TIME MARCHES ON . . .

. . . even if the collection of mission pictures does not. Oh, well . . . He’s got a great spirit about him, and we love him all the same.

Hello family and others!

I hope all is well on that side of the border. Things are good over here! We’re finally getting some nice weather. Seriously, it’s been so rainy and blustery lately. Would it be so terrible if we had some sunny days? I mean, it’s not like we just had eight months of winter or anything. Goodness. But, it’s supposed to be nice for the next little bit. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts!

Our investigator pool is still somewhat lacking, but we’ve got some good things in the works. We just got a new investigator this last week named Liz, and she seems to be reasonably interested. Her daughter seemed like she was even more interested, but she couldn’t stick around for the lesson. We’re going to try and get both of them next time. Other than that, we’ve got some potentials lined up that seem promising. We’re really trying to work hard with the members to get them excited about missionary work, but peeps seem to be pretty slow when it comes to sharing the gospel. What’s up with that? Have we not heard about it enough in General Conference or the church magazines or in our own congregations? What’s it going to take? I hope y’all back home are picking up what the general authorities are throwing down, because this work is so important, and we all need to be a part of it.

Red Deer is a good place. I like the ward and I like the missionaries I’m around. Guess what! Elder Monks, my MTC companion, is in my district down here! It’s been so fun being able to see him every week and spend some time with him. The MTC was one year ago! I can’t even believe that. Well, I kind of can because it does feel like a lifetime ago, but at the same time it feels like this time went by so fast. People keep saying the second year goes even faster, but I can’t quite imagine that. I want to make this year even better than the first.

Thanks for all of your love and support! They are felt and they are appreciated. If I can do anything for any of you, please let me know! You’re all fabulous.

Keep the faith,

Elder Eli

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FOOD BEFORE ALL . . .

Looks like we at Elder Webb HQ are behind a couple of weeks:

16 June 2014 

Family, friends, and family friends,

Good morrow! I hope all is well for all who are within eye-shot (the email equivalent of earshot). If things aren’t well, hang in there! It’ll always get better.

Happy Father’s Day! Dad, you’re the best. Thanks so much for your example and love all my life. I treasure your advice and friendship. I also treasure our shared humor, and our support for one another when we make a bad joke. Thanks for your testimony and worthy exercise of priesthood. You’re definitely the best dad I’ve ever had. No other dad can compare. Love you!

This week was pretty uneventful. Oh! I do have a good story. We’ve got an investigator who works at a strip club. He’s got a heart of gold. His mom is going through a really hard time with her health, so we asked him if he needed any help with anything. He really doesn’t like accepting help because he’s very independent. He told us he wished he could pay us somehow, that it was frustrating because we don’t take payment. Then he said, “Even dancers don’t work on you guys! With anyone else if I want them to do something I can be like, ‘Hey, do this and I’ll throw you in the hot tub with the dancers.’ and they’ll be like, ‘Yes, I’ll do anything!’ But nothing works on you guys!” Sorry, pal — but if you actually knew anything about missionaries, you’d know to offer food before dancers. Good times.

You know what I love? The Book of Mormon. It’s amazing how much you can learn every time you open it. It’s a true book! Pray about it! Learn it! Study it! Live by it! I’ve grown to love the Book of Mormon so much. There’s so much I have left to learn, which is really exciting! It means a lot that Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gives us scripture to live by and help us come closer to Him. I’m grateful for scripture and the power of prayer. I’m also grateful for the redemptive power of the Atonement. Repentance really is a beautiful thing, and it’s available to each of us! Thank heaven for that.

Thanks for reading! Thanks for your love and support and prayers and emails! Keep it up!

Keep the faith,

Elder Webb

✧    ✧    ✧

9 June 2014 

Howdy to all,

This was a great week. We had a baptism! It was kind of interesting. They wanted it to be super low-key, so they did it on a Thursday afternoon. They just wanted it to be the missionaries and the bishop. They didn’t want to do a program or anything! We were totally down with that, but then we found out that the bishop couldn’t come! Our zone leaders were around, so we got permission for them to conduct. So, in attendance were Wolf, his wife, and six missionaries! But, the ordinance was valid and the Spirit was there! Awesome.

Red Deer is great! It’s been raining a ton lately. It’s nice though, because it’s super green and lush. We do a lot of service. Now a big focus is finding investigators who are actually willing to keep commitments. A lot of times you’ll get people who are willing to meet and listen, but they’ll never act or experiment. What we need are people who not only want to learn, but want to find out for themselves if it’s true. They’re out there, we just need to find them!

Max, you’re going to love your mission. I know you’d be hard-pressed to find two places more different than Reynosa and Edmonton, but there are some things that are true across the board. If you’re committed to your purpose, you’ll be successful and happy. Missions are a blast. You’re going to have the time of your life. You’ll make friends that you’ll keep for the rest of your life. Your testimony will grow so much, and you’ll gain such a strong relationship with the Lord. I’m so stoked for you!

My health is good! Well, it could definitely be better. I need to eat better. Breakfast still isn’t really happening much, so I need to turn that around. Other than that I’m good! We were working out at the gym, but then we found out that we were getting a killer deal that shouldn’t have actually existed, so the gym told us we either had to pay full price or cancel our membership. We cancelled. So now we’re going to start running in the mornings. Blech.

Well, I love you all! The church is true! Thanks for reading!

Keep the faith,

Elder Webb

•  •  •

“DEAD REAR,” HE CALLS IT

Bless this boy. He entered the MTC on June 5, 2013. Unreal. Great report from the lad:

“Dead Rear”

Love to all!

That subject is what happens when you switch the first two letters of where I’m serving because I think I’m funny. That’s why so is mankind. 

Happy 20th!
(Cake mix provided by Sis. Woolley of Orlando, FL)

Red Deer is awesome! So is Elder Stoker. He’s from Montana, but he isn’t a farm boy. He’s never ridden a horse. But, he does love guns. He wants to study economics so he can someday be a consultant to a senator. He’s very committed and he’s a hard worker. We’ve got an excellent dynamic. I may only be with him for one transfer since this is his fourth transfer in Red Deer (he had two companions before me), which means that I may only be in Red Deer for three transfers. We’ll just have to see! (It’s typical to be in an area for four transfers with each companionship lasting two transfers.) It’s been really rainy here for the last few days. It’s very lush and green. I love it.

The work is going well. Hopefully we’ll see some good things happening with investigators. We’ve got a few right now, but the ones I’ve met don’t seem to be progressing well, so we’ve got to get them to that point or find some new ones. Missionary work is hard, but it makes you feel great when you do what you know Heavenly Father wants you to be doing.

We’ve got the baptism I inherited this week. The man’s name is Wolfgang. He’s German, and his wife joined the church around 14 years ago, I believe. I don’t know much about his process, but it seems that he was ready for the gospel, and he’s got a powerful testimony. It’s interesting that even though some things get lost in translation, the Spirit can still speak to our spirits and testify. Truth is truth, no matter what language you speak. So, we’re looking forward to that! 

This has been a good, fast week! It’s unbelievable that I hit a year on Thursday. That was so fast! Crazy, crazy times. It’s been a great year. I’ve learned so much and I’d like to think that I’ve grown. One of my goals for my mission was to come home better that I left. You’d think that would happen naturally, but improvement requires real effort, and if you give a weak effort, even for two years, you might not improve. We’ve got to give it our all! I want to make this next year even better than the last, and if I do what I’m supposed to, I can make that happen! (Holy crap, I’m halfway done.)

Funny story! There is a little boy in our ward who just turned five. When he woke up on the morning of his birthday he said, “My hands are bigger, and I can talk louder!” I’ve never had a birthday like that.

Also, I’m becoming less and less interested in candy. Until further notice, maybe would you send beef jerky in my packages instead of candy? That would be awesome.

I love you all! That’s awesome that Max is going to be heading to the temple next week. The Church is true! I’ve got some pictures to send. Sorry it’s been so long!

Thanks to the Woolley fam for the birthday tie!

With Kestin, Beth and Elder Jolley in Coronation Park

Keep the faith,

Elder Eli

•  •  •