Sister Mooney:
Just thought you might like to see your son in action. While no longer with us in Woodburn, a young sister with whom he worked diligently while he was here, was baptized tonight. A marvelous aspect of her baptism is that she will be able to be sealed to her parents who are going through the Portland temple on December 18th.
The first picture is left to right: cousin, sister, Brother Cruz, Ibeliz, Sister Cruz, sister's daughter (cousin and sister are not members)
Second photo: Brother Cruz and Ibeliz
Third: Three branch members at dinner after baptism at the Cruz
Fourth: Elders Van Houk (Elder Mooney's current companion), Page, Thomas, Rivera, and your son.
Thank you for setting the base, early on, for the success we now enjoy due to wonderful missionaries. While he is no longer in the branch, he trained so well that Elder Rivera has not missed a beat since becoming senior companion. The other elder, Elder Page, continues strong as he works well with Rivera. The new elder, Elder Thomas, is thriving due to Page and Rivera. All due to some great work on your son's part.
Take good care.
Karl Pister
Monday, November 29, 2010
29 November 2010
Dear Mom/the rest of the family,
Well, it's been a sweet week once again here. I mean, who can complain about the week of Thanksgiving, right? I've gotta start this email off on the right foot though and let you know exactly what happened this week starting with Tuesday, since I already filled you in on what went down last Monday. So Monday night it got really, really cold, and supposedly there was going to be a "huge" snowstorm. When we woke up, there was a little skiff that wasn't big enough to stick to the sidewalks or the roads, and it was about 25 outside. We did our studies as we normally do, then headed out at 10 to an appointment that we had scheduled. When we got to the complex, I was confused because there were a bunch of kids playing outside, bundled up like they were from the back country of Alaska and scraping the snow off the grass to throw it at each other. I asked why in the world these kids weren't at school so they could get an education, when the member we took with us said that they had canceled school because of the "snowstorm" that we had last night hahahaha. It was comical! All of the TriMet buses were chained up, some of the cars, and traffic was even bad because people were driving really slow! THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE ROADS!!! It's super funny to see how extremely prepared for snow they are, and yet not haha. That was about our excitement for Tuesday though haha.
On Wednesday, we had district meeting with the Hillsboro elders, and we actually got there a little early, so we were waiting in the parking lot for the other elders when this kid came screaming into our vicinity in a 90's vintage Acura. While we were there, he was trying to drift some corners, and obviously he didn't care much that we were there haha.... it was pretty entertaining to see him yanking the E-brake to throw the back end, and then jerking the car to a halt instead of fishtailing like he was trying to. Eventually, he gave up and took off, leaving elder Van Hook and I chuckling. Then we realized that our Malibu has a traction control on/off switch, so we tried a little "Malibu drift"... it was fun :-)
Later that day, we had dinner with a family who introduced us to an interesting hot chocolate drinking variation. They have these cookies called "Tim Tams" that are from Australia I think they said, but anyways, they're rectangular, you bite off one corner, then the opposite corner on the diagonal, stick your cookie into the hot chocolate, and suck it up like the cookie is a straw. It melts the insides and you actually drink it with the hot chocolate, and then just before the cookie melts completely, you eat it. Weird, but yummy for sure.
Okay, now lets talk about Thursday. So we had a pretty awesome day. We got to go play football in the morning! Ah man I was so excited to be able to go out and play around for a little while. We didn't play tackle, don't worry, but I ended up playing quarterback the whole time... it was pretty sweet! I was about 50% on completions with five touchdowns.... but I also threw three pick-6's... dangit haha. It was such a mud bowl, it kind of reminded me of that last game I played sophomore year at Summit :-). Aside from that, we had a pretty special opportunity... we got to eat with President Dyches! Oh man I was so stoked! He is really such a great man. It was he and his wife, the AP's, the office elders, the blasphemous traveling sisters, and us :-) It was just a really good experience to be able to spend some time with him and eat thanksgiving dinner... gosh I love turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and everything else about it!
The one hitch is that we had two dinners haha. We originally had four, but one canceled, and the other one took pity on us and we only had to eat pie :-). The second one we ate was with a family who has some Mooneys in their family tree that live in Colorado... one whose name was Wesley Mooney? Not sure if it's any relation to grandpa Mooney, but I figured it might be.
Aside from that, Friday we had zone leader council which was nothing too exciting, and then Saturday, we actually had some legitimate time to work! Now, right now, we are planning on baptizing a boy named Adrian who is sweet! He's going to be baptized on the 5th which will be sweet. We just got done teaching him the law of chastity on Wednesday night, and it was really funny because he turned bright red and got kind of embarrassed, but we explained it really well and now he'll have no problems :-) We're also teaching a girl named Andrea, her older sister Cathy, and their friend Sabrina. It's pretty sweet! They're all reading the book of Mormon, all praying, and all came to church on Sunday! Ah man it was super sweet!!! The one hitch is that they said that in order to come to church, their mom (who doesn't like us much) said we had to go to the Catholic church... oosh. We went... but ooh man it was interesting....a lot of pomp and ceremony... not a lot of truth to it though... is it bad that I'm writing this? Maybe you should cut this out of the email mom haha. Anyways, sufficeth to say that I'm glad we have the truth. It really strengthened my testimony of the truth of what we believe in.
Ooh one thing that I forgot to mention about Saturday was that we went to Hometown Buffet... BLEH! Oh my gosh I think Hometown Blehffet would be better because the food was for straight up fatties! I really made up my mind not to go back not because the food was terrible, but the clientele was Ginormous! Not by amount of persons, but by amount of person per person if you understand my meaning! Holy cow there were some big boys in there haha. It was a fun experience though... at the very least, it made me feel more skinny :-P
So Sunday was a big day! We had church, where four investigators came (Adrian, Andrea, Cathy, and Sabrina), and the funny part is that we increased church attendance in the group by 25% haha. There were only about 12 people in church, so it was fun :-) They went with the young men/young women and had a good time though. Then there was the Catholic church I already mentioned.
After that though, I got to go to a baptism down in Woodburn for Ivelisse Cruz! Ah it was awesome! Not gonna lie though... it kinda made me trunky for Woodburn if that makes sense haha. It was funny talking to the members again and asking how things were going. Elder Rivera is a beast of a missionary, and Elder Page is as well, now that his Spanish is picking up. I guess they're not as stoked on the new missionary, but with time I'm sure they'll come to like him... they said I need to finish my mission in Woodburn, and I'm hoping that President Dyches will grant me a "dying missionary wish" and let me do that haha. The Baptism was pretty awesome though... gosh I love the mission right now!
I hope everything for you guys is going really well and that you had a great Thanksgiving... from what you wrote, Mom, it sounds like it was as awesome as ever :-) I hope you're all enjoying the snow. I love you guys so much. Have a great week, okay? I'm praying for ya.
Love,
Elder Kurt Mooney
Well, it's been a sweet week once again here. I mean, who can complain about the week of Thanksgiving, right? I've gotta start this email off on the right foot though and let you know exactly what happened this week starting with Tuesday, since I already filled you in on what went down last Monday. So Monday night it got really, really cold, and supposedly there was going to be a "huge" snowstorm. When we woke up, there was a little skiff that wasn't big enough to stick to the sidewalks or the roads, and it was about 25 outside. We did our studies as we normally do, then headed out at 10 to an appointment that we had scheduled. When we got to the complex, I was confused because there were a bunch of kids playing outside, bundled up like they were from the back country of Alaska and scraping the snow off the grass to throw it at each other. I asked why in the world these kids weren't at school so they could get an education, when the member we took with us said that they had canceled school because of the "snowstorm" that we had last night hahahaha. It was comical! All of the TriMet buses were chained up, some of the cars, and traffic was even bad because people were driving really slow! THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE ROADS!!! It's super funny to see how extremely prepared for snow they are, and yet not haha. That was about our excitement for Tuesday though haha.
On Wednesday, we had district meeting with the Hillsboro elders, and we actually got there a little early, so we were waiting in the parking lot for the other elders when this kid came screaming into our vicinity in a 90's vintage Acura. While we were there, he was trying to drift some corners, and obviously he didn't care much that we were there haha.... it was pretty entertaining to see him yanking the E-brake to throw the back end, and then jerking the car to a halt instead of fishtailing like he was trying to. Eventually, he gave up and took off, leaving elder Van Hook and I chuckling. Then we realized that our Malibu has a traction control on/off switch, so we tried a little "Malibu drift"... it was fun :-)
Later that day, we had dinner with a family who introduced us to an interesting hot chocolate drinking variation. They have these cookies called "Tim Tams" that are from Australia I think they said, but anyways, they're rectangular, you bite off one corner, then the opposite corner on the diagonal, stick your cookie into the hot chocolate, and suck it up like the cookie is a straw. It melts the insides and you actually drink it with the hot chocolate, and then just before the cookie melts completely, you eat it. Weird, but yummy for sure.
Okay, now lets talk about Thursday. So we had a pretty awesome day. We got to go play football in the morning! Ah man I was so excited to be able to go out and play around for a little while. We didn't play tackle, don't worry, but I ended up playing quarterback the whole time... it was pretty sweet! I was about 50% on completions with five touchdowns.... but I also threw three pick-6's... dangit haha. It was such a mud bowl, it kind of reminded me of that last game I played sophomore year at Summit :-). Aside from that, we had a pretty special opportunity... we got to eat with President Dyches! Oh man I was so stoked! He is really such a great man. It was he and his wife, the AP's, the office elders, the blasphemous traveling sisters, and us :-) It was just a really good experience to be able to spend some time with him and eat thanksgiving dinner... gosh I love turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and everything else about it!
The one hitch is that we had two dinners haha. We originally had four, but one canceled, and the other one took pity on us and we only had to eat pie :-). The second one we ate was with a family who has some Mooneys in their family tree that live in Colorado... one whose name was Wesley Mooney? Not sure if it's any relation to grandpa Mooney, but I figured it might be.
Aside from that, Friday we had zone leader council which was nothing too exciting, and then Saturday, we actually had some legitimate time to work! Now, right now, we are planning on baptizing a boy named Adrian who is sweet! He's going to be baptized on the 5th which will be sweet. We just got done teaching him the law of chastity on Wednesday night, and it was really funny because he turned bright red and got kind of embarrassed, but we explained it really well and now he'll have no problems :-) We're also teaching a girl named Andrea, her older sister Cathy, and their friend Sabrina. It's pretty sweet! They're all reading the book of Mormon, all praying, and all came to church on Sunday! Ah man it was super sweet!!! The one hitch is that they said that in order to come to church, their mom (who doesn't like us much) said we had to go to the Catholic church... oosh. We went... but ooh man it was interesting....a lot of pomp and ceremony... not a lot of truth to it though... is it bad that I'm writing this? Maybe you should cut this out of the email mom haha. Anyways, sufficeth to say that I'm glad we have the truth. It really strengthened my testimony of the truth of what we believe in.
Ooh one thing that I forgot to mention about Saturday was that we went to Hometown Buffet... BLEH! Oh my gosh I think Hometown Blehffet would be better because the food was for straight up fatties! I really made up my mind not to go back not because the food was terrible, but the clientele was Ginormous! Not by amount of persons, but by amount of person per person if you understand my meaning! Holy cow there were some big boys in there haha. It was a fun experience though... at the very least, it made me feel more skinny :-P
So Sunday was a big day! We had church, where four investigators came (Adrian, Andrea, Cathy, and Sabrina), and the funny part is that we increased church attendance in the group by 25% haha. There were only about 12 people in church, so it was fun :-) They went with the young men/young women and had a good time though. Then there was the Catholic church I already mentioned.
After that though, I got to go to a baptism down in Woodburn for Ivelisse Cruz! Ah it was awesome! Not gonna lie though... it kinda made me trunky for Woodburn if that makes sense haha. It was funny talking to the members again and asking how things were going. Elder Rivera is a beast of a missionary, and Elder Page is as well, now that his Spanish is picking up. I guess they're not as stoked on the new missionary, but with time I'm sure they'll come to like him... they said I need to finish my mission in Woodburn, and I'm hoping that President Dyches will grant me a "dying missionary wish" and let me do that haha. The Baptism was pretty awesome though... gosh I love the mission right now!
I hope everything for you guys is going really well and that you had a great Thanksgiving... from what you wrote, Mom, it sounds like it was as awesome as ever :-) I hope you're all enjoying the snow. I love you guys so much. Have a great week, okay? I'm praying for ya.
Love,
Elder Kurt Mooney
Monday, November 22, 2010
November 22, 2010
Dearest Mommy,
Well, it's shaped up to be a pretty sweet week here in Beaverton! Last Monday, we took a little trip over to the Pearl District in downtown Portland... I feel like a total dork, but I'm really starting to love the culture here. It's definitely different from anything else I've experienced up to this point in my life, but I really am liking it. The one thing I find, though, is that these people, although they are high fashion and have a lot more money than any of the people we work with, they seem a lot less happy. It kinda makes me wonder what I would have to do to help them realize what it is that would help them change to be happy... Who knows. Maybe one day I'll figure that one out haha. Anyways, while we were downtown in Portland, we decided to head over to Powell's books, and it was sweet! One hitch though is that I got excited about buying some spanish literature so that I could improve my vernacular* (*sometimes I like to be cool and try to use big words), but then after buying them realized that I can't even read them because they're not approved, so I'll be sending them home I think haha.
Aside from that exciting P-day adventure downtown, we went on an exchange with the trio here in Hillsboro or "the ninos" as we like to call them, because the oldest missionary has four transfers haha. Oh man they're so sweet, I really love the missionaries in this zone. Speaking of exchanges, I also got to go on one with Elder Jackson!!!! Ah it was so sweet to be able to serve together and actually apply all that stuff we were trying to learn in the MTC and do it out here in the mission field! He is such a stud... he kinda scares me with how intense he is in lessons, but he is the most sincere person I've ever met.. gosh he's got a strong testimony! One thing I wish could do better that he is mastered is talk to everyone. He really does talk to EVERYBODY! Me personally, when I see a white person, I think "meh, not worth my time. I'm a Spanish missionary!" but Elder Jackson will bullet right for them, no matter where they are, and start talking to them. It was an entertaining exchange to say the least :-). Oh! I forgot the most fun part! So where Jackson is serving is up in the area of St. Johns, and the spanish group actually belongs to a Tongan ward up there. Oh my goodness I love polynesians haha. We went and visited the bishop to talk with him for a minute and ended up sitting down and eating for about half an hour and talking with him. Good greif I love lamb and taro leaves... It makes me wish I was born in the islands haha. It was super entertaining to talk with them and see their outlook on life. The bishop was talking about some people that were worried abou how things were going with the economy, work, etc., and he said "that's why it's mo bettah that you come to church. If you pay yo tithing and fast offuhring, you read da scriptchas and pray, and teach the gospel so mo people get baptIzed(emphasis on the I), you get mo blessings." That's when I realized it's really not that difficult to be happy and secure in this life...they've got it all figured out! Gosh I love polynesians haha.
Okay, so now for what else that was exciting this week. We got to go to the temple, and I had a super sweet spiritual experience. I had read a scripture in Alma this last week that kind of confused me about agency. This scripture in Alma 42 says this:
"And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will."
Now, the reason I was kinda confused about this verse is because it says that agency was one of those things that Adam and Eve gained after they were pushed out of the presence of the Lord, but I always thought that they had their agency from the beginning... When I was thinking about this in the temple, I finally realized that without leaving the presence of our Heavenly Father, they never would have been fully able to utilize their agency, because they were in the presence of God... I don't know if that makes sense to you, but it was just kind of an interesting insight that I got :-).
Aside from going to the temple and having a good time, we had interviews with President Dyches on Thursday... man I love him. He seriously is such a sweet guy and is such a spiritual giant. One thing that was sweet is that we had the opportunity to spend the day with he and his wife today over at the Evergreen aviation and space museum... it was absolutely unreal! We got to go around and look at all of the super rad stuff that they have over there, like the "Spruce Goose", which is like the most ginormous plane ever! It's literally like a flying boat that was created towards the end of WWII,and its just massive! If you have a chance, google it or something and you'll see what I'm talking about. The other thing we got to do while we were there was watch Hubble 3D in the IMax theater that they have there... it was a pretty cool experience, and it makes you think a lot about Moses 1:27-39... you should all read that, go see this movie, then see it again. Absolutely unreal! It'll change the way you think about your life and help you gain a better perspective.
Well, that's about all of the exciting things I can think about that happened this week, so tune in next week for more information. Oh wait! This week is thanksgiving! I'm pretty stoked, I'm not gonna lie. One of the nice things about going on that trip with President Dyches today is that I had a lot of time to talk with him about a variety of things, one of them being Thanksgiving. Turns out, he invited elder Van Hook and myself to dinner! The only problem with that is that we already have two other Thanksgivings set up! Crap! Well, it'll at least make for an exciting day...right? We even have a turkey bowl going on that morning with the elders quo- I mean, the church doesn't have anything to do with that, but we happened to meet some friends in the ward boundaries that invited us to a friendly game in the park on the 25th :-). Okay, now I think that's about all the excitement I've got for ya, so I'll write you all next week, okay? I love you so much! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving with all of the family that will be over. I'll be thinking about you... not in a trunky way though, don't worry haha.
Much love and gratitude,
Elder Kurt Mooney
PS: Okay, so I totally used my card like three times this week because I blew through my money way too fast this month trying to get settled in the new apartment, so there is probably $35.00 worth of stuff racked up on it right now... I'm sorry! I got excited about getting books from Powell's, and it drained me unfortunately. As for the Christmas thing... I'm thinking just some new G's would be good. I'm okay on ties, socks and my suits right now... knock on wood haha. I would, however like to get some new running shoes, and this is what I've got hatched out. The Nike employee store is like 15 minutes from our apartment and we should be able to get passes super easily, so if I could get some cashola to go over there, I could get some super sweet stuff for not a lot of money (less wasted money on me, especially since I come home in not that long). Speaking of which, holy crap! I hit 14 months on the 30th of this month!!! Yikes! I go home next year! Can you believe that!? I'm a little freaked out about it... I used to feel like the greenie, and now I'm here as the ZL and there are a whole mess of greenies! Oh well I guess... just have to keep bustin' it :-P
PS. Okay, sorry about the ginormous ps section here, I just had one more thing: I love you guys. That's all :-)
Well, it's shaped up to be a pretty sweet week here in Beaverton! Last Monday, we took a little trip over to the Pearl District in downtown Portland... I feel like a total dork, but I'm really starting to love the culture here. It's definitely different from anything else I've experienced up to this point in my life, but I really am liking it. The one thing I find, though, is that these people, although they are high fashion and have a lot more money than any of the people we work with, they seem a lot less happy. It kinda makes me wonder what I would have to do to help them realize what it is that would help them change to be happy... Who knows. Maybe one day I'll figure that one out haha. Anyways, while we were downtown in Portland, we decided to head over to Powell's books, and it was sweet! One hitch though is that I got excited about buying some spanish literature so that I could improve my vernacular* (*sometimes I like to be cool and try to use big words), but then after buying them realized that I can't even read them because they're not approved, so I'll be sending them home I think haha.
Aside from that exciting P-day adventure downtown, we went on an exchange with the trio here in Hillsboro or "the ninos" as we like to call them, because the oldest missionary has four transfers haha. Oh man they're so sweet, I really love the missionaries in this zone. Speaking of exchanges, I also got to go on one with Elder Jackson!!!! Ah it was so sweet to be able to serve together and actually apply all that stuff we were trying to learn in the MTC and do it out here in the mission field! He is such a stud... he kinda scares me with how intense he is in lessons, but he is the most sincere person I've ever met.. gosh he's got a strong testimony! One thing I wish could do better that he is mastered is talk to everyone. He really does talk to EVERYBODY! Me personally, when I see a white person, I think "meh, not worth my time. I'm a Spanish missionary!" but Elder Jackson will bullet right for them, no matter where they are, and start talking to them. It was an entertaining exchange to say the least :-). Oh! I forgot the most fun part! So where Jackson is serving is up in the area of St. Johns, and the spanish group actually belongs to a Tongan ward up there. Oh my goodness I love polynesians haha. We went and visited the bishop to talk with him for a minute and ended up sitting down and eating for about half an hour and talking with him. Good greif I love lamb and taro leaves... It makes me wish I was born in the islands haha. It was super entertaining to talk with them and see their outlook on life. The bishop was talking about some people that were worried abou how things were going with the economy, work, etc., and he said "that's why it's mo bettah that you come to church. If you pay yo tithing and fast offuhring, you read da scriptchas and pray, and teach the gospel so mo people get baptIzed(emphasis on the I), you get mo blessings." That's when I realized it's really not that difficult to be happy and secure in this life...they've got it all figured out! Gosh I love polynesians haha.
Okay, so now for what else that was exciting this week. We got to go to the temple, and I had a super sweet spiritual experience. I had read a scripture in Alma this last week that kind of confused me about agency. This scripture in Alma 42 says this:
"And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will."
Now, the reason I was kinda confused about this verse is because it says that agency was one of those things that Adam and Eve gained after they were pushed out of the presence of the Lord, but I always thought that they had their agency from the beginning... When I was thinking about this in the temple, I finally realized that without leaving the presence of our Heavenly Father, they never would have been fully able to utilize their agency, because they were in the presence of God... I don't know if that makes sense to you, but it was just kind of an interesting insight that I got :-).
Aside from going to the temple and having a good time, we had interviews with President Dyches on Thursday... man I love him. He seriously is such a sweet guy and is such a spiritual giant. One thing that was sweet is that we had the opportunity to spend the day with he and his wife today over at the Evergreen aviation and space museum... it was absolutely unreal! We got to go around and look at all of the super rad stuff that they have over there, like the "Spruce Goose", which is like the most ginormous plane ever! It's literally like a flying boat that was created towards the end of WWII,and its just massive! If you have a chance, google it or something and you'll see what I'm talking about. The other thing we got to do while we were there was watch Hubble 3D in the IMax theater that they have there... it was a pretty cool experience, and it makes you think a lot about Moses 1:27-39... you should all read that, go see this movie, then see it again. Absolutely unreal! It'll change the way you think about your life and help you gain a better perspective.
Well, that's about all of the exciting things I can think about that happened this week, so tune in next week for more information. Oh wait! This week is thanksgiving! I'm pretty stoked, I'm not gonna lie. One of the nice things about going on that trip with President Dyches today is that I had a lot of time to talk with him about a variety of things, one of them being Thanksgiving. Turns out, he invited elder Van Hook and myself to dinner! The only problem with that is that we already have two other Thanksgivings set up! Crap! Well, it'll at least make for an exciting day...right? We even have a turkey bowl going on that morning with the elders quo- I mean, the church doesn't have anything to do with that, but we happened to meet some friends in the ward boundaries that invited us to a friendly game in the park on the 25th :-). Okay, now I think that's about all the excitement I've got for ya, so I'll write you all next week, okay? I love you so much! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving with all of the family that will be over. I'll be thinking about you... not in a trunky way though, don't worry haha.
Much love and gratitude,
Elder Kurt Mooney
PS: Okay, so I totally used my card like three times this week because I blew through my money way too fast this month trying to get settled in the new apartment, so there is probably $35.00 worth of stuff racked up on it right now... I'm sorry! I got excited about getting books from Powell's, and it drained me unfortunately. As for the Christmas thing... I'm thinking just some new G's would be good. I'm okay on ties, socks and my suits right now... knock on wood haha. I would, however like to get some new running shoes, and this is what I've got hatched out. The Nike employee store is like 15 minutes from our apartment and we should be able to get passes super easily, so if I could get some cashola to go over there, I could get some super sweet stuff for not a lot of money (less wasted money on me, especially since I come home in not that long). Speaking of which, holy crap! I hit 14 months on the 30th of this month!!! Yikes! I go home next year! Can you believe that!? I'm a little freaked out about it... I used to feel like the greenie, and now I'm here as the ZL and there are a whole mess of greenies! Oh well I guess... just have to keep bustin' it :-P
PS. Okay, sorry about the ginormous ps section here, I just had one more thing: I love you guys. That's all :-)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Busy and happy!
2010 15 November
Hey mom!
Okay, so here I am on a 15 minute computer trying to burn through everything I need to so that you can have a good idea of what's been going on this last week.
So I guess I'll start with what happened last P-day to get things started. We went and spent the day with the zone leaders down in Tigard, and it was a blast! We spent it talking, laughing, and crashing elder Davis' toy helicopter into things haha. It's remote control, and it is seriously so much fun to try to fly around in their apartment... we had more than a few close calls with it going into people's eyes, into the sink, toilet, out the window, etc. Anyways, it was a pretty good time.
That night, we had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the assistants to the president which was really interesting. I just remember the beginning of the mission where it seemed like the zone leaders and the assistants were really scary and far away from us in every sense, but now that I'm here as a zone leader, I can't help but wonder if maybe the other zone leaders who have been in this position have felt the same way. Now I feel like we're really good friends with the assistants, and I think we might have a closer relation with the elders in our zone than any others... I don't know if there should be "professional distance" between a zone leader and everybody else, but I don't feel like it should be that way. Anyways, I love being where I'm at because we get to spend some good time with the elders in our zone. That exchange with the AP's was interesting though. Their area is pretty tiny and it covers a complex that is known as "the kill zone". A complex of about 800 units... it's ginormous! Anyways, I ended up knocking in there with Elder Hunter for quite a while haha. It's pretty sweet I think Elder Hunter and I had a pretty close connection and we're gonna end up hanging out after the mission.
After that exciting exchange with them, we took advantage of the open time we had this week and knocked like nobody's business, and found some new investigators.... we found nine this week haha. Now, so it doesn't seem like we're worthless missionaries, a new investigator is only counted when you get in the door, teach a lesson, they accept a commitment, and set up a return appointment... "anciently" it was counted as someone in the door who didn't let you in, but accepted a return appointment (basically every Hispanic in the world) Anyways, we're pretty stoked on having some work :-)
Aside from that, we had an exchange where I got to work with my "little brother" in the mission, elder Hawkins haha. It was the last elder that Smithee trained, and it was a pretty good time.... not really too much to report there aside from the fact that we get along pretty well!
Oh! So I was all excited on Wednesday night because I got a call from elders River and Page telling me that Ivelisse Cruz was going to be getting baptized, so I was super stoked! Sunday rolled around and we were prepping to take off for the baptism when we got a call from them again. They said the baptism was cancelled because she was having contractions and had to go to the hospital... Luckily nothing was wrong when they went to visit her an hour later, and she actually asked if they could still do the baptism, but they're going to wait till next week to do it now haha.
Speaking of Sunday, church here in Beaverton is a whole different animal. We have the organization of the ward, but less members than a branch, so in a way it's good, but it also is kind of difficult to figure out how to do things... there are only about 20-30 members that show up on a regular basis from what I hear. I really love the families that come though... they're awesome!
Other than that, the Oregon sneeze has started here... NOOOOOO!!!!! For those of you who don't know who don't know what I'm talking about, the Oregon sneeze is something unique to this area. It begins in about the end of October/November and doesn't really quit until about May/June. What it is, really, is like a really fine mist/rain. It really feels like someone has sneezed on you though and it just feels gross, and it just keeps going throughout the whole day! A constant, sneezy, wet feeling it's just weird. It's okay though with that jacket I bought :-)
One other interesting thing about Sunday was the family that we ate with. Their last name is Jorgenson, and it turns out that his family is from our old neighborhood in Orem! I don't remember his name, but they said that his whole family has lived there for years... I think we might actually have been in their ward at one time or another. Anyways, that's the interesting news from this week.
Okay I'm gonna get off the computer, but I love you all so much and I hope things are going great for you. Have a great week and I'll talk to you later!
Love always,
-Elder Kurt Mooney
Hey mom!
Okay, so here I am on a 15 minute computer trying to burn through everything I need to so that you can have a good idea of what's been going on this last week.
So I guess I'll start with what happened last P-day to get things started. We went and spent the day with the zone leaders down in Tigard, and it was a blast! We spent it talking, laughing, and crashing elder Davis' toy helicopter into things haha. It's remote control, and it is seriously so much fun to try to fly around in their apartment... we had more than a few close calls with it going into people's eyes, into the sink, toilet, out the window, etc. Anyways, it was a pretty good time.
That night, we had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the assistants to the president which was really interesting. I just remember the beginning of the mission where it seemed like the zone leaders and the assistants were really scary and far away from us in every sense, but now that I'm here as a zone leader, I can't help but wonder if maybe the other zone leaders who have been in this position have felt the same way. Now I feel like we're really good friends with the assistants, and I think we might have a closer relation with the elders in our zone than any others... I don't know if there should be "professional distance" between a zone leader and everybody else, but I don't feel like it should be that way. Anyways, I love being where I'm at because we get to spend some good time with the elders in our zone. That exchange with the AP's was interesting though. Their area is pretty tiny and it covers a complex that is known as "the kill zone". A complex of about 800 units... it's ginormous! Anyways, I ended up knocking in there with Elder Hunter for quite a while haha. It's pretty sweet I think Elder Hunter and I had a pretty close connection and we're gonna end up hanging out after the mission.
After that exciting exchange with them, we took advantage of the open time we had this week and knocked like nobody's business, and found some new investigators.... we found nine this week haha. Now, so it doesn't seem like we're worthless missionaries, a new investigator is only counted when you get in the door, teach a lesson, they accept a commitment, and set up a return appointment... "anciently" it was counted as someone in the door who didn't let you in, but accepted a return appointment (basically every Hispanic in the world) Anyways, we're pretty stoked on having some work :-)
Aside from that, we had an exchange where I got to work with my "little brother" in the mission, elder Hawkins haha. It was the last elder that Smithee trained, and it was a pretty good time.... not really too much to report there aside from the fact that we get along pretty well!
Oh! So I was all excited on Wednesday night because I got a call from elders River and Page telling me that Ivelisse Cruz was going to be getting baptized, so I was super stoked! Sunday rolled around and we were prepping to take off for the baptism when we got a call from them again. They said the baptism was cancelled because she was having contractions and had to go to the hospital... Luckily nothing was wrong when they went to visit her an hour later, and she actually asked if they could still do the baptism, but they're going to wait till next week to do it now haha.
Speaking of Sunday, church here in Beaverton is a whole different animal. We have the organization of the ward, but less members than a branch, so in a way it's good, but it also is kind of difficult to figure out how to do things... there are only about 20-30 members that show up on a regular basis from what I hear. I really love the families that come though... they're awesome!
Other than that, the Oregon sneeze has started here... NOOOOOO!!!!! For those of you who don't know who don't know what I'm talking about, the Oregon sneeze is something unique to this area. It begins in about the end of October/November and doesn't really quit until about May/June. What it is, really, is like a really fine mist/rain. It really feels like someone has sneezed on you though and it just feels gross, and it just keeps going throughout the whole day! A constant, sneezy, wet feeling it's just weird. It's okay though with that jacket I bought :-)
One other interesting thing about Sunday was the family that we ate with. Their last name is Jorgenson, and it turns out that his family is from our old neighborhood in Orem! I don't remember his name, but they said that his whole family has lived there for years... I think we might actually have been in their ward at one time or another. Anyways, that's the interesting news from this week.
Okay I'm gonna get off the computer, but I love you all so much and I hope things are going great for you. Have a great week and I'll talk to you later!
Love always,
-Elder Kurt Mooney
Monday, November 8, 2010
Wild week in Beaverton
2010 November 8
Dearest Mommy,
Well, it's been a pretty wild week lemme tell ya! The biggest slap in the face about this area is that there is absolutely no work right now, so we're knocking until we die here (16 1/2 hours in four days)... We knocked more this last Saturday than I had in any week I had in Woodburn for the last three months haha. It's not all bad though. We've found some new investigators in the last couple of days, and some of them show a lot of promise. One is the girlfriend of a less-active guy named Geronimo who is looking to get married and come back to church, so that's pretty sweet. Another one is the son of a lady who is a recent convert who is pretty stoked on the missionaries right now since he met us and actually came to stake conference on Sunday!
Speaking of stake conference, it was sweet! We got to hear from Robert D. Hales and Dieter F. Uchdorf and it was so rad! It's been something really interesting to note that they are putting so much emphasis on obedience to church leaders and heeding their counsels. Aside from paying attention to what the general authorities say, they also highlighted the importance of personal as well as family scripture study along with personal and family prayer. The best way to avoid temptation is to read the scriptures and pray daily, and go to church every Sunday! I would say the reason why is because those three things help us to "put off the natural man". I was reading in my personal study the other day, and I found a scripture that absolutely spoke to me in that way, especially as a missionary. I was reading in Alma 26 where Ammon and his brethren had finished their missions and they were talking about the reasons for their success, and this is what Ammon says in verses 21-22:
21 And now behold, my brethren, what anatural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
When we are involved in the church- really involved, not just attending- we can see the warning signs of when we're doing sub par on the spiritual side of things which helps us to repent and grow our faith through action to correct those errors. From there, we receive personal revelation through that connection that we build with God through prayer. The ultimate goal of all of this, however, is not for personal gratification to just make ourselves these big spiritual giants, but to help those around you. As I heard from President Pister's former mission president in a talk that he gave, "el evangelio no es el evangelio hasta que se comparte con alguien mas" which means "the gospel isn't really the gospel until it is shared with with somebody else". I know that people think that what I'm doing right now is missionary work, but it's only partly true. The reason they're holding these stake and regional conferences more closely together is not only so that we have a closer relationship with the brethren, but also so that we can grow our testimonies to the point where we are brave enough to share the gospel with those around us. Bottom line: SHARE THE GOSPEL!
Okay, enough of my spiritual ranting I'll tell you a little bit about what else went on this week. So Beaverton is a pretty sweet area... I think we're quite a ways East of where Randy and Susan used to live, although we still cover all of it... we even cover the Pearl District, Chinatown, and part of Burnside. It basically goes until the Willamette River :-). From there, our area covers as far west as Murray Boulevard, Other than that, our boundary on the South goes about as far as Tigard and on the North... yeah I have no idea haha but it's a pretty rad area. It's weird just because there is NO rural parts to this area... it's a little bit smaller than the Woodburn area, but it is absolutely packed with houses, apartment complexes, and lots and lots of businesses haha. The good news is that there are a TON of hispanics here, so we're never going to be short of work. The bad news is that it's a group up here instead of a branch, so they're kind of limping along right now.
One of the things that makes it weird is being a zone leader. They want us in both district meetings for our zone as well as having regular exchanges with the district leaders as well as trainers... which happens to be every companionship haha. It's nuts! It seems like yesterday I was the Jr. companion with elder Rangel and POOF! All of a sudden we're here in Beaverton, and there is only one missionary older than us and he goes home in December! What the heck!? Every companionship here in the North is training right now, so that spells out a lot of exchanges with them... it should be fun though... at least we'll get to know all the areas quickly...right? :-) I don't know. It's a whole new animal, but I kind of like it, although Spiderman keeps coming to mind with this calling...you know... "with great power comes great responsibility"... It really does work like that though! Ah well it's fun haha.
So some interesting things about what we did when we got up here this week:
Had a four hour planning session (normally only takes two hours to do it in-depth)
Found out from an investigator that Panguich (yup, like in Utah) means big fish in Spanish
Our bishop wears a bowtie every Sunday...?
Our stake center looks like a converted GINORMOUS evangelical church with two floors
Not all charcoal comes in the little KC Masterpiece briquettes
I think that last one deserves a little bit of a story. So although the last elders in this area left us with basically nothing, they did, however, leave us with some pretty fat steaks in the fridge and a charcoal grill outside on the deck space, so we decided to cook them up for dinner one of the nights that we didn't have one scheduled. [side note: We are now eating dinner with white people, and I don't think I like it... everything is overly prepared, you have to ask people to pass you stuff to put it on your plate, you have to be extremely polite and proper with how you eat, and I have to be the one to start every single dang conversation so that we actually have something to talk about! What the heck!? I don't remember if that's normally how it is, but I sure hope not... maybe hispanic people just talk a lot, but I really love having a good conversation while I'm eating... it keeps it interesting and it keeps me from putting too much food in my pie-hole :-)] Okay, sorry about that huge side note. Anyways, so back to the steaks story. I got these steaks marinating in the fridge all day long and they were getting really juicy and tender, and then the time came we came back to the apartment to cook them up. There was charcoal stashed in a bag in one of the closets, so I pulled it out and went to pour it into the grill, and I saw a bunch of pieces of what looked like burnt wood and I said to myself, "wow, what dorks! Why would they have a fire in a charcoal grill?" Then I proceeded to pour out this Mexican charcoal and wha-bam! I finally realized why haha. I didn't realize that charcoal was really like pieces of...well... charred wood haha. Anyways, it was pretty interesting and it ended up working really well and the steaks were scrumptious :-P.
Aside from that, I can't really think of anything else exciting that's happening right now here... we're just staying super busy trying to find new investigators and keep everything running smoothly in the zone. Oh! Here's the new address if ya wanna send love :-)
Elder Kurt Mooney
Park at Greenway #12
8370 SW Greenway Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97008
I'm glad to hear that the Coug's finally pulled off a win... poor sorry saps haha they needed it. I hope that everything is going well with you guys back home I love you all so much. Be safe this week and know that I'm praying for you, okay?
Love always,
Elder Kurt Mooney
Dearest Mommy,
Well, it's been a pretty wild week lemme tell ya! The biggest slap in the face about this area is that there is absolutely no work right now, so we're knocking until we die here (16 1/2 hours in four days)... We knocked more this last Saturday than I had in any week I had in Woodburn for the last three months haha. It's not all bad though. We've found some new investigators in the last couple of days, and some of them show a lot of promise. One is the girlfriend of a less-active guy named Geronimo who is looking to get married and come back to church, so that's pretty sweet. Another one is the son of a lady who is a recent convert who is pretty stoked on the missionaries right now since he met us and actually came to stake conference on Sunday!
Speaking of stake conference, it was sweet! We got to hear from Robert D. Hales and Dieter F. Uchdorf and it was so rad! It's been something really interesting to note that they are putting so much emphasis on obedience to church leaders and heeding their counsels. Aside from paying attention to what the general authorities say, they also highlighted the importance of personal as well as family scripture study along with personal and family prayer. The best way to avoid temptation is to read the scriptures and pray daily, and go to church every Sunday! I would say the reason why is because those three things help us to "put off the natural man". I was reading in my personal study the other day, and I found a scripture that absolutely spoke to me in that way, especially as a missionary. I was reading in Alma 26 where Ammon and his brethren had finished their missions and they were talking about the reasons for their success, and this is what Ammon says in verses 21-22:
21 And now behold, my brethren, what anatural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
When we are involved in the church- really involved, not just attending- we can see the warning signs of when we're doing sub par on the spiritual side of things which helps us to repent and grow our faith through action to correct those errors. From there, we receive personal revelation through that connection that we build with God through prayer. The ultimate goal of all of this, however, is not for personal gratification to just make ourselves these big spiritual giants, but to help those around you. As I heard from President Pister's former mission president in a talk that he gave, "el evangelio no es el evangelio hasta que se comparte con alguien mas" which means "the gospel isn't really the gospel until it is shared with with somebody else". I know that people think that what I'm doing right now is missionary work, but it's only partly true. The reason they're holding these stake and regional conferences more closely together is not only so that we have a closer relationship with the brethren, but also so that we can grow our testimonies to the point where we are brave enough to share the gospel with those around us. Bottom line: SHARE THE GOSPEL!
Okay, enough of my spiritual ranting I'll tell you a little bit about what else went on this week. So Beaverton is a pretty sweet area... I think we're quite a ways East of where Randy and Susan used to live, although we still cover all of it... we even cover the Pearl District, Chinatown, and part of Burnside. It basically goes until the Willamette River :-). From there, our area covers as far west as Murray Boulevard, Other than that, our boundary on the South goes about as far as Tigard and on the North... yeah I have no idea haha but it's a pretty rad area. It's weird just because there is NO rural parts to this area... it's a little bit smaller than the Woodburn area, but it is absolutely packed with houses, apartment complexes, and lots and lots of businesses haha. The good news is that there are a TON of hispanics here, so we're never going to be short of work. The bad news is that it's a group up here instead of a branch, so they're kind of limping along right now.
One of the things that makes it weird is being a zone leader. They want us in both district meetings for our zone as well as having regular exchanges with the district leaders as well as trainers... which happens to be every companionship haha. It's nuts! It seems like yesterday I was the Jr. companion with elder Rangel and POOF! All of a sudden we're here in Beaverton, and there is only one missionary older than us and he goes home in December! What the heck!? Every companionship here in the North is training right now, so that spells out a lot of exchanges with them... it should be fun though... at least we'll get to know all the areas quickly...right? :-) I don't know. It's a whole new animal, but I kind of like it, although Spiderman keeps coming to mind with this calling...you know... "with great power comes great responsibility"... It really does work like that though! Ah well it's fun haha.
So some interesting things about what we did when we got up here this week:
Had a four hour planning session (normally only takes two hours to do it in-depth)
Found out from an investigator that Panguich (yup, like in Utah) means big fish in Spanish
Our bishop wears a bowtie every Sunday...?
Our stake center looks like a converted GINORMOUS evangelical church with two floors
Not all charcoal comes in the little KC Masterpiece briquettes
I think that last one deserves a little bit of a story. So although the last elders in this area left us with basically nothing, they did, however, leave us with some pretty fat steaks in the fridge and a charcoal grill outside on the deck space, so we decided to cook them up for dinner one of the nights that we didn't have one scheduled. [side note: We are now eating dinner with white people, and I don't think I like it... everything is overly prepared, you have to ask people to pass you stuff to put it on your plate, you have to be extremely polite and proper with how you eat, and I have to be the one to start every single dang conversation so that we actually have something to talk about! What the heck!? I don't remember if that's normally how it is, but I sure hope not... maybe hispanic people just talk a lot, but I really love having a good conversation while I'm eating... it keeps it interesting and it keeps me from putting too much food in my pie-hole :-)] Okay, sorry about that huge side note. Anyways, so back to the steaks story. I got these steaks marinating in the fridge all day long and they were getting really juicy and tender, and then the time came we came back to the apartment to cook them up. There was charcoal stashed in a bag in one of the closets, so I pulled it out and went to pour it into the grill, and I saw a bunch of pieces of what looked like burnt wood and I said to myself, "wow, what dorks! Why would they have a fire in a charcoal grill?" Then I proceeded to pour out this Mexican charcoal and wha-bam! I finally realized why haha. I didn't realize that charcoal was really like pieces of...well... charred wood haha. Anyways, it was pretty interesting and it ended up working really well and the steaks were scrumptious :-P.
Aside from that, I can't really think of anything else exciting that's happening right now here... we're just staying super busy trying to find new investigators and keep everything running smoothly in the zone. Oh! Here's the new address if ya wanna send love :-)
Elder Kurt Mooney
Park at Greenway #12
8370 SW Greenway Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97008
I'm glad to hear that the Coug's finally pulled off a win... poor sorry saps haha they needed it. I hope that everything is going well with you guys back home I love you all so much. Be safe this week and know that I'm praying for you, okay?
Love always,
Elder Kurt Mooney
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
White-washed!
2010 November 2
Dearest Mommy,
White-washed! That's right, I said white-washed! Not only that, but we white-washed as zone leaders in Beaverton! What the heck!? I had heard whisperings of this possibly happening, but never thought it'd come to pass. Not only that, but I think this is the first time in the history of the OPM that they've white-washed a zone leader area (minus when they opened it for the first time).... It wouldn't be such a drastic move, but neither elder Van Hook or I have been a zone leader before. Oh yeah, my new companion is elder Van Hook from Ogden, Utah, and he's the man! We served near each other when I was down in Salem at the beginning of my mission. Anyways, now here we are in Beaverton and feeling a little lost haha. What makes it funny is that up to this point in our missions, we've both been serving in the South zone, but all of a sudden POOF! Here we are in Beaverton! I can't lie though, I'm pretty excited about it. The elders we're going to be serving around are way sweet, and Elder Jackson (MTC companion) is in my area again!!! Yay! We'll be able to go on exchanges once in a while which will be good.
Now, to explain a little of the work situation here in Beaverton... When we got to our apartment, we read the list of "to do's" that the previous ZL's had left us, and this is the line that stood out to us: "The only good investigators we were teaching moved back to Mexico. Happy knocking :-)". Dangit. That's all that came to mind when I read it... I promise... haha. Anyways, I was a little discouraged about it, but then last night we talked to the group leader and the bishop of the ward and I'm feeling a little bit more assured. This area has a lot of potential... I feel like the previous elders might have just kinda dropped their packs because one was finishing his mission. Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm excited at the opportunity to help this place grow! Yup yup that's the excitement from this side of the world... I would say I'm excited to serve as a zone leader and help out all of the up and coming missionaries, but I'm more just scared to death. Elder Van Hook and I have so much to learn and have no idea what we're doing, so we're going to have to rely solely on The Lord. I think that's definitely a good thing though. It'll help us stay humble and definitely help with the work.
All right, I'm all done writing about all of that for now. I will write you next week and try to respond to letters... I'm not making any promises with how busy it's looking to be, but I'll do my best. I love you all so much and your prayers are much appreciated. Have a great week!
Love always,
-Elder Kurt Mooney
Dearest Mommy,
White-washed! That's right, I said white-washed! Not only that, but we white-washed as zone leaders in Beaverton! What the heck!? I had heard whisperings of this possibly happening, but never thought it'd come to pass. Not only that, but I think this is the first time in the history of the OPM that they've white-washed a zone leader area (minus when they opened it for the first time).... It wouldn't be such a drastic move, but neither elder Van Hook or I have been a zone leader before. Oh yeah, my new companion is elder Van Hook from Ogden, Utah, and he's the man! We served near each other when I was down in Salem at the beginning of my mission. Anyways, now here we are in Beaverton and feeling a little lost haha. What makes it funny is that up to this point in our missions, we've both been serving in the South zone, but all of a sudden POOF! Here we are in Beaverton! I can't lie though, I'm pretty excited about it. The elders we're going to be serving around are way sweet, and Elder Jackson (MTC companion) is in my area again!!! Yay! We'll be able to go on exchanges once in a while which will be good.
Now, to explain a little of the work situation here in Beaverton... When we got to our apartment, we read the list of "to do's" that the previous ZL's had left us, and this is the line that stood out to us: "The only good investigators we were teaching moved back to Mexico. Happy knocking :-)". Dangit. That's all that came to mind when I read it... I promise... haha. Anyways, I was a little discouraged about it, but then last night we talked to the group leader and the bishop of the ward and I'm feeling a little bit more assured. This area has a lot of potential... I feel like the previous elders might have just kinda dropped their packs because one was finishing his mission. Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm excited at the opportunity to help this place grow! Yup yup that's the excitement from this side of the world... I would say I'm excited to serve as a zone leader and help out all of the up and coming missionaries, but I'm more just scared to death. Elder Van Hook and I have so much to learn and have no idea what we're doing, so we're going to have to rely solely on The Lord. I think that's definitely a good thing though. It'll help us stay humble and definitely help with the work.
All right, I'm all done writing about all of that for now. I will write you next week and try to respond to letters... I'm not making any promises with how busy it's looking to be, but I'll do my best. I love you all so much and your prayers are much appreciated. Have a great week!
Love always,
-Elder Kurt Mooney
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Halloween from Elder Mooney
Elder Mooney with the Warnicks
They were visiting the OPM, looked Kurt up, and took this photo and sent it to us! Thanks, friends!
Transfers
Dearest Mommy,
Well, today is the day. I've spent the morning packing up and visiting a couple members to say goodbye... ah man I hate goodbye's. Especially in this area right now. We had such a successful week and everything seemed to be going so well and then BAM! Now I'm jettisoned off into another part of the mission!
So I'll start with what happened from the beginning of the week last week and work forward as always. We started off with some kick butt visits where we included Juan Velasquez (baptized in September) to help us teach. It was amazing! We're teaching a couple right now whose names are Leonel and Christina, and it went super well! Juan helped us teach them about the plan of salvation, and ultimately we were able to invite them to be baptized which they accepted! Ah man I was super pumped! They'll be getting baptized in the end of November, so there's one trip I'll be able to make back to visit for.
Other than them, we've been meeting a lot with Adan and Rahab. As soon as I found out I was getting the boot on Saturday, we went and talked with them. It turns out they've decided to get married before the end of the year and they both want me to baptize them when they're ready! There are two more trips I can take back :-). Ah I am so stoked about that one... they're gonna make great members of the church when they're locked and loaded.
So aside from that, It's just been kind of a sad weekend packing, making sure no investigators fall through the cracks... I'll write later today to let you know exactly what shakes out. Thank you for the popcorn balls by the way they were scrumptious! I had to cut them up to eat them with the veneers, but it was totally worth it! haha I love you guys I'll talk to you later!
Love,
Elder Mooney
Well, today is the day. I've spent the morning packing up and visiting a couple members to say goodbye... ah man I hate goodbye's. Especially in this area right now. We had such a successful week and everything seemed to be going so well and then BAM! Now I'm jettisoned off into another part of the mission!
So I'll start with what happened from the beginning of the week last week and work forward as always. We started off with some kick butt visits where we included Juan Velasquez (baptized in September) to help us teach. It was amazing! We're teaching a couple right now whose names are Leonel and Christina, and it went super well! Juan helped us teach them about the plan of salvation, and ultimately we were able to invite them to be baptized which they accepted! Ah man I was super pumped! They'll be getting baptized in the end of November, so there's one trip I'll be able to make back to visit for.
Other than them, we've been meeting a lot with Adan and Rahab. As soon as I found out I was getting the boot on Saturday, we went and talked with them. It turns out they've decided to get married before the end of the year and they both want me to baptize them when they're ready! There are two more trips I can take back :-). Ah I am so stoked about that one... they're gonna make great members of the church when they're locked and loaded.
So aside from that, It's just been kind of a sad weekend packing, making sure no investigators fall through the cracks... I'll write later today to let you know exactly what shakes out. Thank you for the popcorn balls by the way they were scrumptious! I had to cut them up to eat them with the veneers, but it was totally worth it! haha I love you guys I'll talk to you later!
Love,
Elder Mooney
Letter from Elder Mooney's Branch President in Woodburn
Dear Brother and Sister Mooney:
Well, it has been a marvelous run, but your son is leaving our little branch tomorrow. It appears he will be transferred to Beaverton. He is sitting in our dining room playing dominoes at this moment, since the president has suggested that their tracting could be mistaken for "trick or treating". He will be with us the remainder of the evening.
I want you to know that he has been more than outstanding for our branch. He is a stellar, hard-working missionary. I was speaking with our executive secretary and he mentioned that Elder Mooney has almost been a third counselor for us in our branch presidency. We have a fairly thin pool of reliable priesthood at this stage and his presence has been invaluable. He has demonstrated a maturity far beyond his age and in his seven months has yet to let me down in any assignment. It will be extremely difficult to replace him. Beaverton is fortunate to have him come and serve in that area.
So, thank you for what you have done in raising such a magnificent Elder. We were blessed by his presence.
Sincerely,
Karl Pister
Well, it has been a marvelous run, but your son is leaving our little branch tomorrow. It appears he will be transferred to Beaverton. He is sitting in our dining room playing dominoes at this moment, since the president has suggested that their tracting could be mistaken for "trick or treating". He will be with us the remainder of the evening.
I want you to know that he has been more than outstanding for our branch. He is a stellar, hard-working missionary. I was speaking with our executive secretary and he mentioned that Elder Mooney has almost been a third counselor for us in our branch presidency. We have a fairly thin pool of reliable priesthood at this stage and his presence has been invaluable. He has demonstrated a maturity far beyond his age and in his seven months has yet to let me down in any assignment. It will be extremely difficult to replace him. Beaverton is fortunate to have him come and serve in that area.
So, thank you for what you have done in raising such a magnificent Elder. We were blessed by his presence.
Sincerely,
Karl Pister
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