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!!  

30 June 2014 "I have a bit of a safety shield around me."

Hello Everyone!

   This week has been fantastic!  Some crazy, long, odd days tracting and stuff but that is not abnormal.  I know that God is with me and protects me, even from crazy guys who jump in the back seat of the car.

 

    We were driving to a less-actives home when some man flagged us down. I brought the car to a stop and Elder McReynolds rolled down the window. This man quickly jumped into our backseat and told us that we had saved his life and he wanted to talk about the Bible.   He proceeded to tell us he was high.   Thank goodness for the White Handbook that states we can't give rides to non-members.  We politely asked if we could talk about the Gospel on the side of the road.  He agreed so we taught this high guy, who we think was running from someone (cops maybe). Experience of a lifetime haha.

 

     Don't worry.  This is not a normal everyday experience just the one time, haha.  It was pretty sketch, but I look back at it and its a really cool journal entry!  God has protected me yet another week.  I am so blessed to be on a Mission.  I have a bit of a safety shield around me.  That is what the Gospel can do for you.

 

     We contacted a lot of less actives this week.  We are trying to clean up lists.  We got really excited to show our results to the Ward Council. Then we found out that they cancelled church-due to the fumes that are in the chapel.  They are making me a little loopy, haha!!   Varnish is great....jk.

                Love ya'll

                    Elder Caldwell

23 June 2014 "It is a miracle."

Hola Everyone!

 Sorry this one will be really short this week. It has been a crazy one and a rewarding one. It is a miracle...the lady with Leukemia from Nixa is now attending church. This is a miracle because it is something her doctor said she would never be able to do when we baptized her. I love these things and I am excited. She is preparing to go to the temple some day soon.

 I am amazed at how much of an influence we have on people. People we do not realize we have reached out and touched at all.

I love my family, they are my stronghold here and at home.   I am so glad I have been given all the things that I have been.

 I am amazed at how well me and my companion get along and just do work the way it should be...RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!

 Love

 Elder Caldwell

Me and Elder McReynolds...I love this companion!!

16 June 2014 "...no one wears shirts in these parts."

Hello peoples of planet E-Arth

 

     This has been one crazy fun week.   Elder McReynalds and I have been going crazy doing a ton of tracting. We have found many good potentials. I love just talking to people and seeing what they think about certain situations. I have been told many really cool stories out here about Truckers, crazy things you can do with fire, and other crazy things.

 

     On Friday, we got a ride to Springfield for a meeting.  The people who drove us did not get back from work until 4:30.  Our meeting ended at 1:00, so we were stranded in Springfield, Mo for a little while.

 

      We have had lots of fun experiences... By the way no one wears shirts in these parts. Men with beer bellies are amazing and funny to look at haha.... Ewwww...gross. I love the people here though some are misguided. We all get a little crazy and lost at times but our Heavenly Father is always there watching us. We must follow him in all we say and do.  We can't hide from our Creator.

      Love,

      Elder Caldwell

09 June 2014 "I love storms in Missouri!!"

  Hola Everybody!

 Well, how is this for adventure?  Trees in the roads everywhere, all due to just wind blowing them over and power outages.  Tracting not through rain....but through walls of water!  No windshield wiper made can keep up with this kind of water storm, I dont care what the movie, "Twister" says!  It is wild!!

I got a new companion and in the same day, we're out picking up trees.  We had a whole ton of missionaries looking a little like drowned rats at transfer point this last week. It's kind of funny really..the transfer bus shows up and everyone getting off is dry and the rain stopped,  but those of us who waited at the transfer point...soaked, all the way through!!  I love storms in Missouri!!! They are way cool!  

On top of all that adventure, I was also kidnapped by a member from a different area.  We ended up on the freeway in an overheating truck and never got to our destination.  Truly interesting!!  It has been a pretty fun week if you ask me. 

My new companion is fantastic!  His name is Elder Mcreynolds and he is one hard working man. He seems to be on my same level of work ethic!  Well, thats about it for this week.  Hope you have a great week. Oh ya, he is from Eugene Oregon.  He part of a family of 7.

I love this Mission.  You learn so much and you just keep pumping forward. I absolutely don't even mind one bit the humidity, this place is super bomb. The weather is my favorite.  The people here in Aurora start drinking from sun up to sun down, makes for a very interesting area. I love it all the crazy things that happen on a Mission. You could never explain to anyone the insanity that mission work can be.  I love it all!

Love

Elder Caldwell

Trees toppled in Aurora.