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