Halloween Fun and A Baptism !!!

Mom and family. Okay dad, Scotty, Shel and more family. This was the best week by far, but before that, hey I got to thinking you should see if you can get dad's Patriarchal Blessing. That would be so great for him and it would really help, I think. This week was great !

Monday we went and carved pumpkins in our apartment and I put mine on my head after, so that was fun. We also...we did it !! We ate the CAROLINA REAPER!!! Mom, I must say that was the hottest and most pain I have ever been in, but it was so worth it because now I have eaten the hottest thing in our entire family and survived. It was so much fun, even almost puking my guts out...be positive :/ hahah It was hot but after about 20 minutes I could actually talk again, don't worry, I am all good now :-D

Tuesday was grand. We saw a lot of people. We did gardening this morning and I learned some things. One being I am NEVER having a garden when I get home, it is too much work. It is like a full time job. We also had a few lessons with a few different, recent converts and that was pretty cool. Then we had a nice, fun visit with this great family and we got their cat to go nuts on a laser and we tried a dog collar and that kinda hurt, even on the highest setting that was nothing compared to the pepper haha.

Elder ?, Anna, Collin, Elder Routledge

WEDNESDAY !!!! BAPTISM OF COLLIN AND ANNA!!! It was the craziest, but coolest, thing to be back in my old area, very weird but so cool. I was so excited to see them and I found out that morning I was baptizing them and that I was giving a talk and I think I did okay on both. It was so great going into the waters with Collin. It was just like seeing the fruits of our labours come to pass and I know baptisms are not everything but it was pretty great. And we got Kenna (girl) and Josh (boy) baptisms this next week. The work is so great. 

Collin & Anna's Family

Thursday was good. We had some really nice planning and we also had a cool dinner with the Cobbs, a part member family that resembles our family. That was good, and then we went by Kenna and Josh and went through the baptism interview questions. 

Friday we had a pretty good district meeting and Pres showed up with donuts so that was a nice surprise. He sat in our meeting and that was cool, we had a good talk and I gave a discussion on prayer, it was just a good meeting. We also had a lesson with this guy, Joey and that was cool. Last transfer he walked into the mission office and asked to be taught and they lost contact with him and we just met up with him. He is pretty cool. We have another lesson this week and we'll see if we can get a date set up. We also met this new investigator named Jessica this week and she accepted a date for Nov. 28. Oxnard is just such a humble area. 

Saturday we had a nice lunch with one of our less actives. We just visited and ate some food, it was pretty great. That night we went to the Trunk or Treat as the Blues Brothers and man, that was fun. We got lots of candy and everyone was head over heels for what we wore. It was just a fun party and Kenna and Josh came with their very less active parents :)

Sunday was good as well. Both wards were great, Ward 1 had their primary presentation in which Kenna and Josh were both in and again, their parents came so that was very cool. They are great. 
I will never speak bad about 3 hours of church again, I swear, 3 hours is so great!!! We also had a dinner tonight with a member, gave a blessing tonight and just enjoyed the Sabbath. 

I love being a missionary, but it goes by just so darn fast (nope, nope it does not ;-) ). OH!!! I also saw the Morris' this week when I went back to Simi!!! They are doing great, but it turns out Sister Morris had a heart attack. She is doing better but it blew me away (This couple fed Elder Routledge 2 or 3 times a week and sometimes that many times in one day!) 
Okay, I gotta go, but I love you all so much. Thank you for your support and we'll talk next week. MUAH MUAH

Elder Routledge

Additional Photos Submitted This week 

  

Splits, the Ocean...and Not Coming Home 'Til June ?!

HELLO WORLD OF CANADA LAND AND COLD AREA'S OF THE NORTH!!!!

California Surfer
(NOT Elder Routledge)

Some news that will make you happy, just kidding, mad. Sooo I checked my visa and it does not expire until June of 2017 so I am going to hang out here until then, get released, do some surfing, live with a member so see you in June of 2017 (I don't think so, young man !!!)

Monday was good. My comp and I found a Fry's (electronics type store) so we went and had fun in there for like an hour looking at all the cool stuff. We also went on a walk down by the ocean. We got some good pictures and I saw some cool navel boats, so that was really cool :)

Naval Ship

Tuesday was a day of days. We did service at Food Share again, that was fun. We just set up for an event they were having. Then that evening we went on splits with our ward mission leader and that was fun. After we went and saw a few cool people, then had an awesome ball night in which I got way too intense. 

Wednesday was good. Kind of a repeat of Tuesday, as we went back to Food Share and did more service at the main office and then went on more splits with members, so more cool people...ya sooo.

Thursday was a good day. We had a nice weekly planning session and we had to plan for two wards so that is always fun, fun, fun. Then we had a nice dinner at a members house in Third Ward. We cover First and Third ward so I'll start to say who is who in which ward. We went and taught a part member family in 3rd Ward who are in the same situation as us, all members except the dad, but we'll get him :)  After that we taught Kenna and Josh, the two little kids, they even came to church this Sunday.

Friday was pretty good as well. We had a nice zone meeting, some good talks and stuff and President is really cracking down on our music, so Motab is gonna be my favourite thing now. We also had a funeral going on at the church, and get this, so there was a member in a wheelchair named Bob B and he was the guy we gave a blessing to in the hospital a few weeks back. He passed away, it killed me as I saw him like 10 days before his passing, but I was able to go talk to his daughter and that was nice. 
Then we had a fun lunch with a member, yeah, two wards, we get lunch and dinners. After we ate at this nice bbq place for dinner, and that was oh, so good. 

Saturday I was on an exchange with Elder Harper and that was fun, he is a fun Elder. We saw a lot of cool members and had a fun dinner with a member who just made fun of us and I made fun of him. I loved it, it was like I was home. My comp was not used to it, so he was not too happy, but I tried to take the jokes and rear him towards me and away from my comp. It was good and then I changed a tire again on my mission, because we had a flat, yep learning life skills here. 

Sunday was another great 7 hours of church. I loved it. We had two really great dinners tonight and all in all, just a great day. Then to end the night, my comp hit a truck while parking, so yeah, fun day. I am very safe, we just scraped it, so yeah, fun, fun, fun. 

Well mom, dad, Shel, Scotty and FAMILY. I love you all so much. Take care and have a great week. I'll talk to you all soon.

7 Hours of church, NOT Training and Beautiful Weather

Hello Canada. How are you all ? Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Updates for the week...I was in my studies and came across this scripture and loved it. 
Roman 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience. 
Is that not just great? I read it and loved it. With my struggles it brought me great comfort. Another pretty crazy update is well, I am no longer training. The Reason for that is I was going to be training a visa waiter and he got his visa and so he went to Thailand. My new companion had the same thing happen to him, so they made us two companions and now we are covering two wards. It is kinda fun but it is very busy. 

Monday was a good day. We said goodbyes, did shout outs, wrote in journals and all that fun stuff. 

Elder Routledge & Payne

Tuesday was our transfer meeting and I got to see a lot of my old comps, like Elder Gregory and a few friends of mine so that was cool. Because we are covering two wards we had two dinners and the way that all worked out is kind of funny. My new comp is one of the Elders I lived with last transfer and he is a a very big boy. We came up with a plan to both eat healthy. It has been fun, he is just a big teddy bear. I love him, he is just great haha, we are so loud and weird together, it's like two of me in one apartment that eats 3 times as much haha. 

Elder Payne

Wednesday we received 7 referrals from HQ in Salt Lake. They send a text of someone who is interested, so we have been very busy with that and seeing two wards of people is fun, but the days start and are gone already. It is good because this will build up my diligence as an Elder. Only look for the good, or I try. It can be hard at times, but if you rally think about it, every day there is more good than bad that happens, or can happen. 

Thursday was fun. We did our weekly planning and we set some goals of how to help out wards out and I do not have anything to complain about. Our Elders back home cover two wards and they are still great :) SHOUT OUT TO YOU, CANADA ELDERS!!
We also had a District Leader Training meeting, yep back as a DL comp, the best place to be haha. That was NOT sarcasm. Then I had to introduce Elder Payne (my comp) to the gun family, the Throckmortnes. It was a fun visit. 

Friday was cool. We had a cool district meeting. It was like an intro to the transfer, it was cool. Then we stayed busy seeing people. We talked to a less active man named Brother Golden. He was cool and we taught this new but old investigator named Jenny. Then we went to see this guy named Uncle Boobala. He loves on the ocean and he is 60!!! and he surfs like everyday ! He was a very cool dude. He has long white hair and looked like an old surfer guy and surfer body, it was just funny. 


Saturday we saw Josh and Kenna and they are the best. Their mom is a less active, becoming more active and they are both 9 and not baptized yet, so we are getting them baptized on the 9th of November. They are so great, I just love these two kids. They came to church on Sunday and they just crack me up. I will have to get pictures to show you them, they are very cool. 

Oct 11 - Temp

Oct 11 - Temp (in Canadian) 

Sunday was fun. We had 7 hours of church and meetings so that kept us busy. We even got to go into primary and talk about missionary work. Oh man, that made me so happy, as they all knew so much already. Man, never thought I would miss primary this much. It was a good long day and tonight we went by our ward mission leaders house on the beach and just talked about conference. The spirit was very present. 

Well family. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon. Mom, dad, Shel, Scott, take care. Muah. 

Love Elder Routledge

Staying in Oxnard, Training and General Conference

I got so many darn emails this week, so time is short. You know those little letters you stuck in my suits and stuff? So, 9 months later I found another one haha, in my general conference book. I took 12 pages of notes and all 5 sessions I watched were SOOOOO good. I have to say my favourite talk was the one by President Eyring on the Holy Ghost. I love it sooo much. And the first talk of the conference by President Uchtdorf. 

Elder Routledge...as a greenie

So I am staying (in Oxnard) and....President Felix and the Lord want me to train again...for some reason. So I am training a brand new Elder, like he gets into Cali in a few hours, new. So that should be....fun I think. 

This week was oh so good. I was going crazy waiting for conference and my transfer calls. Monday we had a zone activity were we went to the beach park and played volleyball, had a bbq and just had a good old time. It was fun. 
Tuesday was basketball and all that fun stuff. Nothing too great happened. This is going to be short, maybe. 

Wednesday we moved two people, one out and one in. Last time when I said I have moved 5 people in 6 weeks, it was not bad. I love moving people. It is great exercise and awesome prep for when I move haha. Moving is like the best service I do hahaha. Tonight we had a very odd dinner with this Samoan family. They set out two plates for my comp and me and that was it. Then the daughter stared at us as we ate and it was just the three of us and she would only give us one word answers. We were there maybe 20 minutes. Odd.

Thursday we did weekly planning and then had a cool lesson with Doug about my conversion and that blew him away. So yea, that was cool. Then tonight we taught Kennedy and Josh and after the lesson they attacked me and wanted me to spin them around like I was their human jungle gym. It was fun in a way, but like, ummm, I don't want to break rules or hurt these kids, but they were so convincing in their argument HAHAHA. 

Firday we had our DL (District) meeting and that was good. I gave a talk on conversion and then we had kinda a goodbye testimony meeting. After we went and moved another family out and I got a brand new bball out of it. 

SATURDAY SUNDAY CONFERENCE. All I will say is it was the best I have experience yet, except the last talk of the conference. I was so tired and could barely focus. 

saying goodbye

Oh, so Bell, the company, somehow sent me a picture of me hugging dad at the airport. I have no idea who sent it, but man, was it weird to see. It was cool but weird to see. 
So from now on, we are in a car share. One day we drive and one day we bike. The good thing is someone left their bike and I use that and a member owns a bike shop so I'll get this bike all tuned up for free. So yea, I am getting thin again biking everyday with my greenie hahaha. 
I am not really stressed anymore, so that is good. 
HAHA oh man, you used the word trunky. Yes that cracked me up, go mission lingo !!! But mom...I have the reaper, I just gotta try it haha (reaper is the REALLY hot pepper !!). I promise I will pray really hard for it to taste good before I eat it. 
Earthquake be coming, I just don't know when, but the Lord himself said he doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him, and I trust him. I trust and know all will be okay, whether it be stress, disaster or homesickness. The Lord has carried me 9 months and will the rest of the way. I know it. I also know THOMAS S. MONSON is indeed a prophet and guides an directs us. I know this church is true with every ounce of my breath. I shall proclaim it til the day I part from this life. God being my witness I testify that this is INDEED Christ's true church. 

I love you Mom and Dad. You're the best, keep leading our wonderful family. Scott, Shel, you're the best. Shel, the pictures are great hahaha. 
I love you all and will see you soon.