Week 36 - Transfer is almost over

July 28, 2014
Just like this title says, this transfer is almost over. We've got one more week, and we'll get transfer calls next Monday. So by this time in one week, I'll know if I'm getting transferred or not! I sure hope not, I just got here, and I love it here. So many people are close to baptism, and miracles keep happening. Elder Rose is awesome as well, good companion, good missionary. I love Kentucky! I want to stay haha. This kind of thinking is what makes me think I'm going to leave. But it's all God's will, and I'm willing to do whatever he wants me to.

    Slight bummer, Rusty's baptism did not happen this weekend. He had the interview, he passed, but he said that he just didn't feel ready, so we pushed it back to August 16. At least we know that he passed the interview, so he is ready, but its his agency, and we completely respect that. We're sure he'll make it in August. 

     Juanita's still on date for the 30th, and she's still having lots of WoW issues, so it's some work, but she's a great lady, and she wants the peace the gospel brings. We're working on Moriah as well who lives down the street from her, she's been reading a lot, and she should be coming on date in the next few weeks.

      Oh yeah! sweet miracle happened yesterday, Hunter Kinney is a 10 year old nonmember who's been coming to church for the past few months with his grandparents, along with his 8 year old brother Colton, and wants to get baptized in 3 weeks! We talked with all of them yesterday, and he set the date himself, he just wants to do it. So does his brother, and its going to be an awesome experience for all of them. They're 2 really funny kids, haha love them.

      So all in all things are going very well, and I don't want to get transferred! But likelihood is one of us will leave because things are going so well, and we both think its me.... but I guess we'll find out in a week. I'll try to take some more pictures, I'm really bad at that. Well, I love you all! Have a great week! :D

-Elder Ellis

Week 35 - Week of Awesome

July 21, 2014

So this week was a week of awesome, it was a very awesome week. It was so awesome, that I decided to name this week's e-mail "Week of Awesome" Yeah, it was pretty awesome.

    Haha so anyways, this week was pretty dang good, lots of stuff going on. Rusty is still on for his baptism this Saturday, and he loved church yesterday. SO that's pretty exciting, it's awesome seeing the spirit working in him, how much he wants to do what's right. Everything should go well this weekend, but pray for Rusty Gordon!! The week before and after baptism are always hardest for converts. But we have faith. I know that if something happens this Saturday, he'll make it next Saturday for sure. Go Rusty!! :D

      We also had 2 new investigators come to church for the first time, Juanita, and Moriah. They both also had a great experience, met some good people and made some nice friends. Juanita's got a baptismal date for August 30 that she's working towards. She has some Word of Wisdom issues to work out, but she's got potential. But she feels the spirit every time she talks to us, and she wants the peace she feels so badly. We'll get her there for sure!! And Moriah really likes her church she has right now, but she loves reading the Book of Mormon and is doing really well. I am confident that she will get baptized, just not sure when. She just needs to get that answer from God that this is where He wants her to go.

     There's another lady, Amber, who has 3 kids, and she's been investigating the church for over a year now. I feel very strongly that she is the main reason that I've been sent here to Maysville, and I'm not leaving until I see her get baptized. She had a date a few months ago, but couldn't quit smoking and kind of got discouraged when she fell off date. We had a good lesson with her on Friday, and she opened up to us quite a bit. Turns out she's barely read any of the Book of Mormon. No wonder she didn't make it! So that's our main focus right now, just her getting a testimony of the BoM. She'll know once she reads.

      ANOTHER guy is Bryan Chapman, who's also been on date in the past, but didn't feel ready. He's 17, both of his parents are members, and they haven't been to church for a few months. We finally got in contact with them 2 weeks ago, and they are the coolest family ever!!! It was so much fun talking to them, and they opened up a lot. They are committed to coming to church next week, and Bryan's the other reason that I feel like I came here for. So through faith, obedience, and hard work the miracles will happen! Life rocks. Oh yeah, and we broke another record! 108 people at Maysville Branch Sacrament Meeting yesterday!! WOOT WOOT!

      So yeah, a lot of great things are happening here. And more great things will continue to happen! Faith conquers all obstacles. President Porter's awesome by the way, he has so much faith, very inspiring. Well, I love you all!! Have a fantastic week! :D

-Love Elder Ellis

Week 34 - Week of Miracles

July 14, 2014
So this week was definitely a week of miracles, amazing things continue to happen. We've got 3 potential baptisms for the next 3 weeks, and more to follow after that, it's inspiring to see what the Lord can do. We met this really cool guy Kenny on Thursday, and he is showing amazing potential, and he absolutely loved church yesterday. His friend Brother Purpur brought him, and he's getting ignited with the missionary spirit. The Maysville branch is very promising, and we had 98 in attendance yesterday, which is going to start becoming a normal occurrence here. If we can get it up to 120, it'll become a ward. Which would be sweet! That's our goal, and I have complete faith that I'll be here to see it happen. We are teaching a lot of people right now, and things just keep getting better. My companion is a really good teacher, and he's just a great missionary all around, and since we've been together lots of good things have been happening. When you do all you can, God truly does the rest, and miracles will happen. Kentucky rocks!!!

      Haha, so a funny story this week, we go out to contact a young couple we met a week or two ago, and they are super nice, and we had a great discussion, and we're going back tomorrow. We went with the ward mission leader, Brother Jones (he's super cool) and as we're leaving, I was trying to guess their age (I forgot why, but I swear I had a good reason for it) and asked if they were in their mid-30's or something, and the wife just gave me the worst death glare ever! She's only 24! but he's 37, and they have a teenage daughter, so I was trying to be polite by not saying she had a kid when she was 15... But that didn't really work. Bad backfire. Luckily she got over it, but Brother Jones shared the story in opening exercises of Priesthood and the branch won't let me forget it,,, haha, so yeah. That was fun. :D 

      Oh yeah, and a chihuahua peed on me! I was picking it up to put it back inside this member's house, and Elder Goss (my companion for the day) told me to look at my shirt... and there was a big yellow spot. Maybe I shouldn't share this story because its super gross... And they wont let me forget about this one either. Haha don't scare chihuahuas.

       Sorry if I'm really bad about responding to e-mails sometimes, there's just so much stuff to do, and there's never enough time to do it!! I'm trying to petition for a time turner, but we'll see how it goes. Anyways, I love you all!!! Keep being awesome! :D

-Love Elder Ellis

                                 Photo taken at transfers June 25, 2014 

                                  Elder Ellis crashing a sisters pic

Week 33 - Woot!

July 7, 2014

Hey everyone!!! sorry, I don't have too much time to e-mail, but this week has been awesome!!! It's been so good here in Kentucky, I absolutely love it! Miracles happening all over the place, it is amazing. I will try to write more next week, but know that I love you all!! Have a great one!! :D

-Elder Ellis

                               Muncie, Indiana flood photos I found on his camera card

Week 32 - Kentucky!!!

June 30, 2014
WOOT!!!!! Guess who got sent to Kentucky??? Elder Carter!!!! Ha ha just kidding, I did!!! I'm serving in the Maysville, Kentucky Branch!!!!! OH YEAH!!!! I'm so excited to be here. My companion is Elder Rose, and he's from West Jordan, Utah. AND I LOVE HIM TO DEATH!!!! Ha ha oh my gosh, we get along so good. We both had to make an effort to get along with our last companions for the first little while, then became best friends with them, and now we get along just absolutely great with each other. He's a fantastic missionary, obedient, diligent, and lots of faith. He's been here for 4 1/2 months in Maysville, and he's built the area up really well compared to what it was before. He's been out about 9 months.

     We're also serving with the Littles, a senior couple from Morgan, Utah, and they are the coolest people ever!!! Man, I just love Maysville. Kentucky is so green, it's so beautiful, and we've seen a lot of success just in this past week. and we have a truck, which is pretty cool. I wish I could go into specifics, but don't have enough time. One person to watch out for is Rusty Gordon, we just put him on date this past week for July 19. Also Amber, Juanita, and Jackee(male) who are pretty close to having a date, two of which we just started teaching this past week. So things are going great! Best of wishes to all of you! Thanks for the support and love. I Love you all!!! :D

-Elder Ellis

P.S. Our address is 10 Highland Hollow, apt #11, Maysville, Kentucky, 41056.  Feel free to send stuff!!

                             Elder Ellis & Elder Price with the Sisters & friend in Muncie, IN

Week 31 - Transfers!!

June 23, 2014
So the calls came in this morning... I am officially leaving Muncie!!! After 6 months here, it is time for me to go. Sad day!!! I'll find out who my new companion is and where I'm going tomorrow at Transfers. I thought it would feel really weird, but its not... jk now I'm thinking about it and its starting to feel really weird... Oh well!! I'll find out what goes down tomorrow. I am going to miss this place SO MUCH!!!!!! I Love Muncie!!! This ward is like my family, I'm so close with all of them. It's going to be the weirdest thing ever!!! I really hope my next area is a good one, it's going to be rough leaving here. I have no idea what to expect. I'm guessing I'll go to Fort Wayne, or Kentucky... At least that's what I'm hoping for!!! That would be really cool if it happened. 

      WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN????? No one knows. Except God. And probably President at this point. Well, I'll give you all my new address as soon as I can! The Lord lives and he loves us! Have a wonderful week everyone!!

P.S. Douglas (who's been coming to basketball) came to church on Sunday!! And he's got a date for May 12. Go Douglas!! (even though I won't be here) :D go Elder Price! Get him there with your new companion!! :D

Week 30 - Father's Day

June 16, 2014
Hey, everyone! Hope you all had a great Father's Day!! It was good up here in Muncie, tons of people came to church for it. And church is always amazing. 

   Well, another week in Muncie, Weather is still just jumping all around the place. Life's amazing here, things just keep getting better and better. Lots of people in downtown don't know how to keep commitments, so we're trying to teach more in the rich area's, but the sad part about that is that they're less likely to listen to us. A lot. But Faith and Diligence go a long way!!!!!!! :D

    I never know what to write in the e-mails..... WE SAW A PANDA!!!!!!!! not really. But I wish, it'd be cool. I don't have very much time, we're jumping around getting a lot of stuff done for people. LOVE EVERYONE IN THIS MISSION!!!! Missionaries are so cool. I LOVE YOU ALL BACK HOME TOO!! EVERYONE HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!!!!!!! :D