September 28, 2021

 Everyone:

Ethan didn't write a general email this week so I thought I would share the pictures he sent to me and some things we talked about.

Last month, Ethan's district tried to find a cave that was on the Casper mountain.  They never found it but a member in the stake went up and dropped a pin for them so they could find it the next time they looked.  They spent this p-day hiking up and exploring the cave.  I was nervous but Ethan said they "explored it in a very safe manner, so don't worry."  😉  The leaves were changing and Ethan said it was "super pretty."  I love it when he sends us pictures he has taken of nature.  He has a great eye for design.

Ethan was asked to play the piano for their district conference.  He knows one hymn - Sweet Hour of Prayer - so that's what he played for them to sing.  Ethan said he did really well and they were able to sing along without a problem.  He doesn't know other hymns but he has been working on learning some other songs in his free time.  It makes me happy that all his lessons aren't going to waste.  He is remembering what he learned in his piano lesson days.

Ethan gave us a tour through the area book they use.  When Bryan and I were missionaries, the area book was a huge binder where you wrote notes about investigators, members, etc.  What they have now is AMAZING!  They have the ward directory but they have all kinds of tools to keep track of members, people they are teaching, what lessons have been taught, what contacts have been made, and everything.  It was amazing to look through it and see the powerful tool they have in a little app on their cell phones.  It is so crazy how technology helps missionary work.  And it is amazing that we were able to get a tour via technology through screen sharing from our missionary a state away.  It's great.

Slaughter ball is alive and well in the district.  Ethan told us that they use a little spongy ball from the Dollar Store. They now have 2 balls, which seems to be exciting to them.  The old one has Elsa on it (from Frozen) and the new one is Paw Patrol. 😉 He said that when the lights are out, everyone moves slowly because you can hear the whistle of the ball as it is thrown.  But when the lights are up, everyone moves fast because you can throw it as fast as you want.  Crazy!

One of the wards Ethan serves in is having a chili cookoff in October.  The ward mission leader told the elders they would be given a crockpot and $60 so they could compete also.  So he asked that I find a good chili recipe that is HOT that they can make.  He is going for a win!

Ethan is doing well and working hard.  The work is going slow right now.  He said a lot of people are curious and want to know more about the religion but they aren't interested in progressing and keeping commitments.  He said it's interesting because there are so many good sources to find out more about the Church (the Church website, visitor centers, churches, etc.) but they want the missionaries to tell them and the role of the missionary is to help people make commitments and progress.  They are spending a lot of time just explaining beliefs, which are good, but he wishes people were really interested in making changes in their lives.

Well, that's about it.  He is enjoying Fall in Wyoming.  Thanks for all the support and emails!

-Michelle