Hey hey hey!

Elder Householder

Elder Householder

~Elder Householder

Hey hey hey!

This week has become more of a blur, but still amazing! Our ward here is amazing! Small, but great people. I think 45% is active? We live in the ghetto and we hear sirens ALL the time – Its normal now. Our apartment has always smelt like smoke because of the people upstairs, but Im getting used to it. My companion keeps the AC down to about 60-65 each night and its amazing! He sleeps with a fan in his face too! haha so i bought a small fan and all is well. Except Im still only sleeping with a sheet so its pretty cold, but I sorta like it :]

On my Bday we happened to get a dinner from a part-member family and they took us out to Golden Chorale and I made another 10 in. ice cream cone! Then my companion challenged me to “One bite it!” So I shoved like 6″ down my throat….but there was no way it was staying…..so I put it back on my plate….haha

So since I love service, we have been asking everyone if we can do service for them. Lots of people who have turned us down to teach them accept us to do their yard – So basically were gonna teach them eventually, but they dont know it ;] . We’ve spent almost two days just doing service for people! always doing hedges, hula-hoeing (I guess Cali was beneficial :] ), and many more things.

So our ward has been doing a “40 day fast” for missionary work. Each family takes a day to fast, then the next day is someone else and so on! And cool thing is – we get to “Break the fast” AKA dinner appointments ALL the time! Its been great because I have gotten to know many of the members.

I love how involved the missionaries are here. My first Sunday here the deacons asked me to pass with them, they ask us to usher sometimes, were great friends with the priests etc.

Stake Conference was Saturday and yesterday. It was basically ALL on missionary work! Sunday session Pres. and Sister Ames spoke, part of the temple pres. spoke, and of course the stake presidency. This conference opened soo many minds that as soon as we left and went to our apartments, we got a text from a member (Sister Eldredge) basically saying, “So when you come over tomorrow, prepare the first lesson, my daughters friend is coming over to listen to you and will most likely want to be baptized. Oh, and what do you want to eat?” Elder Austin was yelling and bouncing off the walls of our apartments! It was hilarious! And then (over excited) he said, “Elder, kneel down!” *As he stopped suddenly, landing on his knees* He said a thank you prayer. Elder Austin is hilarious – he’s one of those guys that is always joking around so you cant tell if he’s serious or not (but that’s if were not out to work).

Yesterday we went with Bro. Sloan (Ward mission leader) to eat dinner at another members house in a different ward. Back Story on Bro. Sloan: He is a tough Texan – is always giving us a hard time, but its hilarious! You’ll understand better as I explain. After we ate dinner at this lady’s house, we went into the living room and he sat down on a recliner as we gave a “Hastening the work” lesson to this sister who gave us dinner. He passed out and was snoring during our lesson and we just laughed. His wife is like strait from China and doesn’t speak any English (long story) but she just sat in a different chair listening. After the lesson, Elder Austin kept texting Bro. Sloan trying to wake him up and it was hilarious! His phone kept ringing on his chest, and when he woke up he turned to Elder Austin and said, “Get outside where you belong!” and goes back to sleep! After a few more texts (to bother him) Bro Sloan texts him back and says, “Get outside NOW!” and goes back to sleep! haha Elder Austin calls him and leaves him messages and we were dying of laughter. So I was like, “What the hey.” So I took a nap and so everyone was resting but Elder Austin and This sister we didn’t even know! haha this goes on for like 45 min. Eventually, Bro. Sloan gets up, looks at me, Elder Austin, and his wife and says, “You three are walking!!” and runs out of the house! haha It all was so random but kills me every time something like this happens haha

The progress is going! We have some baptismal dates, and we hope they stick! People rarely answer their phones/let us in their house (even members) but its all good, they love us :]

Updates to come! Love Y’all!

Elder Householder

Hey!

This week has been hectic, and really good! In the MTC we were told to make a good first impression to our Mission President, so when i met him I shook his hand, gave him a hug, and said, “You’ll never have to worry about me president.” And it surprised me how fast his reply was! “Oh, I know!” he was very genuine.

We went to the church building and had an orientation and lunch, then sent us each out into the world companioned with an assistant. So I had Elder Lee. He was awesome, he was asking people to be baptized on the spot and I’m like, “Here, do you want this piece of paper? I know you want it.” Just kidding, I wasnt that bad.

After getting someones contact info, we headed over to Presidents home for some meat and beans! Our cups were glass boots. An assistant told me to drink from the cup from the back end of the boot, and tilting back all the water in the toe finally rushed out and splashed up all over my face and shirt! But it was worth it for the bloop sound it made.

We stayed at the Assistants place that night, and went to the church building again the next morning for assignments and breakfast. I was assigned to the Arlington South area with Elder Austin! Hes the biggest goof ball ever…He says half the times Im training him, but when hes serious hes a hard worker. I was welcomed by a couple Elders with a big display on my new front door! Elder Austin is my new “Dad”

One experience this week: The other day, Elder Austin was prompted (in planning) to visit a less active member Ron the next day. Ron was cool with us coming by. So when we actually went to go see him, Elder Austin wanted to walk instead of ride bikes. It was a pretty far walk to his house, but we made it. And Ron was asleep….. So we were going to walk to our next appointment when it started to downpour! I looked fat as I held my bag in my shirt running to the next tree! Elder Austin was under one while I was under another. A black guy across the street waved me down and told us to come under his porch. He told us we could wait out the rain there and asked if we were from Utah…haha He knew LDS members and his boss was one. He asked us if we wanted some Easter cake, “We have white or cottoncandy frosting, which do you want?” Elder Austin and I said, “Either!” so he brought out a slice of each for the both of us! and his kids brought out some grapejuice! The kindest kids: “Are you done with that? I can take it from you!” After a while of talking with him he said, If you’re ever in the area, come stop by!” And my pen was on my paper so fast it would’ve lit in the humidity! We meet cool people here! Also went to a baptism on Saturday! The people here are so nice!

Really quick: Elder Austin totally raced a car the other day and won! The black lady in the passenger seat was dying of laughter, and i was too, while on my bike!

Aight well i gotta go!

Love Y’all!

Elder Householder

April 16, 2014

Dear Family,

Sister Ames and I want you to know that your missionary has arrived safely in Texas. We look forward to serving together in accomplishing the Lord’s work.

We hope you enjoy the attached picture of your missionary as well as knowing that the missionaries are in good hands here as they are in the Lord’s service.

Your missionary’s assignment will be in Arlington, Texas.  He will be serving with Elder Austin.

Their apartment address is:

• Elder Nathan Householder
• 2207 Cornerstone Lane  #1002
• Arlington, TX   76013

Your missionary will email on Monday which is their preparation day.  They are always happy to hear from you as well.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

President & Sister Ames

Conference was amazing! LOOK UP ELDER OAKS TALK! Talk about a serious Judge-handled case! The tithing plan is great, thanks! Here’s quick experiences:

Ive ran into so many people from mesa/gilbert. Also people I knew….That i forgot I knew! Did I mention I saw my friends Identical twin? Weirdest experience.

While here in the MTC inspired thoughts keep coming to me and I share them allllll the time in class when they ask for us to share/when I welcomed the new missionaries in as their Zone Leader, etc. I would lay in bed at night thinking about it and I said, “Elder [Gibson], I talk too much…” and he replied, “In a jerkish kind of way? Yeah.” Then the conversation turned to something else between him and others and when it got quiet again, I apologized to him for talking too much and he said it was alright. I told him i’d apologize to the sisters the following day. Then I told him I want to be the best missionary I can, and asked him to give me feedback on what I could do better. He started, “Well….” *Big Pause* “I don’t think I could have a better companion. Sorry Elder Hatch and Burkey, you got the short end of the stick!” We all laughed hard. It made me feel good because we have so much in common, but He can get on my nerves at times, but it never stays that way.

Vocal Point came and sung to us as Sunday devo! It was sweet! Got some pictures with some of them :]

Do you want to hear about my hardest experience yet? Of course you do! Here we go: My companion and I have been doing a roleplay with an “Investigator” named Paul. He is actually my teacher, but he changes and goes into a certain room set up as a living room. We have to come knock on his door and such and teach him – every day this week. My teacher BECAME this Paul (which character we found out was actually someone he taught on his mission in Brazil). First lesson we went in and got to know him a bit, his chair was turned in a way that we were teaching the side of him, he was constantly touching his face, not looking us in the eye, and was just AWKWARD. We got through our lesson, but before we could invite him to pray, his phone vibrated. “Sorry, my girlfriend needs me to pick her up.” I totally saw him MAKE his phone vibrate. He let us leave with us saying a prayer, then hurried us out. We were feeling HORRIBLE after that! His phone even vibrated during the prayer! We walked away with our heads down. We went back to our classroom where our district was studying. After the roleplay, Brother Richardson came and pulled us out of the room. “So, howd it go with paul” (which was himself). And we just didnt want to answer. He then gave us a bunch of stuff to look through in PMG. We felt like babies. My energy comes from the positive view of me from my teachers/parents/adults. The next day like 3 of the teachers in our room kept coming to us as if we didnt have clue what we were doing – we feeling like babies. I hated bro. R. at that point. I felt like we were above this. “The others don’t have the teachers constantly helping them.” I was attentive, but I just loathed that day. The following day we had gym. We played BBall and Elder G. pulled his back doing a layup. We went to the dorm and got showered and ready for class, but were like running up the stairs 6 min. late. On the last flight of stairs, one of my like 5 teachers looks down at us and said, “Hurry!” We said, “Sorry, we had some crazy gym time!” “Thats no excuse!” That just made me so mad! The sisters were late like every day, and us – five min. early……But the ONE day we were late he shoots us down. When we get to class, Bro Richardson says, “What are you late Elders?” *Explaination* “Never do it again.” So I was devastated that my teachers were treating me like a baby from the last few days and then this day they get angry at us. I was on the edge. To make matters worse, It was planning time – for what we were going to teach Paul that day. I never wanted to see Paul again – because he was my angry teacher and plays super awkward. I asked what Elder G. and I should teach Paul: “Should we try to finish the last lesson (That he kicked us out early) or should we teach something else?” The teachers were all puposefully answering in a vague way – we couldnt figure out what to do – I tried to explain why Im stressed, and Brother Cena came to us and directed us to a certain PMG page that we had already read and told us this would help – It seemed to have NO connection to the question we had. I was ticked. I just decided to close my mouth, let him talk to me, then let him leave so I could figure it out alone. BUT when I tried that, he said, “Elder Householder, you look sad…” And he was right – I was on the verge of tears – It took EVERYTHING I had to just not ball right in front of everyone because I wasnt being understood, I was mad, and when I tried to hide it, he asked if I was sad. I answered him, “Just trying to calm down. Continue.” and It took like 20 min. for me to shove that cry-feeling down and out of me for that class period. The next day, we talked about stress management….How coincidental. A Different teacher that would come in occasionally talked to me, not knowing my stress, and asked what stressed me out the most. I told him that full story, and he just sat and listened. He made me want to cry tears of joy just because he cared enough to listen when the others wouldn’t. He also explained that the teachers weren’t trained to act the way they did, nor were they trained to answer questions vague like that – so he apologized for them and was just amazing. I was SO glad he was in our class. Then 10 min later he said goodbye because hes going to be the new missionaries teacher the next day. Then things picked up and I was actually looked at positively by my teachers again and I was ok. I don’t know if I’ll ever forget that small 5 min act of kindness.

We’ve had a lot of success since then – but I may have to write about it because times almost up!

Elder Householder