pictures

P-Day / Moving Day.  

Dustin loves to get rid of the unused items!  

I bet he had a great day getting rid of things!

July 30

Hello!!!

 

Ok first things first, Melissa has 2 kids now? When did that happen? Also did you say that Kacie has 2? This is crazy the family just keeps on growing and growing.

 

This week was good. We are still teaching our investigator and he is progressing towards baptism which is great. The only problem is that he hasn't come to church since we started to teach him so we are going to have to push back his baptism. That is really sad because he really wants to be baptized. We will be teaching him today and we are going to focus on why church attendance is so important.

 

We are also getting ready for our move. It is great for me because that means that we get to go through everything in our apartment and throw all non-essentials away! I love doing that. It was sad though we found a box in our apartment full of old VHS. We just threw them all away because we don't give them out anymore. The crazy part was there were tons of them that were in Samoan. Uh...wrong country!! There are 2 Tongan wards in the mission but not Samoan. It was sad because you know that those were purchased with tithing money. We also had well over 100 hangers that have just been built up over the years that were not being used that we had to throw out. One problem though, My suit was getting repaired so it wasn't on the hanger so I accidental threw that hanger out. But then I also had thrown out all the extras so I had to take a few of my t-shirts off and just fold them. It was kinda funny.

 

I also gave Elder Osgood a hoodie that I had inherited. You would just have to know him to understand why it is funny but it is FAR from his style. Then I also had him put on my huge glasses and it made him look way different. AH the things that are funny at the end of the day. So that is what the picture is this week.

 

Chloe is much cuter than the last picture that I got. Is she going to be an indoor/outdoor dog? If so just don't become an Oregonian and feed her off of your plate with a fork. I don't think that anyone in the world love animals more than Oregonians.

 

Thanks for all that you do for me. I love you all so much.

 

Dustin

July 23

Hey!!

 

Sorry but I am running short on time so this might be a little short. The first big news is transfers... no changes. I am still in McMinnville with Elder Osgood. We will be moving the middle of next week so I will still have an address change soon so anything that gets mailed please send it to Beaverton.

 

Also this week we just got a new investigator with a baptism date for August 11. His name is Cameron. He really wants to change his life which is way fun. I love missionary work. Something that President Morby really focuses on in the difference between missionary work and missionary activities. That is something that you deal a lot with is the work that you do. What will bring results and what will just make you look busy. So I love missionary work but not really missionary activities. I love working with people and making connections. It is something that I have always really enjoyed.

 

I don't really have any funny stories this week. No keys locked in the trunk etc. but it was a great week.

 

It was really fun to hear from everyone. I love you all very much and hope that you have a great week.

 

 

Love Dustin

pictures

The Brass License plate surround for having the cleanest car in the mission!

Make sure to read the story about the car inspections!

July 16

What a Week!!!

 

I will start with the story that starts out really small and then evolves into a giant story (make sure to read it the sme way you read 'twas the night befor Christmas)...

 

Once upon a time there was a missionary that wanted to pass his car inspections at zone conference. So on P-day he washed the car, he waxed the car, he vacumed the car and he also cleaned the windows on that car. But car inspections are not until Friday so that gives four long days to try and keep that car clean. That missionary wasn't able to do so because he had to drive on dirt roads. So on Thursday night on his way home for the evening he stopped at the car wash and just gave his little car a little rinse. Friday he had to meet another missionary at the car wash so that they could follow him to zone conference. While he was parked there he noticed that in those four long days that the carpet had gotten very dirty. So he put some money into the machine and got the carpets all clean because he really didn't want to fail. The missionary got to the church and the inspector got out his clip board. They walked around and around the car looking for any new scratches but to their great suprise there were none. So this missionary passed his inspection. No longer did he need to fear the wrath of the inspector. So he went into zone conference and he learned many things about how he could be a better missionary. The inspector came in and asked if he could give out the awards and the mission president said that he could. The first award was for the cleanest car at the conference with thwe award as the golden plates (or brass licence plate surrounds). What to this missionaries suprise but that his car had been dubbed the cleanest. And there was the added award of a gift certificate for 100 extra miles! Then there was the awards for the dirtiest car award but this time there was a tie. The first to the sister missionaries and the second to be given to the AP's.

 

Ok for the sake of time I hace to end the story there but that was very exciting. The next day as I was leaving our apartment I had a case of water in my hand that I wanted to put into the trunk. So with my hands full I drop the water into the trunk and shut it. The great suprise is that I no longer had the keys in my hand, they were in the trunk:) so now back in the fear of the Vehicle Coordinator i had to call and ask him to bring the spares so that we could have the use of our car. Seven hour later a senior couple comes to our rescue and we are saved.

 

Also involving the car another companionship in our district lost their car due to the repair shop so now we get to play taxi for the next weekish!! GREAT! Super complicated becuse now we have to get our appointments and theirs to mesh.

 

But enough of the car stories, I could keep going but I would run out of time. We had someone just show up to another ward and he told the missionaries that he wanted to join the Church. He is YSA so we get to teach him which is way exciting. It is also the same way that we found Nate. That should be way cool and a huge blessing to us.

 

Love ya tons

July 9

Hello!

 

I know that this makes me a horrible person but the puppy isn't so cute there. She will grow into her face I am sure but without getting to see her personality I don't know for now. I am super excited about it though. I knew that you would get another dog one day even if it was one that I bought and just dropped off (The precedence is all ready there). 

 

The Fourth was fun. It is interesting though that holidays are not the same. It really feels like I am not missing them because it seems as if they don't exist. It was fun though. We played five crowns, bunco and croquet (which I won). The Smiths and family all love me. I have always had the ability to have people drawn to me though. When we move we will be right across the road from the Smiths. Brother Smith said that now we will show up at their house everyday! Probably not though but that would be an easy way to save on the food bill:)

 

So Sunday Elder Osgood and I started the "Purification Challenge." It is super hard! In order to do the challenge you fast and pray for things that you need to get rid of in order to become more pure. So through out the day every time that you think of something that you need to do or not do you write it down on the list. So on my list I have things like not joking around or teasing. So for forty days you do this. It is basically a "forty day fast" and is meant to help you become more in tune with the spirit. I will keep you posted as how things are going but I can tell you that yesterday was really hard. As soon as you put those things on your list that is all you want to do. All though I think that it more comes from the fact that you are more aware that they are happening.

 

Funny story from yesterday. I think that I told you about getting locked out of our apartment until 11:30. Well the lock smith told the manager that she needed to change the door nob because it was super old and was going to malfunction. So we are gettong ready to end our p-day and go to an apointment and we are supposed to meet them at 5. Well as seems to always happen in we are at the door leaving at 5 so I am all ready stressed because its hot and late. I go to open the door and the nob won't turn... I think to myself you have got to be kidding. Well there are 8 missionaries locked inside our apartment, its hot and we are late. I don't get stressed out or upset very easy but this did me in. So I call and cancel our apointment because we are all ready running late we take the door nob off and get the door open. I was so mad. So we haven't had a door nob since yesterday but I  think that we are going to go and talk with tthe manager today and get a new one.

Also really cool on August 18th there is one of the 12 coming to the mission and then on the 21st and 22nd there is a member of the 70 doing a mission tour. So we get to have a very uplifitng couple of days. And if I dont get transfered that sunday there will be a special stake conference with the General Authority.

 

Lots of great things taking place in Oregon. Love you all so much and pray for you often.

 

Love Dustin

July 2

Hello!

 

First off transfers are not until July 23rd so no news yet as to what will happen there.  If I were to guess I would say that Elder Osgood Might Get transfered out and I will stay. Not sure though. However regardless of transfers I will be moving. As of August 1st our apartment will be in Dayton not McMinnville. So If you mail anything probably through the mission office would be best. That is the address in Beaverton.

 

This week was a blah week. Tons of secret lessons! So fun but you all understand how those go. Also Super Fun was Elder Osgood was sick for two days so we didn't leave the apartment:) There are only so many things that you can do in a missionary apartment before you go crazy! True to form Sister Smith called us to make sure that we were ok and to see what we needed. She said a couple of months ago that she takes the role of the missionaries mom, it is so true. We will be spending the fourth with them and a part member family. It should be way fun. I hope that there is a good celebration but who knows. It is strange how holidays seem like they are not real because I am away from you guys. It seems like the difference makes it not real.

 

So yesterday we were playing disk golf and I got pegged in the shin right on the bone. It made me think of the time when we were at the park and mom got pegged in the leg and it got a huge bruise. I don't have a huge bruise just a little one. I also got hit in the finger and have a little bruise there. Being a missionary is hard on your body (or maybe it is just being a clutz).

 

Thanks for all that you do for me and all the support that you give. I love the fact that we have a very positive and uplifting family because it really makes a huge difference. It is sad to see others struggle in their families or see families that pull each other down. I hope that you have a great week and that you have a fun fourth. I will miss the family time for sure. 

Love ya so much!!!

 

Dustin

picture - Sheep walking

The photo is of Cameron Seely, she is walking her sheep downtown.  Very funny...

The one in the purple shirt is the daughter of a less-acitve family that we have taught a couple of times. She takes her sheep on walks through the town of Dayton. Everytime that we see her she yells "That's my missionaries!"