Hola. So this week was another crazy/weird one haha. Let's start with Monday: It was zone p day. We all went out to Steak n Shake (so good). One of the sisters passed out while she was eating hahaha. It was unreal. I went to pay for my food and looked over and she was just laying on the floor, out like a light. The paramedics came and helped her and stuff. It was definitely an experience haha.
That same day was Elder Moore's birthday/Valentine's Day, so Gramps took us out to this restaurant on the Halifax River called Aunt Catfish's. It was SO good. Seafood.
Friday wasn't too good. We had an appointment with Mildred...and we had to drop her. We retaught her the Restoration using visuals so she could comprehend it more. Then after we asked about her baptism and she said she still hadn't decided (even though a month ago she committed to it). We read from 2 Nephi 14 and explained how there are only 2 churches: the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. We told her that if she didn't get baptized into the church by someone who holds the authority of Christ she would NOT receive the fullness of joy that the Father has. She said she knows the church is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet, the Book of Mormon is true, etc. So we explained how by having that knowledge and not acting on it she is basically condemning herself. She just wouldn't accept to be baptized. She wants to get baptized in the ocean and all this other stuff. We told her that we can only present it to her and it's up to her to accept it or not. We had to tell her that we wouldn't be coming by anymore and if she ever wanted to get baptized to call us. I cried. I had so many mixed emotions. I was feeling like I did all I could but at the same time wondering if I had. We had prayed and fasted for her so much and she just still wasn't accepting it. It was also our last investigator so my heart just dropped to the pit of my stomach. We worked with her for 5 months and became close with her. When the Spirit told us to drop her I got so sad because she KNOWS it's true and just won't do it. This is eternal life. I'm no one to judge her, only God can do that. It was just a biggg bummer. I was so sad about her. I'm trying to have the faith that she will one day accept it.
Saturday was good though. Earlier in the week, we had tracted into a former investigator named Vernita. We taught her on Saturday and set a date with her for March 19th. That was a spiritual war. She doesn't want to become a member of a church because she knows that it means she is obligated to do things and people would be bugging her about it. We resolved all her concerns and the Spirit won the battle for us :) haha.
Saturday night we had a church tour with the Kinney family and watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration. It was great and they committed to come to church the next day. Sunday rolled around...no one at church. Again. 3 weeks in a row! Ugh haha. This week though! This week...yep. Expecting people to come to church and then having them not come is the most depressing thing on the mission I think haha. Because you're SO excited to have them there and thennnnnn..............nothing. Hahaha.
So that was my week. Another interesting one. Much love from Florida!
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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 14, 2011
Hey Familyyy!
First of all...Dad...I can't believe you called and texted us. You are crazy haha. But I still love you.
So happy Valentine's Day! Hope you have a great one. I got your package this morning. Thank you! Those treats look so yummy. Speaking of packages...I never got the iPod. I don't know if it got lost in the mail or what but it never came.
This week was alright. I think the Lord is testing us haha. It was one of those weeks where we felt like a lot of things went wrong. No one came to church again. Javier stopped answering our phone calls. I think I'm having a mid-life crisis hahaha. Just kidding. Everything is good. Sometimes I just wonder if I'm doing something wrong. And I see some other missionaries who are baptizing like crazy and it's a bummer. But this is the path I'm supposed to walk out here, I know it. Everything happens for a reason. It just makes me want to work harder anyway.
We had zone conference this last week which was SO good. A lot of things are continuing to change in the mission. We are cracking down on PMG and trying to stay focused on the essentials: finding, teaching, and baptizing.
We also went to the doctor in Orlando on Wednesday. My companion should be getting a call back from them soon.
We had a great lesson with Mildred this week too. We taught her all the commandments. We were worried that it would be hard for her to accept the word of wisdom. I guess we should have had more faith because she accepted it right away. She had a cup of tea on the counter and after the lesson we said "So what are you going to do with that tea?" hahaha. And she just straight up said "Well I guess I'll throw it away. I don't have to drink it." It was so cool. I love that lady. We're still trying to help her leave her church right now though. She just has so many friends over there. It's a very slow process with her. It's a spiritual battle every time we go over there haha.
So today is zone P- day. We're all going out to eat and then we'll play some sports or something. Then we're watching Space Jam! Welcome to the space jam, here's your chance, do your dance at the Space Jammmm...alrighttt :) That's about it for now. I hope you both have a great week! I love you!
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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
First of all...Dad...I can't believe you called and texted us. You are crazy haha. But I still love you.
So happy Valentine's Day! Hope you have a great one. I got your package this morning. Thank you! Those treats look so yummy. Speaking of packages...I never got the iPod. I don't know if it got lost in the mail or what but it never came.
This week was alright. I think the Lord is testing us haha. It was one of those weeks where we felt like a lot of things went wrong. No one came to church again. Javier stopped answering our phone calls. I think I'm having a mid-life crisis hahaha. Just kidding. Everything is good. Sometimes I just wonder if I'm doing something wrong. And I see some other missionaries who are baptizing like crazy and it's a bummer. But this is the path I'm supposed to walk out here, I know it. Everything happens for a reason. It just makes me want to work harder anyway.
We had zone conference this last week which was SO good. A lot of things are continuing to change in the mission. We are cracking down on PMG and trying to stay focused on the essentials: finding, teaching, and baptizing.
We also went to the doctor in Orlando on Wednesday. My companion should be getting a call back from them soon.
We had a great lesson with Mildred this week too. We taught her all the commandments. We were worried that it would be hard for her to accept the word of wisdom. I guess we should have had more faith because she accepted it right away. She had a cup of tea on the counter and after the lesson we said "So what are you going to do with that tea?" hahaha. And she just straight up said "Well I guess I'll throw it away. I don't have to drink it." It was so cool. I love that lady. We're still trying to help her leave her church right now though. She just has so many friends over there. It's a very slow process with her. It's a spiritual battle every time we go over there haha.
So today is zone P- day. We're all going out to eat and then we'll play some sports or something. Then we're watching Space Jam! Welcome to the space jam, here's your chance, do your dance at the Space Jammmm...alrighttt :) That's about it for now. I hope you both have a great week! I love you!
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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
February 8, 2011
Hello my beloved family :) I loved those pictures you sent me in the email. I miss you all so much. And I love you all more than I can express in writing. I am so excited to give all of you giganticoramously HUGE hugs in a year. Absence makes the heart grow a whole lot fonder. I'm a living testimony of that haha.
Anyway...this week was a pretty weird one. A lot of ups and downs. We started out the week great. We set a date with this elect lady named Dashondra for March 5th. Working hard and enjoying it. Before I say anything else let me just tell you that my companion has MS. Before the mission he got an infusion of medicine every month and it was doing wonders for him. It's a miracle that he's on the mission. He came out fully active. To make a very long story short, he has had some complications with the doctors here so he hasn't been able to get an infusion since he's been out. So on Friday we were biking and I noticed he was dragging a bit. He just didn't seem like he was doing good. So we decided to go back to the apartment. Some of his symptoms are coming back and he's pretty worried about it. PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS. He needs it. So since Friday we just stayed in the apartment because we couldn't bike. I have learned SO much from him. He sacrificed so much to be here. He's an inspiration to me. I love the kid. We have an appointment on Wednesday morning down in Orlando to consult with one of the doctors. But it's not to get the infusion. Things are just crazy for him right now. Please please please throw up some mighty prayers for him.
Then at church on Sunday none of our investigators came to church. And Dashondra basically dropped us because she said it is causing problems with her atheist husband. Church was just a big bummer. But we're keeping our heads up and looking forward. This week will be good because we'll have the car.
But heyyyy thanks for the Hump Day package! I loved the shirt and the camel haha. I'll probably send you my memory card soon so you can see all the pictures I've taken recently. I can't believe I've passed my year mark. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone pharrell. Fastest year, hands down. It feels like last week that I was saying bye to you at the MTC hahaha. So weird.
I'm so sorry to hear about Brother Hill. That's no good. Let the family know that I love them. But I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to use the word "die" anymore. Because people don't really "die". They just "change". Brother Hill just put his body down for a little bit. He'll get it back. And it will be "Brother Hill millenium status". Looking fresh in his brand new perfect form. Spirit is eternal. He's still chillin' right here on the earth. And he'll be watching over his family. Just in another state of being. I love the knowledge that comes from the Gospel. I love you! Talk to you next week :)
Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
Anyway...this week was a pretty weird one. A lot of ups and downs. We started out the week great. We set a date with this elect lady named Dashondra for March 5th. Working hard and enjoying it. Before I say anything else let me just tell you that my companion has MS. Before the mission he got an infusion of medicine every month and it was doing wonders for him. It's a miracle that he's on the mission. He came out fully active. To make a very long story short, he has had some complications with the doctors here so he hasn't been able to get an infusion since he's been out. So on Friday we were biking and I noticed he was dragging a bit. He just didn't seem like he was doing good. So we decided to go back to the apartment. Some of his symptoms are coming back and he's pretty worried about it. PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS. He needs it. So since Friday we just stayed in the apartment because we couldn't bike. I have learned SO much from him. He sacrificed so much to be here. He's an inspiration to me. I love the kid. We have an appointment on Wednesday morning down in Orlando to consult with one of the doctors. But it's not to get the infusion. Things are just crazy for him right now. Please please please throw up some mighty prayers for him.
Then at church on Sunday none of our investigators came to church. And Dashondra basically dropped us because she said it is causing problems with her atheist husband. Church was just a big bummer. But we're keeping our heads up and looking forward. This week will be good because we'll have the car.
But heyyyy thanks for the Hump Day package! I loved the shirt and the camel haha. I'll probably send you my memory card soon so you can see all the pictures I've taken recently. I can't believe I've passed my year mark. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone pharrell. Fastest year, hands down. It feels like last week that I was saying bye to you at the MTC hahaha. So weird.
I'm so sorry to hear about Brother Hill. That's no good. Let the family know that I love them. But I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to use the word "die" anymore. Because people don't really "die". They just "change". Brother Hill just put his body down for a little bit. He'll get it back. And it will be "Brother Hill millenium status". Looking fresh in his brand new perfect form. Spirit is eternal. He's still chillin' right here on the earth. And he'll be watching over his family. Just in another state of being. I love the knowledge that comes from the Gospel. I love you! Talk to you next week :)
Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
Sunday, February 6, 2011
January 31, 2011
Hey! Thank you so much for that watch. It's so sick! Pharrell. I love it. Did you get it in Hawaii? I am going to take some links out of it soon so I can wear it. That tie was sweet too. I wore it on my birthday. For my birthday it was just a normal day. But Gramps took us out to Red Lobster. And I realized that I didn't even take one picture on my birthday hahaha. I was just busy with missionary work haha. It slipped my mind. So...sorry.
But we had a great week! Pam got baptized on Saturday. She was so happy! I loved it. Lots of people showed up and the talks were awesome. We set two baptism dates. One with a 20 year old guy named Javier. Super cool. He came to the baptism and church also. He'll get baptized February 26th. Then guess who else we set a date with...drum roll please.......................................................MILDRED!!! For February 26th!!! She came to church too. So great! After we had the lesson with her and set the date we got into the car and I just screamed to the top of my lungs. We were so stoked. We had her pray again and ask SPECIFICALLY if the 26th was the day she needed to get baptized and we asked her if God TOLD her that she needed to do it she would. And she said "well if God told me..." So she prayed and the Spirit just swarmed the room again. God loves her so much. It's insane how much He loves us ALL. Now we just have to make sure it happens. So please pray for her to be baptized on that day. Thank you.
We had a great day at church yesterday. We had 1 confirmation, 3 gators (2 with a baptism date), and 1 less-active guy there. Daytona's movin'! We have the Daytona 500 coming up on the 19th. That will be crazy. We can hear the cars practicing like all day haha. It's a loud buzzing noise. The "Bike Week" will be the first week in March. If you don't know what that is, look it up haha. It will be psycho. Anyway that's about it for now. But I love you both so much. You both are way too tan haha. Lookin' fresh. Byeeee!
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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
But we had a great week! Pam got baptized on Saturday. She was so happy! I loved it. Lots of people showed up and the talks were awesome. We set two baptism dates. One with a 20 year old guy named Javier. Super cool. He came to the baptism and church also. He'll get baptized February 26th. Then guess who else we set a date with...drum roll please.......................................................MILDRED!!! For February 26th!!! She came to church too. So great! After we had the lesson with her and set the date we got into the car and I just screamed to the top of my lungs. We were so stoked. We had her pray again and ask SPECIFICALLY if the 26th was the day she needed to get baptized and we asked her if God TOLD her that she needed to do it she would. And she said "well if God told me..." So she prayed and the Spirit just swarmed the room again. God loves her so much. It's insane how much He loves us ALL. Now we just have to make sure it happens. So please pray for her to be baptized on that day. Thank you.
We had a great day at church yesterday. We had 1 confirmation, 3 gators (2 with a baptism date), and 1 less-active guy there. Daytona's movin'! We have the Daytona 500 coming up on the 19th. That will be crazy. We can hear the cars practicing like all day haha. It's a loud buzzing noise. The "Bike Week" will be the first week in March. If you don't know what that is, look it up haha. It will be psycho. Anyway that's about it for now. But I love you both so much. You both are way too tan haha. Lookin' fresh. Byeeee!
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Elder Austin Gable Engemann aka dubEE fresh
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