Bellefontaine Ohio #17

Hello Family,

Thank you for the package and the cookies that came in it were very much appreciated and loved. Elder Anderson's eyes almost popped out of his head when he say how many cookies you sent me. Anyway glad to hear that your week was normal and that nothing bad happen. My weather actually has just made a turn and it is snowing out side and the temperature is dropping, so later today we will have ice.

But today was a fun day because we had a district activity and I didn't have to plan it which was a bonus. What we did was we played a game called chair soccer which was a blast but man I am out of shape when it comes to running. Chair soccer is were you everyone has a chair that is your goal you have to defend. You can leave you chair and try and kick the ball into someone else chair then if you hit it they have to sit down. So I'm very tired.

This week we have been working hard to get Alexander, Christina, David, and Daisy to church. We were blessed and Alexander and Christina came but David's son oldest son went missing so that has been a little concerning. But we hope to continue to meet with them and that all goes well with David's son. We hope to continue to find new people to meet. 

One thing that has been a hard thing that has come up is that Elder Anderson has been in a lot of pain and we have not found the cause. So we have been taking it easy and we may be going to a doctor soon to get some test run to find the problem. Keep in your prayers though because it has been very hard for him because if it doesn't get better fast or they have problems finding what's wrong he may have to go home. So keep him in your prayers please.

Lot of cool things happening and I am staying busy with doing what I know is right. Hope you have a great week and that you know I love you all and think about you often. You are my strength and you keep me going. The gospel has become my guide and my confidante and what gives me peace. The Atonement has become the biggest power in my life because I have no strength anymore I'm very tired. But the savior is my driving force that gives me the strength that I need because I make to many mistakes and have to many short comings to do what the lord wants of me. I know though that what I am doing is the will of our loving Heavenly Father and that as long as I go out of my apartment he will guide me. Turn to our savior and or lord because he will guide you and you will be surrounded by his love. Have a great week.

Love Elder Young

Bellefontaine Ohio #16

Hello Family,

Sorry that I forgot to tell you that this week was transfer week and that I would not be able to email till today. All is well over here and I will spend most likely one more transfer here with Elder Anderson. He is actually not done yet with his training yet he still has 4 more weeks of training and he will be good. Anyway glad to hear that you had a good week last week.

Our week was really good and we have been meeting a lot of nice people who are interested and are telling us to come back. So with luck we will be able to meet with them and teach them the Restoration. We have got several new investigators and we are excited to work with them and see them come closer to our Heavenly Father. One of new investigators is a son of a less active that will be fun to teach because he is very autistic but he wants to be baptized so we will do what we can. Our other new investigators are Alexander and Christina. They are a interesting couple but they are open and interested so we can't ask for more.

Last week we went to Columbus for what is called new missionary follow up training. It was fun and I got to talk to President Daines and we went to the temple which was really nice. Elder Anderson got a chance to go out and talk to people at OSU campus and hand out copies of the Book of Mormon. Really just a cool experience even though I was inside all day being trained. It's really just trainers follow up training.

I don't know what else to say other than I am happy that we are finally being blessed with new people to teach. It's been touch and go but we have been diligent in finding so we are seeing the benefits from that work. I love being here with Elder Anderson and love serving the lord. I hope that you all have a great week and that you stay safe. I will talk to you again on Monday, love you tons.

Love 

Elder Young

P.S could dad send me some of his seasoning for meats so I can make some good chicken. Please and Thank you!

Bellefontaine Ohio #15

Wow,

Sounds like you all had some really full weeks and I can hardly remember what has happened in my week. They days are really starting to blur together and it makes me feel bad because I can't write an in depth letter. But I am happy that all is well back home with you all and that there is no more sickness.

So this week has been a busy one full of meetings that kind of took up some time. So on Monday its P-day until 6 and then it's dark and everyone in Ohio is asleep. Then on Tuesday we had a district meeting in the morning which is held in the Pique building and that is an hour drive away one way. So a large portion of the morning was gone that day. Then on Wednesday we went with the Rasmussen's to a world wide mission broadcast in Columbus which went from 11 to 4 plus and hour drive there and back. We went early though because the Rasmussen's wanted to take us to a restaurant called Dur Duchman, which was really good. That was all our meetings

Then on Thursday was Weekly Planning which we started at 10 and went to 6. And that was all the long stuff that made it so we couldn't go out and be missionaries. Despite all this though we got a new Investigator named Hunter. He is a cool guy that is a boyfriend of a less actives non member daughter. We tried to teach them both but she was not really wanting to engaged so that's why we didn't have two new investigators. But then drama set in and he was supposed to be kicked out of the less active part members house, he was living there. But we learned last night that he is still there trying to hide from the daughters parents in the daughters bedroom. So ya it didn't last long but made for a good laugh.

That's really the only other lesson we taught to a member the rest were to less active members. Was a good week though and the mission broadcast from salt lake was awesome and relearned so good stuff. Elder Anderson and I are doing good and he is really funny and full of energy. He is adapting really quickly to mission life and I can tell the members like him, because he knows sports a little to well. I like a couple of families here. The Hollands are a really cool couple that are really funny and nice. Then there is the Ruggieri's who are by far the most missionary minded family I have ever met. Brother Ruggieri is a surgeon and served a mission a couple years back and is the one who is the most mission minded. They have 5 kids though that are really loud and crazy and I am so thankful that you taught me respect and how to behave, because those kids don't. Love this branch and the work but this is by far the hardest area I have been in yet. 

Love you all very much and don't worry about my interviews with President Daines because I look forward to them. I know that he only means the best and I really have grown to love and appreciate his service as a Mission President. He can be intimidating at times but he is also socially awkward at times, to smart for his own good. He also got us new phones! We are now with AT&T instead of sprint, thank you President Daines for being a CEO at AT&T. Better service but worse phones.

Love you all very much and hope you have a great week!

Love 

Elder Young

Making Fire :)

Elder Young trying to make fire!

Bellefontaine #14

Hello Family,

Well this last week was very cold and full of long trips all over the zone and good stuff like that. This week we went on exchanges and I went to Sidney with Elder Ledingham who is in our district. It was very cold and then we went to interviews with the President Daines on Thursday. It was a full day thing were they taught us how to do weekly Planning, which was good but it was all review because all you have to do is read preach my gospel and it tells you what to do. Plus this week for training was centered on planning and setting goals so Elder Anderson and I were really burnt out by the end of it all. Interviews were good and I wasn't broken down by him this time which was a big relief, I'm not a bad missionary but he will get you on some small things and will make you feel like the scum of the earth with out really saying much of anything.

Really good week though and we worked hard but didn't meet our goals this week. Don't usually make my goals here because people have there agency and all, makes life harder than it needs to be. Anyway today was a good p-day because we went to the Ohio Caverns which was nice because it was 54 degrees in the cavern. Nicer then the 8 degrees with a -17 wind chill factor. Went with a dry Mormon named Mike Davis who takes us out to eat once a week, he lives in Kenton which is about 17 miles away. Was really cool to see all the crystals and for the warmth.

Our heater has been on the fritz the past couple of days, woke up this morning and it was 60 in the apartment! We are going to to get to the bottom of it all soon so that we can be warm. Anyway hope you are all well back home and stay healthy and don't get sick, take your vitamins that mom gives you. I miss you all very much but not the 10 pills mom gave me every morning 😋. Stay warm! Love y'all.

Elder Young

Bellefontaine #13

Hello Family,

It is now winter in Ohio! We got some snow yesterday and a lot of ice from the rain that morning. This morning was 9 degrees and kind of slick on our way to Huber Heights for our zone activity which was fun. That GPS has been very nice not having to have maps on our iPads that don't seem to be very accurate. We have been getting a round nicely and I have been learning how to drive in bad weather in our Chevy Cruze, and I only slid twice yesterday. Been a lot of fun this week end!

One day during the week we met someone famous when I was on exchanges with the zone leader here in Bellefontaine. It was Louie Vito Sr.  dad who owns the local radio station. Louie Vito Jr. Is a Olympic snowboarder and lives in Utah and was on dancing with the stars. Any way Elder Baldwin who I was on exchanges was geeking out when we were talking to him. Very nice guy and interested in the church slightly so we will see what happens.

On Sunday when it snowed we only had the first hour and then they let us go because of the weather. We got some less actives to come though because we went to their house and made them pancakes and woke up some of the kids. So she came and so did two of her daughters and they got fellowshipped very well. So that was fun that they came and she hasn't been to church in like 6 years so it was a big step for her. 

It was a great week and we have high hopes because we are finding a lot of potentials and we are really starting to focus on the members to help them with missionary work. So we have some high hopes of getting some new investigators. We are looking forward to actually teaching people and seeing them progress. This area has been stagnant for way to long and we need to turn up the heat.

Anyway I'm doing good and I have been enjoying training and getting use to being a district leader. Sorry to hear about the sickness that has been plaguing the family. Hope you all continue to feel better and regain your strength. Love you all and wish you a happy week!

Love

Elder Young

Bellefontaine #12

Hello Family,

What a wonderful week gone here in the semi great state of Ohio! Elder Anderson and I have been working hard and have has some great success and so we have been blessed and seen many blessings. Sorry to here about this plague that has been ravaging the family back home and hope it goes away soon and that mom doesn't get sick. The weather here is starting to turn into winter and it is thinking about snowing today so we will see what happens. Hope that the snow doesn't keep you all cooped up to long. Happy to hear that you had. Great New Years with the family!

So this week we had the great fortune to find two people that said that we could come back and meet with them this week. Very excited about that and hope we get to teach them more than once. Elder Anderson is still adjusting to contacting on door steeps but has been steadily getting better at it. Training is very interesting and I hope I am giving him the knowledge he needs to have a great mission and doesn't have to be retrained to much after I'm done. But he is doing great so that's what is important.

Our new year was good but we did not see very many people. We however went and saw Brian and we taught him the plan of salvation while he taught us how to make a friction fire. It was fun because we widdling wood in his house and talking about the plan of salvation and it was the most engaged he ever has been in a lesson. It was cool and I almost got fire, instead I got bruised hands and a cut finger but it was worth it.

Summer did get baptized on the 2 and it went very well and she was so happy. It was fun to watch her full of energy and happy to achieve her goal of getting baptized. I hope that she continues to grow her testimony and continues to be active in the church long after I leave. She is a good girl and I for see her doing great things in her family. She was baptized and confirmed by her great Grandfather which I thing she was rare experience that few get.

All n all a great week and I have had a great time full filling my purpose as a missionary and to have these faith growing events in my life. I love you very much and miss you and pray for you everyday. Stay healthy and warm! Love ya!

Love Elder Young

P.S thanks for the pics.