Ocean, BBQ.....but Having a Tough Time...

So this week was good. We had some good 4th of July food. I was on a few exchanges and I tried ICEE for the first time. It's carbonated Slurpee, so that was cool. I went to Oxnard and saw the ocean, got some good pictures and saw some old friends so the week had some ups for sure. 
This week was hard for me. I want to be open but just know not to worry, I am doing better now. I do ask that you have some people send me quotes and uplifting stories, maybe in next weeks email. I am not coming home, I am going to put my all into these last 6 months, but really, it has been tough. 

Elder Endicott and I are doing better. He is really struggling hard and I am doing my best to keep him happy, he is just having a hard time, I sure do appreciate him though. I was tempted to call home on Friday and tell President I am DONE. It got to a point where I just did not want to be out. I am having issues feeling worthy of being a missionary and as soon as I realized it, I called President Felix and he had me read some scriptures and say a prayer. I have been on the phone with him lots and he has been helping me out. 
I really have decided that I can not leave. I have to stay and I know I WILL get over this, it has just been such a hard transfer, with finding no investigators, and just having no desire to work. 
I have also been letting my responsibility as a District Leader slip and have been failing to lead by example. I think it has come from me just being lazy, so I am going to just do all I can to fight and keep growing, and President is right beside me helpng me out. Now, I do not want you to worry. Everyone has a hard day, this is a trial I have been given to grow. Now it is a hard trial, but it is for my greater good and I know it. 

When Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail, he prayed and asked why he had to struggle and if the Lord was still even there (I'm paraphrasing, of course). The Lord, in His infinite and great goodness told him, "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7). 

I know that these things are helping me and will be for my good and that it will allow me to see the Lord's love in a new way, I just have to figure out what his plan for me is. 
I think the scary thing is that I let the wrong things get at me and I should not have. There's no reason to let them get at me, I know who I am and where I came from so I just have to push all the bad out and let the good flourish as itis supposed to. 

Well, mom,dad I am okay now. This will allow me to grow but missions are not all peachy and happy joy, it is work and very stressful at times, but you are your best convert. 
I do love you so much. I am okay, I will be okay. Christ is with me, He knows how I feel and He will free me. Trust Him as I will do the same. 

Muah, Muah, Muah
Have a great week and say hello to everyone for me. 

Love Elder Routledge
A disciple of Jesus Christ 

Canada Day, Returned Missionary and Zone Conference

We just had our July 4th breakfast this morning and it was packed tight. We have to be in at 8, so no fireworks for us. 

With Will Comin & Elder Hull 

Monday was actually good. We had Will Comin come back and I got to go out for lunch with him, and that was so great to see him again, I miss that guy. We went to a war museum for activity and it was pretty awesome, we had a lot of fun. We had a good dinner with this one family and the mom had a baby like 2 weeks ago, so I got to see a brand new tiny baby child person. 

Tuesday was pretty good as well. We had a family in our ward get stationed in Spain for the Navy so we went to his house and cleaned out his fridge and got a bunch of free food so that was pretty good. You know me and food...we are inseparable. We also did a bunch of less active visits and that was really good. A few people were really good about us coming back to see them. 

With Elder Crook

Wednesday I was on an exchange with Elder Crook and he is a freaking RIOT. Man, he reminded me of Brandon the ginger hehe. I think that is why we got so close, because I was like, with Brando. We got to see people from Oxnard that I had not seen a while so that was cool. It was a real fun day and he taught me a faster way to solve the Rubik's Cube. I can do it in like 1:30 now, so it's pretty cool. 

Thursday was good. Elder Endicott and I talked and I think we may have fixed an issue we had between us. We had a great day and are doing great. I also ate a full pack of brown sugar bacon and was put in a food coma for like 2 hours. I could not move, so that was great and horrible all in one day haha. 

Friday things were great. We had a great Zone Conference, but we did not win the clean car award :( 

Zone Conference

We did get to hear from both Stake Presidents from the two stakes, and it was great. I wore my Canada tie and had a Canada day, that was good. We had a great pizza dinner and then a lesson with Curtis and we had an awesome fire and smores at the Hernandez to end this Canada Day. A good day. 

Saturday we were in Oxnard almost all day either getting our car fixed, or giving a blessing to one of our sick Elders, but almost all day we had stuff to do so we could not really do work. 

He says he needs more photos

Sunday we had a great American fast and testimony meeting and I said the Opening prayer and thanked God for the States and wore an american tie. My Bishop got up and said, "If a Canadian can be that patriotic and thank God for the USA, why can't you all be more involved?" haha. It was kinda funny. 
After that I had a supersize meeting with the MP and we talked about how things have been going and hopefully things will get better from here on out. 
It was a good and bad week, more good though. 


I love you all so much and thank you for all that you do. 
Muah, Muah 
Have a great summer. I'll talk to you soon
Love, 

KEV Elder Routledge 

Pulled over, a New Outlook...and the Atonement

So, some pretty cool updates. 
First, I get to see Alicia every Monday. I think that is so cool that I am so close to my converts mom, that she has become a great friend and I can see her every week. 

First McD's in a year & a half

I FINALLY got pulled over, took me long enough. I have wanted, for my whole mission, to have that happen. I got pulled over for driving at night with no lights on and a busted out license plate light haha. I didn't get a ticket, he was real nice and all, but it was cool. Pulled over as a missionary....check

You sent me an action figure, but I already have that one haha (oops)
Then the gift Tricia gave me at Christmas, the picture of me in front of the Temple...well, it finally broke. Well, not finally, sadly, but tell her it sat on my desk for a solid year and a half. I took the picture out and put it in my journal so I still have it, just not the frame :)
What else? Oh man, life changed but that's going to wait until the end. 

Monday, nothing worth writing about. 

Tuesday. Sad day in Cali. We had an Elder join us for 4 hours on his LAST day. We took him out working until we had to take him to Ventura to drop him off at President's house. He changed my whole outlook. 
So, he being on his last day, every person he talked to, he gave a book of Mormon and get this. We told him it's time to go and we turn around and he's running down the street away from us to talk to one last person. And he did! It just made me realize that, my day is....coming :( (He may be sad about that, but this momma sure isn't!). So I have decided to work everyday like it is my last because as sad as it is, that day will come. 

Zone Conference

Wednesday we had a district leader council where we talked about our zone and how to help and it was actually pretty good. We shared some good insights and formed a pretty good zone goal. 

Thursday I was back with Elder Gregory at a district leader training and that was real awesome. I saw Elder Huston, some old companions, we received great training from President and his wife. It was cool. I got some good insights and took some good notes on how to improve. I can not wait to share all my notes with y'all when I get home.

Friday..okay this is insane. 
So first, Saturday and Sunday were good, quiet days. Not much happened. yea good days, it was cool. Now Friday, the big change. Okay so....

I was going to quote something but I can't find it. It is a talk and it says that something that may keep missionaries from putting their all in and being obedient and this other stuff, they may be lacking in their knowledge of the Atonement. 
This week I am only going to study the Atonement and pray about it every day. Today I started my study of the Atonement and I am going to seek for a stronger testimony of it. 

My studies this morning actually brought tears to my eyes, like I just started to cry during my studies and I have no idea why. I think that is what has held me back this whole time, not knowing how much my Saviour rally loves me, and that I can not repay him. I will just put my all into it, to show Him how bad I want to find people to baptize and to use his gifts and call upon Him. 

It came to me like a light bulb that I need to study the Atonement more and I am so grateful for my Saviour and all that he has done for me. I have been given a whole new look on life. Finally I am gaining a strong witness of the Church, it just clicked this morning. 

I love you all at home so much and I can not even begin to describe it. The love and support you have shown me has driven me to go on. I love you and am very grateful for you. I pray for you each by name. Have a great week and find joy in our Saviour, Jesus Christ this week. Find out how to use His gift and to call upon Him. He careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7) He loves you, He is full of grace and truth (2 Nephi 2:6)

I love you, but He loves you more. 
Thank you. Muah 

Have a great week 

Elder Routledge 

I'm Staying in Camarillo !!!

Well I am staying for sure with Elder Endicott as my companion! 
I am excited and, "uhh" as I want to see more of the mission, but I have a great area so I am content. Well, more on the happy side. After Sunday church, it was cool to see everyone be excited we were staying. 

Elder Endicott & Member

I like Elder Endicott. We have fun and work hard, so it's good. 

I sent off like 7 letters this week. I have been up and down all week and have slipped on my duties. I had to recommit to the work, which was so great to do. Everyone has rough weeks and this was one of mine. 

Monday I wrote letters to you all, and I had a good steak dinner with the Arbons. We also went by a less active members house. He asked for our help and was very humble with us helping him, so that was kinda cool. 

While driving, a ladies stroller rolled into the road and I thought it had a baby in it, which scared me, but it was an empty dog stroller. Freaking dog people haha. 

Wednesday we were able to train our districts and that was cool. Right away they started to apply what they had learned from us. We went to their apartments and sat down with them and had a good talk, and did some training. We also helped do some service with apartments in the mission for like 4 hours and that was cool. The Floyds are cool office staff!!!

Thursday was not much of anything cool. We went to a members house and he just finished building his race boat. He started it up for us and my ears rang for a solid 10 minutes after! He put a 760 HP 450 big block in. (no idea what that means). His boat has straight piped exhaust right out of the manifolds, like only 6" of exhaust pipe. It just roars! (Nope, no idea what he's talking about haha). 

Friday was busy. We went and a rock star district meeting, all about testimonies. How to gain a testimony, what it is and then the talks and testimony section was so powerful. I can honestly say it was one of the best district meetings I have ever had on my mission. The spirit just rang true in all of our hearts. 
After we had a BBQ at a Samoan's home and that was the first time in a while that I ate, and ate, and ate and got so full it hurt. It was good though...I just massacred the food table hahaha. One of the Elders there ate so much he was sick all the next day...like bed sick...hahaha it was perfect! 

Saturday and Sunday we got our calls (about transfers), had a great Sabbath day, and got a really solid referral. This lady just showed up at church and met with missionaries in the past and was excited to meet again. And everyone was excited we're staying. 

Well Mom, I have no energy to write today. I keep misspelling words. I cannot get my fingers to work so this is all. And I took like no pictures so a slow week (that sucks :( ) but I want you to know that I truly and honestly and just about as deeply as a person can say it.... I Love You mom. (Okay..no pictures is fine <3)

I love you all. Say hello, with a big smile, to my cousins, aunts, Uncle Kym and Brian and my rockstar grandparents!
MUAH

Love you all
Lots of love from Kev!

Short Email....Crappy Week

This week, I am sending out like 9 letters today, so everyone should have one or be getting one so tell the world! I got my package, Trisha's letter and the pictures of Austin....freaking awesome!!!

So Monday was crazy. We went to Best Buy for my companion to find a camera and the to a Thrift shop. We saw Alicia and had an awesome zone activity where we played ultimate frisbee and I got smacked hard. We had dinner and an awesome lesson at the Southwell's. 
Then after dinner we went to the Hernandez' for another awesome lesson. They are Hispanic and speak a lot of Spanish and most of the time I can understand and reply to what they say. It's kinda cool. 

Tuesday was good. We had a great lesson with J and she really enjoyed it. She is doing really good. I am not sure what else we did. 

Wednesday was freaking good though! We went to Kenna and Josh' 5th grade graduation. They go to middle school in 6th grade here...weird..but it was so fun. I got pictures and had a nice lunch with them. It was really awesome. 
We also did a lot of biking today and I got to move a couch with a 70, so that was cool. His kids were moving out of our ward and he was there.

Graduation Day !

Thursday was a lot of planning, plus we had a DLC meeting. That was pretty good, the District leader meetings are usually good. We also had another great lesson with K. 

Friday we had a Zone meeting and that was okay. We had some good advice and training and I was on an exchange with Elder Blaylock. It was fun. 

Saturday we did literally nothing. It freaking sucked. It was a crap day. 

Sunday got better though. We had two missionary talks, one leaving and one coming home so that was pretty cool. Sister Hernandez finally got her blessing, it was so great! It brought so much joy and she loved it. It was a good day. 

Well, that's all. A slow, crummy week, but you will get a letter from me, hopefully this week. 
I love you all so much. I think that you're all my heroes in the modern world. 
Muah, muah. 
I'll talk to you soon. Your brother and son is just fine, so no worries at all :) 

Love, 
Elder Routledge 
Lots of Love <3 

A Temple Trip, a Huge Bean Bag, a Broken Door....and his Buddy.

Well, freak. This has been a busy week and email session haha. It was a fun, crazy week, so this email, hopefully, should be long. We'll see though. 

At the LA Temple

So Monday we had a short P-Day because we went to the Temple this week. We did have an awesome lesson with Nancy and her non-member friend. We taught her the second lesson, but I don't think she is all that interested, but it was a good lesson for the most part. 
One of our investigators, Curtis, gave us a love sac...so a GIANT bean bag chair that we have had a blast with all week. It is so great. We also went to the Lassen's for an awesome pool party and BBQ. We could not go swimming, but did a lot, so it was fun. 

It's HUGE !!

Tuesday I was on an exchange with Elder King and I had a real life check with him. So, we had two great lessons, one with Jeanie where we set her a baptism date for July 2nd and one with Kellie and she said baptism was not out of the question and is working towards a date pretty fast. It was a great day. 
Elder King told me that I talk about home too much and need to stop. I tried this week to focus more on the work and we had a riot of a week, so I am going to try to keep my thoughts of all you to me and inside. To be more concentrated. 

Wednesday was good. We went to the LA Temple and I got some more things. The Temple was so good. I just loved it. We also had Baja Fresh (a food place). It was good and a good day. 

Thursday we did our weekly planning and it was so good. Oh my, then...we went to the store and I bought glasses haha and the chain of events that followed at this gas station was crazy....
So it got robbed by these two guys and.....just kidding (NOT funny Elder Routledge!!). At the counter the lady called my companion, "ma'am" by accident and he was like, 'what the heck' and as we were walking out the door started to close on him. He just kept moving forward and put all his weight into it and broke the door off the track and kept walking. He said he did not see it and I thought he did it on purpose but he didn't and I started laughing so hard and everyone looked at us and the broken door. We had no idea what to do, so we just left. Man, a fun day here. (oh boy...sigh)

Friday. We had a pretty great district meeting today. We all committed to find 1 new investigator this week and report how awesome that investigator is doing next district meeting. It was cool, and the excitement we needed. We also had a nice, good lunch with Nancy and that was fun. 

Elder Routledge & his buddy, Kenna

We had a great dinner at the Bell's home and had a lesson with Curtis and Pauline at their home and taught them about tithing and they were like, "Yeah, we'll pay it. That's easy", so that was pretty cool. Not usually the reaction we get.

Saturday I was on an exchange back in Oxnard, so we heard gun shots all day, saw lots of crazy stuff. It was a good blast from the past. I miss Oxnard. (Gun shots??? I don't think I miss Oxnard!!). 
We had a great day where we walked down by the beach, not on, and talked to a lot of people so it was cool. We also go to see Alicia and her kids and I am actually gong to their elementary grad on Wednesday. I got permission to go, so that is cool. 

Sunday was a good, old Sabbath day. We had our lesson with Brother H and we are already seeing so much growth in him and he is so excited to be feeling the spirit again. We had dinner with the Carriy's and they invited the Fife's, from my last area. Their daughter was the one that went to Spencer Helton's mission, Sister Fife. That was cool to see them again. 

Well Mommy, dadddy, and shelbbbbeeee and Scotty 2 hottie. I miss all four of you. Say hello to my other family and peeps. Have a great week. Muah Muah. I love you all so much. Be safe, Believe in God and have fun this summer. 
MUAH

Love your brother and son, Elder Routledge

Miracle filled week, Lessons and Family History

MY GOSH! This week was better than the last. 

Monday was pretty good. I bought a Rubik's Cube and this last week set a goal to learn to solve it and I did. I can now solve it in like 3 minutes so that is pretty cool. We also had dinner with this....interesting family.

Tuesday we had our family history activity and we all shared our stories. I was the first one and it was pretty cool. I used the one story about Alex Shular. It was a pretty cool day, and everyone was dressed up and all old looking. We had some fun little games and President also gave us some instruction. 

Wednesday was fun. I was on an exchange with Elder Hubbard and we had a pretty good day. He is pretty new to the mission and this area, but he had a good grasp on how we do things. I was able to provide some good training on how to be more patient with the Lord and His timing. He took it pretty well, he is a hard working Elder. 

Thursday we did weekly planning and it was actually really good. We set some great goals for our week and for our investigators, but this is when the week really picked up, big time. We saw Nancy Hernandez and talked to her about one of her friends who may be interested. We are actually meeting her today and she accepted to hear our message. We had a great dinner and this small town Mexican place and they had some good, big burritos. We also went and visited a shirtless Canadian, Brother W...cool guy, don't ask. 

Friday was, WOW. So first we met this hard core basher who said we spit on Jesus' name every time we speak our lies. No lie, for me, I was going to kill him but did not. I held my peace until I had had enough and said, "I don't care" and we walked away. He continued to yell crap at us as we were leaving so that got me testy. 
We had another lesson with the girl who stopped us in the Mustang (Notice how he remembers what kind of car she drives haha). Her name is Jeanie and she is so solid. She loved the lesson we taught and we are meeting her again on Tuesday. We tried to set her with a date, but it didn't work this time, so next lesson she will accept (He's very confident). We also had a great dinner and lesson with Curtis and Pauline, and they are just progressing so much. 

Saturday I was on an exchange with Elder Hales, and that was, oh so perfect. We got in contact with one of our hard-to-find part members and he set up a lesson with us and wants to get his daughter baptized before August so that was cool. We were also able to go to a baptism in the other ward. I had found the part member family last transfer so that was cool to see. We then went and tired by a LA (less active) and he said to us, "Elders, thanks for coming over. It is my time to come back to the church. I want the lessons". His name is Brother H. 
After, Elder Hales and I had dinner with the Lassens and they brought a non-member friend. There were like us 2, and 5 RM (Returned Missionaries) and everyone involved the lady, Kellie. She is already prepared and told us she knows the church is true and that she just needs the lessons so she can get baptized. She has been around the church a lot and has decided it is her time. Elder Hales is doing so great. He is a great leader and a great teacher. Such a great day. 

Sunday we had a great Sabbath. We got to help pass the Sacrament and teach the Gospel Principles lesson on prayer so that was really cool. We had a great 5th Sunday lesson on new teaching the church is putting out. We also taught Brother H the first lesson and he totally opened up to us and he and his wife want to come back. Man, it has just been such a miracle filled week. 
NO LIE, I thought I was dreaming with all this great stuff happening. It has been so cool. 
Well family. I am being so taken care of and I am doing so great here, NO NEED to worry at all. I love you all so much. have a perfect week and I will talk to you all soon. 
Have a great talk dad, and mom, keep reading. Scott and Shell MUAH. 

Love Elder Routledge