Season 12 Episode 2, November 28, 2016

Sorry it is late to write today.

   Monday: P-day was pretty good today! First one of the transfer. We did a lot of the usual stuff, nothing too exciting. But it was fun! After we were going to meet with Sebastian, a recent convert who moved in, but he cancelled. So we planned our zone Meeting out with what time we had and then went to FHE. It was a dinner and games night. Dinner was really good and then we played Uno Attack with a bunch of people. It was a really fun night! And we had 5 less-actives come and Maria as well. It was a good turn out.

   Tuesday: Today we finished planning our zone Meeting and also planned our training. I'm really excited for it, we're going to talk about having a vision and setting goals! It'll be good. We were supposed to meet with Regis this morning, but when we went by he wasn't home... figures. So we ate lunch down there and we went to an appointment with Gabrial. He was home, but he didn't have time to meet he said. So we went by another less active, Nate S, and he was home and let us in! We had an awesome lesson with him! He is so ready to come back to church, and he said he would if he wasn't working! Then we met with Antwan and had a good lesson with him reading out of the Book of Mormon. Then we had dinner with some members and headed out to institute. It was a good day!

   Wednesday: We were going to go on an exchange with Spanish Elders (Elder Grasinger & Elder Hall), but they wanted to do language Study and we had a lesson at 11 so we just decided to exchange after lunch. While we were driving to our lesson, one of the companionships in our zone got in car wreck and Spanish  Elders had to drive them to the mission office. So we weren't able to do our exchange. It sucked. Plus, our lesson that we set up just last night wasn't even home. What a great start... we had 3 more cancellations today and we got stuck in traffic for about an hour and a half. So it wasn't going very well! But then we had a lesson with Gen and it was an amazing lesson. She said it was just what she needed to hear and that she knows what she needs to do in her life now. It's those little lessons and moments that keep me going from day to day! She also gave us an early Christmas present because she's going to be in the Philippines for almost 2 months. Matching ties!!

   Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! It was an awesome day! We had a Zone Meeting this morning that was awesome. It was cool being able to spend time with the zone on Thanksgiving. After that we went to Jamie Painter’s and had Thanksgiving with her. Not too many members were home for it, so we spent all day there. The food was amazing and very filling. We also played uno for a while and then apples-to-apples as we let the food settle! It was definitely a great Thanksgiving. Hope you all had a good one as well!

   Friday: Today we did our weekly planning! It was a pretty good one. We planned for 6 people we have on date for December and January so that's always fun! We left after lunch to help St. John's with some service - moving people. Then we went by a referral that we got and we caught him at home! He was way solid and had lots of really good questions for us, it was awesome. We're going back again tomorrow to teach him! Then our other lesson fell through... so we went to dinner out around there and tried by some people, but no one was really home. Then we tried by a less active and he didn't live there anymore, but the new guy was pretty interested in talking with us so we gave him a Book of Mormon and then referred him to the elders in that area. That was really cool!

   Saturday: We had a stake Breakfast today with all the missionaries! It was really good food and good time being with them. Then we helped Shayla out with some service this morning before we went to a lesson we had set with Regis. Surprise! He was home. We ate lunch and then went to Mt. Scott's baptism. We only stayed until the baptism happened because Antwan didn't show up and he said he would. Oh well! We went back to Mel, the referral from yesterday and had an even better, if possible, lesson. He felt the spirit pretty strong and said he would be baptized on December 24th! We're so pumped for him! Then we went to Shayla's for Friendsgiving. Basically just a late Thanksgiving! It was so much fun and we got stuffed once again! It was so fun.

   Sunday: Today we had one of our members, Brian Golding, bring a girl he's been dating to church. We talked with her for a little and she took a Book of Mormon and wants to meet with us sometime soon! It was so cool and we're excited for it. Then we had ribs for dinner and, man, were they good! We had a lesson later with one of our investigators who we've been trying to meet with for a while! It was a really good lesson. He is just trying to find peace in his life right now, so we are trying to help him find it. It was pretty good!

Well it was overall a really good week! Lots of cancellations yet again, but we saw so many miracles as well and if it takes cancellations to get miracles, I'll take it! I am so grateful for all of you and all that you do! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving week and I can't wait to hear from you all today! I love and miss you.

Elder Astle 

Season 12 Episode 1, November 21, 2016

This was one of the greatest weeks ever. So much happened so trying to write this out is a struggle. 

Monday we had solid Pday. We played a bunch of ball. It was really fun. Then we had a family home evening. 

Tuesday is when it gets really good. We had a bunch of things happen. First, we were supposed to help  this lady move some stuff in the morning but she asked if we could help her later. So we moved some plans around to help her. She’s a less active so we were trying to help out. Then, we found out that it was out of the mission. So we had to call and cancel. But we were able to help out a little bit somewhere else because we had some time and we were pretty far out to go back and change. So we helped move some wood. It was so muddy and swampy. We were prepared to move, but not to wade through a swamp. We helped there for a bit and had to head back and clean up. Then we were coming back and had a handoff lesson with some other missionaries. We were heading back and in the middle afternoon we hit traffic. So we called them and told them we didn’t think we could pick them up and make it to the lesson on time. So they said to just go and teach him. We taught him and he wants to change his life. He accepted a baptism date! Then later that day we had institute and another hand off lesson with some missionaries. We met Chris, who is a way cool guy. He has a desire to find out for himself if it is true. So after a spiritual lesson, he is on date for December 24. It was a crazy spiritual lesson. We just testified about how he can have a relationship with God. 

Then we had transfer day. We had to make sure everyone was all good to go. We were the transfer coordinators. We just ran the show down in Portland. Later we planned a bit for the next week and got everything lined up. 

Our Thursday was a pretty tough day. We had all our plans fall through but  we just went out and hit it. We worked hard -  just nothing really happened. 

Friday was about the same. We had some things set up and nothing was going on. We are cleaning up records that have been here forever. 

Saturday was a good day. We taught this guy named Regis. He is an awesome guy. He wants to change his life too. He is working for a date in December. We were all set up to go to the temple with another investigator. But he canceled on us because he was hungover. Got to love it!  After waiting there for a bit we went out and talked to a bunch of people. We had a lesson later with another guy named Chris. We taught him the restoration and he wants to know Christ in his life. So we invited him to find out. He is also working for a baptismal date for January!

Sunday we had stake conference. We had a couple people come but not to many. After we had a referral from another set of missionaries. We taught this guy David. He was a truth seeker. He is just wanting to know truth. So we told him how we can find it. And he now has a baptism date for January!

This week had some lows. But it also had the highest of highs. We found like 5 people this week who wants be Baptized! That never happens!!! Also, I saw a rainbow for the first time here. You usually don't see one because it doesn't stop raining! So it was icing on the cake. It was a stellar week. 

Elder Astle 

Season 11 episode 6 - November 14, 2016

So this was a crazy week. To start off, we are ok - none of the riots in Portland were near us. But the people here are super mad that a certain man won the election. Haha! And, the freaks are coming out today. There are a bunch of them. No one has been hurt, which is great. 

But this week didn’t give us much time spent proselyting. Tuesday we were on exchanges and  I stayed in the Springwater area. Man it was a day of teaching! It was going from one appointment to another.  It was pretty cool.

Wednesday was us doing paper work. We have a stake correlation meeting on Sunday. Then we blitzed an area. 

Thursday we had a 70 here. His name is Elder Kopechke. He is from Germany. He was a way cool guy. There was a bunch I learned. He taught us a bunch so it is really hard to put it into words. He got us out of our vision and to work. There was a bunch of other things that we learned also like faith and what that does. I included a diagram he drew which was a cycle picture. He was a super great guy. 

Friday we had our mission leadership meeting with him and he taught us the same sort of things 

Sorry there is not a lot of details. Saturday we went to the temple and took an investigator. We were definitely protected because he was a terrible driver. But we had a solid lesson with him there and put him on date. He said he could feel God there. 

Sorry it isn't a big email. We have a rush for time today. We had to go to Vancouver to take somebody to the mission office. So sorry this letter is short. I am doing good.  Elder Johansen and I are staying together for another transfer. 

Love,

Elder Astle

Season 11, Episode 5 - November 7, 2016

No pictures this week...

What a week. We had a bunch of things going on. This week was a great week it was so action packed. The week started with a crazy fun P-day. We had a pizza party and played a bunch of volley ball. It was so much fun. We played a little glow in the dark volleyball but the ball didn't work very well. 

The next day we had our interviews with the president. We made sure everything was going ok. We were supposed to stay there and make sure that president goes on time. He has a tendency to run a bit long. We were staying by the church and we found a sweet guy and taught him. Then we came back and president wanted to take us to lunch. So I got to eat with the president. That was a good time. Then we were cleaning up and a recent convert showed up with his friend. We were trying to get ahold of him to reschedule but they came. His name is Antoine. He said he wants to be baptized but he just doesn't know when. 

We were on exchanges with the Mount Tabor Elders. I went with Elder Brown. He is a good guy. We worked really hard and saw some cool miracles. We met this less active rocker and he still believes everything about the gospel, but he just likes doing other things on Sunday. He played us some of his tunes. Haha! He sounds like a 60 year old rocker. It was fun. He was really cool, and wants to come back!

Thursday was a bunch of fun. We just worked it pretty good. 

Friday we had our planning and after that we had dinner with a less active. That is one thing in the YSA ward, we go out to eat all the time. So we have been eating some spinach to help clean out our systems. Keep us regular you know!

Saturday we were on exchanges and I went back to the good old Alameda Ward. We had good day. It was a hard working day. It brought back good memories. We found a way cool miracle. We had a prompting to go for a walk. It was raining and dark so there was nobody out on the street. Then right before we were going in for the night, we saw an open door. So we went and talked to the people at the house with the door open. That was the positive of the whole day. It was a tough day. 

Sunday we had some good meetings. We had a lot of people come to church. That is always good. 

Elder Astle