E-mail 07/25/2011

Hello wonderful, superfantastic family!

This week has been so awesome! We have seen many miracle and much hard work.

A member referred us to someone and they are so solid. Her name is Joanne. This is the story. Joanne got two weeks off work and decided to landscape, by putting rocks around her property. While doing this she saw her member neighbor and asked if he would help for a little bit. He did, then he sent us over. She used us alright. We emptied about three pickup truck loads, and filled two. They were big ones too, bigger than watermelons. Anyway, we invited her to hear a lesson and she accepted. It was in a members home. She wasn't able to come to church Sunday, but she will be there next Sunday. She also found out that there is a relief society and that they quilt. She is a good cook, too. She is really awesome. I have no doubt a little down the road she will make the covenant of baptism.

We also were able to see a promise in preach my gospel fulfilled. Find them that will receive you, "Those who are prepared will recognize you as a servant of the Lord, they will be willing to act on your message." After a fairly long while of tracting we knocked on this lady's door. One of the first things she said was "I don't want to waste your time." I said the same statement to her. They offered us water, I accepted. They then talked to us for the next twenty minutes. They were so prepared, and I don't remember a lot of what I said, but I do know that the Holy Ghost was there, otherwise, They would not have accepted the book of Mormon we gave them as well as ask to come to church. They were so open and accepting. It was so awesome!

I love it here! It has a different feel to it than the city. We are working hard and loving it. It is funny though, my companion, as soon as we walk outside he starts sweating like a faucet. I don't sweat that much. He is a good Elder. We are having an awesome time.

Thank you all for everything that you do! May the Spirit be with you!

Love Elder Durrant

E-mail 07/18/2011

Hello stupendous family!!

This week was really fun, we rode bikes a lot so as to save on miles, so we don't have to bike at the end of the month. The weather here is fun. It either rains or is sunny. Although, people here do say something similar to what people say back home. "Oh, it's sunny. Wait five minutes."

We have been starting to work with a lot of less-actives. One couple we stopped by, the Jackson's, are really funny. The first time over there they let us in and we sat down and really listened to them talk to each other, we would say something here and there. I couldn't help laughing almost the whole time, not just because he was funny, but mainly he reminded me so much of Adam. I thought that it was Adam sitting in that chair. It was crazy how similar they were. The wise cracks, annoying people at work, gestures made. I was in shock. I don't mean they were similar if you stretched your mind. I mean they could have been brothers. I think it is really funny. Did I say he was married? She is a sweet lady, and puts up with him, too. he he.

We were at the fair everyday last week except for one. It was fun. We walked around, looked at animals, had an elephant ear, and manned the booth. The had two big fold up boards that had pictures on them. They had a T.V. playing Mormon messages, and pamphlet. It was fun. There weren't a lot of people at the fair this year, as opposed to previous years, but a lot of people saw us.

We had another Elder with us, because of leadership training, we had a good time. He is twenty-five, and was fun to be around. He is a good missionary, sometimes acted immature, but we had a good time.

Elder Pachner is a good Elder. We are starting to get used to each other, our different attitudes, likes, interests, and behaviors. He talks really fast, that is good if you are trying to teach someone who can't stop talking. You just take the conversation and take it where you want, back to the gospel.

I love Plymouth! Have you found it on the map yet? Yea it's in the middle of nowhere, I know. It's so much fun though. We go up to Jakeville, down past Argos, over to Tippeconue, and on the other side is Walkerton, Knox, and San Peirre. I love working here! It is so different from working in the city. For one thing, when we get out into the country, houses are half a mile apart, almost. We are starting to find some good success. The members are awesome, and make sure we are taken care of.

I love you all! Have an awesome day!

May the Spirit be with you!

Elder Durrant

Pictures 07/15/2011

Bottle of wine. 
He begged me to let him
pour it down the toilet. 
I hesitated.

Look familiar?  Yea I know!

I kept expecting to see the Dr.

E-mail 07/11/2011

Hello wonderfully awesome, and fantabulious family!

I love it here!!!

I feel like I am experiencing real missionary life. i.e. riding miles on empty roads between two corn fields, the wind rushing past, and in the evening a beautiful sunset. The branch has about fifty to sixty active members, about one third on the roster. I think and am quite sure that is normal for every ward and every church. The building is so cute! The sacrament room is like the primary room, which can break up into five classrooms. It has a kitchen, a library, a font, and a primary room. The members are so awesome! I think in smaller wards/branches, the members become closer with each other, they have to struggle a lot more, like hold two or three or more callings. I like it though. We cover two counties, and about a dozen or so cities/towns. Just imagine Moroni and you will have a good idea of where I am serving. As well add Nephi and Manti to the area and that just about covers it. I don't know exacts, but it is fun. We do have a full time car, and we can go twelve hundred miles with it. We love to bike though. There is a fair going on all this week and the members have a booth set up and they want us there as much as possible. I get to go to my first fair! as a missionary no less!

My companion is awesome! Whenever I say thank you he says your welcome, and the way he says it is really funny, I like it though.

We talk to a lot of awesome people. We also talk to a lot of weird people. Don't get me wrong, I love them, in fact I'm even weird so I can say that, it just makes them different, which is cool. We gave talks Sunday, they went well, we each spoke for about ten minutes each. We see a lot of Amish people, too. They have cool beards.

We are being fed very well. The people here love missionaries and are super missionary minded.

I love being a missionary! I love teaching! It was hard to go from one to two lessons a day to zero. The Lord is blessing us though, we have had a few lessons and does that feel good! I love being a missionary!

Thank you! I love you! May the Spirit be with you!

Elder Durrant

E-mail 07/05/2011

 

Hello wonderful, glorious, happy family!

I got transferred this past week. Guess where I am. I expect guesses, so Dad, don't read the rest of it to them until they have guessed.

They can be general to, like north, south, east, etc, or specific, like down in the sticks.

any way you may now submit your guesses.

For my first transfer moving from my first area, I am in Plymouth. Yay! It is a little town in North Indy, just below South Bend. It is a Branch and I love it so much, it is so cute. There are about forty to fifty active members. They are really great people and they love missionaries. This area covers two counties, that's a lot, and we have a full-time car. It is a brand new 2011 Subaru Impreza, it has a Sport mode. Oh, they made me senior companion, too. I love driving :) My companion is Elder Pachner, he is from Santa Marie, CA. He is cool! We got double transferred in, meaning both of us got here at the same time and have no clue what's going on. It makes it fun. I am excited to be here and already love the people.

For the fourth, we were invited to a members home. It was nice. They had a little cannon, the size of a mortar. the hole was two inches. It made a nice big boom. It was so sweet! They just stuffed newspaper in, they didn't shoot anything out of it.

Transfers happened on Wednesday.

My birthday was awesome! we were out working hard, trying to figure out what we were doing. Our ward mission leader had us over and fed us hamburgers, and bbq squash and zucchini. They were so good.

I love this area! I am going to learn a lot while here. My companion is fantastic! You are all awesome!

I love you all! May the Spirit be with you!

Elder Durrant

Now you see who really is senior companion.