Illinois Chicago West Mission: Gburg 6.29.15

People,

We have been super busy this week and it's been great! Tuesday were transfers and we had to wake up at like 5:30 to get to the Peoria stake center. Since we are so far away from Naperville where they have the transfer meeting if you are not leaving the Peoria stake you just stay down here. Elder Butterfield and I were both already here, so we just went back to Galesburg after we got everything and everyone else situated. Elder Hermansen took almost all his weights from Peoria to where ever he went. He had like 200 lbs worth of weights in one of his suitcases!! He told me to take it out of the back of the truck and put it in the trailer; that thing almost ripped my shoulder out of place!! haha gravity has a good hold on 200 pounds..

So they collapsed our zone into a district because there were so many areas closing down here, so now there is only one zone down here with three districts. Anyway we had to help clean out the old zone leaders apartment. I scored a cool little 1 foot long pool table! Except it's so hard and frustrating to play that it is now safely stored in our closet where I will never see it again. We also got a new bench press!! The family that was lending our other one to the missionaries decided they wanted it back, but now we have another one! Blessings are so real.

We've spent a lot of time cleaning out the Monmouth apartment this week. We were over there like 3 times this week. That really ate up a lot of our time, we didn't even have time to weekly plan so now we are going into this week with almost no plans. But we will make it.

Elder Butterfield is from Harriman, Utah. We are so different, but Keaton told me that the companions that seemed to be the most different from him usually ended being some of the best ones. I am hoping that will be the case here.

Elder Riggins, my last companion, is being sent home. He got into some drugs with members and is being excommunicated!! Just kidding! but on the reals he is going home for a season because they found a blood clot in his left calf. I remember the last couple weeks we were together he said that it was hurting him and it was super swollen. I guess once he got to his new area it was hurting him so bad he went to the hospital and found out it was a blood clot. So he has to go home for a little because after whatever they do to him he won't be able to walk on it for 8-10 weeks.

Brother Wynkoop, the ward mission leader told us that it has rained 23 inches here this month. That's probably more rain than I've ever had out in the good ol' desert my whole life!

We are no longer teaching David and Viola as of right now. We taught them about the law of chastity and how they would need to either separate or get married. He straight up told us,"No I'm not getting married." So if he's not willing to progress then we can't help him anymore.. So he fell off date and is now dropped.

Dawn, the other one we had on date, is no where to be found. We haven't seen her since the time we put her on date. BUT we started working with this awesome family in Monmouth. There's actually like three different families living there, but they all said they are willing to be baptized!!! We haven't extended a date yet because they said they might be moving, but I think it's still in Monmouth.

I finally saw Ramona! First time since the day she got confirmed. She is still the same ol' Ramona. She has been really sick, but we have an appointment for next Thursday.

I learned and have been learning these past couple weeks how effective good planning is. Turns out my whole high school philosophy of just "winging it" isn't quite as effective as good planning. Who would've known!

Friday we had a mission conference up in Naperville. Man I really missed that place. It was amazing to see so many people! I have never been happy to be in traffic before, but that day I was because it meant I was no longer in a landlocked island! There were people everywhere! I am so weak.... We drove through downtown Naperville and I broke.. We drove through the auto mall and I couldn't constrain my eyes. There were Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Maserati, etc. dealerships all down the street.

President Fenn talked about how the scriptures say there are "few" true followers of Jesus Christ. D&C 132:22. This is what he said: "'Few' as of right now means 15 million, one day that will be 100 million. Mark my words, you will live to see the church 100 million strong, before you die there will be 100 million Mormons!" That's a lot of missionary work for us as members to do isn't it! President Monson has said, "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together to work together to labor in the Lord's vineyard to bring souls unto Him."

Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, and Mosiah 13 all teach us the 10 commandments. When the Lord repeats something three times that means it's REALLY important. So keep the commandments and the Lord will bless you. Not just these 10, but all of them. There's 613 commandments throughout the scriptures, do you know them all? SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES FOR THEM! (Someone told me that's how many there were so don't quote me on the exact number.)

Hope everyone has a good 4th of July. That's my favorite holiday so remember you all need to live it up in remembrance of me. I literally am not allowed to watch any fireworks. We have to be in by 7. So while you're all enjoying the festivities I will be in bed crying that I have to miss the single greatest day/night of summer.