Happy Christmas!: 12/20/2010

I picked up the Christmas box today. It said that there were two packages on the slip I got to go pick them up, but they could only find one, where there two?? haha. Yes I got the letter you sent and I giggled and I didn't ask my mission president about the situation, so oh well. I got the phone card also thanks so much! I am allowed to skype, so you could set up my comp or go over to Aunt Heathers or something haha. So that is cool, I don't know when I can call yet though, so just be expecting it I guess all day! oh mom do you have Brennan's address?? I want to write him a letter haha.

That is so crazy that Lina is having a nerf war party, my companion and I do that all the time in our penthouse apartment haha. I love our apartment so much! haha. This week has been reallllyyy hard, nobody is out walking because it is too cold, so we only had 10 contacts last week... yeah horrible. Also, Steven keeps saying that he will come to church but he never does, so frustrating!! Something always comes up on Sunday... and only on Sunday. haha hmm. One day, Elder Wright and I walked into our apartment and President Miller (stake president) asked us to give him a blessing because he is going in for surgery. (We live above his dental office) that was so intimidating to give a stake president a blessing, but it was awesome at the same time!

       

Kay so Bishop Craig's little girls love me! The oldest one is 8 and the youngest is 5 I think. Every time we see them we ask whose tie looks cooler, and they always choose mine. So one day I wore this ugly tie I got from Goodwill for like 99 cents and Elder Wright put on his best tie, and we asked them again and they chose mine! hahaha! I was laughing so hard!

      

Yesterday for Sacrament meeting we had a singing meeting thingy and Brother Hughes, Elder Wright and I sang "Far Far away on Judeas Plain", a capella. It was so crazy! I didn't know I could sing and I still don't know, but oh well haha. Hopefully this week will be a change, because Elder Wright goes home next Tuesday, and we want to have an awesome last week!! Well I hope all is well back in Cali! I love y'all!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!! (from Harry Potter haha)

Peace and Blessings!

Elder Cawley

(sorry it was so short this week, we didn't have a lot of time)

 Elder Rhine and I. Elder Rhine is from Oceanside. very cool kid :D 

 My companion Elder Wright and a 7 foot long snake. NEAT!!!

Oranges: 12/13/2010

I didn't even realize how close Christmas was until you said only 12 more days haha crazy!! I cant wait for the package to get here, bcuz elder wright and I havnt gotten any mail for 3 days straight haha, so tell ppl to write us! (mainly me teehee) That story about how charlie made Colette and Clara cry made me laugh, all the people started to look at me even more awkwardly (bcuz sitting in a library in a white shirt and tie isnt enough) so I gave them all the stink eye haha. but tell Charlie to keep it up hahaha.

Well last week was one of those weeks where it was really hard but really fun at the same time haha. One of our investigators dropped us :( It was king, the one that I told you about. He pulled the "I'm going through a hard time, so I will call you when Im ready, but dont call me I will call you." I was like thats not stopping us. So I texted him (yes we have texting) and said that elder wright wants to see him a couple more times before he leaves to go back home. Totally played the guilt card haha and it worked we have an appointment tomorrow at 12. Oh so last district meeting President Hutchings came and gave a 2 hour training. He mainly focused on talking to EVERYONE! And then we role played for another hour. But before he started training us he said that the only music we can listen to now is Mo Tab, that we can only take pictures on P-day and that if we dont baptize each month, he will call us in one by one and rebuke us. haha... neat! So he is laying down the rules pretty hard, which is good, I've already seen a difference in me and my companion as we obey these rules.

          

Queso (get it?) that same day that we had district meeting, elder wright and I were walking to an appointment, and someone driving the opposite way threw a lil orange at us. It missed us, and went into the bushes. We both stopped and looked at em and they were laughing. I turned to elder wright and said, follow me haha. I picked up the orange, walked over to them and said "I think you dropped this" and tossed it to him. And then I asked him if he had ever talked to people like us before. He said no, so I told him who we were and what we are doing out here. Long story short we have an appointment with him Thursday. BOO YAH! hahahaha. We both walked away thanking the Lord for him having a softened heart, bcuz he looked pretty scary... not gunna lie. Since that training of talking to everyone, we have gotten 10 new investigators, and President Hutchings promised us that if we got 10 new investigators a week, that we would see baptisms.

       

Steven is the one with the baptism date on Christmas, and i feel that once he gets baptized, the Hopkinsville area will blossom with baptisms, he is like the golden investigator haha. Satan is trying really hard with steven though, every sunday something comes up. His sister was arrested 2 Sundays ago, and yesterday his 6 year old nephew blames himself for his mom (stevens sister) getting arrested. and tons of little things keep popping up too. We told him though that as we continue to teach him that these things will keep happening and we explained why they will and he agreed.

      

Anywho... ITS SNOWING!! haha. It was snowing sooo hard yesterday after church. And steven called us at like 3, when it was like the worst, and he was totally depressed so we had to drive over there and the roads were bad, so after we talked to him we left our car there and walked home haha. I gotta go, but I love yall!! Some advice... "Slow down, before today becomes our yesterday" --let that marinate until next weeks letter haha. 

Peace and Blessins!!!!

love yall!

Elder Cawley

Exchanges & Teaching!: 12/6/2010

Hey familia! queso this week was pretty crazy. I was on exchanges with Clarksville 2 because Elder Wright had training down in Madison (like 160 miles round trip) It was an interesting experience haha. we didnt work as much as i wanted to, bcuz one of the missionaires there has to get knee surgery so he had to "take it easy" according to Sister Hutchings, and he abused that privilage haha. Anyways, since i was in clarksville and elder wright was in madison, we were only able to be in our area from 6pm-9pm, from monday-friday. It was crazy bcuz president still expected the same results as if we were there the whole week. 

So wednesday night we go over to Stevens house, and we taught him "The gospel of Jesus Christ" and after we talked about baptism, and we committed him to be baptized on Dec 25th!! It was amazing!!! We are going over today to teach his wife Mary and there 10 year old Makenzie. Hopefully we can get them to get baptized the same day too! woohoo! 

   

We are also teaching this guy named Adam Roskowsky. He came to church yesterday, and was totally interested! He was asking questions, answering questions, and when they said, okay turn to this verse, he would try to be the first one there and he was just paying soooo much attention to the lessons! We have a set appointment with him on Tuesday and Saturday also. The only thing is that he "doesn't want to give up sinning." So he is gunna take some work haha, but anything is possible when you have the Lord on your side.

Yeah dad I'm in some pretty bad neighborhoods, someone said that they have found over 150 meth labs in Hopkinsville, that's a lot. But King protects us, he is seriously so big, I'm going to take a picture standing next to him and send it to you. I don't know if i told you this already but he held his hand up to my face to see how big his hand was, and his hand was bigger then my head! I was like, if he even slaps me i think i will get KOd! haha, But he is a gentle giant. I always think of him as the big guy in The Princess Bride. "Anybody want a peanut??" "AHHHH!!" haha. 

My bishop here, looks and acts JUST like Uncle Brad, its crazy. I don't remember how old uncle brad is, but Bishop Craig (the bishop here) is 33 and is just amazing. If this ward didn't have bishop Craig, I don't know what this ward would be doing, not to sound mean but it is true.

        

I cant wait for christmas!! The First Presidency message yesterday was awesome! Its not so much about the worldly things we get, but its all about Christ and His love for us, and our love for Him also. I hope everyone remembers that! Oh mom, I like presents, just saying hahaha. And my companion does too! He said his parents aren't sending him any this year, so we might have to help him out. Well time to go play volleyball and dodge ball and basketball and all that good stuff. Tell everyone to write me letters. I like letters haha. Love yall!

love,

Elder Cawley

P.S. the south is rubbing off on me, I'm saying " might could" "yall" "why come" "do what" ahh its crazy hahaha