A Duck: Is he or isn't he?

Your son could potentially be a Duck. 

That is really awesome that Blake is going on a mission. She'll get home about 6 months after Cody. That'll be interesting. 

That is really sad to hear about Devin. Poor guy. He'll make it through. That must be hard. I can't imagine going through that. I said the word "that" 5 times in the first few sentences. Man, I cannot write anymore. Whatever.

Cal has a new coach. That's cool. It will be interesting to see Cal go from a primarily West Coast offense, to a high scoring air attack team. That is good that the Niners won again. Harbaugh hasn't lost 2 straight so far. Knock on wood. Go Warriors! Man, it is always a good year when they do well, granted, that rarely happens. Remember when they went to the playoffs and Biedrins ruined their season? Ah the memories. 

Things are going well here. We saw some total miracles last week. Everything is going well in Riverview. We had an interesting lesson with Roger yesterday. He has been going to his Mom's church the past 2 weeks, and when we were talking to him he sounded like he was fully invested in that church. Then we said "I got my answer". I thought "Oh no, we lost another one..." Then Roger said that he had a dream, and that he knows that our church is true. I be like WHATTTTT!!! He has received that sacred witness, but he still is trying to keep one foot in his Mom's church. He wants to get baptized by the restored authority, so he'll follow through with his date in January. It's exciting. We were also able to see Wilfred last night. It went well. He should be coming to church next week. We are being blessed. We met some really prepared people as well. I hope that I don't get transferred. I want to see my fruits. But, if God wants me to go somewhere else, it is what it is. 

Man, I finished reading Alma this past week. The war chapters should be made into a movie. They are super epic. Alma 62 is the battles of all battles. Kinda like the battle in the 2 Lord of the Rings. Wicked awesome. Now I'm in Helaman, reading about the Gaddianton robbers. Stupid robbers. 

 So that is the big news from KCMO. Other news, it is freezing outside. Like really cold. The weather said that is was supposed to hit 12 degrees last night. People were right about the cold here, it hits you to your bones. 

I don't have much else to say. Have a great week. 

Love you,Nick
  

26 seconds from another tie with the Rams

Whaddup,

Stupid Freaking Niners. They need to win all of their games this month. Each one should have big playoff implications. Man, go Warriors. Those feisty little guys won't back down. I heard that their draft pick, Harrison Barnes is really good. 

Nothing too new with me. The coaches from Oregon and Utah have emailed me about playing lacrosse. So that's cool. 

 

So we were baptism-less on Saturday. The Hills have pushed back their date until the 19 of January. I think that it is a good idea, it will give them the time that they need. Luckily though, Roger got all of his weekends off of work. Princeton just got put on probation, so we have to go through a semi-lengthy process for him to get baptized now. We're looking at the first few weeks in February. I think that this will be good as well, he still has some things to work out. Princeton came to the Devotional last night, so that was cool. Wilfred is doing okay. He wasn't at our appointment though. He is hard to make appointments with sometimes. Overall, the work is going really well. 

We had a lot of work last week. It was nice. We are teaching a lot of investigators right now. It is sweet. We have been tracting a lot lately. I kinda like it. It can be pretty fun. Guess what, last week I had 2 dreams of the end of my mission. WHAT?! This can't be happening to me. Also, 2 people were like "when do you go home? You look like you've been out forever." Come on folks, I still got a minute. My companion is a good worker, so that's nice. So yeah, besides my constant inner battle of my mission age growing and growing, I'm doing well. Very excited for Christmas. 

The Devotional last night was boss-tyke. I really liked President Eyring's talk. Welp, enough of me blabbing. PSYCHE! We saw a total Law & Order scene in real life this week. We were trying to contact a referral, and while driving there, we saw like 4 or 5 cops with big guns and bulletproof vests about to kick a door down. I really wanted to stop and watch. We didn't. Safety! All that was missing was the iconic DUN DUN!

1. I think that statement about loving everyone is totally true. As missionaries we just have to take everyone as they are. You Gentiles can kinda pick and choose who you hang with, but we have to be with those who are ready for the Gospel. Therefore, we have to love everyone.

2. I mean I guess that family history is good retention aid. In reality, I've heard that the rate of activity is like 85% for new members who have taken an ancestor's name to the temple.

3.  The last lesson we taught was a lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel. It went well.

Alright fam, Love you like cray.

Love, Nick

Colorado says Yes

Hey Hey Hey,

That's good that Colorado State wants me. Don't blame 'em. Oregon sent me an email about looking at scholarships that I'll forward to you. 

That is cool to hear that Kaepernick is doing so well. He seemed legit in college, I guess it is all paying off. That stinks that Cal had to pay so much to Tedford. Oh well. Sounds like all is well in the sports world. 

It's good to hear that you made it through the drive safely. I've been having lots of dreams about the Bay Area recently. Weird. Did you gobble like a turkey during the trot? That would've have been very funny and embarassing for Chelsea. Does anyone still call her Chi-Chi? Kyle will most definitely be taller than me sooner than later, it's okay though, I'll still kick his rear. You and mom are turning into Sharyn and Grandad, true foodies. It's cool though. On Thanksgiving we ate with a Dominican Family. We had ham and chicken (because Hispanics hate turkey), and lots of good sides. It was a pretty basic Thanksgiving, which means super good. We had some Tres Leches cake which made me sick though. I guess our gene's weird onset lactose intolerance has hit me. Oh well. I'm doing better now, so that's cool. 

Yeah, we talk in 29 days. That's wild. It will be hard to set up because transfers are 5 days before the 25th and the Monday before is a holiday, so the libraries probably won't be open. I guess we'll see what happens.

The work is going well. The goal of focusing is helping a lot.We are teaching some great people.  We have quite a few investigators that are truly searching for truth. It is awesome. One of them, Wilfrid, is really exciting. He moved to the States from Haiti about 2 years ago. He is learning English so he has some questions about certain words and things, but he is really promising. We're hoping that he can come to the Christmas Devotional next week. You should watch that. It's gonna be sweet. So yeah, the work is great. 

Have you started decorating the house for Christmas yet? Did you get a new tree? You should. ha.

Concerning the death of Hostess, we heard about it quite a bit. We also heard that there were bids on eBay for $10,000 Twinkies. That's America for you.

1.   The Loyas' baptisms yesterday were awesome. Their dad wasn't able to make it. I hope that he got called into work instead of just not going. It was really spiritual.

2, The Hills will probably have to move their date back a few weeks. They haven't received an answer yet. I don't want them to make a big commitment like baptism if they don't know that it is all true.

3.The work has been pretty much the same since the sisters left. Nothing too huge.  

Everything is going well. I'm very grateful to be here, in this area, at this time.My comp is doing well. He seems more sure about being here which is good. At the beginning he kept mentioning that he was here because his mom wanted him to go. Now, he's here because he wants to be here. So yeah, that's all that is going on. Have a great week. I love you.

Love, Nick

Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving will be a Dominican one for me. A family from the Dominican Republic signed up to feed us. It should be fun, and tasty.

Sounds like everything is good on the homefront. That is pretty wild that Anna got called to Perth. Small world. 

Things here are going really well. We just had a Zone Conference last Friday. It was incredible. The theme was "Qualify for the Work" and we now have to memorize Doctrine and Covenants section 4 as a mission. Surprisingly enough, I still remember a good chunk of it from when Bro. Draper had us memorize it when we were Deacons. We were taught a lot about how the doctrine (the why) and the principles (the how) connect. It was just sweet, man. 

The work here is going really well. Mariana and Jossua are ready for Sunday. It's gonna be great. Roger Hill came to church yesterday and really liked it. He said that one of the talks was just for him. Then, we ate barbeque at his house last night. It was good. Too bad you don't eat meat. Princeton is doing pretty well. He didn't come to church yesterday and I'm not sure why. Hopefully everything is okay with him. We have a good amount of investigators with actual interest in learning, it is sweet. 

This past Friday night was the big ward Thanksgiving dinner. There were a lot of people and a lot of turkeys. Guess what? On Saturday, we found the most diverse street in Kansas City. On one street, we met some Africans, some Vietnamese people, a family from Assyria, and saw an authentic Italian restaurant. It was pretty interesting. KCMO is a pretty diverse place. It is kinda funny when you think about it because we are in the center of the continent, and there are lots of immigrants here. So yeah, life in Kansas City is good.

1. There is a lady in the ward who has a salon so I go there for free. It is very nice of her.

2. I wash my towels every week and my sheets every week. Relax, mom.

3. With Princeton's background, I feel like the Atonement and baptism are two things that really click with him. I mean, who doesn't want a second chance?

Oregon sent me an email about my transfer credits, I think I'll forward that to you. President Keyes already did the ecclesiastical thing. It took all of 2 minutes.

Man, driving to California. That's going to be a long drive. Have fun with that. Are you going to see anybody not family out there? Like Bruce? How is Bruce? 

That is a really interesting change to the Sunday School. I think it will pay dividends. I have been thinking, I don't have too much time left on my mission, and I need to focus all of my efforts on these next 9 months. I need to give my heart, might, mind, and strength to the Lord for a bit. It's the only time in my life I can focus like this. I'm so lucky.

Drive safe! Thanks for everything that you do. 

Love, Nick

49ers V. Rams

 Hey There,

A freakin' tie? A freakin' tie?!!! That's stupid. I've always disliked the fact that there is a tie in the NFL. What is this, the MLS? I could've told you that the ducks were going to score 50+. They're scary good.

I told my fellow elders about your goal to only buy gas once a month. That is quite the feat. 

Stake conference sounds like it was pretty awesome. That is really cool that he left an apostolic blessing on the stake. That is something that will last with the stake for a long time. 

It is good to hear that everything is going well at home. That is really crazy that DJ is home already. 

 Missouri decided to be crazy in weather again. Friday and Saturday were in the 70's. It snowed on Sunday. It was another 40 degree drop in a day. Crazy. 

Things here are going really really well. We had a great week last week. We have 5 people with a baptismal date and 7 investigators came to church yesterday. It was awesome. Mariana and her brother Jossua, are getting baptized on the 25th of this month. Another is doing really well, but he hasn't been able to come to church recently because of his job. In our mission somebody has to go to church at least twice before they can get baptized, and he's only gone once. December 1 is coming up so hopefully we'll see some miracles. 

Our investigator, Princeton, also came to church yesterday. He looked really happy to be there. It was sweet. I am really excited for all of the work here. Riverview is catching on fire. All of this work is really paying off. Us farmers and starting to see the fruits. I am really stoked about what is happening here. Also, the sister missionaries in our ward got nixed here. I'm not sure why, but there won't be sisters here for a few transfers. The ward seems kinda sad about it. So yeah, life is really good right now. No complaints whatsoever. 

1. Christmas Wish List: Some ties, a green one, a light-blue and black one, and a grey one. Also, I want a Johns Hopkins Lacrosse shirt. Size L. Nothing more, and my two front teeth.

2. Yes, mother, I exercise. We have some weights at our house and a bench press. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are biceps and back. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are chest, triceps and shoulders.

3. Favorite talk from Church yesterday: Yesterday was the Primary program. It was pretty good, no Kristine LaMay production, but pretty good.

Alright Familia, have a great week. Love you like Missouri loves changing weather.

Love, Nick

The Winner Is....

Okay- business first: I don't remember the ACT or SAT stuff at this second, but when I'm done I'll hop on and see.

All is good in the hood. Things are going well here in Missouri. The weather has been bipolar as of late, warm one day and then cold and rainy the next. Other than that, nothing too crazy is going on. 

We should be catching fire and having quite a few baptisms before the end of the year. Yesterday in Sacrament meeting, before people got up to share their testimonies, the 1st counselor was like "We don't need any soap-boxing, or to know how grateful you are for random stuff, please just share what you know to be true" and then sat down. It was freakin' awesome. It seems like people just go up there and say how happy they are and share pointless stories. I hope you didn't share some random story yesterday, otherwise this would be super awkward. Anyways, life is sweet in the streets. 

Transfers are coming up this week, I should almost definitely stay because I have to finish training. Unfortunately, the next transfer date is December 20. Yep, 5 days before Christmas. Crazy.

Elder Javeloza is doing pretty well. Some guy had a seizure in church yesterday, and Elder Javeloza looked like he was going to pass out. Nothing too crazy happened other than that, granted that was pretty crazy. They had to call 911 and have an ambulance come and pick the dude up.

Teaching has been going well. We have some really great investigators right now. Mariana and her brother Jossua should be getting baptized this month. Then we have some other good things going on that should bring us some fruits in December. Our hard work is paying off. I've gotten a lot more bold since being on my mission. I noticed that last week. There were a few instances when I looked back and thought "Dang, I wouldn't have said that 6 months ago." I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways, right? Guess who is sitting next to me right now? Elder Palilla. He is in one of the areas pretty close to mine now. Welp, that is all that I got going on.

1Iron chef Competition: We have a winner...................... Jeffrey Duke LaMay!!  He chose two of my favorite things: sushi, and Reese's. Know your demographic. I think I almost went into a sugar coma over Halloween.

2. We should have a typically freezing winter this year, yes. I think that I will be good with the things that I have. 
3. The sisters all had a pretty good week. i don't know what I did, but something worked. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going into next transfer. 

We get to talk to each other next month! 

Okay, fam, have a great week. Love you like the trees love shedding their leaves.

Love, Nick

GGGGGIIIIIAAAAANNNNNNTTTTSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I hope that you DVR'd at least the last game.

Too bad for Cal. They recruited like the #1 or #2 qb in the nation last year, so hopefully they'll be able to win some games next year. I'm wearing a red tie today to root for the Niners. I do it weekly, on the day that they play.

Yeah the number of days is dwindling away. It is crazy. By Christmas I'll be 2/3 done and by February my sister mission is over. The year-mark-out-of-the-MTC milestone was pretty normal. Nothing to crazy went down in the celebration seeing that there was no celebration.The time is going by really really fast.

It is really cool that Steven baptized my companion.  

I haven't taken too many pictures as of late. Sorry, I'll do better at that.

Guess how cold it is in Missouri? Freakin'. Guess how well our heater works in the house? Not. Guess what the amount of degrees it dropped from Wednesday to Thursday? 40. Wednesday was warm and muggy, Thursday was cold. It looks like the Midwest will actually have a winter this year.

It's good to hear that all is going well at home. Hopefully Devon doesn't get washed away by the Frankenstorm. We ate at Sis. Bennett's house last night. She does this thing with cakes where instead of using oil, she puts applesauce into the recipe. I highly recommend it. 

This past weekend was Stake Conference in the Independence Stake. It was really good. President Keyes spoke and said that the amount of missionaries will go up by 50 here in the next year. We'll have over 300 missionaries. That's crazy. The biggest mission in the world is about to get bigger. We were way, way, way in the back and this kid from our ward fell asleep on me. Kinda like when Devon fell asleep on that stranger on the airplane.

Anyways, the work this week went pretty well. We weren't able to see Princeton at all this week, but I think he's doing well. The Hills are doing great, and should be set for their December 1 date. We have some other baptisms coming up in November. One of them is Mariana, and the other is her brother Jossua. They are 9 and 10 and their mom in the YM president in the ward. They haven't been baptized yet because the dad didn't want them to, but now he is willing and open to it. Hopefully, it will soften his heart some more to the message. We are working hard and finding lots of people to teach. We should be seeing a lot of success in the coming months.

The district hasn't been doing too well lately. We are trying to figure out how to motivate the sisters and get them going. It's hard because with a district of elders you can give them a little more stern motivation like "Get to work", but with the sisters you have to be very nice. That is really all that is going on with me.

1. They don't even deliver pizza to our neighborhood. The mailman only comes if he has something to drop off. So no, there unfortunately will not be any kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. They all go to the rich neighborhood in the north part of the city because the Home Owners' Association gives the houses free candy to give out and they go all out with it.

2. We will usually help the members with what they need help with.  We find something new every week, sometimes from our meetings with the Bishop. We don't do anything too scheduled.

3. We have a full time car in this area. We share with nobody. It is sweet.

Concerning the college stuff, I think that once a week should be alright. You can use the myldsmail account.

Okay family, I love you. have a great week. Thanks for everything, the candy sushi was freakin' good.

Love you, Nick