N's email 10/27/2015

area: Pine Trails Ward (Houston, Texas)

zone: Pine Trails

companion: Elder Lee

This has been one surprising week!

First, we heard there was a hurricane coming towards us, from the PACIFIC OCEAN. It wasn't too bad here. No flooding or major winds in Jennings area.

Then we got a call saying I was going to be transferred, which was expected.

Then on Sunday, we got a call from President Drake. I thought, "Oh, no. He's going to ask me to be a Zone Leader... I'm not ready for that. Please be a misdial, please be a misdial." (Because I'm super prideful and always just think about myself. I need to repent.) Anyways, we answered the phone, but President Drake asked to speak with Elder Hobbs, NOT ME! And he asked him to train! I'm so happy! He's going to do great!

Then on Monday we drove from Welsh to Houston and I got a haircut at the Croft's again (unfortunately, the Crofts are moving, but the good thing is is that they are seriously considering going to Utah which means I'll be able to see them like all the time after my mission!)

Then on our way from the Croft's to the chapel in Kingwood, we got stopped at a red light, and the car that was next to us had CHRIS WAUGH in the driver's seat!!! I was so happy to see him again. Let me tell you what's happened in his life. He had been working as a cook in a bar and grill making about $10 per hour and he had to live with his grandparent (who raised him) and he wasn't going to be able to go before a court to get full custody of his two children because he wouldn't have won because he wouldn't be able to support them. But then he found a new job teaching H VAC at a local junior college (or technical school or something), and he's the department chair, and he's making about $26 per hour, so he was able to move out of his grandparents house (which was really good because his grandpa has Alzheimer's and it was getting really, really bad, especially for his son who lived with him), and get full custody of both of his children! The Gospel works!

Then we went to Transfer Meeting and I am now in the Woodforest area. It's near downtown Houston, in the Pine Trails Ward.

My new companion is Elder Lee. He's from Provo, UT but that's ok because he was born in South Korea and spent the first 12 years of his life there. Then he lived in New Zealand and Arizona too. He's been on his mission about 6 months.

I'm still District Leader and I have 10 missionaries in this district, 6 elders and 4 hermanas.

Our address is:

555 Normandy Street #326

Houston, TX 77015

I'm so excited to serve here and with Elder Lee!

I love all of you. But I love Jesus Christ more. And this is where He wants me. So this is where I want to be.

N's pictures from Transfer #8 - Jennings / Hobbs - 9/15/2015 to 10/27/2015

area: Jennings Branch, Orange Texas Stake (Welsh, Louisiana)
zone: Orange
companion: Elder Hobbs

entering THE Mission 9/14/2015

leaving THE Mission 9/16/2015

Elder Hobbs

Elder Hobbs

studies

 birthday package

 "thank you Jessica" (for the hat she promised him)

Elder Combrink and Elder Hobbs

outside Welsh apartment

entering THE Mission 10/26/2015

leaving THE Mission 10/28/2015

N's email 10/26/2015

area: Jennings Branch (Welsh, Louisiana)
zone: Orange
companion: Elder Hobbs

I'm being transferred. I don't know where yet. I'll send the weekly email tomorrow. Elder Hobbs is going to baby train! I'm a grandpa!

N's email 10/19/2015

area: Jennings Branch (Welsh, Louisiana)

zone: Orange

companion: Elder Hobbs

We finally got the Wrights, a part LDS family, to come to church. I was so excited when they pulled up! They are a great family.

I love this area so much!

I want to share my ponderizing scripture for this week: 2 Nephi 2:8 "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the Earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, Who layeth down His life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that He may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise." Think about that.

I love making these things known to the inhabitants of Jennings, Welsh, Lake Arthur, Iota, Iowa, Kinder, Elton, Bell City, Hayes, Lacassine, Roanoke, Fenton, and many micro towns. I love this Gospel. I know it's true.

I love all of you. But I love Jesus Christ more. And this is where He wants me. So this is where I want to be.

These are from an email he sent answering some of my questions:

The man who wanted to quit smoking ended up not wanting to meet with us anymore. Whenever we tried to go back and see him his friend who owned the house would chase us off.

We actually didn't get to pull that lady's weeds, she wouldn't let us. And when we went back for the return appointment nobody answered the door. We met her Priest on Friday. He's a super nice man. We got to testify about the First Vision and we gave him a mormon.org card, he said he'd look it up. And since he has 1000 families in his congregation he knows about plenty of service opportunities so we made sure he had our phone number so we can go help.

The deaf man in our branch, Nae, is awesome. He loves the Gospel and is always eager to introduce us to his deaf friends.

Appointments with our Russian neighbor never seem to work out.

The Miller family, the couple who drove us to Baton Rouge, are great. She was baptized in March and within a few weeks she's going to be called to a counselor in the Relief Society. She has autism and just says what she thinks very monotone and calmly and it seems to get people to act. It's awesome!

The 143 people were all strangers who we never met before. Most of them said, "We're Catholic." and no matter how persuasive we tried to be to get them to just listen to our message they wouldn't listen. But yes, they were all new people.

My birthday package came the morning of my birthday. Thank you again!

No, we didn't have a baby alligator in our apartment. I'm not exactly sure what or when you're talking about. If I would have seen one in the wild I probably would have mailed it home though.

N's email 10/12/2015

area: Jennings Branch (Welsh, Louisiana)

zone: Orange

companion: Elder Hobbs

First off, thanks to everyone for the "happy birthdays.” It was a good one. I made Johnny Cake (one box cornbread and one box yellow cake mix) and we had a quick birthday party after District Meeting on Friday. I took pictures but I forgot my adapter today to I won't be able to send them until next week.

We had a great week. We talked to 143 strangers this week! Our goal was 140 but we had some time left last night and found a few more people to share a message with. We met an awesome family last night and were able to testify to them that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We gave them a couple Book of Mormons and they had a bunch of kids and I had a Book of Mormon stories in my backpack (we were going to give to an investigator who has a really low reading level but she cancelled our appointment and I forgot to take it out of my backpack) and we gave it to them and by the time we left the kids were flipping through it looking at the pictures. I love getting the chance to teach families with young kids, they're always so eager to believe.

We also had Interview Training (personal interviews with the Mission President) on Friday and I felt so edified!

Transfers are in 2 weeks so towards the end of this week start sending stuff to the mission office rather than our apartment in Welsh. I feel like I'll be transferred…

Elder Hobbs is doing terrific but he's not looking forward to transfers.

I love you guys. But I love Jesus Christ more. And this is where He wants me. So this is where I want to be.

N's email 10/4/2015

area: Jennings Branch (Welsh, Louisiana)

zone: Orange

companion: Elder Hobbs

So there's a study activity at the end of Chapter 5 in Preach My Gospel (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' missionary manual, but it's a fantastic study guide for anyone) and it says to go through 5 specific chapters in the Book of Mormon highlighting and underlining anything that references Jesus Christ. I started on Wednesday and I'm still working on it... Each page is covered in different colors of colored pencils marking Jesus Christ's names, attributes, actions, and words. I'll send a picture next week. It's really improved my knowledge on who Jesus Christ is and His relationship with me.

I absolutely loved General Conference (when the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints speak to the worldwide Church) and I think my favorite talk was the one about Ponderizing. 80% pondering and 20% memorization. I'm excited to apply it in my life.

Quick Story: We were phone contacting (going through the list of contacts in the phone and calling everyone we didn't know) and we got a hold of one person who seemed really interested in talking with us and then we got her address and she ended up living in Tennessee... God definitely has a sense of humor.

I love all of you. But I love Jesus Christ more. And this is where He wants me. So this is where I want to be.