25 Aug 2014 "A week of ups and downs"

Ello

     What a week of craziness. On Friday as many of you know our Mission went through a pretty traumatic experience. We lost one of our loved Sister Missionaries, Sister Vea.  I know she is in good hands now and I know that God has a Mission waiting for her on the other side of the veil.  A mission is the best training we could receive for the Spirit World.  I hope that her family finds comfort through Christ, that is what is most important. The Oklahoma Tulsa Mission will miss her.

 

      We worked hard all week and I had a feeling that I was getting transfered all week.  Well, it came true.  I got the Transfer call and found out I am going to Ash Flat, Arkansas.  It has been part of this Mission for less than a year.  It used to be in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission but now its in the OTM.  I finally get the opportunity to leave the Springfield Zones now.  I get to serve in a branch.

 

      I have found peace through reading my scriptures every day. The Book of Mormon is an amazing book.  After I have read it a few times, I am starting to even understand a lot of the Isaiah chapters. I Love my Mission President.  He is amazing and he has really helped me learn so much.  Due to the events I wrote of earlier, he is going to be meeting with every Missionary in the Mission and helping to make this an inspiring thing not something to get down about. 

 

    For those of you who want to write me Letters this will be my new address:

 

                                                 Elder Caldwell

                                              114 Little Creek Cir

                                              Ash Flat, Ar 72513 

   I know that the trials in life are but a moment. We will move on, we will fight strong. For this is the best Mission in the World!  It is My Mission, the OTM.  I am so proud to have part in this Mission!

Love 

Elder Caldwell

18 August 2014 "...can't think what to write."

 Hello ya'll!

   This will be short.  Not because I dont love ya'll, but just because I can't think what to write.  We tracted a street in the middle of the "middle of nowhere" and rode our bikes 20 miles that day,  Not too abnormal, but it changes things when its to contact one single person. 

   I am excited to see what happens on Saturday.  Whether I am staying in Aurora or whether I go somewhere else.  I don't necesarily care either way but it would be kinda nice to see something new and different. 

   We are getting a set of Spanish Elders in Aurora. That is pretty exciting and all. The work is going well.  We had quite a few progressing investigators this last week.  Hope this finds you well.  Wish I had more to say.

   Oh ya..my family sent me a box with awesome socks and a sweet tie.  I also bought a necklace from a Hawaiian man.  He made it from Elk bones and a Coconut shell, its perty sweet if ya ask me. 

 

   Love all ya'll I will have pictures next week if the computers work at the Stake Center.

 

                              Elder Caldwell

11 Aug 2014 "Well, a week of miracles, and I can't remember what happened."

I have no clue what happened this week, but Hey! We got 3 new investigators.  I got lots of letters.  And, well, let's just say it was a busy week!  Oh ya, I got to do some Automotive work!   I love how we all have our different talents that help people out.  I really am just lost as to what to say.  We have been preparing for a week for this week.  It is another big challenge, Miracle Week.  We are challenged to get a new investigator every day for 7 days.  I am excited!  These are the kind of challenges where you have to put your whole heart and soul in it, then you see crazy results. I wish I could honestly be like that for my whole Mission.

 Our Mission President challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in just a few months.  So here we are, doing just that. We have been doing a lot of "OTMing" or Street contacting.  I love that.  Being able to just talk to people that are outside there houses and more willing to talk. 

 We got a Member referral from the Maynes.  Her name is Christy.  (For those of you that don't know, I have never taught a referral in a members home until now.)  It was super exciting!   I am so glad that we have been able to gain member trust more and more in this area.  The longer I stay here the more I get to see. 

 

                            Love y'all,

                                     Elder Caldwell 

03 August 2014 "Wow, wow, wow People be in AWE!"

Hola mis Amigos

 

    This week has been fantastic. I finally got a picture of a Marrionville White Squirrel. There are only 3 places in the U.S. that White Squirrels exist and one is Marrionville, Missouri. I have served here 4 months and just got a picture of one.  They are a pretty rare occurance.

 

     On a completely different note..this week has opened my eyes a little bit. I actually got to know what it is like to sit in on a baptism where you can't understand the language of the people.  We have been teaching a Hispanic family and they are pretty much my best friends.  These 3 little girls just are always making me laugh.   Little kids are the best, but anyways we were able to go to the fathers baptism.   He is a super amazing guy, just does not speak very good English.  Sorry I did not get any pictures of them.

 

    I dont know if you guys remember James and Brandi from Nixa.  James emailed me and he told me that he has recieved the Priesthood and was able to baptize his kids this last week.  I am so fanatically excited about this!  They are another amazing family. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of that.

 

   Missions are great.  Some weird things happen that you can't explain both temporal and Spiritual.  I will be honest this is completely temporal story.   We have been helping a local church with a food distribution pantry. When we got done distributing and started cleaning up this last time, the youth pastor told us just to come get him from his office when we needed a ride home.  We went to his office and he had a guitar.  He asked if we played and Elder Holyoak said that I used to a little.  I told them that I only know a few chords so I played a little and both Pastor Terry and Youth Pastor John said "what about the Epiphone we have in the back?"   I'm thinking, "what about it?"   They then walked back into their chapel with me and my companion and showed us the Epiphone then told me that it was mine. Wait what?  A preacher from a different church just randomly gave me a Guitar. (dont worry it is approved for this mission). 

 

     I am so blessed to be able to be in Aurora and to meet the people I have. I would not give this opportunity to serve a mission up for anything else in the world. Thank you all for getting me to this point.   I can't do it alone thats why I am so glad that I have had such support. I know that the things you all taught me are still with me even though I am more then 1200 miles away.  You are all here pushing me along.    I can't express my appreciation enough. 

   

                        Love ya'll

                              Elder Caldwell

28 July 2014 "I laugh at my trials from past!!! The Devil must be frustrated!!!"

Hola mis amigos!

    This week has definitely been interesting and these text options are really making me happy.  First off, we thought that we had bed bugs because we were waking up with a bunch of bug bites and we did not have them when we went to bed.   We went through this for 3 days until we decided to talk to Sister Shumway (our Mission President's wife). She told us to call an exterminator.  So we called this guy and he comes by 4 days after we call him.  He searches the bedding and all the furniture and could not find anything.  We then went and bought bug bombs from Walmart.  We spent almost the whole week at a members house just to get told to buy bug bombs.

     The good news is that we no longer have bugs biting us in the middle of the night.  We also have clean suits and ties and new pillows.  I guess it was a good thing.  Kinda expensive, with the dry cleaning bill, but all is well in Aurora.

     On Saturday, we were riding our bikes because we ran out of miles.  We rode to a less-active member's house and my companions tire went flat.  The same tire that we patched 3 days prior.   We later found out that the patch melted in the 95 degree weather.   So..we have forgotten about patches and walked to Walmart (a good 2 miles) to buy a new tube.   As it turns out, the tube he needs is something special that Walmart does not carry.  The closest bike store is 28 miles away.  This week will be interesting until we can get a member who works in Springfield to pick up a bike tube!!!

      Sunday night we had a barbecue with the Wilden Family.  They had family from Bloomfield, New Mexico visiting them. Turns out that they live on the same street as Rod and Melanie McGee, a good family friend of ours!  We talked and caught up a little on what's going on.   It definitely is a small world!! 

      This week has been crazy.  Somehow we managed to still teach a lot of people and get them progressing.  We had 5 investigators at church and 2 less actives attend.  It was pretty incredible.   I love the life I live.   Heavenly Father has definitely blessed me with a sense of humor.   I love my Mission and I don't think that will ever change.  No matter the trials, I have to laugh when I think of all that has happened this week.

                                     Love,

                                         Elder Caldwell

        

     "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elder Caldwell at a BBQ on 27 July 2014

21 July 2014 "I love the kind and wonderful people in this world..."

 Hello fellow earthlings!

      This week was fantastic!  The beginning of the week was all just getting Elder McReynolds out and packed. He is going to be a Zone Leader.  I love Transfer weeks!  They are so much fun, haha, even the anticipation is funny.  I have Elder Holyoak as my companion now.  He is an amazing red headed Elder.  I am so blessed to be with someone with so many of the same interests as me.

      We did a lot of tracting and street-contacting or "OTMing" as we call it here. I have seen some pretty crazy things, like we saw a car that was covered in 70,000 pennies!  A full 400 LBs of pennies on this car. We talked to the owner and were able to take pictures of it. 

 After this man drove off though we were able to talk to the people at the farmers market.  We cleared up some misconseptions of the Mormon church. I loved being able to talk to them and they were happy to talk with us.  They even gave us free veggies for the service we provided.  I think we ought to stop by there again.  They also taught us a little about the Amish. (There are A LOT of Amish in this area.) 

We were riding our bikes to an appointment when some random man stopped his car and rolled down his window.   When he did, he handed us $20 and told us that he had promised previously that he would give some money to us the next time he saw us riding bikes,for lunch.  SCORE!! 

I love this place!  I have been here for 3 months and by the end of this transfer it will be 4.5. I hope I have the opportunity to make this a 6 month area for me.

I love the kind and wonderful people in this world, who are just here to help us out all the time, it is truely amazing.

                        Love Elder Caldwell

14 July 2014 "I love this area."

To all who follow this blog.  Elder Caldwell did not send an email last week.  This was the first week he missed.  We received snail mail on Thursday letting us know that he was okay.  His companion, Elder McReynolds, had some health issues and collapsed at the local Walmart.  Elder Caldwell has been given the opportunity to be a "caregiver companion" and stated that not many missionaries can say they have pushed their companion around in a wheelchair.  You can check that off the bucket list!

Here is his email for this week:

Hola Everyone

     This last few weeks have been intense.  I was unable to email last week.  My companion was sick and passed out in Walmart.  He is doing better now and we are back out doing the Lord's work.

     I was able to get some priests from the ward together.  One watched over Elder McReynolds while I went out and did some tracting with the other. We had one guy answer the door naked (not to worry that's nothing out of the ordinary when tracting in North Town). Also it is not out of the ordinary to see things like McDonalds and Taxidermy combined.  HMMMMMM.....

     We drove on Route 66 and saw a cow on some random house rooftop.

 Welcome to Aurora Missouri!  If you think your neighbors are crazy come here and you will see. I love this Area!  It is a beast and the people we meet are a little looney but that's the best part. 

     We went to one of our investigators houses, he proceeded to tell us he was not feeling well and to come in and we will talk. He grabbed some nasty mayo, macaroni, bologna, and some jalapeno concoction out of his fridge. I am not sure what looked nastier, sitting there watching him throw up (a flood of barf) or looking at that horrible thing he made and ate. 

     It has been an odd week, what can I say?  We have been running all week doing crazy things, and we actually met a man who never got into Religion. Sounds not too exciting.....but hey, its quite the crazy thing here in the bible belt. 

     Transfer calls were on Saturday I will be staying in Aurora for another transfer....WOOOHOOO!!!! 

    Much Love,

   

     Elder Caldwell

First pair of mission shoes...laid to rest in Aurora, MO!!

Interesting milestone hit today:

500 days til Elder Caldwell come home!!