnecessary items and put it back in. UPS should really hire me. I’ve mastered the technique of applying Tetris to cardboard boxes. It was actually the family from Idaho. They are awesome. Felt bad for them tho because they got water damage on the first about 9 inches of stuff and lost quite a bit. A lot of it pretty valuable. But we had a good time with them. They needed the help and we were happy to do so.
Things I learned this week...
-Mail trucks are really funny looking...I never quite noticed it until this week. I spent about 30 minutes unconsciously analyzing why the federal government division of post would drive such an automobile. I haven't yet come to a conclusion.
-When needing pizza dough in a tight spot...use a package of biscuits and roll them out together. Works great and tastes great.
-My diet works. The diet of eating two dainty princess snacks among my other royal meals has been working. I’ve lost 10 pounds and am back at where I was when I left and a branch member even asked me if I had lost weight. Holla! The best!
-Technology can be an addiction. So annoying.
This week my thoughts come a little from a thought I heard and I’m not sure if I am quoting it quite correctly and I have a lot of my thoughts within there so I am not plagiarizing but thank you for whoever originally said this. You’ve inspired me.
Most of what I really know about how to live and what to do and how to act I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain. It was in the sandbox all along. These are the things I learned.
-share everything
-play fair
-don't hit people
-put things back where you found them
-clean up your own mess
-don't take things that aren't yours
-say sorry when you hurt someone
-wash your hands before you eat
-flush
-warm cookies and milk are good for you
-live a balanced life
-learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.
-take a nap every afternoon
-when you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together
-be aware of wonder. Remember the seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows quite why but we're all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die and so do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned. The biggest word of all - it was "look"- everything you need to know is there somewhere. The golden rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.
If only we could just go back to the basics. I firmly believe that to be successful, all we would have to do is internalize and apply these simple principles in all we do. Share what you have and share freely. Everything we have comes from God and is really not all that much "ours" as we may think. Play fair and be fair in all that you do. Don’t hurt people, whether it be physically or emotionally and with those people you hurt, apologize and make things better and after the apology, play as if nothing ever happened before. Put things back where you got them from and clean up your own personal messes. Don’t expect to live off of others generosity. Wash your hands before you eat and prepare for every important thing you do in the same way. Flush the bad things away. It’s ok to have some warm cookies and milk and take some time for yourself even tho it may not be a nap. Live every day as if there was the world to explore and it was all at your fingertips. Put the effort into your life that you put into it at first. Never quit doing and always be doing something good. When you go out into the scary world, find someone like you, be their friend, hold their hand, look before you cross, and stick together through thick and thin. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. It has all the potential in the world as long as it is cared for and loved. You are no different. You have all the potential in the world. Care for yourself and love yourself. You can be a big kid someday. I firmly believe that these principles are not to be looked over. They apply to everyone and have more depth in them than a senior thesis paper.
I love this life I have and the potential that has been given me and I am so thankful for the God that gave it to me. I know He is my Heavenly Father and the nurturer of my spirit. I love Him dearly and I know He loves me.
Until next week my loves,
Elder Excell.
Q&A - September 21, 2011
1. It looks like you are having a rainy day in Iowa. What has the weather been like lately? Are you feeling "fall" in the air?
Fall is definitely in the air! I am so excited for snow and cold. I know I say thay now and I will regret it soon but I am so excited for coldness and coming home to a warm bed! I love that feeling!
2. How was your district p-day? Did you finish your game of Risk?
We did indeed! I have some great pictures to send you but I regret to inform you that after all those Thanksgiving Day Risk tournaments, I took a measley second place! ugh! Maybe next time I will represent better! :)
3. Did you survive vine-swinging with less casualties this time around? :)
Not enough time for both vine swinging and risk. So zero casualties! Thank goodness!
4. Are the suits that you're getting from members mission approved? baby blue? :)
So the baby blue one...maybe not so much. But the other is approved and get this...I found another one for free at a thrift store that's a three piece and it is awesome! Fits like a glove too!
5. You're in Knoxville for another round. How do you feel about it?
I am. I am. I am so excited! I love this place. It's different tho knowing that it's like a 100% chance that you'll be leaving after this transfer tho! I'm gonna miss it for sure but I got 6 more weeks to enjoy! :)
6. What was the best part of your week?
Hmm...I'm not sure this week. The free suit was sweet. Exchanges in Indianola was awesome. I'm sure there's more... :)
Fall is definitely in the air! I am so excited for snow and cold. I know I say thay now and I will regret it soon but I am so excited for coldness and coming home to a warm bed! I love that feeling!
2. How was your district p-day? Did you finish your game of Risk?
We did indeed! I have some great pictures to send you but I regret to inform you that after all those Thanksgiving Day Risk tournaments, I took a measley second place! ugh! Maybe next time I will represent better! :)
3. Did you survive vine-swinging with less casualties this time around? :)
Not enough time for both vine swinging and risk. So zero casualties! Thank goodness!
4. Are the suits that you're getting from members mission approved? baby blue? :)
So the baby blue one...maybe not so much. But the other is approved and get this...I found another one for free at a thrift store that's a three piece and it is awesome! Fits like a glove too!
5. You're in Knoxville for another round. How do you feel about it?
I am. I am. I am so excited! I love this place. It's different tho knowing that it's like a 100% chance that you'll be leaving after this transfer tho! I'm gonna miss it for sure but I got 6 more weeks to enjoy! :)
6. What was the best part of your week?
Hmm...I'm not sure this week. The free suit was sweet. Exchanges in Indianola was awesome. I'm sure there's more... :)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Would you disown me if I came back a redneck cowboy?
What a fast week. It went by so fast that I can't believe that it went by at all. Elder Smith thought it was pretty long tho so I guess it happened.
I guess it was last Tuesday that I wrote so I'll start there. Tuesday after emailing, we drove about 30 minutes down to a nonexistent town called Hiteman, Iowa. Population 7, probably. Anyway, we had an appointment there with a gal named Shelly who, I think, I wrote about awhile back. We had an amazing lesson with her and things went really well. She was the one coming out of a Narcotics anonymous class. Well...Tuesday she dropped us. Meaning she told us not to come back again. She found Jesus and didn't want or need us. Kind of a little depressing. I kinda am used to that happening. Elder Smith was a bit “deer in the headlights” at the statement. It was his first time getting dropped. But we made it through.
Wednesday, I talked to Brian who got baptized last week and we talked for about a half an hour. It was pretty awesome! He talked for about 15 minutes about how thankful he was to find the church and how he is already feeling a gigantic change in his life. He says he is still hanging out with kind of a rough crowd but that he has just changed. He isn't doing anything he would regret and he just feels happier all the way around. He is such a stud! I love that kid. He goes into boot camp in San Diego today and I am so happy for him. We are planning on writing back and forth a lot so I am super excited for that! Yesterday at church he gave a talk and helped bless the sacrament so he is rocking and rolling. I love the guy!
I also talked to Sis. Strunk, who is Brian's step grandma. She is so funny and awesome! Her husband is a navy captain. Pretty high up and important. He and our branch president, who is getting promoted to a 1 star general in the army, argue all the time about who is better. Pretty funny. But anyway, Sis Strunk is just hilarious. She has had quite the life. She was a drag car racer, the national baton twirling champion and a very successful business owner. She and Brother Strunk met about 7 years ago, i think online, and got married. Anyway, she's awesome. She's my grandma away from grandma here.
Thursday was district meeting and it was super awesome. We just had a very spiritual meeting and I also introduced everyone to the Shawn Johnson plunger flip. They loved it. It's spreading. After district meeting tho, we had exchanges with the Indianola elders. Good guys. We did some good work and then we played Clue and Mancala at night. Haha. We have Risk in our closet, but that takes a bit more time. Hence the reason we are having district p-day today. We are playing Risk and going vine-swinging. Wish my body well!
I have cleaned more carpets on my mission than any other time in my life! I swear that's everyone's favorite service. I am practically pro at not only the cleaning but repairing of machines. Another missionary responsibility...handyman. Thanks dad for the training there!
Yesterday, we visited one of my favorite families here in Knoxville. They are actually from Caldwell, Idaho but they moved here after a bit. Anyway, they aren't members of the church and really aren't particularly interested in joining but I love them. Yesterday we talked to Michael (the dad) for about an hour about his life. He is pretty amazing. He was in the army for 20 years and was in the Special Forces, one of the secret groups that is top notch that no one hears about. They don't wear dog tags and if they get captured...no one will know because they are that confidential. He is awesome! He has some sweet stories but none he can tell us. Now he is bed ridden practically due to injuries and has surgeries often but he is very cool. Life-long friendships!
I was given two suits this week by members. They love me, I guess. They come up to me and say they find this suit and know I will love it. Well heck ya! I got 2 brand new 3-piece suits. Baby blue and charcoal with green pin stripe.
We had 3 investigators in church Sunday! Awesome! We had 5 less actives come back Sunday. It was a great day.
Things I learned this week-
-New diet plan. King size breakfast, prince size lunch, and peasant size dinner with two dainty princess snacks. I guarantee you I’m rocking it right now.
-While helping an elderly woman clean carpets, first ensure that you have sufficient time to move the hoarder's stuff out of the way. Second, ensure you have sufficient time to move it back to the exact same spot as before.
-I love cooking. Love it! That's not new knowledge tho!
This week, I just want to bear my testimony that I know and I believe in Jesus Christ. I am consistently reminded by the spirit that He is everything. Without him there would be nothing. I have learned a great deal this week about justice and mercy through my studies. Justice gets you what you deserve and mercy gets you more than that. Because we become partners with Christ through covenants, he accepts our red numbers and we accept his black numbers. He fulfills our negatives, and by accepting Him, we become positive. He is our partner. I believe that Christ redeems all men from physical death, but only those repentant souls and those willing to be baptized with authority of God are saved by our Savior from spiritual death. I know the atonement is real because I know the fall of man through Adam and Eve was real. Both were necessary. I am so thankful for my Savior. With Him, I, and all of us, have hope in today and in the future. I love Him dearly. He is my Savior. He is my Redeemer from sin, sadness, and sorrow. Because of the loneliest walk he took, I will never walk lonely again. And that is the "good news".
I love you all so much! Words cannot express. Love is the forgetting of yourself and total submissiveness and respect for another. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for any of you.
Elder Excell
I guess it was last Tuesday that I wrote so I'll start there. Tuesday after emailing, we drove about 30 minutes down to a nonexistent town called Hiteman, Iowa. Population 7, probably. Anyway, we had an appointment there with a gal named Shelly who, I think, I wrote about awhile back. We had an amazing lesson with her and things went really well. She was the one coming out of a Narcotics anonymous class. Well...Tuesday she dropped us. Meaning she told us not to come back again. She found Jesus and didn't want or need us. Kind of a little depressing. I kinda am used to that happening. Elder Smith was a bit “deer in the headlights” at the statement. It was his first time getting dropped. But we made it through.
Wednesday, I talked to Brian who got baptized last week and we talked for about a half an hour. It was pretty awesome! He talked for about 15 minutes about how thankful he was to find the church and how he is already feeling a gigantic change in his life. He says he is still hanging out with kind of a rough crowd but that he has just changed. He isn't doing anything he would regret and he just feels happier all the way around. He is such a stud! I love that kid. He goes into boot camp in San Diego today and I am so happy for him. We are planning on writing back and forth a lot so I am super excited for that! Yesterday at church he gave a talk and helped bless the sacrament so he is rocking and rolling. I love the guy!
I also talked to Sis. Strunk, who is Brian's step grandma. She is so funny and awesome! Her husband is a navy captain. Pretty high up and important. He and our branch president, who is getting promoted to a 1 star general in the army, argue all the time about who is better. Pretty funny. But anyway, Sis Strunk is just hilarious. She has had quite the life. She was a drag car racer, the national baton twirling champion and a very successful business owner. She and Brother Strunk met about 7 years ago, i think online, and got married. Anyway, she's awesome. She's my grandma away from grandma here.
Thursday was district meeting and it was super awesome. We just had a very spiritual meeting and I also introduced everyone to the Shawn Johnson plunger flip. They loved it. It's spreading. After district meeting tho, we had exchanges with the Indianola elders. Good guys. We did some good work and then we played Clue and Mancala at night. Haha. We have Risk in our closet, but that takes a bit more time. Hence the reason we are having district p-day today. We are playing Risk and going vine-swinging. Wish my body well!
I have cleaned more carpets on my mission than any other time in my life! I swear that's everyone's favorite service. I am practically pro at not only the cleaning but repairing of machines. Another missionary responsibility...handyman. Thanks dad for the training there!
Yesterday, we visited one of my favorite families here in Knoxville. They are actually from Caldwell, Idaho but they moved here after a bit. Anyway, they aren't members of the church and really aren't particularly interested in joining but I love them. Yesterday we talked to Michael (the dad) for about an hour about his life. He is pretty amazing. He was in the army for 20 years and was in the Special Forces, one of the secret groups that is top notch that no one hears about. They don't wear dog tags and if they get captured...no one will know because they are that confidential. He is awesome! He has some sweet stories but none he can tell us. Now he is bed ridden practically due to injuries and has surgeries often but he is very cool. Life-long friendships!
I was given two suits this week by members. They love me, I guess. They come up to me and say they find this suit and know I will love it. Well heck ya! I got 2 brand new 3-piece suits. Baby blue and charcoal with green pin stripe.
We had 3 investigators in church Sunday! Awesome! We had 5 less actives come back Sunday. It was a great day.
Things I learned this week-
-New diet plan. King size breakfast, prince size lunch, and peasant size dinner with two dainty princess snacks. I guarantee you I’m rocking it right now.
-While helping an elderly woman clean carpets, first ensure that you have sufficient time to move the hoarder's stuff out of the way. Second, ensure you have sufficient time to move it back to the exact same spot as before.
-I love cooking. Love it! That's not new knowledge tho!
This week, I just want to bear my testimony that I know and I believe in Jesus Christ. I am consistently reminded by the spirit that He is everything. Without him there would be nothing. I have learned a great deal this week about justice and mercy through my studies. Justice gets you what you deserve and mercy gets you more than that. Because we become partners with Christ through covenants, he accepts our red numbers and we accept his black numbers. He fulfills our negatives, and by accepting Him, we become positive. He is our partner. I believe that Christ redeems all men from physical death, but only those repentant souls and those willing to be baptized with authority of God are saved by our Savior from spiritual death. I know the atonement is real because I know the fall of man through Adam and Eve was real. Both were necessary. I am so thankful for my Savior. With Him, I, and all of us, have hope in today and in the future. I love Him dearly. He is my Savior. He is my Redeemer from sin, sadness, and sorrow. Because of the loneliest walk he took, I will never walk lonely again. And that is the "good news".
I love you all so much! Words cannot express. Love is the forgetting of yourself and total submissiveness and respect for another. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for any of you.
Elder Excell
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
