Hey Family!
I hope you had a great week, Mine was very very slow.. Elder Hatton, (my baby) fell off his bike and landed on the curb. He broke his wrist and got some pretty gnarly road rash on his face so our mission president and his wife told us to take it easy this week. So we didn't do very much. I just sat in my apartment while he slept and healed. I got a lot of the bible read during that time. I am in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 now. I don't really understand how people can be so backwards on their beliefs and just rely on their pastor or priest and don't know anything themselves. And on top of that their priests and pastors tell them not to listen to us because we are of the devil. Very weird coming from a book that says not to judge and keep your body pure, and be spiritual. "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you?" luke 9:41.
Anyways, if you are going to send me a package, i would like to request my black sunglasses that are the same as my prescription ones.. i need those! its really hot here but i am sure it is worse there. I just hate wearing business clothes in the hot summer heat!
Elder Hatton is getting transferred to Medford to become a Spanish elder, and i am getting a new guy named Elder Young. He came out in December when i was in Salem. So i know who he is.... He always tried to hug me.... but i don't believe in fake affection. If you don't know someone... hugging is not the way to go for me. I shake hands and meet them. I hold hugs up there right before kisses.. and i sure as heck ain't kissing any of these children. so same goes for hugs.
Sorry that last part was me going off on a tangent my bad. I think that is funny Cameron is starting to talk like a hill billy, he would fit in great here! :) hehe
Well, i am sure i will have a lot more to tell you next week since i will actually will be doing some decent work.
but until then! i love you all very much,
-Elder Ballif-
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Set a Baptismal Date
Hey my family,
I enjoyed your emails and i am really glad to hear that no one is talking bad about me. I had to pay a lot of money in order for that to happen. ;) I like that you guys got to witness some Mcdonaldness. I know that one of the reasons i was sent to this mission in particular was because God needed me to be influenced by them, they are awesome people and i have come to love them for sure!
That is cool that you saw Elder Bruton, he was a very good missionary, he definitely magnified his calling in all things. And he was with me not long ago at all.... I just hope he didn't tell you how much weight i have gained.. lets just say i need to go running when i get home for a while. I am only 215 but i definitely would like to be more toned. I need to get a wife!
Anyways, thank you for getting those letters to those that i wrote to. And it is fine that you read them.. I actually thought you would. But anyways, my baby and I are doing pretty good. I started Meditating this last week, which really helps me focus and concentrate and even it calms me when i get angry. So i don't care what people think of that.. of course i had to shave my head bald and i wear a robe now, but its worth it :)
Well, not much has changed.. we are still trying to help some people quit smoking and we actually set a baptismal date with a guy named Ed. So that is exciting.
Well i will probably email you guys a bigger email next week. But you have a fantastic time without me!
love, Elder Ballif
I enjoyed your emails and i am really glad to hear that no one is talking bad about me. I had to pay a lot of money in order for that to happen. ;) I like that you guys got to witness some Mcdonaldness. I know that one of the reasons i was sent to this mission in particular was because God needed me to be influenced by them, they are awesome people and i have come to love them for sure!
That is cool that you saw Elder Bruton, he was a very good missionary, he definitely magnified his calling in all things. And he was with me not long ago at all.... I just hope he didn't tell you how much weight i have gained.. lets just say i need to go running when i get home for a while. I am only 215 but i definitely would like to be more toned. I need to get a wife!
Anyways, thank you for getting those letters to those that i wrote to. And it is fine that you read them.. I actually thought you would. But anyways, my baby and I are doing pretty good. I started Meditating this last week, which really helps me focus and concentrate and even it calms me when i get angry. So i don't care what people think of that.. of course i had to shave my head bald and i wear a robe now, but its worth it :)
Well, not much has changed.. we are still trying to help some people quit smoking and we actually set a baptismal date with a guy named Ed. So that is exciting.
Well i will probably email you guys a bigger email next week. But you have a fantastic time without me!
love, Elder Ballif
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Met with New Mission President
Hey Family, Sorry I am a day late.... we had a very busy day yesterday with Interviews with our new mission president. That went well by the way.. President Young told me that i was doing a good job training Elder Hatton, and that he would want me to train again. I am NOT too excited about that. I personally would much rather prefer to become leadership, but i just don't want to openly tell them that... I told Sister Young that we were doing a good job but i would rather not train, then i went and saw President Young, and he told me that i would be probably training again. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This makes me not very happy. :) Oh well, hopefully God will let me train and be district leader next time. Anyways...
I hope you guys are doing wonderful and having fun without me, i just wish i could hear from everyone a little more often. I feel like I only hear from 3 of you and including my brothers in law we have 8, if these were home teaching results this would not do. I would love it if i heard from everyone. and i would even consider writing letters to specific people during the week.
We just committed a less active member to quit smoking last night, and her son who has been chewing tobacco since he was 16 (he is 27) told her that he would quit if she would quit! And now we will be going over and helping her every day for the next week to help her (inspire her) to stop.
President and Sister Young are pretty cool. They are pretty funny and they have good ideas to help move the work of the mission further. President Mcdonald was a lot more of Spirit of the law, and the Young's are a lot more Letter of the law. (whatever the white handbook says)... They are tightening up the ship a bit. I prefer the way President Mcdonald was, in the way he runs things but i guess i will have to learn to go with the latter way as well.
I hope that you guys are reading your scriptures every day. And praying every morning and night. If you are not... Its gonna be that much harder for you to feel the spirit every day. Which can help you make decisions every day that can help you be happier. I have now started to try and stop everything in my life that would stop me from feeling the spirit as strongly as i can every day. I love it, it feels super good to have that burning feeling.
I am getting used to putting my contacts in now, its still a little hard because my eyes are teeny tiny.. thanks for those genetics mom. But instead of 15 minutes it used to take me to put them in, it only takes me about 3 minutes.. So theirs progress! I am currently reading the New Testament and Book of Mormon at the same time.. In the NT i am almost done with St. Luke, and with the BOM i am on Mosiah Chapter 2 one of my favorite parts!! I really like the book of Enos. But 2 Nephi 26-33 are still my favorite so far.
Well... i love you guys and i pray for your success and safety. Now just go out there and be somebody!
Love,
Elder "Alma" Ballif
I hope you guys are doing wonderful and having fun without me, i just wish i could hear from everyone a little more often. I feel like I only hear from 3 of you and including my brothers in law we have 8, if these were home teaching results this would not do. I would love it if i heard from everyone. and i would even consider writing letters to specific people during the week.
We just committed a less active member to quit smoking last night, and her son who has been chewing tobacco since he was 16 (he is 27) told her that he would quit if she would quit! And now we will be going over and helping her every day for the next week to help her (inspire her) to stop.
President and Sister Young are pretty cool. They are pretty funny and they have good ideas to help move the work of the mission further. President Mcdonald was a lot more of Spirit of the law, and the Young's are a lot more Letter of the law. (whatever the white handbook says)... They are tightening up the ship a bit. I prefer the way President Mcdonald was, in the way he runs things but i guess i will have to learn to go with the latter way as well.
I hope that you guys are reading your scriptures every day. And praying every morning and night. If you are not... Its gonna be that much harder for you to feel the spirit every day. Which can help you make decisions every day that can help you be happier. I have now started to try and stop everything in my life that would stop me from feeling the spirit as strongly as i can every day. I love it, it feels super good to have that burning feeling.
I am getting used to putting my contacts in now, its still a little hard because my eyes are teeny tiny.. thanks for those genetics mom. But instead of 15 minutes it used to take me to put them in, it only takes me about 3 minutes.. So theirs progress! I am currently reading the New Testament and Book of Mormon at the same time.. In the NT i am almost done with St. Luke, and with the BOM i am on Mosiah Chapter 2 one of my favorite parts!! I really like the book of Enos. But 2 Nephi 26-33 are still my favorite so far.
Well... i love you guys and i pray for your success and safety. Now just go out there and be somebody!
Love,
Elder "Alma" Ballif
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 4th
My loving family,
I hope and pray that you guys are having a good time without me, i know it must be pretty hard considering how wonderful I am.. But lucky for you guys you only have to wait another 367 days for me to return. ; )
Thats awesome that you guys could have another awesome get together! i remember how much i loved those. i probably miss those the most. ;)
Me and my baby have had a good week yesterday we played some good hard nosed basketball and then we went and had a long dinner and little party with one of the member families in our ward. They are pretty awesome.
We have been trying to get these newbs to quit smoking and change their lives but its funny how much people here don't have a sense of responsibility or work ethic. I am gonna have to whip them into the real world! :) anyways i hope the fireworks were wondrous.
And i hope you have a wonderful week!!!
love, Elder Ballif
I hope and pray that you guys are having a good time without me, i know it must be pretty hard considering how wonderful I am.. But lucky for you guys you only have to wait another 367 days for me to return. ; )
Thats awesome that you guys could have another awesome get together! i remember how much i loved those. i probably miss those the most. ;)
Me and my baby have had a good week yesterday we played some good hard nosed basketball and then we went and had a long dinner and little party with one of the member families in our ward. They are pretty awesome.
We have been trying to get these newbs to quit smoking and change their lives but its funny how much people here don't have a sense of responsibility or work ethic. I am gonna have to whip them into the real world! :) anyways i hope the fireworks were wondrous.
And i hope you have a wonderful week!!!
love, Elder Ballif
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