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!)