Well hello fam!!
How the heck is everyone? Thanks for all the letters and the emails this week and the package you sent me was the bomb!!! Things here in Vegas are pretty awesome. We are working hard and having some pretty sick experiences with investigators and also with people we come in contact with. I am enjoying my new role as the senior companion but have a completely new respect for Elder Cunningham. Now that he is gone I am beginning to realize how close we really were. I honestly would consider him as close to me as Regg and Cole were. He was my best friend here. So I will say a bit of loneliness has set in, but like he would say "with leadership comes loneliness." It is tough being the senior companion, but it is good. My new companion, Elder Wanner, is from Seattle and is pretty cool. He is like a weight lifter or something. haha A body builder I guess you could say? He is good. It is different from what Elder Cunningham and I had, but it is good to put me in uncomfortable situations.
I have some huge shoes to fill. Elder Cunningham was a total stud and I now see how great of an impact trainers have on the new missionaries. It is kind of scary for me to think that I might be that big of an impact on Elder Wanner. I remember how scared I was and how hard it was to make the transition into the mission field. Now I am making the transition of a new companion and training. It is tough - I wont lie. D&C 121 is like my life. But things are going good for us and we are having some really good success.
As for this week, though, we were able to have a sweet mission party with the whole entire mission. It was crazy, but so good! I have some videos for you when I send home my SD card this week that you have to watch!! So much fun! I will say that I love the mission even though there have been nights the last week that I have spent feeling pretty down. I am learning each and everyday. I have to learn what I am as a missionary and I have to learn it real quick. It is going much better and I can feel and see the Spirit working in me everyday. It is awesome! I am able to answer more and more questions that people have - even to things I haven't studied! It's just nuts how the Lord works.
As for Conn getting put in the Stake Presidency - what a STUD!! Hopefully he sees that.
We have had some really amazing experiences here in the last week. On Monday, the day I said goodbye to Elder Cunningham, we had had some really good stuff set up for Elder Wanner to have a cool first day experience... Well, of course everything had to fall through. But Then I thought, ok let's go see Mark and Jerri. That was the family that had asked us to come and leave a blessing on their home. I am not sure I told you about that, but if you need more info, Mom, ask Wes. Kinda creepy experience, but super good. But anywho, we went over there and saw them and actually were able to have another lesson and we committed them to baptism on Dec 8. They told us they believed the Book of Mormon and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet!! Super good for Elder Wanner to have that experience and to see what missionary work is all about!!
Then as the week has gone by, we had a lesson with Sabrina. She had thought that maybe she had had a miscarriage. So she went to the Doc and when she got to the doctor he told her that the baby had died in the tube and that she would need surgery the next day. Well, she called and gave us the sad news and asked if we could come over and give her a blessing. When we went over I had the opportunity to give her that blessing. That was really neat for me because of how close Elder Cunningham and I got to her. Well, the next morning they went to have the surgery and when the doctors started doing the surgery they found out the baby was fine and that she is just pregnant!! How crazy! I can't even believe the miracles that happen every single day while out here in the field. And Elder Wanner was super pumped about that, so that was really good for him:)
I am super glad that you all had fun in Disneyland and hopefully this week I will get some pics!! I am going to send you my SD card and if you could print some of the better pics off and send them back that would be great because I can't get them to print here. That stinks because they have video and I would need to get online to make it work so hopefully you can figure it out:) And maybe an extra copy or two so I can send to Cole and Kelton. They seem to be doing awesome. We write each other about once a month and we are all doing great! Cole seems to have his ups and downs as well as Kelton and me also!! But welcome to mission life right?
I am really beginning to make connections with this ward and I can already tell that it will be tough to leave. I am just going to work dang hard and hopefully we can see some major success!! Thanks for all the many prayers. I have really began to feel them this week as I have been faced with trials, but I know that God hears and answers us all. My testimony has grown a hundred times stronger in these last few months. I cant even imagine what life would be like outside of Las Vegas. I know what everyone means now when they talk about being lost in the work. It is hard to remember what everything else was like! I am sure Elder Cunningham can explain better in his talk, but Vegas is so awesome and I really am enjoying it!! Keep working hard and play some for me, too!!! We have another zone activity where we are going to be playing the Las Vegas zone, so domination is about to happen again!! haha
I love you all and can't wait to hear from you this week! Thanks for all the letters and sorry I am so bad at writing. We are just so busy on P-days! Oh, and Bishop Stephens wrote me - Malyssa is getting MARRIED?????!!!!!! What the heck? That is so cool and I am happy for her. Just crazy that everyone is changing so dang much. Hopefully I get a wedding announcement from them and let me know who the guy is. And tell grandma and grandpa thanks for all of their letters. I do get them and I love reading them. I just get so busy on P-days. Sorry!! I will be better, hopefully. I'll talk to you all soon!!
Love
Elder Crapo
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
10/29/12
Dear Family,
Well, I'm not going to lie. I'm going to beat the Rodericks! Ya'll were like 10 minutes from me!! But it is good to see that you are so close and at least your safe! And Mataia- that's my girl!! That is sick that you got second at state! I wish we would have been good enough to even get there! Have fun at Disneyland you guys! That is so dang crazy! I hope you enjoy the nice weather because it sounds like you're getting snow... I am jealous as heck right now! I miss winter! haha
As for this week, I am not going to lie- it has been a week of ups and downs. Getting Elder Cunningham ready to leave has probably been one of the hardest things so far on the mission. I am going to really miss him. He became like a brother to me, and it is so hard that it is the end of the rope for him and I am only at the beginning. But I think the Lord is trying the get all of the "trunky" out of me now or something. It has just been rough because he is so stoked to go home and I am here. But what do you do, right?! All in all the time has come for the change and I am going to really miss him. I really love the kid! Thanks so much for the package, mom. It helped us both out and we were pumped to see it. Our day today is going to be kind of crazy. Basically, he is going to be saying goodbye to most of the families in our ward, which will be sad for him but super exciting.
I guess I had better get to the news of the new companion right? I am not sure if Weston let the news leak, but I got called to train... Talk about overwhelming! I am really feeling the pressure today and the Lord will be receiving double the prayers over the next couple of days. I am scared, but excited to take on this new adventure! Hopefully I can be as good a trainer as Elder Cunningham was to me and I can help this new Elder make the transition into the field from the MTC. I will get him tonight at 5, so you won't know who he is until next week. But there is another side to all of this- since they have been doing this new 12 week program to train, I will be staying in my area for another 12 weeks - unless something crazy happens! So I will be there until January. That is really good because the ward is becoming like my family, so I am really grateful for that! Just in case- hopefully, you all will remember me in your prayers because I am quite nervous!!
Halloween quickly approaches and there is an upside to having 2 wards... 2 Halloween parties! And we have one with our mission on Wednesday. So this week is going to fly by! My new companion and I are going to hit the ground running and hopefully we can get Sabrina recommitted and get her baptized. We are having some real struggles with her, but soon we will be able to get it done! Also hopefully the kids of one of our investigator families will be able to get their dads' permission and then they will be baptized. We also have another investigator that we kind of half taught and I will be able to attend his baptism. So it is going to be sick! I am way excited for the next couple of months!
Since I know how close Hali was to me I'll make it worse for her:) When you see all of the billboards for the Southern Highlands Golf course on the right hand side of the free way if your headed south - that is the Golf Course we live in. And literally we are only about a mile from there!! But, hey we have some really good stories right? Oh and the M casino is like 10 minutes from us. Yeah, just crazy to think that you were that close!!
I hope that the PMA goes well. Tell everyone that I say hi!! Tell George and Linda and Jill and everyone from Horton Fruit hello as well. I do remember them. And if Buzz is there, ask him for his address. I would love to send him a letter! I hope you are all having lots of fun without me! I am here in my temporary home - Las Vegas! Living the dream and enjoying everyday! The mission is great and has made me who I am today. I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love you all and wish you the best. Oh, and Elder Cunningham should be getting a hold of you in the next couple of days. Hopefully you can hit up his farewell. I believe that it is on the 10th or something like that! I love you all! Have fun!!!
Love,
Elder Crapo
Well, I'm not going to lie. I'm going to beat the Rodericks! Ya'll were like 10 minutes from me!! But it is good to see that you are so close and at least your safe! And Mataia- that's my girl!! That is sick that you got second at state! I wish we would have been good enough to even get there! Have fun at Disneyland you guys! That is so dang crazy! I hope you enjoy the nice weather because it sounds like you're getting snow... I am jealous as heck right now! I miss winter! haha
As for this week, I am not going to lie- it has been a week of ups and downs. Getting Elder Cunningham ready to leave has probably been one of the hardest things so far on the mission. I am going to really miss him. He became like a brother to me, and it is so hard that it is the end of the rope for him and I am only at the beginning. But I think the Lord is trying the get all of the "trunky" out of me now or something. It has just been rough because he is so stoked to go home and I am here. But what do you do, right?! All in all the time has come for the change and I am going to really miss him. I really love the kid! Thanks so much for the package, mom. It helped us both out and we were pumped to see it. Our day today is going to be kind of crazy. Basically, he is going to be saying goodbye to most of the families in our ward, which will be sad for him but super exciting.
I guess I had better get to the news of the new companion right? I am not sure if Weston let the news leak, but I got called to train... Talk about overwhelming! I am really feeling the pressure today and the Lord will be receiving double the prayers over the next couple of days. I am scared, but excited to take on this new adventure! Hopefully I can be as good a trainer as Elder Cunningham was to me and I can help this new Elder make the transition into the field from the MTC. I will get him tonight at 5, so you won't know who he is until next week. But there is another side to all of this- since they have been doing this new 12 week program to train, I will be staying in my area for another 12 weeks - unless something crazy happens! So I will be there until January. That is really good because the ward is becoming like my family, so I am really grateful for that! Just in case- hopefully, you all will remember me in your prayers because I am quite nervous!!
Halloween quickly approaches and there is an upside to having 2 wards... 2 Halloween parties! And we have one with our mission on Wednesday. So this week is going to fly by! My new companion and I are going to hit the ground running and hopefully we can get Sabrina recommitted and get her baptized. We are having some real struggles with her, but soon we will be able to get it done! Also hopefully the kids of one of our investigator families will be able to get their dads' permission and then they will be baptized. We also have another investigator that we kind of half taught and I will be able to attend his baptism. So it is going to be sick! I am way excited for the next couple of months!
Since I know how close Hali was to me I'll make it worse for her:) When you see all of the billboards for the Southern Highlands Golf course on the right hand side of the free way if your headed south - that is the Golf Course we live in. And literally we are only about a mile from there!! But, hey we have some really good stories right? Oh and the M casino is like 10 minutes from us. Yeah, just crazy to think that you were that close!!
I hope that the PMA goes well. Tell everyone that I say hi!! Tell George and Linda and Jill and everyone from Horton Fruit hello as well. I do remember them. And if Buzz is there, ask him for his address. I would love to send him a letter! I hope you are all having lots of fun without me! I am here in my temporary home - Las Vegas! Living the dream and enjoying everyday! The mission is great and has made me who I am today. I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love you all and wish you the best. Oh, and Elder Cunningham should be getting a hold of you in the next couple of days. Hopefully you can hit up his farewell. I believe that it is on the 10th or something like that! I love you all! Have fun!!!
Love,
Elder Crapo
10/22/12
Hey Griswalds!!!
Dang, everyone is headed to Disneyland without me?! What a shame!!:) Haha I love you all! If you drive to Disneyland you will be about, oh 100 yards from some of our investigators. I can see, hear, and smell the freeway from the Critchlows' home. Also I see advertisements for the PBR and I think Conn said he was coming down to it? Maybe I am wrong, but I hear it is at the South Point Casino and that is seriously like 2 miles from where we live. So that has been fun to tell people my family is all really close these next couple of weeks and I won't even see you! But hey, it's all good. We are really enjoying it here and having a good time.
Yesterday Elder Cunningham and I spoke in church and that was way fun. It is amazing how much more comfortable I am speaking here then I was at home. I talked about member missionaries and how with the rising number of missionaries the members really need to step it up. Dad you would have been proud- I talked about cows the whole time! I promise it tied into what I tried to teach. And hopefully it will make people think about sharing the gospel when the occasion arises. I know you all are doing great with the Book of Mormon marking system. We are doing awesome and seeing some serious blessings from it! But you don't need to underline each verse, just circle the number that it says. That way they know which verses to read. We have given away over 30 of them in the last 3 or four weeks. It has been going crazy!! I don't want to say that the work is booming, because that would be a lie. But it is definitely picking up, I guess you could say.
We had interviews this last week and things look really good for the next transfer. I love President Black and Sister Black. Surprisingly, he reminds me of Dad a ton. Super inspired man! He talked to me about a few opportunities that might be coming my way and they sounded a little scary, but definitely some real room to grow!!! We will see what transfers end up bringing! But he did pretty much tell me that I will be staying in the same area, which I figured I would. That makes me happy because I am beginning to really love the people. The members here are becoming like family-especially the Mitchell family. They are working toward the temple. We meet with them every Sunday and that is way way fun! Oh and Mom, before I forget I need you to send me my cacky shorts- the ones that I would normally golf in? Do you know what I am talking about? Ask Weston and Coy if you have any questions. I need them because next P-day Brother Mitchell is going to take us Golfing!!!! Heck yeah! We are pretty pumped! We just hope that he can get work off. They are way awesome and I hope that they can make it to the temple while I am here so that I can make it over there with them to see that take place! The Finau's are also awesome, but they are going to Utah this next week to go see family and Brother Finau will do his Dialysis there for a few days. I can't believe how happy he is! He has been on dialysis for 11 years and you would never even guess it! He is so awesome!
Thanks so much for the coat mom. I love you! It really is starting to cool off here, I know that compared to home it is hotter than heck but you have to remember I am getting acclimatized! I am starting to get really cold when it is like 67 outside. It is bad! It is crazy that Elder Cunningham is going to be going home this next week, but I guess that has to happen to us all. It might be kind of tough to get a new companion because we have grown so close together. But it will be cool to see that part of the mission when he goes home and when I make the next step to having the new companion. As Halloween is coming around the corner the wards are planning the big parties and our mission has a party also, so that is going to be dang fun! And we already have a place to go for Thanksgiving and Christmas! The members are like calling dibs on us! It is awesome! But I think the Mitchels' are going to win the battle for Christmas because they said they wanted us to come and see James' collection of Jordan shoes. He gets like ten pairs every year! Cool, cool people!
We have had some real struggles with one of our investigators these past couple weeks and it is beginning to scare me. We have pushed back her baptism date twice. As of right now, she is going to be baptized on Saturday at 6:30. Elder Cunningham is such a great teacher he totally dominated all her concerns. It was really fun. The crazy thing about all of this is I am beginning to feel the Spirit in a completely different way. In such a way that I haven't ever felt it before. It is nuts! But so fun to be able to be here and do as the Lord wants. He really has His hands in EVERYTHING and I am nothing - like it says in the scriptures, we are the dust. We are nothing, but yet He can use us for so much good and it is great to experience that each and everyday.
This is for all the little boys... I got to go on exchanges this last week and I think they will be excited to know it was with a BYU football wide reciever! And no, Foster, he wasn't on the roster last year because he red shirted. But he did get to dress down for the Bowl game. He is super cool and his name is Elder Jones. He is a total stud and speaks Spanish. Super fun guy to be around. We weren't able to do too many cool things, but we did come in contact with some people and gave a Book of Mormon away! I hope you are all reading from the Book of Mormon each and every day. There is so much about that Book that I love and it really does change lives. As you can all hopefully tell it has completely changed me. I am finding that I need to lose myself in the work more, and think less about what is going on at home. It is dang tough with Elder Cunningham leaving in a week, but it is possible and I really do love being here. I can't imagine what it would be like to go home. It is like you get lost in another reality while you are here. But it is way fun to be able to just devote all your time and talents to the Lord! I hope all the girls are thinking about missions now that the age is changed!!! I know all the missionaries want RM girls now. That is like the new word on the street!
I won't really know when Elder Cunningham's Homecoming is so you'll have to get in contact with his mom. You all have his number right? He is super awesome. I hope you can go. You have to meet him. I am going to write President Black now and then go play some Basketball with the District! Oh, and we are going to go to Deseret Book, so if I see something cool, or that might be useful I am probably going to get it.
I love you all so much. I did get my voting stuff and I have already voted and will be sending it back today. I am not really sure what I should be voting for on the propositions so I made an uneducated decision haha. I love you all and keep me posted on how things go in California! Have fun down there I love you all!
Love,
Elder Crapo
Dang, everyone is headed to Disneyland without me?! What a shame!!:) Haha I love you all! If you drive to Disneyland you will be about, oh 100 yards from some of our investigators. I can see, hear, and smell the freeway from the Critchlows' home. Also I see advertisements for the PBR and I think Conn said he was coming down to it? Maybe I am wrong, but I hear it is at the South Point Casino and that is seriously like 2 miles from where we live. So that has been fun to tell people my family is all really close these next couple of weeks and I won't even see you! But hey, it's all good. We are really enjoying it here and having a good time.
Yesterday Elder Cunningham and I spoke in church and that was way fun. It is amazing how much more comfortable I am speaking here then I was at home. I talked about member missionaries and how with the rising number of missionaries the members really need to step it up. Dad you would have been proud- I talked about cows the whole time! I promise it tied into what I tried to teach. And hopefully it will make people think about sharing the gospel when the occasion arises. I know you all are doing great with the Book of Mormon marking system. We are doing awesome and seeing some serious blessings from it! But you don't need to underline each verse, just circle the number that it says. That way they know which verses to read. We have given away over 30 of them in the last 3 or four weeks. It has been going crazy!! I don't want to say that the work is booming, because that would be a lie. But it is definitely picking up, I guess you could say.
We had interviews this last week and things look really good for the next transfer. I love President Black and Sister Black. Surprisingly, he reminds me of Dad a ton. Super inspired man! He talked to me about a few opportunities that might be coming my way and they sounded a little scary, but definitely some real room to grow!!! We will see what transfers end up bringing! But he did pretty much tell me that I will be staying in the same area, which I figured I would. That makes me happy because I am beginning to really love the people. The members here are becoming like family-especially the Mitchell family. They are working toward the temple. We meet with them every Sunday and that is way way fun! Oh and Mom, before I forget I need you to send me my cacky shorts- the ones that I would normally golf in? Do you know what I am talking about? Ask Weston and Coy if you have any questions. I need them because next P-day Brother Mitchell is going to take us Golfing!!!! Heck yeah! We are pretty pumped! We just hope that he can get work off. They are way awesome and I hope that they can make it to the temple while I am here so that I can make it over there with them to see that take place! The Finau's are also awesome, but they are going to Utah this next week to go see family and Brother Finau will do his Dialysis there for a few days. I can't believe how happy he is! He has been on dialysis for 11 years and you would never even guess it! He is so awesome!
Thanks so much for the coat mom. I love you! It really is starting to cool off here, I know that compared to home it is hotter than heck but you have to remember I am getting acclimatized! I am starting to get really cold when it is like 67 outside. It is bad! It is crazy that Elder Cunningham is going to be going home this next week, but I guess that has to happen to us all. It might be kind of tough to get a new companion because we have grown so close together. But it will be cool to see that part of the mission when he goes home and when I make the next step to having the new companion. As Halloween is coming around the corner the wards are planning the big parties and our mission has a party also, so that is going to be dang fun! And we already have a place to go for Thanksgiving and Christmas! The members are like calling dibs on us! It is awesome! But I think the Mitchels' are going to win the battle for Christmas because they said they wanted us to come and see James' collection of Jordan shoes. He gets like ten pairs every year! Cool, cool people!
We have had some real struggles with one of our investigators these past couple weeks and it is beginning to scare me. We have pushed back her baptism date twice. As of right now, she is going to be baptized on Saturday at 6:30. Elder Cunningham is such a great teacher he totally dominated all her concerns. It was really fun. The crazy thing about all of this is I am beginning to feel the Spirit in a completely different way. In such a way that I haven't ever felt it before. It is nuts! But so fun to be able to be here and do as the Lord wants. He really has His hands in EVERYTHING and I am nothing - like it says in the scriptures, we are the dust. We are nothing, but yet He can use us for so much good and it is great to experience that each and everyday.
This is for all the little boys... I got to go on exchanges this last week and I think they will be excited to know it was with a BYU football wide reciever! And no, Foster, he wasn't on the roster last year because he red shirted. But he did get to dress down for the Bowl game. He is super cool and his name is Elder Jones. He is a total stud and speaks Spanish. Super fun guy to be around. We weren't able to do too many cool things, but we did come in contact with some people and gave a Book of Mormon away! I hope you are all reading from the Book of Mormon each and every day. There is so much about that Book that I love and it really does change lives. As you can all hopefully tell it has completely changed me. I am finding that I need to lose myself in the work more, and think less about what is going on at home. It is dang tough with Elder Cunningham leaving in a week, but it is possible and I really do love being here. I can't imagine what it would be like to go home. It is like you get lost in another reality while you are here. But it is way fun to be able to just devote all your time and talents to the Lord! I hope all the girls are thinking about missions now that the age is changed!!! I know all the missionaries want RM girls now. That is like the new word on the street!
I won't really know when Elder Cunningham's Homecoming is so you'll have to get in contact with his mom. You all have his number right? He is super awesome. I hope you can go. You have to meet him. I am going to write President Black now and then go play some Basketball with the District! Oh, and we are going to go to Deseret Book, so if I see something cool, or that might be useful I am probably going to get it.
I love you all so much. I did get my voting stuff and I have already voted and will be sending it back today. I am not really sure what I should be voting for on the propositions so I made an uneducated decision haha. I love you all and keep me posted on how things go in California! Have fun down there I love you all!
Love,
Elder Crapo
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