Monday, November 30, 2009

From Braedon

hey everyone,


so this last week has been pretty nuts. last monday elder naylor tore his ACL. we were just starting to play basketball and like the first play of the game there was a scramble for a loose ball. well, nobody hit him or anything, he was just going for it, planted wrong or something and went down. i didnt see it happen but apparently it didnt look too intense (just like somebody tripping over their own foot) so nobody was too concerned, but he got off the court and such and long story short he tore it. so, he got shipped back home saturday morning to get surgery. he supposedly will be back around xmas, but there have been like 6 or 7 missionaries go home recently, and so far only 1 has come back like they were supposed to. well see i guess. so yeah, that happened monday. tuesday and wednesday were spent at the doctors office for him but wednesday night we managed some exchanges and i got to go out, gather investigators for mutual, then go to the church, teach some lessons, get kids to their classes, etc. thursday was thanksgiving and we managed to chisel away our schedule so that we only had two meals to go to. so we hit those up but besides that we just sat in the apartment (naylor couldnt go out with his knee). so, i spent all day packing, because i got transfered out. so, friday morning came, i packed up the car, then we went and said goodbye to sofia really fast before the transfer meeting at 9. that family is way funny, they didnt want me gone. i told them id be back occasionally and id give them calls now and then. well, that wasnt good enough for her but ill tell you about that later. transfers happened and i got sent further south to the bonita 3rd ward. i thought my last area was great, but this one definitely tops it. the members and ward here rock, our investigators are solid, and there are a ton of spanish people to talk to. the area is definitely more ghetto, but it works. one thing i hate about this area though is our apartment...its pretty nasty. i know its probably nothing compared to what adam is puttin up with, but i still think its gross. basically, anything that isnt in the fridge will have bugs crawling all over it, there it a permanent stench that i cant seem to locate/get rid of, and everyone around us smokes so all my clothes/sheets have that stench. idk, my last apartment was just so nice after we cleaned it, but this one seems to dirty itself after you turn your back after cleaning it. but, there are 4 missionaries in the one apartment so thats really fun. my new companion is elder hanks. he speaks crazy good spanish and has been here for a long time so knows the area and members really well. elder monterrosa and andelin live with us too and theyre pretty funny guys. im still on bike, but we have bus passes and elders monterrosa and andelin have a car so we arent riding all day every day like my last area. our investigators are all way awesome. in these past couple of days weve committed 5 to be baptized this coming week and i feel great about it. one of them is already inviting members and such to it, and another already has her program basically planned out, so i feel pretty confident about them. the other 3 are solid too, they just worry to much about not being good enough (but they totally are). so yah, out investigators are awesome people. the members here have already taken me in. i got sick last week and on friday, saturday, and sunday people have been helping out hahah. members made sure we had food for the weekend, one made me this drink that is supposed to help you get over sicknesses, and another even had me come over to their house to rest on saturday (i was pretty dead on saturday and sunday so stayed in most of the day...but dont worry im on my way back to feeling good). anyways, so i got invited over to rest/recuperate on saturday by one of the bishropic members and they said theyd have food and such ready for us. well, we show up, and indeed they had everything set up, but it was rigged big time. he had a sofa and blanket for me to 'nap' on, but right in front of the sofa was a tv with the BYU game on hahah. and the food he had for us? pizza, soda, and pie hahah. so i basically saw the whole last part of the byu game (including all of overtime) while these members 'nourished' me back to health hahah. it was a trap...but i must admit i enjoyed catching the end of the game haha. that family is way funny and super solid. the husband gave a talk yesterday in church about conversion and it was uber. we had all of our main investigators there too and they loved it. after church i crashed again cause i felt like i was dying, but that evening we had to go get stuff set up for elder monterrosa's baptism. i still felt gross but it was totally worth it. we had 4 investigators come and once again it was a super awesome meeting with good talks and the spirit was definitely there. president donaldson came and said it was the best baptism hes ever been too...woot for bonita 3. our apartment has a goal to have at least 1 baptism every week, and so far it is set up for that for the next 2 weeks so were excited. anyways, all is going well. im pretty settled in to my new place and am just trying to figure out street names and names of the members. oh and i forgot to tell you about sofia. anyways, when i said bye to her i said id keep in touch and call her sometime this next week. well, that didnt suffice her, so she found the sister missionaries, stole my new cell number from them, and weve already talked over the phone 3 times since i left hahah. that family is super funny. they keep asking for my address so they can bus down and visit me hahah. i told them i dont know it but that ill come up in a few weeks to the fireside and see them there. she said ok and that shell call me again tonight hahah. oh well, at least itll give me that much more practice with my spanish. well, everything here is going pretty well. im getting healthier bit by bit and should be fine by tomorrow. oh, and this is no big deal to you all, but on saturday it rained all day long here...thats ridiculous. usually rain here means a slight drizzle and its over before you even realize it. it was rad to see, i miss having variations in weather, strange as it is. hmm what else...i think thats about it. thanks for the packages from the family and from Virginia and her family. i appreciate it big time. oh, and speaking of mail and such...well here in this mission they do this thing every christmas season where they hold all the mail starting december 1st and dont give it to us until the 23rd, then we get them all for xmas. i think its lame because that means no mail for weeks. lucky for me, we have a mailbox in our apartment here too (ive been in like 2 of the 3 places that can get mail at the apartment haha). so my new address is this...


elder roney
4980 Logan Avenue
apartment #7
san diego, CA 92111


so you can send stuff there if you want me to get it before xmas or you can still send it to the mission office but just write "perishable" or "open immediately" on it. if you want it to be an xmas thing just send in to the mission office like normal and ill get it for an xmas gift. and speaking of christmas...i dont think the skype idea is going to work dad. the idea isnt entirely doomed yet, but ill find out this week for sure when i talk to president about it directly. what else...this week we begin the special training that the church is doing here...and guess whos in the first group...yup, me. elder hanks and i are lucky enough to be one of the first companionships trained. so tuesday-thursday well get trained by the APs and whoever is with them, then once were finished well go out the next week and train the next other missionaries, then theyll go out the week after and train another batch, etc. so that is something fun to look forward to. what else...i found a guitar that im gonna buy for 50 bucks. its a 300 dollar guitar that another missionary has (he bought it at home planning to learn but never did). he never plays it and is sick of packing it around when he gets transferred so asked me if i knew anyone who would want it. i told him i did haha. its a really nice guitar, im excited, itll be perfect for pdays and at nights. well, i think at this point im kinda just rambling. basically, all is going well here. big time thanks for everything and for you all, you rock. take care and ill talk to ya next week. love you all


elder roney

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

From Moroni

Dear Family


I am doing well. This week was a little dissapointing we were not able to meet with a lot of our investigators and we were not able to get any of them to go to church this sunday. The area we have focusing is far from our house and far from the chapel so I think we are going to focus on a different area the next three weeks. Theres a bakery near our house and there is a lady that works there and her and here son went to church with us this sunday. She said that she liked our church and we taught her the first lesson monday it was really good the spirit was there and I think next week she will be baptized but we will because right I am working with Elder P Souza in Jaiara for a few days. I am doing well I feel a little more confident in speaking portuguese. I dont always understand everything but I am geting better.


I am glad to hear that everything is going well for everyone and I hope that veterans day goes well for everyone.
Elder Boren






Dear Mom


I received a package from Aunt Becky last week that had some candy bars and a few snacks and I received your package today along with my visa card and the 20 dollar bill. Thank you for the CD I accidentally erased all my music so right now I don't have a whole lot of music. I am out of time.
Love ELder Boren

From Eliza

Dear Mom,
I’m doing really well, actually. I’m excited to come home. But I’ve done really well this last week at staying focused on the work. This last week was so good. We met with a lot of active and less active members. We’ve been sharing the first vision with all the members and giving them the challenge to share the first vision with someone else. Elaine Wood, who got baptized last May, took the challenge. She was thinking of sharing the message with the brother, who is in jail, but then the Lord gave her a different opportunity to share it. The very next day after we met with her she was walking her dog in the park and met a girl, named Sky. They got talking and she shared the first vision with her and she was really interested. Elaine said that She started baring her testimony and all these words started coming out that she didn’t intend to say, and all these scripture verses started coming to her mind that she didn’t know she had. It’s true, that promise in the Doctrine and Covenants, that if we are prepared and open our mouths, God will give us what to say. It was an amazing experience for her. She called us and she was so excited. The next day she went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead, and she had been praying about going on a mission, and she said she got a strong feeling that she needs to go on a mission. We, Sister Lieber, Sister Christensen, and I, knew the Lord had great plans for her. Her conversion story is pretty amazing. We are way excited for her to go on a mission. It’s amazing how the Lord really does have a plan for each of His children, and when the time is right, He will guide us to know what we need to do, or give us what we need.
A lot of other good things happened this week, but that is the most exciting. And although this week was good and we taught a lot of people on campus, we didn’t find any new investigators. We are really trying to find new people to teach right now, because all of our investigators dropped us. We are determined to find someone this next week. This next week is going to go by so fast. I’m not looking forward to packing. I’m still not quite sure how early I should start packing. I want to make sure I have time to get everything done that I need to before I leave.
Well, I’m glad you all are doing well. Isaiah, I’m so proud of you for doing so well with cross country. I can’t wait to see all of you. And don’t worry mom, I’ll make sure to make your home chaotic again. lol. Always, Sister Eliza Boren

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

From Moroni

Dear Family


How is everything going? I am doing well. This past week I have had the opportunity to teach the first lesson in english to an investigator. He has only been studying english for two months but he understands us really well. He says he knows nineteen different languages and he has been studying the Bible in Greek. But he left town for the weekend so we only taught him once. Sunday we only had about 29 members at church and our ward has been going down hill for a while now if it continues they might divide the ward into the other wards. We have chapel there are only three chapels here in Anapolis and most of the branches that don't have a chapel to attend have more active members than we do so these nest few weeks we are going to be with the members and less active members a lot more. Overall everything is well.


I hope everything goes well for everything this week it sounds like well and I hope that it continues.


Love Elder Boren

From Eliza

Dear Family,
It’s nice to hear how you all are doing. That is way cool that Isaiah is so involved in things. And I’m glad Nephi was able to get the camera for his birthday. I can imagine how much fun he is having with it. I hope you all had a fun Halloween. Normally we, the missionaries of the Texas Houston Mission are given rules for each holiday, like be in your apartment by dark, etc. But this time we were not given any rules. We even asked Elder Beck, the assistant to the president, if there are any rules for us, and he said “no.” So we worked all day like normal on Saturday, and then at night when everyone was trick-or-treating we met up with the elders in our district and played games all night. The CS sister came and hung out with us as well. And then we went home by 9pm like normal, and went to bed early. So Halloween was fun for us.
This week as a pretty sad week for Sister Christensen and I, though. We only taught 1 member this week and were not able to get in with any of our investigators. We spent the whole week tracting and talking to people on campus. We also had a zone meeting this week and went to the temple. And the temple trip took most of the day. Saturday night and Sunday morning I was feeling pretty down about the sad week we had had, but then church was really good, and we got a lot of things set up for this next week, so I’m feeling much better now. Yesterday was a really good day.
Last week was also hard for me because I started thinking about the fact that I am going home and I started getting nervous and scared about it. Every now and then I’ll realize how close it is, and usually I just don’t think about it, instead of dealing with it. But this week I really started thinking about it and, according to Elder Wilcox, started “freaking out.” On Thursday when we went out to eat with our Zone, after we went to the temple, we were talking about it, that we are going home, because Elder Wilcox goes home the same time I do. And Sister Ireland said “I would feel nervous and excited and scared and not ready and sad and excited and confident and trunky, all at the same time.” Then Elder Wilcox said “yeah, they have a term for that------it’s called Freaking out.” And that is how I have been feeling all week.
But this week is over and This next week is going to make up for it-----we are going to teach all our investigators, find new people to teach, teach lots of members, baptize thousands, and be focused and work hard. I’m not going to “freak out” about going home this week...hopefully.
Anyway, I’m glad you all are doing well. Thanks mom for the info on my home coming talk. And thanks dad for the info on Free Masons. I actually have another question for you about that. One of the elders in my district, Elder Lemly, has been wanting to become a Free Mason for a long time, and he is wondering if you will invite him, or hook him up, to become a Free Mason? He’s pretty new out on him mission, I think about 3 months out.
Well, take care. I miss all of you and can’t wait to see you. Always, Sister Eliza Boren.

Monday, November 2, 2009

From Braedon

hey everyone,


so things are here are going ok. we had a really great week of teaching and
such that was booked with appointments, but it was all for naught because
absolutely noone came to church. not even a lot of the members hahah. the flu
has hit a lot of people down here this past week. like not even joking, about
70% of the people weve been visiting have come down with it. and the other 30%?
well, they had to shower, and they take long ones, i mean like 3 hour/all church
long showers. lame. and the even lamer part is that we had people who wanted
to come to church but couldnt, because the people that were their rides were
'showering' or sick. bah humbug. our ward only had two investigators at
church...super lame. but its alright because we had some good news last night
too. morales, sofias son, wants to start coming to mutual every wednesday. im
stoked about that, because hes already opening up to the church a ton and i
think mutual will help a lot too. sofia is really excited about it too, shes
just dying to get her family to come to church with her. theyre all warming up
to us a lot. we had everyone except the husband join us for a lesson about the
plan of salvation last night, and they were all pretty involved. so thats
progress with them and im glad. also, abner, a less active, has a sister that
just moved in with them and weve visited with her a bunch these last two weeks.
well, she wants to come to church this sunday. im really glad too. abner, his
bro eddy, and their dad are all members, but not active. abner is coming more
frequently, but the dad and eddy havent been for a long long time. i think that
having the sister go will hopefully get abner and eddy and the dad back into it.
i sure hope so at least. also, yesterday alejandro found a job opportunity that
looks pretty good. if that works out, then betra, his wife, should be able to
drop her sunday shifts and the whole family can come to church. they still
havent come because she works 30 minutes away and gets off at 12 on sundays, so
he has to leave to pick her up at 11:30 and doesnt get back til 12:30 and then
she cleans up and such until 1ish, then theyre just lazy and dont come for the
last hour. but yah, hopefully that excuse is done away with and they can all
come. hermana sanchez still rocks hardcore (she read like 15 chapters when we
just left her one...she loves the book of mormon) but still hasnt been able to
get work off. we still see her a couple times a week, but less frequently than
before because right now she cant progress. politron and his wife rock. we see
them a few times every week, and every monday we bring investigators over for
dinner/fhe and its gone really well so far. de los monteros are helping out a
lot too. we have an fhe set up with them to help get some converts excited
again about church and then help them get into the temple. also, were working
with this sister lazaro that has a husband that isnt a member. were going by
every wednesday to teach english and then also teach the husband. i really hope
that we can help him out. so yah, the ward is getting into the mission work a
lot more. yay for that. what else. halloween wasnt anything too special. i
made caramel apples with chocolate drizzle. ill be honest, i was disappointed
with their appearance...i wasnt able to see my reflection in these ones.... :(
but they still tasted really good and nobody else really knew. so yah, i made
those in the morning, we did a bunch of work, then we had to come back by dark
(around 6:30) because halloween in san diego isnt exactly the safest of
situations. so we came back, and our complex missionaries had a mini party with
candy, catch-phrase, settlers of catan, and monopoly deal. that was pretty fun
i guess, but it wasnt anything extravagant. what else...i think thats about it.
i saw pictures of the boys, but i didnt she ashtons, dads, or moms costume, only
brolins and averys. those were pretty rad though. and the pumpkins looked
really cool. i really wanted to carve one this year but the people with cars
didnt want to and it would be pretty hard to carry a pumpkin a couple of miles
back from the store on a bike, so i didnt do it this time around. today ill
probably just play some ball and kick it. oh yeah! i forgot. so the filming
crews have been doing stuff in our church these past two weeks. well, that
means the head honcho of missionary work, and i mean all missionary work, not
just san diego or cali or the US, but i mean the whole world missionary work,
has been hanging out. let me tell you, thats intense. hes way cool, but if you
slip just a little he'll let you know. luckily he deals mostly with just 'the
district' that theyre filming and not so much with us. but still, its been cool
having him around. he knows what hes doing. also, this next transfer the
church is sending down people to train every single companionship in the entire
mission for 3 days straight. im guessing that is connected to the expansion of
filming and salt lake wants to make sure everyones on the ball before the
filming expands more. so that will be fun. what else...how much snow is their
in the mountains? has is snowed in the valley yet? i sent you a halloween
card...hopefully you got it before halloween but probably not. hope you enjoy
it. well, i gotta get to writing president, but im happy to hear that everyone
had a good halloween and that all is well. thanks for everything. i love you
all!!!!!
elder roney


p.s. i wrote 'bonjour' as my subject because one investigator speaks french,
and the sisters speak a little bit of french and i speak enough to say 'hi,
whats up, ok peace out', so weve been studying french so that we can teach him
without confusing him hahah. fun stuff eh? those two years of jr high paid
off.