Life, life is good!

Dear Family and Friends,

Things have been pretty crazy here in California.  This past week has been an absolute blur!  I can't believe how fast this week has seemed to slip away from me.  I am grateful that it has gone fast, but it is a little scary to think that I have now been here in Antelope for two whole months!  Not only that transfers are coming up again pretty fast, this is week four allready!  I don't want it to go too fast because I love my time out here serving the Lord.  It will be interesting for me this transfers to see my companion go home.  Especially because he will spend his last night with me here!  It will be pretty odd.  I am really excited for him, but it makes me think about going home a little bit too much, I still have four more transfers to finish strong with after he leaves, so I will keep my head in the game and work hard.  

I have had a bit of a struggle week.  I love Elder Grover, but he has some quirks that drive me crazy, and this week they seemed to be  very prevelant in our lives.  Multiple times we had talks and at the end of them we both walked away frustrated, but all is worked out now, and things are good.  This past week I got my first taste of the Spanish life.  I went on exchanges with our Spanish District Leader Elder Correa.  He is a good kid.  He has only been out for three months and he has a great fire for this work.  It was a cool time for me, and the dinner we ate was awesome, they were like these carne esada hamburgers, with melted cheese and all of the good stuff.  Isaac will be very jealous of them.  It was cool to have a taste of his mission out here.  Elder Grover and I also had Elder Barney with us one day this week.  Elder Barney is a missionary that has some physical handicaps, he still wanted to serve a mission so he was called to a unique one.  He goes out with the missionaries around the south of the mission every day.  His home is in Lincoln, so he lives with his family who take him around to different companionships to allow him to sere the Lord.  He has such a strong testimony, and he is a hoot to be around.  We also were able to pick up an New Investigator from tracting this week.  Her name is Porsha.  She is a young mother, and was willing to accept a copy of the Book of Mormon, and a return appointment for the next day.  When we went back we had a nice lesson on her front lawn and talked about the Book, and how it testifies of Jesus Christ.  It was a great expirience.  We also have a couple named Gary and Kay we are hoping to pick up this week sometime.  We helped them two weeks ago to paint their new house, and last week to move in.  They are looking for a new church because they don't like theirs.  They are older and are both in power chairs, so it is going to be awesome.  Gary weighs over 400 pounds so he will a beast to baptize, but we can handle it!  Life is good.  I am looking forward to another great week, it will be busy!  We have zone conference on Wednesday, then Zone Leader Council on Friday, as well as we need to do our transfer inputs on friday as well.  We will be running around like crazy, but I like it that way!

I am grateful for my mission, I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned during the course of my service.  I have grown so much.  Something that I am working on personally right now is changing the reason I do things.  I am trying to be an obedient missionary, but I don't know if it is for the right reason.  I want to be obedient from now on because I love my Father in Heaven, and my family, current and future.  I want to work hard because I love my neighbor, and want them to expirience greater joy in their life.  I try to do the right things, but what is the motivation behind my actions?  I want to purify my heart and do it for the Lord, and not for anything else.  I love you guys and thanks a bunch for all that you do!  

Almost forgot, Elder Grover and I also gave talks in the Singles Ward on Sunday, once again I was missing Mom and Dad because they need to write those for me.  Don't worry though my homecoming talk will be another chance for you guys to serve me by writing it for me!  haha

With Love,

Elder Ellsworth

Things are looking up in the Antelope Zone!

Dear Family and Friends,

I struggled quite a bit this past week.  I don't know what it is, but I really didn't have the desire to get out and work for a couple of days.  We still were able to have a successful week, but I just wasn't super focused on the Lord's work for a bit.  But on Sunday we were able to figure it out.  I think the real thing that makes me feel like a missionary is getting out and working.  So days when it takes us a while to get out and do some real work, it is hard for me to focus!  So I am looking forward this week to being able to get out and work my tail off.  

We had a disappointing week in terms of investigators.  We did meet one awesome couple, and picked up another investigator.  But we also were asked by our bishop in the YSA Ward to drop Marez, even though he wants to be baptized.  I am really disappointed about that, but we need to support and sustain him, and the bishop does have his reasons.  We had a good meeting on Sunday when once a month we go with the mission presidency and report on the work stake wide.  Things are looking up, and we have a good group of missionaries that are willing to work hard.  I do have one upsetting set though.  It was the missionary that last transfer was released as a district leader because he wouldn't follow the rules.  He is being a pain this transfer.  He is trying to not be a part of this zone because he dislikes me.  Oh well, I will just love him anyway.  Also we had an exciting weekend.  Friday night we got home, and our power was out.  Not any of our neighbors, but just us.  Turns out our Power bill had not been paid so the company turned it off.  And they didn't turn it back on until Monday.  So we stayed over at the Spanish missionaries’ apartment all weekend.  Now we have moved back home yesterday so that is going good.  

So this new family I talked about is awesome.  We met them because President Weston requested that we go help a lady with some service in our area.  She needed help painting this house.  We did not really know why she did.  But we went and did anyways.  So this new couple is moving from South Sacramento to Antelope, and they are both interested in finding a church which is right for them.  As we were painting Gary and Kay were talking with us (we had the Spanish elders with us as well) so we had Elder Edwards and myself painting and teaching Kay on one side of the room, and Elder Grover, and Elder Correa on the other side teaching Gary!  It was great.  We haven't picked them up yet, but we are looking forward to teaching them this upcoming week, while we help them move in tomorrow.  Things are really looking up in the Antelope Zone!  Thanks a bunch for everything.

With Much Love, 

Elder Ellsworth

Transfers continue to fly by.......

Dear Family and Friends,

Well things are going well still, and I am trying my best to work hard and be obedient.  This past week has been one of the craziest of my entire mission.  We have been running around like crazy, I have been a bit sore, and things are going good in our areas.  So I will do my very best to put into words what is happening in my life.  So we have had a problem companionship in our zone.  I love and respect both of them, but they just can't love and respect each other!  So they had a big problem last Friday morning, and almost got into a fist fight as a result.  So we had to split them up like I told you.  Well because of that President did not feel that they should be left together for the time being, so Elder Grover, and myself were left to the task of splitting those bone-heads up this week.  We went on three exchanges with them, as well as one with the Spanish Elders.  So the only days that Elder Grover, and I were even together were Monday Wednesday and Sunday.  It was a crazy week.  

Elder Grover got the shaft because on every exchange he left the area.  So I was home all week.  Which was good because I would not have wanted to ride a bike with my shoulder like it is, sore.  I think that we still had a pretty successful week though.  WE were able to stay busy, knock a lot of doors, and set up a lot of return appointments.  In the end last week we taught around 17 lessons.  It was a lot of fun and very successful.  I grew to love these Elders.  Each one has his own strengths, and I may not love everything that they do, but they are good kids, and have great desires.  I went on exchanges with Elder Frei for two days this week, he is a convert of just over a year!  I got a lot of respect for him when I learned that his family practically disowned him when he converted from Catholocism.  They were even less thrilled about him coming out here on his mission.  He has sacrificed a lot to be here.  I am grateful for his wonderful example to me.  

Our Investigators are doing well.  Nobody is doing super great.  The dates that we set with Marez and AJ are not going to happen on the original scheduled days, but that is okay we still love them, and will help them to come unto Christ.  I am really excited for this upcoming week because we have a lot scheduled, and a lot of Potential.  I hope to be able to Thrash Antelope with the Spirit in the coming weeks and months!

Also you are right Transfers are today!  Luckily Elder Grover and I although we were not together last week, will be together for the remaining six weeks of his mission.  It should be good, because our area is looking good.  Plus he is an absolute stud-muffin.  I am grateful for all that he does to serve me and this zone.  He has a big heart, and is very calm, and thoughtful while I just try to jump in fully clothed sometimes.  I have learned many great lessons from him.  But also every companionship in the zone is getting shuffled these transfers, which makes me super sad because like 3 of my favorite missionaries are heading to new areas, and I will miss them a lot!  I hope our new peeps coming in are awesome as well.

Finally my shoulder is doing very  well Mother.  It has been sore for a lot of this week, but now it is great.  This morning I even went out and jump-roped.  It was a lot of fun.  It is still tight, but I will work it out by the end of the week.  Also sad note, I don't know if I ever explained this to you, but in our new house all of the missionaries that are going home, their last night, and those coming in, their first night stay with us.  So it is a lot of fun.  But hard to sleep.  Last night we had the ones going home, they just wanted to stay up and talk.  I was very sad to have my mission papa Elder Thompson going home today.  It has been many many months since we served together, but I still have a great love and respect for that amazing Elder.  You guys should look him up and have him to dinner or something.  He lives in Utah county, and is a nice guy.  

Well I am about out of things to say.  The Church is true, and I am grateful to be a missionary here, now.  I love you all a lot and look forward to talking to you on Mother Day!  Which just happens to be on Sunday!

With Love,

Elder Nick Ellsworth

I am STRESSED out!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Well I was a little bit exaggerating about being so stressed, but not that much because this has been one of the most stressful weeks of my mission thus far.  So I am not sure if I mentioned it or not but last week at our p-day activity Sister Totau, one of the sisters in our zone broke her ankle.  Well that was very unfortunate, but she is doing well now.  That added to my stress.  We had 13 appointments cancel this past week, that added to my stress.  We had to turn in our zones monthly goals, and they are all very high, probably unachievably high.  So I get to go to our zone leader council next week, and report these goals to the whole mission, that makes me stressed.  The last one is by far the worst one.  Elder Grover and I went over to the Antelope 2nd wards apartment on Friday to pick up their zone goals.  When we got there they informed us that they had almost gotten in a fist fight the night before, and even that morning their had been a physical exchange.  So we obviously couldn't leave them together, so we went on an emergency exchange and split them up.  That made me stressed.  Then they had an interview with President Weston on Sunday, and he asked us to split them up for the entire week, so we get to go on 3 exchanges with them, and 1 with the Spanish.  That makes me stressed.  Transfers are coming up soon, that makes me stressed.  And best of all.

Yesterday for our zone p-day activity Elder Grover and I got a hold of a pinata.  It was a person, and so we dressed him up as a missionary and beat him to death.  It was a lot of fun.  We were a little worried about safety but everything was going well.  Everybody got three shots at him with these bamboo reads that we had taped together, and then we pulled out this metal bar.  everyone got three more whacks with the second bar.  Round 1 everyone was blindfolded, round 2 go for it!  So, I was the second to last batter in both rounds, and Elder Honeycutt bless his heart was the one right before me both times.  So in round three with his eyes open he got his three swings, swing 1 was a big whiff, the rope man gave him a strike, swing 2 hit home, he nailed the pinata in the head, some candy cascaded from his wounds.  Swing 3 was another big whiff, halfway through his swing the "bat" flew from his hands very quickly and headed straight for guess who, ME!  It drilled me in the shoulder!  The end of it caught me straight on, and it surprised me very much!  I took a step back, and looked down to see the damage, and their was a hole in my shirt, I was pretty ticked because I was still in my proselyting clothes, and there was a nice rip, I then realized that their was a corresponding hole in my garments, and in my shoulder!  So I calmly walked to the bathroom, I almost passed out in there, and got very light-headed.  Then I laid down elevated my feet, got bandaged up, and cleared my head.  Then I went back into the gym, and played some b-ball.  I still won!  That stressed me out!  Not winning but getting a hole in my shoulder.  So I am going to send you the shirt, and the Garments, because they truly did protect me.  I was only hurt a little bit, I should have been hurt a lot worse than I was.  I am grateful for the Lord's protection at our p-day activity.  Today my shoulder is sore for sure, but I am in high spirits, just stressed out!  Love y'all.  I hope that you have a good week, keep working hard, and being awesome!

With Love,

Elder Ellsworth  

P.S.  Don't worry about me I am doing fine and feeling blessed!