February 14, 2011

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Well another week has rapidly come and gone and here I am now again writing my family back home in good old UTAH!!! It has been a good week, full of some really cool experiences and learning. Me and my comp continue to get along and to work hard. The area is still a little hard but I'm not letting that get me down, we just work and do are best and hope for the best. I feel happy, I feel good and I love being a missionary.

So we have been working with this one family that is really cool, their name is family Losano we haven't had any problems with them in the aspect of teaching, they accept all that we teach and love the doctrine, they asked us on our 4th visit to their house if they could be baptized and when could they be baptized. That doesn't happen a lot, and it was really cool... but there is just one little minor problem....they not married and the dad is married to someone else, but they have been separated for 30 years. So in this month we will be getting this man divorced from his ex-wife and then getting them married so they can get baptized but I don't think I'll be here to see them baptized!!! These kind of things take forever!

So I bought the camera this week, it is a Kodak, it's really nice. Thanks mom for talking to my friends, I hope they write.

Well that's all I got, kinda short but that's all I really have to tell you guys. I love you all!!!

Love, Elder Paulson

February 7, 2011

Alright Familia how's it going?

So this is a new week and new weeks bring new experiences. We just had changes this last week and I received a new comp! I had to say goodbye to my "son" which was kind of sad, but I like getting new comps, it's always a fun experience. My new comp is from Panama from a little pueblo called Chitré, his name is Elder Solis, he's really cool, kinda of crazy but I like that, he's always smiling!!! and we are always joking around, but we have a really good connection and in this half week we have been together I have had some of the best lessons in my whole mission! He's really small I think the smallest of all my comps I have had. His suit case is about as big as he is. I'm really excited to be working with him.

This has been kind of a slow week for the work not that things are not going good, just that I have been helping my comp get to know the area and the members. But we have had some success, we were able to but a baptismal date this week and we have another one that is super ready. So I'm sure as he gets in the rutin of things we well be lighting fires around here. Recently we have been working in this area called Mateo and we have been having a lot of success, it's about a 45 minute bus ride from our area, it's a little pueblo but it's really nice it's up in the moutains and has all these pine trees and rivers, I love it....I miss the mountains and the snow. But not much more time I guess, it's really crazy how fast time is going by. I have mixed feeling about it, one part I'm happy because I will get to see all you guys again and my friends, but there is no other time in my life that will be like this! Not even if i got called to be a member of the seventy or an apostle. These 2 years will be the only of there kind in my whole life! But I can't make time go backwards so I'm just working as hard as I can and doing the best I can to not have any regrets.

Mom I need you to help me with something, I have sent some letters to a few people and I want to know if they have gotten them, and if they have I need you tell them for me that I am waiting for them to write back.....so here are the people:

1. Beca Brown

2. Meera Worsley

3. Amanda Jolley

4. Fab (katlin Fabrisio)

And i have just sent some more to Austin and Emi and Scott Higbee. I have sent the one for Scott to your house so be looking for that one.

Well I love you guys, I hope all is well, thanks for writing me Amelia, if i makes you feel better you don't look 30. So be happy,your only old if you think your old! Well I love you all. ADIOS

Love, Elder Paulson

January 31, 2011

Hello family,

Well sounds like you guys have been having a good time this weekend with the whole fam damily. It all sounds like it's going good back home! I don't know why Uncle Hal and Aunt Pam are worried about the Gparents..... I'm pretty sure they are going to make it to the second coming!!!! I'm pretty sure grandpa is one of the 3 Nephites. Yes, the knife I lost was the sheath knife.

So we did have our baptism this weekend and it was AWESOME!!! This family is so cool. they have been some of my best converts, they came to church the sunday after their baptism looking like they had been members their whole lives!!! The only thing was when we were confirming the sister, in the middle of the confirmation she raised her arms up, like they do in those holy roller churches!!!! I had to kinda not laugh, but I was so happy to see them get baptized, this Tuesday we are going to teach them about temples and get them preparing for the temple so they can go one year from now when they are getting the temple done here!!!

Alright so this is the week of transfers, we got our new assignments last night. I'm staying in the area and my "Son" is going. I'm getting a missionary from Panama. I don't know who he is, but I ave heard he is really cool. He's got like 10 month I think???? But not sure, but I really am excited to get a new comp, it's always a new experience that I like.

So the work in the area is getting a lot better, it keeps getting better everyday!! We have started working in this little pueblo that's part of our area called Mateo. We have been having some good success in that area! We have found some new families and they are really positive, but we have run into some problems that might make their progression a lot harder, the dad is married to one lady but is living with another and they are not divorced. But we are working on it and will see what we can do!

Mom I like the painting my room idea, but what color are you thinking???? It's got to be a cool color, not like some kind of plain white. But ya I like the idea. So just let me know what color you're thinking.

Well I think that's all I got. I cant think of anything else to say!!! I'm sending that package with that guy this week so he should be getting ahold of you sometime soon. Well I love you all and thanks for everything! and for all your support. TE AMO MUCHO!!!

Love, Elder Paulson

January 24, 2011

Hey fam!!!!

Alright, well I really have to say that this has been an awesome week! We have really put are hands to the plow and just gone to work!! We have had a lot of success and there's a lot more on the horizon!!! We have started to work a lot more in other parts of our area and are finding a lot more success! So the family that we are working with there name is Family Queroz, their baptismal date is for this weekend so I will let you guys know how that goes they are so awesome and so prepared for this gospel, they just keep making me happy!They live in a apartment building and the lady that lives below them, she's always telling them how true our church is and that she needs to start coming to our church AND SHE HASN'T EVEN BEEN BAPTIZED!!! I love this gospel.

Alright so I'm going to be sending a package home soon. But I'm sending it with this member that's from Utah, that has been here with his wife, she is from here, so I'm going to give him your directions and your number so he can get it to you! and I'll get his number and send it to you! So be looking for that.

Well I'm really out of time, I'm actually over sorry it was kinda short. I love you all so much.

te amo mucho

Love, Elder Paulson

January 17, 2011

Hello family

Okay, well I want to thank you mom and dad for your encouraging words, they really did help thank you. Well I'm not going to lie, this week was about the same as last week, numbers wise but I'm looking at it with a new perspective. I'm letting this kinda of stuff get me down. I have always tried to look at the problems of life with a smile, and I don't know why that's going to stop now? Well it's not! This is the work of the lord and he is with us!

I really have been studying a lot about the the law of consecration and what it really means. Well I have learned that its not just the complete surrender of our worldly possessions but also all your heart, all your might, mind, and strength. I have a really powerful talk by Elder Maxwell from one of the 2002 general conferences where he talked about this same subject. He says it a process that is like a path of stepping stones, meant to be taken one at a time and that the surrender of ourselves is also a victory won, being that our minds will then be able to be stretched to his understanding. So I have made it the goal that in this last 7 months of my mission nothing is going to get me down!!!! Nothing!!!! There's too little time for that, and what ever happens I will keep my hand to the plow not looking back. This is probably the only time in my life that I will hold this same calling that I have the same that Elder Ballard holds or and other members of the 12 or the 70 so I have to make it the best.

Okay so the conference with Elder Ballard was amazing!!! He just kind of talked to us, it was really cool, he also talked a lot about faith!!! It was so cool to hear an apostle talk about faith, he shared a story about when he was in Jerusalem and had just visited the Sea of Galilee with the director of the BYU center there, and on their way back they stopped on the side of the road and the director went out and picked some mustard seeds off a tree and brought them back to Elder Ballard, he said they were so tiny, and the tree they came from was huge and he said he asked himself, how much does he really have? It really was just an awesome experience to hear him talk also Elder Jay E. Jensen was there and Elder Clark they all gave really good talks also and there wives.

Well we have one family we are working with right now that's really positive, they accepted a baptismal date for the 29th so we are really happy about that.

Also that's really cool that Andrew is going to be playing rugby, I can't wait to get back and start, thanks dad for those tips I'll start with those and see what I can come up with. Mom send me some pics of Clare's wedding and tell her congrats and give her a hug for me. Well that's all I have. I love you all, thanks for everything. TE AMO MUCHO

Love , Elder Paulson

January 10, 2011

Hello family

Well another week has come and gone, time seems to just disappear sometimes. this really has been a down week for us, I don't know what we are doing wrong or what we need to do more better, we try everyday to be better missionaries. I just hope this new week will bring lots of new investigators and new spirits.

So I'm still working on getting some pants, I called the lady and she said she won't have any material until February because of the big Christmas sales and all the demand they had in December, but there is a store here where I can get a good pair of pants for pretty cheap, like 300.00 limps. Thanks for all your help with that it's just hard here because when things start to fall apart it happens really fast.

So this is the week that we will get to see and listen to Elder Ballard. I just thinks it´s kinda funny how as missionaries we our enthusiasium raises to the level of someone going to a rock concert, to go listen to some old guy talk about the gospel. I love being a missionary!!! I just wonder if we should be excited or worried for what he's going to talk about, in the sense that he might chew us out. But I'm still stoked ether way.

So mom last week you asked about what book I was reading, sorry I didn't respond. Right now I'm reading Jesus the Christ again, and I'm stil learning a bunch, I invite you guys to read that book, it might be hard to understand but you will gane a much greater appreciation for our Savior Jesus Christ. well I would like to give you guys just a little update on what's going on with our investigators. Right now we have 3 families we are teaching, they all 3 are really postive and progressing, but also have a lot of problems, and are really working hard to keep them progressing but we don't have a lot of support from the members, and that's the second most important thing in missionary work, right behind the spirit, I just want to make a side note and invite you guys to help in whatever way you can with the missionaries. Dad I don't know how it is in the stake but maybe you could sign up to go working with them, I don't know but just find ways to help them they need it.

Just one last thing I would really like a copy of your patriartical blessings mom and dad and if it's okay with Miller hers too thanks.

Well I love you guys thanks for everything I love you all!!!

Love your son, Elder Paulson

January 6, 2011

HOLA MI FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!!!!

Well we made it through the holiday without a glitch, thankfully! But i guess you can credit that to the fact that we were inside by 8:00 and in bed by 10:30. I know how many times I was in bed by 10:30 when I was home???? Not very many. But we did have a good time, we went and had dinner with some members and all that good stuff so it was good.

So this week was really slowwwwww..... we didn't have a lot of success but we did have some, we have two families we are teaching that are really awesome, they both are progessing and are really obtaining a testimony of the gospel. I don't know if you guys remember me telling you about Francisco, well if you do we are not teaching him anymore, it was really hard for me, but he just told us one day that he is a JW (Jehovah's Witness) and doesn't accept the church. I was really bummed out, I had really built a good relationship with that guy, but we still are teaching his sisters and there families and they look really positive.

I am glad you all had a really good holiday weekend. Mom that cake looked awesome, you really should start doing more of that, you are really good at it, you and Miller. Dad I'm excited to hear about rugby and what's going on so keep me updated. I'm really excited to get going in that when I get back. Tell max congrats on the win and give Addison big hug from me when you see him!!!

So it's a sure fact that my camera got stolen!!!! I don't know what I'm going to do about that. I'm going to try to buy the pants this week. Well that's all I got, I guess really still the same old stuff, but thank you guys for everything and all your love, I feel it all the way here in Honduras. I love you all.

Love, Elder Paulson

December 27, 2010

FELIZ NAVIDAD (2 days ago)

Well first and for most it was excellent to talk with you guys, it's just really weird talking in English. You all sounded great and I loved hearing your voices. Mom thanks for the pics, just one thing..... what have you done to yourself you're so Skinyyyy............I don't know if i can accept that????.... Just kidding, but really that's really the first picture I have seen of you like that, I don't think I will be able to give you any of those big heavy hugs when I get back. i might break you, but you all looked like you were having fun.

So we had our baptism on Christmas it was really cool, really no one from the ward showed up, I don't know why, just the young women's president and the other missionaries but other than that no one. But it still was a really good baptismal service, the girl we baptized has had a really hard year, her mom died a little bit ago. She has really cried a lot since we started teaching her but i think the gospel has brought a lot of peace into her life. We're going to go visit there tonight and talk about the plan of salvation more.

I hope that you guys were able to do the Christmas stocking to Christ this year, I did one this year and I really thought a lot about what it could be, and I decided on a couple of things, like read the whole standard works of the church including Preach my Gospel and Jesus the Christ which I have started and a few other things.

So about the pants, I think they are 400 limperas i dont really know what the conversion is but I'm sure you could find it. But I don't know now what's more important, because I'm pretty sure my camera just got stolen here while I have been here writing to you.

Well I love you guys, thanks for everything. Hope all is well. TE AMO MUCHO!!!!!

Elder Paulson