January 7, 2013

Hey fam!!

    Well how is 2013 treating you?! As for things here in Vegas, they are going crazy!! We are super busy and having a lot of fun this last little bit of my time here in the Southern Highlands area. We had Fast Sunday yesterday and it was a pretty sad day for me- I won't lie. This place has become a second home to me and I really don't want to leave.  We had a leadership training last week and President came and sat at our table. He looked at me and asked how long I had been in my area... well, I said, "if I tell you only one transfer will you let me stay one more??" hahaha He laughed and said I knew it had been a while! So from the sounds of it I will be moving, which is a very bitter sweet for me. I have really grown to love the members here.

    I got the opportunity to bear my testimony in sacrament yesterday and that was good. They are probably sick of hearing from me, but I guess what do you do?  I really felt like I needed to share it one more time before I got the boot to a new area.  Besides, I have so much work to do here in these next two weeks I cant think about it.

   We are going to be having a baptism on SATURDAY!!!! Sabrina and her son, Corvin are getting baptized at 6:00pm on Saturday.  I wish I could express how happy I am about that, but there really isn't a way.  It's like I said yesterday to the wards- I would give up anything, except my family, to come out here and be doing this. I can just remember the way I was a few short months ago and I want to cry it scares me so bad. I don't know where I would be had I not come out here on my mission. It is crazy to think of how scared I was just to go to BYU-Idaho where everyone is nice.  Now my favorite thing of missionary work is street contacting people on the busy ghetto streets! I love just going up to random people and learning about them and sharing the gospel with those people. It is unreal what the Lord can do with a little Idaho farm boy! Now that's not to say I am good at it.  I'm just saying that He has helped me learn how to enjoy it. Awkward is a missionary's middle name:)
  
   As for other things here, we are actually working with Sabrina's neighbor, Mason.  She is a 13 year old girl who has a desire to learn about what we are really about. She is super nice and went to a young women's activity this last week which is pretty cool! We are way excited about all of that because she has been asking us when she can get baptized as well. The Lord is definitely blessing us with things to do and people to work with:) Makes all of this time worth it for sure!!!

    The fun thing is that I love what I do!  I love the work and I love the people. The hard part will be changing it all up!! Dang it.  But that is what the Lord is doing to us out here. That is one thing that I have been learning is why we are doing all this and why we really are here. This life is so short and in reality it doesn't take much time at all.  In an eternal perspective, what we do here can effect us forever.   We are learning to be more like our Father in Heaven. He doesn't allow us to go through things because he wants us to suffer.  He does it because we need it so that we can return to Him. Simple stuff but super hard for me to start to understand.

  I have also begun reading the Book of Mormon again for the 3rd time on my mission and - dang is it blowing me away! I have been marking every reference to Jesus Christ and it is so full you wouldn't even believe it. I know Coy would because I found a Book of Mormon of his that he had on his mission and I actually have it out here with me.  He doesn't know that yet, but now he does:) Sorry, man. haha  I have just begun to see how much that Book can affect us. So here is my advice to the fam for this week. Whenever you feel down or you don't know what's happening in your life and not much seems to be working... Read the Book of Mormon. It really does make such a huge difference!! I know that you are all going through some tough and scary times in your lives but remember our Savior is always there. He knows what it feels like when I am out here and it has been a long day of knocking doors and no one wants to talk to us. Or when we knock a door and we get yelled at. He knows what we are going through. And He loves us so much!  That is definitely something I didn't know or understand at all until I got here.

   Yesterday people bore their testimonies about how grateful they were to the missionaries... I don't think they understand how grateful I am to them. I told them that my family would be forever grateful to them for helping make me who I am today. I know I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have had to be out here serving my Heavenly Father and because of that service it has made me love my family so much more. You guys are awesome! Taia good luck with Jr Miss!  Just go dominate out there and have fun! And to all the other grandkids - I love you guys! Keep having fun and enjoy life! Have fun in the snow because in Vegas there is none of that!!!

   But I better get going. I hope you all have an awesome week and I won't know my transfer call until the 21st, which is the day I will be leaving my area.  So I will tell you that day!! I love you guys so much and let me know if I can do anything for you guys!! Talk to you soon!
Love Elder Crapo

PS Do you know if Kenny DAlling ever got the tie I sent him???


LAS VEGAS WEST!!!:)