Email: January 28, 2013

Dear Family,

 

Can you believe that January is already gone this week?  I can't.  It is crazy how time flies when you are having fun!  This week was a good one.  My new companion's name is Elder Cox as I think I said last time.  He is a good kid, he's from Mesa Arizona and has been out almost 5 months now.  Its crazy to see the difference that companions play in how a missionary turns out.  He has had some not so good companions and is not as far a long teaching and study wise as Elder Aragon who came out at the same time. 

 

We have been trying to do a lot of finding and get a few people closer to the water.  We have 3 active non-members that come to church every week and one of them even has a calling.  It is so frustrating because I feel like there isn't much I can do about it.  We are praying hard and expecting miracles but it hasn't changed yet.  Hopefully before I leave this area we can get them baptized.  There is a part member family that we stared working with this week also.  They have 3 boys who are from 11-15 that haven't been baptized yet so we are going to hopefully get them in the water soon also.  This transfer is going to be interesting because Elder Cox hasn't been the most obedient missionary in the past because of the companions he has had but president told me about it and I am trying my best to be a good example to him and get him on the right track for the rest of his mission. 

 

The weather here has been weird here the last week or so, it is really sunny and warm one day and the next it'll rain and then it will be just cloudy and foggy.  It is so much more moist that everywhere else that I am used to.  When it is sunny and dry, my skin gets really dry because I have gotten used to it now.  I don't know how it'll be going back home at this point.  We are actually going to Lincoln City again today because we don't have much to do here in Dallas on P-days.  It's about an hour drive over there but it is still in our zone.  They took them out of my district and moved them to the other one in West Salem which is really weird but its all good.  I will take lots of pictures this time (last time my camera died right when we got there).  We have baptism coming up on the 11th of February that I am super excited about.  Drake Melton, he is 9 and he came to us wanting to get his mom back to church and get baptized.  His Grandma and Grandpa are on a mission right now in Switzerland and I think that is what changed it around for him.  He loves his Grandma and talks about her all the time ha ha. 

 

Well I love you all very much, thank you for being my family!!!

Love,

Elder Erickson