My Story Of Life

Dear family and friends:

Well, there you have it. We're now looking on the downslope of the time on the mission. I don't plan on the spiritual experiences being that way as well. :) I think I got all of the packages everyone was planning to send - thanks so much for those. They will all be put to good use. I especially love the calendar and all of the pictures; I don't remember seeing all of those before. And the camel's name you sent is NOT going to be "Humpy" (everyone wanted to name him that) but is going to be Lionel, because he is a distinguished camel. :)

Today is Elder Wallace's 21st (birthdays all around our apartment here!), and we have a couple of possibilities floating around. Ultimate frisbee, bowling, mini golf, eating out, etc. We are all kind of relaxed with everything, which is probably not a good idea when it comes to decision making, but oh well. :P

We are working well together; both of us came out in the first couple of days and decided that we did not want to let anything get in our way as far as our effectiveness as missionaries. As a result, we talked to a LOT more people than we usually do. It's amazing how much time you realize you have when you try and use every minute of it with a purpose. We definitely still saw some aspects we could improve on, but simply looking back on this week, it was amazing to see the focus change and the blessings that come from that.

Each of our lessons with investigators fell through this week, which was a bummer - but that is something we will have to improve upon and be more consistent with following up with them to see success. Elder Wallace mentioned that one of the changes he has seen within himself personally is when he is doing everything he needs to be doing as a missionary, then he is really happy and knows that the Lord will bless him accordingly. The more I work on that the more I see how true that is.

Well, that is everything on our end. The weather is starting to cool down again - I put on my jacket for the first time in a while. We've heard rumors that this winter is going to be much colder than the previous one, which I am absoltuely looking forward to. Woohoo!!! :D

Take care y'all

Elder Wasden

Here we are, only a few days from the last time we wrote - but it's been a very good few days, with a lot of neat things to talk about. :)

Elder Wallace and I are doing well together. He is from Friendswood, Texas, which is in between Houston and Galveston (so he had some fun with some recent hurricanes :P ). He is the second of two brothers (and his older brother served in Lima Central, Dad), and he has been out about eight months now. He has a lot of desire to be an effective missionary, which is a good driving force for me to make sure I step up and do everything I need to. :)

General Conference was wonderful, as always; I was personally impressed this time about the counsel the brethren gave us. There were a number of points where someone was speaking, and suddenly I was struck that I need to pay attention to this in particular. My testimony of receiving revelation was strengthed by that. I am excited for next month's Ensign so I can start studying.

We've had some wonderful things happen over the past couple of days - a number of new and potential investigators have started to come our way. There is one miracle in particular that I am very excited about: last night after Conference, we were behind on our contacts, so we decided to go to Wal-Mart and make up most of it and then spend the rest of the night tracting. We talked to about the number of people we were planning on, and Elder Wallace said, "Let's just keep going for a little bit longer... There's more people coming out right now." I shrugged my shoulders, not entirely sure why we should, but we decided to go for it. We kept going and were just about to start heading back to the car when I spotted this woman just sitting on the hood of her car. I felt a very small feeling that I should go talk to her. It almost came and went; I reasoned that we needed to do other things - but then I thought she was on the way back to the car, so it wouldn't hurt to go and talk.

Half and hour later, we left the parking lot after a wonderful conversation and with her information. I know she has definitely been prepared to hear the gospel and to make changes in her life.

I am so grateful that Elder Wallace was prompted to suggest we stay for a bit longer and that I decided to follow the Spirit's guidance to talk to this woman. Now I wonder what might have happened had we not listened and decided to act even though we didn't know why we should. Who knows how long it would have been until she had met us again? The Spirit prompted us to her, and my testimony of following those promptings is strengthened. Wow. It makes me just happy thinking about it. :)

Well, we've got some running around to do today; we'll see you next Monday. Take care and be safe. Love from Virginia. :)

Elder Wasden

Well, everyone back home, you've now got two non-teenagers in the Wasden family now. It was pretty weird to come to that realization yesterday. :) We had a splendid time yesterday: tracting and spending a little bit of time with various members. I was well taken care of, that's for sure. :)

And now to some other news: we got our transfer calls this morning and Elder Braun is goin to the Lake Ridge 2nd Ward for his last six weeks with Elder Beal (who I found out is actually from Santa Rosa!). I will be staying in Massaponax and am now officially the senior companion, which makes me both excited and scared out of my mind at this point. I just have to keep reminding myself that the Lord has been preparing me for the past year and that He knows a lot more than I do about my capacity, so I will just do my best and see what happens. This transfer will fulfill my curse of the 'Burg, if everything plays out right. :)

I will be receiving an Elder Wallace, whom I know nothing about. That makes it exciting, I suppose. Our roommates are switched up, too - Elder Brown is heading up to Manassas, and Elder McGill will be coming to Chancellor and working with Elder Strong. This will be the first time I have ever been the oldest in an apartment, which is pretty surreal - never thought I'd be at that point. :P

Life is continuing in the manner of happiness - still looking for people to teach. They are out there somewhere. We are all excited for General Conference - it's definitely feels like it has been about six months.

Okay, we have to go pack and do all of that fun stuff. Here's to another year of great spiritual experiences! See you on Monday. :D

Elder Wasden

Hello, everyone! The month of September is rapidly evaporating, and we had a few things preoccupying our time last week. Our first bit of news was not so enjoyable. Our car was towed Thursday night. Bleargh. >:( Hopefully this is a lesson that will only take one time to learn - I'd rather only have to help pay the $150 fee once if I can help it.

On a better note, we had an exchange with our district leader, Elder Egan, so Elder Braun went to his area in Culpeper while I stayed in the area and got to drive for the first time in 10 months or so. I am typing this message, so that must mean I survived Virginia driving - barely. :P It has been a while since I have had to lead an area but hopefully it didn't show very much. :) We had a fun time together - a good change from normality for the past two months or so. We had lots of discussions about misssionary service and our testimonies of the gospel, what we want to do with the remaining time of our missionary service, etc., with a McFlurry to finish it up. Mmm. :D

The real big news of the week is that we had Stake Conference - but we met in the auditorium of a local high school to try and accommodate (sic) everyone. Elder Braun said it felt like a high school assembly. President Kitchens, our stake president, was sick with what was apparently the swine flu, so they hooked up a computer with a webcamera and he gave his talk over the internet. We also had Elder Smith of the Seventy and Elder Andersen of the Twelve come and speak, which was very neat. It seems like these sort of conferences allow them to be more personable than General Conference does; his talk was a hodgepodge of different ideas that he simply wanted to get out there. It is always neat to see an Apostle from 500 feet away, though. :)

Missionary life continues to keep going; the nights are starting to get darker again (darn) and the mild summer is coming to a close (it sure didn't feel so mild to me). Virginia continues to be a great place to live (as long as we can get rid of those cockroaches in the apartment). Overall, though, life is good - and there are no catches to that. :)

Take care, and we'll see you next week.

Elder Wasden

Hello, everyone. It seems like we can't get a consistent time to come and email this transfer; there's always something that gets in the way. Thankfully, our excuse this time was pretty sweet. :) We asked for permission to go to DC very early on in the transfer, and we finally found out last week that we could go, so we spent a LOT of time in the Mall earlier today. It was pretty sweet. We didn't spend a lot of time in each place, so we didn't get to see everything there - but that does mean that we could run around to more museums and other places. We also skipped lunch, which might have not been the smartest thing to do (I am recovering from a lovely headache), but boy, it was a lot of fun. We went to the Library of Congress and got "research passes" to go into the Main Reading Room - y'know, the one they use in National Treasure 2. We couldn't find the Book of Secrets, though. :)

After that we went to the Air and Space Museum, which was a total blast. They have a flight simulator that was a lot of fun (doing barrel rolls and other crazy things makes you dizzy), and they have tons of other amazing things from airplanes and jets and spacecraft to check out. I definitely want to go back there and see the rest of the stuff that we missed out on.

From there we went to the National Archives and saw the Big Three documents there. It was a very interesting experience, seeing three of some of the most important documents that have shaped our country, among other things. There were a lot of things in there, too, that I want to go back and check. It will have to be soon; the ink on the Declaration and the Constitution is fading quickly, and they expect it will completely dispappear in the next twenty years or so. :(

After that we spent a little time in the American History Museum and went straight to the standard stuff to see: Dorothy's ruby red shoes, Kermit and Oscar the Grouch, etc. I decided on a whim to splurge at the gift shop (I know, run to your bunkers, everyone) and bought a New York Times covering on the landing on the moon and a friendly green friend that you should be happy to see, Dad. :)

All in all, it was a very productive and fun day - although my knees and feet don't necessarily agree with me. I remembered to take lots of pictures and videos so you all back home can join in the fun. :)

The missionary work here is doing well - the members here are looking for lots of different ways to invite their friends and associates. We've got a big one coming up this weekend: Stake Conference is happening, and we have the distinct pleasure of seeing our newest Apostle, Elder Anderson, come and visit us. We're pretty excited about that. :D

Alright, that's enough for now. I'm about to nod off and fall asleep. Good night. :)

Elder Wasden

Hello, everyone, at the beginning of September. Thanks to Elder Braun's persistence, we managed to subvert the system and e-mail this week at one of the clubhouses that a member lives in - otherwise we would have had to wait until tomorrow to do something, and that just simply wouldn't work. :)

The mission is treating us well. We had Zone Conference this past Tuesday, which was phenomenal. I always love these opportunities to feel the Spirit for a day with the zone, especially since we do not see most of everyone anymore at District Meetings.

The main theme of the conference was the power of our thoughts. We discussed what will happen when we simply think optimistically and act as if our goals have already been fulfilled. It was very enlightening, and there was a wonderful spirit there. I have already started to see bits and pieces of what we have talked about start to spill over in our missionary work - we've got a number of first lessons set up for this week, which is a first since I have been here.

President Albright's style is fundamentally different from President Wixom's, and the more time we spend with him the more evident it is. I am glad that I have the opportunity to serve with two mission presidents and to learn from both of them. I'm pretty lucky, I know. :)

We've started to branch out and meet more members of our ward; we have had some good success already in particular with less-actives. It is very nice to see someone you have been inviting come to church and recognize the blessings that come from attending. It's a good feeling.

The rest of the day is going to be that dreaded word we call "cleaning"... apartment inspections are this Wednesday for us. I've already spent a good hour scrubbing the bathroom floor. It's a lot dirtier than it should be after just eight weeks of living in there. Bleargh. :P We are also going to visit a historical site with an older couple in the ward that fun. Letters may or may not be postponed until a future week... We'll just have to see. ;)

Be good, everyone! And enjoy the holiday. :)

Elder Wasden

One of the Lord's tender mercies: we were on our over here to the library to e-mail, and the weather outside is nice and cool for the first time in forever. Somewhere in the 60s, no substantial humidity, a nice breeze - I am sure in a couple of months I will be ready to have some warmth again, but it's nice for now. :)

As I mentioned in last week's e-mail, we now have to drive all the way to Culpepper for our district meetings, since our district leader lives all the way out there. It's a good 45 minutes each way, and it's pretty interesting to see a part of the mission that really only those that serve there get to see ("wait - there's more to Virginia than just where we serve?!?"). It's the furthest away one can be in the mission, and it's definitely a different world out there. :P

We were planning on a hike out there today, but we realized that Zone Conference is tomorrow and our car is definitely not prepared for it. :P We still want to do it this transfer, though, so we'll see what ends up happening.

Recently we have had dinner with a couple in the ward that has been a LOT of fun; the wife is Brazillian and has made us some of her native dishes like "Porto Gia Patata" (sic). I'll have to have some of my friends if they have had that kind of food during the course of their missions. :)

Alright, we better get going and start the day. We may or may not be able to email next Monday because of Labor Day, but we'll make sure we keep in touch. :) Take care!

Elder Wasden

No, I am not breaking the rules. :) A lot of changes came this past transfer meeting, and one of the most noticeable is that Preparation Day is now on Monday and District Meetings are on Wednesday. It already feels really different, but it is nice to have a break after Sunday's frentic schedule.

Some other new things: we no longer meet as a zone for meetings (which bums me out a little bit - it means there's going to be less connection with people in the mission, but ah well), and now we meet at the chapel where our district leader is at. Elder Egan is in Culpepper, a good ways west of us, so now WE get to make the long journey there every week instead of a five-minute drive to our chapel where we used to meet.

Life is pretty normal otherwise; we are still looking around for people that are interested. We are planning to go on a hike next Monday as a district, so I'll hold onto the SD Card until then so you can hopefully see the excellent vistas out here.

Take care, everyone, and we'll see you next Monday from now on.

Elder Wasden

(P.S. I hope you enjoyed the birthday surprise, Bug! :) )

Hey, everyone... we had some pretty big events happen during the week. First - John and Deby Jenkins were baptized on Saturday!!! It was a very spiritual event; most of John's newly-found family came up from North Carolina to participate. Everything went smoothly, and we made sure to take some pictures of everyone so you can see what everyone looks like. :)

The rest of the week has been making the rounds to say goodbye to people; we have been under the fairly reasonable assumption that since Elder Braun has been here for six months, his time was now up. Well, that is not the case - we are staying together for another six weeks. :) We will be doing a lot more finding this transfer since we are down to one consistent investigator for the moment, but we will make it work. I have relatively little idea about what else has happened around the mission, but it sounds like President Albright's transfers might be a little bit different than President Wixom's. We'll have to give it a couple of months and see. :)

Last week we did end up going to the Chancellorsville battlefield site off of Route 3. We watched a short documentary on the history of the battle and saw the place where they determined "Stonewall" Jackson was shot. Hopefully this next transfer we will be able to visit a few more spots and see the area.

We are also excited for Stake Conference coming up in September, because we have one Elder Anderson of the Twelve coming to visit the stake...! That should be excellent. :)

Alright, we have lunch with some members soon. We'll see you at the same time, same place next week!

Elder Wasden

Hello, one and all. We are getting closer to a few pretty important events that mean a lot is going to be changing soon (but it sounds like the family beat me with one of those by sending out all of those wedding announcements :) ).

I will start off with my reaction to the news that Elder Braun, my current companion, is related to Glenn, my (very) soon-to-be brother in law: ?!?!? For those of you keeping track at home, Elder Braun is now the third companion/roommate of mine that I have found out I have some distant relation to, not to mention all of the random connections that have come out from serving in different wards. I never comprehended how ridiculously interconnected we are in the church.

The Jenkins' baptism is still set for this Saturday at 2; John's newly-discovered are coming up from North Carolina to be a part of the show (more accurately to run it - the baptismal program is filled with Jenkinses). We are all excited for the day - I'll make sure to take lots of pictures so you can be there. :)

After Saturday we will be down to just one investigator that we will be working with consistently (Christine), so we will be back to the finding routine. We have another potential investigator that has come from members that we had dinner with this past week, and yet another that might pan out in the near future - this ward is blessed! :)

Today we might actually be fun and go do something at a battlefield. One of the members works at the Visitor's Center, and they have CDs that you put in your car while you drive around the site. It sounds like it will be a fun experience. :)

Take care, and we're looking forward to tomorrow!

Elder Wasden

Dear everyone:

Life has been going well over the past week. Once again, it is hard to believe that we are in a new month once more; it's like when I keep my eye on time, nothing happens - but when I look away for a moment, it suddenly gets bigger and bigger, if that makes any sense whatsoever. :)

The Jenkins are still set for baptism on the 15th; we are going over the commandments tonight to get them all ready for that. We'll make sure we take lots of pictures of everyone so you can have fun looking at them.

Occasionally we are allowed to fellowship with our investigators in a setting besides teaching; we got permission to go with the Jenkins to a teenage production of Les Miserables, where the daughter of their fellowshipper in the ward played Cosette in the show. It was pretty phenomenal, especially for how scaled-back it was production wise. The one bummer is that the Jenkins left at intermission thinking that was the end (it had already been close to two hours at that point!), so we only saw the first half or so of it. But it was still a lot of fun to see. I look forward to seeing the rest of it when I get home, whenever that happens. :)

The miracle of the week is Christine; we have had a difficult time to help her feel and recognize the Spirit since she is an intellectually-based person. Finally on Sunday, we decided to simply have a quiet spiritual experience, and we ended up reading Alma 7 with their family. There was a quiet change in her behavior; she still has lots of questions and is still trying to acknowledge the Spirit as what it is, but some of the barriers that have been there from the beginning are starting to come down, bit by bit. It's a small change, but it's progress for her. :)

Our plans for today are pretty loose at the moment; we'll do some shopping for groceries (we are going to buy some Zataran's and Tony Sacharees to make soon... mmm... :D), and then the day is pretty open. There are a number of battlefield sites nearby which sound intriguing. The other day we were driving past the Chancellorsville battlefield and saw a sign that marked the spot where Stonewall Jackson's arm (leg?) was amputated. :P Yep, lots of history.

Take care, and see y'all next week!

Elder Wasden

Hello everyone - I hope you are all enjoying the warm and long summer days wherever you are. Here in Virginia it's finally starting to get REALLY humid all day long. Apparently it's still not as bad as it usually gets because we have had lots of rain and thunderstorms over the past couple of months - but we're still enjoying a good sweat when we knock on the doors. :)

We had our first Zone Conference with President Albright, and it went splendid. I love how all of our different meetings give us a bit of a spiritual reboost to get out there for another week. This time we talked about invitations and how we need to be increasing the quality and the quanitity of them; PMG says rarely if ever should we not invite everyone we meet to do something that will strengthen their faith in Christ. We also talked about planning for our days and weeks; I have come to the conclusion that I have a lot I can improve upon with that. :P

Some big news: the Jenkins are scheduled for baptism!! :D :D :D They are set for August 15th; in the meantime, we still have quite a bit to go over and teach them, so we are having dinner with them twice a week for now. Deby makes phenomenal food - so far we have had Chinese food, pizza, and chicken and dumplings. It really is a miracle I have not gained any weight from all of the food that we eat. :)

The Jenkins really are a miracle family. I believe I have told you about how he was introduced to the church in a previous email - but there are so many little miracles that have come up along the way that really proves to me that the Lord has prepared them for a long time. Just one little example: the Church is building a new chapel literally five minutes from their house (!). :) It has really shown me how much I am simply an instrument in His hands in this work; we just teach them the information and they just eat it up. We gave their daughter Teresa a blessing last night because she has been having some health problems recently; it was a very sweet and tender moment for the family. They are definitely a family I had a part in teaching that will be a highlight of my mission. :)

Earlier in the week we were tracting a long country road, and I stopped for a moment and looked around. It was nice and sunny, with lots of crickets chirping in the forest nearby; it was peaceful and still. It was one of moments that it seems to truly define a mission - along with the slammed doors and the crazy dogs (not all of them - you're right, Sister Kai :) ) and all the disappointments that inevitably come with being a missionary. But I love those kinds of moments where I can be still and know in my heart that this is right where I need to be. :)

Take care and see you next week.

Elder Wasden

Hi one and all. It has been a fairly busy week, with some good success. Jackie's baptism went as smooth as it could have ever been; usually there is something that comes up at the last minute that makes us all scramble around to try and fix it, but the worst thing that happened was we forgot a towel, which Elder Braun immediately fixed. I say if that's your biggest concern, then you're doing pretty well. :)

I am enjoying the slower life of Virginia; people out here have more time in general than up north. We went tracting out in the country on Monday, which meant we were walking up some mile-long driveways. :P Being in Virginia has made me certain as well that dogs are not at the top of my list of favorite animals. It's always an adventure out here.

Some more investigator updates: we are working with a woman named Christine right now. Her husband is a member, but she hasn't grown up with any religious experience whatsoever. It has been difficult for her to recognize the Spirit in her life, and she prefers thinking through things logically. She kind of reminds me of Alvaro, although it's on an ever more basic level of teaching - which is fun to try and figure out. :)

We have had some fun experiences in the apartment so far. When we first moved in we had no hot water for a couple of days, only a handful of cooking supplies and a leaking AC that completely soaked our carpet. :P Thankfully everything has been taken care of and we are living comfortably again and as pampered as we missionaries can be (which can sometimes be surprisingly a lot!).

Some fun Scout Trivia: Fort AP Hill is a military reservation that is actually a good majority of the Massaponax ward boundary, and that is the site where the Boy Scout National Jamboree is held.

One last bit of good news: I heard rumor that John Donovan, our investigator that we were trying to commit to baptism in Crystal City, finally went in the water. That made me very happy to hear. :)

Take care - and in the meantime, I'll be listening to those ridiculous cicadas. I hear that next year is the end of the 14-year cycle when they come out in swarms - definitely looking forward to that...

Elder Wasden

Hello, everyone - it has been a strikingly unique week for my mission. As I mentioned last week, I am now serving in the Massaponax ward with Elder Braun, who was there previously. Elder Braun and Elder Brown used to also work in the Chancellor ward, and now they have decided to split up the two wards so we spend more time in each of our areas. Now that there are four missionaries total in the ward (Elder Perkins is working with Elder Brown), we needed to move out of the basement of the member's house that we were staying in and into a new apartment so we could fit all four of us in there.

Unfortunately, there have been a lot of mergings and moving of areas all around the mission, and so the office elders were not able to get down to our place until yesterday. That means we got to sleep and study on the floor for a couple of days - woohoo! :P I suppose that will be my Polynesian experience for the mission - I don't plan on sleeping like that after I return home, though. :) We are all now officially moved in and are doing well with that.

Elder Braun is from Pocatello, Idaho - my first companion from that state. He is also the oldest of four, although there are no twins in his family. :) He enjoys music and theater and film and is planning on doing something with that someday. He has already been in the ward for three transfers, so by the end of this one he will have been here about six months or so - and it sounds like that might be the transfer plan of President Albright for the moment. Put them in, keep them there for a while, and rinse and repeat. I might be in Fredericksburg for the next little while. :)

We have a very interesting teaching pool at the moment. The most exciting news is that we have a baptism this Saturday!! Her name is Jackie; her husband is a member, and was less-active for a long time until the missionaries (who not conincidentally lived next door to them in the members' home) offered to shovel their driveway after the snowstorm blew into the area at the end of February. They are definitely ready to get back in the church and experience the blessings that are there for them. I can't really claim any participation to lead to their baptism since it was already set before I came in the area, but I am excited nonetheless. :D

There are some other investigators that we are working with with some truly miraculous stories of their own. We are working with the Jenkins family right now; John, the husband, grew up in foster homes his entire life and knew nothing about his family until very recently, when they managed to contact him and let him know they were all still alive and cared very much about getting to know him. Again, not coincidentally, all of his siblings are members (!). They are absolutely wonderful family with a hilarious sense of humor. It is going to be a lot of fun working with them and teaching them the gospel. :)

In the meantime, life is good and is moving along. I will probably send an SD Card out soon so you can see where we were on the Fourth of July (how about across the Potomac within sight of DC? How amazing is that?!?). Take care, and make sure to think straight.

Elder Wasden

Transfers are always an exciting time - especially when the call is switched around! At first I was called senior companion to Elder Braun (?!?) and serving in two wards and opening up one of those areas (?!?). After a little bit they called again and switched it up a bit; now I am back to junior companion to Elder Braun and serving in the Massaponax ward, which is back in the Fredericksburg stake. Massaponax is pretty much the farthest area south I could have gone to; I definitely won't be seeing the Pentagon anytime soon! :) Elder Lutz is staying in Crystal City, as is Elder Ockler in Alexandria 2nd, and Elder Hardy is going Zone Leader in Mount Vernon; at the end of this transfer he will have spent a YEAR in that zone, albeit in different areas - but it's still a long time. :P

I am excited and certainly a little anxious to find out the changes that are going to happen; there is always that "deep breath before the plunge", if I can use that term, and right now I am in the middle of taking that deep breath. In retrospect I am always glad that I am given the assignments that I have, because they provide the opportunity to turn to the Lord and rely on His merits rather than my own. At least I hope I keep that in mind. :P

Some more big news: we had a lesson with John last night, and we talked a little bit about baptism and the blessings that will come from it. We left the appointment still without a date and wondering what we could do to help him work towards baptism. Well, last night he called us and decided that September 12 was going to be the day! We were excited about that, even if it was two months or so away. Then he called us this morning and asked if the 18th of July was a good day to do it - a week and a half away (!). Too bad I will be as far away as I possibly can be, so attending the baptism is a long shot - but I am excited that he is ready to commit to it. :) :)

Last but not least, we had the opportunity to meet President and Sister Albright last Thursday. I am very excited to be working with them and to learn from them; they likewise seem very nervous but also very excited. The mantle of the mission president was definitely passed on to President Albright - it was evident when he spoke and talked to us about his own experiences with missionaries as a stake president. Apparently they found the relations between our family and theirs - Sister Albright maiden name is Wasden - so it's nice to know we have connections in the office - ha! ;)

Well, it's time to start packing up and getting ready to head south again. Stay safe, everyone, and we will talk to you again when I am in the 'Burg!

Elder Wasden

We have a new month and a new mission president, but life goes on. President and Sister Wixom left Monday to go up to Boston for a little bit, and President and Sister Albright are here and ready to get going, it sounds like. We have a conference with them tomorrow, and I am pretty excited to find out more about them. :)

Life continues as normal around here. I am truly shocked at how fast THIS transfer has gone - I know I say that every time, but every six weeks seems to pass by quicker and quicker. It is good motivation to make sure we am working hard day by day to make things happen and therefore see results at the end.

If there is one thing that I have learned from this transfer, it is of the importance of just getting out there and doing SOMETHING. When I get over that worry of not knowing what to do and just go and do, the Lord places people in our path for us to help. Example: yesterday we had just a little bit of time before we had a lesson planned. Elder Lutz had a minor tumble on his bike as we left the house, and so he needed to clean up before we headed to the lesson. We decided to stop by a complex that has a number of singles living there, and we happened to run into one of the members living there that I had not visited before and have a good spiritual lesson with him. There are just little things here and there that make strengthen my testimony of the Lord's hand in all things, especially in missionary work.

Alright, I better head out - we are probably going to be going bowling soon, which should be a lot of fun. :) Masalema! (That's Arabic for "goodbye", and probably eubonic spelling, too - you get the picture. :P)

Elder Wasden

Well, it's time for some big changes in the mission. President and Sister Wixom will be leaving DC South on Monday to return to their home in SLC, and President and Sister Albright will be coming in the same day to start their own service for the Lord. Every time a missionary that I have associated with goes home, it feels like a little piece of the experiences we have had together goes home with them, and that is certainly the case here with the Wixoms, since I was able to serve in Office alongside them and see first-hand their spirituality. The Wixoms will certainly be missed for the imprint they have left on each of our lives. It is a very poignant and memorable time for us in the mission.

This past Friday we had our last interviews with them; President Wixom decided to give the departing interview that he usually gives to each of the missionaries returning home (even though HE will be the one leaving this time!). There was a lot of advice given and a lot to think about; thankfully, I have another little while before most of it can be implemented. Don't have to worry about finding a spouse just yet. :)

In the meantime, the work continues. We had a wonderful discussion with Alvaro last night about 2 Nephi 2 - how we are accoutable for the decisions we make, how our judgements from God at the last day will be both just and merciful, etc. It was a great discussion; Alvaro really does his reading and asks questions that show he really grasps what we are talking about. His spirituality has made great leaps since I first met with him, when he really struggled to understand prayers. Now he regularly gives one of the prayers in the lesson, and is becoming more comfortable with that. Seeing that change and the happiness that is growing in him makes me really happy to be a part of it. :)

In the meantime, we missionaries are doing fine, as well. I think the highest humidity reading I saw in the past week was 94% (:P), and it sounds like that is still a pretty mild day. I think I should carry around more water soon, before it becomes blisteringly hot. Ow.

Well, that's about it for this last Wednesday in June (?!?). Be safe, wherever you are, and remember... Mitt Romney did NOT serve a mission in Vietnam when he was twelve. (Someone told us that was the case yesterday. :P )

Elder Wasden

It's another week in Virginia, and Crystal City is holding up fine. The weather has been relatively nice since the last e-mail; no crazy thunderstorms or blazing hot days. We have been informed that Virginia will not be having an actual summer this year due to precipitation reports and the tracking of fronts and whatever else they come up with. We'll take it with a grain of salt, though, since we are talking about meteorology. :)

Things in our apartment are going really well; it's hard to believe we are already halfway finished with this transfer(!). Time is moving by very fast, and that just makes me want to work a little harder and use the time I have been given more effectively. It would be nice if I could remember just how short my time period as a missionary is; things have didn't matter would just fall by the wayside, and the things that did matter would be put first.

Our investigators are doing fine; we were working with a gentleman named Mohammed a couple of weeks ago until we found out he was going to be in Egypt for the next month or so with his family. Then we ran into him a couple of days ago(?!?). It turns out he had a heart attack two days before he was supposed to go - so now he is required to relax at his house for the next fifteen days. He also just lost his job, which isn't good news - but it frees up his Sundays so he can come to church with us, which IS good news. The Lord works in mysterious ways to bring about His purposes; we will see what ends up happening soon.

John is doing fine; his significant other is out of town for the next two weeks, so we won't be able to baptize him until she returns. We are at a standstill with him for the moment, but we will keep praying. Alvaro, another investigator of ours, is doing well, also; we are trying to get him to come to church, which is something he is a little apprehensive about. We want to give him a church tour soon to ease his anxieties and get him in there feeling the Spirit on Sunday.

We have also started working with a less-active named Rob; he had a miraculous connection with one of his tenants who happened to be LDS, and decided it was time for him to come back to church and to feel the Spirit there. Every discussion we have with him is an adventure, because we never know where it is going to end up ( :) ), but he is willing to change and we are definitely willing to help him out with that.

Well, there you have it. We have a couple other prospects that we are trying to set up so we can teach soon; it's a lot of work to set up and to coordinate everything. I would much rather have too MUCH work rather than too LITTLE work, though. :) We are also going to be trying to go to the Mall again this transfer, since we are literally next door to it; more details if we can get that set up in the next three weeks.

I hope everyone's summer is off to a nice start, and don't forget that bug spray! (We found some of the lemon eucalyptus spray we had on the 50-mile backpacking trip two years ago - it brought back a LOT of memories, and a really strong scent. :) )

Elder Wasden

I'm going to start this email with a big happy birthday, Dad!! :) I hope everything for your birthday goes smoothly and that you have at least a few minutes of peace and relaxation at some point during the day.

Sorry the email is delayed a day; we had temple conference yesterday, so Preparation Day was pushed off until today. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures since I just sent the two SD Cards home, but it was absolutely marvelous as always. There's a lot of peace to be had by going to the temple. :)

Since the beginning of the transfer (about two weeks ago) we have been studying different things in preparation for going to the temple. A lot of the overall study has been focused on figuring out what we need to change with our area, what we need to do to help our investigators choose to be baptized, what we can sacrifice in order to reach 101 people scheduled for baptism by the end of the month (when President Albright comes into the mission). There were a lot of things to consider for myself and for Crystal City/Colonial 1st.

One interesting story: I was kicked out of my first complex on Monday by the police! Woohoo!! :D It could have been a lot worse; the officer was really polite and explained the situation and just asked us to leave. I wish it was a little more exciting than that - but then again I would rather sleep in my own bed instead of a jail cell. Doesn't sound that much fun. :P

Elder Lutz and I continue to get along well; he is a relaxed guy, but is still a hard worker. We have done a lot of street contacting lately, and I enjoy seeing how we play off of each other when we are talking to people on the streets. It's good practice for bold invitations; our mission leaders have invited US to invite people to repent and be baptized (!). I haven't tried it yet; we'll see how that goes this week. :)

We were planning on playing ultimate frisbee today, but that might be rescheduled due to inclimate weather (there have been crazy thunderstorms on and off for the past couple of days now - and of course they always start when we are the farthest away from our home that we can be :P ). Today might just be a day for taking a break and writing some letters, which I won't say no to.

Have a peaceful June 11-16 yourself; don't forget to drink lots of water. :)

Elder Wasden

Dear Everyone:

Well, June is upon us; how weird does that sound?? (The answer is very - it's already time to start my first summer of the mission! Crazy!!) Crystal City is doing well for the moment; we are still finding new people to teach and to make things happen. The theme for this transfer is "Giving the Gift 101": President and the Assistants want to give 101 people scheduled for baptism by the time President Albright comes into the mission at the end of June (which is definitely surreal to consider). That is going to take a lot of effort all around the mission, and especially from the zones up north since there are more people to talk to and therefore more people to teach and commit, etc. We are excited to see what is going to happen all around the mission over the next month. :)

Bummer news for the moment: we've had to push John's baptism back to an unspecified date. There are just a few things he needs to finish cleeaning up with, and we need to catch him on a Saturday when he doesn't have some sort of work. We are definitely learning a little bit of patience; he is an amazing guy, but it's still going to take a lot of work to get him in the font. We have another five weeks, though, so we will see what happens. :)

My new companion, Elder Lutz, and I are getting along well. He was born in Yorba Linda, California and now lives in Springville, Utah, just south of Provo. He was actually an Office Elder himself, about a year ago; it's fun hearing some of the stories he has when he was in the office and seeing how that experience compared to mine. He actually came out with Elder Yazzie, my last companion, so he is at about 19 months; Crystal City just might end up being his last area to serve in (!).

Our apartment is really clicking together, as well; we (Elders Lutz, Hardy, Ockler and I) all have some similar interests and personalities. I am excited to see what we are going to be up to this transfer (which might just maybe include a trip to DC in the near future... stay tuned!).

The weather continues to be wild and sporadic (big surprise there). Last Friday we were coming home for dinner and were literally five minutes away from the apartment when it begins to start raining. Within a few minutes we were completely drenched from head to toe - and we weren't wearing away sort of jacket since it was a nice 70 degrees right before! The next day was warm and sunny in the 80s or so, and so far the weather (and the humidity :P ) seem to be continuing that trend. Yay for stickiness and sweatiness.

Today we are planning to go to the Pentagon City Mall, which is just south of the Pentagon (what an appropriate name). I will do my best to take lots of pictures so you can see what kind of madness we are up to. :D

Have a great week, everyone, and we will see you next Thursday (we have a mission-wide temple conference at the DC Temple next Wednesday). Have fun, and start wearing that sunscreen! :)

Elder Wasden