Happy & Productive in Richwood

Hey Mom & Dad!

I'm doing good. The heat and humidity finally hit today, which just happened to be the day we packed up all our stuff and moved into the new apartment, ha ha. This apartment is nicer than the last one though---less mold, and more spacious. :)

So, my new mailing address is:

200 Timbercreek Dr #910

Richwood, TX  77531

We're doing a lot of work in this area. It seems like prepared people are just falling into our laps. We teach a lot here, which is really nice. I'm happy. Still hoping the visa comes before it gets really hot, though.

 

 

Some answers to your questions: Yes, our investigator Rick made it to church yesterday. Not at 9:00 am, when he was supposed to come, but to the later ward's services. He'll be getting baptized this Saturday.  We're almost to the point of baptizing weekly.

 

We have a car (thankfully). No need for bikes! 

Please let Grandad know I got his email!  I'll respond when I can (this goes for everyone else who emails me). It takes me a while to get back to everyone.

Is Danielle going to the Provo MTC then, if she doesn't have her Mexican visa yet? Tell her the high school Spanish I took does help. The gift of tongues helps even more though, ha ha! [His cousin Danielle is leaving for a mission to Mexico City soon.]

Glad to hear Grandma is doing better! Sounds like you all had an awesome weekend! I was with you in spirit! :)

I found time to make Catriel a birthday card; I sent it off today. I don't know how long it takes the mail to get there.

I have a few pictures to send to you, so I'll do that now.

 

A lighter moment in Texas

Love you Mom! Thanks for your love and prayers! You and everyone else back home are in mine.

Talk to you next week!

Elder Duffin

A New Hope (for a Brazilian Visa)

Hey Mom & Dad!

So this week has been pretty good. I got transferred to this new area officially (the one I was telling you about last week). I'm happy about that because there are a lot of people we're teaching and one of them is going to get baptized next weekend.  My new companion is named Elder Rogers; we get along great. 

The only bad part is that the apartment bathroom is literally being eaten away by mold---to which I am very allergic. As a result, I don't get much sleep at night. :P

 

 

BUT, next week we are moving into a different apartment! 

*Cue the hallelujah chorus* 

 

 

Soooo, next week I will know what mailing address to give you.

Yesterday was Easter and we were expecting our main investigator, Rick, to come to church. (Investigators need to come to church at least twice before baptism and he'd already come once.) He did not show up, however. So after Sacrament meeting, we drove over to his apartment, so we could get him to come to the next ward's services. His car was there, so we knocked on his door, but no one answered. We waited outside his apartment for an hour, knocking on the door every now and then. 

 

 

Finally, I got fed up and started knocking continuously until someone opened the door. While I was knocking, we heard this: 

"BLAEH!  Who's there?! I'm coming!"

A bleary-eyed Rick opened the door. We discovered that he had been getting ready to go to church that morning, but when he got out of the shower and sat on his bed, he fell back asleep. :P He was very embarrassed and apologized. He'll be going to church this coming weekend, though.

I had a weird feeling all week that he wasn't going to get baptized this weekend. Now I know why! haha.  That's basically all that happened on Easter Sunday.

 

I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing fine up there! I can't believe Catriel is going to be 17! I should have a card sent to her by her birthday. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Catriel at almost-17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McCleve got his visa to Brazil, which means mine should be coming very soon. [Note from Shari: Elder McCleve is also from Washington, went into the MTC with Ben-Daniel on the same day, is also called to the Florianopolis mission in Brazil, and was temporarily assigned to Houston South as well; he submitted his visa application at the same time BD did---which is why BD thinks this is a good sign for his own visa coming in soon.] McCleve checked the status of my application and he said it was listed as "received." I'm very excited! :)  

I'm going to the temple this Thursday; I want to do that before the visa comes. It'll be one of the last times I can go to the temple on my mission.  I'm really shocked at how fast time goes by out here. It doesn't seem like eight months have gone by. 

 

I have learned a lot from being down here in Texas. I can see how the Lord is shaping me into what He wants me to be.

Love you Mom & Dad! Thanks for all your love and support and for writing me every week! Looking forward to talking to you on Mothers Day!

Love,

Elder Duffin

A Sudden Change of locale, Baptisms & More

Hey Mom!

Well, the past week has been interesting. I haven't been in Lake Jackson all week; I've been on an extended exchange in another Elder's area, and will probably just get transferred here early. (He and his companion have been having issues so they swapped me over here to give them each some air.) I won't find out until later today (hopefully) if I'm getting transfered here permanently or not, so my mailing address might change. I'd advise not sending anything until I get a chance to tell you where I am, next week.  :P

On the bright side, I've been able to teach a lot more people in this area than in my own. :)  We baptized a woman I've taught three times before (on past exchanges) last Saturday, and we have another guy getting ready to be baptized before the end of the month. I've been getting along well with Elder Rogers, too.

 

With our new convert, Nina

I did get the package, thank you! :) I appreciate it. The popcorn chocolate was interesting, haha. Where did you find that? I thought the note was funny too. I have a vague memory of when we wrote that. 

 

Bowling on P-day

 

Yes, I have been sketching; during church meetings mostly ;P haha. I'll send a few pics to you.

 

 Sorry to hear about Grandad's thumb injury! I can imagine he's frustrated. I'll send him an email. I've been wanting to write to him and other people, too, but every P-day I run out of time :( 

 

Tell Grandma and Grandpa I'm thinking about them and they're in my prayers! You'll have to see if there's any way we can get them hooked up to Facetime when I video-chat you guys on Mother's Day; that would be nice if we could do a three way chat.  You guys told them that I got their package, right? 

We're going to have a mission conference in the Houston temple coming up here pretty quick; makes me miss my conversations with Grandpa. I'm excited for it, though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weird little caterpillars they have down here

  And yes, I saw an alligator a few weeks ago. It was a tiny one, not much bigger than Hogan. I thought about trying to touch it, but I figured life would be much easier if I retained all my fingers. ;P haha

Looking forward to talking to y'all on Mother's Day too! :)

Talk to you next week,

Elder Duffin

I thought you'd like these flowers, Mom

Thoughts on Conference, reports on shoes & socks, and a few brief messages for friends

Hey Mom!

I watched this conference in the chapel with everyone else. I hate how the pews don't let you lean back. I had to sit in a really awkward position the whole time to be comfortable, lol.

 

I really liked conference. When Elder Packer said that he's seen and spoken to Christ, it reminded me of a story I've heard from some other missionaries, of this missionary who refused to shave or get his hair cut, and when Elder Packer came to his mission and saw him, he asked him why he wasn't doing that. The missionary replied that "Jesus has a beard and long hair." Elder Packer then said, "Not the last time I saw Him."

Don't know if that's a true story, but it's funny. But he's said that he's seen Him, so in any case he knows what he looks like!

We're going to the Temple sometime this month, so I'm looking forward to that. I think we're also having a zone conference with our mission president in the temple this month.

 

Portuguese is coming to me easily; I think I'll be able to pick up the language quickly once I get to Brazil. I went on exchanges with a Spanish speaking missionary a few days ago. He taught a lesson to someone who only speaks Spanish, and the whole time I understood everything said by him and the investigator.

This is my mailing address for the apartment complex:

110 Lake Rd #907 

Lake Jackson, TX 77566

We check the mail every day so it doesn't matter what day you send packages :) Thank you! I've missed pie. And contacts.  In answer to your question, my socks and shoes are holding up great. I LOVE the socks; they are the best socks ever. 

 

 

I took a few pictures of myself, so you can have more pictures of me. I'm trying to remember to do that more. I'll send them to you :) 

Dad---be safe on your trip to Grant's Pass! Send Grandma and Grandpa my love and tell them thanks for the package! I received it a few days ago; I have a picture.

 

Tell Grandma and Grandpa thank you for the cookies! I ate them between conference sessions,

This is my companion, Elder Jensen

 

Braden Willits is HOME???  Well, tell him to email me! I'd like to talk to him! 

Please send Courtney my congrats and good wishes! :) I can't believe one of my friends is getting married already! Crazy. I wonder how many more of them will get hitched before I get back?    (My bet is Braden Willits---ha ha)

Love you Mom! Thanks for all you do for me!

I'm looking forward to talking to you and everyone on Mothers Day! 

Talk to you soon,

Elder Duffin