June 24, 2013

Dear Home,

What happened to the week?

     First, a bit of an update: Jean's baptism has been postponed. We visited with her on Thursday, and went through the interview questions with her, and everything was good. She was excited, we were excited, things were going well. Then later that day, she called us and told us that she wasn't ready to be baptized yet for some reasons that were unclear (she's a little hard to understand sometimes, especially over the phone). When we visited her the next day, and then again on Saturday, she seemed a little distant, unwelcoming, and anxious. We're not sure what happened between our lesson on Thursday and the time she called us, but something is definitely up. She didn't come to church on Sunday, either. Saying something about how she went for a walk that morning, and "just can't make it".

     Cheryl, however, is still doing very well. She came to church yesterday, and we set a time for her to be baptized this Saturday. She's very quiet and shy, so it was hard teaching her at first, because it was like talking to a 2-brick-thick wall that only mumbles inaudibly back at you. But now she loves to see us, and smiles when we come over. We're all very excited for her. I'll be the one performing the baptism, and Elder Jones will perform the confirmation. I can't wait!

     Thomas and Jasmine. First off, Jasmine got her job!!! Wahoo! However, that makes it extremely difficult to catch them both at the house at the same time. We haven't had the chance to follow up with both of them yet because of that reason. Hopefully I'll have more of a development for you next time.

     We also visited the Uyeharas again this week. Brother Uyehara is in charge of the music in sacrament meeting, and asked if the Elders wanted to sing in sacrament meeting on Sunday. This is when Elder Jones throws me under the bus and tells them all about my performing experience. Delighted, Brother Uyehara asked if I would sing "This is the Christ", and I agreed. As usual, I had only a couple days to prepare, and as usual, I had to just "pull a Crapo". The musical number went really well, and I definitely received some divine help (especially since it was nine o' clock in the morning). The reaction was good. Many who were present thanked me for sharing my talents, and helping invite the spirit into the meeting.

     Other than that, the work keeps on moving forward. Each day I become more attached to the island, the people, my companion, and this work. It really is such a blessing to be here every day. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love you all, and I look forward to hearing from you next week! It'll be a new transfer then! Yipee! One transfer down!

                                                                          Amo voces!

  

                                                                        -Elder Crapo

June 17, 2013

Dear Home,

  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! yesterday.

     First off, today has been the meanest day. Elder Jones and I were woken up at 5:50 this morning to do a surprise hurricane evacuation drill, so that was a great way to start the day. We quickly packed a few things, secured the apartment, and headed out to our "safe haven" check point at the church. When we got back from the drill, Elder Jones went to start a load of laundry, and it turned out that our washer isn't working right now. The "Lehi Elders" (they cover the island as well, but they speak spanish. and they get to drive a car) offered their apartment washer and dryer to us. After we left their apartment, we headed to the library to do our e-mailing as usual. When we showed up, the man at the front desk told us that Comcast was having an issue, and their internet was down for the day. So, we had to track down somebody with a key to the family history library at the church so we could e-mail. We finally got a hold of the bishop, he gave us a key, and now here I am.

     In other exciting news: On Saturday, I had the unique and not-so-wonderful experience of watching Elder Jones get hit by a car as we were riding our bikes to an appointment. We were passing a Firestone tire shop, and Elder Jones saw a lady pulling out. He stopped so she could go, but she stopped completely, and wasn't moving at all. After seeing that she was stopped, Elder Jones started peddling, but at the same time, this lady gunned the gas pedal. Elder Jones slammed his breaks, but the lady wasn't looking, so she ran right into his front wheel, sending Elder Jones onto the hood of her car, and carrying him/ dropping him off in the middle of the road. His shoe went flying up in the air, and his front rim was totally munched. Luckily, there wasn't any oncoming traffic at that moment. Otherwise, he would have been toast. He got off the road, we grabbed his bike and shoe, and got out of the way before any more cars came passing by. The poor lady was out of her mind with worry about what had happened. We had a member with us, so she took all three of us in her little car, and payed for a new rim for Elder Jones' bike. Miraculously, the only damage done to Elder Jones was a few scrapes. Other than that, he was just shaken up.

 Good times.

     After that, we taught Cheryl and Jean. They are two black ladies living in an assisted living building for different reasons. They're not old, though. Cheryl is in her 40's, and Jean is in her 50's. The first time Cheryl came to church, she asked if she could bring a friend. We said yes, of course! So, she brought Jean with her, and both of them loved coming to church. They are both progressing really well, and have no problems with smoking, drinking, etc. They're pretty golden. Jean will get baptized this upcoming Saturday, and Cheryl will get baptized the Saturday after that. We also started teaching Herb, and he has accepted a baptismal date for July 6th, I think. (My memory is awful these days.)
     

     Thomas and Jasmine continue to be incredible. We found out that they're actually engaged, not married, though. They act so much like a family, and Jasmine wears her engagement ring, so we assumed. oops. However, after we taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we taught the Law of Chastity. They told us that they knew that the Lord was telling them that they should get married, and they had no issue with anything we discussed. So, we discussed possible wedding dates (they hadn't picked one yet), and they're going to pray about it, and tell us what they've decided next time we visit. Their main concern was money for the wedding, and when we told them that they could use the church for free, and that the bishop would marry them for free, they got really excited. I really hope I get to be here for their wedding and baptism. They are awesome.

     Other than that, the work continues to hasten. Elder Jones and I met the standards of excellence for the first time in Elder Jones' time as a missionary, and for the first time in our area for a very long time. We taught 22 lessons, 10 member presents, 6 LARCs, and 6 others. We currently have 5 progressing investigators, and 7 with dates, found 3 new investigators, and received 5 referrals. Elder Jones said that those were the best numbers he has ever had.

     I love you all so much, and I can't wait to hear about the new arrival this upcoming week! I don't have pictures for you today (sorry), but I'll make sure to get some good ones for you next week.

                                                                            Amo Voces!

-Elder Crapo

June 10, 2013

Dear Home,

        Holy cow, Colton is 16!!!

    

    I'm in denial. Also, school is out! It's so weird to think about you guys putting up the pool and everything already. It's so fun to read about all the family goings on, and it brings back good memories.

   This week, Elder Jones and I have been working really hard. We don't mess around, we git er done. We'd run ourselved ragged last week, and were running all over the place last p-day, so by the time we got to the end of the day after proselyting for a few hours, we were beat. We decided to take a break from our bikes, leave them at the apartment, and walk for a bit instead. So there we were, walking down the street, tired as all get out, and we pass by an apartment complex of a man we've been trying to get a hold of for a while, and decided to try his door since we were there. We headed into the complex, and saw the door of some investigators who we'd had a scheduled appointment with a few weeks ago, but weren't home when we showed up (it happens a lot). We decided to knock on their door first. When we knocked, a lady by the name of Jasmine opened the door. She recognized us because a few missionaries had been by to do scripture study with them a few months before. We talked for a minute, and her husband asked who was at the door. He asked if it was "the mormons?" and she said yes. He (his name is Thomas) told her to let us in.

   So she let us in, and they introduced themselves. They're a young married couple with one 3 year old daughter and a new born son. Jasmine is black, and was brought up Baptist, but hasn't been to church for years. Thomas is white, and believes in God and Jesus Christ, but I'm not sure which church he associates with. They told us that they had been praying a lot recently, and that the fact that we knocked on their door that day was a sign from Heaevly Father. Thomas lost his job a while ago, and they've been struggling a bit, but he just got his job back, and they are seeing several blessings from the Lord in their lives. We asked them if we could give them a message about Jesus Christ, and they willingly agreed.

   The spirit was so strong as Elder Jones and I taught them about the Retoration. They were both very involved and asked all the right questions, and Thomas told us that he "feels so good right now". We taught them about the spirit, and invited them to be baptized on the 29th of June. They both said yes. This lesson was so good because we were all following the spirit. Elder Jones and I were just feeding off of each other's energy, and we spoke all the words that the spirit was giving to us. No single person was talking too much or too long. It went extremely well. We made an appointment to come back the following Wednesday, and they were really excited about it.

   On Wednesday, we invited Lacrisha (remember her?) to come with us to visit Thomas and Jasmine. It was a perfect match. She really identified with Jasmine because they were both brought up in a baptist church. We taught them about baptism, and our plans for them, and then we discussed the Plan of Salvation. Again, the lesson went really well. Especially when we got to talking about the kingdoms of glory, and they had some questions about our beliefs about heaven and hell. The spirit directed us to explain what we believe in a simple way, and their questions were answered. They received it really well. We invited them to church, and they had the real intent to go, but Thomas has work (a blessing) on Sunday (...less of a blessing) in the morning right when church is. Jasmine still wanted to go, but Thomas would have the car, so Lacrsha offered to give her a ride (yesss. I love awesome members). On Saturday, though, we called to make sure that things were squared away for church on Sunday, and Jasmine decided that she didn't want to go to church her first time without Thomas with her. They appologized, and Thomas said he'd do all that he can to get Sunday off so they can go next week.

   They have been so prepared by the Lord to receive us and the church in their lives, and it is such an honor to watch them grow and help them progress, and I love seeing the light fill them up as they identify with the truths that the spirit is teaching them.

    There is so much more that I want to tell you! I don't have adequate time to do them all justice, so I'll just do my best:

-Adrienne is the daughter of two less-actives. She's 11, and has received all the lessons and passed all requirements for baptism. Her dad is a member, but hasn't been ordained a priest. We really want him to be able to baptize his daughter, and her date has been set for this Saturday. We hate to have to, but if he wants to baptize her (which he does), we have to push the date back. This is frustrating because members have told me they've been working on getting Adrienne baptized for years, and we hate to wait any longer, but we have to wait for the bishop to interview Brother Christiensen (Adrienne's dad), so he can be ordained.

-Eli is still struggling with alcohol, but is slowly getting better.

There are others that I'll get to later. I love you all! Keep up the hard work (or hard fun). I'll see you all soon!

                                                                                       Amo voces!

                                                                                  -Elder Crapo

Apartment pictures

Sunset in Galveston

Whoo-ee!

Dear Home,

 

       One more week down, and still loving Galveston. I'm slowly getting used to the area, and I can almost figure out where we are and where we're going, and which way is home without the help of Elder Jones. Oh, Elder Jones. I've learned very quickly over the past few weeks that he loves to try to "pull a fast one" without me realizing it. I told him last week that I used to be an elementary school teacher, that I can smell mischief, and that not many things like that get past me, and he's taken that as a challenge. So far, he's tried several times, and not succeeded once. Muahaha! For example, sometimes he tries to steal and wear my name tag to see how long he can wear it without me noticing. He only succeeded in taking it from my dresser once (I was in the bathroom), but he was wearing it for only a minute or two before I started calling him "Elder Crapo".

       I realized I didn't tell you about the bike situation down here. It's kind of funny, actually. If I was originally called to this mission, I would have ordered and payed for a bike before I arrived so I would have one to use once I got here. Being a visa waiter without a bike, in a biking area, made things a bit interesting for a few minutes when we were at the transfer meeting that first day. I didn't have a bike, and I really needed one in order to do anything in Galveston. They had just one "loner" bike that they gave to me, and boy, is that thing old. The break pads are all worn down, so every time I try to stop, it sounds like my kickstand is dragging on the ground. When I try to switch gears, it takes two minutes for it to completely adjust, so that's a lot of fun. It's pretty beat up, too. It has a lot of character, but it gets me from home to Campeche Cove and back in one piece, so I'm not complaining. I also received an ancient helmet that I'm sure was used by the missionaries who first worked in Houston. Every time I strap that helmet to my head, I am wearing a piece of history. No joke. It's super attractive. I actually told Elder Jones that I might as well stick a coconut on my head, and it would serve me just as well.

       We have so many fantastic members in our ward. We're not supposed to have favorites, but the Uyaharras (I have no idea how to spell it. It's Japanese. Pronounced yoo-har-ruh.) are soo awesome. Sister Uyaharra is from New Zealand, and her husband is from Japan. They're a little older, and they've traveled all over the world together. They actually knew Steve and Sue when they were living in Germany. I think they were in the same ward or something. That was super fun to find out. They always bring us fruit whenever they go grocery shopping. Brother Uyaharra is always telling us "no scrambled egg sandwiches!" It's funny. They're really sweet and they spoil us.

       Then there's Lacrisha. Oh man, she has got some awesome spirit in her, she do. She's a big black lady (she's taller than I am) with two kids, and "she is FABULOUS."  She's a recent convert from a southern baptist church. Her testimony is incredible. You take her baptist spunk and add the LDS doctrine, and she just makes you want to stand up and say "Hallelujah!" To the missionaries, she's like our "Big Momma." She's always concerned for us, and she does all she can to help us out. She's got that "I'm a big, strong, independant black woman who don't need no man" attitude. She's awesome.

        I'm absolutely loving it here in Galveston, and I was actually thinking the other day, "If I received my visa tomorrow, and had to leave here, I'd be really sad. I'm not ready to leave yet!"  Good thing I'm pretty sure I'm sticking around for a little while longer, so I'm not worried. If it's time to go, I'll go. I look forward to hearing from y'all next week. I love you!

                                                                                    -Elder Crapo

May 28, 2013

Dear Home,

     WOW. I don't even know where to start right now.

     I've been assigned to work in the Galveston Zone, in the North West area. Galveston. Oh, man. Just look it up. Galveston in an island located just off the mainland in the Gulf of Mexico, and it is gorgeous here. I absolutely love the heat, and the humidity doesn't bother me at all. I actually enjoy it. I have a little tan line where I wear my watch already, and I'm quite proud of it. There are two parts of the island. One part is on a grid system, and has a lot of buildings, many of which look a bit run down (because of hurricanes, and the constant need to fix them after a bad one hits). Some of that part is pretty, but lots of it isn't. Then the other part of the island is spread out and is way nicer with lots fields and trees and aquatic birds that make the funniest noises. That's where I work. We have to ride our bikes more, but I don't mind at all because the scenery is so beautiful, and the air is so warm. I often forget that I'm in Texas because it looks like I'm in some other tropical place.

     My trainer is Elder Jones. He's really dedicated, but he also likes to have fun when we're in the apartment making meals and whatnot. Which reminds me. I need recipes. Yup. We all knew this day would come. Elder Jones' last companion had several cookbooks, so he doesn't have any recipes. The days that we aren't fed by families get interesting when we try to fix something from what we have in the pantry and the fridge. Yesterday, you could tell that I was used to cooking for a lot of people. I went to make some rice, and without thinking twice, I made...a lot. I don't know how much exactly, but it was way more than the two of us would ever eat in one sitting. Elder Jones got a pretty good kick out of that. He's from near Ogden, Utah, and likes hunting and sports and his passion is horses. He's a really good missionary. 

     There are only 6 missionaries in my district, and yes, I'm the only visa waiter. I've been given permission to take an hour in the morning to have a language study. I have no idea when my visa is going to come through, but I hope I get to spend the 4th of July here in Galveston. That would be awesome.

      I love some of the people that I get to teach here. There is one lady here named Sister Seeber, and she is the sweetest lady. She made Elder Jones and me a full meal, and then made a cake, insisting that it was my cake, so I had to be the one to decide how much I get, and how much the others got. She said she made it because she wanted to make sure that I felt welcome on the island. The other main people we're working with right now is a family. Eli Sr. , his son Eli Jr. , and his fiance, Marilyn. They accept the gospel, and want to be baptized, but Eli Sr. & Eli Jr. are having a hard time overcoming an alcohol addiction. We are continuing to work with them so they can be ready to be baptized.

     I was extremely bummed by the fact that I didn't have to opportunity to call home. I was so looking forward to hearing all your voices, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I get my visa, or until Christmas. Whichever comes first. It's okay. I have my address for my apartment on the island (which is surprisingly really nice!). Here it is:

Elder Crapo

7019 Lasker Drive #114

Galveston, Texas 77551

I love you all so much, and I can't wait to tell you more about my life and adventures here on the island. I love it here so much, and I'm excited for what the Lord has in store for me in the future.

                                                                 Amo voces!

                                                                - Elder Crapo

First letter from Texas!

(Hand written letter arrived Saturday)

Dear Home,

Houston. It's very humid and warm, so I think I'm gonna like it here.  I woke up at 3:00 am so I could be to the MTC travel office by 4.  From there, I took a bus to SLC airport for my flight to Phoenix.  I wanted to call, but there were hardly any telephones and they were all being used, so we had to board our flight to Houston.  The flights went well except for our landing on the second.  Everyone said it was the roughest one they've ever experienced.  BUT, I'm alive and well.  We did some contacting as soon as we got here (I knew it), and that went well.
     It's so green! YES!!!  I love how many trees there are. The roads, however...I thought the roads in Utah were bad.  Nope.  Everything is bigger in Texas, including the potholes.  Well...almost everything's bigger in Texas.  I'm not, but I've been told that by the time I leave, I will be.  Gotta love the south.

        Amo voces,

Elder Crapo

Letter from Mission President's Wife HE'S ALIVE!!!!

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely in the Texas Houston South Mission, the best mission in the world!!  They are happy and absolutely wonderful. President Ashton and I are thrilled to welcome them. This is the largest group of new missionaries we have welcomed—43 in all.  The Lord is certainly hastening his work and it is a very exciting time to be involved in missionary work.  We had a terrific afternoon and evening together on Tuesday. They received some training and practiced contacting.  We also had dinner together and then we enjoyed a beautiful testimony meeting. Wednesday they received more training, met their trainers as well as many other missionaries, and then left to their areas to meet and teach the wonderful people of Houston.  They come with such courage and strength.   You should be very proud of them.  We enjoyed getting to know them.

I have attached a photo from our gathering in the mission home. As you can see, there are many smiles.  We have seven children.  Spencer (14), Braeden (12), Jacob (10), Elisabeth Kate (8), Ethan (6), Daniel (3), and Wesley (10 months).  Wesley is not in the picture because he was asleep. They are so excited to be a part of your missionary's life!

Again, thank you for the opportunity you have given us to serve with these fine missionaries. We love them already and promise to take good care of them. May you find great joy and blessings as you continue to support them in bringing souls to Christ through His restored gospel. This is His work and these missionaries are on His errand. More joy awaits them than they have ever experienced!

With love,
President and Sister Ashton, Spencer, Braeden, Jacob, Elisabeth Kate, Ethan, Daniel, and Wesley

PS.  P-days are on Monday which is the day they will write/receive email. If they are assigned to Galveston Island, however, their email day will be Tuesday. I know they will love hearing from you each week and need to know you are loving and supporting them.  Please send at least a short note each week.  Thanks for everything.