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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

September 9, 2013 Going on Splits, training, Caliente and Panaca

Dear fam!

   Dang sounds like it has been kind of a crazy week at home. I am glad that Taia is ok and that it is only an ACL tear. I love you, Taia keep your head up!  Keep being good the Lord will take care of you if you'll just keep doing what is right. I know it will all work out.

  As for things here in good old Mesquite, things are pretty crazy here as well. This past week we had to go into Vegas to MLC and we got to talk about the mission and how things are going. Then the next day we got up and we did our weekly planning and started our two hour drive to Panaca Nevada!!! We got to go on exchanges and I went with the Elders that cover Caliante and Panaca. And Elder Kredt went with the Elders in Alamo. It was really cool and fun time.  But I wont lie, I was ready to get back to Mesquite and be here in my own bed haha. This whole sleeping on couches or on the floor isn't always the most comfy. It makes me super tired to haha but it keeps things interesting!!




  While we were on exchanges though we had a really neat experience. We were planning on meeting a member of their Bishopric and when we got there his daughter had a non member friend who they invited to stay and take the lesson that we were going to teach. It was really cool.  He stayed and we were able to share the first lesson with him. It was good to get back into teaching because lately it seems like we are either doing things for the zone, going on exchanges or going to meetings in Vegas. I actually really enjoy all of that stuff, it just felt good to be back in the seat of just teaching and helping this guy out. He seemed really solid and he had a lot of questions.

  Also while we were in Caliante, we met this guy that a member took us to and we were just talking to him on his doorstep.  He was talking to all of us and I was just looking at him trying to get a reading for who the guy was.  He was talking about all of the crazy things that are going on in the world and how we as young men need to be self reliant. And like mid sentence he stopped and looked at me and he, "goes your a guy who studies a lot.  I can really tell... whats on your mind??" And I was able to talk to him about King Benjamin and his sermon and how right after when his son Mosiah takes over the Kingdom he talks about how he wanted his people to be self reliant as well. And that he talks about how he labored with his people because he didn't want to be a burden to them. It was a really neat experience just because the things that I have been studying really came in handy haha!! And it gave me a pretty good laugh too, because all of you know how much I studied back at home...... NONE!!! haha The mission really does work miracles!!!!

   Now as for my area, things are still kind of the same since we haven't had too much time to work in it.  But one thing I am finding is I am really falling in love with this place. I like it here so much and I think that is mostly because of Bill, the guy that we live with. He and I have really hit it off.  It is so cool.  He is like my best friend. I honestly am not sure that I want to ever leave his house. I would love living here for the next like 7 months haha. He is so awesome and one of the best things is we are the same size of pants and so he was going to give a bunch of these basically brand new church pants to the DI.  But instead he gave them to me! haha He loves it because now he says he knows he can give stuff to me and I can use it. You should add Bill on Facebook his name is Bill Lee and I am sure he would love to keep you posted on how life is here.  He will definitely want to meet you guys at some point. He has been housing missionaries for like 30 years, so he has some experience with us haha He is just the best guy ever!!

  But I am going to get going. I am doing really good. I hope that you're all enjoying school and that everything is going OK. I love you so much, Taia!  Just keep doing what you're doing and everything is going to work out for the best! I am super proud of you and all that you have done!

  I love you all and I will talk to you next week!!

Love,
Elder Crapo

September 2, 2013 40 Day Fast, Living with Bill Lee and a Baptism set

Hey fam!!

  It is good to hear from you and to hear that everyone is safe from the ride up to move the cows. It is fun to hear those stories but stinks to know that we are losing cows! Wes, that is legit you got put on the board of directors! What all does that mean you have to do?? haha Do you get to travel or anything like that for it?

   Things this week have been pretty good here in Mesquite. I really, really like it here. It is a super good break from Las Vegas and the big city. This place really feels like home to me. Tons of members everywhere and a lot of cool people.  Everyone knows everyone. And people actually wave when they drive by! Missionary work is a little different here, though than it is in Vegas.  You can't just go tract because people here already know about the church, because pretty much everyone has a neighbor who is a member. It all really comes through less active work and from member referrals. But I am enjoying the people and trying to adjust to the different way of missionary work.

  This past week I got to go on exchanges in Logandale and that was quite the experience. Logandale is much like Saint Anthony, only a little bigger because it has a Mcdonald's. It is kind of weird how the towns are set up down here, especially the smaller ones like Logandale. It seems like no one cares to pave the roads out here and so they just do like farm roads.  They bust out through the sage brush and then put a street sign up.  It is pretty crazy haha. I actually really enjoyed Logandale, though. The people were cool and the Elders that I was on exchanges with are doing some good work. They do live in kind of a sketchy trailer, though.  We saw a camel spider in the living room while we were planning and so that really made me want to sleep in that place haha. Then I found out that they had killed a snake that was like 5 feet long and they decided that they wanted to put it in a bottle and then freeze it... and you know how much I HATE snakes!  I seriously couldn't stop thinking about that dumb thing all night! haha But it was all good and I enjoyed the place. The only thing about Nevada that stinks is that it is so stinking hot!!! It is still in the hundreds and has been since like early June.  I feel like it is time to start cooling down haha.'

   As for things in our area, we just set a person with a baptism date for September 21 and he seems like he is pretty excited and will be ready for that date. His name is Gavin and he is 9 years old. His family has been inactive for a few years and they are just starting to come back to church. The biggest problem is that his Dad is the football coach here for the Virgin Valley Bulldogs and they have practice everyday and Gavin is also playing football and has practice everyday. So that makes meeting with them kind of hard to do sometimes. We are also working with our Young Single Adult Ward a little more and hopefully here in the next week or so we can get some new people coming to that. Yesterday, because it was Labor Day weekend we were really sparse in numbers.  Our branch has about 30 active members and we are hoping to at least double that before November when Elder Kredt goes home.  So we have plenty of work that we can be out doing.

    We also talked to a member of our branch Presidency today and he is the Golf Pro over at the Falcon Ridge golf course. And he told us we could come over any P-day and golf on the course for free!! So I am pretty sure next week I am going to hit him up on that deal. I may have to beg Elder Kredt. haha  But I think eventually I can get him to go, just so we can be outside and enjoy the 100 degree weather:) Gotta love Nevada!!!

  As for our living arrangement that you were asking about..... Elder Kredt and I don't live alone.  We live with a guy named Bill Lee. He is super cool and I love to talk to him. He has been a Bishop and Stake President and now he is retired and owns a bunch of property all over Mesquite. He is a widower and so I think having us there is a comfort to his family just knowing that he isn't alone all the time. But his kids live just down the street and they are a really cool family, too. His son in-law I think is going to come up to Idaho and buy a trailer load of potatoes from us! haha I will let you know next week for sure, because this week they are up at their cabin enjoying the nice weather haha. But he wants to come down and bring a trailer and then haul them back to this huge storage that he has that is refrigerated so that he can give them away to people here in the community. The people here are so giving.  It is awesome! We come home and their is fresh baked bread on our counter from some of the members and people are always watching out for us, which is nice. We are even getting them excited to do missionary work! The 40 day fast is finally starting to take off and people are starting to have cool experiences already, which makes us really excited! We have had to do a little pushing, but with our ward Mission Leader's help, it has really picked up.

   But that is about it for me! Things are going really well, hopefully you got the letter I sent you from our trip with the assistants to Caliante. We are going to be making the trip again this week so maybe I will run into your friend, mom! I have exchanges there on Thursday and Friday. Plus we have to run into Vegas on Wednesday for MLC, so this week is going to be jammed pack with driving and meetings. But that always makes for a really quick week!

  Let me know if there is anything I can do for you guys! I hope that you have a fun 4 wheeler ride today and that everyone stays safe! Thanks for all that you guys do! I love you so much!!

Love,
Elder Crapo

August 26, 2013 New ward to cover, companion, Elder Kredt

Hows it going fam???

   Well, life in Mesquite is treating me really well! Things here are quite a bit different than the big city life. Crazy enough, I feel like I have forgotten how to live the small town life sometimes. But this is breaking me back into it, that is for sure.  The sad thing is, this really isn't that small of a town. But 20,000 people feels like a really good break from the 2 million city of Las Vegas that I was in. Things here are kind of slow right now, but we have some really big plans for what is coming up. Our stake is doing a 40 day fast, where each ward has a member from their ward sign up for a day during the 40 days and then they fast for missionary work. So that will begin on August 28 and we have a lot of faith that it is going to really change the attitude of missionary work here in the Mesquite stake.

  One cool thing that has happened in the past week was I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the Elders that serve in Beaver Dam Arizona and also Scenic Arizona. That was a pretty cool experience and those are really small towns - like good old Saint Anthony and Parker, Idaho. It is funny because I can remember thinking that the people who lived in Saint Anthony were city folk... Yeah, haha I definitely needed to broaden my horizons a little bit and see what else is in the world. But this has been a really cool experience and a good challenge for me, because now I see why it is so so important to help the missionaries in our area back at home.  Tracting is so so ineffective.  The other day we knocked one door and the guy answered and said hey Elders how are you?? And we said good and then he was like well we have had you guys knock on our door probably ten times and we really aren't interested. It was pretty funny that even the non-members know who we are and if they aren't interested then they aren't interested. So really the only way to find people who want to hear our message is to work through the members and then we tract the apartments where there is actually some turn over.  We only cover the one ward here. so we only have about 2 apartment complexes. But we are getting creative and we are working with as many less active and part member families as we can. I think that there are a lot of really good opportunities here to do some good work and we just have to work our guts out!

   As for my companion, his name is Elder Kredt and he is from Austin, Texas. He has been out 21 months and so he will probably finish up here in this area. He is going to BYU after the mission and is a super smart and cool guy. He was actually my Zone Leader when I was in the Meadows zone and now we are companions, so that is fun.

   That is super cool to hear that Jevin is back home.  He is a stud and I bet he tore it up in the mission field. Wasn't he in Ghana?? If you get a chance to see him, tell him I said hello. And Taylor Martindale, too.  Tell him I said hi.  I am sure Jase Jeppeson is pretty pumped to have him back as well. Does anyone know, when good old Billy Birch (aka Houston Birch) comes home? I think he is getting pretty close to the end of the rope.

  As for the bear attacks, that is pretty crazy that that has been happening! Has that been like attacks on people or what has been going on there? Keep safe when you go up there and move the cows, I am sure super Duke will keep you safe! haha

   Well, everything here seems to be going really well and we are having a lot of fun. For P-day today we are going to go up and play soccer at these super nice fields where they do the driving competition for golf that they hold on ESPN. I guess that that competition is going to be going on sometime this week, so that is going to be pretty cool. Maybe we will see some famous golfers driving around down here playing the slots. We also have hook ups to play the Wolf Creek Golf course, which from what I hear, is on the Tiger Woods golf game for play station. So hopefully I can get out there and golf it up next week on P-day:) But that is all I have for this week!! I love you guys and hope all is well at home.  Let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

Love,
Elder Crapo