Monday, August 29, 2011

E-mail 08/29/2011

Hello awesome family!!
This week we have been doing a lot of good. We were blessed to find a family that is interested in the gospel. When we taught them Monday evening the father gathered all his kids together and we sat on the back porch. It was an awesome lesson, led by the Spirit. They have five kids, four boys and a girl with one on the way. They didn't come to church Sunday, but they for sure are going to be there next Sunday. The whole Branch is getting excited and they want to be involved in the teaching process.
We are also teaching a former investigator, along with her Mom, and sometimes one of her brothers. She had been investigating for two years. She just needs a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. We are trying to get the father involved, he is really nice. What is funny, too, is that we are teaching another one of her brothers completely separate of the others, we actually talked to him before we talked to her. He is a cool guy, hard working, loves baseball cards, he has boxes and boxes of them. We are really excited with the people we are teaching.
I love it here in Plymouth! The members are awesome, they make sure we are well taken care of here. The three exchanges a week is going really well. We are getting less-actives seen, and as we plan investigators to go see we will have great progress.
I went on exchanges this week up to Mishawaka. It was weird being back in the big city. It was fun though, we had a good time and found a lot of potential investigators.
We had Zone Conference this last week. I was mistaken with which general authority was going to be there. Lynn G. Robbins came and spoke to us and trained us. He is a good teacher and smart. It was a sweet meeting. When we were driving there we got a little lost, instead of taking an hour and twenty minutes to get there it took two and a half hours. It was fun though, we got there safely.
I love it here! I love the people! I love my companion! I love being a missionary.
I love you all! May the Spirit be with you!
Elder Durrant

Monday, August 22, 2011

E-mail 08/22/2011

Hello Good, wonderful, happy, family!
I love telling people about all of you! I love their expression. Then I tell them There are two sets of twins and they just pass out right there, well not really, but is is funny. How is everyone?
We are working hard up and over here. We have named our apartment S.H.I.E.L.D., My last place was the Bat Cave." We have Zone Conference coming up, I am so excited! J. Golden Kimball of the seventy is coming to speak to us. It is going to be awesome! I experimented boiling eggs. You know what they say, the first time never works right. They were still gooey in the middle, but there's no need to fear, I will try again!
We are still trying to teach Greg, he is so awesome. He will make a sweet member. Joanne, we were able to teach. She is working all the time, but that doesn't stop good missionaries who are sneaky and know how to find people and teach them. We have several people who are about to become new investigators, this next week is going to be awesome.
We have meals almost everyday of the week, exchanges three times a week. This is an awesome Branch, the people are wonderful, very missionary minded. They keep telling us we're all that, but we are striving to work hard and stay busy. What every missionary should do.
I found out that one of my investigators from my last area got baptized. William got baptized in July, Bruce should have gotten baptized last Saturday. I love teaching people! This is the best thing in the world!
Thank you all for being awesome! Happy Birthday!! May the Spirit be with you!
Elder Durrant

Monday, August 15, 2011

E-mail 08/15/2011

Hello super awesome family that loves me no matter what I do!
This week has been awesome! The Lord is continuing to bless us with success. We had our first investigator at church. His name is Greg, he works on motorcycles, has long hair and a mustache. He is so awesome! He was so pleased with church he paid his tithing, that's a first. He has felt the Spirit and has a lot of questions. I will keep you updated on him.
We also had the Jackson's come to church. Pres. Hinsdale said we could have knocked him over with a feather after he saw them there. I was so happy to see them there.
We are teaching a lot. We are doing a lot of service. And we are loving every second of it! We had to put on our suit coats the other evening. When it get's under sixty five we have to wear them. It was just barely under. The whole week has been cool and slight sprinkling. The other evening we were walking to a less-active's house to invite them to church. When we were a quarter of a mile from it. We both felt we should go back home. We turned around and heard a shout, but that was all, we made it home safe and sound. Plymouth is a very quiet and nice neighborhood. I love serving here!
We have a new branch mission leader, Bro Fosburgh, he is very qualified for the position and has the attitude of "get things done." He also started a program where we have three exchanges per week. That is going to help us tremendously.
We are finding and teaching lots of awesome people, I love it!!
We have dinner every night this week. That's what's awesome about being a missionary, well one thing, everyone wants to feed us all the time.
I love you all! Stay safe, and May the Spirit be with you!
Elder Durrant

Monday, August 8, 2011

E-mail 08/08/2011


Hello gloriously wonderbar family!!
This week has been awesome! We have been finding some really great people and teaching has gone up dramatically. The first week we got here we got maybe two lessons. Progressively over the next five weeks it has steadily gone up, now this last week we got about nine lessons. It has been so awesome to see this area bloom and we get to continue to see it grow. We got transfer calls this morning, actually we didn't so we know that neither one of us is leaving and we get to stay here and together another six weeks. Yippee!
Yesterday we stopped by Joanne's. We talked with her on her back porch. As we talked I saw a box that had a fire pit ring guard thingy in it. She has been meaning to build a fire pit. I got a really strong desire to get it out of the box and put it together. As you all know I like building things. :) So we put it together, then we proceeded to dig a pit, then put bricks around it, then we built a fire. Yea, That's right we built a fire. It stayed lit after careful prompting too. We then roasted marshmallows over it. All this time her two daughters, Elizabeth(13), and Rosemary(10), helping us. It was so much fun, and the best part, was we didn't even plan to do it.
I have been reading the Book of Mormon, shocker, I know, I have recently read the Book of Mormon, in the Book of Mormon. I really like chapter seven, it is Mormon's last dying words and they are to his brothers. As well chapter eight is the first time you hear Moroni speak and he doesn't mince words. I just picture Elder Holland and That's how I see Moroni speaking in this chapter. He's cool. Heb 11:38 :)
We are also teaching Bro Greg, he is a guy who works on motorcycles. He has a lot of questions, mainly about us having a prophet on the earth today. He said he would like to sit down and have a little chat with him, he would drive all the way to Salt Lake City for it, too. He ordered a Book of Mormon, and is going to read it. He committed to be baptized. Sweet stuff.
Our whole District is staying the same. It is weird but so awesome. Elder Eames and I went on exchanges this last week, it was so much fun! We had a good time. We were busy all day. We saw a tender mercy as well. We were having dinner with some members and Elder Eames recognized the father. Turns out, when we were together in White River for general conference he had come down and watched it there and we talked to him. Now we were eating dinner in his home. How cool is that?!
The weather has been very mild this week. Not too humid, only when it rains. It is so fun tracting in the rain. The best stories come from it. Everyone said July was unusually hot and humid this year. That's alright, we had fun.
I love it here in Plymouth! The members are great, and they trust us, that comes from being obedient and working hard, hint, hint to you FPH's.
I love you all!! May the Spirit be with you!!
Elder Durrant

Monday, August 1, 2011

E-mail 08/01/2011


Hello Good looking wonderful family!!
This week has been fun! When it gets to the end of the month missionaries have to scrimp and save because payday is at the beginning of the month. So it is with car miles. If you use them all at the beginning of the month they are all gone and you have to either bike or walk. We decided to bike and walk during the month so we wouldn't have to huff it everywhere for the last two weeks. The last day we had fifty miles so we got to spend it all. It is nice. We had a police officer pull over and ask us what we were doing. We said we were missionaries. His attitude changed 360 degrees. He thought we were peddlers "out selling stuff." He was really nice to us when he found out who we were, said "Go right ahead." I love it when officers talk to us, because you get really funny stories. :)
We talked to Joanne some more. She is working four jobs, and trying to improve her yard. She is working herself silly. It is really funny though, because she wants us to ride with her to pick up more rocks then to come back and place them, but we can't ride with a lady unless there is another guy. She is always talking about getting rid of that rule, just so we can help her, but she's just kidding. I find it very funny.
We are working with some really great people. One part-member family, where the husband is not a member, we are slowly working with them to get them more comfortable with us. We do this by going over there and eating their food, he he. We also are trying to get him to play basketball with us. He is a really cool guy.
This is a cool little branch. There are about fifty people that show up each week. We haven't had any investigators come yet, but we haven't given up. We are still inviting and working with people to get them to church, so they can feel the Spirit, receive answers to questions, and make friends. I love church!
Thanks for being awesome! Oh and after going to Bourbon and getting rained out, I now wear that same tie whenever I go there. It has become my "Bourbon Tie" I also have a "Transfer Tie" a "Temple tie" a "Meet the Prophet Tie" Good stuff.
I love it here and I love working here! It is awesome!!
May the Spirit be with you! I love you!!
Elder Durrant