First Zone Conference

HEY!

So this past week was full of exciting things. I met Cassie's Aunt Roselyn. She lives like half a mile from our place. It was so cool. We're trying to get her to come back to church. She is a lot like Cassie. We laughed a whole bunch when we realized we knew the same people. My comp just sat there quiet... I feel kinda bad about it..... but I was really excited :D

So last Thursday we met with a newly wed couple. They're members of church of christ, but don't think we've figured it out haha, The Husband wanted Objective evidence that the Boof of Mormon is true reather than subjective. I know the spirit was with me, because I would have never thought to have him look at the 3 witnesses and the 8 witnesses in the beguinning. SO COOL! They're having a hard time reading and praying to ask if what we teach is true just cause I think they're affraid they'll have to change their life style.

Friday we knocked into a mans house and he said the only way he would listen to us if we would take a glass of wiskey. I was going to take it and dump it, but we just left. I thought it would have been cool to teach him.

Sunday we did a lot of knocking. Which I really enjoy doing when the sun is setting. because a lot of people are either out or it's cool enough and people will come out and listen to our message. One of the homes we knocked into a man came out and I could tell he didn't really want to talk to us and I asked him about hunting. I saw a deer rack in his garage before we knocked. So he stood out and talked to us. :) We didn't get to share much of a message with him, but I feel like his attitude about "The Mormons" has changed. 

We also picked us up a black man named Jamal.  He's really tight and love to hear our message. We also knocked into a lady. She's really cool, she knows a first wards recent convert. She is really interestewd in learning everything, but is afraid her husband doesn't want to convert. He's the kinda guy that still lives by momms rules.

Monday I had my first interview with President Augustin. I love him!  He's such a great man and is really easy to talk to.  Towards the end of my interview that he said, "Sister Augustin and I feel this sort of kinship with you." That was so neat to hear. Tuesday we had our zone conference. It was way good!  We learned about christ like attributes and how to become stronger in those. At the end of the day when we went to leave Sister Augustin almost gave me a hug haha! That was pretty funny, cause when she started to she realized like half way that she's not allowed to. She just ended up putting ane arm around me.

Oh how do you use that 5 times in a sentence correctly? I know that, that that that that boy used in his sentence was used correctly.

I am loving my area and having a lot of fun working. To answer boo's question we didn't have a dinner calender tuesday president put it back into effect. So I haven't found one yet who has huge meals and lots of fun conversations, but there is a couple families that are really great here.

I love you all and I am so glad to hear from everyone all the letters I get sent and emails and cards. I really appreciate all the support!

Love,

Elder Marshall

Hello everyone!

So my past week went fairly well. We went to the temple Saturday. We did 3 sessions and then a bunch of other things after the sessions. I was so exhausted. 

Then Tuesday was really exciting. I really wanted to knock a neighborhood and we kept putting it off and finally at like 7:30 I told e. Pentecost that we were going to knock it right then. So we went and started at the beginning of the block. We were going to start half way through.. which didn't make sense to me so we knocked on 3 doors and on the 3rd door a man opened up the door and was like oh we're having a bible study right now and opened the door up really wide and we saw a bunch of people inside. He invited us in and E. Pentecost just stood there. I walked right past him and went in. Because what's the worst that could happen? A bash? So we sat down and they told us what they were studying and explained that they are an addiction recovery group. SO COOL!!! So they went around and would ask a question and then everyone would put in their input, and when it came around to me I would tell them my thoughts and feelings and bear my testimony and teach them a little and we kept going around. So finally it was 9 pm and we told them that we needed to go and they bombarded us with some AWESOME questions! So we answered them left them a couple copies of the Book Of Mormon, Some pass along cards and left. Afterward I was so excited. They told us to come back next Tuesday and share with them more, But E. Pentecost when we got home was like "We're not going back there again. They don't really want to hear the gospel." I was so mad I want to go back there and teach them and sit through another meeting. 

Yesterday E. Martinez, a Spanish missionary, and I were able to go on exchanges! He's so much fun. We laughed pretty much the whole time we were together. I learned so much from him in just one day! He taught me how to do door approaches that are not "Roboticised". 

He also taught me how to crochet last night also. I'm going to try and crochet a scripture cover. :) 

We had the coolest thing happen to me also. We were out knocking on doors, and we saw someone outside. So we walked over there, because it's easier to get someone when they can't slam a door on your face. When we walked up to him we could see him fighting and with his wife, they were yelling and swearing at each other. So we talked to him and his wife walked over to the other side of the trailer and sat down and he was like "If you want to talk to someone talk to that B." We just stood there and got to know him and talked. He started walking around picking up trash and we were getting ready to leave, and both of us turned around and kept teaching him, and helping pick up all of the trash. So he was over by his wife and we started teaching them about eternal families and how the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives can help them be happier with each other. He pretty much sat down right next to her and they both listened to everything we taught. They are committed to read and pray about the BOM. They are both excited to meet with the Elders again. I know that God will always provide. We just have to promise we will act upon what he provides us with.

Things are going well with me. I'm learning, slowly but surely. I want everyone to have this gospel in their lives.
I love all of you back home. You are all in my prayers. Each and every single one of you, individually are prayed for. My knees can prove it.

Keep me up to date on everything.
Love,
Elder Marshall

Hey

Sounds like things are going well :)

There's a guy that lives down here. Brother Perry. He says he knows uncle Keith. They were friends when they were in their teens or so? He was super excited to talk to me about it :) lol So that is something you could share with Uncle Keith.

Something cool that I found out from our new GOLDEN Investigator is Odessa is named after a city in the Ukraine! So apparently Tyler and I are both in Ukraine. Just his is super cold, and Mine is SUPER HOT and awfully dry. All the lakes down here are drying up.

So friday it rained.. Rain drops here are the flippin size of water bottles! It DUMPS out of the sky here! It was the first rain they recieved in almost a year. Odessa is in such a drought that you and only water once a week.

So there's this guy who we got a text from church head quarters for. So we got to his house and nobody was there. So we called him that night and talked to him. He said he had a million questions about our religion. So we set up to see him Saturday. We spent 2 hours at his house discussing everything on his mind. So we asked him to come to church with us. When Sunday rolls around we got to church and he wasn't there. So I called him and he said his son was in the hospital, the ER, and was really sick. He felt really really bad, but he couldn't have come to church with how sick his son is. So we set up a time to meet with him on Monday. So we went about our day had dinner at a families home in our ward. After dinner we were planning on just going tracting and we got a call from him.  He was breaking down and having a terrible night.  So he was planning on calling his minister and was ready to dial the number and he couldn't do it.  All he kept thinking about was talking to us.  So we went over to his house and talked to him calmed him down and he started to express to us how he wanted to know what he had to do to be a member of the church and that he knows what we're teaching him is good. We taught him the word of wisdom and he comitted to stop smoking right then and there. He's set for baptism on the 14th. He is meeting with us everyday and doing everything he needs to do to come closer to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so excited for him and can not wait for his baptism. To see the Joy it will bring into his life. I can not wait.

I know that Heavenly father loves me and does watch over each and everyone of us.

I hope that everyone is doing well and I appreciate everything that I've recieved for my birthday.

Especially the harmonica, thanks Grandma Marshall.  I just need to figure out how to play it now :D

I love you all and am so grateful for all of your support.

Oh austin I loved your be the boss. I will do it :D oh I hear you've got lots of girls chasing after you ;) That's what I like to hear.

Love,

Elder Marshall

 

p.s. Thank you for the talks, you can send more!   I really appreciate them.  Also be proud of me I didn't open my birthday package until this morning :D

Highlights From My Week

I'm so glad to hear from everyone I love you all SO MUCH! I really really enjoy all of you letters.

So my past week has been really interesting haha I will just hit some of the highlights for the week. :D
So last Friday Elder Pentecost and I were out knocking doors and we saw 2 women out smoking on their porch. We were just going to go up a different street and just not worry about talking to them.  I just walked over there. :) So we went up and started talking to them and they let us teach them right there on the spot. These two were so accepting to what we were teaching them. It was an awesome lesson.

Saturday I got attacked by a HUGE dog. Once again we were out tracting and to make a long story short we walked around a car and Elder Pentecost stopped right in front of me and said "Is he nice?" and next thing I know this beast comes bookin after us. It went right past Elder Pentecost and went right for me. It had it's mouth around my leg at the same time I kicked it. It was SO SCARY! I could have got rabies or something! then that night we had the best steaks EVER. and it was super easy to make.

Sunday Elder Pentecost and I got to church and the zone leaders came and grabbed me and brought me to a class room. The was this 15 yr old kid that had flown in from Florida at 11:45pm. We came to find out that he was here to move in with his brother. His birthday was June 3rd and his mom passed 2 days later. He had been meeting with the missionaries in Florida and his mom said she really liked how he had been living his life since he started meeting with the missionaries. So this kid flew in town at 11:45 pm and found church so important that he was there at 9 in the morning the next day. He has so much faith. I can not wait to keep teaching him.

For the latter part of the week not to much else happened. I'm so happy to be out here and am having so much fun. Elder Pentecost and I decided to start working harder everyday to the point to where we get home and collapse. I Don't want to waste a single second out here.

I love you all so much and I am so glad to hear from everyone.
Love
Elder Marshall

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