I'm getting transferred....

Dear Family and Friends,

Just kidding I am not getting transferred.  I found out last night that I will not be transffered but I will finish off my last six weeks here in the Tempo Park Ward with Elder Ashby.  I am super glad about that, so I am looking forward to having an amazing six weeks with him.  He is such a great kid, and a very good example to me.  I really like it when he encourages me to do something or he just quietly sets a good example, his actions speak louder than his words do.  I have enjoyed being with him, and this next transfer we are going to pound it.  Life is good, and our area is still doing really good.  With our two baptisms this week, we were worried that we were going to run out of things to do, because we are baptizing all of our Investigators, but the Lord is providing and yesterday afternoon one of our Formers who dropped us a few weeks back called us up and said he really wanted to get baptized, and have the Spirit in his life, so we are giving Ken a blessing tonight at the Church!  It should be sweet.

Our two baptisms on Saturday went great.  It was not by any means a seamless day, but we had a good one nevertheless.  We were thrilled to see first, Grace baptized at 11 then the Derek and Lynn be baptized at 12.  Both had great turnouts, and both were very Spirit filled events.  I hope that everyone there felt as good as I did.  Derek and Lynn are being just great examples to their parents, especially their mother.  Hilary works at Winco and they are working her to death.  This week Hilary to the great joy of everyone around her decided she was going to quit working there.  She said she has been feeling prompted to do so for weeks now, and was scared to follow it, but she is quiting very soon.  She will be blessed as she follows what the Lord is prompting her to do. 

We are also starting to teach and hoping to start teaching a family of Phillipino's.  They immigrated just 3 weeks ago and are very poor.  The husband joined the Church in High School, and hasn't been in quite a while.  The wife is not a member, we are hoping to be able to start teaching her.  There is also a friend who lives with them here.  Her name is Gurti.  Marcelo and Gurti, and Marcelo's daughter all came to Church on Sunday.  We gave Gurti a book of Mormon and she really enjoyed our church.  I will let you know how things progress there.  The wife work's a lot, so that is why we have not met her.

Finally I want to share with you about our experiences this week with Steve and Chantelle.  So they want to get baptized.  They want to come unto Christ in that regard.  But they are not married, and this week we addressed it with them.  We asked about what their plans were about getting married.  Originally, earlier this year, they were planning on getting married on the 20th of November because it was there anniversary of being together for 5 years.  But for tax reasons they pushed it back to Valentines day.  We encouraged them to consider the blessing that it would be for their family to be married and baptized, and asked them to talk, and pray about what they should do.  We are hoping that they will tell us they want to be married soon!  They are an amazing young family.

Life is good, and I am loving it

Elder Ellsworth

How is October half over already.....

Dear Family,

I don't understand why it has been going so stinking quickly lately.  Time that is, it really feels like just a few short days ago it was July!  And now look we are heading into the End of October allready.  Not going to lie, when Halloween, then Thanksgiving role by, I am going to have a panic attack, because it is just too quickly leaving me in the dust!!!  This week was a very enjoyable one.  We had a lot of cool experiences and a bunch of exchanges, but life keeps flying by, oh and by the way it is week 6 once again, so once again I am in danger of being transferred away!  Better not, that would not be very cool!! 

Well things are going very well this week, and we kept very busy, and were able to get a lot done!  I really have grown to love being busy, now I was very much chastised for that this past conference, so I will have to repent, and not like it so much, but it makes life quick, when you can't stop running around getting things done.  I guess it isn't so bad now because most of the things on our to do list involve baptizing people, and inviting everyone else to come unto Christ.  It should be a lot of fun this week, because we will have a whole lot of miracles for sure! 

That referral that we got from the Bishop for the Hunt family is pretty nice people, they didn't end up coming to Church, but we do have a lesson set up this evening with them at the Church.  It should be good to get to know them.  When we spoke with Roxanne the wife, she told us that she would be interested in Joining our church and that was just at the doorstep!  She has seen the change in her good friend Melody, and she desires those same blessings for her life I guess.  So we are excited and hope to possibly set a date with them to be baptized hopefully on the 17th at the same time as Christopher would be really wicked awesome.

We had a baptism on Friday for our good friend, and brother Randy Shelton.  A few weeks back I suggested to Randy while I was on an exchange that he should ask Elder Ashby to baptize him.  Elder Ashby was asked, and he was so nervous and excited to assist Randy in this regard as Randy entered those baptism waters, it was a great ordinance, and such a great experience for my young companion.  I think that it really has energized him, and made him want to be the very best that he can from now on.  On Sunday we had Bishop Weight do Randy's confirmation and that was a very cool experience as well.  We both were able to stand in, and Randy was excited to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to be his constant companion.  What a blessing.

We also have a baptism coming up this Saturday for Sister Grace.  She is a sweet heart, and the 20th will be her Baptism date as well as her 10th Birthday.  She is so excited and looking forward to it.  Her Father Curt was not active in the Church for his entire adult life, and has recently been changing his life to bring it in line with God's will.  I hope that both of their examples can impact Curt's wife, she will be attending and we hope to be able to start to teach her about the restored Gospel. 

We have also been working with a family that has struggled with activity.  The Cary family are such great people.  They have a nine year old and an eight year old that have both decided to be baptized as well.  We have been working on the scheduling, and finally the stars aligned and they will be baptized this Saturday as well.  Grace will be at 11 they will be at 12 so we are obviously excited for these ordinances to take place.  They are all such wonderful kids, and have that desire to come unto Christ!

Things are great and we are blessed.  We are nervous because this week we are going to attempt to address with Steve and Chantelle, and invite them to get married so they can be baptized.  They are very committed to each other, so I don't think that it will be a huge step for them to make that step.   We are so nervous because that is a big thing to ask.  They have that desire to be baptized however so I hope that it all works out, I will let you know how it went next week.  They are so awesome.  They had us over this week for dinner when I was on exchanges, and they invited us back this Thursday again for dinner and a lesson, so I think that they like us.  Plus they have both been reading in the Book of Mormon and Steven came to church this Sunday.  Chantelle didn't make it because she was up all night with a fussy baby, but hopefully we can catch them for next week! 

Life is treating me so well, and I do not even know why.  I definitely haven't earned it, but hey I won't complain!

With Love

Elder Ellsworth

P.S.  I would love to start attending school at Utah Vally University soon after returning home.  Sign me up for whatever you would like!

P.P.S.  I spoke with a brother who works at the MTC the other day, and that is going to be my goal when I get home to get on working there. 

The time is far spent, there is little remaining!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

Hurrah for Israel!!!  I am so grateful for this work of the restored Gospel!  In case you were wondering I am ecstatic for the announcement that Missionary ages have been lowered for both the Elders and the Sister serving in the army of God!  Hurrah for Israel!  I am so grateful for the opportunity especially that it will give to the young women of the Church to serve God in this regard.  What an amazing chance it is we have.  I would urge everyone who reads this to prayerfully consider the reason why Heavenly Father has allowed this to happen.  This work needs to progress faster, more rapidly and more widespread than it currently is.  He needs us to serve and he is making it possible for more and more of his children even now.  How I wish that this would have been an option for me when I was 18.  I don't know that I would have responded and taken advantage of that blessing, but it hope that I would have.  Serving the Lord is the greatest blessing that I have ever undertaken in my lifetime.  This Gospel has blessed me so very much and I know that when we spread it everyone involved will feel God's love and sustaining hand!  I love this work and am grateful to be here in Citrus Heights California right now!  What a ride these past months have been!

Well enough about that I simply and amazingly enjoyed General Conference.  I especially love every talk that speaks about missionary work because that is the job I am now called to do.  Except for Elder Nelson's talk—he really put a lot of responsibility on us!!  It was an amazing spiritual feast that I was glad to be a part of.  The beginning of this week was really a tough one.  We had a lot of disappointment in our work, and even a few people that are avoiding us now who we were excited to work with, but these past two days have blessed my life so much as to fill the void that I was feeling, and now I am overflowing with gratitude for the Miracles that are happening.  Yesterday after Conference we went and had a lesson with Steve and Chantelle, one of the young families that we are currently teaching.  Our lessons was filled with the Spirit as we taught about the Prophet Joseph Smith and answered there questions.  At the end of our lesson we invited them to be baptized as they came to know these things were true.  They both agreed heartily that they would.  They also promised us that they would read by our next lesson.  At the close of the lesson Steve said a simply amazing prayer asking the Lord to guide them to where they should be!  What a blessing.  In the evening we met with Randy helping him to be ready for his Baptism Interview and Baptism both coming up this week.  He is just ready to be a member.  After Priesthood conference he is ready and excited to hold the Priesthood as well!  In the evening last night we got a call from Bishop Weight, who by the way is simply an amazing man.  He informed us that he had met with a Family of four yesterday who is ready to receive the missionary lessons!  There is a husband and wife, and two teenage sons who were all given copies of the Book of Mormon as well as a chapel tour and invited to meet us!  I was jumping up and down as Bishop was telling us and I am so grateful that he did.  We are hoping to teach them this week, we will let you know how it goes.  By the way they met the Bishop through the Recent Convert Melody Jacobs!  She is a jewel!  What a great example to me!  Two more miracles now!  Yesterday we also met a lady named Wanda.  Her daughter is a member of just two years, and she has seen the difference in her daughter.  Wanda was taking the discussions from the missionaries in New England before she moved, and just this week moved into our Ward Boundaries to live with her daughter.  We are excited to start working with her as well.  Finally, our last miracle, Melody Jacobs has an 11-year-old son with high functioning autism.  He has a desire to be baptized so we have just been waiting for his dad to sign a permission form for him to be baptized.  This morning before our studies Melody texted us and informed us that his dad has signed the form, and she wants him to be baptized on the 17th of November!  Things are going crazy here in Tempo Park, and Elder Ashby and I have set a goal to have 10 baptisms together by December!  We are praying like crazy for the strength to accomplish this goal and if everything works out we just might achieve it!  The Gospel is true and I love it!

Elder Ellsworth

Fall has not arrived

Dear Fam,

I really don't know what you are talking about because fall has not arrived.  I can testify to that because this entire week is supposed to be 100+!  ugh  I thought that the heat of the summer had passed me by.  But I will still have to ride my sweaty self in the heat on my bike for a while yet!  It is all good though I am not too worried about it.  I have had a really good week.  I am going to write a letter today, so I am not spending a lot of time emailing right now. 

We picked up another awesome young family this week named Steve, and Chantelle.  It was super awesome.  Monday night we were coming out of a lesson with a Less active family, and started to get ready to ride our bikes home for the night.  As I looked out across the parking lot of the apartment complex, I saw this young family sitting down, and playing a game with their son.  So we went over and talked with them.  We gave them a Book of Mormon, and set a time to come back and visit, and teach them about this book.  Our first lesson fell through, and then we saw them at Lunch in a restaurant we had another lesson set up the next day, and they told us they were excited to meet with us!  We set down in their apartment on Saturday afternoon, while there we felt the Spirit very strongly, and Chantelle told us that she had read Moroni 10:3-5 and had felt something inside of her while she read.  We testified that that wast the Spirit testifying to her that this book was true.  It was awesome.  We are looking forward to teaching them.

Things are great, and our area is doing very well.  I look forward to the challenges ahead.  This week we are moving to a new apartment, and I think that a change of scenary will be a breath of fresh air for me. 

I love you lots,

Elder Ellsworth

I am really running out of clever comments to put as the Subject...

To the Fam,

Well I have a great love for Elder Ashby.  He is a great guy and I have really appreciated him.  He is very teachable and willing to learn.  I think that he truly just wants to be a good missionary.  I hope that we can continue to see the great success that we currently are being blessed with—things are just going amazing in our area.  This week was filled with miracles as well.  Going into the week we had three young families that we were hoping to be able to start teaching.  And lone and behold we were able to pick one of them up and have a pair of lessons this week.  Their names are Jaime and Stephanie.  So Jaime is Columbian and Stephanie is American.  Together they have two beautiful young girls and Stephanie's niece lives with them also.  We had spoken with them a few times before and this week we had a lesson set up with them on Wednesday evening.  But I kind of figured it would just be blown off by them.  I didn't have a whole lot of faith as we were biking over there.  I honestly almost just decided not to go, but thought that we should give them a chance.  When we knocked on the door, Jaime invited us right in and we sat down for a lesson.  It went well and we were invited back for another lesson on Sunday.  So yesterday we had a member with us named Ryan who was amazing.  We taught the Restoration, but it didn't go as well as I would have hoped.  Ryan really picked up the slack for us and it was great.  At the end we invited them to prepare to be baptized and they accepted a date for the 3rd of November to prepare for.  It should be great to teach them.  We also still have two young families that we are hoping to teach starting this week, and I will let you know how it goes.

Unfortunately Ken who I told you about last week isn't meeting with us for the time being.  He got really overwhelmed when we tried to help him quit smoking and he doesn't really want to meet.  I feel bad but I don't know that I would do anything differently if I could go back.  He has his agency.  He is a nice guy and his son who is a member spoke with us and we asked Ken's son to speak with Ken and ask him to continue to meet with us.  I think Ken will when he is ready next time we will take things slow.  Randy is also doing really well.  We have had to push his baptism date back two weeks because he wasn't attending church as much as he should have but he is still looking forward to that day on October 12th.  We will continue to work with him and help him prepare for that day.  The children Derek and Grace are also doing well.  Grace wasn't at church—but that is okay—we will keep encouraging her.  She really does want to come unto Christ through baptism so there shouldn't be any problems with the 20th.  Derek will probably be baptized on the 20th as well.  So we will be very blessed in the month of October. 

Well things are good.  I find that going through the 12-week training program with Elder Ashby is turning out to be hard.  It is really impossible to not know how much time I have left when I am going through a program that keeps track of weeks!  So I am trying hard not to focus on how much time I have left out here.  But honestly, it is pretty hard a lot of the time.  I am not trunky, but I do think about it daily.  Finally in other news we found out this week that we will be moving in the next two weeks to a nicer place, but without the Zone Leaders.  It should be good though, and I am not worried about it.  It is a big distraction to be living with other Elders that is for sure.

Well I love you guys bunches,
 Elder Ellsworth

I love everything!!!

Dear Family and Friends

Life is good in the California Roseville Mission.  Things have been crazy these past few weeks, but I look forward to the assumption that it will start to calm down now.  This past week has been a roller coaster, and I want to get off now, and enjoy the view!  Well I will tell you a bit about my week.  So shortly after emailing you guys last Monday, we went home, and Elder Van Leuven got trunky and packed up his bags, so that we could drive him to the mission office, and see him off.  I was sad to see him go, we had a lot of fun together, and got a lot done at the same time, so it was good.  That evening I hung out with my roomates/ zone leaders Elder Netane, and Elder Arnett.  Elder Arnett was transferred as well so Tuesday night we spent some time for him to pack up his bags, and get ready to go.  In the evening we went and made some visits and taught a few lessons as well.  Wednesday things got crazier.  In the morning, I had to be back in Antelope for some meetings starting at nine.  So when I got there all of the trainees were there, as well as a whole group of trainers.  So there was 18 Trainees, and 18 trainers at this meeting, it was a huge group.  We met with President and he pumped us up to train, and challenged us all to be super obedient, and work really hard.  Then we met back together again, and we were assigned our new companions.  I was the very first missionary called to the front.  Soon after me Elder Ashby from Pocatello Idaho was assigned to serve with me!  I was so excited because he just looked like a stud.  As we talked and got to know each other a bit, I liked him even more. 

For Elder Ashby's first week we had a lot of success.  We already had 2 baptism dates set, and by Sunday night we had an additional two more set.  It was awesome, Thursday afternoon, Elder Ashby committed our Investigator Ken Prince to baptism which was awesome, and things are just going great.  We have had a bunch of meetings we have attended. so we have not had as much time as I would like to tract and stuff, but the few times that we have he has been a natural at it, and really just friendly.  He is not super self-confident in sharing the Gospel, but who is when they first come out on their missions.  I look forward to being able to learn and grow here in Tempo Park with Elder Ashby.

Saturday was a very special day for me.  Dorothy McDonald whom I taught over in Antelope was baptized Saturday morning.  I don't know if I told you this, but Elder Grover and I found Dorothy while tracting!  She asked Elder Simons and me to both be in the font with her for her baptism, and we were happy to oblige.  It is always so sweet to be able to see such faith, especially because her family tried to stop her from joining the Church.  One of the speakers who is a great friend of Dorothy, promised her that if she made and kept these Baptism Covenants, that there would come a day when her Children, as well as her ancestors would call her blessed for it.  There was power and the confirming witness of the Spirit in those words, and I hope that it comes sooner rather than later.  The baptism also pumped up Elder Ashby, and when I sat back down after getting dressed, he leaned over and told me that we were going to have one soon.  Oh yes we are!  Also at the Baptism was a lady whom I am not sure of her name.  My last week in Antelope however while tracting with Elder Simons we knocked on her door as well.  Now she has a date to be baptized!  It really strengthened my testimony that tracting works, and we can find people doing it!  It was a sweet day, a tender mercy of the Lord.

Things are good life is good, this church is true, and this Gospel can't be beat!  Because the Lord is with us nobody can stand against us.

With all the love that I possess. 

Elder Ellsworth

Why is September slipping away like this?!

Dear Family

Transfers are in, in the California Roseville Mission. Drumroll please: Elder Nicholas Ellsworth will be a Trainer, as well as a District Leader for the upcoming Transfer.  Obviously I didn't do a good enough job the first time around as one, so they needed me to learn a few more lessons while giving it a second go.  Honestly though, I kind of suspected that I was going to be both of these since our current District Leader had been here a while and was getting ready to take off to a new area.  Also Elder Van Leuven and I get along pretty good but I will be sad to see him go.  However we have some plans to go and hike down to Havasupai next summer so that will be a blast!  

So what else is new?  These past few weeks I have been having a lot of trouble with my stuff.  For example, my tire for my bicycle—I had yet another flat, and when I peeled it off of the rim for the last time, I stripped it clean, away from the bead, so It wasn't even fixable, so I spent 60 bucks at the bike shop to go and get it replaced.  Saturday night as we were riding home all of the sudden my bike seat snapped off of the post, and when I went to explore why I almost died.  The bolt that held it onto the post had snapped in half.  So I rode home standing up the whole way.  And then also on Saturday I discovered a hole in the side of my second pair of shoes, this time not in the sole of them, but a rip down the side of the leather right next to the sole.  So that was fun.  So my seat post I am going to have to replace, I fixed it for now, but I will need a real fix soon, but it is going to cost me like 40 bucks at least.  I want to buy a good one if I end up replacing it!  Finally as I was playing Pday basketball an unnamed Elder (whom I have been serving with for the past two weeks) punched me in the face on accident and it chipped my tooth!  This week has been awesome!!!  Don’t worry—I am in good spirits and I will call and check up on my tooth. 

Thanks for getting me the new shoes; I am going to need them with the rainy season coming up.  I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead of me, and I hope to be a great trainer for my new companion.  He is going to be a stud I bet.

Love ya,
Elder Ellsworth