20... I feel old now!

Well there are a few perks that come along with being twenty years old.  Now I can viably say "kids these days", and shake my head, and people will nod in agreement.  Also when people are generalizing about how horrible teenagers are, I am no longer included in the category!

Well enough about that.  As you know, I had a little bit of a tough time with Elder Brown, we just did not really hit it off as a companionship.  I think he is a very nice guy and all, but we well our personalities didn't really mesh that well.  I would say that Elder Clifford, and my personalities are much more alike.  He is a maybe a little bit taller than me, but a lot skinnier than I am.  He is actually a bean pole!  He has red hair, and he makes me laugh.  When he found out that he was going to Mount Shasta, he was a little bummed because he wanted to go and serve in the City, I laughed and told him he was in luck because we have got 5 cities in our area!

Elder Clifford has been out for 13 months and is from Mesa.  His family is from Safford though, so we figure we are probably related somehow!

Well our week went relatively well, we tied lasts weeks 7 lessons, but next week we are going to pound it into the dust, we are planning on getting 16 so we better get out there and work!  This week was not very exciting, I really don't have that much to talk about.  We re arranged our whole house, which was very nice, I am no longer on the top bunk. 

We didn't meet with either the Gardener's or Will (the big black kid that wants to get baptized) but we did set up lessons for next week, so that is good.  Other than that, my life is pretty boring. 

I rode my bike for the first time in the mission field this past week which was awesome.  We rode over to the church which is just a little 1.1 mile ride up hill at high alititude the entire time.  I would be lying if I told you I was just fine when we arrived... but the ride home was very fun, about 25 miles per hour the whole way! 

This area has a lot of Potential, but I think that the last few missionaries have just gotten lazy.  I can see why, we are an hour away, so you can do whatever, and nobody would ever know.  That is no excuse, me and Elder Clifford are going to work hard.  I have gone through some good and some bad times, some easy, some rough.  Some times where you can't do anything right, and some times when nothing goes wrong.  You can learn from everything that happens to you.  That is the blessing of knowlege!

Love

Elder Ellsworth

Transfers are here again......

Well I am really begining to freak out now.  This last transfer was number four.  I am now officially one quarter of the way done.  But it is going to fast.  I swear that the last six weeks has just... well I blinked and it is gone.  Well I guess I won't keep you waiting, I am staying in Shasta, and Elder Brown is being transferred.  My new Companion is Elder Clifford, I hear he actually might be my size, well at least that he is really tall.  I also heard that he was a pathological liar, but that was from a dumb source so I won't give it any mind.  I always get super nervous right before I find out what is going on.  Actually I kind of start to have a panic attack.  Not really but, the butterflys in my stomach dance around pretty good.

Well I mentioned that last week I was pretty at much at my wit's end with Elder Brown.  Well I had that exchange down in Shasta Lake, and that was very therapeutic I was able to organize my thoughts.  So I talked about my frustrations with Elder Jackson.  I did not bag on my comp, but I told Jackson how I was feeling.  Then when we exchanged back Elder Brown and I had a very long heart to heart talk.  We were able to express our frustrations, and work it out.  We have been good ever since. 

I had two experiences that I wanted to tell you about this week, which stuck out in my head.  Saturday night as I prayed I asked my Father in Heaven if I could have the opportunity to bear my testimony to somebody.  I did not realize that the next day was Fast Sunday.  At church I didn't get up and bear my testimony but a member brought her 20ish year old friend who isn't a member.  After priesthood, we were talking to him, and I was able to bear to him my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  After I bore my testimony I immediately recognized it as an answer to my prayer.  Also at church there was this family that came in.  They are less active part member family, and one of the boys, named Will.  A big black boy( not being racist) came up to us, and said he wanted to take the lessons, and get baptized!  Well of course we immediately set up an appointment for Friday on this upcoming week!  What a miracle!

One more story I wanted to tell you guys about.  So I mentioned about that Revelation that I got I guess while reading a conference talk.  Well on my exchange in Shasta Lake we taught a lesson about the Priesthood.  During the lesson I felt inspired to share my experience with them of the day that I entered the MTC.  When Dad laid his hands upon my head and gave me a blessing of comfort.  The Spirit of God burned in my chest, and tears streamed down my face as I told them how grateful I am to my Father, and for his worthiness so we can have the Priesthood in my home growing up.

Well I want you guys to know how much I love you, and I really appreciate your support of me.  I can't believe that I turn the big 20 next week!  Scary.  So there is a series of talks called "our savior"  It is a 14 part series done by a bunch of BYU professors.  It is pretty cool I have listened to it before, so I don't know how much it is but that would be a cool B-day present, as well as money or ties!  Love them all!  I love you guys and thank you for your support!  Love your gutz


Elder Ellsworth

Oh by the way did Isaac serve with and Elder Henry McBroom in New Jersey?

A Week of Highs and Lows

A quick note from Liz: Sorry I didn't get last week's letter posted. Things have been a little crazy. I have posted last week's and this week's letters on here. Nick is doing well, loving his mission inspite of some of the challenges of missionary work......

Dear Family,

Well things in Mount Shasta are going very well, but I have been a little bit frustrated lately.  Elder Brown and I get along well, but there are just some things that drive me nuts about him.  I will talk about that later.  I had a very cool experience, I guess you could say that it was a spirtual personal Revelation.  

 

This week, I got your box in the mail, and that was very good to get that care package, I especially love the Ensign's that you guys made me, they are so awesome, and so packed with spiritual insight.  I have been having this problem lately and one of the articles in the Ensign really spoke to me.  I thought that I was having problems feeling the spirit, these past few weeks have been a struggle, and I thought that I was not feeling the spirit in my life.  It really was worrying me, and this week as I read out of the Ensign there was a talk that was written with me in mind.  Elder Bednar's talk on Revelation was the talk.  As I read it I came to realize that I felt that I wasn't feeling the Spirit because I had not been having these overwhelming experiences that I thought I was supposed to have.  I allowed myself to believe that because I wasn't having those experiences I was not feeling the Spirit.  As I read the talk, I realized that you don't need that.  I did not need that to feel the Spirit!  There was a part in particular that talked about how if we are living our lives in conjunction with the Commandments, we can move forward, and know that God approved.  It might sound like a small experience, but it has made a world of difference to me.  That was probably the highlight of my week.

 

  I started this week something else that I am thoroughly enjoying.  So I have been trying to read one General Conference talk everyday, and as I read I highlight specific things that I like.  When I finish the talk, I go and I pick 1 or two quotes from the talk, and then right those in my Quote book that I started last week!  So now I have like 10 quotes already written, and it is really great to have those words with me always, I even used one in a lesson this week. 

 

I have really been struggling lately to get along with my Companion.  He just does some things and I know it is my fault for being frustrated, but it just makes me mad sometimes!  I love him, but I need to learn to like him now.

 

Starting today I will be on exchanges with my District Leader Elder Jackson.  He is really a sharp guy, and I have enjoyed serving around him.  So this will be my 5 exchange on my mission, and I have never been on one in my area.  Now for the big news... Tomorrow I have been a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints for 6 months!  It blows my mind!  It has felt like I have not even served for... I don't even know.  But it honestly feels like yesterday that I was dropped of at the MTC.  If this trend of flying time continues I will be freaking out very soon.  A quarter of my mission gone and I have not done very much.  I need to work even harder for the Salvation of many Souls.  

 

Also I wanted to share with you guys some cool insight that I gained today at District Meeting.  Elder Jackson mentioned that Sister Pendleton told him this when they first arrived in the mission field.  She said that the Most important missionary work on your mission will be in your Journal, and in your letters home.  I hope that I can fulfill that while I serve the Lord.  To Serve my family and friends, and also my posterity.  I love this Mission.  I hope to Thrive during the high points and endure well the Low's!  This is God's work, I know that is true! 

 

Love Elder Ellsworth

Hello Again from Mt. Shasta!

Wow I can hardly believe how time flies!  It has been so fast, this week I hit my 5 month mark since a arrived in California!  Also this is already week 5 of the Transfer this week!  I don't even believe how fast it goes.  

 

This week has been another slow one, but I have some things that I will talk about.  For most of the week Elder Brown has been pretty sick, and so we have been in and out...  We are still trying to get stuff done, but it has been a toss up because he has a nasty cough, and nobody really wants that in their home!  So we have been picking and choosing what we go too.  Mostly we stay home, and go to our set appointments.  It has been a real bummer!  But because of having so much time at home I have read a ton in the Book of Mormon.  Since last Sunday I started in the book of Omni, Last Sunday I read the entire book of Heleman, and since that time I have read the book of Alma, finishing it last night!  As you can probably tell I have had a lot of down time, and many oppurtunities to read this past week.  

 

The other thing that I wanted to talk about was the Gardener's!  We missed them this past week, and I was a little bummed about that, but Elder Brown was sick and they have two little kids, so I thought it was the best to cancel it.  They came to church yesterday, and stayed for the whole three hours!  Not only that but they loved it!  Their two year old daughter Kiya was crying again, because she wanted to stay because she had so much fun!  I was again very impressed by the ward, because they were so great, warm, and welcoming!  I was very impressed, especially with the Taylor Family.  Brother Taylor was the last Bishop in the Ward, and he is very missionary minded.  He mentioned last week at dinner that the week before he wished that he would have sat with the Gardener's with his family.  So this week, he did.  Him, his wife, their 13 year old daughter, and their 8ish year old daughter.  They took Kiya, and kept her happy for the entire meeting playing barbies with her!  It was so awesome that they did that.  We were talking to Brother Gardener later after Priesthood had ended, and he mentioned that he had read 14 chapters in 1Nephi!  Now keep in mind that when they were taught before they never attended church or read.  He said that something that I said in our last meeting had inspired him to read, It stuck out to him I guess.  I mentioned that the Book of Mormon is the foundation of our belief and our testimony.  And that really hit home with him for some reason, and as a result he read a bunch!  Plus the talk in church talked all about Nephi, and he was excited becuase he had just read that!  What a great experience! 

 

One more thing as of this morning, the Griffeth's are on pace to be baptized on June 4th.  Next Sunday is do or die though.  If they don't come they will have to postpone!  So they had better go!  Elder McAllister is going home on June 7 so it is now or never for him!  Well that is about the jist of my week, I was able to keep busy this week despite being home for a good portion of it.  I cleaned our entire apartment so that is good.  Also Elder Brown is going to take the test to get his learner's permit today so things are about to get pretty interesting... I am actually not that excited about it especially if he gets all of the driving priveleages.  That would suck!  Well that is it.  I have run out of things to say... So ....   Love your stinking Gutz! 

 

Elder Ellsworth

 

Hey I would love copies of some talks!

I would like a copy of the Raising the Bar talk by Elder Ballard, and the talk by President Hinckley that talks about Raising the Bar. 

 

Also I need Alyssa Richins, and Nat Bristow's addresses, I only have their school address, and I am guessing that they are home by now so I cannot write them!

 

Thanks for everything, and I got the money thx Isaac and Ian!