Better Than Nothing???

Hello Family,

I am sorry for emailing so late. It has been an interesting situation this week. Long story short, a bunch of dumb things happened with meetings being packed, so I only have a couple of minutes to write this. Anyways, it definately snowed this week! Nuts right? Its pretty weird how used to the cold that I have gotten. I have pictures from the baptisms this week. I will send them. I know this is a really short email. Super frustrating but the library is closing and we have to leave. Sorry!!!! I will write a ton next week!!!! Promise!!!!!

Love,
Elder Scott Donner

Simple Pleasures

Hola Hola familia!!!

Ok so to answer the questions first. Usually for personal study, I am studying for my investigators, trying to learn something new to help them to progress. It's really amazing when you study something specific to meet someones needs. And also to how many different questions and concerns you can answer with just 1 Nephi 3:7 jaja!!!
Usually for companionship study we read the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes and do the activity in the back of the Book of Mormon section of preach my gospel (I'll let you look that up). Then we role play and practice teaching the doctrine that we will be teaching to some of our investigators that day.
I actually got the ties this past Monday, and I have to say, I love them!!! I did get a duplicate of one of the ties, but I will live. I figure I can trade someone for another tie, or just make that the tie that I burn at 6 months jaja!!!
I did not get the cords for my camera just yet. We only get mail on Wednesdays, which is the day designated for our zone leaders to pick up our mail from the mission office. So I assume that I will get the cord next Monday.
Sleeping is very interesting. One of the members, Sister Smith, loves the missionaries and tends to get very worried about us. Her and her husband also feed us every PDay, which usually ends up being the only meal we eat because she makes us take 3 or 4 helpings plus dessert. Anyways, she has been trying to advise me on how to get better sleep, and has told me that melatonine should work. I bought a huge bottle from Costco that should last me for the two years. When I actually fall asleep, I can sleep. If not, I lay awake for most of the night.
The knee is ok. Elder Tory seems to be a little more dramatic than he should be about it and wanted to leave me in the apartment one day. I know he's just worried though.
No word on the visas to Mexico. The elders who got their visas had been waiting longer than I have been, so that is why they got them and I didn't. Everyone seems to think we will get them next week though.
I don't think I need anything at this time. I am very happy with the ties I received :D.
We are having 2 weddings and 4 baptisms this weekend. Ana Maria Flores is getting married to Eric Lopez. Her son is a member and served a mission, but never had any interest in the church for now. Eric wants to be baptized so he can be married for time and all eternity.
We also have Benjamin and Lucila getting baptized. Ben loves the gospel and has a strong testimony. We're pretty sure we have heard his life story about 20 times. He LOVES to talk, which gets frustrating because sometimes we can never get through a lesson. Lucila hasn't shown any interest until recently, so she won't be getting baptized just yet.
The 4th person getting baptized is Jose. His wife just recently got baptized, and he has noticed the spirit that it brought into the house. He stopped drinking (which he did alot of) cold turkey, and is getting baptized this weekend now.
We also have Carmen and Eva, who will be getting baptized on the 30th. Carmen loves church and has a testimony. We have to be careful with her because she likes to try and flirt with me alot. Nonetheless, she knows the church is true.
Eva is someone who has been hard to meet with, because her appointments always fall through, but we know she has a testimony because she had a really spiritual experience her first week at church.
Anyways, I'm pretty sure I will get to do one of the conformations for one of the baptisms this Saturday, because all of our investigators want to "help" me out with my spanish jaja!!! Not to worried about it :P. I've learned just to make mistakes, because they will always correct me jaja!!! Anyways, that is all for now.
Por favor, oren para todas nuestras investigadores. Ellos necesitan los bendiciones.

Ciao!
Elder Scott Donner

Very Merry Un-Birthday?

Hola Hola,

Sorry I did not email you yesterday! We had Zone Conference yesterday so they rescheduled our pday to today! Sorry sorry sorry!

I was actually sick once again on my birthday jaja! I had a 102 fever but I still went out and worked. The mission office called me and sang me happy birthday in the morning. I actually had forgotten it was my birthday until they called me up and sang to me, so that was kinda funny! I did get the package with the recorder and Nicki's picture (which I loved!) and the "10" ties (which I'm assuming means 2?). {Note from mom: He didn't tell anyone it was his birthday}

I have heard nothing about my visa since the first day I got into the field, but I'm kind of praying I won't get it until the end of October so I can see all of my investigators get baptized!!! JAJA!!! Go figure! I actually had the opportunity to pretty much teach the entire Plan of Salvation when we went on exchanges witht the zone leaders, because our zone leaders don't speak spanish jaja! So 2 greenies and a zone leader got to run the area for a day. Also one of our investigators, Carmen, teases me alot about not talking much at all, so now there really is no way to teach her unless I'm the one talking, because she likes to hear me talk. One of our more interesting situations, but ok we'll go with it. A testimony is still a testimony jaja!!!

Our companionship actually covers the entire stake for the spanish side. Usually it's one companionship to a stake. We have alot of opportunities to find, and last week we actually found 6 new investigators. Our schedule is always so slammed! We are always busy! But I'm glad, because I refuse not to work.

I have actually started to get some sleep again, and the insomnia is starting to leave. Hopefully it doesn't come back up anytime soon. I'm actually kinda glad you sent the recorder so now we can record Elder Duarte talking in his sleep! Its so funny because he's either teaching a lesson in Spanglish, or he's talking to a girl after his mission. Me and Elder Tory get a kick out of it.

Also on another funny note, my knee gave out and I fell down an entire flight of stairs down into the basement where we live. I think it was on my birthday, but I don't remember, I just remember laughing so hard jaja!!!! I had my knee brace on for a couple of days, and we were lucky enough to be blessed with a car for 3 days because some other elders got theirs taken away for always being late to meetings. But ya it was pretty darn hilarious.

We do have opportunities to do service, but at times its hard to call it service because they members alwasy give us money for food or feed us. I swear I'm getting bigger but my weight is going down.... go figure. If you could, Mom, please send the cord to hook my camera up to the computer (I know! you told me so!). That way I will be able to send you pictures home and you will be able to see more pictures from me more often.

I love you all

Love
Elder Donner

All Is Well

Hiya Familia!

Wow this past week has just flown by. Thanks to the members here, I think I'm getting pretty fat! :( We go to Costco for lunch pretty much everyday, but we never get to pay because someone always approaches us and offers to buy us lunch jaja! Now it's kind of a game to see if we can buy lunch before someone else does for us. Also the members feed us a ton for dinner. This week we are eating with the members of our branch. It's slightly horrible because whenever we finish a plate, they don't even ask, they just fill it right back up with food. I swear it's a competition to see which member can make their set of missionaries gain more weight. Thank goodness I'll be going to Mexico eventually. I think I'll just drink some water and get my parasite early so I'm not dying from constantly being full jajajajaja!!! JK JK!
Anyways it's been super crazy this week!
We have 2 bodismos ( bola and bautismo :P ) coming up on the 23rd of this month. 4 people will be getting baptized that day, and then we are putting a family on date for the 30th, which is the weekend after! WOWOWOW!!!!! Our hard work definately pays off, because we get to watch our investigators progress, which is a beautiful thing getting to see them obtain their own personal testimony. We have one investigator, Ana, who said the life has gotten so much harder ever since she's been talking with us and has set up to be baptized. She then proceeded to tell us that she knows that means the church is true, otherwise Satan wouldn't be working on her so hard. She is such a strong investigator, along with her boyfriend, Eric. They are one of the couples set up for a bodismo on the 23rd. They are so excited for it, and I am so excited to see it and be apart of helping them!
The mission is definately so rewarding!
Elder Tory is constantly working on me with my spanish, and I am slowly starting to gain the confidence to talk more when I'm with the investigators, or any latinos for that matter. At times Elder Tory can be a pain because he gets really irritated, or won't let me or Elder Duarte say anything in a lesson, but we've figured out ways to be able to deal with him jaja!!!
I went to my first live temple session this morning. It is definately a different and much LONGER experience, but is more spiritual in a way. I heard that eventually, if I'm still here, we will have the opportunity to clean the Salt Lake Temple! How cool is that! So we will get to see the entire temple!
I loved General Conference! It was so cool when, I believe it was Elder Oaks, asked all the missionaries to stand up. I thought, ' Wow... I'm a missionary....' jajaja!!!!
The kids absolutely loved us at the temple square. Any time they saw us they would scream at the parents, "IT'S THE MISSIONARIES MOM!!!" We find that all the children just love the missionaries, but I can remember being little and thinking how cool the missionaries were.
I can't believe Elder Wesche is home too now! It would be cool if I saw him somewhere.
I love reading the emails you send. I also received the envelope with all the stories in them. I laughed so hard when I got to Chelsie's blog, so I think you should definately keep sending those when and if you can. I'm also excited to see what some of my ties are!!! I really don't feel like I'm turning 20 this Friday jaja!!! I think by the end of my mission, I'll still be telling people I'm 19 jaja!!! Anyways.... I will keep trying to update you with anything you want to know. Be sure to put an * before your questions.

I love you all!

Love,
Elder Scott Donner