Missionary Boot Camp

Orange Park, FL

Hello Everyone~

Things are going pretty well so far. We have a few people who actually want us to come back and teach them! Hopefully it all goes well. We have three people to be exact. Who knows where it'll lead, but I'm sure it will turn out well.

I'm glad to hear everything is going well back home. I'm sorry to hear that Kendall just enjoyed a nice little foot surgery (which I also believe I have one, possibly two ingrown toenails, one of them not being on my big toe). I can only imagine just how much fun that must have been for her. But, Kendall is tough, and I'm willing to bet that she didn't even cry.

Before I continue with anything: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY, Mr. 15 YEARS OLD!!!!! How on earth are you 15?! You're almost driving man!... Good job on making it this far, now keep on going!

As far as missionary boot camp is going, wow, I am gonna die! At least I can say we have decided to start at 5:30 in the morning instead of 4:30, but either way, Drill Sargent Jarvis is lighting our worlds on fire. We get up, and do the workout once in the morning, and once in the evening. The workout is this: 3 sets of 20 push-ups, 2 sets of 40 flat-leg (as in legs flat on the ground) sit-ups, 1 set of 25 squat thrusts, a 2.5 mile timed run, and then another round of push-ups, sit-ups, and squat thrusts. We're doing it six times a week. Brother Jarvis, our wonderful Drill Sargent, is also planning out a diet for us, and I believe that rice and beans and other sources of high carbohydrates will be all we eat for the next little while. No sugary sweets, period. He has, however, promised that by the time he is done with us, we will both be the biggest and strongest two Elders in the mission. We'll see. But, considering the workout is soon going to increase in difficulty, I don't doubt it.

My pants are ripped along the inside seem of the pants, and that is because my legs are growing in size due to the excessive amount of biking we undertake each day. I don't know if my legs have ever been this big before, but then again, they could have and I just didn't realize it. Anyhow, my quads are 24 inches around (I got a tape measure;)). My Bi's and calves are 16 inches (which I think is probably where they have been forever, I can't remember...). I believe my chest is 45 inches around. And I can't think of any other measurements. Dad, these are for you, so that you can track my progress. I took a "before" picture so that I can tell if this workout really works "after". You'll see pictures soon enough! Ahhh, I want to keep writing, but my Drill Sargent is on my tail, and I really need to get going.

Robbie emailed me--can you tell him I'll email him back next week, please! I love you and I'll write you a letter in the mail when I get back to the apartment!

Love,

Austin

ps. good job on the baseball Aaron and Billy. I'm glad to hear you're doing well!

pps. tell everyone hello for me!!

The Making of a Horror Film...

Hello Mom, Dad, Aaron, Billy, Kendall, and Everyone!

I figure this week, instead of going into the details of lessons learned, I will share some missionary stories.

We'll start with last night, just because it is fresh on my mind. We made a movie! A fun movie! Elder Rose was the star and Elder Clark and I were the bad guys. Elder Ferrin was in charge of the cameras. Before I go into details with the movie, let's go back to where it all started. A long, long time ago, way back at the beginning of this transfer--I found out that my companion, Elder Clark, loves movies. In fact, movies are pretty much his favorite thing. Just as Nathan and I would always go out and get food and watch movies together, so would Elder Clark and his friends. (On a side note: Elder Mcfarland also did this--I really liked him). One of Elder Clark's favorite movies to watch was "Batman: The Dark Knight". The Joker was his favorite character, and he loved the Joker's role so much that at one point he went online and printed off the script. He spent days practicing in the mirror so that he too could be the Joker (I guess I left out one key factor: when Elder Clark goes home, he wants to go to school, get a job, and then spend his days doing all he can to become a professional actor). Over time he finally got the hang of it, and he began to put on shows for his buddies just before he left on his mission. Needless to say, Elder Clark knows the Joker. Now that we have established the fact that Elder Clark loves movies, loves to act, and loves Batman, I can tell you the story.

Elder Clark has the soundtrack for both Batman movies, and it just so happens that we have several sets of speakers in our apartment. It also just so happens that we have a creepy attic as well. To enter the attic, it requires that you pull down the latch so that the makeshift ladder attached to to it can extend downward so that it can be climbed. The attic is filled with junk, most of which is left by past missionaries. Blankets, ties, shirts, pants, hangers, towels, boxes, and whatever else you can imagine are scattered about the attic floor. Wooden support beams are the general make-up of walls, with insulation packed carefully between. The heater, and water softener (or whatever thing it is) are found in the corners. There are lights, but they are the same thing you would find on a Christmas tree. The floor is plywood, and nails occasionally stick out here and there. This attic was apparently once the study area for missionaries, which later became known as the "tie closet"--where missionaries would donate a tie or more so that it could be used as a tie exchange for other missionaries. Eventually, the mission president declared that it was an "apostate" tradition, and that it needed to be taken down. And so it was, and therein lies the reason junk is scattered about. The attic provided the perfect place to make a nice little horror film. :)

And so the movie begins...

Elder Rose enters the apartment on a dark and stormy night and finds the power to the house is off. He tries the light switch again, but it fails to work. As he searches for the flash light he hears a noise in the corner of the room. He finally grabs the flashlight and shines it round about the small area. the light crosses the path of some unseen being which somehow miraculously disappears. Elder Rose is now in a panic, but does his best to remain calm. He walks down the hall a few feet and makes a left turn to where the ceiling latch to the attic is found. The power generator is in the attic. As he pulls down the latch and the ladder makes itself known...music begins to play...As he ascends the steps and reaches the top, the music grows intense, and suddenly his light goes out. He reaches for the attic lights, which run on another power source, but they only seem to flicker on. As the music continues to grow, as if the sound of danger lurking somewhere in the dark seemingly comes closer, Elder Rose attempts to unlatch the power generator cover, but cannot. He hears another noise in the corner, and gazes across the room. to his ultimate fright there is a body in the corner of the room, with its eyes open, seemingly staring directly at him. He panics, and does his best to escape back down the ladder, as the once lifeless body begins to creep toward him. He turns around and the beast almost has him in his grasp, and the lights go out. He makes it down the ladder just in time. Breathing heavily, and thoroughly scared, he backs into the room behind him. He hears a voice forcibly whisper, "I've been watching you!", and the light flashes on his face only to have the other monster directly behind him, knife at throat. Lights out. Movie over.

I guess you could say that is something missionaries don't normally do, but it was fun. The music was the Batman CD, in case you didn't catch what I implied earlier. I was the monster in the attic and Elder Clark was the monster on the ground floor. Elder Rose, the unfortunate victim.

Anyways, now that I've been writing this story forever, and my time is just about up, here are some last few words. Missionary work is going forward and backward constantly. Just as we find someone, we lose someone else...I think you're right about sharing a smile with everyone you meet. It leaves an impression. I've been trying to be more cheerful and friendly with everyone we meet and it seems to help. It certainly has as far as the members and neighbors go--we've been fed almost every night this transfer. It has been amazing to me to see the support of these kind individuals and families. We are definitely provided for and taken care of here in Orange Park. I know things will continue to progress over time so long as we remain diligent, and more importantly diligent with a positive attitude!

...I love you and am excited to call home in a few weeks. We'll talk soon!

Love,

Austin

P.S. Elder Clark and I are starting "basic training" at 4 o'clock in the morning with ex-military Brother Jarvis tomorrow. It's time to get in shape. Or go psycho. I'll let you know how boot camp goes next week.

I also ripped a pair of pants, but more on that later...

From Door to Door to Door...

4.12.10
Dear Everyone!

I'm glad to hear things are going well back home. I don't have much time to write at this moment, but more important than writing many words, I thought I would let each of you know that I love and appreciate you. I don't have much to say, other than that this past month and a half has been extremely difficult for me. Though I refuse to give in, I still find myself brought down to the dust. The mission has been a grueling process for me. I have learned so much in such a short time, yet I still feel like I'm at the beginning of it all. The days go by quickly, as well as the weeks, but progression seems to be at a standstill. Not necessarily for myself, but for the area. We have worked hard, but have found little success. It is difficult to go door to door to door and find little, if any, who are willing to listen. I am certain that this is meant to be a trial of faith, and yet, it is something different than I am used to. To me, a trial of faith was being forced to run extra sprints for being late to practice. It was being assigned extra homework because the teacher needed the class to catch up from being behind schedule. It was all sorts of things, but never from going door to door and having continual rejection all the day long for weeks on end. I guess, in a sense, all of these are trials of faith because each of these teach a different lesson. But this one is certainly one of the most difficult I've had. Surprisingly, as difficult as it may seem, it doesn't feel that hard to bear, yet at the same time it is extremely hard to bear. My life is filled with paradoxes. One day I'll understand, but not now. Luckily, there seems to be a positive movement in the Orange Park area, and it is possible that our teaching pool will soon begin to increase. Either way, we'll continue to pray and work hard and hope that we will eventually find those who are truly prepared. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. Anyways, we'll talk again soon!

I love each of you, and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Austin

General Conference and Cleaning House (Literally)!

Hello Everyone~

I really enjoyed conference this weekend. I think it was one of my favorite conferences I've listened to. If you didn't get to listen to the Saturday morning session, I would listen to it soon. This session is especially for you, Mom--and Kendall! Anyhow, I liked all the talks. I think my favorite one was President Uchtdorf's talk about "Patience", during Priesthood Session. I definitely need to learn that attribute a little better. I'll admit, I can be very patient with other people. I can be extremely patient with other people! But when it comes to being patient with myself, I struggle. I expect to be able to figure everything out instantly, and when I don't, I get frustrated and discouraged. So it was good for me to hear President Uchtdorf speak on something I struggle with, and it helps me to understand more fully that I am not expected to be perfect immediately, but instead to be in the process of becoming perfect.

My new companion is Elder Clark. He is a good guy. In a sense, he reminds me of Tyler Z. He is very social, and seems to always be on the phone at one time or another. I'm sure we'll get along well. These past few days we've undertaken the great mess in our apartment. Stains on the walls, stains on the carpets, mold in the bathrooms, mold on the bathroom tiles, disgusting toilets, disgusting fridge, disgusting kitchen, and disgusting everything else. We have almost finished it all, but holy cow...throw up... Luckily, instead of living in a 4-man it is now only the two of us, so we'll be able to keep it clean. Also, great news, one of the elders who lived with us last transfer, who is now in St. Augustine--his dear sister so lovingly brought him and the "4" of us 2 to 3 weeks worth of groceries! She didn't realize that her brother had transferred, but she gave us the food anyways. I couldn't believe it, but I was extremely grateful for her kindness. She and her brother, Elder Doehler, will now be living within the same ward boundaries. Apparently she is not a member of the church, or is less-active, so it will be a good opportunity for Elder Doehler to teach his sister and her husband the gospel. We can only hope!

Anyhow, I was talking with one of the members yesterday, and he just so happened to be in Japan as a sophomore in high school in 1989. I can't remember what part of Japan, but it started with and "M". He couldn't speak any Japanese, so he spent his time hanging out with the missionaries, and being fed all sorts of crazy food... I figured I'd let you know Dad, perhaps you met him. But it was cool to talk to him for a few minutes about his wonderful experiences with Japanese cuisine. I don't think I could stop laughing haha!

I got the Easter package, as well as the vitamins, thanks a ton! The vegetable powder stuff is probably the grossest thing I've ever tasted, but I'm determined to finish it. :) It's good to have vitamins again. Thanks Dad. Tell TJ thanks for the letter as well, I hope he's doing well. OK Dad, I need some proper nutrition tips...PS. How is work going? I still haven't quite figured out what it is that you are doing exactly, besides sports nutrition. I want to know all the details so I can tell all my companions what it is that you do for a living. They are all interested, especially when I say the words "sports nutrition". And especially after they look at the picture of our family and see you!! It's kinda funny though, I have almost all the missionaries within my area asking me about how to get huge, and what type of things they should be doing to get in shape. It's a lot of fun, but I always tell them that you have all the answers. So Dad, you're on the hotseat! I love you!

Anyways, everything is going well for now, and will probably continue to go well for this next transfer, we'll see. As long as we're working hard everything will work out in the end. I love each of you and will talk to you next week. I hope your Easter weekend was great...

Love,

Austin

ps. I forgot to mention the family--we haven't seen them for a week...we're going over there soon. I'll keep you posted.

pps. I'll make sure to continue taking many pictures