24 Nov 2014 "Another Crazy week in Ash Flat"

Hey Ya'll

     What a fantastic week this has been.  It has been a little slower, but we have been able to set up for the next transfer.  The area book looks a lot better and things are going well.

     I got my teeth fixed at the Orthodontist.  That was a fun 50 bucks just to get my retainer glued back in. After that things kept getting a little crazy. We went to Myrtle, Missouri.  We have some members who live out there that travel to our little branch. We burned probably 4 full big trees of wood in a burn pile to clean up the yard. The flames were so high they went above the telephone wires. I don't know what it is, but I think people in Missouri and Arkansas get cold too easy or I just stay way to warm the whole time.  I had people asking me if I was cold. I was just in a Flannel Shirt in a rainstorm.  There was nothing cold about it, haha. I was burning up almost too warm. Maybe I got to move to Alaska when I get home.

     We had an Recent Convert call us this morning and tell us that his dad had passed away.  I assume I will be going to a funeral in the next week or so. I am so glad for the Plan of Salvation at this time.

      For those of you who don't know I have lost 2 Relatives while being out here.  My Grandma Jan (Mom's mom) passed away the 3rd of September and this last Monday, my Uncle Jim passed away. I never would have expected that one.  I do know that he is in a better place and that I am right where I am suppose to be.  I have learned so much about God's plan.  I can truly say I don't fear death, but I will not try to make it come sooner than it has to. I am so grateful for the knowledge of Eternal Families. I love that teaching more than any other in the Gospel.

      I love ya'll and I will see you in a year and 10 days. 

      Elder Caldwell

Grandma Jan

Uncle Jim

17 Nov 2014 "What a week"

Howdy Folks

I have more pictures this week, haha. I was able to see some awesome things that I have never seen before such as a Woodpecker door knocker. I thought that was pretty cool.

 We taught a total of 20 Lessons and got us 2 new investigators and one of which said that he would see us at church this next Sunday, pretty cool.

I am still not sure what I am doing for Thanksgiving but I do know that I will be here until January 1st. . I will be here with Elder Howard for Christmas, my year mark, my birthday, and Thanksgiving.   Loaded transfer I say.

Not a whole lot to write today.  Just that we got our first snow of the season.  It's barely a skiff and people were freaking out about it saying that it was going to be really Icey and all, but it never was. Reminds me of the Utah Blizzard a few years back, haha

        Love,

         Elder Caldwell

Woodpecker Doorknocker

I love the random scenery of Ash Flats!

My zone

Icicles hanging from the truck!  Guess it's gettin' cold!

The skiff of snow on my front yard!

10 Nov 2014 "Crazy week again"

I am not quite sure what happened this last week. It seemed like we had a lot of meetings, but we only had a zone training and interviews with President Shumway and other than that it's beem a pretty normal week. 

We did a lot of service.  We split about 5-6 ricks (a rick is about 1/3 of a cord) of wood for Brother Child. Then the next day we pulled T posts (steel fence posts) by hand and pulled pig panel out of the ground. We will just say I was beat after tha.  Then the next day, we went out and taught quite a bit.

  I am so amazed at how much this little branch helps us fulfill our callings and also how we are able to step in and teach.  We taught 2 different lessons on a Sunday because people called in sick and/or can't teach their classes. We taught the youth and also priesthood.  Church starts at 10 am and goes til 1 pm.  We got there at 9 am and did not get out til 330 pm.  Pretty awesome.  The lessons we taught and the contacts we made with different recent converts and other things was just incredible.

Sorry no pictures today I just picture bombed you last week.

            Talk at ya'll Later

                           Elder Caldwell

3 Nov 2014 "Ha,ha, I tract in weird ways"

Hey ya'll

What a week..oh wait..what a week is every week!  They just keep getting crazier. Elder Howard and I have been trying to contact everyone on the Branch List. We have also done a bit of Tracting. I was able to talk to a man about his 1980 Z28 Camaro and I asked him if he would mind if I took pictures of it. He said I could so I did.  As I was, I noticed that he has a Honda Shadow, too.  He did not seem to interested in talking gospel with us, but I got him talking cars.  We had a good time.  He told us to come back any time.  Maybe we can slip subtle gospel messages in with car talk.

I love all the old cars and trucks out here.  This is the place if you want to buy a fixer upper house or car.  I love the ability to talk to people.  It may sound weird, but by talking cars some doors have been opened on my Mission.  People have, if nothing more, stopped thinking of us as devil worshipping suits.   haha.

I always try to come up with car analogies for the gospel.  If anyone has any I could sure use the help, haha.  I am happy to be in this part of the world.  We spent some time with the J family last week.   I love all the little kids,  It's kinda hard not to pick them up and become a human rollercoaster ride, but I will try my hardest not to break Mission rules. I can't wait to see my Nephew James Hansen, he's a cutie.

Well, anyways, that was an odd section.  Started with cars and ended with family. Maybe my mission has made me a little bit of a scatter brained individual. I hope it continues, some of my conversations have become really interesting.

 Its a scary thought when you have a dream about you crashing a Mission Vehicle and totaling it. I had that dream last night and I cant believe how crazy it would be to not be able to drive for the rest of your mission.

Well, I hope ya'll have a great week and just enjoy the little things. I love the book of Job.  His family dies and the first thing he does is praise the Lord. Everything we have is given to us by our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes its hard to remember that when it is taken from us.

                     Love,

                      Elder Caldwell

1980 Camaro Z28

Corner of Utah &Utah in Cherokee Village

The Beautiful Falls

                       

27 October 2014 "Well, who knows what to say..."

Hola Amigos,

This week my companion, Elder Howard, hit his year mark and I changed another tire this morning.  We contacted lots of less actives and had a grand old time in a place in Missouri. 

As a zone, we went to Grand Gulf and I need to go back there when I can swim, I decided.  The water got up to my knees pretty quick as I was trying to get to the gulf.  Can you say spelunking?  In Missouri it's kinda like taking a mud bath.  It surprisingly feels pretty good.  Half mud, half water, and a few Elders.  Some Elders cared about there service clothes a little too much. 

NOTE: Anyone thinking about going on a Mission....Please don't be afraid to get dirty!  If you do..you will limit who you can help.  That's what I have found on this Mission.   Service is always more than you bargain for and it is always more fun then one would think.   I have wrangled goats and pigs in a white shirt and people are so appreciative. :)   

Just Loving every day I have to do this and to help those around me.

         Love Ya'll

             Elder Caldwell

20 October 2014 Wahhahahahahahahaha

  Subject line be awesome!! Ok, well anyways, on with my week.  I have been doing all sorts of different things. We have been doing some Family History and I was able to get rid of some duplicate info. I found my Grandma's Obituary.   I am so proud of her.  She is an amazing woman and I cant wait to see her again. The Gospel brings such peace to my life.   I can't imagine what I would do without the knowledge of an afterlife.

      This morning we found out that we are able to go to the zone outing today. We got up and got ready to go and my companion Elder Howard walks out to the truck and walks right back in and says "We ain't goin' nowhere." I then walk out and kick it into high gear! I drop the spare and change the tire right there in our monsterous gravel pit (folks...9 inches of gravel is way too much for a driveway.) Anyways, I was able to change the tire in less then 20 minutes and be on the road.  Good thing we had some wood to put the jack on, otherwise it never would have worked.

      I found out this week that I might like to be an electrician.  When you learn more about Electricity it becomes pretty intriguing. I learned this from working on a school that was built in the 1940's. I was running new wires and testing old wires and all that fun stuff. I really enjoy doing that.  Maybe it just might be a career option. I have learned so many things on my mission. I could almost build my own house with what I know.

      Oh also while I was down there, we found a dead cat that was like it had just been petrified.  It still had skin on it, but that is about all it had.  It was really weird.  I don't even know how to explain it. I have never seen anything like that other than in Haunted houses.  Pretty cool stuff.

     We were contacting less actives and we walk into Brother C's house.  He has been breaking everything in his house and is going through a divorce. His wife has become unfaithful.  It's really sad. He told me to take a picture and give it to to the M Family so that he does not break it. I did not know he knew the M Family but apparently he does. It was the kids baptismal picture. I thought that was pretty special.

                                     Love,

                                         Elder Caldwell

                         That's all folks!!  

14 October 2014 "...you don't find better people then them."

1st NOTE: Don't ever tear a bed apart the last week of the transfer. Even if you think you both are staying because then you have to put it back together in a rush and build a new bed! We were kinda in crunch time and put together this bed for me to sleep in, so we could get Elder Howard into the other bed. We only had one bed ready until 3 hours before we had to leave to go to the transfer point.

2nd NOTE: One full week of service. We are trying to get a 110 year old lady into a members home, so she can come to church and its pretty crazy. She was baptized at age 103 and is still going strong at 110. Her name is D Wagner and her conversion story is all because of BYU TV. Pretty crazy! BYU TV actually did a documentary on her. I don't know how to find it but the story is pretty cool.

Brother C's sister in-law is moving into the branch, too. We have been building her house. As we have been doing this, we have spent lots of time in G's Grocery eating lunch and stuff. The G's are about to be taught by the Missionaries. They may not even know it, but they are pretty receptive and you don't find better people then them. Good ol' town of Oxford.

I really like this place. The people are so amazing. I don't know that I could be in a better place. Elder Howard is my new companion. He is from Erda, Utah. He is familiar with Rush Valley, kinda. He likes to snowboard and he has a sheep ranch with 2100 head of sheep, not too bad. Much more adventures to come, I am sure of it.

Love Ya'll

Elder Caldwell

Rickety Bunkbeds Before

Loft Bed After....no more fear for the bottom bunk Elder. :)