Rockin' and Rollin' in Rocky Reach Vol. II

Friends and Family, 

I am fortunate enough to get to stay in Wenatchee for this next transfer! There has already been so many cool things and craziness these past six weeks, especially with being doubled-in. I'm so excited to see what will happen in these next six weeks. Also, I heard that there were technical difficulties last week with emails, and some emails did not make it out last week. If you didn't receive my email last week, let me know and I will try and resend it! 

One of our investigators, Miguel, was baptized this Saturday. He is so cool, and all of his family came to support him which was awesome to see. The service was in English, since Miguel's speaks English and most of the people who came speak English, so I got to translate for his Mom. She hasn't showed much interest in the past, but it was very cool to answer all of her questions and explain everything that was going on and how Miguel and the rest of her family were going to be blessed for his decision. 

We found this new investigator this week, Reyes, who told us his crazy life story. He used to be involved with the Mexican Drug Cartel and was loaded with a ton of drug money and one day his wife got mad at him and told him that he didn't want him bringing dirty money into the house because she was afraid that their family might get attacked or something. Sometime later, Reyes was attacked and had a machete in his jaw and was put into a coma for 8 days. He woke up and instantly knew that he had to change his life for the protection of his family. He started making an honest living, and changed a lot and moved to the United States to work honestly to make a living to provide for his family in Mexico. As we talked to him and shared our message with him, he told us that he knew we were saying the truth and asked us to please keep coming and seeing him because he feels something different when we are there. He told us that he knew that we could help him become a better man. 

I used to have this theory, that people are only capable of 15% change. But I have come to the conclusion that I was completely wrong. The entire purpose of this life is to change and to become better people. Even the little quirks we have, we can change for the better. Saying "Oh that's just the way I am, I can't change that." denies the enabling power of the Atonement in our lives. 

I also ate a baby octopus this past week, this Korean woman offered it to me and as a missionary, I couldn't deny it. It was very rubbery and chewy, would not recommend to most people. With that said, I'd probably eat another one again sometime in the future. 

I love you all! Stay tinsel! 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Happy Valentine's Day

Friends and Family, 

Happy (day late) Valentine's Day! You are all my Valentine's. 

Things here in East Wenatchee are going great. One of our investigators, Miguel, is planning on being baptized this Saturday. He's so cool. He's this 18 year old kid who made a New Year's Resolution to get closer to God. One day he just decided to download a Bible app and start reading the book of Genesis, and the next day we knocked on his door. He told us that he knew that God put us in his path so that we could help him fulfill his resolution. 

We took a trip up to this little town in the mountains named Waterville this week. It's this awesome little town that is literally stuck on top of the mountain that's also stuck in the 50's. It was such a cool little town, but Elder West got altitude sickness or something while we were up there. His face got super pale and he was very out of breath and was feeling some nausea, so we only spent about 30 minutes up there before he asked if we could go back to the apartment so that he could rest. While driving back through the mountains, he asked if he could pull over for a little bit. I pulled off to the side of the highway and he got out and took a couple steps down the mountainside and crouched over. I started looking through stuff in the car and figured that I should probably look over and make sure that he hasn't rolled down the hill or something. Right as I looked, I got a grand ol' view of him spewing his guts. Just like us finding Miguel, the timing was perfect. 

We also had the opportunity to move this little old lady out of her old house and into her new house. Her name was Debbie, and she had SO much stuff. It took a total of around 8 hours to move everything and her garage was completely filled. After we finished, she fed us pizza and cookies. She told us how grateful she was and called us her 'little dear ones', which made all of the soreness from moving so worth it. 

This past Thursday we planned to teach a less-active member and his wife, and the Stake Patriarch had agreed to come out with us to teach them the Plan of Salvation. We showed up and knocked on the door, and the wife answered looking extremely distraught. We asked her how she was doing, and she explained that her mother in Mexico was sick with pneumonia and she had her family over and they were waiting for a phone call from the hospital. We gave her our condolences, and explained that the message we share could give them hope and peace in their time of sorrow. She asked that we come back another night, to which I felt prompted to ask if we could say a prayer with their family. She agreed and invited us in, and we shared our testimonies and gave a quick lesson on prayer. She admitted that her family doesn't pray as often as they should, and when we asked her who she would like to give the prayer she asked the Stake Patriarch if he would give it. He said such a powerful prayer, it was very cool.

I attached a picture from our adventure in Waterville on top of the mountain with nothing but snow for forever. There is also a picture of Hermana Villa and her family, they are so awesome. She made us homemade tortillas this week and tried to teach us how to make them. Rafael, our investigator, kept telling us that we have to be careful with tortillas made by the hands of a woman because they are addictive and will give you a big belly. 

Les amo mucho! Have a great week! 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder King

Thawing in the Northwest

Friends and Family, 

The snow is starting to melt, and East Wenatchee is more beautiful than ever. I get to do service for the city two times a week where we do things like shoveling snow and picking up trash and it is such a blast. Service always feels so good, no matter what it is.

We had Zone Training Meeting this past Saturday, and I was able to reunite with Elder Wundelich and Elder Kiser, two of the five members of the Yak Pak, also known as the lost tribe of Mexico. It is always so much fun to see other missionaries and catch up and share stories.

One of our investigators, Miguel, is doing so awesome. He is 18 years old and has come to church the past couple weeks and went to mutual on Wednesday and when we asked him about it on Thursday he told us, "I did donuts in the parking lot with the Bishop. Not many people get to say that they've done that." I laughed at the truthfulness of the statement. I guess whatever it takes to make someone feel comfortable!

Another one of our investigators, Josue, is so much fun to teach. He asks some of the best questions and takes notes during our lessons! At the end of each of our lessons he always asks us to make sure that we'll come back to visit him. He loves leaning more and more and really wants to know if it's true.

Despite the roughness of this past week, it is such a blast serving up here. I learn something knew everyday, sometimes something new about myself. The hard times may outnumber the good times, but the good times definitely outweigh the bad ones.

I've attached a picture of myself in what I call 'delinquent mode' as I do service for the city. The other picture is with Elder Kiser (left) and Elder Wunderlich (middle).

I hope your February has started off great, and continues to get better. I love you all. If there is anything you are curious about that you'd like for me to include in my weekly letters, please let me know and I'll do my best to improve!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder King 

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