In other news......

Okay, sooooo much has changed since the last email, and this will shock you, well, maybe not.
In no particular order the items of business are as follows:
1) I did not yet go to get the glasses, I didn't get the chance the last week, but I will go in on this next Monday. hopefully it won't be too expensive.
2) I will go in this Friday to get the H1N1 vaccine, actually on last Friday my companion went in to get it, it is about $30 dollars here, and I need to pay in cash, so I will also need to pull out the money. They do it on Friday, so I will go in and get that taken care of, I have been sick over this last weekend, and I don't want to get sick with the swine flu, so I'll take care of that.
Okay, on to the Shocking news:
I am actually not in Union City now... On Tuesday I was E.T'd, which, being interpreted, is Emergency Transfer. I am now in West New York, 49-60 area, so actually only one area up from my last area. My new companion is Elder McBroom, he is from Northern California. He has been in this area for almost two transfers, he is really new to the mission, so I am senior companion. Shockingly enough, we have not gotten the transfer fax or leadership calls yet, so we have now idea what is going to happen with the transfers on Friday. If ElderMcBroom got transferred, that would be hard for me, I will have only been here for a week and a half, and then half to take over the area on my own, well, with a new comp, of course, but it'll stil be tough.
So, next Monday I'll definitely have the news about transfers. The mission president gets home tonight, he had a conference in Utah, and we will get the transfer fax tonight. I'm a little nervous, but I'll be fine.
I will (hopefully) be able to pick up the pictures today, the Zone Leaders have a van, I'll ask them if right after email if we can run to the Walgreens over on Park and 33rd.
Umm, in other news, I still haven't gotten the picture of Pepe's baptism from the other Elders. Hopefully we are going to have a baptism in this area soon, we don't currently; have anyone with a baptismal date, but we have a goal to set someone with a date this week. It'll be bomb.

I'm doing well here in this new area. Its pretty similar to Union City. The ward seems pretty cool, things'll be great.
Well, I got to go soon, Here is a random picture for this week, I drew this with a dry erase marker on my desk a few weeks back, I thought it was pretty cool, so I took a picture of it, and a rediscovered it while searching on my flash drive, enjoy

I love you all and miss you a lot. I hope that things are going and continue to go well here. I hope everything went well with grandpa and his surgery. I hope you had a good Canadian Thanksgiving, I'm so jealous, because out here Columbus day is a school holiday, but it never was when I was growing up, oh well.
Love you all,
Elder Isaac Grant Ellsworth

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Dear Family,
This week has been pretty good, it' been a little tough, I've been having pretty bad headaches from the fact I need new glasses, so it's been a little tough, I also have no idea how the whole medical world works, so it's slow going trying to figure out haw to get new glasses, so...
But other than that life is going good here in New Jersey. Next week on Monday the Library will be closed, so the next Email will be on Tuesday. I wanted to wish you a happy Canadian Thanksgiving, I was hoping to be able to say it on Canadian Thanksgiving, but the library will be close for "Columbus Day"...
Also, This Saturday will be 13 months! wow, lucky number 13 right?
This upcoming Saturday we will also receive the transfer fax, so that means in the next email I will know whether or not I am leaving Union City, I hope not, but we will see. This tranfer has been tough with the threesome thing, but we have seen blessing and a lot of success, 2 baptisms this transfer, the baptism of Leidy and also of Pepe, speaking of Pepe, I again forgot to bring the stuff, so I will send a pic next week.
Um, in other news, the conference was amazing. I always love hearing from the Apostles and Prophets. I watched 3 and a half of the sessions in Spanish, and I understood quite a bit. It was also awesome to see two of our investigators and all of our recent converts make ot to see at least one of the sessions. I think at home, being able to watch it from our living room makes us too casual about conference, Wathcing all the sessions in the church really allowed to feel the spirit more powerfully and to pay attention more... It was really a good experience. I also learned something very interesting, Richard G Scott, and Neil L Anderson as weel as Elder Cristofferson all speak spanish. When they gave their talks, rather than having a translator, they had pre-recorded their talks in Spanish, and when they gave the talk it was their own voice in spanish, it was really interesting. I never would have known that in English. I watched the last session and half of the priesthood session in English, but the rest were in Spanish, and I understood a lot of what was said.
Well, I got to get going, and wrap up this email. The time on the computer is about to end, but I can log back on in a second, I need some help still figuring out this whole glasses thing. So, I will be back on.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Wake me up when September ends....

Today is September 28, which is 2 days before the end of September, which is only 2 weeks left in the transfer. I can't believe as well that it is almost October! I'm not too excited for October, though, because that means Transfers are coming up and Halloween, which we will not be allowed to go out on Halloween, or the day before, so two days of boredom in the house, but that's not for a month, so..
Transfers this time will be on October 16th, so about 18 days away. This transfer will be different, because of a conference in Utah that President Bahr has to go to the transfer conference will not take place until Friday instead of the normal Wednesday, so the transfer is basically 7 weeks, and the next one is a little but shortened. It'll be good though, I hope I stay, I don't know why I am worrying about it already, it's not until almost 3 weeks away, so...

This last week has been pretty good. On Saturday we had another baptism. His name is Pepe, he is from Peru. Unfortunately I can't send the picture today, but next week I will send you the picture. Yesterday Elder Gamez Confirmed him, he was pretty nervous about it. Yesterday I also was asked to ordain someone to the Melchizedek Priesthood. His name is Norbert. He is a guy in our ward who is starting to get ready to go on a mission. He comes out with us whenever his schedule allows, he and I have become pretty good friends. Today while I'm here at the Library I need to prepare and print out his line of authority for him. I'm so glad I had that.
Next week I'll also send a picture of him.

This week has been amazing. Of course, any week with a baptism is amazing. We've had quite a lot lately. However, as of right now we don't have any investigators with dates until the 18th of October, and he's not even 100% sure right now. We still need to work with him.

Yawdy and Gabriel are also doing really well, they had to postpone their wedding until the 7th of November, I really hope I'll be here. If I don't get transferred I will, the next transfer (after this one) will be the day before thanksgiving. (I know, bummer, right?) Hopefully I'll be here one more, if I do get transferred, though, I want to ask for special permission to go to their wedding.

In other news, I'm glad to hear that everyone at home is doing well, though I sad to hear that you guys have been sick. Hopefully everyone gets feeling better soon, right?
Oh, by the way, I think I need new glasses. Well, I definitely need new ones because mine broke, but I mean I think I need to see the eye-doctor. I think that my prescription is slightly different. I've been having difficulty reading, and I've been having some really bad headaches. I have no idea what the process is for that, but I think that the mission doesn't cover eye-care.

Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Half-way through the transfer....almost

This week is now week 4 of this transfer, which means that we are halfway through. I don't know whether or not I am staying, I hope so, but for sure at least one or two of the three of us are out, I don't think that they'll keep us in a threesome for two transfers. I hope that at least I stay, I bet I'm gone though. The investigator that was supposed to get married this transfer had to move it until November 7th, so now If I get transferred I won't be there. argh.
I'm fairly certain I'll leave, though. I've been here now for about 4 months. It is has been good in this area. I really love the ward and the work here.
This week has been a tough week. Our numbers haven't been stellar, especially we've had a rough time with the member present lessons. We got 'juked' more times this week than any other week in the whole time I've been here. This upcoming week looks really good, though, Yesterday we had stake conference, and set like, 10 or so appointments for during the week.
This week'll be good.
In other news, we also have another baptism coming up. Because of General conference in 2 weeks, we will be having the baptism on Saturday and the confirmation on Sunday, so that he can get the Holy Ghost without having to wait two weeks. His name is Pepe. He is from Peru. He is super cool, we found him on the very first day of this new transfer, August 31st. And he will have been baptized within a month. How we found him was a miracle, and from that point onward, he has really accepted the Gospel and changed his life. We were speaking with his wife a few days ago, and she said that she has seen a really big change in him since we started meeting with him, and now she also wants to learn more! It is super bomb. She said she would be there for the baptism on Saturday.
I am also excited because General Conference is coming up. The last one I was in Englewood for. I love general conference, and the opportunity we have each six months to hear from living prophets and apostles of God here on earth. I think a lot of times, especially those of us that were raised in the church, we take this opportunity for granted. I know I did and have in the past. Thinking, 'oh, man, we have to sit around and listen to old people for 10 hours this weekend', and not really appreciating the opportunity this really was and is. For example, Isabel is really excited for the opportunity to listen to the prophet, she really wants to be there.
I'm glad that everything is going well at home. It's good to hear that Ian is doing well in school, I hope that Emily is doing well as well. It was also good to hear that Nick is doing well adjusting to college life. It's not easy. You said he had a roommate from Mexico, right? What part, does Nick know? Around here in Jersey, especially here in Union City, there aren't a whole lot of Mexicans, but out Bishop here is from Mexico. Most of the Mexicans here are from Puebla, For example, the bishop and his family are from Puebla, and Genaro (recent convert from back in June) and his daughter are from Puebla. There's also a missionary here in the mission who is from Mexicali.
Well, I gotta go, I hope that everyone is doing well, I don't have any pictures to send home this week, but I am doing well, Next week I'll send a photo from Pepe's baptism. I'm super-excited!
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Mom's note

Okay, this week's posts are backwards. Start at the bottom (Baptism again and then read the part II). The pics are backwards also, but you get the idea.
Thanks for all your prayers and support for Isaac.
Love,
Liz

Weekly email part II

Okay, I'm back. It took me forever to transfer pictures today because I took pics from 4 different cameras, so the process took me a while, but here are this weeks pics.
Pic #1.
This is a picture from our baptism on Saturday. This is Leidy, and the Miranda family, and us on the side, and then Leidy's Sister, (The only one of her siblings to come, her mom refused to be there) and her brother and law.

Pic #2
This is me in front of New York City on Sept. 11. We had gone over to see the lights that they put up where the twin towers where, but it was so foggy that you coulndn't see them. You can't even see the top of the Empire State Building in this picture, but that night it was lit up in Red White and Blue on the three sections of light at the top.
Pic#3. This is a picture of Elder Sopeña and I cleaning the Font before the baptism. (last post)

So there you go. There are a few pictures. I'm glad to hear that everything is going well with the new house. Hopefully you'll be 100% moved in soon.
By the Way, dad, I did get the letter you sent. Thank you. The envelopes will be helpful, because sometimes I'm a little too lazy to handwrite the address and such on there, especially the mission address for the return address, writing the mission address and name and such is a lot to write.
Things are going well her in Union City, we'll be having another baptism in a few more weeks, It'll be awesome. Pepe, from Peru, we found him on August 31st, and he already has a date and is really excited for his baptism. It is so bomb.
Well, I got to go, sorry that it took me so long to respond with part 2, It took me forever to put all the photos on my flash drive. I need to go soon and print some pictures up at Walmart or something.
Well, I got to get going. I love you all and miss you tons. I'll write again next week. Good luck with school, work , life, moving, everything, etc.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth.

Baptism again....

On Saturday we had another baptism! I think that last week I forgot to mention that. Leidy, a young woman that Elder Ward and I began teaching was baptized on Saturday by her Uncle, Brother Miranda. She was originally going to be baptized on Sunday, but next week is Stake conference here, so she would have to wait 2 weeks to receive the Holy Ghost, and we don't want that, so we moved it back one day, so she was baptized on Saturday and I confirmed her Yesterday. It was really awesome. This is the first investigator that I have been there from start to finish. Isabel had been found by the missionaries that were here before. Back in July Elder Ward and I got a call from Sister Miranda, who gave us a referral to teach her Sister-in-Law, Amparo. We went an taught them twice, but Amparo wasn't really interested, but Leidy really was, and then Elder Sopeña and I finally got back in touch with Leidy, and now she got baptized! I will send you some pictures in a little while, I need to get them transferred from another Elders camera.
Things are going really well here. The work in this area has really taken off. With three of us we are able to get a lot more work done, because we only need to take out one youth to go on a split, one of us goes with the youth, and the other 2 can go to a different appointment. Being in a threesome is good in that sense, but it still is difficult, a lot of the time I feel like a third wheel on a bicycle, where I really don't fit and am really not needed, but we are getting a lot of things done here.
This last week has been good, we found 7 new investigators this last week. Even with the basic training meeting and Zone conferences, which compleltely destroyed two mornings we've actually done really well. And then a baptism and a confirmation to top the week off.
Oh, by the way, it was super weird on sunday, because I had no idea that I was going to do the confirmation. When they asked Leidy who she wanted to do it she said her Uncle, but I think the Uncle said no or something, he was in the circle, but for some reason next thing I know the bishop says "Elder," and looks at me and kind of points at me, and I was super confused. So then I reviewed the steps, and then I confirmed Leidy a member of the church, and se received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I had no idea what was going on, but it went well. I haven't given a whole lot of blessings in Spanish, but I think I did well, with the language.
This week has gone really well. I will write another letter in a second, I have to move computers, but I will write and send some pitures in a few minutes.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth