September 23, 2013

Well Like i said before i went to the temple and it was amazing i love the temple so much i attached a photo of me and my zone at the temple.

Well the next few days we taught some great lessons and finally set a baptismal date with an investigator we have been teaching for a while for nov. 9th it was great.

Also something really great was a while ago i was teaching a girl a lot i taught her for a long time her name was jessica she was jewish and then she moved so i lost contact with her for about 3 weeks but low and behold she called me and said she was getting baptized! and that she wanted me to confirm her a member and to recieve the holy ghost so i got to see that happen and had a baptism it was a miracle and just so awesome truly a blessing from heaven. 

Also transfer calls were this week so transfers are this coming wednesday! Elder Lord got Transferred out of the area he is going to sanger to be with a different Elder so i am still in Academy YSA and i my new companion is Elder Oldham so we will be together and it is going to be awesome i am really excited oh yea and i guess i should tell you also I was called by President to be a Zone Leader so yeah it is crazy but going to be so great! I love you all and i love this work so much this is the truth and i am grateful for you to raise me in it. My testimony has grown so much! 

Elder Moss

September 18, 2013 (Wednesday - A Couple of days late)

We don't know why he is writing on Wednesday instead of Monday, didn't get a chance to ask.  Tamara and Brayden talked to Davey.

Tamara:
hey mom and dad!

Oh my, you are on. (this is mom)

i am on! ha

How are you?  I've been worried about you.  Are you healthy, in good spirit?

yup i am!

You are emailing at a fun time for Brayden cause he just got home from school.  He is excited about having a football game today.  Dad and I will get to watch him for about half of the game and then we are going to Chase's induction to the National Honor Society.  Brayden is a little bummed that we won't see his whole game but I told him sometimes dad and I have to support Chase too.\

I love the picture you sent of the vineyard.  Did you and Elder Lord get to do some service at it?

ya we do service for them and it has been really good i am sending the weekly letter now

We have had an ant infestation here at home.  Dad has been trying to kill them. He will kill them then the next we know they are back - darn ants.

What have you been doing these last two weeks?

ha that is awesome sounds like the family has been doing a lot!

I can't wait for your letter.  Did you get the pictures (Homecoming, ect.) and email I sent you?

ya i did i loved it well i hope shy is doing well and you all are! love you!

Weekly Letter:

That is so crazy your moving then?! ah i jsut still cant believe it sounds like the family is doing a lot though! so that is good chase and brayden are looking and sounding like they are doing real well!

Well shoot my week has been really great i just love being a missionary, just thought i would start it off by saying that.

so to start off with the worst thing well our investigator that was supposed to get baptized got hit by anti-mormon junk super hard! so we had to drop her it was super sad and frustrating cuz i after every lesson i warned her that this would happen and she was prepared and have spiritual confirmations that this is the true church but then that happened. so that was the downer of this week. but now for all good stuff we had a really great zone conference a lot of revelation came to me it was basically all on how we need to work with members betters. then the next morning we went and helped a member move a pool table that weighed a lot and it was a struggle but we did it! (i don't know why i mentioned that but there is a fun fact for ya'll) we are also still teaching nick our investigator he has great questions and is just super slowly progressing but he is awesome still! we go to the college a lot and share messages with people and give out a lot of copies of the book of mormon it is way fun i love it and people look at us so weird haha it is awesome. we have found a lot of new investgators this week and also dropped a lot which was sad but it had to be done! there were these two girls running one night and i stopped them and long story short we went over to there home and now they are investigating so that was really cool. then last night we stopped another two girls walking and long story short they wanted us to  preach in there church cuz they like us so much and wanted us to do a fireside in there christain church but we aren't allowed to so we declined ha 

oh well i forgot my camera so i cant send pictures but next week i will!

something funny that happened Elder hassett and i were wrestling and of coarse he kills me haha but no we were wrestling and at some point i pick up elder hassett but then he gets ahold of me and slams me into the wall and my butt broke a hole in the wall of the appartment (i am totally fine no worries) hahah so there is a big hole so we have to pay for that...ha it was so funny though! then today we went to the temple and it is amazing i love it we saw the new temple video and it was awesome i loved it and just have been having a great time i love the mission! so ya that is all for now i don't know what else to add oh we are getting transfer calls this saturday then transfers are next wednesday! church is true! i love it!

Love Elder Moss!

A HOLE!  As I was reading your letter all I was worried about was that you didn't get anything broken and you wouldn't get hurt. I'm glad only the wall got hurt. (Side note: how much will it cost to get it fixed?)

Chase just walked in. He is going to write you.

Brayden:

hey Davey  I Love you .  I've made some good tackles in football and I almost got the ball on a fumble.  I have a game today.  I think of you every game... you are my idol.

goodluck today buddy i know you will do awesome!

Our last game we won by a long ways, 8 to 24 and the others we won 0 to 22, 0 to 32.  I got to be accepted to be on a LEGO building club.  We are going to get to build robots out of LEGOs.  I am really excited to do it.

no way you will be great at that! you are so awesome brayden i love you so much your the best at everything! how is reading your scriptures going?

Not that good.  The last time I read was about a week ago.

oh no! well shoot you gotta get on top of that man!

I will try - Love you

September 13, 2013

We received two letters in the mail today, one from Elder Lord,  Davey's companion, and one from Davey. Davey had included a picture in his of them both. The letters and photo are transcribed below:



The Moss Family,

First, I want to thank you for the wonderful son that you have sent on a mission, thank you for that.

Second, I also want to thank you for the letter/card that you sent me.  It means a lot to get letters every once in a while.

Third, relates back to your son being my first companion and also being my beautiful trainer.  He has helped me in so many ways and has taught me so much.  Thanks again for sending him out here and teaching him from birth the ways of the gospel, it truly shows by the way he acts out here.  He is a great missionary and a great friend.  Also, I hear his family is pretty cool as well and from what I can tell you all sound awesome!

I hear that you are moving to Salt Lake, that is great.  I love it up there but that's because I live up there but still it will be great.

Thanks again for all that you do.

With love,

Elder Lord

To the best family ever,

Right off the bat..Chase, tell me how and what all has been going on in your live, every little detail; and that goes for you too Brayden.

Thanks for the stamps and everything.  I love it and you're all so aswesome.  I love and miss you Mom and Dad.  I get to go to the temple on the 18th, I am super excited.

Hey, I know this is early but I know I will forget:  You have to send all Christmas packages by December 1st.  Just an early reminder, and that's only if you are going to get me anything.  I know Dad and he is probably like, "What makes him think we're even going to send him something?"  ha ha.

Love you all, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Moss

September 9, 2013

We weren't able to get on with Davey so this is what he wrote:

so your moving then haha that is super weird! and that is crazy but shoot well if you feel good about it then that is the way you should go.

Well this week huh? well not a whole lot happened we are preparing for a baptism this weekend her name is lauren so that will be great! President Gelwix when i was on an exchange with Elder Hassett we were walking at night and he pulled up and picked us up! it was fun he promised to take us to cheesecake factory i am so excited i haven't had cheesecake in forever! so i am looking forward to that! well i keep you in my prayers always expecially the boys so that they will remain great examples and stay strong in all they do. one of my favorite things to do is talk to random people ha it is so much fun and you get the best stories but i cant tell you some of them mom cuz they are pretty crazy! ha dont worry i only about got shot twice... ;) just playing! only once not twice  (still kidding) well it was so much fun i love going into the getto and it was also sad homeless people everywhere lined up on the streets and just it is crazy but i love it im not being stupid so don't worry. I have been on a lot of exchanges this week with the Zone leaders and Elders in my district so i don't have a lot to write. but when i was on a split elder hassett and i met this lady from the phillapins and she was so funny and cute! i will attach a picture of her but ya that was a fun time she told us about how she used to meet with missionaries but she isn't one. well i don't really know what else to put we taught a lot of people and it seemed like the theme this week was to live the law of chastity cuz people break it so much ahhhhh! but ya that was it just normal stuff teaching and testifying i have been super tired latley and we have transfers coming up in 2 weeks i think i am getting transfered idk yet though so ya but sorry it is short this week i love you all and care so much about you thanks so mcuh for the prayers i pray for you also! i want to hear from chase and brayden next week what all they are doing and whats all happening (friends, sports, ect.) love you and mom and dad i want to hear more about you to cuties ha
Love Elder Moss

this is elder hassett and I he is from Idaho

oh and a member gave us ties!

September 3, 2013

Davey wrote today (Tuesday) because it was a holiday yesterday.

Ok, I won't ask too much if you are going to write a big letter.  We so look forward to hearing the details about what you do each week.  We try and keep you informed also on what we are doing.  So let us know if we aren't living up to expectations on what your family is doing.  For example, when Katelynn and Jeff were down last week, they arrived late Friday night.  So, we didn't wake up till like 10am.  So, instead of breakfast we left here at like 10:45am and arrived at Olive Garden right when they opening and got their endless pasta bowl lunch for breakfast, it was pretty fun.  We wanted to include you so we sent your companion a gift card so he can take you out for the same thing.

ya and you don't have to spend so much money on me or my companion you are already so awesome and i love you all for all you do it is the best so thanks what else were you goin to ask me?

Yea, so don't tell him, let it be a surprise on the letter from us to your comp.  I was going to ask you about the ward, you said they were doing better at missionary work and coming along and helping more.  Also, you said you had several more investigators you found and taught first lessons to, how are they doing?  And the girl on the street that texted, did you end up meeting with her?  And, we haven't heard of Upain, are you still teaching him?  How is it with college going now?  Are things starting to pick up?  Is Elder Lord still a greenie?  Or has he been out long enough and learned enough from you to not be a greenie anymore? etc, etc.  Oh, and you were suppose to have a baptism on the 30th?

ya but they didn't come to church the bums...and i loved the voice mail hahaha it was wierd about the song.. haha chase i couldn't hear ya sing!  
so the ward we have been setting  up member mission plans with them to get them doing stuff ha and we dropped upain cuz he is a bum and we are meeting with that girl this wednesday her name is sierra. and the college thing is way fun we just walk up to kids and ask to have a lesson then teach them a lesson right there on the spot! it is awesome! 

I am so glad that things are going really great for you with the ward, and college starting, and some baptisms coming up, and meeting with the elders in your districts, and learning so much...I am just so happy for you!!!
I don't think you could hear Mom or I sing either as we didn't know the song.  Maybe a little advice on getting people to commit to things.  I have found that asking questions that causes them to think can be more effective and also, painting the picture for them using another person (not them) in the scenario is very effective.  For example, instead of saying will you be baptized?  Say, Do you think it would be important for someone who believes in Christ to follow his example?  Then when they agree to that ask the next question, will you follow Christ's example and be baptized?  For church say, I just told you that I know the church is true, would be important for someone looking at different churches to attend that church to see and feel for their self what it is like and if it is true?  Then when they say yes say,  Since you are looking, will you come to church this Sunday?  This gets them saying yes to something they haven't been included in because you're just asking about "someone" then once they say yes it might be easier to say yes again when you ask them and include them in the direct question.  Maybe your are already doing this - just a thought.

i love you thanks so much for the advice and i love it i actually have been doing those things we change things up all the time to have more inspired questions and doing all the things you said but thanks so much i love it!

Your welcome.  Mom was bummed that she couldn't be here.  She worked all morning at the elementary as one of the secretary's was gone.  She then went straight to work at Tuacahn, it will be a long day for her.

Alright i know i know the long anticipated letter about my week is finally here! ha so as you may know i don't know but we went to the church vineyard to pick grapes and now we are rolling them so that should be fun! this past week has been really great we taught over 20 lessons and had a lot of members present so that is great we are really trying to work with the members better and it is slow like i have said before but it is getting better. i went on exchanges a lot with elders in my district which went very well! also we had leadership training and learned about our role and the role of the holy ghost and personal revelation and a bunch of other stuff but i loved the holy ghost. there is a quote that says "what we do is a reflection of who we are" i love that and there is a video if you havent' seen it look it up on you tube it is called "missionary work and the atonement" it has elder holland and elder eyring talking in it. it is amazing. but ya receiving personal revelation was so great to learn about and just ahhh i love those meetings! so we met with our investigator nick and taught him a lesson and i gave him the dvd special witnesses of christ and nick he has said that he will never come to church and i don't know if this dvd changed him or not but we texted him and asked if we could meet and he said no hes busy but he wanted to meet us at church and he came to church and it was great! we also had another girl named lorin that came to church and we taught her a lesson that night and during that lesson she professed her love to elder lord and I hahahaha so she really loves me and my companion it was weird but we did set a baptismal date with her so now we just got to make sure she is doing it for the right reason! but those are just the high lights for this week! we have right now 2 investigators that have baptismal dates for this month! with a lot more on the way. i love you all and hope your week is great

Love Elder Moss

Awesome, way to teach and work hard!!  Who are the two investigators with baptismal dates?  You mentioned last time that you went out to eat and buffalo wings or something, did a member take you?

lorin and adrian and ya a member took us and in the voice mail chase needs to stop bein a bum and talk to me and stop trying to be so cool! 

sorry i havent' sent pictures i just haven't taken any! well i gotta go i lov eyou all and hope this is the best week for you!

Awesome, it was great to chat for a minute with you.  I love you too!  We all love and pray for you everyday, live up to all those prayers for you, OK?