Zharia was baptized!!!

Hi Mom!

This week was so awesome! So at the start we had a normal fun pday. Then we had good district meetings. After the district meetings i went on an exchange with the zone leaders. That was way way fun. They cover the singles branch so their area is our whole zone hahaha. But we went to a lesson right after meetings. It was pretty fun it was this girl and her family that the zone leaders have been trying to set up an appointment but they always fall through. This time they were all there and the lesson went great. So elder White was really happy (the zl that i went on the exchange with). Then we had lunch. Next we went to Mary Washington University to do some street contacting. That was really fun. If you get the chance look up that university its way cool. Old fashion column brick buildings everywhere. While we were talking with the first couple of people and it began to rain. No big deal, so it was fun walking around and talking with people in the rain. We got a lot of potentials so that also made elder white really happy hahaha. After that we went to more lessons at the church and at a girls appartment. We had dinner with the Spotsylvania elders at these definition of rednecks house. It was so much fun!!! They were watching cops and just talking about trucks and tazing people the whole time. It was hysterical! Then as we got up to leave Bert (the dad) was like hold on guys i didnt show you my stage guns yet. So he brings out all these prop guns that appartenly were used on movie sets hahaha. I LOVE THE SOUTH! It was a way fun dinner. They have a really autistic son and the wife has a really autistic brother that lives with them. They both were showing us their rooms and were so excited to see us and it was just a great experience and i had had this like immediate huge ammount of love for them. It was a just a legit dinner.

So tuesday was just a great day.  We did the normal service for Mrs Kelsy and that was way fun. We got our lemonade and cookies again and sat and talked for like 30 minutes. She is so awesome! And she came to church again. Everyone was introducing themselves to her and she knew like everything about where they lived and their neighbors because she has lived her for so long she knows eveyone and eveything about this town hahaha. Major cool thing! The nurse at the oncology clinic that i siad she is reading the book of mormon and has watched conference and everything is on date for baptism for August 11th!!!!! She just walks right up to me when i first got there and was like guess what im being baptized. I and i was like no way!! Man that was soo cool to here and i get to go to the baptism so i sooo happy about that and ill get to talk with her my whole mission when i get my medicine to see how shes doing. I was so happy to hear that. Then we helped a lady from our ward move some stuff to a storage container. 

Best news of all...on saturday Zharia was baptized!!!! The sevice went soooo well and then on Sunday I confirmed her. That was a really really cool experience. Talk about just opening your mouth and he'll put words in your mouth to say. I also spoke in church and we sang with the choir so i like broke a sweat in sacrament  meeting hahaha. So saturday and sunday were so awesome. Unfortunatley Aaron and Jessica cancled this week but its all good theres always next week. That was  the really eventfull stuff that happened this week. It was just another great busy crazy week.  Its crazy, July is already done!!!  Well everything is awesome out here in Culpeper!

 

Love

Elder Powell

 

Gotta love the south!

Hey Mom!

So this week was crazy busy and i loved it!!! The biggest news is Zharia is still on date for this saturday!!!!! Her hearing got pushed back until the 8th of August so she can still be baptized. So her and her grandma came to church with 2 friends. So at church she decided who she wants to give talks and she wants Ayala to baptize and me to confirm. Im a little nervous about that hahaha. Im nervous enough about giving a blessing let alone in front of our whole ward hahaha. O well its not about me its about the fact that she is joining gods kingdom!! So i will have legit baptism pics next week!!!!! (hopefully lol).

Then Aaron and his wife Jessica are seriously contemplating getting married so they can get baptized. We see them again this week on friday in which we already have a member coming with us so at this lesson is when they are going to tell us what they decided. Aaron really reallly wants to get baptized so we pray that they will make the desicion that is best for them. 

Mrs Kelsey is doing awesome. We had a lesson with her and a sister from the ward who is basically our grandma. She feeds us everytime we dont have a meal and loves coming with us to teach Mrs Kelsey. She said that after we left the lesson they sat and talked for another hour and ate brownies and lemonade hahaha. So The fellowshiping in the ward is really picking up and its just way awesome!!! Sister Suche was speaking in church this sunday so she told Mrs Kelsey she needed her there for support and she came!!!! She sat inbetween Elder Ayala and I.

Then the Craigheads fed us huge steaks again. We went over to help them dig up potatoes and they were like are you eating anywhere and we were like no and they were like well your eating here and they fixed us new york strips, fried potatoes and onions and peppers, and a huge pan a baked beans! Every time were over there we joke around and tell them that missionaries aren't supposed to eat that well hahaha. Wiley is not preogressing tho. He loves the church but to put it simply does not believe in Joseph Smith and is really really stubborn so everything is great at the Craigheads until we have the lesson and he just is really stubborn but we love them so well see where that goes.We were all over the place this week but it was way fun. 

A former investigator and one that canceled the appointment we had this week both showed up to church so church was crazy. we were trying to talk to all 6 of them while trying to get the information from Zharia on who she wanted to do what while other people are trying to talk with us. I learned tho that when i'm crazy busy at church i feel like an appreciation for church and my mission. Its wierd, but its the second time i have had a really busy fast sunday and it was just amazing! We had dinner with a family last night that had us celebrate their sons 5th birthday with them and that was way awesome. We had lamb for dinner. It was way good! Elder Ayala was joking and asked how he got the lamb and the dad was like you really want to know and we both looked at each other and were like Heck Ya! So that was an awesome dinner story hahahha. Gotta love the south! I gave the 2 little boys the disney keychains and the son thats about to be a deacon a hat. they loved them! They actually used to live in newport beach so they aknow all about Placentia and love Disneyland and visit all the time. The dumb news of the week is Chris was in the hospital twice this week. Once on like Monday night. We sat in the emergency room all night with him because he called us and said he needed us so we read form the book of mormon and gave him a huge, as you say "come to jesus", and the nurses and doctors did too because he keeps coming in with  pain that is do to his drug and alcohol abuse. then he called us yesterday and he was back in another hospital. So we laid down the law and were like Chris quit being stupid. So that's Chris right now. Other than that it was a crazy fun really fast reallly busy week!!!!!

 

Love ya

Elder Powell

We were in HEAVEN!!

Hi Mom,

Man this week was fun. Nothing really interesting happened, no angel appeared in a lesson, and i didnt get a gun pulled on me like my crazy sister, BUT this week was still way fun.

Elder Ayala and i just find all the really fun things to do for missionary work. Like the whole RHS (Random House Searching)where you get your self lost and just tract the nearest house and its pretty fun. The first house we did that at the lady was cooking out so we could smell alll the food and that ,made us really hungry but what she said was really funny. She was holding a beer and she asked if mormons drink and when we said no she raised the beer and said "SOUTHERN BAPTIST FOR LIFE" and we just laughed. We have been helping Chris out a lot. He just got released from the hospital and so we visit him at his house like every other day. He making big steps. He is quiting all his bad habbits and we told him to just call us when he feels the urges to drink or smoke so he does and we talk for a while. He is waiting on something and he said that if it happens that he will get baptized so we are just trying to help him out. He loves the Book Of Mormon. He finds it confusing though so we always explain a lot of stuff but he still loves it. We told him that when it says "Behold" its like "check it out" and when its "yea" it means like "look" so when he reads he says all that and its another one of those fun things you can do to make reading the scriptures more fun. Chris is so awesome so we love spending time with him.

Unfortunately, Aaron and Zharia both fell off date but its all good :) we have an appointment with Aaron today so were gonna see whats going on there. We met with Zharia a lot but she hasent been coming to church so thats why she fell off. There is this awesome part member family named the Craigheads that we saw on saturday. They love the missionaries and the husband Wiley is not a member and is really stubborn during the lessons but he is hysterical and we love them both so much. When Elder Ayala told him his name, Wiley was like :your part of the Talibon and we were like what? and he was like the Talibon you know where the war is going on and we were like o you mean Taliban and he was like ya the Talibon and we were just laughing but they call elder Ayala ole yeller hahaha. They struggle with pernouncing his name hahaha. We had an awesome dinner at there house. they made us both our own huge rib eye steak and then grilled squash and boiled potatoes from their garden. We were in HEAVEN it was so delicous hahaha. SO i took a pic of the meal hahaha. We have a zone conference this week so we are all excited to hear more from Pres Riggs, He is hysterical. He cracks a ton of jokes and is just way down to earth. So were just loving the mish right now!  love you lots mom!

Love Elder Powell

We got to meet President Riggs!!

Hey Mom!

Well this week was really crazy. Later on monday we finally got power after like everyone else. Then on tuesday we had to drive up to fairfax to give someone who was in critical condition a blessing. We tried calling the elders in that area and they werent answering so we had to leave to give the blessing because he was in critical condition. So we drove about an hour and a half and when we finally got there visiting hours werent until 830 pm and we were there at 730 pm. So we ate at the cafeteria and sat around and went back. Then this whole procedure was going on so we had to wait until 9. Finally we were able to go in and when we were done it was 930. Then as we were walking outside a huge storm hit Fairfax and it was going to be heading directley south (where we needed to go). So we went to ashburn and stayed with the elders in my comps last area. Then in the morning (the 4th) we went home.  As soon as we got home we changed and went to Mrs Kelsey's and helped her with her yard. The storm blew a ton of stuff all over her yard so after that we had lunch at mom and dads (doug and karens). Once again we could barley walk afterwards, hahaha. Then we saw some other la's then at 830 we went to  Mrs. Kelsey's and watched fireworks and had dinner with her family. They were all really nice to us and were very thankfull for all we have done for her. Thats always like the best feeling of missionary work. Just to see people appreciating what we do for them. 

Finally on Thursday we got to meet Pres Riggs! That was fun. He is extemley nice and his whole family is too. He kept telling us to not judge him for his flaws and he wouldnt judge us for ours, hahaha. Then we had pizza afterwards and that was good lol. But i got to see all my friends from the other zone and areas so thats always the best part of these huge confrences hahaha. On friday we helped Brother Haught again with his farm. He's like the coolest old man ever. He is 92 and is still mobile and we love to go over and help him. Saturday was a normal day and then sunday was good also. No one has fallen off date for baptism so were just continuing the work and loving the area!  Have a great week Mom and remember I love you!!

 

Love Elder Powell

Everything is just way great!

Hi Mom!
So basically life is amazing right now. My new companion is Elder Ayala he is from San Diego California. We share EVERYTHING in common! He is originally from the state of Washington but moved to Cali like 3 years before his mish. Hes ridiculously good at basketball and has a scholarship to San Diego State. Everything is just way great. As far as the new mission pres. I have no idea what he is like. We have another 4 zone mission conference this week so that's when he is going to introduce himself to us and all that good stuff so until then you know just as much about him as me hahaha. 

So here is the trial that has been going on this week and looks like its going to last for most of this week. So the temperature has been 105 but due to humidity the heat index reads 115. That's not what the problem is. The problem is that they had the worst storm they have had in years and in north Virginia there's a lot of places that do not have power. Most people got there's back the next day (Saturday) then a lot more people got power back on Sunday. Guess who are the few people that don't and wont until after the 4th. Yup us :) so every night we make a 45 minute drive to Spotsylvania just to be able to have somewhere to sleep that has air conditioning because at night it is still in the 90's outside and hotter in the house. We walk in and are automatically sweating at night when we grab our stuff to head out. Like its just terribly hot inside our condo. All the apartments in our complex have power but the condos dont have any power yet. So i have no idea how much longer this is going to take but at church they said some places wont get power till after the 4th. On Friday the Ap's sent us a text saying plan during the day so you dont have to work out in that heat. But it makes no difference for us hahaha. So ya that's whats going on now. All of our food in the house that's in the fridge is all spoiled. Which is like all the food i bought last pday hahaha. But Elder Ayala and I don't care cuz we have a care and that's just life you know? So we just joke around and try to laugh about the whole situation. 

We were able to meet with a man named Aaron who was a referral from the Warrenton elders. He is now on date. There are two big things he has to do. Get married and quit his drinking. But the good part is he says the alcohol is a social thing and that it wouldn't be hard to quit. Also he said that him and his girlfriend have been living together for like 7 years and always talk about marriage  anyways and when we told him that our bishop can marry people, and how relief society would go crazy if they got to plan a reception so said he would bring it up to his girlfriend and says that it is something he would like to do but of course has to talk with her first and he really wants to be baptized so that's the really cool potential situation we have. Also Zaria is back on date. She finds out from the court soon what the status is on her situation. So we just put her back on date and are still teaching her and we will see were that goes.

Other than that its hot, we have no power...but were still doing our best, hahaha.

Love Elder Powell