Transfers

Well, its the week of Transfers again.  Yesterday morning Elder Wu and I got a call.  We were informed that Elder Wu would be moving to the Millwoods stake, and I would be staying to serve with Elder Decker!  For those of you keeping track at home, this is my third repeat companion, Elder Decker was also my third companion in the North.  I am super excited to serve with him.

This week was also Christmas!  It was great.  It was a time we were able to see support of members and friends as we prepared, pondered, and shared the message of Christ's birth.  I am so grateful for the gift that God has given us, the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  He is truly our Savior and Redeemer.  

Also coming up this week is New Years!  I am also grateful at this time of reflection on the Savior to have a prompting to reflect on the self, what we can do to improve.  By combining the two, making an active effort with the help of Christ to improve, we can become an unstoppable force for good.

I love you all and Hope You Have a Great Day!

Pulled out the paper Christmas tree for the 2nd time around

Elder Ethington and his zone. He is a district leader for the sisters here and the elder who is carried by Elder Wu and the elder who is standing next to T.J.  on the right. 

The sisters in T.J.'s district with the pillow pets he gave them for Christmas

Our family skype picture on Christmas day

Elder Ethington is Santa

The Christmas tie that Elder Ethington bought at a thrift store and embroidered with his emergency sewing kit for Elder Wu

Merry Christmas!!!!

HO HO HO 圣诞节快乐！

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season.  This season has been great.  As the second on my mission, I am learning more and more how to make Christmas into a day to serve, a day for others.  That's something I've struggled with for a long time.  But serving the Lord

24/7 really does wonders to help a guy learn to get over himself!

This week has been great.  We had our Christmas party, a karaoke night, and it went great.  So far, I have only gathered one picture from it, but I will send more as ey come.  Also this week I found a few pictures people took of me when I played the role of Santa Claus for a Chinese school we often volunteer at.  It was great to see how happy it made kids to see Santa.  We didn't have any Will Ferrels making a scene (great movie, really missing it this season) but it was a great time none the less.

On Thursday we had our mission Christmas Conference.  It was a great experience to meet with President and Sister Manion again and to be

able to feel their love and their Spirit.   In the conference, I was

also able to participate by singing "Come Thou Fount" with my district, and by helping to give a short explanation about Christmas customs in China.  It was a great time!

Other than that, this week has been fairly normal.  Love you all!

Wish you a Merry Christmas!

  Bye!

Countdown to Christmas

Hello all!  This has been a great week!  This week we have had the chance to participate in a few Christmas parties.  It really is the season!  But as busy as times are getting, work here in the Riverbend stake have still been awesome.  I super enjoy serving here, especially with Elder Wu.  There is great promise in the Land of Riverbend.

Last week, I also didn't write, but I was at the local Science Museum.  It was a blast!  They had an exhibit on Rubik's Cubes, and we got to go there and have a great time.

This week I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Collins, a fairly young missionary.  He is a great guy.  The best part is that he is from Arizona too!  So we had a great time discussing the lack of heat and the other woes we face being so far away from home.  Just kidding.  But really.  I miss the heat.

Next week is looking like its going to be great too!  We have Christmas conference coming up, which I am super excited for.  I love the chance to gather and to hear from President during the Christmas season.  It really is a blessing.

This Christmas, I am learning more about the traditions.  Why do we give gifts?  Why do we have some of the traditions that we do?  And I am always surprised by how strongly they point back to Christ.  Even though we may not think about it all the time, almost everything around this time of year points back to Christ.  We just have to work to keep him in mind.  I know that I feel a better peace as I do work to keep Christ in the center of Christmas.

Have a great week!  Love you!

I Have the Power!

Hello all!  Its been a great week!  Elder Liu and I have seen great success this week.  We have had two new investigators who came to us through the efforts of other missionaries we work closely with.  I am so grateful for the support and friendship I have seen in this work from those other missionaries that are here in the service of the Lord, as well as the efforts of the members here.  That has been my favorite part of this week, is seeing more members at our lessons, and how much of a strength they can be to the investigators.  I am so grateful to know that we are not alone in this work, and we aren't even just left to the strength of us mere mortals, but we are led by Christ as we seek to spread his message of joy and to share it with the rest of the world.

This week was also Stake Conference for our area, and the stake presidency led a session about working with the missionaries.  His invitation to have the missionaries over, to role play and practice with them to learn how to better help share the Gospel is one that I can extend to all of you.  I truly know of the power of this invitation and of the Spirit in this work.  The Spirit does lead, guide, and direct those who are called to positions in the church.  I know this is true, and I know it is because the church is Christs, that he continues to lead and guide us in his work today.

Elder Ethington

Me and Elder Chamberlain, a missionary from Chandler, he went to high school with my sisters!

I Know Kung Fu

Same story about the subject line this week, it comes from my zone leader.  And it isn't quite accurate, but I am working on it.  So its a work in progress. Maybe by the time I go home next year.

This week has been great.  Elder Liu and are doing great.  This week has been fairly normal and regular.  We spent a fair bit of time in the beginning of the week preparing for our Friday English Class, which was turned into a Halloween party.  It was a great blast and we had a great time.  We included some members who told a scary story, and it was such a great experience to see how awesome members can be and how much they can help in the work.

Also this week, I had exchanges with our Zone Leaders.  And working with English speaking people is different from working with Chinese people.  Its crazy, but awesome to see the difference in work, and it makes me appreciate some of the things I have taken for granted in my calling.

After Halloween this week we had a "funeral" for a missionary who is leaving soon.  She has almost finished her mission, and we took the opportunity to have a Halloween funeral, complete with masks and other Halloween staples.  Pictures to follow!

Love you all so much!  Have a great day!

Cuttlefish

So I just turned to my zone leader and asked him for a Subject line for this email.  He told me "Cuttlefish"  So now you have it.

This week has been awesome!  Thursday I gave a training to my District on the importance of the Book of Mormon in the work that we do as missionaries.  Later that day, after so many lessons cancelled on us, we finally had one that worked, and we taught Alyssa.  Part of the lesson was reading in the Book of Mormon and asking her to read from it daily. She agreed and then came Saturday with questions that she had from what she had read. It was great to see how she took the invitation and ran with it.  She is doing so awesome.  I love working with the Chinese people here in Edmonton.  They are so great, and there are truly those who are prepared to hear the Gospel.  We spend our time trying to find those and to help them, and I am grateful for the chance I have to serve among them.

The rest of the week was good as well, although we had lots of lessons cancel on us because of midterms.  It was less good, but we still have great plans for this week.

I love you all!  Hope you are doing well!

Thanksgiving and a Baptism!

This week has been so awesome!  There have been three awesome things that happened this week.

I'll start off with the non-spiritual, Canadian Thanksgiving, although we still somehow find a way to make it spiritual.  Elder Liu and I had a great Thanksgiving, we spent the day baking a turkey.  That is the first time either Elder Liu or I have ever attempted anything on that scale.  And despite a lack of resources, time, and expertise in the matter, the turkey turned out not half bad.  And we still have a ton of it left over.  So we will be eating and sharing turkey for days to come.

Now, onto a more Spiritual note, today we had the opportunity once again to attend the temple!  I am so thankful to have a temple so close by.  The blessings of the temple are amazing, and I always learn something new, every time I go.  This time was super awesome because Elder Liu and I stayed a little longer to complete the Initiatory work for a few of a sister missionary's ancestors.  It was great to participate in that ordinance, it has been almost a year since I have had the opportunity, and I loved every minute.

Finally, my favorite thing from this week spans two days.  On Saturday, we got to witness the baptism of one of our investigators, Hanson!  He was so excited to be baptized and I was so glad to see him taking this step to follow Christ.  I am so glad to be sharing this message with the Mandarin speakers of Edmonton, and the opportunity I have to help those I meet come unto Christ.  But that's not all!  On Sunday, I had the special privilege of confirming Hanson a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and giving him the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was such a special experience, and a bit of a nerve wracking one, as I was asked to do so in Mandarin!  Part of the ordinance includes a blessing as directed by the Spirit, and I have very little experience in English let alone Chinese!  It was such a great experience though, and I really felt the Spirit working through me as I spoke to Hanson for his Father in Heaven.

I am so grateful for the experiences that I am having here, I am so grateful for all the blessings that God has poured out  upon me and my family.  I love you all!

P.S. I will send pictures when I can get them off of the camera.  Bye!

General Conference

This week obviously was Conference!  I loved Conference so much!  My absolute favorite talk was Elder Stanfill's talk during the Saturday Afternoon Session of Conference.  I loved the message of hope that he gave, and the inspiration he gave to overcome doubts.

Elder Holland's talk on Mothers was also so great!  I am so grateful for my mother who continues to nurture me and lift me up when I get discouraged.  My mother is the greatest in the world! (I know everyone says that, but seriously she is.)

The rest of this week has been a great build up to Conference.  Elder Liu and I met 4 new people playing badminton that we are trying to meet with regularly.  Badminton is so much fun!  I loving playing and getting to know the Chinese people in Edmonton.  Its funny to see how high a percentage of the people playing badminton are Asians. And how surprised they are when a Canadian/American can speak Chinese.  Its lots of fun to see the different reactions.

I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve in Edmonton, Canada, even if its starting to get cold!  And let me tell you, its starting to get cold.  It has been about 5 degrees Celsius most days recently.  And finally, I get to unpack my winter gear.  I had tried to keep it packed in anticipation for transfers, which are this week.  Elder Liu and I are still serving together, making a whopping total of 5 transfers together at the end of this next one.  I am so glad to be serving with him still. He and I do great work, and we are excited to see how the work continues to progress.

This week we also got to see Hugh, a member in the last area I served, who is moving to Fort St. John.  We are going to miss him so much!  But we are happy to see how solid he is in the gospel!

Hugh and Elder Ethington

A New Plan for the Mission

Its been a great week!  Elder Liu and I have had so much work, and it has just been awesome!  We were able to help so many people this week as well, and I am grateful for the chance I have to be serving here in Edmonton.

Probably the highlight of the week was District meeting, which I didn't have to give a training for.  Instead, the zone leaders gave a training to all the missionaries in our zone, talking about the New Plan for the Mission.  Going through 4 steps: Strengthen work with the Ward Council, Rely on the Spirit, Strengthen Personal Conversion, and Diligence.

I am super excited about these four steps and seeing how I can apply them personally.  We have been asked this week to set specific goals and steps that we will follow to work on this plan ourselves.  I am anxious to see how this plan increases our work, and helps us help those we meet.  That has been a big part of this week for me, realizing in everything that I do, that I am here to HELP people. That's the big reason. I know everyone says that all the time, and some part of me realized it, but I internalized it in a new way this week, and it brings a whole new sense of peace and hope to the work.

This week we also got the picture taken of our half of the mission conference with Elder Golden.  I'm in the middle, on the left side of the middle, standing on a chair.

Love you all and hope you are doing well!

Mission Conference

Hey!  How's everyone doing?

This week was our Mission Tour with Elder Golden, of the First Quorum of the Seventy.  It was a great chance to learn from Elder Golden.  He taught us a lot about faith, personal righteousness, and the key indicators.  It was a great conference, and I learned a ton.  I have recommitted to perfect obedience.  Elder Golden shared with us that perfect obedience doesn't mean waking up at 6:30 if that is what the rule says.  He told us it is waking up at 6:29.  Living the commandments on the edge is not the way to live.  Instead, he told us to live on the safe side of the commandments.  I loved the wisdom he shared and the knowledge he has.  Afterwards, I was able to have a personal interview with him.  We talked about my family, missionary work, and the scriptures a little bit.  It was a great experience.

Other than that this week has also been a huge success for missionary work in the Bonnie Doon Mandarin area.  We have an investigator, Hanson, on date for baptism.  He is doing awesome!  As well, we have two new investigators to work with.  This week at the YSA Home Evening activity, we had 10 people who showed up.  It was amazing to see the fellowship the ward brings to activities like this.  This particular one was a dinner put on by the bishopric and their wives, and it was great to see how all of the students introduced themselves to our friends, and tried to break down a very obvious language barrier.  I am so grateful for the people I serve around and I serve with.

I hope everyone is enjoying the heat as well, because it started to get cold now.  Today may have actually had a little snow.  It didn't stick, but it felt like the rain at one point turned to snow.  And in that weather, we played Ultimate Frisbee.  It was a great day.

Hope you are having a great time.  And I love you all!

New Investigators

Hello all!  Its been a wonderful week here in Edmonton!  Elder Liu and I have had the chance to teach two more Chinese people this week, Hanson and Jason.  Both are new students from China, and are studying at the University.  They are super awesome and super solid!  We are super excited to start meeting with them.  This  weekend Jason got sick because of all the rain that fell in Edmonton.  Seriously, we had two solid days of rain.  Nothing heavy, but just so long and so much, and Jason wasn't prepared for it so he got sick and wasn't able to come to church or to FHE.  But we had both Angel and Hanson at Church and FHE, and they both really loved it.  It is sweet to see how great the ward here is at fellowshipping new people and making them feel so welcome.  Having the support of members, and knowing there are people you can count on to watch out for those we love and are trying to help is such comforting thought.

The rest of this week has been great.  Elder Liu and I are doing well again.  We are still completely different people, but we are growing a lot more together and learning to complement the differences we find in each other.  Elder Liu's enthusiasm and ability to talk makes up for my lack of things to say.  And I can help Elder Liu focus and drive him to finish a task or a goal and we get some real work done here.  Its been a great time.

This week also marks two important days.  My one year mark of being a missionary, and the day from which I only have one year left of being a full-time missionary!  Its crazy to see the time passing so quickly.  But I still have so much time and so many great experiences in store!  It is super exciting!  

I love you all and hope you are doing well!  Bye!

Transfers are Back

So yesterday was the day we got our transfer calls.  I am staying here to serve with Elder Liu, my trainer, and Elder Saumweber is heading to the Mandarin Riverbend Area to serve with Elder Wu.  I am super excited to serve with Elder Liu again and super sad to see Elder Saumweber go. I have really enjoyed serving with him in this area.  But we have been able to get some good things done here.  This last week we committed our investigator, Scarlett, to baptism on September 26th.  And we are super excited for her.  We are hoping this week to get Angel, another investigator, to set a date as well.  So we have good work coming forward.

We also baked cookies this week, to give out at the booth missionaries do at a chapel on a busy street.  They seemed to be a pretty big hit, so we were happy about that.

This weekend we have a huge event for Chinese students happening at the institute.  We are planning on having over 200 Chinese students in the institute to talk about life and study in Canada.  It should be an awesome experience and an awesome chance to help people.

A good part of this week was spent sick, and so not much else happened.  Sorry for the pretty boring email.  Its been a slow but great week.  Love you all and Hope you are doing well!

Saumweber made peanut butter cookies, and Ethington made chocolate chip for handing out from a booth at a chapel on a busy street.

Saumweber's cooking

The Baptism Dates That Weren't Set

So this has been a good week. When we started, Elder Saumweber and I had a goal of getting both our progressing investigators on date for baptism.  As you can tell from the subject line... That didn't happen. Instead, we had the opportunity to be led by the Spirit in addressing the needs of our investigator.  We were able to help one as she moved into a new apartment, helping her move a bed that she wouldn't have been able to get done by herself. The other we were able to talk with about Conference, priesthood organization, and the Sabbath day.  Both experiences were awesome, and the Spirit testified to us that they were exactly what was needed at that time.  I am so grateful for guidance in this work.  Its good to know that when we live worthy and seek help, Christ is willing to put his hand out and help us find the right way.  Its something I've grown to recognize and appreciate a lot more as I've been able to serve here in Edmonton.

Aside from the spiritual awesomeness that comes from teaching people about Christ, this week has been very slow.  Elder Saumweber and I were both feeling a little sick at different times throughout the week, and so we spent a good amount of time in-doors, trying to recuperate.  We are both well now and looking forward to a new week and new experiences.  

Love you all and hope you are doing well!

My district before Elder Buttars left

New Area, New Companion, New Work

So this has been a great week.  I am loving the work here in Mandarin Bonnie Doon!  I have a great companion, Elder Saumweber, who is a great missionary and a great guy.  He's done a lot of good work here, and I am so happy to be a part of it now.  I've met two of our three progressing investigators, and there are two potential investigators that other missionaries told us about this week.  The work here is really progressing. I am so glad to be a part of the Lord's work and to see the miracles that come from him.  This week I've also been reflecting on the distant future.  Sending off Elder Brown forces me to think a bit about the end of my own mission.  Something that's still a ways off, but coming all too soon.  But it helps me to realize that although I have so much farther to go to become the missionary I want to be, I can get there, with the help of Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for my Lord, Savior and Redeemer.  He loves us so much, and I am so grateful for his Atonement and I am so glad for the chance to share this with other people.  I love you all and want you to know that I believe in this work.  I believe in this Church, and I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one true path to eternal happiness and an eternal life with God.  Hope you all are having a good week!

Transfer Meeting week of July 13

Transfers - My Luck Could Only Hold Out So Long

So I'll explain the title line.  Yesterday was the morning of transfer calls.  I have stayed in the North Stake, my first area, for 9 months.  I have grown to love this area.  To love the people and experiences that I have faced here.  But it is time to move. I have been asked to move to the Bonnie Doon Stake, in the East of Edmonton.  Which I am super stoked for!  Bonnie Doon covers the university, and has the most young Chinese people, who are generally more receptive than the older families that live in the North.  I will be serving with Elder Saumweber, who just finished his training.  I am super stoked for the chance to serve with him.

This week has been Elder Brown's last week in the mission.  It gives him, and me, a chance to reflect on missions, life, and the brevity of it all. It makes me appreciate the time I have here, and renews my desire to work hard, to fulfill the purpose that I came here for.  Because, even though I know when the mission day of reckoning should be, it comes faster than I know it.  I am so grateful for the chance to serve the Lord in Edmonton.  I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Independence Day and Our Lady Queen of Peace

So this week's email is pretty short. Last week, Elder Brown was in Jasper, so we moved our emails back to Thursday.  So not much has happened since then.  Friday, we helped with a youth leadership camp that took place on a ranch at the edge of Edmonton (It was called Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch). It was a great time. We built good relationships with those involved and helped strengthen our relationship with ASSIST, a great community services center based here in Edmonton.  It was lots of fun, and I am super glad we got to help/participate. 

Saturday was July 4th!  Not much happened here. Sister McRitchie, an awesome member in this area invited us over for breakfast, and fed us red, white, and blue pancakes.  They were delicious!  It was a great was to start off a Happy America day.  After that,  we did nothing else that was America.  We did lots of yard work with Spanish people.  That was fun.  Its always a great time when we can get out of a dress shirt and into a pair of jeans. I always feel much more relaxed anyways.

Sunday was spent fasting and praying... Most of it at least.  We went to the YSA ward, and then came home and studied until dinner, when someone had invited us over. That was great.  And then we went to go say goodbye to some people in Elder Brown's old area. It's that time of the transfer. He's about to go home, only 9 days left!  Its been great serving with him, and I am so grateful for all the things he's taught me and I have been able to learn from him. I'm glad to have his example.

Another person I am grateful for is my Lord and Savior Jesus. Through his infinite mercy I am continually striving to be a better person than I was before.  I am so grateful for the chance I have to know Christ in a personal way, and for the strength that this gives me.  And I am grateful for the chance to share this with those around me in Edmonton Canada.  

Love you all and miss you!

Ps. Some pictures from service with ASSIST. 

The Week of Garage Sales

So this has been a good week.  Lots of fun, lots of work.  As a district leader, I went on two exchanges, which was a bit weird for me.  So I spent a day serving as a Spanish Elder, and a day serving as an English Elder!  Both were fun, and very different from Chinese.  I met some great people who are well on their way to baptism!  It was awesome!  I had such a good time serving with Elder Andino and Elder Nemeth.  And then, on Friday, when I got back with my companions we spent some good time finding people through garage sales. Its interesting to find stuff, and its a good conversation starter with people. I loved it.  I think its a great way to find people.

We also volunteered at a job fair yesterday. There are so many neat people there. I've met very smart people and those who are really looking to accomplish something. And it was tons of fun.

This week, while fun, still hasn't been easy. Before I came on my mission, I expected things to be easy and nice. That's never the case. Things here are hard. But they are worth it.  They are worth the fight. You meet great people, you grow in the gospel, and you become a better person. I know I have, and I know that is through the power of the gospel.

I had an exchange with Elder Liu. That's how it ended up.

iPads! And Sorry About Last Week!

Its been a crazy couple weeks!  I'm back serving with Elder Brown, and we've been moving apartments, and changing things around, and this week we got iPads.  Its pretty crazy. They are super useful and lots of fun.  Sometimes, a little too much fun, but we are doing pretty good with them.  We've had lots of weird people we've run into, including a Communist Missionary who wants to make a video with us...  Its been some pretty interesting times.  Well, I'm sorry its brief, but I do have some pictures this week, so hopefully that makes up for it!  Love you all!

Chinatown in Edmonton

Elder Ethington, Elder Bergeson, and Elder Brown

Still in the True North Strong and Free

So this is the week of transfers.  And I have news.  I am moving.  Apartments.  I'm still in the Edmonton North, but I will have two new, I guess new, companions.  Elder Bergeson will come here, and Elder Brown will return to the North for his final transfer.  It was good to get this news. I am excited to serve with Elder Bergeson and Brown again, and I am very happy to still be in the North Stake. I love it here. I have met so many good people and had so many good uplifting experiences with those people.  I love my time her and I am grateful for my chance to serve here.  I look forward to upping the work with my new companions.  It has been slow recently, but I know Elder Bergeson is a good worker and has good ideas.  I am excited to see how things progress.  Other then that, it will be my first time packing, which will definitely be a weird process.  Although, I don't know where we are going yet, so its still in the air.  Its going to be a fun week.  Anyway, love you all!  Miss you!

The Week of Computers

So this week has been very slow for teaching.  Elder Decker and I are doing lots of finding.  Which has been good.  We've recently taken a challenge to hand out more copies of the Book of Mormon as we go out and do our version of "tracting"  It has actually been very successful this far.  So we are excited about that.  Other than that, we recieved a referall from an outlying area finally.  Which means that we will be able to hopefully skype teach this lady. If she is baptized, we will be able to take a good trip out of the city to see that.  If I am still here... Which man not be the case.  In anticipation for that move, an Elder I am close with and I wrestled this last P-Day.  He challenged me a few weeks ago, and we finally got down to it. The picture attached is just one from the video his companion got.  Its my favorite part :)

The Park Delivers Again

from Tuesday, May 19th:

Hello everyone!  This has been a very good week!  Elder Decker and I have been having a great time in the North Stake.  This week we found a new Chinese potential.  He was playing basketball in the park near our home when we were coming home last Tuesday.  I saw him and thought he was Chinese but decided it was just time to go home.  When we got there, I couldn't shake the feeling that we needed to go talk to him, so Elder Decker and I got changed and we went and played basketball for a bit. We've been back a few more times, and we met 2 of his friends as well.  He seems interested in coming to activities, which is more than I can say for a lot of the people we meet.  I am really excited to work with him and to receive another experience that adds to my testimony of the Spirit and the Lord's hand in this work.  I know that this work is being guided. There is no way we could do what we do without the aid of the Lord.  I am so grateful for this chance to be serving and to see the hand of the Lord in my life.  I hope everyone is well!

Week 4

Sorry all!  This is a really short email, they are having a class where we usually email and we are getting kicked out.  This week has been great. I got to skype call my family again, which was awesome.  Aside from that, we've met with a few investigators, who are all doing great.  I love you all and want you to know that I am doing great and I know this is the Lord's work!  Bye!

Frozen Water Falling From The Sky Is Of The Devil

So I'll just start by explaining my title there.  This is something I said when it started hailing a bit a few days ago.  Elder Decker has lived in many cold places, but me, being the Arizona kid I am, am not used to any water falling from the sky, much less frozen water.  So I made the comment that water from the sky was unnatural, and frozen water was of the devil.  Elder Decker thought that this was hilarious.  So he won't let me forget about it.

Anyway, the rest of this week has been slow.  We are recovering from transfer craziness, and getting into a settled routine with Elder Decker and myself.  Surprisingly, this brings out a fair bit of my weird side.  As surprising as that might be to those of you who knew me.  But its definitely been a fun companionship so far. And we've done some good work.

We had a great lesson with Hugh on Monday night, and we are grateful for the friends he's making at church and the influence they have on him.

We also had an amazing lesson with Wilson, a less active who received the gospel in Ireland, and who is a proud father of a 1 year old. While his kid and wife are in China visiting family, we've had a great chance to work with him and help him to prepare to bless his family with his strength in the church when they return. 

This week has been super awesome and so much fun. I love being here and I love being a missionary.  I miss home, but I love it here and service here so much.  The Gospel is amazing!

Same Area, New Companion (Round 2)

Hello all!  I am sorry if this week is a short email.  Its definitely been a bit crazy with transfers and all the other stuff going on here.  My new companion is Elder Decker. Its funny because I knew him in the MTC, and now we are companions.  Its definitely different from my last two companions, but also in a good way.  I am very glad to be serving with him.  We will get work done, and I know good things will happen.  I am very glad to be here in Edmonton and to have the chance to share my testimony with those around me.  This week has been a big week of self-inspection as I try to set goals and plans for myself to become the missionary I want to be and the man I want to be after my mission.  I am grateful for my mission already, and the changes it has brought me to. I am grateful for the effect of  Christ's Atonement in my life, especially as I grow to understand the true depth and reach of the Atonement in changing every person's life.  I am so grateful for all of you, for all my friends and all my family.  I love and miss every one of you and hope you are doing well in your pursuits.  Have a great week!

Fat Makes Humility-Chinese Proverb

From April 14, 2015

Ok, so that isn't really a Chinese Proverb.  At least an old one.  But it is what a Chinese member told me at English class this week.  This particular member often teases me and calls me zeng pang pang, (fat fat Ethington).  He was telling me something about my Chinese, and I told him that it was bad, and he said that in Chinese.  And explained, if you tell a fat person, you eat a lot, they say, "no, I only eat a little"...  But I'm keeping the saying.

So this week has been very slow again.  We met with a few Less Active Members, but it has been hard to keep some motivation to be out all the time.  I was expecting this to be my last week in the area, but I found out this morning that I will stay, with a new companion.  I will serve with Elder Decker, and Elder Brown will go to the South to serve in one half of the stake with Elder Liu.  Which nobody saw coming.

Other than that, not much has happened this week. I am excited for a new companion, and the chance to work with more people.  Keep praying for us!

Elder Ethington

Finals Week: It Hits Missionaries Too

So this has been a slow week. It being finals week, we haven't been able to meet with too many of our investigators, most of whom are students. But we were asked to help on a few projects to review the English. So we did have some work.  Just not very many Gospel lessons.  

Other than that, it has been a really good week.  Lots of finding still.  We haven't found any new investigators, but we still are hoping too.

We also were able to go to the temple this morning (hence, the Tuesday P-Day).  I love going to the temple.  I feel so much peace and happiness in the temple, its great!  The blessings that come from the temple and the ordinances that can be performed there are innumerable and eternal. I am so happy to be serving so close to one, where I can see these blessings in the lives of my investigators as well as feel them when I am able to go.

I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

A Jam-Packed Weekend

As you might imagine, this has been a very busy weekend.  With Conference and Easter, its been a great time, and a great spiritual lift.  I had a great chance to watch Conference in the Institute building, where they had a Chinese translation going.  I did not stay for the Chinese translation.  But there were a few people that we knew upstairs watching, and it was great to see how much they enjoyed it.  I really loved the talks that were given, they've given me great study material for the coming weeks!  My favorite talks were on the Prodigal Son, and on Service.  I hope everyone got what they were looking for out of Conference. I know I did, and a few more things I didn't even know I needed.

This week has been good, if not super busy.  We have been doing lots of finding lately, and not much has changed with that.  However, I am doing much better with language study and have gained a super testimony of reading the Book of Mormon as a blessing to learning the language.  As weird as it may seem to some people, it truly does make a difference in the ability to learn.  I don't know why, I just know it does. 

Sorry for the short email this week, aside from Conference and Easter, its been a fairly normal week.  Love and miss you all!

A member made them surprise Easter baskets!

From Tanks to Dojos

This has been an interesting week.  After Elder Brown and I left emails on Monday, we saw a tank/BTR driving through St. Albert.  And I wondered why St. Albert was such a nice place...  That night, we went to FHE expecting a few investigators to show up.  The activity was a snowball fight, and while we waited, we ended up getting hit and involved in the fight.  It was lots of fun, although an Arizonan stands no chance against Canadians in any fight about snow...  Don't even try it.

Tuesday was also a good day.  We tried to find people on the buses in the morning, with little success.  That evening we went to a dinner that was as far North as Elder Brown has ever gone.  And a daughter in the family was a really good singer, she is actually recording for a song to go on the radio in the next month.

Wednesday Night we went to Joe's Dojo again.  He started teaching us a few nunchuck tricks, that were pretty sweet.  I wasn't too good, but Elder Brown was a bit better.  There is a video that is too big to send on this email, but it exists.  Elder Brown was also bleeding.  A dojo teacher was showing us how we could not hit him. He used Elder Brown's hand to hit Elder Brown's head, but the nail caught and gave him a scratch.   

Other than that, this week has been fairly normal.  The snow is almost all gone, and I love it. I am told the city gets a lot more beautiful after everything turns green in the summer, and I am excited for it.

This week also is the beginning of the Because He Lives Initiative. If you haven't taken a chance to see that video, I strongly recommend it.  It is a great video, and I love the message it shares. I know that Christ's sacrifice, his Atonement, is the single greatest event of history.  It is the one thing that makes everything, our lives, this Earth, everything we have and everything we are, worth it.  Without Christ, we have no way to return to our Father in Heaven.  With him, and following his plan, we can return and join in glory and joy with God and our Elder Brother.  I know this is the true.  I am so glad to be on a mission and to be sharing the message with others.  I love and miss you all!

Elder Ethington

The First Day of Spring...And the Snow's Back

So we thought this week that we had finally gotten rid of the snow.  I can tell you now, that that thought was a lie.  An outright lie.  And it hurt my feelings a little.  Well, it definitely made driving harder.  Thankfully, Elder Brown is now driving, and he has had lots more experience than I ever did.  So there's a load off my plate.  Other than spastic weather this week, life in Mandarin Ed North has been pretty great.  We were able to give a copy of the Book of Mormon to our investigator, Kayla.  We were not however, able to say anything about it because we just barely managed to catch her as she was running to catch her bus after work.  But I went back to see her the next day, while on exchanges, and she said she had read a little, and wanted us to come back to explain more about it and answer some questions.  Super exciting!

We've still been trying to get Elder Brown around to meet more and more of the Chinese members and investigators, and its been busy, but awesome.  There was a baptism we were able to go to in Elder Brown's last area, a girl he had taught for 6 months!  It was such a great experience!  

Well, this has been my week, and I have had such a great time!  I hope everyone is doing awesome!

Elder Ethington

New Companions (3-16-15) Elder T.J. Ethington and Elder Landon Brown from Centerville, UT

Same Area, New Companion

So last Wednesday was Transfer Day.  A day that was a source of relief and a bit of stress for me.  Mostly relief.  Especially as I come to know and appreciate my new companion, Elder Brown, as a missionary and help.  I was a little worried about leading out an area, but it has been super awesome to see how much help Elder Brown is and how much life he will bring.  We are getting along super well, getting some jokes, and having a great time together.  While it has been a slow week for missionary work, most of our investigators are tied up in ESL tests at the moment, Elder Brown and I have been exploring new finding ideas that we've come up with, and are trying to make the most of our time.  I am excited to reach the full potential of our area and to see how the work grows as new people enter and ideas mingle and are refined.  Miss you all!

Elder Ethington

A New Investigator and Jasper

This week has been a great week.  We have a new investigator, Kayla, who works at the mall.  We met her there, and she seems to really like talking to us.  And we taught her about her relationship with God as well as prayer.  She said she tried prayer, and would keep trying, so we are super excited about that.  As well, we are still working with other promising investigators, Archer and Sky, who just moved in together.  We are really excited for the chance of the two being able to help each other as they progress in the Gospel.

The other big thing that happened this week was the trip and Elder Liu, Mathieu Girard, who is a local member, and myself took to Jasper!  It was a great trip.  It was a drive out there, but it was super fun and we did soo much.  We started by tailgating on a glacier, in the middle of windstorm.  It was hard to get the fire to start, but we got it going eventually.  Grilled some burger, first ones I've made on my own, and they turned out really good.  Throw in some Ketchup chips (a Canadian favorite) and some Cherry Dr. Pepper, and it was a fantastic lunch.  Then we went to Athabasca falls, which was beautiful.  The outer layer was frozen, but there was water running underneath, so we got a bit of both ends of things, which was really cool as well.  After we came out, Matt got stuck in an unplowed parking lot, with snow coming up to the door of his new truck.  We waited for the tow truck to come, and when he got there, one cable came out of the truck, and it was a big mess.  Fun though.  After the falls, we went to Maligne Lake, which is beautiful.  I am told it shows up on all Canadian Landscape calendars somewhere, and it was very beautiful even when it was frozen.  I did go walk on the frozen lake, but only after Matt checked the ice around a dock.  After the falls we went to Maligne Canyon.  We walked along the rim, looking to get to the bottom, and I lost a name tag.  There is a picture of it somewhere.  But eventually we just went to the mouth of the canyon, and walked down the river.  There was a drop we came to and went one by one down, and pulled each other back up using... Matt's belt.  And then we came back to town, had dinner in a nice Italian restaurant, and drove home.  It was quite a day, and definitely one of the best days of my mission.  Anyway, I'm running out of time.  I miss you all, and hope you're doing well! 

Matt Girard and Elder Ethington getting ready to grill

The results

Elder Ethington is king of the truck

Athabasca Falls 

Athabasca

6 Months

Ok, I know it technically isn't 6 months yet.  But its tomorrow, so I'm just going to go with it.  Anyway.

So a review of this week.  We had zone conference on Tuesday, which was awesome.  President and Sister Manion gave great trainings on the heart, and family history work.  I really enjoyed that.  And seeing a whole bunch of missionaries, a few of whom will go home at the end of this transfer, which can be just a bit sad.  But they've served well, and they're good people.   The highlight of the conference though was definitely mail.  I've been waiting several weeks for packages and letters to reach me, and I finally got them.  All.  And I got a Cantonese Phrasebook so I can start trying out some of that.  But I am waiting for the new Mandarin Elder to come, because he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.  If I get to be companions with him, I think it will give me a great chance to learn. 

The other event of this week was Saturday, which was our Social Media Blitz day.  We had people following us all day, taking pictures and posting them on Facebook. It was a great chance for people to see what missionaries in Edmonton do.  And we had great people with us, I loved it and them.  This weekend was also the end of the Month, so lots of people needed help moving in and out of apartments.  It was lots of moving.  But it was fun, and I always love spending time in service clothes.

Now, a review of the last 6 months.  Its been good.  Its gone too quick, its gone too slow.  It was the best of experiences, it was the worst of experiences.  It was fun, it was sad.  Ok.  10th grade English class time is over.  In all honesty, its been a bit of a wild ride.  Times were good, times were bad. There were times I absolutely loved everyone, and days I just wanted to be left alone.  But I do know that these last 6 months have been the best of my life.  I have absolutely loved (at least in hindsight) the time I've spent on my mission.  I will not pretend that it is not a difficult thing.  But it is something that has helped me personally in a way I never knew I needed.  And it was a joy for me to see how much the message of the Gospel can help others.  Its something I felt I've taken for granted, and I am learning how to appreciate it, and the joy it brings.  I want all of you to know that I truly do have a testimony of the Gospel, of a loving Father in Heaven.  He is aware of us, loves us, and wants what is truly the best for us.  I know Christ is our friend.  He knows everyone here on Earth personally and in a way that no other person can.  I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and was called to bring back Christ's church.  I know the he brought back the Book of Mormon, and that it is a true book.  The one book that can help us most in our life.  I have seen the blessings of this church in my life, and I invite all others to find those blessings in theirs.  They are yours for the taking if you will reach out and grab them.

Morning Study

Elder Liu, Elder Warkentin, Spencer Depeel, Elder Ethington, a member they are moving (?) Elder Gephart

Elder Ethington and the others packing up a kitchen

Hugh and Elder Ethington

Man hug

Elders with Helen and her husband

One of the boxes we sent T.J. because it's winter