Week 60 - Hola

January 26, 2015

Hola, mi compandero sey no gusta moso queso. QUESO QUESO QUESO!!!!! :D
As you all can tell I don't actually speak Spanish. Wish I could. And no funny stories about cheese either...

     This week was a pretty good week to be honest. I got a killer companion, Elder Nathan Bradshaw from Clinton, Utah. Really hard worker, lots of faith and good at missionary work. He's been out 18 months, he's only got 6 left. Haha really cool guy, we get along really good. Really excited for this transfer, its gonna be a good one!!

     OH YEAH he's a ginger [redhead]. First ginger companion! :D  Tommy (Barbara's grandson) is doing good, he came to church again and he's planning on getting baptized in just under 2 weeks. We're working closely with him, and actually started teaching his mom as well, who doesn't live with them. She's a recovering drug addict. She's planning on church next week I believe. 

     We met this really cool guy named Bobby on Tuesday!! He came to church on Sunday (which is unusual the first week we teach someone) And he had a great time!! Met lots of great people, had lunch at a member's house right after church, and everything worked out very well. He's coming back next week, and we have high hopes for him becoming a member. He's got some WoW issues, but he'll make it.

     OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'm not gonna tell anyone about that part. It happened 2 weeks ago anyway.

     Well, life is pretty good right now!! Pretty dang good. Still in Richmond, same address....

     Let me know if you guys ever want to hear of a cool story involving a car, its pretty cool. Anyways, I love you all!! Have a great week!! :D Life's awesome!!!!!

-Love, Elder Ellis

Some pics!! The ginger one is my companion. We're helping a member make lunch. :D

                                    Indiana National Guard in Knightstown, Indiana

Week 59 - Transfers!

January 19, 2014

Holy cow, transfers are here!!!! 6 months in Richmond, and now.... I'm staying again!!! My companion is leaving though, and he got here a transfer after me, so that's weird. I am honestly so excited to stay!!!!!!!! I love it here so much, it's like my family. And we've got some really cool people we're teaching, so excited for that too. Get to go to transfer meeting tomorrow, and don't even have to pack!! That's a blessing. I love transfer meetings. Not much else to say, the other Richmond elders are staying, and they're a blast, so that's exciting. Lots to get done today, I'll say more next week!! Love ya!! :D

-Elder Ellis

P.S. I had interviews with President Porter, that was sweet. Great guy.

The Incredible Hulk Missionary!

Week 58 - *Cough* *influenza* but still a good week

January 12, 2015

Yeah, some nurse in my ward told me that I like had the Flu or something. Crazy thoughts I tell you. So yeah, I was sick a few days this week, figured I'd actually tell someone this time cause my wonderful momma got upset last time. haha I was just sick, no one cares about that boring stuff. I was out for Thursday and Friday sleeping at this cool members house while my companion went out teaching with another member. I'm feeling quite better now though, I took the advice and just slept instead of pushing through it, and I actually got better!! It was really weird. So I'm all good now, no worries. The Richmond ward took very good care of me. I'm gonna cry if I ever leave this place. And transfers are in like 1 week!!!! So we'll know next Monday what's happening. So Scary!! I've been here 6 months, not long at all, I better stay here. :D just kidding that's a long time.

   Haha awesome story with Barbara, the lady that got baptized the day after Christmas. She left right before the end of Sacrament meeting during Church to go take care of something. She tells us all about this later, but she goes to the church that she used to go to, and she stands up and says something like this: "God and a book have led me to another church, and that's where I belong" She said in front of all these people, practically testifying of the Mormon Church. HOW COOL IS THAT??? Dang cool, yeah, I know. :D She has such an awesome testimony, she's amazing. Her grandson's coming around, very rebellious 10 year old. Haha he's cool though.

Well, life is great!! Not too much to talk about with being down and out half the week, but things are going well!! I am just so happy all the time, so excited for everything. It's great. Haha I love you all!! Have a wonderful week! :D

-Elder Ellis

P.S. It gets -20 here all the time with windchill. Icy roads, we were slipping all over last night. WOOT! Fun times! REALLY cold sometimes, but it could be so much worse. :D

                                          Christmas present

Week 57 - Happy New Years!!!

Wow, isn't that exciting?? A New Year is here, to fill us up with cheer, to help us take down a deer. A New Year has come, to help us play the drums. An Old Year is

    Ok done with the poem. Too much. I was gonna write a beautiful poem for you all that was gonna get published and all that, but sorry. Can't handle it.

  Alright!!! So this week was pretty great, continuing to teach Barbara's grandson, and they brought the family that she babysits to church!!! That was a cool miracle, we were praying and fasting pretty hard for that one. Met a lot of new people, so hopefully a good amount of them will progress. Or at least a few of them haha. Bob and Barbara are both preparing to go to the temple at the end of the month!! So that's really cool and exciting. Transfers are in 2 weeks, right before that, so who knows if we'll both be here to see them go to the temple, we'll see. All the missionaries in our ward are doing well, we've got an Elder Blackhurst from Pleasant Grove, Utah, and an Elder Blackburn who is from Vernal Utah, who is his companion. We have a lot of fun with them.

    I dunno what else to say, can't think of OH WAIT New Years eve, we had to stay in our apartment 6pm-3pm, a total of 21 hours. President didn't want us going out there and getting shot by a drunk guy or something... smart man. We got to get a ton of cleaning done, which I'm sad to say, was much needed. I gained a testimony of keeping your living quarters clean and the difference it makes. Cause it made a huge difference! Holy cow, things got so much easier. Weird, I know. They tell us to clean things all the time and there's actually a really good reason behind it.. haha.

    Life is great! Keep smiling ya'll!! 2 more weeks until transfers. Scary. Love you all!! :D

-Love, Elder Ellis

Pics from Christmas Morning

                                                           Christmas Card to All