USS Midway

Crazy First Week In Sweetwater

This week has been sweet!!! I got transferred to Sweetwater Ward which is pretty cool because that's the ward that Peter moved to and got baptized in so I'm in the same ward with Peter Again! My new Companion is Elder Arney and he is from Oklahoma. We actually served in the San Diego Zone together so we already pretty much know each other. He is a complete opposite of me. He grew up in a town with 130 people and is a total country guy. It's all good. We get along really well.

So after transfer meeting on Wednesday we put all my stuff in our itty bitty Corolla and we sit down and Elder Arney turns to me and goes "oh yeah you are speaking on Sunday" and I was like sweet haha. But the whole ward knows me now and they are surprisingly saying LaRochelle a lot better than in the San Diego ward. One lady on the last day in San Diego ward called me Elder Laroch haha.

All packed and ready to go!

So Saturday morning when we wake up, Elder Arney gets up and and he has this HUGE bump on the side of his face like the size of a quarter. By the end of the day its like doubled in size so we go over to some members' house and the lady is a retired nurse. She pokes it with a needle and nothing happens so she told us to go to a hospital. So we call President and his wife because Sister Schmitt is an ER Doctor.  They don't answer so we go to the mission home anyway. We get there and knock on the door and Clay, President Schmitt's youngest  son opens the blinds but doesn't see us so he shuts them really quick. Then Tyler, the second oldest son opens the blinds and still doesn't see us so they turn off all the lights except one. I can see them all in the room and the oldest son David had a baseball bat so I wave to them and then David goes "Guys it's just the Elders!" haha. So they turn all the lights on and Tyler and Clay answer the door and are all like "whats up?" Elder Arney is like "did he have a baseball bat?" They were like yeah but he was just waving it around. He wasn't scared or anything haha. They tell us that their parents aren't home so we left and President and Sister Schmitt come to our apartment to check out the bump thing growing on his face.

Yesterday we were getting ready to leave and a lady texts us (we are teaching her and her kids) and tells us to come over as soon as possible. We hurry over and walk in the living room and she is there with her son and mom and they told us that house has a demon in it and that it's opening and closing doors and and turning radios on and stuff. Right after she tells us about this stuff Brother F from the ward stops by to cut her grass. We tell him what's going on and then we tell them that they should just pray for the demons to leave. They do, but then her mom pulls out some sage and a sea shell and lights it on fire and tells us to wave it around the house because the demons don't like the smell of sage. And all of us are like thinking this is little ridiculous but then Brother F was like "yeah, lets go get this demon" HAHA XD. So we're walking around the house and Brother F was like "it's OK, I told them to leave" haha XD It was so funny haha XD.

Oh yeah, last Tuesday me and Elder Fraughton got free tickets to the USS Midway!!!! It was pretty sweet!!

 

 

Love you. The church is true!

 

Elder LaRochelle

 

Note from Elder L's Dad: We'll try to find out what happened with the lump on Elder Arney's face. He sort of left us hangin'.

Sweetwater

Found out Chris is now assigned to the Sweetwater Ward in the Sweetwater Stake.  

 

     Link to map here.

 

Looks he didn't go too far. Still in San Diego County, I think.

Missionaries @ Zoo

Zoo & Transfers

This week was pretty amazing! I just found out that I'm going to get transferred! So I'll find out tomorrow where I'm going and who with! This past 6 months have gone by sooo quick! tomorrow I'll go to my second area with my 3rd companion!

 Last P-Day our whole zone went to the zoo! it was a lot of fun! Our district was super close and we had a good time. It was Elder Yates last P-Day! He went home this morning! Pretty Crazy!

After the zoo I went on exchanges with Elder Smith! He came to 1st ward and we had a really good day!! He is a really good missionary and he came out the same time as Elder Nielsen!

Then on Friday I went on Exchanges with Elder Harrison! He is actually out of my district but his companion went home for medical issues so he was with the zone leaders and then went on exchanges with me!! He is such a great missionary and he is sooooo funny!!! We had a blast on exchanges even though the day kinda sucked and no one wanted to meet with us. Elder Harrison came out the same time that Elder Fraughton did.

Saturday was pretty slow but we did service for the Crandall-Jennings! Their daughter comes home for her mission today so we helped them clean the house a little and helped clean her car. She really appreciated it. 

Sunday was really good! Kind of a funny story. So we were helping pass the sacrament and two guys from the Ward were blessing. The guy blessing the water kept messing up and the other Brother  kept telling him that he messed up, which isn't funny, but then he yelled at him in the microphone to stop correcting him.

Yesterday we did service for the city and president and his family came. It was pretty sweet! Me and Elder Fraughton were in the back of a big truck putting branches and stuff in it.

I'm pretty excited for transfers. I have loved being in San Diego 1st ward but I'm ready to get in my 2nd area with my 3rd companion! I hope you all are doing well. I miss and love you all!

 

Elder LaRochelle

 

Animals @ Zoo

Randomness

A Few Photos

Baptism And A New Car!!!

This week has been crazy stressful! But so good!

Wednesday we had zone meeting and Sister Kennedy and Sister Baker taught and they did an amazing job. They made cookies and everything haha!!

On Thursday we met with Chris and finished planning his baptism! It was pretty hard finding him a suit because he's a big dude haha.

On Friday we did service for a park and we went into a canyon and destroyed these bike trails that these people have been making. It was pretty weird to destroy trails but the people have been making them in land that is for wildlife.

Saturday was amazing and stressful!! We ended up getting another companionship car because one of them went home during the transfer and so the other missionary went with the zone leaders so we gave our car to 4th ward and now we have a Chevy Cruz which is much better then our Corolla!

After we exchanged cars we went and prepared for our baptism! We set up some chairs in the room with the font. It only had like 45 chairs in it and we ended up having to move into the chapel because so many people showed up! It was crazy. Our mission president and his wife taught at his baptism and at the end of his baptism Chris bore his testimony. He started crying because he couldn't believe how many people were there to support him.

 

On Sunday Chris was supposed to be confirmed a member and get the gift of the Holy Ghost in sacrament meeting. When it was time for it to happen he wasn't there. Everyone was like freaking out (mostly me haha) because Chris has only missed church 2 times in the past 2 years that he has been investigating the church! Right before we started the sacrament he walks in like soaking wet because it was raining and he drives a motorcycle. After the sacrament we confirmed him and it all worked out. Elder Fraughton and I spoke in sacrament meeting too which was pretty cool. The members seem pretty excited and want to support us!

Well that's it for this week!!!! This could be my last week in SD 1st ward because I'm probably getting transferred haha.

Love
Elder LaRochelle

Project Pie!

Pizza.

Banana & Nutella. Pizza?

A New Year!

-- From Tuesday 1/6

 

Soo this week was kinda lame! We are still having a hard time meeting with everyone because everyone was still busy with the holidays and stuff.

After Emailing Last week our investigator Janette called us and told us some people from her old church came by and told her not to come to our church. Now she is super confused and stressed out and has decided not to go to any church :/ Super sad because she was making so much progress and she had a baptism date and she was talking about becoming a missionary. Then some people from her old church come over. One reason might be that they are getting a new pastor and they want lots of people there for when he gets there.

On New Years Eve we had to be in by 6pm because of all the drunk people and parties and stuff ha ha. It was kinda lame but its all good. We were in by 6 and in bed by 10:30 ha ha. Needless to say we partied hard ha ha. 

 

We also met with Chris and planned out his baptism and he asked me to baptize him! I'm super excited!! This baptism is going to be sweet!!! Our mission president and his wife are going to teach the restoration at his baptism. The whole ward is just super excited so hopefully we have a good turn out!

On Thursday we met with Sara and Josh! She is a member but less active and her boyfriend is a nonmember and is super cool!!! He wants to learn more and they want to get married in the temple. She wants to come to church but she cant drive so its kinda hard. But we told them that we wanted to go to the zoo and they want to come with us which will be sweet! 

 

After that we went to Sarah and Rafael's! Sarah is a recent convert and just got married to Rafael! He is learning more about the church and loves it!! They are both super cool and he is getting baptized on march 7 which is when she got baptized last year! So that's pretty cool! 

On Friday I was on exchanges with elder Salmond! He came to 1st ward and we had a blast. We went Project Pie for lunch. It's like a Chipotle with pizza and it's super good!! Me and Elder Salmond are getting along a lot better then we were in the MTC which is good. I cant believe we have been friends for 5 months already. One of is probably getting transferred though since at the end of this transfer it will be 6 months.

 

Elder Salmond looks a little grumpy. Not sure why.

Yesterday I had anotherinterview with President Schmitt!! it was great! It went a lot better then my previous 2 interviews haha. I was pretty nervous but this time it seemed a little more laid back and we talked a little more and we are becoming better acquainted! He bore his testimony to me on the Atonement and it was so powerful. I know he has been called by God to lead this mission!

Well I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! President talked about our goals with us and he told us to write them down because if we dont write them down they are just wishes not goals! Thats something me and Elder Fraughton have been sharing with members! Also how we should tell our Heavenly Father about our goals so they have more meaning behind them.

Love, 

Elder Chris LaRochelle