Transfers, saying goodbye....and DAVID ARCHULETA !!

I have a lot to tell you this week, because a lot of great things happened, both great and kinda crappy but I'll skip that stuff because someone cool, named David Nixon, once told me to only tell you the good so that's what I'll do :) 
(Thanks a lot, David, now this Momma is going to imagine the worst things possible ! ;-) )

Monday we had a zone hike. It was a little short, but pretty good and then after that we played kickball. After we had FHE at the Bishop's house and that was super awesome. We were talking about Christ and it was like a spiritual nuke bomb ! It was soo good and just so peaceful. 

Palm trees in California 

Tuesday was okay. We did some service at the senior centre and then had our Book of Mormon class. We also ended up teaching an 11 year old about the law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom so that was fun. 

Erene, Elder Routledge, Liz

Wednesday we had a super big project at the senior centre. We were serving food for a big event and then we had a big clean up. It was a cool day. 
A slight side note, I have been finding it a tad hard to live with random people, so I have spent so much time on my knees in prayer and I just wanted to share that it is working so well. I just need to put my faith in the Lord. 

Angel and Elder Routledge

Thursday we were doing some service work, pulling weeds out of a short stream. It was good, but we got eaten by these little Cali bugs. They are deadly like a mosquito but smaller and the bite hurts like a horse fly. You can't even see them, they are soo small and they bite you on the elbows ! I have no idea why they choose the elbows but the little things do. 

Elder Routledge and Vanessa

Friday was relaxed, mostly just weekly planning. I am planning for my third transfer already. It goes by so darn fast, mom, it is crazy. (not NEARLY fast enough !) 

Saturday we got transfer calls and Elder Routledge is going to Simi Valley !! 
Simi Valley is ranked the 5th safest city over 100 thousand people in the country (That makes me feel a little better at least !). The summers are about 100 - 112 degrees, so that is going to suck, but I'll try to live :)

Ssaid and Elder Routledge

I am going to be in Elder Hunt's zone (My trainer). So get this. Elder Hunt is 6'6 and his new companion, Elder Hamson is 7'3 !! The two tallest Elders in the mission are my new zone leaders, it is going to be so great !

Sunday we got to be guest speakers in Primary so that was super cool and very fun. Then we said goodbye to a few people. Then we went to the secret mission meeting I told you about last week and get this... WE GOT TO HEAR DAVID ARCHULETA SPEAK TO US !!! 

Elder Routledge (Sitting beside Sister Felix) & David Archuleta

He talked to us for like an hour and a half, then sang some songs and his voice was oh, just perfect, so amazing ! He told us some funny stories from his mission and then about American Idol. He said he usually got about 4 hours of sleep with all the practicing and he still made time to read for 15 minutes a day, so that was just so powerful. After we got pictures with him and I got to shake his hand and talk to him. It was by far, the coolest thing ever. Mom, it was just soo amazing and he can sing so well. He is also sooo funny in person, always cracking jokes and he had the whole mission in tears from his music and his jokes. By far the coolest thing ever ! 

Well that was my crazy, exciting week, so til next week. I love you all so much and I'll talk to you soon. And hey, skype time comes soon :-)

Loving the People of Fillmore, Turtles and...Peewee Herman?

I got a new haircut, shorter on the sides and longer on top. (I'll send a picture next week). A cool miracle while getting my haircut. We were looking for a place and they were all closed but we found one that was open. The girl cutting my hair started to talk to me and well, turns out her and her husband used to live in Utah and go to church there. They moved here and went to a ward in Oxnard but had some circumstances arise where they could no longer get to church so I told her about the ward in Fillmore and she got all excited and took our number and said her husband would want to come ! 

We got to go play mini golf at one of the courses in Ventura so that was cool. A little weird as a missionary but we were allowed to go. 

Must be in California 

A bush that kinda looks
like Mickey Mouse ears

THEN GET THIS SO I've started to go for runs in the morning and I ran a mile in 6.54 minutes which is pretty quick I think. The other Elders said it was and I am getting back into shape. It is my goal. 

You know who Peewee is ? Like Peewee's playhouse? Well he is here in Fillmore filming his new movie. We tried to be extras but no luck :-)

Downtown Fillmore
Peewee Herman film set

On a sadder note, Vanessa (one of his investigators) is not doing so well. Her dad is very sick. He has pretty much killed his liver to the point that he has like 2 months to live. There is nothing they can do as his body is poisoned and he is only 55. So please just pray for her and keep her family in your prayers. 

Chickens

And Turtles 

Friday we did some service for a man in Santa Paula. He has a cool backyard full of rabbits and chickens, a goat and a bunch of other cool little things running around. He also had turtles and I fed them raw meat and they went crazy !!

The whole mission has been called to a random meeting on Sunday. Every missionary in our mission so updates about what that is will come next week. Oh and transfers are are next week so that should be interesting. 

Today we went to Lompoc for a baptism of a guy my companion taught last transfer so that was cool. There is an elder there named Elder Chatterton. He is from Lethbridge. We've met a few times so it is always fun to talk to him about home and all of our same interests. 

On Sunday we taught Vanessa and Jared. He asked me to give him a blessing so I gave him one and he just broke out in tears. It just kills me to see him struggle because he wants so bad to overcome his issues. I just want to see him better. It is cool how other missionaries have said you will gain true love for your investigators because I have. I truly love Jared and Vanessa and Robert and his family and all the other people we teach. I just love Fillmore and the people here. 

The Beautiful Ocean 

Well, I am doing good. I am loving the mission so much. But. Until next week. I love you all so much. 

General Conference, Canadian Treats and...Stair Surfing??

Our First Name Tag Photo !

The package I got, it's full of Canadian treats !!! Yes, I love it all. My roommates were like, "What are you eating" and I'm like, "Ketchup chips !" I love the Canadian treats so much !

My Spanish is getting good. I can bear testimony in Spanish now and almost pray, so that's cool. 

Monday was one of the Sister's birthdays so we had a fun little party. We had lots of food, music and sports going on. We made district t-shirts as well. The highlight, though, is one of the investigators in Santa Paula was there. Her dad grows chili's. They are about as hot as the world's hottest ghost chili pepper. So we all ate 1 and for 15 minutes my throat hurt so bad I was almost in tears ! Because of how hot it was, I chugged a whole half gallon of milk and was still dying inside and for a few hours after my chest hurt, but man, it was fun !

Tuesday has the crazy store of the week. I don't know how this keeps happening, but we need an oil change in our car. Okay sweet. So we go to Ventura to get one and the guy says we need 4 new tires. We call Elder Stewart, our car guy, and he said to go ahead and get 4 tires. As we were waiting, some random guy bought us lunch (Subway) and he told us he has a son serving a mission in Idaho, so that was cool. Back to the crazy, fun story. 

So we get our tires and are on our way down the highway, well then the car rolled 4 times !! Ha, APRIL FOOL'S...it didn't roll, but here IS what happened.... The car started to shake and pull hard to the right so we pull over and the front right tire has no air. IT IS BRAND NEW, WHAT THE HECK !? I started to do my first tire change as an Elder, then it just goes down hill. The jack was tilted so it fell off the jack and smacked hard on the ground, so Elder Robinson and I free lifted the front end, stood the jack up and got the new spare on. We then drove back to Pep boys and on the way, whatever bent when it hit the ground was making really loud screech noises. We got there alive, they fixed the tire and the bent cover and said they forgot to tighten one of the valves on the tire. So, crazy story of the week, there you go. 

Wednesday, nothing exciting happened. 
Thursday I was on an exchange with the other Elder I live with. That was fun but nothing crazy happened that day either. 

Friday my companion was so sick I was in the apartment doing studying most of the day. 

So now, General Conference. I forgot my notes at the apartment but I remember my favorite talks. First was L Tom Perry about the summit that President Eyring went to and the Muslim guy reading from the Family Proclamation. Then I really liked Jeffrey R Holland's talk. He always lays into you with such power and when he said, "But suddenly, like a lightning strike in a summer storm," oh wow. It was great. 
I also like the quote about life is not on a 4" screen, I loved that. 

And a quote that I can't remember who gave, but said "Don't judge imperfect companions as you are imperfect yourself". I took like 15 pages of notes, I love them all so much.  
I really like the talks on marriage and how it should be equal between both, that was sweet. The talks just hit me with such power, maybe because I am an Elder, I don't know, but they were so good. 
They really were powerful and really put things into new eyes fro me. Now I have things I need to try to improve on. 

Well, I know this letter is short, but I am not sure what else I have got to say so... I love you so much, my family and everyone else supporting me. I'll talk to you all next week :)