Monday, December 20, 2010

December 20, 2010

Merry Christmasssss! I can't believe Christmas is this week! I feel like there's so much I need to update you on and I probably can't remember everything. You both look SO good! You look so happy and you're glowing for real. You definitely have the light of Christ in you! I love it. It also looks like you're having a wonderful time in Hawaii. I'm jealous but at the same time not because I love the mission. You know this. I'm excited to talk to you on Christmas. It will be great. I'll probably call in the afternoon so you can be up. Maybe around 9 or 10 AM your time. Man I can't believe it's already time for me to call you again. Mother's Day seems like it was just yesterday. Crazy. Alex Crook is going on a mission!? That's awesome. Tell her I say congratulations and tell me where she's going when you find out.

So this week was good. I said goodbye to Elder Packard on Tuesday when we dropped him off in Longwood. Then drove down to the mission office to pick up my new companion. I was standing outside the door and someone opened it quickly and almost tackled me haha. It was Elder Summers! Man it was so good to see him. He's doing awesome. Then I met my new companion named Elder Whitworth. He's from Provo. He lives out kinda by Geneva Rd and Center St. He's a good missionary. Out here for the right reasons. We're doing very well together. The first thing we did after we dropped his bags off was went tracting. And guess where we tracted...grandpa's street. His next door neighbors almost ruined it though! We contacted them and they were like "Oh yeah we know all about the Mormons. Our neighbor Vic Altamore (grandpa) is a member. He has told us all about the Church." So I was trying to rush them and I just gave them a pass-along card and said see ya hahaha. Then I had to lie to Elder Whitworth and tell him that Brother Altamore lived on the other side of the neighborhood. So we got to grandpa's house and and the prank goes down. Same thing he did to me. It was so funny! We got the whole thing on my camera. Elder Whitworth had no idea. Good times.

Thursday we had another appointment with Tom and Jessica. They haven't come to church the past two weeks...bummer. And she doesn't want to set another baptism date. Some people are hard to work with. They are great though. It's just hard to help people realize that waiting to get baptized is like telling the Lord you don't want blessings right then and that you'd rather wait. One day I will invent a chip that I can download all of the information in my brain to and plug it in to people's heads so they can understand the things that I understand about the gospel. One day. Then we got a call from a member in the New Smyrna Beach ward and she gave us a referral for a lady that was in the hospital because her water broke and she was only 20 weeks pregnant. She wanted us to go and give her a blessing. We did and it was a really great experience. The Spirit was so strong in that room. We had the opportunity to share the gospel with them after and give them some Book of Mormons. It was a spiritual experience.

Saturday we had the ward Christmas party at the church. It was fun. Such good food. They put on the nativity and sang some songs. The theme was "A Night in Bethlehem" so everyone came dressed up and they made the gym a little marketplace. They actually did a really great job. It looked real. I wore those cool pj's you sent me to it haha. I love those! They are awesome. Elder Whitworth wanted me to thank you for them as well. He's a lot shorter than me but they fit him alright haha. Oh and thanks for the pants too. That's EXACTLY what i was talking about. And they fit great. But Jeremy and Pam came to the Christmas party and brought a friend also. They had a really good time.

Sunday they only investigator at church was Pam. She'll be getting baptized on 1/1/11. I just got a phone call that she fell down some stairs at work and hurt her foot pretty bad. So pray that she can still get baptized on the first haha. Thanks. That family is so cool. We're going over there to eat tonight. They are making a bunch of green food for Elder Whitworth hahaha. Shh...secret.

So that was my week. Hope you're having a bunch of fun in Hawaii. Love you! Talk to you soon!

--

Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh

Thursday, December 16, 2010

December 13, 2010

Mannn I can't believe you are in Hawaii! That’s great. It sounds like you're already having a really good time. I’m glad. Dad careful on the road to Hana. Seriously...hahahahahaha! I didn't know that you were going with the Overtons. Wish them a merry Christmas for me.


So on Saturday we found out that Elder Packard is getting transferred to Longwood in Orlando. I’ll be staying here and I’m training again! I’m so stoked. And we're going to get him so good with “Grandpa” hahaha. I’m going to record it so eventually I’ll send it home somehow. Guess who came back! I forgot to tell you. I think. Elder Summers! It was a few weeks ago. But he's training this transfer too so I’ll see him down at the mission office tomorrow. So glad he's back.

So I’ll tell you about my week. It was such a good one. We taught the seminary class on Wednesday morning at 6 am. I give those kids huge props for waking up that early. They get up before we do to go to seminary. There was only 3 boys there though ha-ha. It was still good though. There are only about 8 that attend anyway. The teacher wanted us to talk about our conversions, decision to go on a mission, trials and sacrifices on the mission, and the blessings of it as well. It went well. Being a seminary teacher would be SO hard. Pharrell. So hard.

We set 5 more baptism dates this week. So we have 6 total. Jessica, Sheryl, Shae, Pam, Shante and Greg. Sheryl and Shae are two people that we tracted into recently. Met with them and set dates for January 1st. Shante finally came to church with her boyfriend Greg. They said they wanted to get married and then baptized. Perfectttt. So we set their dates for January 23rd. Shante was taking notes and stuff in the young single adult’s class. So sweet.

Alright now I’ll tell you about Pam. On Wednesday night we were at the church for a meeting (which no one showed up to ha-ha) and a man (Jeremy) and a woman (Pam) walk in and ask some of the youth leaders for the bishop. He was just right there so they went over and started talking to him and saying how they wanted to meet the missionaries too. So the bishop, we, and Jeremy and Pam all met in the bishop's office and talked for a while. They said that Jeremy had been less active for a while and really wanted to come back to church. And that Pam wasn't a member and wanted to get baptized. It was a MIRACLE! And they are SO cool. I love them. We’ve met with them a few times since Wednesday and they came to a priesthood fireside to learn about the organization of the priesthood (which was such a spiritual meeting. it was basically just a one on one with Pam, Jeremy, and the teacher cause no one else showed up ha-ha). We are helping Jeremy get ready to receive the priesthood as well so everything is so good with them. The Lord blessed us so much with them and he is blessing them as well. Pam is getting baptized on the 26th.

Then Tom and Jessica...sad stuff with them. Jessica had a miscarriage earlier this last week. And they were struggling with money and keeping their house. So things are going kinda crappy for them right now. Keep them in your prayers please. But on a good note: that money you gave me to bless someone's life this Christmas went to good use. ever since they told me they were about to lose their house I had been praying a lot to see if giving them the money was the proper way I should use that money. Then the answer finally came that I definitely should give it to them. While Elder Packard and I were over at their house with a member the Spirit told me "what is money?" and then I got to thinking "money is a worldly thing". So the Spirit taught me some cool stuff and told me to give them the money. I couldn't deny it. So I took all that money, the money that Grandma and Grandpa gave me, and some funds from my card, then Elder Packard helped too, and we were able to give them enough to finish off the rest of the rent that they owed. It felt so good. Giving is great! Man I’ve learned so much on the mission ha-ha.

Oh and a less active member that we have been trying to get to church forever came on Sunday! Which was sweet. We go to his house on Sunday mornings to wake him up to come because he works reallyyy late. Or early I guess ha-ha. But we went yesterday and his son answered and said he wasn't feeling well. So we were bummed but then he showed up! Awesome. It was an AMAZING Sabbath day. And G-pa made us some scrumptious French toast yesterday after church which was so yummy.

So that was my week. Everything here is great. I love you both! Enjoy Maui and don't get sunburned. It’s freezing here ha-ha. Weird.

--

Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh

Monday, December 6, 2010

December 6, 2010

Hey! That Christmas present was the coolest thing ever! I was so happy and thankful when I opened that huge package ha-ha. I kept saying "hmm...I think my parents love me." Hahaha. So far I have that wood ornament from Jerusalem, the grow-your-own tree (which is fully grown), the scared of Santa book, the nativity tie, the cologne (smells so good), and the Elder dubee fresh ornament ha-ha. I love it all and am excited to open the rest. THANK YOU! I can't believe it's almost Christmas.
We had leadership training with President Hall all day Tuesday which was so good. He melted my face. I love President and Sister Hall. They are so cool and way spiritual. Everything President Hall says is killer. He truly is called of God. Then I went to the mission office and they had a wheel for me with a disk brake on it. Perfect. The Lord blessed me. So I don't need to worry about the bike anymore thankfully.
Saturday we had a movie night at the church that the four of us put together. We watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration. So awesome. The Spirit is so strong in it. We were hoping more non-members would come but all together it was a good turnout. I think it helped the members feel the Spirit and understand the importance of sharing the gospel. We had some refreshments after. It was a good night.
 We received a call this week from a guy who said he was less-active and he just got out of the military. His wife is a non-member and wants to get baptized. They recently found out that she is pregnant and they want to raise their family with the church. So we're teaching them, getting him active again, and her baptized. It was definitely a blessing. We have been praying for miracles and we're seeing the fruits of it. We set a date with her for the 19th but after church Sunday she decided to push it back a little. We still have to talk to her about it. They both felt the Spirit really strongly in testimony meeting though. They both shed some tears. I love the HOLY GHOST! Yes!
Ha-ha anyway...that's about it. This week was good. Life is good. God is good :) ha-ha I love you both so much. Can’t wait to talk to you on Christmas! Have a blessful week!
--
Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh

Sunday, December 5, 2010

November 29, 2010

Hey Mom and Dad.
I heard that you got stuck in Vegas because of snow! Bummer. I’m sorry. Hope you get home safe. This week was crazy. So crazy. Let’s start with Thanksgiving Day. In the morning we went to go play football with a bunch of people at a park. That was fun. And muddy. So then we were driving home. Let me set the scene for you. The road we were on has just recently opened up because they were doing construction on it for a long time. They are still doing construction on it but it's open to drive on. One lane going each way. On our right was a ditch. Elder Moore was driving, I was in the passenger seat, Elders Packard and Parsons were in the back. In the distance I see this girl riding a bike in the MIDDLE of the street. Right on the yellow lines. We’re going 40 mph. All of a sudden the girl swerves right in front of us. Elder Moore slams the brakes and we swerve. The girl rides into the ditch and falls on her back. We freak out. Park. And run over to her. If we hit her she would have been gone. Dead. This other guy driving saw what happened and came over too. We all started talking to her and we helped her get up. We called 911 but she said that she didn't need the ambulance to come. Right when I started talking to her I could smell alcohol. The other guy left and we talked to her some more. We find out her name is Laura and she is like 30. We told her that we were missionaries (even though we were way dirty from football). We told her we didn't normally dress like that ha-ha. And she explained how her grandma had just died and she started drinking again because of it. She told us how a lot of crazy things have happened to her in her life. She said she wanted to stop drinking and all this other stuff. We explained that it was no coincidence that we almost killed her ha-ha. We all testified of the love that God has for her and how she can change. We talked to her for a really long time but she was very thankful for us and she gave us all hugs and her information. And now Elder Moore and Elder Parsons are teaching her because she lives in their area. WE ALMOST KILLED HER! Like so close. Now she's going to get baptized ha-ha. Hopefully.
So there's more: Later that night we all ate dinner at a members' house. They also showed us their 3D TV which is SO sick. Anyway we were driving home from that and this car next to us was swerving allllllll over the road. It was an older lady. And we knew she was drunk. And I mean drunkkk. She was stopping at green lights and stuff hahaha. We followed her and called 911 because we didn't want her to kill herself or anyone else. She pulled into this neighborhood and almost crashed like 10 times. She pulled into a driveway and parked. We all got out of the car and went to talk to her to tell her she needed to stop driving ha-ha. But she wouldn't open the door or roll down the window. Then she started backing out of the driveway. I think we scared her. She almost hit the mailbox and almost ran me over too hahaha. We followed her again and she parked in another random driveway. The cop finally came and we watched him talk to her. It was pretty funny. Then the cop drove her home. It was just a crazy day. You don't get to call 911 two times in a day normally ha-ha. So that was Thanksgiving Day.
Then the next day we went to the mall for black Friday to see if we could get some good deals on ties. They had some awesome deals but I didn't buy any. Then later in the day we went to the Turkey Rod Run at the Daytona Speedway. It's this HUGE car convention. People come from all over with their nice cars and hot rods. The cars cover the entire speedway. We walked soooo far looking at all the cars. We got in free because the scouts had a hot dog stand thing. So that was sweet. Then Saturday we helped the Lunas (recent converts) put up Christmas lights. Awesome family. Then Sunday we tracted this area that wasn't too ghetto. Still ghetto. But not way ghetto. Then got picked up the go eat dinner at a member's house. We ate about 3 pounds of fish each. It was SO good. Anyway...he took us in his truck to go pick up the bikes and take us home. And someone stole my front tire, rim, disk brake, and front light. Not cool ha-ha. I was surprisingly chill about it though. I’ve learned to be that way. The Lord has helped me with that a lot. So if you could send me that other Visa gift card that I have as soon as possible it would be great. I need a new rim ha-ha. Thankfully this week is our car week and it happened the last day of our bike week. Maybe they needed the rim more than I did. I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.
But other than all that crazy stuff...this last week was pretty slow for the work. Thanksgiving put a lot of things on hold. Oh something cool though. Alvelo was supposed to come to church but didn't make it. We went by his house in the morning to pick him up but he wasn't there. Then when we were waiting for Brother Barrett to pick us up for dinner, guess who comes walking down the street to us? Yep. Alvelo. We were way far away from his house too. He said that he was over at his father's house for the weekend so he couldn't make it to church. But he said that he's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. He's so cool. He'll get baptized. The Lord put him in our path. So cool. No such thing as a coincidence! Never! So that was my week. Love you both!
--
Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh

November 22, 2010

Greetings from the Sunshine State to the gloomy Winter State.

Ha! Just kidding. Sorry...but at least you only have like 5 or 6 months of snow. Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Just kidding. Sorry...sounds like you are busy back home. That’s good. This email might be short.

Dad to answer your questions, the district covers 4 companionships. The main cities it covers is New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and Bunnell. I try to go on exchanges every week. In fact I’m going to New Smyrna Beach tomorrow to exchange and also interview one of their gators getting baptized on Saturday.

This week was alright. Nothing big. On Thursday night Elder Packard and I went to the church to learn how to make empanadas. It was us and like 25 relief society ladies hahaha. It was great. I made a beef one and E. Packard made a cherry one. They didn't turn out looking that good but they were yummy. Friday night I interviewed the Daytona North elders' 7 PEOPLE that got baptized on Saturday. So many people. They are all really cool. It’s fun to interview people for baptism. "Spiritchal." It’s uplifting to hear people answer the questions about the gospel. It was a great baptismal service too. I was able to confirm one of them in sacrament meeting also. Then Sunday, Alvelo came to church. He stayed for sacrament and gospel principles. When we were walking out to give him a ride back home he said he learned a lot and really enjoyed it. He asked if he could bring a friend next week. We were like "uhhh...YES! Bring anyone!" Haha he's cool though. 20 year old black guy with sick dreads. His date is for December 11th. So everything is going well. Trying to find families.

I’d appreciate if you threw some prayers my way so the Lord will bless us with elect families to teach. Thank youuu! I love you both! Have a blessful week! Preach the gospel without restraint!


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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh