Elder Pack

Hey everyone!  We got to talk to Ethan yesterday.  I don't write until the next day because I am holding out hope that he will write and then I can just fill in the blanks.  But with only 2 p-days left, I'm not holding my breath. 😉  Ethan is doing really well.  They are teaching a man, Dale, who asked his member friend how he could get baptized.  So, the member put him in touch with the YSA missionaries who passed him on to Ethan and his companion. They have taught him the first 3 lessons so far and he is doing great.  The only hang-up is that he is living with his inactive member girlfriend.  They have plans to get married but she has health problems and Social Security will only pay for her medication if she is unmarried.  The couple have plans to move in the next 3 months so Ethan is hoping they can find a solution soon so Dale can get baptized.   Other than Dale, they had just a regular week.  They did exchanges with other...

Hey everyone! Thanks for the emails, packages, and letters for Ethan's birthday last week.  He said he was spoiled and appreciated being thought of. The last transfer in Ethan's mission (minus the one home) happened this week!  He stays in Windsor, CO, continuing with Elder Nichols, and continuing as a Zone Leader.  There are quite a lot of changes in their Zone but Ethan said that change is really good and he is looking forward to a shake-up of things. They had some success last week finding people to teach.  Ethan and Elder Nichols have been driving to parts of their area and then walking around.  They don't knock on doors, they just walk around and talk to whoever is outside.  They were blessed to find people to teach on Sunday and Monday just walking around.  One of them let him borrow an umbrella because it was starting to sprinkle.  When Ethan protested, the man told them that he would get it back from them at Church on Sunday.  They ar...

Hey everyone! This week we had a funny phone conversation with Ethan.  He and his companion rearranged the furniture in their apartment.  They put some chairs in one of the corner and it turned into a little chatting area.  So they started making videos "In the Corner with Elder Pack."  Ethan shared a couple with us.  He is a funny kid and I'm so glad his personality comes through in his missionary work and that others see it too.  He said they share these in the chats and that people think they are funny.   The missionary work has been going well.  They found some new people to teach last week and one even came to church.  Ethan said that was a welcome change.  It was a mom and her daughter.  The little girl was cute because she left Primary and said she loved Primary and wanted to come again tomorrow.  She had a little cup with sunflower seeds in it and told Ethan that if she put dirt on the seeds they would grow.  ...

Everyone! Here is the update on Ethan for the week. Ethan had an exciting p-day last week.   His big news was that he made a hole-in-one in disc golf!  He was pretty excited.  He hasn't seen anyone do that before so it was really cool.  He said they didn't expect it so no one has it on video but we believe him. He also ate a dried ghost pepper.  He said he ate it and it was really hot.  For some reason, the older elders began running around the church building (Ethan didn't know why) so he had to follow them because he couldn't be away from his companion.  By the time they got all the way around the building, it was hurting a lot.  Ethan thinks he drank about a gallon of water trying to cool the water off.  Afterward, his stomach began hurting and he said the ghost pepper was painful to digest.  But he learned his lesson. He said he will never do that again.  Crazy kid!! Ethan has been having a lot of fun this week.  He is...

  Everyone! Ethan didn't write this week, not that we are surprised (haha).  But he is doing really well.  It is transfers week and he is staying put for another 6 weeks. Elder Howard is being transferred which is sad.  They got along really well and will actually be roommates when they go to BYU in the Fall. Elder Howard goes home after Ethan so he will get home just in time for school to start.  Ethan is really excited that they will be roommates.  Watch out BYU!  Ethan is, however, excited for his new companion, Elder Nichols.  Ethan was his district leader previously so he knows who he is and said that Elder Nichols is a good guy.  Ethan may or may not finish his mission in this area.  There is only one more transfer of Ethan's mission.  Ethan's release date is June 30th, which is 2 weeks earlier than we thought.  His mission president finishes on July 1 st  so the missionaries are going home with their mission preside...

 We got to talk to Ethan so I will share what he is up to. He didn't have too much to say.  The work is going well for him and they have people they are teaching who, they hope, will be on date for baptism soon.  They have Donna on date so they are excited about that. The weather is good so they are going to play Frisbee Golf for p-day, go bowling and then go to lunch.  The gift cards Ethan has been sent have been great for these kinds of activities.  He really appreciates those. He is still working on figuring out how to get his pants fixed.  If you don't remember, they ripped from the crotch to the belt loops.  Haha!  It's the pants from his nice suit that he wears on Sunday.  There is a woman in their area who does alterations who said she could look at them but didn't think they could be fixed because of the extent of the repair needed.  I'm trying to get him some new pants through the 2-year Guarantee we got when we bought his suits...

  Everyone! We had a fun chat with Ethan yesterday so here is the update on how he is doing. Ethan was excited to tell us that Donna (a woman they have been teaching who survived a polygamy discussion in Relief Society on her first day attending Church and still went the next week) is on-date for baptism on April 9th.  They are excited.  They have some other people they are teaching who, they hope, will progress towards baptism.   Last week, Ethan and Elder Howard decided to ask if President Palmer would like to do companionship study with them one day.  He told them he would check his schedule and get back to them.  Last Monday, President Palmer texted them to see if they wanted to study.  They hurriedly drove to the mission office (close to their area) to have companionship study with "a future general authority" as Ethan put it.  He said they spend about 1 1/2 hours studying and discussing the Gospel with their mission president.  I a...

Everyone: Ethan didn't write this week so I thought I would share what we talked about when he called today.   Ethan is doing well in Windsor, Colorado.  He said that the weather has been annoying lately.  One day it will be beautiful, the temperature in the 50s, and feel like Spring. The next day it will snow, the temperature in the teens, and feel like Winter.  He wishes it would just make up its mind.  He had an easy winter last year so he was spoiled and is now tired of the snow and cold.  Poor kid! He is enjoying life with Elder Howard.  They seem to be a fun companionship.  The ward is feeding them well and they have been entertained by the children of ward members.  Ethan has some funny stories of what life is like when they visit homes with crazy little kids in them.  He is really entertained and loves it. I need to explain the pictures Ethan sent us this week.   Yesterday they had Mission Leadership Council where ...