Transfers, Heading to Buhl and a Baptism!!!

So to start out, I had a great week! Finally got some sweet winter boots (love them they are Irish Setter Red Wings. they are so comfortable). We got a new investigator! Vickie! She is really sweet and is looking for something more spiritual and with people that will love and accept her! (basically exactly what the LDS church has to offer!!) Tuesday was Sister Harris' last district meeting and district lunch with us :( she is going home to Georgia today!! (lucky haha). During the week we did some service and this sweet old lady was saying a closing prayer and started getting emotional because of how much a blessing we were to have to help her in her home and stuff. Really melted my heart for her! At Shanna's house on Friday, Jessie Carter came over from next door and brought THE cutest black lab puppy!!! I fell in love. She (named her Bella) cuddled up on my lap instantly! Love at first sight I know haha. Saturday Elder Cook, Riding, and Nilsson and I had a Thanksgiving lunch together at our place ahah. Our last meal together before transfers. Was way fun :) Then we had Jackie's baptism!!! I was so honored to baptize her and it went so great. I had such a great feeling knowing how far she has come and helping her realize this Gospel and its truths! So we got transfer calls last night and I am going to Buhl with Elder Roth! Excited for change and all but I love this area and I hate that I have to leave :( I am pretty sure it is Bishop Schofield’s ward that I am going to serve in!! (Brian's dad) So I am way excited for that!! And we get a car!! Jeep compass I think :) anyways! We had a couple really super spiritual lessons this week with some less-actives and recent converts! Really built my confidence and testimony! Miss Texas. Gonna miss this area and especially since I leave the day before Thanksgiving :( But it is gonna be awesome!!

Love Elder Bean II

Mardall, such a great lady!

Bella the puppy

Jackie's baptism

It's Cold in Idaho!!

What a great week!! Had a lot of fun. Wednesday was really fun. It was cold though! like 15 degrees. (at night it gets to like 5 degrees or less). We got to go with the youth temple trip cause it was Harry's first time! I was so proud of him. Elder Cook and I could only witness, but it was a great experience and I jump at every chance I get to go to the temple! Thursday the snow started coming down! I woke up and It was all white outside and then the rest of the day it just snowed constantly. I loved it. Makes me want to snowboard though.. We shoveled a lot of people's sidewalks and driveways! April Carter told us she wants to be temple worthy by summer!! I loved hearing that and it brought so much joy to my heart. Friday we had exchanges and I went to the 2nd ward area with Elder Prosch. He is hilarious ahha he has such dry humor. We got along good cause we are so alike! I liked being in that area cause at night we walked down main street and stuff instead of just neighborhoods like I usually do. Sunday, Harry gave a talk in church!! It was so good. It is amazing to see his progression from baptism on Oct. 11th, to getting the priesthood, going to the temple, and now giving a talk! Last night we were with the Free's (less-active family) and they finally opened up to us! We had an awesome chat on why we are serving missions and our past and everything and they related so well with us and it was so good. I love them! Transfers are next week! This time next week I will know if I am staying or leaving and if I am getting a new companion or what. Elder Cook is most likely leaving (been here for 6 months) and I hope so badly that I stay! I love this ward and all the people here. I am trying to stay warm! It is getting colder and colder and everyone here says it is abnormal for it to be this cold this early in the year sooo I wonder what the heart of winter will be like... ahha. Miss home like crazy, but absolutely love the Twin Falls 24th ward!!!

-Elder Bean II

Me, Harry and Elder Cook

Twin Falls temple

Our roof... snow!!!

The Lord Prepares People in so Many Ways

So great week!! Last P-day we played a ton of basketball (same thing today too!!!) Got this sweet new plush blanket with two black labs on it and a sunset in the background. Yeah I know it's cool ahha. Keeps me warm at night! Tuesday was sweet!! Had District Meeting and then exchanges with our Zone Leaders! Elder Benson (my homie) came to my area this time! Was super chill and we are like best friends out here haha. We started talking with everyone we saw and it was great. We taught Harry and Jackie and then afterwards Benson told me he was surprised at how well I taught and I was like dude that means a lot. We shared some great messages with some families and it was so spiritual! At the end of the day he told me he was grateful that I am always improving and how much I have changed since my first day. We played with glow sticks and I have pictures haha. Wednesday we met with so many people and have a lot of potentials right now! I am looking forward to teaching them. Thursday we spent a couple hours painting the outside of this soup kitchen and then we had interviews with mission President Curtis! Was cool and he is a great guy. Sister Curtis was fun to talk to and she told me Janet (Cowley) Rose had written her a note! So fun to hear she knows my family, I guess her sister was good friends with Janet! We met this guy, Cash and he is so humble and the guy is super intelligent! He is studying physics to go into nuclear engineering or astrophysics! Guy knows a lot and his wife is less-active and we went back on Sunday and they are way cool with us and are open to our messages! Friday we rescheduled Jackie's baptism to the 22nd, something came up. Saturday we dug some holes in the morning, did progress records, and then went to the ward Harvest Hoedown! It was a fun tailgate party and had some great food and music ;) country of course. Later that night Elder Cook wanted to walk home and drop off our service clothes and then go back out, but I felt like we should just leave them at the stake center and go out then. Turns out we ran into this awesome guy name Jesus (he is Hispanic so its not pronounced Jesus lol). He was one of the most humble guys I have ever met. The guy loved his family and prayed every day before driving (he was a self-employed trucker) and he said he had respect for all religions and anyone was welcome in his home. He reads the bible and says he believes strongly in everything in it, so that is awesome! We had such a great conversation with him and he told us to come by and if he is home he will love for us to talk with him more! Super excited for him. The Lord prepares people in so many ways. Sunday was awesome. Church was so spiritual and Sister Steinagel gave her homecoming talk! She just got back from England and she shared some great experiences and I could tell she was a great missionary. This guy sang a solo and he is like a professional singer and the spirit was so strong. Part of the song he sang said "Jesus' love, is like a lighthouse" and that is so true! It is our lighthouse to help us find our way! We ate at the Allen's (way fun family) and she made Texas sheet cake!!! :) so good. This week was overall great. Loving it so much out here. I am so happy!! Love and miss y'all.

-Elder Bean II

Winter is Coming and Things are Good Here in Idaho!

Good week! We have been working with the Tietjan's a lot (Jackie who is gonna be baptized Saturday, and Harry, her son who was baptized a couple weeks ago) and they are awesome. They lift my mood every time I see them. Jackie has agreed to live the Word of Wisdom!! SO happy for her. Wednesday we helped Mardall winterize her home... They put plastic up on their windows to keep the cold out...strange? but I guess it works haha. Gave Jackie a blessing that night because she was getting all her teeth pulled and getting fake ones the next day. Harry told me that night he is getting the priesthood Sunday and wants me to do it! Thursday we ate with one of my favorite family's in the ward! The Garbett's! They are awesome. She is from Wyoming and we got to talking and then I mentioned Lake Alice and she was so shocked that I knew about that place and have been there before because their family goes a lot and it is kind of a secret spot that not a lot of people know about! So that was cool and he is a middle school football and track coach so we talk a lot of sports! They have a 4 year old son named Kellen and he has blonde hair, the kid is funny. He likes to wrestle with me ahhah. Love that family. They are feeding us the week before thanksgiving and Thanksgiving day! so that will be super fun. Friday, Halloween!!!, we had Zone Training which was so good. Talked about Trusting in the Lord and I loved it. Then we ate at one of our favorite places, Sushi Ya! I love their sushi. We only eat once a month there cause it is like $15 for all you can eat sushi. But it isn't buffet style it is just order how many rolls and if you don't eat it all you have to pay for each individually but if you eat it all then it is $15! Sooo good. Then we went to the Carter's and had pizza for dinner and watched Frozen! Then at 6 we had our District Party and watched the Best Two Years and The RM! Was good, just made me homesick lol. Saturday was super cold and rainy! Even snowed a little bit :) We were in the cold, wind and rain at night walking around so we stopped at the Bruning's (another one of my favorite families) and they fed us Banana splits and hot chocolate ahahh (weird combo, but just shows how fun they are) He likes to hunt a lot and is a sportsy guy so we get a long great, and he is in the Elder's Quorum Presidency so we chill with him a lot. His son reminds me of Dallas! Same age too and is a stud athlete. He was complaining because the coaches wouldn't let him get the ball more than 3 or 4 times because he would score every time and the other kids needed turns haaha. What a stud. Then they took us home that night and sent us off with a huge bag of leftover candy! (they got a ton from trick or treating) And some homemade rolls :) Then the bishop brought us a heater! Our room got freezing cold the other night so he brought us one for our bedroom when we sleep! Which is good cause now I don't wake up to a 30* room. Yesterday was an awesome Fast Sunday. Bore my testimony and so many people commented on how much they loved it!! I love this ward. Gave Harry the Aaronic Priesthood!! So neat. What an experience. Then we ate with the Ogden's, this fun older couple, and he showed us his awesome rifle collection. He has like 20-30 rifles that he has restored/refurbished himself! SO sweet. He has some awesome antlers and a hugeeee moose on his wall. 1200+ lb moose that he killed couple years ago! Crazy. Anyways things are good here in Idaho! Miss home a lot! Love y'all!!!

-Elder Bean II