August 30, 2010 e-mail
Dear Family,...............(and friends)
First things first.....I am SO SORRY that I forgot to send your letter last week! I was going through some stuff on my desk yesterday and guess what I found?!?!? I found the letter that I wrote to you last P-day all folded up, slipped into an envelope that was addressed to you with a stamp on it! I just forgot to put it in the mailbox! Please forgive me! I guess you'll be getting two letters from me this week!
Well, it has been a crazy, busy, hectic, insane, stressful, rewarding, heartbreaking, joyful, intense, out of the ordinary week.
Hmmm. That pretty much sums it up. I guess I'll close there.
Love you
Love Ben
Just Joking!!! But seriously....I barely know where to begin. I guess I'll begin by saying that all this crazy, busy, hectic, insane, stressful, rewarding, heartbreaking, joyful, intense, out of the ordinary stuff was to due to a baptism! So it was all worth it in the end. :) This girl that got baptized is a girl that we've been working with for only a couple weeks. She got baptized last Saturday (Aug 28th) and got confirmed on Sunday (Aug 29th)! It was a long rough road but she pushed through and made it. It was awesome to be a part of. It helped me see, in an even greater light, that we have the strength to do Anything when we're doing it with and for God. If she had been doing it alone....without her testimony that this was what God wanted her to do....then I don't think she could have made it. The adversary was pushing too hard against her. But because she had a testimony that this gospel was the one and only true gospel of Jesus Christ it didn't matter how hard the adversary pushed, it didn't matter how dark or bleak it got, it didn't matter how lonely the road appeared at first....her mind was set and her faith was strong. She put all of her trust in her Savior and took it step by step. Now that she has been baptized and confirmed (has entered in by the gate) that road that was once disguised by darkness and loneliness has been illuminated to reveal the light of Christ, true and lasting happiness, a new hope for the future, peace, comfort, friendship and love. It was such a blessing to be able to struggle through with her until this point where she has embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is true. I love it.
As for the rest of the week....it was good!
Hey...it just got better! Your e-mail just came in! SWEET!
That breakfast does look pretty dang good! You should try packaging up a waffle and sending it to me! (Ummmm...on second thought, maybe you shouldn't!)
So the hedge just got a haircut huh? Hey, me too! We went downtown here in Ulysses (if you can even call it downtown...its only one street!) to a place called "Hair Connection" which is owned by a member and she cut our hair for free and then we helped her clean up some stuff in her shop. I am very proud to say that I have not payed for one single hair cut since I left. I have either gotten it cut for free or buzzed it myself! I hope I can keep that record going!
Isn't it crazy that summer is coming to an end already!?!?? Summer always goes so fast! I don't know if I'm ready for another winter yet! I WAY prefer the summer. :) You want to hear something funny? A couple weeks ago it went from being 105 degrees one day to being 80 degrees the next. Now...that's not the funny part...the funny part is that 80 degrees felt a little bit nippy! Not cold enough for a coat of course, but still! Me and Elder Moser were like...."Oh wow....that's bad when 80 degrees feels cool!
Well I am so glad to hear that Chris is doing well and that they caught it early! She is in my prayers morning and night. (As is the rest of the Mason family). Thanks for informing me and keeping me updated! :) Tell them that I'm sorry that I haven't written a formal letter to them in a while.....but tell them that if its any consolation I didn't even send my family a letter last week!
Oh, yes....I did finally receive Brother Rowberry's letter. The mail gets way slowed down when it comes through the mission office. It took about two weeks to get to me! Its weird because sometimes it takes two weeks and other times it takes only about four to five days. I don't understand the system I guess!
Well....tonight we're heading down to Liberal to do team ups with Elder Murphy and Elder Camarillo. Elder Murphy is our district leader. We'll head back to Ulysses on Wednesday evening probably. Its going to be weird serving in Liberal because its a decent sized town! I've found that I prefer to serve in the smaller towns. I don't exactly know why....but I do!
Well....we had a recent convert fireside last night. It was SO good! Do you ever do those in our stake dad? I don't remember ever hearing about one. I've been to two so far on my mission and they are amazing! Last night we had one of the priests drive us over to Garden City for the fireside. We had two recent converts there and a few members from our ward and then there were lots of other people from the surrounding areas in the stake. It was a very uplifting meeting and the spirit was so strong. Unfortunately we weren't able to get our two most recent converts there but there's going to be another fireside next month and they both said they'll come to that one. I hope they do come. They would love it!
Well I have to wrap up. Sorry again for no letter last week. (Even though I did write one!) I wont forget to send it this week!
Love you all
Love Elder Cryer.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
THE BIRTHDAY TRICK
ELDER CRYER
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
AUGUST 23, 2010 E-MAIL
Hey Dad, Mom, Sam, Emma, and everyone else!
How do you like my attempt to make a name badge header?!?!?!?!?!? It's not that good but I didn't want to spend any time messing with it too much because I figured that you'd rather get an e-mail......was I right? :)
So Eugene is not part of the Portland Oregon Mission (POM). O.k. I didn't think it was but I really wasn't sure. It was pretty crazy because I got permission to call the POM office and explain the situation. I told Elder Moser....I'm practically calling home! It was funny. The missionaries in Aloha got in contact right away though which was great. (A member friend of the referral informed us).
We have started with the new missionary lessons. They are awesome! And we got new PMG DVD's! Yay!!! I heard rumor of new PMG books as well....is that true, do you know? Anyways, Last Zone Conference was all about the new training. We focused on the doctrine of Christ. We are actually starting to teach the doctrine of Christ as the first lesson (unless otherwise directed by the spirit) and commit them to baptism off of that. Its actually really effective. There isn't much for people to argue about when you lay out the doctrine of Christ straight from the scriptures in a clear, simple way. Its neat. I guess that we are going to go through the training about 6 or 7 seven times so that we will be able to know it backwards and forward. I'm excited for it. I loved that quote you shared Dad....I have really begun to see and understand that more and more. If you don't have the spirit then you can't convert, you can only convince....and that won't last very long. We need to be "under the influence of the Holy Spirit" or we won't do any lasting good. And to be under the influence of the Holy Ghost we have to be converted ourselves. And like you said, that comes by becoming, not just knowing, but becoming and living the gospel. Which, by the way, is not as easy as it sounds! :)
Chris will definitely be in my prayers. I'm glad that they caught it early. How long are they looking at for recovery? When did all this happen?
Yes, I did get my CTR ring and my packages from both you and grandma and grandpa (+ Sam!) Thanks so much! Actually.....funny story about my package. It actually arrived on Monday the 16th but I didn't know that. See, Elder Moser was just finishing a letter to someone and putting a stamp on it when he saw the mail man walk past our window. He frantically finished and ran out the door after him. I heard the mail man say "Oh, I have a package for you guys". I was like "Yes! my package is here!!!!". Well, when Elder Moser came back from getting the mail he didn't have a package...just my CTR ring. I said "Where's the package?" He was like "Oh, the mail man was mistaken....he thought it was for us but it was actually for our neighbors." It was very disappointing. Well then my B-day rolls around and Elder Moser says "Alright Elder Cryer....I have two presents for you but you have to choose which one you want and then I'll keep the other one. You can either have two ties of your choice from my tie rack, or you can choose this box." Now, little to my knowledge Elder Moser had taken a box that had been lying around the apartment for a week or so and put my package from you in it. So I had no clue what was in the box. After much thought I chose the box because Elder Moser was pushing pretty hard for me to just take two ties. When I opened the box there was my package sitting there! I was like, "How flipping long has my package been here?!?!?!" Well, it had come the day the mail man said we had a package but Elder Moser had put it in the car on his way back to the apartment and then had snuck it in when I was in the bathroom. Sneaky little devil! :) But the good news is that I got it! Thanks for all the treats! (Are the toothbrushes a hint?!) :). Thanks for the journal and the shirts too. That's a neat journal! I'm just about out of room in the one I'm in now so this journal is just what I needed!
I also got the other package from Gma and Gpa (and Sam!) Thanks for all the cookies! Yummmmmm! Now I might gain some weight! (Actually I have gained about 4 or 5 lbs since I left!......don't laugh!)
That is too funny about the shower door! That sounds like something right out of a movie! I can just see that happening! I wish I had been there to see that! That's crazy that you got to see a coyote off the Beltline! I wonder what he was doing in town?
Oh.....yes, the withdrawal of $32 was me. I got myself a second pair of tracting pants. I wanted to be able to switch between the two throughout the week.
Congrats on the 5 wins of Yahtzee! Man, you must be the one stealing all of my luck. Me and Elder Moser have been playing 10,000 and I have only beat him once out of like ten games! I don't know what I'm doing wrong!
Well, thanks again for all of my B-day packages and wishes! It's weird to think that I'm twenty! I don't feel like I should be there yet! I'm done with the teens. I hope time slows down!
Well, I love you all tons and am so grateful for everything that you do for me! If I can ever do anything for you just let me know! I'll do all I can to do whatev'! :)
Love Elder Cryer
(P.S. Still no letter from Bro Rowberry...it must be out there somewhere!)
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
AUGUST 23, 2010 E-MAIL
Hey Dad, Mom, Sam, Emma, and everyone else!
How do you like my attempt to make a name badge header?!?!?!?!?!? It's not that good but I didn't want to spend any time messing with it too much because I figured that you'd rather get an e-mail......was I right? :)
So Eugene is not part of the Portland Oregon Mission (POM). O.k. I didn't think it was but I really wasn't sure. It was pretty crazy because I got permission to call the POM office and explain the situation. I told Elder Moser....I'm practically calling home! It was funny. The missionaries in Aloha got in contact right away though which was great. (A member friend of the referral informed us).
We have started with the new missionary lessons. They are awesome! And we got new PMG DVD's! Yay!!! I heard rumor of new PMG books as well....is that true, do you know? Anyways, Last Zone Conference was all about the new training. We focused on the doctrine of Christ. We are actually starting to teach the doctrine of Christ as the first lesson (unless otherwise directed by the spirit) and commit them to baptism off of that. Its actually really effective. There isn't much for people to argue about when you lay out the doctrine of Christ straight from the scriptures in a clear, simple way. Its neat. I guess that we are going to go through the training about 6 or 7 seven times so that we will be able to know it backwards and forward. I'm excited for it. I loved that quote you shared Dad....I have really begun to see and understand that more and more. If you don't have the spirit then you can't convert, you can only convince....and that won't last very long. We need to be "under the influence of the Holy Spirit" or we won't do any lasting good. And to be under the influence of the Holy Ghost we have to be converted ourselves. And like you said, that comes by becoming, not just knowing, but becoming and living the gospel. Which, by the way, is not as easy as it sounds! :)
Chris will definitely be in my prayers. I'm glad that they caught it early. How long are they looking at for recovery? When did all this happen?
Yes, I did get my CTR ring and my packages from both you and grandma and grandpa (+ Sam!) Thanks so much! Actually.....funny story about my package. It actually arrived on Monday the 16th but I didn't know that. See, Elder Moser was just finishing a letter to someone and putting a stamp on it when he saw the mail man walk past our window. He frantically finished and ran out the door after him. I heard the mail man say "Oh, I have a package for you guys". I was like "Yes! my package is here!!!!". Well, when Elder Moser came back from getting the mail he didn't have a package...just my CTR ring. I said "Where's the package?" He was like "Oh, the mail man was mistaken....he thought it was for us but it was actually for our neighbors." It was very disappointing. Well then my B-day rolls around and Elder Moser says "Alright Elder Cryer....I have two presents for you but you have to choose which one you want and then I'll keep the other one. You can either have two ties of your choice from my tie rack, or you can choose this box." Now, little to my knowledge Elder Moser had taken a box that had been lying around the apartment for a week or so and put my package from you in it. So I had no clue what was in the box. After much thought I chose the box because Elder Moser was pushing pretty hard for me to just take two ties. When I opened the box there was my package sitting there! I was like, "How flipping long has my package been here?!?!?!" Well, it had come the day the mail man said we had a package but Elder Moser had put it in the car on his way back to the apartment and then had snuck it in when I was in the bathroom. Sneaky little devil! :) But the good news is that I got it! Thanks for all the treats! (Are the toothbrushes a hint?!) :). Thanks for the journal and the shirts too. That's a neat journal! I'm just about out of room in the one I'm in now so this journal is just what I needed!
I also got the other package from Gma and Gpa (and Sam!) Thanks for all the cookies! Yummmmmm! Now I might gain some weight! (Actually I have gained about 4 or 5 lbs since I left!......don't laugh!)
That is too funny about the shower door! That sounds like something right out of a movie! I can just see that happening! I wish I had been there to see that! That's crazy that you got to see a coyote off the Beltline! I wonder what he was doing in town?
Oh.....yes, the withdrawal of $32 was me. I got myself a second pair of tracting pants. I wanted to be able to switch between the two throughout the week.
Congrats on the 5 wins of Yahtzee! Man, you must be the one stealing all of my luck. Me and Elder Moser have been playing 10,000 and I have only beat him once out of like ten games! I don't know what I'm doing wrong!
Well, thanks again for all of my B-day packages and wishes! It's weird to think that I'm twenty! I don't feel like I should be there yet! I'm done with the teens. I hope time slows down!
Well, I love you all tons and am so grateful for everything that you do for me! If I can ever do anything for you just let me know! I'll do all I can to do whatev'! :)
Love Elder Cryer
(P.S. Still no letter from Bro Rowberry...it must be out there somewhere!)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
TEACHING BY INSPIRATION
August 16, 2010 letter
Dear Family,
Sorry that I had to cut my last e-mail short but there was a guy that needed to use a computer so I figured I'd be charitable!
Well, those three kids got baptized last Saturday and were confirmed on Sunday. They were taught by the Zone leaders though so really it doesn't count towards me and Elder Moser but that doesn't matter...what matters is that they got baptized! They are such awesome kids. They are so smart and 'G' is the most adorable thing you've ever seen! (She's the little eight year old)
Since we had no investigators at church we decided to go to Primary again for the third hour of church to help the kids feel comfortable. It was fun. We got to sing and color more.
While me and Elder Moser were tracting the other day we ran across this young lady who let us in to talk to her. We found out that she had talked to LDS missionaries before. She's been to church about five or six times before! She accepted to be baptized on the 22nd. Her name is 'C'. She has a sister, 'J' who also wants to be learn and be baptized. We're so excited that we found them.
Last Friday, the 13th of August...We had dinner at the Whites. If I'd had this dinner before I left eleven months ago I would have hated it, but on Friday I loved it. It was a home-made tortilla (nice and thick) with re-fried beans, meat and cheese on it. Then we got to put what we wanted on it. I put on some lettuce, tomato, onion and some hot salsa. It was so good.
After dinner I gave the spiritual thought and then we got to talking. Somehow the subject turned to music and I found out that 'T' (the 11 year old) had a guitar. She went down to her room and brought it up. It was a pink guitar...not quite full size and way out of tune! I got it all tuned up and then I played a couple songs. I hate to say this but I'm a little rusty. I haven't touched a guitar for about four months. It was fun to try and play a little though. Hey! I just went out to the mail and I got a little package! It's my CTR ring! Thanks so much for getting that for me. I love this ring so much. I've been checking out all the other missionaries CTR rings and I haven't see a single person with this one! Thank you so much! You are awesome.
Well Emma. It sounds like you had a good time in Seattle. Seattle is a popular place out here. Everyone knows about Pikes Fish Market.
So what movie did you go to see at the little 5 or 7 screen? You would love the movie theater here in Ulysses Kansas. It only has one screen. They can only show one movie at a time. They always have the weeks movie listed in the paper that gets sent to us.
So that's neat that you got to look at famous Mormons online. What did it have to say about me?
Man Emma. I am very impressed with your cartoons. What kind of pen are you drawing them with? Are you following a pattern or are these coming from your imagination? They are really good. I like the waitress and the old fat man. Do you think you could draw a picture of two missionaries? Maybe with backpacks on bikes? That would be way cool! I showed the cartoons to Elder Moser and he said, "Oh, dang. Those are really good!" Keep up the awesome work!
So Sam. I got your letter too...thanks! Yeah, we did have a bit of a rough spot there for a bit but now it's getting better. We have five people with a date to be baptized. Now that we've found them the real work begins. Now it is up to us to help them feel the spirit and gain a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel so that they will get baptized.
So your wanting to get more out of your scripture study? Why? (Just joking) Well, that's something that I've been working on as well. One thing that always helps is doing tons of cross referencing. Also, going into study with one or two questions and then trying to apply or relate everything you study to that question. It's something that I'm still working on as well. I have days where I learn so much and feel like the spirit is guiding me and teaching me and then other days I feel like I don't get much. It's work to have an effective study. Keep reading the Ensign as well. I love to write quotes from the Ensign in the margins of my scriptures by verses that apply.
It sounds like work is going really well for you. I'm starting to realize that kids are awesome! I love teaching kids! I'm glad to hear that you're still "long" and that you haven't shrunk! It was funny because the other day we randomly got invited into a party at this house (someone going off to college) and there was tons of food but anyway there was a girl there and her uncle said, "Wow, your tall," and she said, "I'm not tall...I'm long." I thought it was funny in light of your recent story!
So have you made any bagels lately? They sound tasty.
I can't believe your only 2 terms off of your AAOT degree. That's so crazy! Any new thoughts on college or mission? No pressure...seriously. Just wondering.
8-17-2010
So today one of the girls from the Hugoton branch called us and told us that she had a friend that wanted to talk with us. She drove down here to Ulysses and we taught him the plan of salvation (that is what we felt inspired to teach) and he is awesome.
He said that he's been investigating all sorts of religions all his life but never felt anything until last Sunday when he walked into our church. He said, "I never thought I could learn so much truth in three hours. I felt something there that I've never felt anywhere else. I know it's true." We committed him to be baptized and he accepted. Then we found out that he lives in Aloha Oregon...right inside Beaverton! I was like, "Hey! I'm from Oregon too!" So we told him that we'd get the missionaries from Oregon in contact with him since he's flying back to Oregon tonight. So guess what?! I got to call Oregon! I called the Portland Oregon Mission Office to give them the referral. It felt like calling home! It was crazy. What mission is Eugene in? Is it part of the Portland mission?
Well, I wanna get this letter off so I'll wrap up I guess! Have a good one! Love ya all lots! Stay happy!
Love Ben
Dear Family,
Sorry that I had to cut my last e-mail short but there was a guy that needed to use a computer so I figured I'd be charitable!
Well, those three kids got baptized last Saturday and were confirmed on Sunday. They were taught by the Zone leaders though so really it doesn't count towards me and Elder Moser but that doesn't matter...what matters is that they got baptized! They are such awesome kids. They are so smart and 'G' is the most adorable thing you've ever seen! (She's the little eight year old)
Since we had no investigators at church we decided to go to Primary again for the third hour of church to help the kids feel comfortable. It was fun. We got to sing and color more.
While me and Elder Moser were tracting the other day we ran across this young lady who let us in to talk to her. We found out that she had talked to LDS missionaries before. She's been to church about five or six times before! She accepted to be baptized on the 22nd. Her name is 'C'. She has a sister, 'J' who also wants to be learn and be baptized. We're so excited that we found them.
Last Friday, the 13th of August...We had dinner at the Whites. If I'd had this dinner before I left eleven months ago I would have hated it, but on Friday I loved it. It was a home-made tortilla (nice and thick) with re-fried beans, meat and cheese on it. Then we got to put what we wanted on it. I put on some lettuce, tomato, onion and some hot salsa. It was so good.
After dinner I gave the spiritual thought and then we got to talking. Somehow the subject turned to music and I found out that 'T' (the 11 year old) had a guitar. She went down to her room and brought it up. It was a pink guitar...not quite full size and way out of tune! I got it all tuned up and then I played a couple songs. I hate to say this but I'm a little rusty. I haven't touched a guitar for about four months. It was fun to try and play a little though. Hey! I just went out to the mail and I got a little package! It's my CTR ring! Thanks so much for getting that for me. I love this ring so much. I've been checking out all the other missionaries CTR rings and I haven't see a single person with this one! Thank you so much! You are awesome.
Well Emma. It sounds like you had a good time in Seattle. Seattle is a popular place out here. Everyone knows about Pikes Fish Market.
So what movie did you go to see at the little 5 or 7 screen? You would love the movie theater here in Ulysses Kansas. It only has one screen. They can only show one movie at a time. They always have the weeks movie listed in the paper that gets sent to us.
So that's neat that you got to look at famous Mormons online. What did it have to say about me?
Man Emma. I am very impressed with your cartoons. What kind of pen are you drawing them with? Are you following a pattern or are these coming from your imagination? They are really good. I like the waitress and the old fat man. Do you think you could draw a picture of two missionaries? Maybe with backpacks on bikes? That would be way cool! I showed the cartoons to Elder Moser and he said, "Oh, dang. Those are really good!" Keep up the awesome work!
So Sam. I got your letter too...thanks! Yeah, we did have a bit of a rough spot there for a bit but now it's getting better. We have five people with a date to be baptized. Now that we've found them the real work begins. Now it is up to us to help them feel the spirit and gain a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel so that they will get baptized.
So your wanting to get more out of your scripture study? Why? (Just joking) Well, that's something that I've been working on as well. One thing that always helps is doing tons of cross referencing. Also, going into study with one or two questions and then trying to apply or relate everything you study to that question. It's something that I'm still working on as well. I have days where I learn so much and feel like the spirit is guiding me and teaching me and then other days I feel like I don't get much. It's work to have an effective study. Keep reading the Ensign as well. I love to write quotes from the Ensign in the margins of my scriptures by verses that apply.
It sounds like work is going really well for you. I'm starting to realize that kids are awesome! I love teaching kids! I'm glad to hear that you're still "long" and that you haven't shrunk! It was funny because the other day we randomly got invited into a party at this house (someone going off to college) and there was tons of food but anyway there was a girl there and her uncle said, "Wow, your tall," and she said, "I'm not tall...I'm long." I thought it was funny in light of your recent story!
So have you made any bagels lately? They sound tasty.
I can't believe your only 2 terms off of your AAOT degree. That's so crazy! Any new thoughts on college or mission? No pressure...seriously. Just wondering.
8-17-2010
So today one of the girls from the Hugoton branch called us and told us that she had a friend that wanted to talk with us. She drove down here to Ulysses and we taught him the plan of salvation (that is what we felt inspired to teach) and he is awesome.
He said that he's been investigating all sorts of religions all his life but never felt anything until last Sunday when he walked into our church. He said, "I never thought I could learn so much truth in three hours. I felt something there that I've never felt anywhere else. I know it's true." We committed him to be baptized and he accepted. Then we found out that he lives in Aloha Oregon...right inside Beaverton! I was like, "Hey! I'm from Oregon too!" So we told him that we'd get the missionaries from Oregon in contact with him since he's flying back to Oregon tonight. So guess what?! I got to call Oregon! I called the Portland Oregon Mission Office to give them the referral. It felt like calling home! It was crazy. What mission is Eugene in? Is it part of the Portland mission?
Well, I wanna get this letter off so I'll wrap up I guess! Have a good one! Love ya all lots! Stay happy!
Love Ben
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
COCKROACHES - YUK!!!
August 16, 2010 e-mail
Hey Family (and all other potential viewers....)
How is life treating everyone? Hopefully all is well. I know that I'm doing just fine!
So Jordan was ordained an Elder huh?!?!?! That's way cool. And now off to college. Man, I can't believe how fast time has flown! One semester and he'll be doing mission papers. That's awesome!
So Brother Rowberry sent me a letter? I can't say that I've gotten it yet. Probably soon though!
Man, L.C. is looking young again! What is that thing suction cupped to the windshield? Is that a GPS? Or am I just seeing things?!?! And you got the air conditioning back! I bet its nice to have that running again! Maybe I can talk President Pfile into getting me a Land Cruiser instead of a Malibu to drive! What do you think?.....is it worth a try?!?!?! :) The mission pays for gas!
Oh man ......I didn't realize it was so cold in Eugene. Its down in the 90's? O.K. that's pretty warm still but it was funny because yesterday it dropped down to 85-90 degrees and me and Elder Moser were joking that we might need to break out our winter gear! We're used to 107 and humid! But seriously.....air conditioning is still nice in 90 degree weather!
Well, I got exhausted just sitting in my chair reading about you going back and forth between Jerry's and home trying to get a satisfactory color to paint the dining room and kitchen in! That sounds intense! It better be a dang good color! :) I bet the guys and gals in the paint department just love you! So are you painting in preparation for the wood floors? I can't wait to see!
It sounds like you had an equally hard time finding a ladder so that you could paint! I'm glad that no one's necks got broken! Good ol' Ken! saved the day again! (And possibly a couple lives!)
Wow! a 14 hour meeting?! What the heck for?!?!?!?!?!?! Was it a church meeting or work meeting? (I'm assuming church since it went until 10 pm!)
Well I can't believe your excuse for such a short letter. It only took me like 2 or 3 minutes to read....I think you'd be safe to double the length next time! (I'm just joking...you don't need to!)
Well we've been having a cockroach problem in the Hugoton apartment. We've found them in our sink, bathtub, couch, and on the floor. Its pretty nasty! So we called Sister Pfile about it and she said we needed to spray right away. So we got our place sprayed while we were in Ulysses but while we were there this weekend we found two more of them.....ALIVE! :/ We might be moving to a new apartment, we'll have to see.
Well....I appreciate you giving me more time to write but now someone is waiting for a computer so I gotta go.
Love ya!
Love Ben
Hey Family (and all other potential viewers....)
How is life treating everyone? Hopefully all is well. I know that I'm doing just fine!
So Jordan was ordained an Elder huh?!?!?! That's way cool. And now off to college. Man, I can't believe how fast time has flown! One semester and he'll be doing mission papers. That's awesome!
So Brother Rowberry sent me a letter? I can't say that I've gotten it yet. Probably soon though!
Man, L.C. is looking young again! What is that thing suction cupped to the windshield? Is that a GPS? Or am I just seeing things?!?! And you got the air conditioning back! I bet its nice to have that running again! Maybe I can talk President Pfile into getting me a Land Cruiser instead of a Malibu to drive! What do you think?.....is it worth a try?!?!?! :) The mission pays for gas!
Oh man ......I didn't realize it was so cold in Eugene. Its down in the 90's? O.K. that's pretty warm still but it was funny because yesterday it dropped down to 85-90 degrees and me and Elder Moser were joking that we might need to break out our winter gear! We're used to 107 and humid! But seriously.....air conditioning is still nice in 90 degree weather!
Well, I got exhausted just sitting in my chair reading about you going back and forth between Jerry's and home trying to get a satisfactory color to paint the dining room and kitchen in! That sounds intense! It better be a dang good color! :) I bet the guys and gals in the paint department just love you! So are you painting in preparation for the wood floors? I can't wait to see!
It sounds like you had an equally hard time finding a ladder so that you could paint! I'm glad that no one's necks got broken! Good ol' Ken! saved the day again! (And possibly a couple lives!)
Wow! a 14 hour meeting?! What the heck for?!?!?!?!?!?! Was it a church meeting or work meeting? (I'm assuming church since it went until 10 pm!)
Well I can't believe your excuse for such a short letter. It only took me like 2 or 3 minutes to read....I think you'd be safe to double the length next time! (I'm just joking...you don't need to!)
Well we've been having a cockroach problem in the Hugoton apartment. We've found them in our sink, bathtub, couch, and on the floor. Its pretty nasty! So we called Sister Pfile about it and she said we needed to spray right away. So we got our place sprayed while we were in Ulysses but while we were there this weekend we found two more of them.....ALIVE! :/ We might be moving to a new apartment, we'll have to see.
Well....I appreciate you giving me more time to write but now someone is waiting for a computer so I gotta go.
Love ya!
Love Ben
TRIALS ARE A BLESSING
August 10, 2010 Letter
Dear Family,
So I had more in my e-mail that I wanted to write but didn't have the time. I'll see if I can write about all of it now.
I'll start on Saturday August 7th. We were in Hugoton and we were tracting Polk St. Well, as we were tracting we came to the Hugoton Retirement/Assisted Living Home where CG works. We thought we'd stop in and see how she was doing. We went in and went to the desk so we could ask where she was. A lady saw us and said, "Oh, are you looking for Margaret?" We said yes assuming that was the name of the lady who worked at the desk. Then the lady said, "Wonderful. She's right over there." She pointed over to a little old lady who was eating lunch. Instead of backing out at this point we figured we'd just go visit with her since it seemed she was expecting visitors anyway. Well it turns out (to make a long story short) that she was a deaf Jehovah's Witness! I guess she was expecting a visit...but not from us. We would have taught her but she was deaf so that would have been somewhat less-effective! We got up to leave after we waved goodbye and we headed for the door when an older couple stopped us. Those two people were so funny! The wife asked us where we were from. Then her husband hand motioned like he pulled two pistols out of his pockets and pointed one at each of us and said, "Bang! Bang!" Then after blowing his fingertips to get rid of the smoke he said, "I'm from Texas."
We came back to that introduction about five or six times before we left because they both had Alzheimer. We really only had a five minute conversation but it took us about thirty minutes to leave because 1) They were so funny we didn't want to leave and 2) We had that five minute conversation about six times! They had us laughing pretty hard.
Let's see. What else was I going to tell you? Oh yes. Last Sunday during the second hour of church a Baptist family walked in! I guess the mom is friends with one of the members. Anyways...there was a 14 year old boy and a 16 year old girl and that class had no teacher and so the branch president asked us to teach it. I bet you know already what we taught. Yes!...you're right! We taught them all about polygamy! O.K. Maybe not. We actually taught the first lesson. The Restoration. But we did answer the question about polygamy. We spent a lot of time talking about how the church and the prophet are connected. The church doesn't exist without a prophet to guide it. We also answered their questions about the Book of Mormon. It was a great lesson because the spirit was there and they both committed to read the Book of Mormon. Sadly they live in Liberal and so we can't work with them but the Elders in Liberal can.
Then guess what we got to do during the third hour?...We got to go to PRIMARY! Man, I love Primary! It is the best place to be! We got to go because we had three kids that the Zone Leaders have been teaching and they came to our ward (because of boundaries). We sang songs...including Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. I'm pretty sure that I was the grand champion for the fastest performance! Then we got out a ton of sound makers and made a racket while we sang Follow the Prophet. Then at the end we got to draw. We could draw anything we wanted as long as it had something to do with miracles or causing the blind to see. I drew a picture of a hand reaching out and up (it wasn't too shabby for being drawn in five minutes!) One of the member girls loved it and said, "Elder Cryer, will you give that to me?" After some deep thought I agreed. Then she said, "I want you to sign it." I figured that I'd better get used to it because within a couple years everyone will be dying to get a signature from me! (or not!) Anyway, I signed it and then I said, "Now I need a picture from you." She drew me a picture of an eye. Then another girl, one of the investigators said, "Can I draw you a picture too?" Of course I agreed to that! So I got two pictures drawn just for me!
Then there was this little boy who thought it was so awesome that the missionaries came to Primary. He made us get an extra chair and put it between us so that he could sit by both of us. He took one of our name badges and put it on and said, "Now I'm a missionary!" After church they had the Linger Longer and so we got to eat and this little boy insisted that we sit next to him. It was neat. I've not been so popular in a while!
Well, thanks for your letter mom! Man, you would love the sunsets here. They're awesome! That's what makes up for the lack of landscape...the sky is always holding surprises. I thought there was a twister in the distance the other day but it was just a storm with a super dense rainfall. It looked cool. I would have taken a picture but I was driving.
So, you've been canning. Blackberry jelly...I mean syrup sounds good. I'm glad that your garden is doing good. Well, it's funny that you've been thinking how lucky I am to have all these trials to face. This last Zone Conference really opened my eyes and helped me see how lucky I really am! Trials really are a great blessing to us if we let them be. I liked what you said about how opposition and trials motivate us to turn to God. I agree with what you said. Trials and adversity allow God to hold us close.
In Zone Conference we got a full page of quotes that Sister Pfile compiled for us and there was one that hit me so strong. It's from the talk Spiritual Revival by Elder Glenn L. Pace in the 1992 November Ensign. It says this: "Into each of our lives come golden moments of adversity. This painful friend breaks our hearts, drops us to our knees, and makes us realize we are nothing without our Lord and Savior. This friend makes us plead all the night long for reassurance and into the next day and sometimes for weeks and months. But ultimately, just as surely as the day follows the night, as we remain true and faithful, this strange friend, adversity, leads us straight into the outstretched arms of the Savior."
I loved that quote. It is so true. Adversity is meant to direct us to the Savior if we only seek him during those dark times rather than turning our backs on the only person who can help us escape these troubling moments. Sadly, there are so many people who get angry at God and shut him out when they need him the most.
No, I haven't grown taller, I don't think. People are just short! Elder Moser isn't too short at all though. We're pretty equal. He doesn't eat Mexican food but he does eat Vermont food. He loves sweet! He's always eating chocolate or candy. He even ate straight hot chocolate powder out of the packet! No water, just the mix. He loves sugar! He is crazy! We still buy and cook our food seperate.
My Book of Mormon reading is going good. From the time I entered the MTC until now I've read it completely three times through and I'm on my fourth time now. I have found that I have to push through on some days and not 'study' as much as I'd like to so I may start slowing down a little bit. But I've been learning a lot from my reading. I've also started reading the Doctrine and Covenants and the New Testament. I want to have read each of those once before I end my mission. We'll see how I do. The most important thing is to make sure I'm studying for my investigators concerns.
That's neat that you and Sam got to go to the temple the other day. I can't wait till I get to go! I only have about one month or so to wait and then I'll get to go up to the Denver Temple. I can't wait. It's been too long!
Well, I guess I'd better let you go now. It's time for me to get back to work!
Have a great week.....love you tons!
Love Ben
Dear Family,
So I had more in my e-mail that I wanted to write but didn't have the time. I'll see if I can write about all of it now.
I'll start on Saturday August 7th. We were in Hugoton and we were tracting Polk St. Well, as we were tracting we came to the Hugoton Retirement/Assisted Living Home where CG works. We thought we'd stop in and see how she was doing. We went in and went to the desk so we could ask where she was. A lady saw us and said, "Oh, are you looking for Margaret?" We said yes assuming that was the name of the lady who worked at the desk. Then the lady said, "Wonderful. She's right over there." She pointed over to a little old lady who was eating lunch. Instead of backing out at this point we figured we'd just go visit with her since it seemed she was expecting visitors anyway. Well it turns out (to make a long story short) that she was a deaf Jehovah's Witness! I guess she was expecting a visit...but not from us. We would have taught her but she was deaf so that would have been somewhat less-effective! We got up to leave after we waved goodbye and we headed for the door when an older couple stopped us. Those two people were so funny! The wife asked us where we were from. Then her husband hand motioned like he pulled two pistols out of his pockets and pointed one at each of us and said, "Bang! Bang!" Then after blowing his fingertips to get rid of the smoke he said, "I'm from Texas."
We came back to that introduction about five or six times before we left because they both had Alzheimer. We really only had a five minute conversation but it took us about thirty minutes to leave because 1) They were so funny we didn't want to leave and 2) We had that five minute conversation about six times! They had us laughing pretty hard.
Let's see. What else was I going to tell you? Oh yes. Last Sunday during the second hour of church a Baptist family walked in! I guess the mom is friends with one of the members. Anyways...there was a 14 year old boy and a 16 year old girl and that class had no teacher and so the branch president asked us to teach it. I bet you know already what we taught. Yes!...you're right! We taught them all about polygamy! O.K. Maybe not. We actually taught the first lesson. The Restoration. But we did answer the question about polygamy. We spent a lot of time talking about how the church and the prophet are connected. The church doesn't exist without a prophet to guide it. We also answered their questions about the Book of Mormon. It was a great lesson because the spirit was there and they both committed to read the Book of Mormon. Sadly they live in Liberal and so we can't work with them but the Elders in Liberal can.
Then guess what we got to do during the third hour?...We got to go to PRIMARY! Man, I love Primary! It is the best place to be! We got to go because we had three kids that the Zone Leaders have been teaching and they came to our ward (because of boundaries). We sang songs...including Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. I'm pretty sure that I was the grand champion for the fastest performance! Then we got out a ton of sound makers and made a racket while we sang Follow the Prophet. Then at the end we got to draw. We could draw anything we wanted as long as it had something to do with miracles or causing the blind to see. I drew a picture of a hand reaching out and up (it wasn't too shabby for being drawn in five minutes!) One of the member girls loved it and said, "Elder Cryer, will you give that to me?" After some deep thought I agreed. Then she said, "I want you to sign it." I figured that I'd better get used to it because within a couple years everyone will be dying to get a signature from me! (or not!) Anyway, I signed it and then I said, "Now I need a picture from you." She drew me a picture of an eye. Then another girl, one of the investigators said, "Can I draw you a picture too?" Of course I agreed to that! So I got two pictures drawn just for me!
Then there was this little boy who thought it was so awesome that the missionaries came to Primary. He made us get an extra chair and put it between us so that he could sit by both of us. He took one of our name badges and put it on and said, "Now I'm a missionary!" After church they had the Linger Longer and so we got to eat and this little boy insisted that we sit next to him. It was neat. I've not been so popular in a while!
Well, thanks for your letter mom! Man, you would love the sunsets here. They're awesome! That's what makes up for the lack of landscape...the sky is always holding surprises. I thought there was a twister in the distance the other day but it was just a storm with a super dense rainfall. It looked cool. I would have taken a picture but I was driving.
So, you've been canning. Blackberry jelly...I mean syrup sounds good. I'm glad that your garden is doing good. Well, it's funny that you've been thinking how lucky I am to have all these trials to face. This last Zone Conference really opened my eyes and helped me see how lucky I really am! Trials really are a great blessing to us if we let them be. I liked what you said about how opposition and trials motivate us to turn to God. I agree with what you said. Trials and adversity allow God to hold us close.
In Zone Conference we got a full page of quotes that Sister Pfile compiled for us and there was one that hit me so strong. It's from the talk Spiritual Revival by Elder Glenn L. Pace in the 1992 November Ensign. It says this: "Into each of our lives come golden moments of adversity. This painful friend breaks our hearts, drops us to our knees, and makes us realize we are nothing without our Lord and Savior. This friend makes us plead all the night long for reassurance and into the next day and sometimes for weeks and months. But ultimately, just as surely as the day follows the night, as we remain true and faithful, this strange friend, adversity, leads us straight into the outstretched arms of the Savior."
I loved that quote. It is so true. Adversity is meant to direct us to the Savior if we only seek him during those dark times rather than turning our backs on the only person who can help us escape these troubling moments. Sadly, there are so many people who get angry at God and shut him out when they need him the most.
No, I haven't grown taller, I don't think. People are just short! Elder Moser isn't too short at all though. We're pretty equal. He doesn't eat Mexican food but he does eat Vermont food. He loves sweet! He's always eating chocolate or candy. He even ate straight hot chocolate powder out of the packet! No water, just the mix. He loves sugar! He is crazy! We still buy and cook our food seperate.
My Book of Mormon reading is going good. From the time I entered the MTC until now I've read it completely three times through and I'm on my fourth time now. I have found that I have to push through on some days and not 'study' as much as I'd like to so I may start slowing down a little bit. But I've been learning a lot from my reading. I've also started reading the Doctrine and Covenants and the New Testament. I want to have read each of those once before I end my mission. We'll see how I do. The most important thing is to make sure I'm studying for my investigators concerns.
That's neat that you and Sam got to go to the temple the other day. I can't wait till I get to go! I only have about one month or so to wait and then I'll get to go up to the Denver Temple. I can't wait. It's been too long!
Well, I guess I'd better let you go now. It's time for me to get back to work!
Have a great week.....love you tons!
Love Ben
Friday, August 13, 2010
SIMPLY TEACHING
10 August 2010
Well hey hey hey!
Hows life in the big metropolis of Eugene? (You still live in Eugene right? )
Life in Ulysses and Hugoton is awesome. The sun is still shining, the wind is still blowing, the trees still aren't growing, and the gospels still true!
You have a small birthday package for me!!!!!!!!!! I new someone cared about me!
It looks like you had a great time at the beach last weekend. Those looked like really cool beaches! Or maybe its just the fact that I've been looking at nothing but dirt for the past four months! (Just joking...I love Ulysses!) Those rock walls with warts on them look really fun to climb on! (By the way...I like pic "P1060603"....Emma, Dad and Sam walking single file down the rocks!)
Whoa!!! the kitchen and dining room are getting wood flooring? I can't wait to see the pics of that. That will look really nice! Are you buying from Jerry's? :) Are you installing it or getting it installed? That's sweet!
So I went and got my finger sized a couple days ago....no, I haven't met anyone!.....and my ring size is 11. Again...the CTR ring thing isn't a necessity....just an idea.
Well yesterday we had an awesome zone conference. We were really focused on two main topics. The first was adversity and how it is a blessing to have adversity in our lives. Without it we would not grow. We also talked about how to be more effective teachers. Especially how to earn the trust of people within the first few minutes we spend with them and also how we can help them understand early on what our purpose as missionaries is. I learned so much. I also realized that I need to be more bold when I'm teaching. And the way I can do that is by making things plainer. I need to teach in a simpler, more clear way.
We got to put the things that we learned in zone conference to the test last night as we went and visited with a part member family. The husband is not a member and hasn't been too open in talking religion with the missionaries in quite a few years. We felt prompted to go see him last night though and see if he would talk with us. He did let us talk with him! We sat and talked for about an hour and discussed his concerns. Before we even really started talking with him he told us that he had a standard question for the missionaries and that no missionaries had ever been able to give him a satisfactory answer. By the time we left he had felt the spirit and he said that that was the best answer he had ever gotten. He agreed to pray. Tonight we are going to commit him to read the Book of Mormon and come to church. It was an awesome lesson.
Well...I was going to attach some pics but my card is full so I'll be sending it home here pretty quick anyways. I just need to print a couple off this weekend when we're in Liberal or Guyman for district meeting (They have Wal-marts!) and then I'll send it home!
Well.....I have more to tell you but I have no more time. I guess it will have to be told in the letter!
Thanks for everything! And thanks in advance for my package! You're awesome!
Love you
Love Ben.
Well hey hey hey!
Hows life in the big metropolis of Eugene? (You still live in Eugene right? )
Life in Ulysses and Hugoton is awesome. The sun is still shining, the wind is still blowing, the trees still aren't growing, and the gospels still true!
You have a small birthday package for me!!!!!!!!!! I new someone cared about me!
It looks like you had a great time at the beach last weekend. Those looked like really cool beaches! Or maybe its just the fact that I've been looking at nothing but dirt for the past four months! (Just joking...I love Ulysses!) Those rock walls with warts on them look really fun to climb on! (By the way...I like pic "P1060603"....Emma, Dad and Sam walking single file down the rocks!)
Whoa!!! the kitchen and dining room are getting wood flooring? I can't wait to see the pics of that. That will look really nice! Are you buying from Jerry's? :) Are you installing it or getting it installed? That's sweet!
So I went and got my finger sized a couple days ago....no, I haven't met anyone!.....and my ring size is 11. Again...the CTR ring thing isn't a necessity....just an idea.
Well yesterday we had an awesome zone conference. We were really focused on two main topics. The first was adversity and how it is a blessing to have adversity in our lives. Without it we would not grow. We also talked about how to be more effective teachers. Especially how to earn the trust of people within the first few minutes we spend with them and also how we can help them understand early on what our purpose as missionaries is. I learned so much. I also realized that I need to be more bold when I'm teaching. And the way I can do that is by making things plainer. I need to teach in a simpler, more clear way.
We got to put the things that we learned in zone conference to the test last night as we went and visited with a part member family. The husband is not a member and hasn't been too open in talking religion with the missionaries in quite a few years. We felt prompted to go see him last night though and see if he would talk with us. He did let us talk with him! We sat and talked for about an hour and discussed his concerns. Before we even really started talking with him he told us that he had a standard question for the missionaries and that no missionaries had ever been able to give him a satisfactory answer. By the time we left he had felt the spirit and he said that that was the best answer he had ever gotten. He agreed to pray. Tonight we are going to commit him to read the Book of Mormon and come to church. It was an awesome lesson.
Well...I was going to attach some pics but my card is full so I'll be sending it home here pretty quick anyways. I just need to print a couple off this weekend when we're in Liberal or Guyman for district meeting (They have Wal-marts!) and then I'll send it home!
Well.....I have more to tell you but I have no more time. I guess it will have to be told in the letter!
Thanks for everything! And thanks in advance for my package! You're awesome!
Love you
Love Ben.
Monday, August 9, 2010
TIME IS GOING WAY TOO FAST!!
August 2, 2010
Dear Family,
Man, I really can't believe it's August already! This whole mission thing is starting to go way too fast! The months feel like weeks! I need more time...actually I just need the time to not go so fast.
So, yesterday we went and taught a family. He is a police officer. He told us about a high speed chase he was involved in a few nights ago. His wife works in the emergency room at the hospital. They are a nice couple. They loved the message we shared and invited us to come back and they even told us they would fix dinner for us one of these days. We gave them a date for the 15th of August. Please keep them in your prayers.
Sadly we had to drop W about a week ago. She would not make the necessary changes in her life to be baptized. I can understand why it's so hard for her. I mean, the changes that she would need to make would put her in a very challenging position. But I also know, and we promised her, that she would never regret the decision to be baptized. We promised her that the Lord blesses and provides for those who keep his commandments. But she was not ready to take that step of faith.
I liked the cartoons in your letter mom! I agree with you, Mr Peanut is my favorite as well.
So how is your cartooning going Emma? I assume your planning on having a short cartoon produced and in theaters within a few months. Am I right? What kind of things are you learning?
Well, I'm still working on my Spanish. It's a long, slow process! It is slowly improving though. I should read out of the Spanish Book of Mormon every day. I was for about a week but then I stopped because I wasn't really understanding it. I should just stick with it though. It has started to sound more normal now though...so I think that's a good sign.
Thanks for that scripture in 2 Timothy 2:24! I have learned a lot over the past two transfers as I have led. I am starting to see little improvements. Thanks mom and dad for all your advice. It has really helped me. I'm excited to keep learning this transfer. I will definitely keep studying and pondering D&C 121. There is a lot in those last few verses! In fact I think there's too much in there for me to master in the short time I have left on my mission. It's going to take me a while.
So how was your stay with grandma and grandpa Emma? Did you get to ride any horses? I need a picture of you with your boots and hat on while you're on a horse. That's classic you!
So, how was cub day camp mom? I do remember those. I remember one of my favorite parts about them was my lunch because you would always buy me those pudding cups! I loved those! What were you in charge of out there?
Oh, so tihs transfer we got super sad news. Starting this transfer Zone Conferences and interviews will be held quarterly. About once every two transfers instead of once a transfer. I was way sad about that. The good news is that transfers have been switched from Wednesday to Tuesday and so transfer p-days will be on Monday now. So now the only time I won't e-mail on Monday is when we have Zone Conference,,I think!
Wow mom...I think that is the L O N G E S T P.S. note I have ever seen! I do appreciate the advice though! I liked how she said to begin on your knees. It reminded me of the scripture in 2 Nephi 32:9 where it talks about praying so that what we are doing is consecrated unto us for our good. I do know that he can help me learn. I just need to have the faith and then work at it and he'll fill in my weaknesses.
Oh, I really liked that quote on happiness by William George Jordan. I loved the part where he said, "It is the gladness of the heart, rising superior to all conditions." It is all up to us. Happiness is a choice we can choose anytime, anywhere.
So yesterday...wait, no, on Saturday we drove back to Ulysses from Hugoton and when we got back we had a few minutes to go visit people. Right when we were coming into Ulysses the rain hit like not other! The windshield wipers were going full speed, we were only going 30mph and we could barely see! We got to the persons house that we were going to visit and we got out and we were soaked in less than 15 seconds. I'm not even joking. I was in a short sleeve white shirt. I must have looked like an idiot because Elder Moser happened to have a raincoat! The person we went to see wasn't there and so we got back into the car (soaking wet) and went to another persons house. The only place to park was on the curb and the streets were flooded. Elder Moser got the curb side so when he got out he stayed dry. Me, on the other hand, when I got out I stepped right into the puddle! Well, they weren't there either and so we headed back in our soaking clothes...well, mine were the only clothes that were soaking. We planned for the next day then I showered and went to bed! That rainstorm was so crazy. It took no time at all for the streets to flood! It was crazy! We only only splashed through a few puddles!
Oh, so yesterday a member called us and told us that they had a bunch of food that they wanted to give us! She gave us a big bag of frozedn food. She is our new favorite member! The only thing I had to buy this week was water. It was way nice. And we got the dinner calendar for the month of August and we are bing fed every single day! They love us!
Well, there are the updates from Elder Cryer in Ulysses, Kansas! I'm happy as ever....wouldn't want to be doing anything else.
Stay happy! Stay healthy! Stay safe! Stay Mormon!
Love you all!
Love Ben...A.K.A. Elder Cryer
Dear Family,
Man, I really can't believe it's August already! This whole mission thing is starting to go way too fast! The months feel like weeks! I need more time...actually I just need the time to not go so fast.
So, yesterday we went and taught a family. He is a police officer. He told us about a high speed chase he was involved in a few nights ago. His wife works in the emergency room at the hospital. They are a nice couple. They loved the message we shared and invited us to come back and they even told us they would fix dinner for us one of these days. We gave them a date for the 15th of August. Please keep them in your prayers.
Sadly we had to drop W about a week ago. She would not make the necessary changes in her life to be baptized. I can understand why it's so hard for her. I mean, the changes that she would need to make would put her in a very challenging position. But I also know, and we promised her, that she would never regret the decision to be baptized. We promised her that the Lord blesses and provides for those who keep his commandments. But she was not ready to take that step of faith.
I liked the cartoons in your letter mom! I agree with you, Mr Peanut is my favorite as well.
So how is your cartooning going Emma? I assume your planning on having a short cartoon produced and in theaters within a few months. Am I right? What kind of things are you learning?
Well, I'm still working on my Spanish. It's a long, slow process! It is slowly improving though. I should read out of the Spanish Book of Mormon every day. I was for about a week but then I stopped because I wasn't really understanding it. I should just stick with it though. It has started to sound more normal now though...so I think that's a good sign.
Thanks for that scripture in 2 Timothy 2:24! I have learned a lot over the past two transfers as I have led. I am starting to see little improvements. Thanks mom and dad for all your advice. It has really helped me. I'm excited to keep learning this transfer. I will definitely keep studying and pondering D&C 121. There is a lot in those last few verses! In fact I think there's too much in there for me to master in the short time I have left on my mission. It's going to take me a while.
So how was your stay with grandma and grandpa Emma? Did you get to ride any horses? I need a picture of you with your boots and hat on while you're on a horse. That's classic you!
So, how was cub day camp mom? I do remember those. I remember one of my favorite parts about them was my lunch because you would always buy me those pudding cups! I loved those! What were you in charge of out there?
Oh, so tihs transfer we got super sad news. Starting this transfer Zone Conferences and interviews will be held quarterly. About once every two transfers instead of once a transfer. I was way sad about that. The good news is that transfers have been switched from Wednesday to Tuesday and so transfer p-days will be on Monday now. So now the only time I won't e-mail on Monday is when we have Zone Conference,,I think!
Wow mom...I think that is the L O N G E S T P.S. note I have ever seen! I do appreciate the advice though! I liked how she said to begin on your knees. It reminded me of the scripture in 2 Nephi 32:9 where it talks about praying so that what we are doing is consecrated unto us for our good. I do know that he can help me learn. I just need to have the faith and then work at it and he'll fill in my weaknesses.
Oh, I really liked that quote on happiness by William George Jordan. I loved the part where he said, "It is the gladness of the heart, rising superior to all conditions." It is all up to us. Happiness is a choice we can choose anytime, anywhere.
So yesterday...wait, no, on Saturday we drove back to Ulysses from Hugoton and when we got back we had a few minutes to go visit people. Right when we were coming into Ulysses the rain hit like not other! The windshield wipers were going full speed, we were only going 30mph and we could barely see! We got to the persons house that we were going to visit and we got out and we were soaked in less than 15 seconds. I'm not even joking. I was in a short sleeve white shirt. I must have looked like an idiot because Elder Moser happened to have a raincoat! The person we went to see wasn't there and so we got back into the car (soaking wet) and went to another persons house. The only place to park was on the curb and the streets were flooded. Elder Moser got the curb side so when he got out he stayed dry. Me, on the other hand, when I got out I stepped right into the puddle! Well, they weren't there either and so we headed back in our soaking clothes...well, mine were the only clothes that were soaking. We planned for the next day then I showered and went to bed! That rainstorm was so crazy. It took no time at all for the streets to flood! It was crazy! We only only splashed through a few puddles!
Oh, so yesterday a member called us and told us that they had a bunch of food that they wanted to give us! She gave us a big bag of frozedn food. She is our new favorite member! The only thing I had to buy this week was water. It was way nice. And we got the dinner calendar for the month of August and we are bing fed every single day! They love us!
Well, there are the updates from Elder Cryer in Ulysses, Kansas! I'm happy as ever....wouldn't want to be doing anything else.
Stay happy! Stay healthy! Stay safe! Stay Mormon!
Love you all!
Love Ben...A.K.A. Elder Cryer
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
SO GLAD TO SERVE
August 2, 2010
Dear Familia!
Well this has been an exhausting week! Its always crazy trying to get someone updated on the area. I've been introducing Elder Moser to the members and to our investigators and to some of the less active and part member families. Its been keeping us busy.
Elder Moser is a cool missionary. He is from Vermont. He is number 7 or 8 of 13 kids! Yeah....big family huh!!! He has been out for about six months. Of course....he spent three of those months learning Spanish in the MTC. Oh yeah, he was called on a Spanish speaking mission. He's trying to help me with my Spanish. Its nice because he speaks a lot slower than Elder Alonso did and so its easier to understand him and follow along when he's teaching.
Hey...GOOD NEWS!!!!! "N" got confirmed yesterday! It took some work because the adversary put a lot of things in her way but it all went through and was awesome. She came up to us later and thanked us for being so persistent with her. She told us she was glad that she didn't have to go another week without the Holy Ghost. We went over to her home later that evening and you really could feel and see a difference in her and in her home. When we got there she was reading the Book of Mormon and the gospel principles book. She was so excited to tell us what she was learning! It was so neat to see. God works miracles! I have no doubt in my mind that he does! Its awesome!
I am so glad that I made the decision to serve a mission. I couldn't have done anything else for these two years that would have come close to helping me learn, grow, and appreciate more than my mission has!
We went out to the Stake Presidents house again to eat on Sunday and his son gave us a ride back to town in his '67 Mustang! (The last one was his sons brothers '66 Mustang.) It was so cool. I wouldn't mind one of those waiting for me when I get back! I prefer the '66 to the '67 just so you know!!!
Oh.....look what just came in! An e-mail from home!!! :) Well hey there!
I do have to agree with you dad on the fact that popcorn and hot chocolate would never be found in the desert section of a menu (No matter where you go) however, popcorn does sound pretty good right now! Oh man....we went out to this Mexican restaurant (The only type of food Elder Alonso would eat...lets just say that I've gotten used to it!) and we had their sopapilla desert. Oh my goodness it was heaven-like! Its like this fried batter thing with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. It is so good! Now that is what I call desert!
Well I'm glad that I haven't been forgotten in Eugene Oregon! Tell the Criddles, Pres Peterson, Sister Hall, Carol, Jeff Rowberry, the Masons, Danica, and Sister Yanez, (and anyone else) that it's great that their asking about me but where are all the letters?!?!?!?! No, tell them what you've already told them! I'm great and I appreciate them asking about me! :) I really do.
Well it sounds like you had an amazing Saturday!....O.K. maybe not that amazing! At least the lawns mowed and the cars are clean! Have you done much kayaking since I left?
Well I'm excited to see "The Sorcerers Apprentice" in a year and a few months! Speaking of movies...we were riding past the one screen movie theater that Ulysses has and I saw a poster for the Karate Kid. Is that out yet? I remember them talking about that movie on the radio like a year ago and I was so excited to see it. And now I have to wait another year or so! Have you seen it? Is it any good? (Not that it really matters to me!....whether its good or not I wont be watching it anytime soon!)
Tell Ted congrats on his mission call to Japan. That will be an adventure! Is it the same mission that Brother Rowberry served in?
I cant wait to see L.C. all bumpered up! Hopefully it will go on without to much of a hassle! I'll be excited to see the finished product! I mean...its only been like 5 years since the accident right?!?!? ;)
Well....I better get running.
Have a great day, and a great week!
Thanks for everything you do for me! I love you all a ton!
Love Ben
Monday, August 2, 2010
NEW COMPANION
7/26/2010
Dear Family!
Well transfers have come and I guess I have remained forgotten because I'm staying here for another six weeks...at least. There is a rumor around the mission that Kansas is cursed because it seems like if your called to Kansas you stay in Kansas for a while! I'm beginning to believe them! I'm really glad though. I love it here.
Elder Alonso is getting all of his packing done. We were supposed to leave for Garden City forty-five minutes ago but he's still not done packing.
So...We had a baptism! Yeah! 'N' got baptized on Sunday. Elder Alonso baptized her...(and his camera) Whoops! He is soaking...well, not soaking...but his camera is zipped up in a bag of rice in hopes that the moisture will be sucked out of it. It works for cell phones! The baptism was good. After Elder Alonso said the prayer though I think he slammed her into the water because she went down way fast! There was...well, it went a lot like this:
"Amen." Smack, big splash, out of the water, big gasp of air. (I thought maybe she'd got the wind knocked out of her!) It was great though. She was so excited to be baptized. And we were excited for her.
Well Sam, I finally got your letter and the 'Morning Toast'. I thought maybe it got lost in the mail, but it didn't. I did do some investigation as pertaining to the question you asked me in your last letter which was if you had written to me at all during the month of June. The answer which I arrived at was NO! Your last letter to me was written on May 30th. You skipped an entire month of writing! I guess I will forgive you this time. But just this once!
So Jeremiah is in culinary school huh? Wow, well from the sounds of that breakfast that he cooked while Carson was visiting it does sound like being a chef would be the only way he could survive! I wish he could cook me a big ole breakfast!
That is too funny about mom's magical ability to make fireworks go off! I can't believe it happened three times! I wish I could have seen that.
So mom, your the new system administrator now I hear! That is exciting!...and a little scary. I never thought I'd see the day (or hear about the day) when you and the computer got along. That is crazy! (How are you handling this whole situation, dad?)
I was so excited to finally get to hear the bathroom trap door story. I do remember mom or dad mentioning it. I can't believe that you didn't go in and explore. Maybe there was more than first met the eye. Oooooo! I can just see you trying to close it. That was funny. I can just see everyone in the restaurant sitting there eating and then they hear all these bangs and bumps from the bathroom. They were probably all thinking, "Is she O.K?...should we go help her?" or maybe their thought's were more along the lines of "Boy, what did she get to eat? I better skip that meal!"
Well Emma, I got your nine page letter! Holy flippin' cattle...(is that like saying Holy Hamburger?) That was a nice long letter/entry! I really enjoyed it. You gave lot's of detail. I felt like I had gone on a trek by the time I navigated through all nine pages!
So, the trek was harder than you thought it would be huh? It sounded way hard. It made me laugh when you were talking about how you forgot to bury your 'weapon of rebellion'. I think there might be some hidden meaning behind that! I enjoyed your story of how you got stuck in a port-a-potty! Will Jodie let you live that down? That's too funny about that kid that saw you but just passed by!
Man, I really enjoyed the part in your letter where you were explaining how all the girls pulled the hand carts up the hill. How you were all united in a cause together and how you learned that you can do hard things. You learned a lot of things during that trek that will help you the rest of your life. I know that because you learned truths. And I know that because I could feel the spirit testify truth to me as I read your letter.
I can't believe dad got a ton of water poured on him! That's too funny!
It sounds like you had a good b-day too. I'm glad. I have been wondering though...what exactly is a serger?
Now, what's this? My room is a what?! A craft room! Oh NO! What has happened to my studio?! Speaking of my studio...I was looking at my camera the other day and I pulled out the xd card for some reason and found some pictures that I had forgotten about on the internal memory. They are pictures from April of 2007! They're pics of me in my room playing my guitar and keyboard! Wow, that brought back some memories. It's O.K. though...I think I'll live!
Well, I'm with my new comp. His name is Elder Moser. He is tall, skinny, blond hair, from Vermont. (We lived about as far from each other as we could while still staying in the states!) He has been out for 5 months. He's cool...I think. (I don't really kinow him that well yet.) It's pretty scary being the only one who knows the area! That's O.K. He'll learn it quick.
Well, I have not had much time to write but I think I did it! Now I just have to get it off in time!
Have a great week!
Love you,
Love Ben
P.S. Elder Moser is learning Spanish, so now we're both learning together! Scary!
Dear Family!
Well transfers have come and I guess I have remained forgotten because I'm staying here for another six weeks...at least. There is a rumor around the mission that Kansas is cursed because it seems like if your called to Kansas you stay in Kansas for a while! I'm beginning to believe them! I'm really glad though. I love it here.
Elder Alonso is getting all of his packing done. We were supposed to leave for Garden City forty-five minutes ago but he's still not done packing.
So...We had a baptism! Yeah! 'N' got baptized on Sunday. Elder Alonso baptized her...(and his camera) Whoops! He is soaking...well, not soaking...but his camera is zipped up in a bag of rice in hopes that the moisture will be sucked out of it. It works for cell phones! The baptism was good. After Elder Alonso said the prayer though I think he slammed her into the water because she went down way fast! There was...well, it went a lot like this:
"Amen." Smack, big splash, out of the water, big gasp of air. (I thought maybe she'd got the wind knocked out of her!) It was great though. She was so excited to be baptized. And we were excited for her.
Well Sam, I finally got your letter and the 'Morning Toast'. I thought maybe it got lost in the mail, but it didn't. I did do some investigation as pertaining to the question you asked me in your last letter which was if you had written to me at all during the month of June. The answer which I arrived at was NO! Your last letter to me was written on May 30th. You skipped an entire month of writing! I guess I will forgive you this time. But just this once!
So Jeremiah is in culinary school huh? Wow, well from the sounds of that breakfast that he cooked while Carson was visiting it does sound like being a chef would be the only way he could survive! I wish he could cook me a big ole breakfast!
That is too funny about mom's magical ability to make fireworks go off! I can't believe it happened three times! I wish I could have seen that.
So mom, your the new system administrator now I hear! That is exciting!...and a little scary. I never thought I'd see the day (or hear about the day) when you and the computer got along. That is crazy! (How are you handling this whole situation, dad?)
I was so excited to finally get to hear the bathroom trap door story. I do remember mom or dad mentioning it. I can't believe that you didn't go in and explore. Maybe there was more than first met the eye. Oooooo! I can just see you trying to close it. That was funny. I can just see everyone in the restaurant sitting there eating and then they hear all these bangs and bumps from the bathroom. They were probably all thinking, "Is she O.K?...should we go help her?" or maybe their thought's were more along the lines of "Boy, what did she get to eat? I better skip that meal!"
Well Emma, I got your nine page letter! Holy flippin' cattle...(is that like saying Holy Hamburger?) That was a nice long letter/entry! I really enjoyed it. You gave lot's of detail. I felt like I had gone on a trek by the time I navigated through all nine pages!
So, the trek was harder than you thought it would be huh? It sounded way hard. It made me laugh when you were talking about how you forgot to bury your 'weapon of rebellion'. I think there might be some hidden meaning behind that! I enjoyed your story of how you got stuck in a port-a-potty! Will Jodie let you live that down? That's too funny about that kid that saw you but just passed by!
Man, I really enjoyed the part in your letter where you were explaining how all the girls pulled the hand carts up the hill. How you were all united in a cause together and how you learned that you can do hard things. You learned a lot of things during that trek that will help you the rest of your life. I know that because you learned truths. And I know that because I could feel the spirit testify truth to me as I read your letter.
I can't believe dad got a ton of water poured on him! That's too funny!
It sounds like you had a good b-day too. I'm glad. I have been wondering though...what exactly is a serger?
Now, what's this? My room is a what?! A craft room! Oh NO! What has happened to my studio?! Speaking of my studio...I was looking at my camera the other day and I pulled out the xd card for some reason and found some pictures that I had forgotten about on the internal memory. They are pictures from April of 2007! They're pics of me in my room playing my guitar and keyboard! Wow, that brought back some memories. It's O.K. though...I think I'll live!
Well, I'm with my new comp. His name is Elder Moser. He is tall, skinny, blond hair, from Vermont. (We lived about as far from each other as we could while still staying in the states!) He has been out for 5 months. He's cool...I think. (I don't really kinow him that well yet.) It's pretty scary being the only one who knows the area! That's O.K. He'll learn it quick.
Well, I have not had much time to write but I think I did it! Now I just have to get it off in time!
Have a great week!
Love you,
Love Ben
P.S. Elder Moser is learning Spanish, so now we're both learning together! Scary!
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