Some Q&A's

Dear Family and Friends, 

Mom asked me a bunch of questions which made letter writing so much easier this week: 

(Oh my birthday is August 4th- that is why she asked questions about it)

Are you enjoying your ward? Yes, the ward is great. it's very small but it's good

Do you only have one? Yes elder Pentecost and I have only one ward. We are in Odessa second ward.

Do you like your trainer?  He's a good guy.... I told my trainer when I met him that I know what it's like to work hard and that I expect to do so :)

Do you live in a house or an apartment? We live in a house, with a member.

If you are in a home do you live with members? We do live with a member. His name is brother Kelly - he's a really great guy. He's super funny.

Do you have any investigators? Yeah we have investigators. One wants to get baptized in December and isn't sure if Joseph Smith was a prophet, but believes in the BOM....

How many missionaries are assigned to each ward? There's usually one set per ward... the wards are HUGE!!!  
Do you eat at members homes much?  No my trainer doesn't really do dinner... so... 

Do you want me to send your package the mission office or the house? send it to the house. or it will take over 6 weeks to get it to me.. unless it's near transfers then just hold mail till I get my new address.

Is there anything special you would want for your birthday? Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head. I wish I wrote down a list, cause there's some things that I thought about.. oh a harmonica. I want to learn to play one while I'm out here. 

Is there a Costco near? no there's no Costco out here in Texas:( 

Did you get a bike?  Yes I got a bike for free, but I slipped a Benjamin and a thank you note in his stuff though cause I wasn't going to take it for free.  It's a specialized hardrock edition.

I'm still trying to figure out cooking!! HAHA I do a fairly decent job at it :0 My comp enjoys it.

My area ..... it's pretty much like old Henderson, and then there's a small part of it that's really nice. We spend most of our time in the poor part because the part of town that is well off just shuts the door on our face... hahaha My comp is a great guy, He teaches me lot and tries to correct me when I do wrong.. I don't think he knows that I'm perfect.

I love you :D
elder marshall

First Week in Texas!

Dear Famdamily,
     Well the past few days have been quite the adventure trying to get out to Lubbock and then down here to Odessa. Soo I got to call everyone in the airport Monday. It was great to be able to call and talk a little bit with everyone.

    I got to Lubbock, FINALLY. The airplane had us board, then we had to get off... Apparently one of the tires kept losing air. I'm glad they changed it instead of finding out there was no air in the tire when we landed.

    On the airplane there was a guy from Colombia that I sat next to. He was SO funny. He hardly could speak English to me, but he tried his hardest to communicate with me. He ended up speaking Spanish in the end and teaching me how to speak. I gave him a pass along card while we were talking, and as soon as we landed he turned his phone on and went online to mormon.org :D

    Once we got to Lubbock we met with President and Sister Augustin. (We already had met them in the MTC.) We had so much training right when we got there. I felt like I was right back to the MTC, but in a VERY nice home. :)

    So I got my assignment of who my trainer is, and where I'm going. I'm in Odessa 2nd ward and my trainer is Elder Pentecost. I enjoy it down here in Texas. It smells funny... especially the water.. Everything smells like oil.. eww.. I like the ward though.. well the couple I've met. Our ward mission leader is... umm... really really quiet. We had dinner with him and his wife last night. It was really .... awkward. So to start off they were really quiet, and had nothing to talk about. Then we sat down for dinner, prayed and they were like okay you can go eat now. and so Elder Pentecost and I got up, and got our food and sat down and then they waited for us to take the first bite of food and then they got up and got there food.......... I can not even express to you how awkward I felt. I think it was just cause I wasn't prepped on what we were going to do and how quiet they are.. It was so different, because Dinner at home is always loud and laughter and fun, and there... silence.. haha.

    I was studying a little on the reason why they brought up a birthright right there in the beginning. I think it's because Jesus Christ was given the birthright, and we are to strive to get the birthright just like Nephi did. Also goodly means well off and of good name. Something else that I just can not figure out is.... Why would they have the verse "and my father dwelt in a tent"? We've been told there is deep meaning behind every verse in the BOM. So why is it so important to have that there?

    Things are good here, and I'm getting to know my companion. :) He's VERY relaxed on everything he does. So I'm learning to get him up to speed with me! :D hhaha

4215 E. Everglade Odessa TX 79762

I love you so much!
elder marshall

He's Doing Great!

I got your package this morning of my pants and socks and shoe goo. thank you :) The post has been slacking here cause of the 4th weekend. So I don't know if any of my letters are home or what.

I've been slammed busy studying and trying to become better at teaching. Elder Tuckett (my comp) his mom sent us a package hahaha she sent 6 donuts and a couple books with bible stories with the pictures to help for visual. Elder Tuckett ended up eating all of the donuts the first night hahaha. Elder tuckett and I really get along and have a good time with each other. We probably get along the best in our whole district. P.s. I LOVE MY DISTRICT!! We have so much fun together.  Elder tuckett and I have been studying alot and we try and make our whole day a companionship inventory. He and I talk about when we do something we don't like and we try and lift each other up all the time :) it's kinda funny cause all of the other elders in our district are always trying to get away from their comps and go on exchanges and we are the only 2 that never want to trade. I had a little bit of a hard time with him at first, but that's cause he doesn't open up and share his whole life story like I do... but I've learned to overcome it and just ignore it.

 

I've got the lesson of the restoration down pretty dang good and Elder tuckett has been awesome at filling in on all the gaps (he's a gospel genious) :) so I'll teach the lesson as simple and as quickly as possible and he answers all the questions and expounds on what I missed :) we've really been learning how to work with each other :)

 

Things are great here. I'm not feeling home sick anymore (well on occasion, but I just get so caught up in studying and working to even think of being home) and I'm really loving my comp. He's helped me out in so many ways. I understand so much more when I'm teaching. I hope it all sticks :)

How are things at home? I would be writing and trying to get letters out, but they've stepped up the schedule so we're 10 times as busy studying trying to stay ahead of our district in the gospel. So tell everyone put it on facebook or whatever saying I'm tryingm to get letters out, but it's way to busy.

 

OH MOM!!! You let Marissa in my room!!!! WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!  whatever I'm jsut going to tell her it was messy cause I had to pack :D

 

How is the new building going? Has any work been done on it yet? can you send pics so I can see the progress.

 

How's Austin and Rebecca doing at the front desk?

Tell Linda and Becca I love them and miss them :) I hope they're doing well!

 

Ugh... I hate trying to beat the timer!! this is ridiculous... lol

 

Oh dearelder the responses so I can read them before I leave.. I leave monday morning.. I don't have the info on me right now, but I'll write a letter home on everything about it.

 

I love you all and I hope everything is going well :) keep me up to date on things and I will do my best to do the same :) I love you!

 

Oh austin get to reading on the scriptures. Read them like they were written for you!

 

I'm just about out of time. I'll hopefull be able to write you on Saturday (my next P. day cause I'm leaving.)

 

Love,

Elder Marshall