My BirthdayS

So I know my birthday was just last week, but my second birthday is this week. I'll be "seven" on Friday. Still not that old, but I'm getting there fast! Time really seems to fly out here. Even the days that feel really long when they happen still seem to go by so fast at the end of the week!

So last Monday after we wrote we got a call from the ZLs. They told us that they had some really good news for us. So we called them back (we missed the call cuz we were checking out at Wal-Mart) and they told us that we had been selected to participate in the mini missionary program! So what that is, is they have priests sign up to go out with the missionaries for a week! They live with us, eat with us, tract with us . . . pretty much do everything with us! So we got him on Saturday. We have really noticed in the last couple days how much the Lord really does sustain his missionaries. We didn't do a whole lot yesterday with it being Sunday and all. We got invited to go to a picnic at the park with some members so we went to that then afterward we went tracting for like an hour and a half . . . not too bad. But when we came back to the house later that night [our mini-missionary] was out like a light. He fell asleep so fast and hard! It was pretty funny, but I think things are going pretty good with him.

I did get the package on my birthday morning and I was really happy about that. I wouldn't have minded if it didn't come [on my birthday], but I was still happy that it did. It was a pretty fun package although the confetti made it so I had to do extra cleaning on my birthday! But that's okay. What's a birthday package without confetti? Those were some pretty sweet presents! Although I don't really know what to say about the kids chewable tablets. I assume it was because Sponge Bob was giving the thumbs up. Battleship was pretty sweet cuz I won when I played! And the GPS is "totally wicked!" (name that movie). It's really fun to just goof with the GPS when we are driving places. Elder Kearl has one too, so we have two of them attached to the windshield (lol). I'm sure it looks pretty stupid, but that's okay. So thanks for the package and thanks to everyone who sent me a card too! I really appreciate everything!

I'm so glad the pictures worked! I don't know what I was going to do if they were all lost! I don't know why my cell phone pictures were on that card. I don't think that was even the card that I used in my cell so that is kinda weird, but oh well. I'm glad the sound worked too. I spent a long time putting all those sound tags on there and I like that better than using that recorder. It gave me something to talk about rather than just to start talking.

Yeah I would have thought that there was a lot of laundry going through [the temple]. I didn't know you can just go there and work like that though. I thought it was like a calling, but I guess not. It's a good thing you got all that practice with us [sorting socks] before you had to go there.

My comp is up from around where the Peters live. At least that's what his GPS says. He lives in Layton so I don't think that's too far from Kaysville.

I got Brittney's letter. It was a really good one. I really enjoyed reading it so thanks for sending it to me. That's crazy that she is done already! Time really does fly.

I have made some bean burritos with grandma's package and they were really good! I think the salsa has burned all the feeling out of my tongue though! lol But it still tastes good.

So my birthday was good by the way. I got the package first thing. so I opened it all up and blew up all the balloons and threw them all over the room. Then I opened the packages. I followed your instructions and opened the one last! I guessed what that one was but I didn't guess the other one. I named my GPS "Kate" (lol). Then we just had pretty much a normal day, except we bought some burgers and IBC cream soda and cooked out at a member's house. They told us we could use their grill while they were away and they let us just go into their house whenever we want. I really like that family!

Anyway, that's all I've got this week. Everything is going great! I love you all! I'll talk to you later!

-Elder Eagar

Great weather for bbq

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Well this week has been really good so far! Elder Kearl and I seem to get along really good. I hope it stays that way. This week we have just been doing a lot of stuff to get him familiar with the area and we have been tracting a lot. We need to get more investigators.

That's pretty sweet that Kim is a citizen now (even though I didn't really know she wasn't till like last week or whatever)! I love bbq. We get fed it quite a bit too cuz it's great weather for it. That is . . . for the members. It's always too hot for us cuz of the way we have to dress. But it still tastes good.

We didn't really do anything for the 4th. There was a ward thing that we were planning on going to, but the members that we had dinner with kept us out too long so we missed it. But it wasn't too bad. The weather was kinda bad that day and there were a lot of clouds so they shot the fireworks low so you could see them. From where the party was you really couldn't see them over the trees cuz they were too close and low. So that was ok. We really didn't get to see any good fireworks though.

The [noises from the] bugs don't really bother me too much. They have to compete with the trains that are right by our place so I have learned to tune them both out pretty good. They don't keep me from sleeping so that is good. The fireflies are pretty cool though, I like them. I don't like the wasps and bees though!

Thanks for the birthday package. I didn't get it yet or anything, but I will I'm sure. I don't even really care if it gets here by Wednesday. That would be cool though. I got a package from grandma and grandpa! It was really cool. They sent me a lot of mexican food. They got me two dozen of those tortillas from Superior. I have been using them to just dip in the salsa and eat them. That salsa is pretty hot! For me anyway! It's good though . . . when I can taste it. lol

I'm sure someone will take care of me. Actually probably not on my birthday. The Cunninghams are out of town for the week and the Courts live like 30 minutes away! But something will be done I'm sure. The Cunninghams gave us their house for the week while they are gone along with all the food inside so I guess that counts. And they put up some birthday banners and a table cloth and made cookies and peppermint bark and whatnot, so I guess they did take care of me already!

I'm glad you like the missionaries in the ward. You guys need to have them over more, especially since the one Elder is new . . . give him a good first experience.

Well that's all I've got. I'll talk to you all later and I love all of you!

-Elder Eagar

hot, Hot, HOT

June 29, 2009

I don't really get letters from anyone besides Grandparents . . . which is still cool. I love getting snail mail . . . I can go back and read that whenever. I only get to read emails on Monday.

This week has been really hot for us too! It's only been in like the 90's, but then you add the heat index and it's like 105. Still lower than Arizona, but so much humidity! We have been out of miles on our car this month so we have been riding our bikes! It's good to get out and ride and I don't really mind when we are actually peddling, but when you stop you are just soaked! It's kinda gross, and you just feel dirty. I don't want to tract when I feel dirty like that, but you do what you gotta do. We have been tracting the ghetto this week. We got a couple lessons out of it and one new investigator, but I don't know how far that will go.

Wednesday is gonna be transfers. I'll be staying here in Moberly, but Turner is gonna be moving on to Darden Creek. Elder Curl is going to be coming up here. I talked to Gordon last night and asked him about Curl. He compared his looks to the Russian soldiers from the game Golden Eye. I don't remember what they look like, but I do know Curl. Gordon says he thinks Curl is a pretty hard worker though so I'm excited for that!

Our new baptism was done by her boyfriend's dad and I think this has been a really good thing for her boyfriend! I guess yesterday he stayed for church again and talked to the bishop. He really hasn't been too active in church . . . I don't know if I already told you that or not. Hopefully he starts to come back because of her example.

I did think of something that I wanted for my birthday. I wanted one of those GPS things for the car! There are so many country roads out here it's hard to find where you are going sometimes. The only thing is I don't know how much one would cost that was good enough to know all the country roads. So whatever.

Well, I don't really have anything more right now. If I think of something I'll write again, but I love you all and I'll talk to you later!

-Elder Eagar

My spelling is horrible!

June 22, 2009

I just finished a book that Sis. Randall gave to her class a couple years ago called Believing Christ and part of it talks about how his wife was all overwhelmed with her callings and she just told him that she couldn't do it anymore and that the church expected too much from her. It was a really good book. I would recommend it.

So the baptism went really good. It was kinda different though. Not the actual baptism but before it. Our ward mission leader forgot to fill the font before church and church gets out at 1:00. We were having the baptism at 1:30! So he starts to fill the font at like 1:10 so it was nowhere near ready. We pushed the baptism back till 2:00 and we got some pitchers and guys filled them in the guys' bathroom by the font and girls from the girls' bathroom and we poured them into the font. We got it high enough in that half hour to be able to get her under just fine. She is pretty short. She is 18 and just graduated high school. She has had quite a bit of contact with members. Her boyfriend is actually a member . . . kinda less active, and when he does come he usually splits after Sacrament meeting but whatever. She also works at the theater with a member and we had all the lessons at that member's house in like two weeks! It was so cool. I don't feel like we did much in teaching her though. She already knew everything! She was so prepared . . . only had like three questions for us, and had been going to church for like five months before we even started teaching her! So, she really converted herself, along with the Spirit of course. We basically just had to go through the lessons as a formality, but I was still very happy and you could tell she was too.

The tie burning went okay. When you watch the video you will see that it didn't burn too well. I reburned it later and it really just melted so I was kinda disappointed, but it's all good.

We do have a Costco up here, but it is in Columbia, about a half hour away. I could try to get the Cunninghams to pick it up though [the kind of cake he likes for his birthday]. It's not that big a deal. There are members here that will take care of us . . . or at least me. I think Turner will be gone when his birthday gets here (his is on the 5th but transfers are on the 1st.) I don't really know what I want for my birthday. By the way thank you so much for everything in the box you sent me. I think I will make that cake soon and those pills will save me a ton of money. I haven't started using them yet cuz I still have some of my Zyrtec but that will be really helpful. I don't know how long I'm going to keep taking them anyway. I don't think my allergies will be too bad when it starts to get colder.

So a "pile missionary" is basically one who just doesn't really want to work . . . drags his feet when he does go out, spends a lot of time at member's houses . . . basically all that kind of stuff.

I couldn't believe we went camping either! Like I said, I didn't really want to go cuz I thought it looked bad to the members there. That really isn't the kind of thing you see missionaries doing, but he really wanted to go. It was a ward campout. Really it was a father/son campout so we really had no business being there and that was part of the reason I was so mad at him that day and the next day too. I have a couple pictures of that. Anyway, that was basically it. I don't really want to talk about it cuz it still kinda makes me mad.

Anyway that's all I really have for this week. I love you all. Talk to you next week!

-Elder Eagar

Handwritten letter!

June 15th, 2009

Bad news. I spent about an hour writing a really good, detailed email and when I went to send it, it booted me off the site. So I guess you won't be getting that one. But hopefully, you will get this [handwritten] one.

The past week was really good. We got a call from a girl on Tuesday asking us if we could start teaching her the next day. So obviously, we said, "Of course" and we taught her the first on Wednesday. At the end, I wanted to set a date with her, but I didn't know which date so I just went with a soft commitment which she accepted. She also said she already knew it was all true! And she is so smart. She totally understands everything she reads from the Book of Mormon! I warned her about Jacob 5 because she said she was in Jacob 4. So I gave her a heads up and she even kinda understood that! So we set up more appointments with her. In fact, we set up three more for that same week! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

So on Thursday we had Zone Conference. During interviews I talked to Pres. and asked him if we could go to the temple on Saturday with the ward. So he did the recommend interview and now I have a new one! So we got to go the temple Saturday, which was awesome!

But jumping back to Friday. We taught our new girl the first discussion which is the Plan of Salvation and she said, "It makes so much more sense than what I have been taught" and during the lesson I committed her to be baptized on the 21st (this Sunday). She accepted! Something came up Saturday so we don't get to teach her then, but then Sunday we taught her the 3rd . . the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She truly accepts everything so far. We have a lesson with her tomorrow (Tuesday) and we will start the Commandments. I am so excited for her! So if you all could pray for her that would be sweet.

And that was my totally awesome week! Plus, the Courts gave me a can of Cool Whip to eat! lol [he must have meant Reddi Wip] Apparently, they like to eat it like that way too! lol

Sorry about all the sloppy writing. I was just really excited so I got writing fast and now I'm having trouble slowing back down. So who all was at girls' camp this year? They had girls' camp here last week I think. They didn't go very far, like 10 minutes away (lol). I'm not really sure what day would be best to send this on to make sure it gets to you on a good day. So I'll probably send it today or tomorrow, but probably today.

So my six months is coming up here pretty quick. Only two more days and I burn a tie! I'm scrounging for things to write. I already told you all the bad news and all the good news and that's really all the news there is."

Cool story

June 8th, 2009

Cool story . . . it really is true. So the other day we went on a campout. Yes, with tents and sleeping bags. Elder Turner really wanted to go, so he asked Pres. Turley and got permission. I really didn't want to go. I love camping and all, but I'm trying really hard in this area not to look like a pile missionary. But there really seems to be nothing to do here. Turner says that he has tracted this area out in the time that he has been here, so he doesn't think we should start that over again so soon.

Anyway, that wasn't what I was getting at. So we got back to our house Saturday morning and took showers and then I was getting dressed in my pros, and when I put the tie on I immediately felt comfortable again. So I guess it has happened. I am now more comfortable wearing a shirt and tie than jeans and a t-shirt! Who would have ever thought that would happen?!

Moberly, Missouri

May 25th, 2009

So like I said, I'm in Moberly, which is pretty close to Marceline, and there are a few people here that have told me that they know grandma and grandpa Eagar! I don't think they told me that they lived here! So I just wanted to check to see if it really is the same people. If it is, then I have some things to tell them.

So anyway . . . first morning here. Things are going pretty good so far. I don't think I'm gonna have any problems here.

But yeah, so I don't know if they are all talking about the right people, but it has to be them cuz they know their names where they live, so it has to be them. I don't know anything about grandma and grandpa Eagar I guess.

- - - - - -

So Elder Turner and I were at the church this morning for weekly planning. We went to the library and Turner pulled a book off a shelf called "Moberly Ward History" or something like that. So he opened it up and found where it talks about Karl B. Eagar and his positions in the Branch Presidency. So now I am even more sure it's them. In fact, I am positive.

So we start going through some other books and I find a scrapbook. It has lots of stuff in it, but lots of the things are wedding invitations. I didn't really expect to find anything but the first one I looked at I couldn't take my eyes off. I wasn't really looking cuz I didn't expect to see anything, but when I actually LOOKED at it I said, "Well . . . here's my mom and dad." It is an original wedding reception invitation for [my mom] and dad! So I copied that too. It's kinda crazy that nobody said anything about all this to me when they found out I was going to Missouri! Or maybe they did and I just didn't listen too well. Either way, I'm learning now.

Well, that's all I've gotten so far. If I find anything else I'll let you know. Love you!

-Elder Eagar

P.S. The tie dad is wearing in that picture on the wedding reception invitation is the tie of his that you gave me isn't it?