July 16th, 2012

Hey family! :)

Sounds like you guys finally had some rain back there it’s about time.  It’s been raining here a lot this week too so it’s been nice and not too hot.  I couldn’t believe the downpour we had last night it was crazy to drive in.  Well we got transfer calls last night and of course I already knew Elder Black is leaving (ha ha).  But I am still staying here and so I will get my new comp on Thursday.  I’m not training or anything so I will still just be a regular which is still ok with me.  I’m really glad I’m staying I really like this ward.  I’m glad you went to Bryce's homecoming talk I bet he was funny (ha ha).  It’s crazy how the time flies.  It looks like I will hit my year mark in this area so that will be cool!  I’m not sure what we are going to do for P day today we might go to the capitol or something like that.  But not too much happened this week.  And this next week might be slow too cause I will be with another companionship Tuesday and Wednesday until Thursday when I get my new comp.  The bible study hasn’t had too much success.  Neither of them were able to come on Thursday.  We are usually the only companionship out of the 3 that can get people out to it so if nobody comes from our area then there's nobody there at all and then we just head back out and go tracting.  That’s cool that the new elementary is all done and finished I bet it is nice.  I’m glad that the front yard is coming along I bet it looks nice.  Well that’s all I’ve got for this week.  I love you all and I will tell you next week who my new comp is.  Love you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Morgensen

July 9th, 2012

Hey family!

Well yep I hit my 10 month mark so that was pretty sweet!  I'll be at a year in no time!  I had a really fun time on the 4th of July.  We ended up not having to knock doors at all.  Some families in the ward invited us to the park for a lunch so we hung out there for a while and then changed into some regular clothes so that we could play some ultimate Frisbee.  It was a blast.  Then we just stopped by less active families and visited a few.  Then we ate a nice big dinner with a part-member family in the ward which was nice.  We just shared a mini restoration lesson but the husband seemed pretty closed off to it.  Then after that we went over to our ward mission leader’s house and ate some homemade ice-cream it was pretty good.  And then on the way home we saw a few fireworks so that was good (ha ha).  As the mission goes on I’m learning how to be more frugal with money so that’s probably something really good that I can use at college (ha ha).  But we haven’t really had any "missionary moments" lately but we seem to help people out more by just being nice to them.  Like there's a lady in our apartment complex I saw the other day that has a cane and was trying to carry her groceries up to the third level so we went over and helped her out and she was really happy and grateful and said for the 3 years she's lived her nobody has ever offered to help.  So now every time she sees us she wants to talk for a few minutes she seems to really like us.  And on Thursday nights we have a bible study that we take turns teaching and a less active member in our ward has been bringing his friend who isn’t a member and he really likes that class.  Because he didn’t live in our area we referred him to other elders but the next time we saw him he said he would prefer to study with us because he didn’t really like the other elders he said there were too pushy and just wanted him to commit to baptism.  So if we get a chance we might just teach him the restoration because he really likes us.  He really likes the bishop too they met and stuff so we will see where he ends up.  But after the class one night he came up to us after and told us that he was just really going through a hard time in his life and wanted us to pray with him so I said a prayer for him and it made him really happy.  Even the next week he thanked us cause he said after we prayed with him things just went better for him so that was cool.  That’s cool all the missionaries that are heading out I can’t believe they are that old.  Well, love you all and have a great week!

Love, Elder Morgensen

July 2nd, 2012

Hey family!

Sounds like everyone is having a fun summer!  Dad does yard work and rides his bike and the girls go on camps.  Sounds like the yard is really coming along but yeah it can be a surprise when I come home that will be better than seeing a picture of it.  I bet that was fun to go and see grandpa on the bike.  Is he having some more health problems or are they the same ones?  Hopefully he can hang in there.  Having 108 degrees on the bike in Sunday clothes is not fun at all.  Usually the faster you go the cooler the air is that hits your body but at that hot it’s just like a blow dryer is aimed right at you (ha ha).  So now when we are on bike we stick pretty close to home.  But my companion goes home on the 18th so he only has like 2 weeks left he is getting excited.  But that’s cool that someone up in Round Rock knew who I was.  I wonder if they were from the Kyle ward or from here in Austin.  It sounds like the Monkeys had quite the girl’s camp it sounds like they did some fun things.  And the whole bear story is pretty funny I’m sure they were all super scared.  And even scared enough to throw up (ha ha).  I bet the monkey was going ooo ooo and ahhh ahhh  (ha ha).  That’s really cool that you got to go to the Tuachan I’ve heard that’s a really cool place I will have to check it out when I get back.  That’s really awesome that you had a great testimony meeting.  I remember that the testimony meetings at camps and on the trek and EFY are always the best ones.  But that’s cool that Monkey gets to be on the stake youth committee.  That was a really fun thing to do I really liked it you get to plan all the stake activities.  Just keep working on the stick shift it will get easier.  I’m sure when I get home I will have to get used to my car again.     Well everyone have another great week!  Love you all so much! :)

Love, Devan  

June 25th, 2012

Hey family :)

Sounds like you all had a really fun week!  The youth here in this ward just had their youth conference also and it sounded really fun so I’m sure that you all had really fun too!  I heard that new mall next to temple square is really nice I’m excited to see it when I get home.  I've got to say that Monkey has got a pretty sweet truck!  I can’t believe you got it for so cheap!  It looks like it has had some good work done to it, I can see it has a bigger axle and probably a few other things.  The tires and rims are nice too you should put them on the Tank (ha ha)--just kidding.  Monkey needs to be careful when you drive it and don’t take it up in the mountains, believe me I know how easy it is to roll (ha ha). So be careful :)  But yeah I remember breaking the Robinsons ax up at their cabin I felt pretty bad about it.  That’s funny that they still kept it.  It looks like Ava sure is getting bigger she looks cute especially her smile :)  Thanks for the extra money it really helped.  The shop said there was a few more things wrong with the bike that they fixed so I have it back now and it rides really nice so I’m glad to have it back.  It sounds like Monkey's truck came along at just the right time to help with the dirt in the yard.  So how many shrubs are you putting in?  Have you put any trees in?  I bet it’s looking nicer and nicer.  You will have to say hi to Bryce for me when you see him.  But from what I've heard it’s pretty dry across the western states.  Hopefully no fires get near Beaver.  Hopefully it rains soon so that dads lawn can stay green and they won’t ban fireworks (ha ha).  It’s getting pretty dry here also and getting really hot.  Now the triple digits are starting to hit so hopefully I can make it through the summer.  But the work is going great!  Michael, who is the 12 year old boy, is leaving for like 3 weeks so we won’t get to teach him for a bit but he has been progressing right along.  Other than that we have done a lot of knocking with a few return appointments but nobody too solid.  Well that’s all I’ve got for this week.  Love you all take care and have a great week! :)

Love, Devan

June 18th, 2012

Hey family

Happy late Father’s Day Dad! I hope that it was a good one!

Yeah it is definitely getting hot here I’m really not looking forward to July and August I hear those are the worst ones.  Someone needs to tell me what kind of truck monkey got and send me a picture (ha ha).  I want to see it.  But that’s pretty cool I bet she is happy with it.  This week I wrecked on my bike and broke off the back de-railer.  I was fine though just the bike wasn’t (ha ha).  But it’s in the shop right now to get fixed and is probably going to be like $85 to fix so I was wondering if you could help me out with that.  I was just going to put it on my credit card.  The guy that looked at it told me it was probably due to my chain being stretched out with all the riding that I do.  I didn’t know that they stretch out because it didn’t break off initially at the wreck it broke like half a mile later when I shifted my gears and then it snapped off.  But he is going to do a lot of stuff to it and adjust my brakes and everything else so I am glad that I’m getting all of that done I knew it was going to need some maintenance soon.  I should be able to pick it up on Tuesday.  But anyhow other than that it was a really good week we are working with a part-member family and we are going to try to get their 12 year old boy baptized.  The mom is a member and the dad isn’t and he isn’t too interested but he still comes to church with them sometimes.  Up until now they had been less active but they are coming more regularly and now that he goes to Deacons quorum now we went over and taught about the Priesthood and that he can pass the sacrament and stuff so we asked if he want to be baptized and he said yes so hopefully he doesn’t change his mind (ha ha).  But they are a really cool family to teach and the dad sits in and listens so maybe he might come around too.  But other than that we just did some knocking this week.  Well that’s all I got for this week. Bryce comes home in a week and a half so that’s crazy you will have to say hi to him for me.  I just got an email from the Ike and Eileen and they said to tell you all hi. 

Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Morgensen

June 11th, 2012

Hey family!

First off, Monkey got a truck?  That’s pretty sweet.  Send me a picture next week and tell me more about it that’s really cool I didn’t know she was getting anything (ha ha).  That’s sweet.  But yeah I bet some people were pretty upset about the changes in the stake.  That’s cool that they made a Minersville stake.  That’s also really cool that the elementary school is getting finished that will be really nice.  It will be ready to go by the start of the new school year right?  Well, it sounds like the front yard is coming along.  That will be nice when I come home to hopefully see it done or most of the way done.  I’m sure it will look nice!  What else do the Monkey's have planned for the summer?  Is the family going to do anything?  I remember buying those big fireworks last year that was pretty fun (ha ha)..  I always really liked working at Mikes in the summertime summers are just the best for everything (ha ha).  even for tracting too cause now when we knock on someone's door their kid will answer every time and then the parent has to come to the door and talk to us (ha ha).  So that’s been pretty nice but yeah it’s just getting hotter so we really enjoy the car when we have it.  We haven’t found anyone that’s too solid just knocking so we are going to put more focus on part member families in the ward and go after them.  Well anyways that’s all I’ve got for this week.  Take care everyone and enjoy the coming week! :)  Love ya all!  Devan

June 4th, 2012

Hey everyone!

It is getting pretty hot and humid here and at the end of the night after being on the bike all day, my shirt and garments are just wet and it’s pretty gross.  I guess it’s supposed to keep getting hotter too but my body seems to be adapting.  Walmart has a good sale on water.   It’s like 35 bottles for $3.50 so it usually lasts me like 2 weeks.  I didn’t think I would ever drink so much water in my life haha I felt like Courtney :)  We have been going running in the mornings so all of our legs are sore and my calves hurt pretty bad.  There is a nice trail behind our apartment that is 2 miles so we have been doing that.  We had transfer calls last night and both me and Elder Black are staying here so that is nice.  This is his last transfer here so I will get to see him go home.  He is already excited.  It sounds like you had a really fun time in Bryce Canyon.  I bet that was a blast and nice weather for the bike.  That’s really cool that Kyle is going out and to the same mission that’s really awesome.  But yeah hitting the 9 month mark is pretty cool and it will be crazy at the end of summer when I hit my year mark.  Time sure does fly by.  But yeah disc golf is always pretty fun.  After we are done emailing we are gonna go do some and then do some other fun things.  That’s really cool that Justin Morgensen is going to go on a mission.  He will really like it.  Is there anything new happening in Beaver?  Summer time is always the best time of year.  I guess Bryce will be coming home soon so that will be cool for you guys to see him.  Hey Court sounds like your having a good time playing softball it sounds like you are doing really good.  But anyhow nothing new this week we haven’t found anyone who seems interested yet. Well, love you all have a great week! :)

Love, Elder Morgensen