19 September 2016

So this week was pretty awesome. On Tuesday we got a phone call from a less active member, and she told us she had a friend over who wants to hear the gospel. So we get over there and the first thing that happens when we walk up is we hear the husband of the less active yelling and swearing at the son who lives there. And the son yelling and swearing back. So it was a weird start to things and we thought, "there's no way the spirit is going to be here."  But we get in there and things calm down.  We start talking and the first thing she says is she doesn't know how to pray and that she's really embarrassed about that.  But guess what the main focus throughout the whole mission was? It was prayer! It was crazy, I know how to teach prayer, but if we hadn't been focusing on it lately we would not have thought it so well. So after that we started teaching the restoration and half way through she and the less active said I think we are ready to take the next step. So we asked if she was ready and willing to change, and she said yes, I want to be baptized! So we set a goal for October 15! I'm so excited! She seems so sweet and sincere.  I really hope it all works out smoothly.

Things at home seem to be stressful, but I'm glad you're finding the blessing in things. I don't like cheesy

things, but the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is 100% true. I don't think these problems are going to kill you. You'll be good mum.  One Elder who is home now told me to write a blessing or a miracle in your journal every night. I haven't been very good at that, but I'll try to be better because it seems like you are trying to be better finding blessings.

(Emma was in a car accident in the van.  She was T-boned and the van was knocked over onto its passenger side. It was a blessing that she was not hurt more than a bump on the head.  But the van was totaled)  

That would have be terrible if they had just junked the van without you letting them know. It makes me sad that the car is totaled, but I'm glad we got enough money out of it, that's a huge blessing. And that will be exciting to have a Camry and a Corolla. It's also very good to hear that Emma is going to start paying for the Corolla. That will be good for her and you. And the washing machine broke too??  Do we know what's wrong with the washer? Do you have to go to the laundromat or something for now? We don't have a washer at our place but we go to the Dry Creek Ward's apartment and they have a massive one.  I can do all my whites in one load! Which is saying something. Haha. I've been trying not to spend as much as I have been. Please don't feel the need to keep filling my card when I spend the money too quickly. I should be able to manage my money better anyway. And with the smaller car you said it would be a little bit cheaper? That's awesome. Maybe that's why the accident happened? In the end do you think it will help us have a little bit more money? This is a quote I use literally every day out here, it's in 2 Nephi 2:2 "he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy good."

Again another cheesy kinda pick me up, but I hope that helps. Each week we have a prayer roll so I put you and Emma's name on it. And of course I am praying for you guys. I miss you mum and I'm glad that you are finding all these blessings.

That's a very cute story about Riley and the missionary in primary.  He kept staring at him?  haha! He's a good boy going to church! I miss him. I was playing with a 5 year old the other day thinking "is this what it's going to be like when I get home?" It makes me sad I'm missing all these adorable moments. 

Grandpa and Nana look great in the picture. And that's fun that he got to see his brother and sister in law. That's a little bit scary that he lost so much weight from removing the fluid from his stomach! That's crazy how much they weighed I guess.

As far as the things I'm doing as a zone leader, it's honestly not too much different.  We do have one extra meeting every third Sunday called Stake missionary correlation meeting. So it's us, the stake presidency, and President Marston. It is supposed to be a meeting about the missionary work in the stake, but a lot of time it ends up being the stake presidency scolding us for not baptizing more people and then President Marston defending us and assuring the stake presidency that we are good missionaries and we are doing our best.  Then the stake presidency saying, ok we believe you. Haha, yeah it's brutal sometimes. But we really have nothing to worry about. We know we are working our hardest and so does President, even though it may not show in the numbers a lot of times.

I love and miss you guys.

-Elder Yule

Seminary

We got to go to a seminary class and do some practice teaching.  We were paired up with students as our companions.  And we helped them answer questions that they have been asked, and questions they had about the church.  It was so fun!  But we had to wake up at 5:00 a.m., which was brutal.  I don't know how anyone does early morning seminary!  

A Funny Story

This is all of us - Elder Stoddard, Elder Lamattina and I- the night we dropped Lamattina off.  the reason why we're laughing so hard is because we were a bit early to drop him off.  So we just pulled in a random parking lot and, you know, we needed a picture together before he left.  So we're taking the picture and then we look up and there are a bunch of people walking out of the building where we were parked.  It was a Catholic Church!  So we were trying to hurry and take a picture before these Catholic people see three Mormon missionaries taking selfies in their parking lot!

5 September 2016

Your Labor Day weekend in St. George sounds awesome! I miss Saint George and swimming haha! 

I did pick up the ukulele out here. I bought a little one at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Redding when I was volunteering there.  It didn't have a nut so I made a makeshift one out of a pencil. So it doesn't sound amazing but it's my baby, haha. Then President Marston kind of cracked down on no instruments, so I put it away in my closet and haven't played it. The little knowledge I have of the guitar made the ukulele a piece of cake.

So here's a quick run down of my week, we had MLC or Missionary Leadership Council. All the zone leaders get together and talk about numbers and what not.  That was awesome. I got to see a ton of my buddies from past zones and stuff. It was really cool. It is held in Gridley, which is about and hour and a half drive from Antelope. So the Citrus Heights, Roseville, and Lincoln zone leaders all drove up with us. As the Antelope zone leaders we are in charge of the mission van. This big white van that we take other missionaries around in. Really we mainly use it for MLC. So all those zone leaders get in and  Elder Stoddard and I have the responsibility to drive. Well he drove last time so I got to drive this big van an hour and a half up and back. It was so fun! We call it the party bus, haha. 

Another important think that happened this week was a missionary in our zone was going home due to medical reasons.  So what does President Marston do with his lone companion? He give him to us. So again I am in a trio with 2 companions. We have to cover his Ward too for 2 weeks, which is when the transfer ends. The Dry Creek
Ward is really pretty, so it's okay. Elder Ball is a good kid and I'm glad he's with us. Those are the main things that happened this week. I'll write more later. 

I love you mum. I am truly sorry I always said I was embarrassed of our house. Our house sounds like absolute
heaven on earth right now. I love and miss you guys.

                                                   If you drive it, you get to take a picture on the hood.

28 August 2016

Hello mum, this week was good. There were some crazy moments this week. Just mentally I felt incredibly low. There were just little periods of depression. We had zone conference.  Because I'm a zone leader in the hosting zone I had to conduct the meeting. Which wasn't too bad. I got to see some of my old companions, Elder Phelps and Elder Bean, who are actually now companions. So we talked all the time about the good old days. Haha. They've told me when one of them does something they learned from me they say "Thats a Yule thing!" Haha.  I love those guys! Also in this zone conference the Antelope Zone had to do a musical number, so we decided we'd sing "We'll Bring the World his Truth (Army of Helaman)".   I borrowed a member's ukulele and I played the song while we sang it. It was awesome! I was really nervous to play in front of all those missionaries, but it went great! And it was really fun. The main focus of the zone conference was obedience. That's where those depressed periods came from I think. Not that I have been disobedient, but I can always do better and I just got really down that I haven't been doing better. Other than that it was a great week.

(So we thought it was pretty funny that Calum played the ukulele for the zone conference, because he doesn't play the ukulele!!!!  At least he didn't when he left.)