Here are the wild donkeys Evan talked about in his other Email

This is from January 22

Well I got a few stories from this week. We were in the ghetto with a member and just walked out of a house from having a lesson and I saw a black lady standing by her car. I go up and start talking to her and say how we are representatives of Jesus Christ and how we like to offer service. She was a little teary eyed for some reason and said no. I gave her a pass along card and started walking away. I turned to the right and there were two cop cars parked on the side of the street and tons of people were outside looking right in my direction. I turn around and right there behind me was a cop on the corner of the building with a gun out! I was like crap I just talked to that lady for a good 1 to 2 minutes and didn't even realize it. We got out of there pretty quick but I don't think anything happened.

 

Another story was on Sunday we had a lesson with a former investigator from about a year ago. We go in there and he was super drunk. We sit down and Elder Prieto goes in to start talking about the Plan of Salvation. This is all in Spanish too. Well whenever the guy gets the chance to talk he always brings up sex and the drive that all men have. It was really weird but Elder Prieto kept talking about the Plan of Salvation. Now I was getting mad because we shouldn't have been teaching when the guy obviously wasn't focused and wouldn't remember anything. So When Elder Prieto was looking for a scripture I jumped in, in Spanish mind you, and said how we know our message is true and that it is very important to us. I asked when we could come back when he wasn't drunk and if he even wanted to improve his life. He kind of tried to dodge the question but I told him how we need to try to be like Christ and be perfect. I told him how living the commandments brings true happiness and that kind of shut him down. We got a return appointment and then asked for a closing prayer. He told me to do it and not to brag but I said a pretty good prayer. When I looked up he was crying and I stood up and shook his hand and said we would be back the next day. We walked out of there and I was pretty impressed with myself. Anyway we went back last night and he was sober and had a good lesson on the Restoration. He might be going to Mexico soon though and we wont see him again but we are going to still go by till he leaves.

 

Here are all the notes I had:

 

I need a couple more tie racks, probably just two because two of them broke

 

I have about 4 stamps left also so I will need those too :)

 

I want everyone who received my email to read Matthew 26:69-75 and ask yourselves how many times throughout the day have I done something like this either with what I say or what I do.

 

We got SKIP-BO! We have been playing it all the time at lunch and having tons of fun!

 

We will be having a baptism on February 3 and we are super excited for that. She has come to church about 6 times and loves it.

 

If anyone find some missionary appropriate music and thinks I would like it, send me a CD please! We are always listening to music!

 

How is the gun regulation going? Is Obama bringing up any other socialist ideas?

 

I am putting a package together and need some ideas of what I could send back home.

 

I sent out a ton of letters this morning so be checking your mail boxes!

 

Could I get a Sams gift card, at least just $5 to get me in the store? I found a Sams here and want to get some cheaper food!

 

It has been 72 and 75 degrees here some of the days which is crazy!

 

I don't get on the blog so seeing the comments was really cool.

 

I will try and get a picture of me and Elder Prieto to you next week, I will try and email it.

 

I have 4 shoe lace holes in my shoes.

 

I really need contacts too mom because I have been wearing my glasses the past 2 weeks. I am going to try and take them out every night too when I get them!

 

Well that is all I had written down. Thanks for all you do for me and I miss my family a lot but am loving my mission!

 

Elder Allen

 

 

     

 Elder Dial & Elder Allen

They went to the Redlands Temple in December

Well this week has been very interesting and has felt pretty long! First off I got my new companion, Elder Prieto, he is from Manteca California and is originally from Peru. He has been helping me learn Spanish and I have been teaching in the lessons too. We actually had a pretty slow week though because a lot has went on.

    On Monday Elder Dial left and Elder Prieto came. We then called the housing coordinators and they told us we were going to be moving! We moved in with the Zone Leaders and are having a great time there! A 4-man apartment is a lot more fun! My new address is:

Elder Evan Allen

23266 Calle Diaz Apartment #329

Moreno Valley, CA 92553

 We still live in Moreno Valley just a little bit farther north.  The apartment is a bit smaller and I will send pictures sometime. This was Tuesday morning when we moved in and on Wednesday morning we all worked out and Elder Prieto worked out a little too hard because half his face froze! We thought at first it was a stroke but he was fine and we were working half the day before we called the mission nurse and she said to go to urgent care right away. We went and were waiting there for a very long time. Quick funny note, on the window of the urgent care there is a sign that says all ages circumcision HAHAHA don't worry I got a picture of that too! Anyway Elder Prieto got a steroid shot, some antibiotics and some steroid pills. He has bells palsy  not sure if that's how you spell it but it is caused by an inflamed nerve or something caused by stress. He said the mission has been very stressful for him too. We were told to go to Murrietta about 35 miles away to get an MRI for him also. We did that on Thursday and that took up most our day. They wanted an MRI because he might have a brain tumor too. 

    I had pink eye on Saturday and had to stay in but I got some drops and was able to get back out on Sunday. We had a follow up appointment at the urgent care for Elder Prieto yesterday and was told to take about 3 days off. If it isn't better in about 2 weeks then he will have to get another MRI and have stuff injected into him so they can see inside him better too. That is about all the medical issues I think which is CRAZY!

 

I bought an electric shaver at Walmart sometime last week, I forgot, and it is super nice and its a lot faster too shave now. 

 

We didn't get a lot of lessons because of how crazy everything went but we did tear apart our Area Book and organize/clean it up.

 

I hit 150 days out here in the mission! Today I have been out for 5 months which is crazy too!

I finished D&C and Pearl of Great Price so now I am starting to read the New Testament and am really enjoying it!

 

I got the package and loved everything I got in there! The pictures from Primary were super cool and I loved all the other things that I have been needing to buy that just showed up in the package!

 

I plan on writing letters sometime, I have just been crazy busy and haven't had the time to pound out about 20 letters.

 

I got my GPS and really like it! I really helps with me lack of direction. I am actually pretty good right now though.

 

Could I get some more shirt stays? and maybe see if they have longer ones too, I have long legs I guess. Thanks!

 

I also ripped my shoe lace and have a square knot holding them together so I need a new pair of shoe laces and haven't been able to find the dress shoe laces that I want. Maybe see if ecco makes their own. They are black laces too. Thanks!

 

Here are the answers to the questions you asked mom:

 

I have changed my sheets 3 times so about once a month which is pretty good I would say.

 

The housing coordinators come in to inspect the apartments so we have to keep the relatively clean.

 

Since I just moved in we haven't had the chance to clean the bathroom but it is pretty good right now.

 

We have lots of missionaries in my mission but I don't know how many.

 

I didn't watch the CES Fireside. DARN! lol

 

I am pretty good on money at the moment. Going to Walmart with just a $20 bill is hard for me but I am doing it!

 

I have gotten lots of Subway and Walmart gift cards which really help because I love Subway and Walmart!

These are pictures were he is serving!

 

I want to go to a water park when I come home! Especially on a day when it isn't cold and rainy!

 

Can I have a puppy?

 

That is all I have right now to say but I just want to thank everyone for all they send me. Anything I get in the mail really helps me out and motivates me to be the best missionary I can be. I miss and love you all!

 

Elder Allen

The Elders at Church!!!!!

Aren't they a pretty sight!

The last night Elder Allen & Elder Dial got to serve together!

Well this past week has been pretty good. I didn't take any notes though so I will have to try and remember everything that happened. Transfer calls came on Saturday and our zone is getting changed a lot! Out of the 12 of us 7 are staying. Elder Prieto will be my new companion and I am looking forward to meeting him around 3 today. Elder Dial will be going out to the desert to be a zone leader and he is really excited about that. I have to help him move out though and he has like a 1000 lbs in weights and he isn't leaving me but the 30s that I traded him some stuff for. I am going to have to find a different way to workout now.

We have 2 pretty solid investigator families that could be baptized in January or Febuary. I am excited to be teaching with Elder Prieto and to learn some of his Spanish! I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of work and I am looking forward to that as well.

There haven't been any crazy things that happened in the past week. We are just trying to get back into the missionary groove and it is a little hard because there was always something going on.

Thanks for everything you guys do for me out here. I miss you!

Elder Allen

Elder Allen & Sister Cherie Hardy & Elder Dial & 

Brother Russ Hardy

This couple has done so much for my son.  Especially Sister Hardy...she sends me pictures, made him dirt pudding, sends me more pictures,  she let him Skype at her house, I have sent packages to her house until I found out his address. I am so happy she is in his life.  She is like a mom in Moreno Valley for him!!!!!!  Sister Hardy you are the best!!!!!

Elder Dial and Evan!

Well I had tons of fun this past week! Christmas was amazing and I had so much fun seeing everyone on Skype! Christmas and Christmas Eve was fun hanging out with all my friends from the MTC and then on Christmas we were up at 7am to open presents! I got awesome gifts! Here is a list of what I remember, sorry if I forgot.

Cyrus got me a sweet Ohio State Football 2013 calender, an awesome Mine craft block of sticky notes, a guitar book that really helps! The really cool one was the homemade Mt Dew Baja Blast! You mix blue powerade and normal Mt Dew and it is amazing!

Rudi got me a ton of individually wrapped Kit Kat bars, $20 to Chik Fil A (bought 2 peppermint shakes already!) She got me other stuff but the candy bars were so annoying to unwrap that I forgot what they were, sorry! Oh she got me a super cool tie!

Mom and Dad got me a new pair of sandals, some awesome socks and I forget the rest but they are going to get me a GPS too because I am so horrible with directions.

Jenny got me a cool orange tie with pink dots on it! Molly got me some tic tacs (apple and cherry!) Emmett got me some cool Ohio State sunglasses that I wear every day! I actually forgot what Max got me sorry! And Chad got me money which is really helpful when you are poor haha

Mama and Papa got me corn nuts, fruit roll, a 3d apple puzzle, this cool think that you chuck at the wall and it slithers down, and a bunch of other stuff!

I got Christmas Cards from Kyle and Kara, Nick and AJ, and Aaron and Nancy. I loved seeing the pictures of all my family!

Michelle got me thousands of $1 bills all wrapped in a ton of presents and it is super cool cuz now I got a fat wad of cash!!!

Grandma got me a ton of office supplies that come in handy and some gift cards too! I also like the OSU napkins!

Sorry if I forgot anyone else I had lots of presents!

Well That was my Christmas! New Year's Eve wasn't too special. We washed clothes for 5 hours and then played volleyball as a zone which was pretty fun.

Here are some of the notes that I wrote down too.

Christmas week was good because we got a break but all our investigators went on vacation or have had family over so we didn't get to teach very much this week. The holidays have also made it hard for me to stay focused and I need to get back on track because I think a lot about home when I see all the new things I just got.

This is the last week of transfers and I am pretty sure I will have a new companion next Monday. It will be sad to see Elder Dial leave.

This past Saturday we had a baptism where an older couple got baptized and their son was the one to do it which was really cool! It didn't go super smoothly though because the guy with the key to the font showed up late so the font wasn't all the way full and then the son who was baptizing his parents didn't have a change of clothes so he had to run back home. The baptism was scheduled at 3:30 but didn't get started till 4. Once it started it was really good! The spirit was there very strong and it was really nice seeing people make covenants with our Heavenly Father.

Hey Mama and Papa could you send me like a 5 or 10 dollar costco gift card so I can get in and buy some cheaper food? Thanks!

I cut my hair! Well Elder Dial did and I just told him to put an 8 on his clippers and cut it off. I like having short hair because it is a lot faster to comb in the morning but long hair is fun too.

Well that is all folks! Thanks for all the presents and everything you do for me out here. I love you!

Elder Allen

I was reading on Elder Dial's blog he is

 Elder Allen's companion this is what I found:

eldermattdial.blogspot.com

go to the email from 

December 3 and read...

I love how these two young men 

work so good together.
Elder Allen just got a new companion after I wrote this.

This picture was sent to me out of the blue! 

A sister from Moreno Valley went to a baptism tonight and

the Elders bear their testimonies after and she snapped this 

photo of Elder Allen!

His eyes are closed but he is still so handsome!

I'm so proud of my son! 

Elder Allen and Elder Dial

Evan is celebrating his 1 year anniversary of diabetes.

I talked to Sister Hardy and asked her to make his favorite dessert...DIRT PUDDING! She is one sweet sister!

We didn't email on Monday because the library computers weren't working and yesterday we were in Riverside all morning for Elder Dial's doctors appointment. Riverside is a lot better looking than Moreno Valley!

 

 We saw wild DONKEYS!!!!!!!!! They walk around the mountains here and we might go donkey hunting some P-Day with our NERF guns!

 

We went to the temple this week and it is such a cool temple it is pretty big and I had a great time there. After the temple we ate at a place called Cafe Rio and it was pretty good but the pork was a little too sweet for me. I got a burrito and they are huge! Bigger than Chipotle's too.

 

Earlier last week we blessed a ladies home in a trailer park and it was awesome! It was a mom and her daughter at the daughter's home. They told us so much stuff like how the daughter, Alma, wants to quit smoking and drinking and we took her cigarettes that night! We have been back multiple times and are teaching them and her two sons who are really cool! They are on date to get baptized at the end of the month but might have to move it back if they don't come to church.

 

Last P-day I switched the Gshock watch I bought when I first got here for a different one because some of the paint scratched off.  That watch was $110 and I switched it for a $150 g shock and only had to pay $2 difference because there was a coupon they gave me. This on is cooler because it is like Ethan's where it is solar powered and stuff like that.

 

I am running a little low on stamps too so maybe send some at the beginning of next year.

 

Has it snowed there yet? Take pictures when it does and send them here because it has been 70 degrees here all week.

 

I started driving and learning the area because you all know how good I am with directions lol

 

We have knocked on doors with dried blood on them. Cops were running around the other night looking for a guy with a machete. There were also 2 shootings this past week also. So it gets pretty crazy out here but I know I am safe!

 

At church on Sunday a member of the 70 came, Douglas F Higham, and spoke to our ward. He served in the state of Washington Spanish speaking and hasn't spoken it in 40 years and gave his whole talk in Spanish and it was really good!

My Spanish is improving but I am not sure how my speaking is. I still only say very little in lessons. I understand it really well but when I speak it is a bit harder. I did have a dream the other night where some people were speaking Spanish and it was weird.

 

Well I got a call from President Smart while walking out of Walmart on P-Day and told me that Grandpa Allen passed away. I cried because I knew I wouldn't see him when I got home but I know where he is and it is a lot better than here. I didn't know much of the details till I just read some of the emails and it is best that he didn't live in a nursing home hooked up to machines. I will miss him.

 

Well we got work to do today so I will be back next week and I can't wait to Skype on Christmas!

 

Elder Allen

 

Oh ya can you send my likin park song I played on the piano out to me?

California is so different than Delta!

This week has been awesome! Elder Dial warned me that the work that we did this week doesn't happen very often. The mission goal is to have 20 lessons a week with 7 member present lessons out of those 20. It is also normal to only get 2 to 4 new investigators a week. Since we have started blessing homes we have been finding tons of people! Last week we got 12 new investigators and this week we got 18! We also had 27 lessons and 9 were with a member! We have been going to the ghetto and the field is super white and ready to harvest. We just need to pick the wheat from the tares. 3 of the new people we found this week we met them on the doorstep and blessed there home and asked them to be baptized on the 23rd of December and they accepted! I love missionary work!!!

 

Here are all the notes I wrote down:

 

We had our zone meeting on Friday and after wards we ate at Chik Fil A and I got 24 nuggets, fries, a drink, and an amazing peppermint shake! I spent $17 and I won't do it again. That's a lot of money! It was really really really good though.

 

Since we have been doing a lot of work around in the Ghetto I have been getting known around there. We ran into two black guys and said we were representatives of Jesus Christ and they looked at Elder Dial and said are you Allen? He said no and pointed to me because I have went on exchanges there and blessed some homes without Elder Dial. It was super funny though because these two gangsters knew my name. The ghetto is awesome!

 

I don't know if I will be able to send presents because I don't have lots of money. I will try and do something though!

 

We have been listening to Cee Lo Green's Christmas CD and it is sooooo cool you need to get it!

 

We helped a member hang lights this week and I was in a tree in my shirt and tie and it was super fun! I also got some pictures of some crazy lit up houses we stopped by too.

 

One of our members are in need of money so they sold food in front of there house and at our dinner appointment that night she told us to go over there to eat and she would pay for us. Me and Elder Dial ate so much food! We had about 10 tacos, 6 quesadillas, and a hot dog each! It was really good!

 

One thing I really want to say and tell everyone in the branch. A lesson without a member there who testifies and teaches with the missionaries is almost a waste of time. Members are so essencial in this work. Help out the missionaries there so I can come home to the Wauseon WARD!

 

This story is cool. We blessed an older womans home and got a return appointment with her. When we went back she had her daughter there along with the daughter's husband. They just lost their son. He was a marine. We taught the Plan of Salvation and I even cried at the end when I testified of the happiness it brings. They accepted Book of Mormons and said they would read and I gave her a blessing of comfort. It was the most spiritual lesson I have been in and I loved it.

 

I want pictures of all my family! Including Aunts and Uncles!

 

I had really good enchiladas this week covered in beans and they were amazing! The next day however I was on the toilet soo long. All I can say is I destroyed it!

 

On Christmas we will be skyping at a members house and we won't be emailing that week. I want to see everything on skype! My chickens, Mazie, the Cats, and I guess you guys too.

 

Mom I will try and best describe a P-Day. Today we woke up at 5 and worked out at the Zone Leaders appartment then came home and got dressed. We went to Best Buy to get Elder Cook a GPS and then came here.  After this we are going to Walmart, the mall, and then to Burlington. We have a Zone activity at 12 which is baseball and then after that we will come home and I hope to write a ton of letters because I am falling far behind on those. By the time I am done with that we will have dinner at 6 and then work the rest of the night. P-Days are super busy!!!!!

Elder Allen's church building

It looks so different from our buildings in Ohio!!

 

The Dirt Pudding was awesome thanks a ton mom for sending that to Sister Hardy!! She is one cool lady!

 

Fresh and Easy is a grocery store

 

Well I got to go!!! Thanks for all the mail I get from you guys it is awesome!!! I love you all

 

Elder Allen