"I didn't think I'd hate food so much"

This week was really exciting in a manner of speaking. We had two baptism and we have been working hard to get those two ready and also to find more. It was also the holidays and thanksgiving was always on my mind. We worked hard to try to find but no one opens there door because they are busy. People don’t slow down they just want to go and they don’t stop and smell the flowers. 

 So this week the other elders in our district called us and said that someone was in there house. They heard someone run down the stairs and back up. We got there and there was no one there. The doors were still locked and it was kinda creepy. But we said a prayer. It’s so weird hearing about this stuff.

The two baptisms were really good! Vincent’s was alright. We didn’t get much support from the ward and only his mom came for his baptism. And we are struggling to get her active. We hope to baptize his brother Victor next month though. I had the opportunity to confirm him on Sunday and it was a little scary. My first confirmation but as always I don’t really need to worry because it wasn’t my blessing. It was God’s blessing and I was just a mouth piece.

Ron Nichols baptism was great! We had his interview on Wednesday and then he went on vacation to Preston Idaho area and we didn’t see him again until Saturday morning when he showed up for his baptism. I wasn’t actually worried because he was solid. The only thing that would have kept him from being baptized would be if he smoked again. But he didn’t and he has had a huge change of heart. He enjoyed playing football and not having that burning feeling in his lungs. The WOW really works haha. But at his baptism he had a lot of support from his wife’s family. They all came down and they are all really cool. And we had members from the ward there and his baptism was really sweet. The spirit was really strong and I had the opportunity to conduct his baptism. These are the first two that I’ve had where I’ve found them and taught them everything. His wife said something to Elder Kulu and I, she said that we were probably the only ones that could have gotten him baptized. That was a really tender moment for me. Helps me know that heavenly father called me here for a reason.

Hopefully Elder Kulu and I will be able to find a lot of people. We lost two really good investigators to baptism but that’s okay I guess! haha Transfers are coming up and this one is really going to be exciting. I don’t think I’ll stay with Elder Kulu, and I’ve heard I might be training... which is scary. We are getting 60 new missionaries in the next two transfers and 30 of them are going to be sisters. And I end my training in two weeks. Sooo life is going and I don’t feel like I’m ready to lead.

So mom you should be on chapter 58 in Alma. These are my favorite chapters. I went back and studying chapter 37 more. There is a lot of good stuff in there. I made a lot of connections and I didn’t realize how much Lehi's dream is connected to just about everything. The compass is the liahona and the Holy Ghost. I would like to explain everything I found out but I don’t really have time to. But I definitely suggest reading it. Also I studied the word remember and to remember really means to humble yourself. If you remember the Lord you follow his commandments. It’s the opposite of pride. If the Nephites only remembered the lord they would not have let pride enter their hearts.

Well love you all take care.

Love Elder Salmon

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you all about my thanksgiving. Soo we have 4 dinners... yeah it was rough. I was doing a really good job of only eating the good stuff at each house and eating sparingly but the last house we ate at was a Tongan’s! We didn’t serve ourselves she just gave us a huge plate of polongy and tongan food! I didn’t think I’d hate food soo much. I wasn't hungry all week long!! 

"This week will be full of turkey and food"

I guess life goes on in Sammamish. Things sure seem to be changing a lot. I do miss Washington and the people at home. Utah is okay but the feeling in the air is very different. This Holiday season is going to be very weird for me not being around family and not being able to participate in the many traditions that we have. I will miss playing football. I doubt that they would allow us to. However they do allow us to play football but it would have to be on our Pday. And well it’s getting a little cold for that. It has been in the 40s but it hasn’t rained. So I don’t even use a coat sweater or hat. It’s not that bad out if you walk briskly. And we do in order to get from one place to another.

Mom I know it’s not your strong point but they only thing that is going to comfort the Steed-Luicks is the gospel. If you love her enough you will share your testimony of the plan of salvation. The verses in Alma 40:11 probably will help her. But also help her see that God’s grace is sufficient for all men that God does forgive in this life and in the next. That she can through her faith save her and her family who has passed on and live with them again.

This week will be bitter sweet because it is thanksgiving and being away from everyone is going be difficult. But on the other hand we have two baptisms set for this week! hehe one is Vincent Monreal. He is 13 and he’s cool. We tell him straight up how the gospel is and let him see the blessings in the long run. He accepts it and he really wants to do this. I’m really excited for him. And his brother victor just decided to talk with us again. So maybe we can get him as well. Also there mom might meet with us. And it all came about because of Vincent’s example and all I did was ask them. Sometimes that’s all it takes is an invitation.

The other Baptism is Ron Nichols. He is married to Jan Nichols and she is a member and feels like she was kinda less active most of her life. But we teach him and he is so humble he just accepts everything and really inquires of God and feels the spirit strong when he prays. His only problem is smoking. He has had problems and so far he has been off it long enough to be baptized. He just needs to make it till Saturday. Once he does he can feel the spirit, receive the Holy Ghost, and he will have so much more support in order to quit and put it behind him. haha he also said after the mission I could live in his house! baha I told them I might visit and see how they are doing. He has his sights on the temple and I really would like to go to their sealing and endowment with them. That would be really cool.

Elder Kulu and I have been working hard this week. We have taught a lot more lessons this week than we did in the others. We went to temple square twice this last week; Once on Saturday and once on Friday. Both were really great visits. One was with Ron but the other was with Morris Kunz and his family. He has a testimony but he wants a better confirmation. But he won’t pray about it. It’s kinda difficult but I know that he will get baptized eventually. So that’s good.

Well I hope all is well with everyone. This week will be full of turkey and food! We already have a few dinners lined up and I’m assuming we will get more because no one’s going to let us in on thanksgiving unless they’re members. Soooo we will see.

Love Elder Salmon

"Grandma your scarf has saved me"

Dear everyone!

It’s just soo crazy whenever Pday comes around. I feel like it’s going way too fast. I wish there was more time in the day. But I also wish I had more energy in the day. I feel like I just have barely enough to make it through the day. I get really tired around 9 and then usually try to get in bed as soon as I can after planning and updating the area book. The area book is my responsibility and sadly it hasn’t been kept all that well before us. We already have most of the stuff in it. So hopefully we will try to build this area for the next missionaries.

I’m really excited for all the perspective missionaries! First HANNAH Christensen CONGRATULATIONS! I am really excited for you. You’re going to love it. Peru needs someone like you and you will do good work out there. And Parker I think that’s awesome! Kember what the heck? I knew you were working on your papers but hello I needed to be the first on to find out. Also Megan I thought we were closer than that. Haha well I’m so excited for all of you! Missions are really awesome. And think of it as the only two years that you have the calling to represent Jesus Christ and your whole perspective on serving changes.

I miss you family very much. I wish I could have a night playing rook or board games. I really do miss it. It’s nice to hear about all your doings. It does make it easier knowing what everyone’s doing and that everyone is safe. Hannah I like the car accident! Haha looks good. And grandpa thanks for that smile! It was funny.

So this last weekend we got like a foot of snow. It was crazy. But did it stop us from teaching? Nope! Apparently here in Utah snow is just a part of life. But everyone is still really bad at driving. We saw a few accidents. We practiced our driving out of the way of cars just in case. But this last week was really good. We were super busy with lessons and we found a new convert. Ron Nichols is like our golden investigator. So far he has excepted everything that we have taught him and when we taught the plan of salvation he actually said "wow that feels like I am just remembering it!" Haha yes it was a perfect moment. We gave him a blessing to quit smoking and he says he gets sick when he smokes now. And he’s on a streak for no smoking. If he makes it this week and next week he will be baptized. 

We also tracted into a girl who said that she has been thinking about being baptized and wanted to call us but hadn't yet. Haha so because of our diligence we are finding new people and the people that are ready. I am really excited for this month to see the fruits of our labors. 

Well I got to go soon. Life is good. I met my great grandfather in the mission field. He is now my zone leader. It’s crazy. He must have trained young. But he’s cool and gives lots of advice. It’s cold here but it’s good. Grandma your scarf has saved me; Keeps my face warm, as well as the hat. And today I’ll buy boots. The trench coat is fine. Its water proof and I can put on enough layers to keep myself warm.

Love you all take care and stay safe. Read your scriptures and pray each day! Don’t skip Sunday! That’s the Lords day.

Love Elder Salmon 

"I'll probably let Elder Kulu punch it"

Hello everyone!

It always nice to write this email because it allows me to reflect on the week. This week was tough. It was very discouraging despite the successes that we were having. Victor decided he didn’t want to learn anymore about the church. But his brother Vincent is sooo golden. He was saying how he talks to himself about the gospel and that he ponders our lessons all the time and prays each morning and night and we didn’t even ask him too. Also we are working with a lot of less-actives. Like 8 or 9 families and I feel more like a babysitter or a parent. We go in there and ask if they read there scriptures gone to church and prayed. If they didn’t we chastise them lovingly and commit them again. And we find a way to remind them. And a lot just avoid/don’t open the door and just tell us to go away. it’s hard to give them a desire and to see all the blessings that they could have.

There was one family that I was fed up with because the dad was being a terrible example. The mom and the rest of the family want to come to church and to change but he doesn’t. I asked him if he will come to church and he said we will see. Well that is basically a no. We taught him the importance and recommitted. Same answer. He just wasn’t interested. I asked him why he doesn’t want to come to church. He said that he is tired of all the fake members and the stuff they do. He said that his bishops are thieves and stake presidents are terrible also. He gave some examples which I won’t repeat. But he also said that just because he smokes shouldn’t keep him from the temple. Obviously he doesn’t understand what commandments are. I straight up told him "why would anyone else stop you from your salvation?" he didn’t have an answer. He was just making up excuses. His kids were there so I asked him what he wants for his family. He said what he wanted and I told him how to get it. And I said that as the head of the household that his decisions will determine what he gets. That if he isn’t an example for his kids that God will hold him accountable for his actions because he knows that the church is true. The spirit was there don’t get me wrong we did it with all the love and charity we had for the family. We can’t give them a desire. They didn’t come to church the next morning.

With Floyd we set up a new quit day. He has had a hard life so we didn’t want to drop him because he needs the structure of the gospel. So today I am dropping off seeds to help him quit. Also he will be playing basketball with the stake so maybe that will help him.

James Deng didn’t come to church even though we saw him right before church and we went to pick him up. He knows the church is true but it’s hard to show him that church is soo important. But he wants this because he wants to teach it to his family and also he wants to take it to his country in Sudan so he wants to learn all he can so that he can teach other people. I wish we had a translator that spoke dinka. It would make it sooo much better.

But a tender mercy or a miracle... a family just moved into the 3rd ward here and they had a baby blessing. The grandfather blessed the baby and I was wondering why. So we got introduced to the father and he is an investigator!! The wife is active he is not. He has been humbled by his situation that he grew up in and we had a really powerful first lesson with him yesterday and we committed him to baptism. We always ask first lesson if they are qualified. We just have to get over smoking and but he wants to be baptized. I feel like everyone does some sort of drug here. There really are a lot of people that smoke here.

But this week was good. I bought a 28 pound pumpkin to carve. I got a deal on it. The cashier gave it to me for 10 cents a pound. But I didn’t have time to carve it so it’s just sitting in my room. I’ll probably let Elder Kulu (for you dad) punch it because he said he wanted to. But at a dinner appointment I did carve a smaller one so I’m happy.

We played rugby again. It’s a lot of fun. I’m thinking about playing when I get back! I have the right body type. haha So I guess I should tell you who is in my district. Elder Kulu is now district leader and my companion, we have elder Darquea old DL and elder Taylor Spanish speaking in our same stake and in another stake elder Medeiros and elder Lucio Spanish speaking. There are a lot of Hispanics here.

So I was really discouraged this week but in one of the many church times that we go too we stopped in at primary. I love it there. Anyways they sang Nephi’s courage and it just reminded me of all the stuff that Nephi went through and how I’m being such a pansy for being sad. I just need to go and do. That’s all I was called to do.

Oh and dad I’m not sure how many sisters; If I had to guess maybe 20 companionships. So a lot but soon it will be about as many as there are guys; which is super cool. And I’m glad to hear about parker. I didn’t know if he actually wanted to go. But now that he has made this decision I know he will love it! Good job Parker! Well I guess this week was good. We have 4 people on date this month and Elder Kulu and I are going to baptize all of them!!! It’s going to happen! We have been working hard! And I have faith that these people will be ready.

Love Elder Salmon