Getting Caught up!

My apologies for being behind--here is Elder Perkins May update.
He must had been busy too, after our Mothers Day phone call, he got busy and didn't have much to say.

Here goes.

May 10-

Yes, very nice talking with yall. Tell Morgan I love her and hope she has a great week. Tell the Telford's hello from me. We were told from our Mission President to only be on for Mothers Day for 45min-1 hr.

The Stott's took us out to dinner this past Saturday to some wing shop. They are a very cool family. Sister Stott is Mong so she has a cool accent. I'll send a letter home with details if there was any - weeks are going by really fast when you got so much going on in your head. Have a good day. Talk to yall later, love ya, hope all is well.



May 24-

Sounds like a lot is going on over there as always. Mom is a very busy woman. But loosing your life for Christ's sake only means that you will find it. One of my new favorite scriptures is D&C 6:33 - that which ye sow is what you'll reap - we (and I guess the Lord) determine how much we reap.


Tell Morgan CONGRAGULATIONS!!!! She is officially done now huh, so is she excited? Did she get that job at the pizza place? I talk about her a lot more to people then I thought I would (even on doorsteps when tracting when I find out people have autistic, etc. children to help relate).


Everyone here is pulling for the Suns - it's tough when we go on visits and people have their tv's on with some games on - rougher then I'd thought it'd be. I wish I could just sit back like on p-day and just watch a good game of any sport. I agree less pressure is good - there is a lot more pressure as a trainer then when your being trained - that's for sure.


This past week:

May 17 - played bball and games with our district which is always fun just to hang out. Sister missionaries bought us Orange Julius - they rock. I got ahold of Michael Brannock on e-mail, so we've been going back and forth a bit which is very fun. Got some pickles at Wal-Mart for my sandwiches which was a good buy (on sale for $1.88).


May 18 - good day of tracting - I love tracting now. It was very nerve racking the first couple weeks, but when you can actually talk with people and answer anti questions, etc, it becomes fun to connect with people and share what you know is true. We are working with a man named Mark who is was awesome. He is really searching for the truth and we've been over to teach him about 4 times in 2 weeks. He's the first investigator that I've worked with that I have actually kind of connected with - I actually really care and want the best for him. He is an IT guy. I'm excited for him.


May 19 - We went on a zone tracting blitz - where the whole zone goes into a companionship's area. So we had about 20 missionaries in a single neighborhood which was awesome. This area has had as many investigators this year as we have had baptisms, so we all went in to help. We overall found 2 new investigators for them (I found one, she had a naked baby running all around - so I'm really hoping things turn up there for them). We then had interviews with President Beck - mine went very well. I'm done with the Cover Sheet, Lesson 1, and Lesson 2 of the study guide. Just started Lesson 3, so just passed the halfway mark.


May 20 - weekly planning - I actually like planning the little details - things go a lot smoothly. Most people hate all the records/paper work, but I kind of like it. Gotta work not only hard, but smart. I got my package from yall - very good - Nacho cheese and salsa very good as well. The CD's also are way great. The Praise to the Man one is all we've listened to the past week - I like powerful music. And by chance if yall are still working with my other cd (with Carrie Underwood singing How Great Thou Art) can you also throw on a cool rendition of If You Could Hie To Kolob, and then O Holy Night sung by motab featuring the kingmen, and also maybe Come Thou Fount. Thanks. Correlation is fun now - I actually put ideas out there and know what's going on.


May 21 - found a man tracting from Brazil who has been literally prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel. A couple days before we went there he had an exterminator come to his house - who spoke fluent Portuegese for being a white American. Turns out he went on a mission there. Then the day we found him he was actually out playing golf earlier in the day, but his wife got sick, so he came home to make sure all was well when we knocked on his door. We are going back this week and he's elect. Great guy. We had a great baptism tonight. Reciting the first vision account and bearing my testimony is one of the coolest things I get to do - especially at baptisms. The spirit was so strong.


May 22 - I was on a Zone leader exchange all day. So one of the zone leaders came to my area and we did work. He taught me a lot and told me that I've developed a reputation for being a hard worker which was cool to hear. We taught Mark and again committed him to baptism twice. He knows this is what he needs to do and said he would pray to be baptized on June 5. We swapped back and my son Elder Geren is once again with me - it was hard seeing my only child go away for a time.


May 23 - Today was the first time I think I ever completely slept through my alarm. I always wake up, sometimes before the mission I would turn it off and go back to sleep for a few minutes, but today I completely slept through the alarm twice ( I have an alarm go off at 6:20, then one goes off at 6:25, and then another at 6:30 - just to make sure I'm up at 6:30). But I slept throught the first two - craziness. Then we got to attend the Gila Valley Arizona Temple dedication - they broadcasted it to the stake centers. It was awesome - President Monson was on fire telling jokes - a funny man. They began in the celestial room and then walked outside to seal the cornerstone or whatever they do - so they let him and a couple other people (apostles, temple pres, etc) put some mortar on the corner stone and then President Monson called many little children up to do it - so they were outside for about 10-15 min and he just was great. The dedicatory service was very nice.



Hope all is well. Much love and care,

Elder Tyler Perkins