Elder Ford in Missouri

AH! HELLO my friends and Family!!!

I am doing well still. Missouri is fun still. No matter how used to a small town you think you are... you always see something that surprises you! haha The other day there was 2 old guys sitting by a fire they made on the grass on their front lawn, cooking hobo dinners for lunch, a big ol guy with no shirt and they had the door of the pick  up open listening to the most hick country music I have ever  heard! haha coming from me , you know that means a lot! hahaha it was funny! 

   I am not driving any more, my companion got his papers signed so now he is the driver! So I am back to standing behind the car backing him up and on the passenger side! ha. oh and carrying the phone, which my companion is happy about because he doesn't have to talk to people any more! ha but that is alright with me, because I like to text the other missionaries in our ward funny things randomly! haha.

   We are supposed to teach 20 lessons every week. it is our "Standard of Excellence" for teaching. It is mixed with Investigators, less-active members, recent converts, and member lessons. SO between those different ways we are supposed to teach 20 lessons a week. That is where 20 lessons came from in my last e-mail! This last week we taught 15 I think... so it was okay! 

   We set a baptismal date with Andrew, Oct. 29th! So that should work out well! We taught a man named Jeff last week with a member named Brother Glassford which was a great idea to bring him! He really helped Jeff understand the things w were teaching! Rita canceled on us this week.. she was feeling sick... so hopefully she feels better this week and we can teach her!! that would be good!  Other than that we have some potential-Investigators we are trying to start teaching, and a part member-less-active/active family we are trying to start working with! The father, Abdur, has been on and off investigating for many years. His wife (the member) and him stay home on Sundays to watch the sick kids, but the healthy ones come to church! ha He is a good example to his wife, or so she says, and seems very ready to accept the gospel, he pretty much just needs to be baptized an come to church more often! His oldest daughter is almost 8 and is REALLY excited to be baptized! She wants him to baptize her, and he very well could! So the circumstances are just perfect! We are going to try and start that up.. should work out! So that is the summary of the work here in Warrenton! we are trying to get the work going a bit faster! 

   Preparation Days here are a bit slow... We are out in the country, so we are pretty far from anything. We usually just shop for groceries, e-mail, and play basketball inside the carpeted gym in our church with ourselves or the other elders in our ward! other than that.. it is pretty slow! but that is alright! We get stuff done the rest of the week, and "P-days" are comparatively unimportant! Oh! A few weeks ago I bought "safety color green" hooded sweatshirt! So I am visible when I run in the morning! hahaha so that was fun! it is pretty cool! I enjoy it! All is well in Missouri! Have a great week! ;)

Elder Ford

All is well here in Warrenton!

All is well here in Warrenton! I am happy and teaching people (like I am called to do)! Me and my companion get along pretty well (happy are we)! We are contacted a former investigator to the church named Jeff. He is a nice guy, the reason the missionaries before stopped teaching him was because he went to jail! ha So that was fun... ha He doesn't have a job. SO it should be easier to meet with him. But, we will see. We teach him tomorrow! We are also teaching Rita again tomorrow, a nice old lady that works part time at Wendys! The closest person to being baptized is probably Andrew. He is dating a girl in the ward, so we are meeting with him to see if he really wants this or if it is just for the girl! Hopefully not  the latter! We are doing well though, we taught 20 lessons last week! So we met our "standard of excellence" set by our mission president! We are having fun and trying to do all we can to get this area going a bit faster! There is still no word on a Visa or anything of the sort. I will let you know when it comes! I do want it to come, but I do love the people and families in the ward! They are very nice, supportive, and love the missionaries! it is good to work with them! They try to help us, and guess what, it works! ha Funny how things work out when you do what the general authorities say! It is inspiring really... I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and does the lords work. He does nothing, save it were for the lord! All of the quorum of the 12 are indeed "Special Witnesses of Christ!" I love you all and hope you are continuing to do well back home!

Sincerely,

    Elder Christian Ford

Elder Ford updates

I am going to start responding to people individually, and then writing a message to go forth unto all! haha Work in Warrenton is well. A little slow but well. Our zone leaders giving us ways to help find so that is good! We are teaching a young kid named Andrew. I say young he is my age. he is dating a girl in the ward. He watched conference with bailey (his GF) and she said he loved it. we are planning on meeting with him this week to see if he really wants to meet with us and get baptized or if it is just for the girl. I think it is a real intent though! so that is good! He is closest to baptism. We were teaching a man named Donny, who lives next to a recent convert. He came to church last week and said he likes his baptist church more, we were kinda gonna drop him but we invited him and his neighbor to come to general conference at the church, they accepted. Conference came and neither showed. I think we are officially dropping him. kinda sad... but we need to move on! We are teaching a former investigator as well. His name is Micheal. He has a trachea pipe. because he smokes so much.. sad! we are slowly working with him! and lastly we are teaching a lady named Rita! she is nice and "wants to go back to church" and was formerly a baptist! so that is good! we have met with her once and she liked it! just need to find her a ride! Her boss at Wendys is a recent convert so that should be good!  We watched conference at the church! and for the Sunday afternoon session were the only people there! hahaha kinda funny, the bulb in the projector blew! haaha so Elder Taft ran and got a tv from the library and we finished watching on that! so that was good! I am glad people are looking to help in with missionary work, because that is how it will work, with the members and the missionaries together! I loved conference it was great to hear from these inspired, called of god, men that we so often bare testimony of! What a blessing we have to hear it and so frequently and speedily! All is well in Warrenton! I am loving life.

Visa-Trunky

Indeed transfers was last week! I am with Elder Taft. is 21 and from Fruit heights Utah! he has been serving for 10 months!  or ten and a half as he says. haha he is cool and LOVES the jazz! so that is good. we are doing good. taking over an area after 3 weeks can be a little tough... but it is what it is! I can do it. we are doing alright! it is getting darker earlier now so that is a challenge! but... we will figure something out! The weather here is amazing actually! the last few Saturdays have been incredible! like PERFECT weather! makes me wanna watch football! hahaha makes me think of waking up to the house smelling like hamburger hash and watching Saturday morning football with you and Andy! that was our "family time" right there! haha  I don't want you to send a Christmas package cause IDK if I will be Australia then or not! if I get there you can just give me some money to buy a GPS or something... don't worry about it mom it will be okay! cause for all I know I might still be here on December 25th. hopefully not so I CAN avoid that winter! haha I AM doing great! do not worry. you know me! haha  all is well. the lord takes care of his missionaries! that is true. I promise! ha I wont lie I am getting a little "visa-trunky" that is what I am callin' it. ha but I am not worrying about it! no need to worry about something I cant control, right?

That is really cool about your gospel doctrine lesson. something that I heard in the MTC a lot was that we are called, like you are called to be a gospel doctrines teacher. and who the lord calls, he qualifies. you are absolutely doing fine! everyone used to tell me about how much they enjoyed your lessons! they told ME. that tells me right there that they really do enjoy it! and when you are called you receive revelation for that calling that no one else can receive! because YOU are called to TEACH. it is pretty amazing really.

oh man.. no Utah game... it always feels a bit off when Utah has a bye! ha but at least Andy had fantasy football the next day right!? haha

I get jays and a few of Colemans emails. but no I haven't heard from Micheal! hope is doing well. I wouldn't imagine that his mail address would be different that is a pretty unique name! doesn't hurt to try! sounds like mays is doing fantastic! that is good to hear! is he dating Becca yet?? haha tell him I asked that! pretty cool that he is getting more job opportunities though! that is fun! glad alex is still around! i love that guy! he is cool. an awesome friend! and so fuuny! garret told me that frightmares has dueling guitars so that should be pretty cool!! wish i could see it but oh well!! no i havnt heard from the Rawling's or any other cousins! speaking of cousins can I get Dylans address. tell him thanks again, and hope didn't OFFEND HIM. BECAUSE i KNOW THAT FILM IS HIS PASSION AND I DIDN'T INTEND TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT WAS JUST A FLIMSY OH THINK i COULD DO THIS? IT IS SOMETHING i REALLY WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT AND i GOT MUCH MORE OUT OF THAT TRIP THAN SOME LAME CONCERT! HAHA oops... caps lock was on... didn't mean for it to be ! hahahahahaha oh man... embarrassing! almost as embarrassing as my spelling... but yea.. I am too lazy to go back and retype all that so ... yea. hahaha

I am doing good! I love you mom! don't worry about me! I am doing well. all is well! :)

your son
   Elder Ford