New companion and responsibilities, a skunk, a great picture

Hello family and friends!

So a ton of stuff happened this past week. On tuesday we went to transfer meeting and I got my new son, his name is Elder Jensen! I have 2 sons named Elder Jensen haha. Oh for those who dont know, the missionaries that we train we call them our sons and we are their fathers haha. Elder Jensen is from bountiful Utah and he is taller than my last companion... he's 6' 6! He makes me feel short. It's been pretty different having a new companion and training again. He's a pretty good guy. A lot different from the last Elder Jensen so I will have to get used to that. He's a lot more proactive and he's pretty good at teaching lessons. He's also a dang good baller. We played this morning at 730 at the park and it was super fun and it wasn't hot yet. 

So like I said last week we found Leiloni. Her baby is doing good and she and her daughter Anara are planning on getting baptized on the 12th! We had an awesome lesson with her on saturday night and she was planning on coming to church but when her ride went there to pick her up she didn't hear them knock on her door and they didn't even try calling her or anything so she didn't come to church:( But she will be coming this next sunday! 

Oh so I am now the District Leader for the New Albany district. Gosh it makes me even more busy haha. As a D-Leader I give trainings on wednesdays during district meeting to 5 other companion ships. And I basically just keep track of the progress of their areas and I hold them accountable to their work that they do. I'm on the phone a lot in the evenings after we do our planning for the next day. But even though it makes me more busy I love being able to serve more. Being tired at the end of the day is just the best feeling. 

Oh so yesterday after church we went to the Stake Presidents house to have dinner. They live up in the hills way out in the country. It was a super great dinner, like always, and on our way home in the car we were coming over this sweet hill that we like to hit in the car, and as we were coming to the bottom we see this little skunk right in our lane and I didn't have any time to slow down or move at all so I just creamed that thing... And it STUNK after. The car must have gotten sprayed a little bit right before it got hit. We had the windows down and the air just blasting to get the smell out haha. I feel so bad for hitting that thing but I couldn't avoid it haha

Well thats basically it for this last week. Our new focus for this next 6 weeks is to find a family and to set baptism dates with them, so we have been praying a lot to find a family!

I hope you all know that I really appreciate all of the support that you give me! Thank you for being members of the true church and being active! Elder Jensen's whole family is inactive and he is the only one thats active. So I am so greatful that I have a family that is active.

Love you all!

Elder Eastin

P.S- in the pic, right next to me is my new son Elder Jensen, next to him is my old son Elder Jensen, and on the end is Elder Crook, my Dad!

 

Be The Missionary That Your Investigators Deserve

Hello fam and friends!

This last week was amazing!! We found so many great investigators this past week. One lady we talked to investigated the church 20 years ago and was going to be baptized but some weird stuff happened and she ended up not joining but she said recently she wanted to learn again and a few days later we talked to her on the streets. And also her 13 year old daughter wants to learn and they have been reading the Book of Mormon.

We also found a family with 9 kids!! Both the Mom and Dad have been asking a lot of questions. We will be seeing them tomorrow night.

As you might have heard, I received a call from President Woodbury on saturday and he asked me to be a district leader here in New Albany and also to train another missionary. So sadly Elder Jensen will be leaving me after just a short 12 weeks together. But I am excited to lead the district here and to train another greenie. President Woodbury will be leaving this friday, so I am really grateful that he saw that potential in me to be a leader. President Brough will be coming in this friday and Im kinda nervous haha. 

OH!! WE FOUND LEILONI!!!!!!!! On wednesday we got a text from her phone saying that she was in the hospital and they gave us her number and so we called her! We haven't heard from her in almost 2 weeks! We went up to the hospital the next morning and gave her a blessing and that night she had her baby! So she is back home now and is up and walking around fine so hopefully pretty soon she will be getting baptized! 

Last night we went to the monthly fireside over in Louisville. It was amazing. Missionaries bring recent converts and investigators and they have a few talks and then they have a tesimony meeting. Those are some of THE most powerful testimonies I have ever heard. To hear these peoples stories and then to see them up in front of a congregation saying that they know the Book of Mormon is true and that their lives are so much better and happier, is amazing. I feel like if any non member were at that meeting, they would be converted in that meeting. Thats how strong the spirit is, in that meeting. 

So time is FLYING right now. Hit my 10 months marks this week and the days are shooting by. By the time I leave this area I will be over a year out. Crazy... My trainer Elder Crook is going home this week. We will get to see him at transfer meeting tomorrow so that will be nice. 

Quote of the week: "Be the missionary that your investigators deserve." I love it.

I love you all!

Elder Eastin

Starting back at square one.

Hey fam!

This week was kinda rough. We've basically lost our teaching pool again. We just cant seem to get investigators progressing. Its been like running into a brick wall over and over again. 

Leiloni and her daughter basically disappeared on us... They were set to come to church a week ago and to be baptized but then they didnt come and we havent been able to see them since. We try by every single day and also call but we cant find her! We are hoping she just had to go to the hospital and have her baby.

Update on Michele and Emma, our recent converts. Michele hasn't been to church in a month:( But emma hasn't missed a day of church since she was baptized. Michele just keeps making up lame excuses to not come to church. I dont know what is going on in her life.

Transfers are coming up this next tuesday but I dont think I will be transferred. But just in case I do, if you sent me something and it wont get here by next tuesday just send it to the mission office.

Not too much else has been going on. Its just kinda been a rough week. Feel like we are back to square one in our area haha but I am grateful for the many things that we do have. We are just going through a trial and we need to learn some things.

I love you all so much and I miss you!

Elder Eastin

Contact competition and a riding lawn mower

Hello all my favorite people!

K so update on Leiloni and her daughter Anara. Leiloni had to go to the hospital sunday morning and so they missed church, which means we have to move their baptism date:( But thats ok! They will get baptized soon!! We havent been able to get in contact with her since she went to the hospital so we dont know if she had the baby or not.

Every year the New Albany ward puts on family feud and this year it was awesome! They make it super legit. A member in the ward does a huge survey for all the questions and he has a program that he made that runs the show. They asked Elder Jensen to be the host and it was super funny!

It was a great night of fun and games and food. 

Also this week we did a competition against the sister missionaries in our ward to see who could talk to the most people during the week. The mission has a set standard to talk to 20 people a day for a total of 140 a week. And the loser of the competition has to wash the winners car haha. So this week we talked to 142 people and they talked to 160:( haha but that's alright we got a ton of new investigators! 

Oh and we went to Michele's this week to help her work on her yard cuz shes been super busy with work. She had me mow her lawn and holy crap... he yard is huge. I was sitting on that mower for like 3 hours. It was rough haha. Elder Jensen and I felt super sick after, we had sunblock on and stuff but it just drained our energy. The heat here is starting to get unbearable. Its almost impossible to go walk around between 12 and 3. The heat and humidity are nuts. 

So thats pretty much all of the big stuff that happened this week! Oh and I dont know if I have told everyone, but the Book of Mormon musical is here in Louisville. If you haven't heard of it before its not made by the church, its created by the producers of south park. Its about 2 homosexual missionaries in Uganda and it just makes fun of the Book of Mormon. Its all over the buses around here. Its weird. 

 

  But it doesn't matter, the Book is blue, the church is true and Jesus is a Mormon! haha great saying...

Love you all! Elder Eastin