Aloha everyone, 

It seems like just yesterday we were starting January. Even crazier it seems like just yesterday I was getting on a plane to head to Mexico City. Has time always moved so quickly?

This past week I have really been focusing on loving and serving everyone here in our area. Earlier this week we were tracting in an apartment complex when we noticed that the basketball court was covered in snow. We decided to serve the people by shoveling all of that snow. A couple days later, we were back at the same apartment complex when we saw a father watching his two children kick a soccer ball on the court. We talked to the Dad and asked about his family and explained that as missionaries, part of our message is the importance of families. He was impressed by the values we had and invited us to come back and teach his family the following Saturday! If we had not had the attitude of Ammon, we would have never decided to serve the people by shoveling that snow, and in turn we would never have found that man and his family. 

On Wednesday, we had Zone Conference, and I was able to see Elder Wilson again! It was such a blessing getting to see him and catch up with him. He was with his new greenie, my mission brother, Elder Kinnear. Elder Wilson's trainer, Elder Woodward, was also there, so there was 4 generations of missionaries there. I'll do my best to explain the family history of our mission family, because it's somewhat hard to understand if you aren't a missionary. 

Elder Hudson trained Elder Woodward, and Elder Woodward trained Elder Wilson. When a missionary trains another missionary, the trainer is referred to as the 'father' and the trainee is referred to as the 'son'. I met Elder Hudson my first day in the field, and got a picture with him and Elder Woodward, my great-grandpa and my grandpa. Elder Wilson trained me, making him my Dad. Since he is now training Elder Kinnear, Elder Kinnear is my brother. Elder West is my son, so Elder Wilson is his grandpa. We all got a picture together, Elder Woodward is in the middle. I hope my explanation makes some sort of sense! 

The Rocky Reach area and the Wenatchee River ward are so great. I am truly becoming like Ammon, "Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die."

I also was blessed to run into a fellow longhorn this week! It was such a tender mercy. Her name is Sister Hill. She majored in Biochemistry and got a Master's in Library Science at UT, so we sang the eyes of Texas together. Hook 'em! \m/

That's all I have for this week! I've started taking notes in my planner of the things that happen during the week so I can remember to write about them on Mondays, but of course I forgot my planner at the house today. I love you all, stay frosty my friends! 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Rockin' and Rollin in Rocky Reach

Aloha everyone, 

First off, I apologize for the lack of pictures for this week. I only took one, and it was to illustrate one of the many downsides that come from being a bit taller than most others. I'll try and do better this next week. 

I had my first opportunity to translate during church yesterday. The regular translator had a sick son that she needed to stay home and care for, and the other Spanish missionaries were unavailable, which left it up to me. Translating Spanish into English is easy, but English into Spanish is a whole other ball game. I was pretty nervous at first, but as I started I got the hang of things and learned as I went. The hardest part is trying to not miss a sentence. It's easy to get caught up on trying to translate one sentence that you'll forget to hear what the speaker says next and you'll end up with holes in your translation. As difficult as it was, it was pretty enjoyable. 

There are so many great things that come with working with the Hispanic people. The other day we were walking around in this apartment complex that is comprised mostly of Hispanics, when we say these people cooking outside their apartment, enjoying themselves and playing some music. I asked them what they were celebrating, to which they replied, "Nothing! We're just celebrating to celebrate!" They invited us to come join them and cooked us some tacos, which were some of the best tacos I've ever had, and spent some time getting to know them and sharing some of our message. They were so open and friendly. The happiness and joy that is involved with Hispanic culture is one of my favorite things about serving as a Spanish missionary. 

There is still a ton of snow, so my companion and I are getting a lot of experience with shoveling it. I'm hoping that spring comes sooner rather than later. I've decided that I've had my fix of snow. 

At one point during the week I realized how inspired it was that Elder West was assigned to me. While we were driving to an appointment, when he started talking to me about the fact that moon dust is actually deadly because of the way that it is eroded. At the end of explaining more about it, he looked at me and said, "Isn't that cool?" I grinned and replied, "Yeah, it is." It hit me then. Who else would think that something like that is cool? We laughed about it together. 

The quote I will leave you all with is this. "Everything you want is on the other side of fear." Don't be afraid to try new things! To push yourself! Remember, there is no comfort in the growth zone and there is no growth in the comfort zone. I love you all, never forget it!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder King

From Trainee to Trainer

Aloha, 

Emergency Transfers have struck again. Tuesday afternoon I received a call from President informing me that I would not only be leaving The Dalles, but that I would be doubled-in and training a new missionary in the Rocky Reach area in the Wenatchee zone. 

I was so overwhelmed when I heard that. Not only would I be training a brand new missionary, but I would be sent to a new area with him where I would know absolutely nothing about the area. It has been such a learning and growing experience these past couple of days. "There is no growth in the comfort zone, and there is no comfort in the growth zone." 

My trainee's name is Elder West, and he's actually from Allen, TX. What are the odds? It's crazy talking with him because I can bring up places from back home and he knows exactly where they are at. He's helping me learn a lot, and hopefully I'm helping him learn as well. 

With all the stress and craziness that I've experienced this one week, I've learned some very important lessons. First off, the importance of taking tasks one thing at a time. When Elder West and I first arrived in our new area, I had no idea what to do. I realized the only thing I could do was work one step at a time, and saw how much better things went when I broke everything down into smaller steps. 

The other thing I learned is how true the statement, "Too blessed to be stressed" really is. As I reflected upon all of the great experiences I've had thus far, I realized how much help I've already had out here on the mission. The hard times will always outnumber the good times, but the good times will greatly outweigh the hard ones. 

I attached my last picture with Paola before I left The Dalles. Saying goodbye to her was incredibly hard. The Dalles will always hold a very special place in my heart. I learned to love so many of the people there. I've also attached a picture of Elder West and I.

I love you all. 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Round 3 in The Dalles!

Aloha, 

I'm really starting to like the ring to starting every email off like that. It's just so....tropical. 

The Dalles has definitely been it's own type of tropical this past week. On Tuesday we had so much snow I got to use a snow blower for the first time. It was pretty cool. It was like mowing the lawn, but with snow. That same day while walking around to find opportunities to serve others by shoveling some snow we had some pretty cool experiences talking to people on the street. We ran into this couple, Ron and Rhonda, who had been locked out of their car and were waiting for the locksmith to come and help them out. We started talking to them and out of no where he asked if we believed in the trinity. We answered no, and that we believe that God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate beings. He looked very confused and puzzled and said, "Good! Me neither. It just doesn't make sense to me." We were able to have a really great conversation with him and gave him information so that he could talk more missionaries in the town where he lived. 

We also ran into a guy by the name of Hilario later that day outside of the library. He was a Hispanic man with a teardrop tattoo on his face and was incredibly sincere and nice. After talking to him he called us later that night just to let us know that he was so grateful for us talking to him because it made him feel so happy. 

On Saturday I gave my first training at a Zone Training Meeting! Crazy to think that 12 Weeks ago I was leaving Mexico City. We also got transfer calls on Saturday and Elder Brassanini and I will be staying here in The Dalles for the next transfer, however we will be getting a new companion with us... Elder Fernandez! He is from the Dominican Republic and speaks English, Spanish, and French. It's going to be very different being in a tri-pan, but I'm super stoked for everything I can learn from Elder Fernandez. 

The biggest thing that I've learned over this past week is the importance of asking others for help. I'm such a stubborn and independent person and am terrible at asking others for help, but so many times when I've asked someone else for their assistance everything was just so much easier. It is truly a test of humility to ask others for help. 

I have attached a picture of myself with Ernesto and his family. Ernesto was one of the first families I got to meet when I came here to The Dalles, and I have grown to love and care for his family so much. The other picture is an action shot of yours truly using a snow blower. 

Les amo mucho. Have a great week everyone!

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Happy Christmas

Hello Friends and Family, 

I know this email is coming a tad later today, and that is due to the fact that I have been puking my guts out since 5am this morning. It has been pretty rough, I'd give you more details but they aren't super pleasant. 

This past week has been filled with so much stuff. Last P-Day I met a crazy guy at Fred Meyer while trying to buy groceries who was telling me about how he can talk to animals and he cooked breakfast for a group of deer once. He also said that one time in the woods he had a swarm of bees come and make a beard on his face. I asked him what he did for a living and he said he was a mushroom picker, things started to make more sense then. 

On Wednesday the mission had a Christmas Gathering in Yakima with all of the southern zones in the mission. The house was HUGE and the food was so good and it was great to see other missionaries again, especially my MTC companion Elder Nelson. Each zone put on a skit and we all watched Meet the Mormons and then they passed out t-shirts and mail to everyone. It wasn't the same as spending Christmas at home, but it was nice to spend a day with the mission family. 

Thursday we got a TON of snow. I'd guess at least a foot. Coming from Texas, it was pretty cool to see. Elder Brassanini and I spent the whole day shoveling snow for people in town. It was a day filled with hard work, but a fun type of hard work. 

On Saturday we had Paola's baptism, which was such a cool experience. She was so excited and looking forward to it, and she really wanted her Mom to be there to support her. Her Mom had been supportive in the beginning and was planning on attending, when at the last minute she backed out and told Paola that she didn't think it was necessary and wasn't going to be there. Paola broke down and was devastated. Her Mom means so much to her and really wanted her support. Paola looked at us and told us that she still knew that it was the right thing to do and was the right path to take. Her faith in the face of adversity was a great example to me, and reminded me greatly of one of my favorite scriptures: Helaman 5:12. 

*In the voice of Ron Weasley* Happy Christmas, everyone. 

Mi amor por ustedes es mas grande de la luna. 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

The Best Burger I've Ever Had

Friends and Family, 

As you can read by the subject of this weeks email, I must tell you all of the marvelous experience I had this past week. My new trainer and I had a meeting Tuesday in Yakima, and the member who drove us up decided to take us out to lunch afterwards. In Yakima, there is a burger place known as Miner's. I've heard things about it and it's always kind of been this fantasy mystery land that missionaries talk about here and there. It's almost a missionary folk tale here in Yakima. And let me tell you, it lives up to the legend. 

This burger was incredible, and I'm talking truly incredible. I can honestly say, as a missionary, that this burger is a little piece of heaven on earth. I just needed to tell all you people about the greatness that is Miner's. Just like that one episode in Spongebob when someone jumps up on the table and starts singing about a Krabby Patty, that was me after eating the burger at Miner's. 

In other news, this past weekend was Stake Conference. To my recollection, I don't think I've ever attended a Stake Conference that didn't experience technical difficulties. The sound system at the Stake Center wasn't working, so everyone in the stake that could possibly fit tried to cram themselves into the Chapel and the gym to hear the speakers. Despite all of the chaos going on, it was still a great conference. 

On Saturday I got to see Gary's baptism. Gary is this man that Elder Wilson and I found knocking doors a couple weeks ago and talked with him for a little, and referred him over to the english missionaries. He is such an awesome guy, and it was really cool to see the fruits of our labor. Our investigator Paola was there, and had such a great time. She kept talking about how beautiful it was and is planning on being baptized this Saturday! She is so excited and eager to come one step closer to her Savior. There have been so many miracles that I've experience while teaching her. She is so awesome. 

Two of my students in my English class received their first graduation certificate for attending for 6 weeks! They are learning so much and it's so much fun to work with them as I help them learn English. The biggest struggle for all of my students is the letter 'v'. We had a fiesta to celebrate Christina and Haydee's 1st graduation with vegetables and vanilla ice cream to help work on their v's. There is a total of 4 certificates that people can earn, and everyone loves coming to the class so much and really wants to earn their certificates. 

I hope you all are having a great holiday season, and I invite you all to check out the video online called "A World Without a Savior". It is very powerful, and a great Christmas message. There are so many great videos coming out this time of the year, so if you're looking for anything to help procrastinate whatever you should be doing I'd recommend those. I love you all!

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Crazy Week

Hello friends and family!

This past week has been such a crazy week. Wednesday was transfer day, and from last weeks transfer calls we were under the impression that Elder Wilson and I would be staying together and working for this next transfer here in The Dalles. We received a call from the mission president at about 8:00am on transfer day informing us that Elder Wilson would be emergency transferred up to Brewster in Washington and that I would be receiving a new companion to finish my training.

Man oh man, as happy as I was for him to have the opportunity to serve in a new area I was so sad to be losing him. Over the past 6 weeks I have grown to love him so much. He was an amazing missionary, an amazing trainer, and an even greater friend.

Interestingly enough, that day our area was covered in snow and ice. We called our zone leaders and they told us to wait until the afternoon to try and drive our way up to the transfer site in Goldendale and that the Assistants to the President would be there that evening to pick up the missionaries that were getting transferred. We made it up there very carefully and there were 5 of us waiting at the new cabin where the Goldendale Elders were living. We did some service in the area, shoveling snow and helping people move stuff out of the basement and whatnot until 7:00when we received a call from our mission president informing us that we were essentially stranded in this little cabin in the middle of nowhere for the next 36 hours. All of the roads were completely frozen over and we were not permitted to do any driving and were told to hold out there until somebody could come and get us.

It was a series of crazy events, but truly a blessing in disguise. I got to spend an extra day and a half with Elder Wilson and Elder Jarvis, having fun and doing our best to not freeze. It was so much fun.

If there's one thing I've learned thus far in my short time that I've had living life is that sometimes people leave. And sometimes unexpectedly. Mourn the loss, take a deep breath, and start living again.

I hope you all have a great week this week and don't end up stranded in a cabin in a frozen forest for 36 hours! Well, I guess if you do I had a pretty good time so maybe you will too. Love you all!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder King

Pictures: The first one is of me with this giant truck at an orchard after Icemaggedon. The second is the final picture I took with Elder Wilson at the transfer site before he left.