Nov 26, 2012

Hey Yall

I'm glad yall had a good Thanksgiving. Sounds like a real fun time. We had 4 meals in 6 hours........ I don't want to see turkey for at least another year. I need new pants now... haha just kidding it wasn't that bad but I was stuffed. We ended Thanksgiving with the Spanish elders playing monopoly and eating a turkey dinner that was overnighted to one of the Spanish elders. He got a whole refrigerated feast..... such a spoiled brat haha he's filthy rich and flaunts it. Anyway, Thanksgiving was good.....I was trying to stay busy to not feel homesick and it worked until the next day...

Black Friday at ACE is fantastic haha I got a nice CRAFTSMAN wrench set and some pliers to work on the bikes since that's my like only skill I have out here. And speaking of bikes, mine is toast.... my comp decided to ride it and rammed into the back of a car. He hit the car not the car hit him and bent the frame real bad. So now I might have to purchase one if it comes to it. I'm using the spoiled elders but as soon as he gets hissy, he'll take it back and then I'd need one... so we will see what happens but I'm happy with my craftsman tools! Lifetime warranty baby.

Well this is the last week of the transfer which means I'll know Thursday if I'm training and if not I'll find out Sunday if I'm leaving or if my comp is leaving. My guess is he'll leave. He's only been out 6 months, so his trainer's trainer trained him then he turned around and trained my comp and now the assumption is I'll turn around and train. So all new guys training new guys..

Because of this. I'm stressed, depressed, scared, pressured, nervous, and over all FREAKING out....

Everyone is saying how they are freaking out because my comps leaving and all the great and good he's done..... and I guess I should be used to that because that's how its been since day 1 but yeah. I'm dying..... I don't know what I'm doing... I can't teach. I can't plan out a decent day schedule. I can't remember names, I can't do anything....... this area's gonna fall apart when he leaves and I'm gonna crash and burn.... plus just to add to it I'm breaking out like crazy because of the stress..... this is horrible. If this is how my mission is gonna feel that's not joy or good.... these next 2 weeks are gonna make me or break me,...... I still haven't had a interview with pres to share this but gawwwww I'm gonna explode from all this stress. All I have is my testimony and that isn't teachable........ this is not good at all....... AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
That's all i have tot say....

The camera's awesome..... I love it. Thank you so much! I'm trying to take more pictures but I don't want to put it in my pack if I accidentally crash...... don't wanna bust it.

Send me a list of what the girls want and I'll see what I can get.

Hope yall have a good week.

Love ya

-Elder McAllister

Thanksgiving Week 11-19-12

hey ya'll

Well interviews with Pres switched to this Friday. Everything in a mission is subject to change haha so I guess its good, keeps us on our toes.

Still beating myself up. I guess a tad less but still doing it.

Had exchanges so I was in charge of my area with Aranda again and that was a blast! Had the funniest and most hilarious dinner appointment ever and the most awkward lesson ever.... a gay couple.......... it was awkward, plus my comp didn't tell me about it.

I'm getting really good at moving furniture and packing uhauls and trailers haha.

It's starting to rain a lot out here so the north face is perfecto.

So there's this family that the SE are seeing that make tamales and come down to Hollister to sell. They are hilarious!! There's a huge language barrier but it's funny what we connect about.

So on exchanges my comp and Aranda's went to them and tried this Mexican hot coco and my comp tried to gulp this stuff and spewed it everywhere cause he burnt it all haha it was hilarious but how I heard about it is Aranda and I visited em late that night and the uncle reenacted it. It was hilarious!!!.... funniest day of the mission I swear! Spanish branch is so full of fun.

Had my adv.training in mission office the other day and it was real good to see all my MTC guys. We had a blast together and all.... our pres let us listen to Brian Regan..... it was funny.

So were teaching this girl named Claire, Senior, she is a rock star. is outlining chapters of the BofM. She reads and is constantly wanting us to teach her. She is no doubt going to get baptized. Sadly that is the best news that my area is having right now....

Oh and on Sunday, the RSP and bishop chewed us out on our progress record and since then there's been this huge tension between bishop, the RSP, and us... I'm wanting to just confront em and ask what's up but seeing how I'm just a missionary with 3 months here still idk if I want that.

Oh speaking of transfers..... yeah they are the 3rd and idk whats happening. Won't know til 2 days before, so anything can happen but my guess is that I'll stay here and train a greeny and yeah. but anything is possible.

So Christmas list huh, hmmm you guys are already giving so much and pitching is so much to support me here I don't want anything. what you guys are doing is far too much.

Thank you for your prayers, I need em here.... I love ya'll and hope for the best.

Love,

-Elder McAllister

November 12, 2012

Hey ya'll,

Yeah I opened that card like a dozen times..... it was pretty funny! I was confused when I got it in the mail but thanks.  It gave me the little support I needed.

Well this week has been a week of "world ending" events.....

Obama is still in......

 

It's 65 degrees here (yes the NF jacket is absolutely amazing! it rains a lot here)

...I actually am enjoying my companion!!!!!.......

...and I've had the hardest week of my life.......

....I can not function the way a missionary should. No freaking idea why...... I can't seem to start off lessons and spiritual thoughts..... I can't seem to do anything right..... my teaching is like a 1st grader and I'm easily confounded by questions... the only thing and I mean the only thing I can do right is service... manual labor and yard work.... those sorts of things. That's all I'm good at and I feel like I'm failing as a missionary.... in 3 weeks there is a 99% chance I will be training and if I can't do what I'm supposed to now as the junior companion, how in the world will I be able to work as a senior companion and train someone..... I'm a gonner.... interviews with Pres. Watkins are this week so hopefully that'll help.... but ya I'm dirt.... not a missionary... in the MTC they told me I put my standards higher than God puts His and that I need to lower em..I can't seem to do it. No matter how hard I try and how hard I pray..... I keep em in the stratosphere and crash and burn........GAWWWW.

Other news.... my comp ran over a cat and just smashed the back half of it..... then wouldn't finish it so I had to kill it..... not the best idea with Sunday shoes.... but yeah that was the excitement of the week. oh and I had In-n-Out 3 times this past week! haha.

It's actually super cold in the mornings til around 1ish...mom and pops you know its the ocean cold that goes down into your bones... its not fun at all. I'd take the 15 degrees there than this cold here....

I think that's about all that was exciting this week. just pushin through.... most of our investigators have gone stagnate and aren't doing anything...

Sorry..... we are crazy busy today and I only had 15 min to write..

Hope all is well and hope you all know I love ya'll and pray for ya'll too. Let me know if there is anything I can do for ya'll.

-Elder McAllister

Nov. 5, 2012

Hey ya'll,

Wow there really changing it up back home! Looking at the ward I'm in now and the people in leadership I sure don't want any to get released.... they are all such strong members and work hard. I can see a little more of what you deal with now that I go to WC.

haha Halloween..... goodness haha got asked a bunch if we were pretending and dressed up but it was funny. Then for trunk or treat, we stapled pass along cards to candy and wrapped our trunk in toilet paper for decorations hahahahaha gotta love missionaries. There was this like 3 year old that was dressed like a bum and had a little shopping cart that said "will work for candy". It was hilarious! Think i got a picture of him in a non creeper way. sadly I'm trying to stay away from the candy haha I think so far I've gained 10ish pounds sense I left home in August...... wish it was all muscle haha

Speaking of grandparents can I get their addresses to write em?

Oh so next time ya'll send a package this way can you throw another pair of jeans in?  I was dumb and brought 1 pair.... just the wranglers in my drawer will work well. oh and maybe those Nike sweatpants. no rush just whenever you send a package. Thanks!!

So last pday wasn't a pday..... we had lessons and appointments all day long haha but oh well its for a good cause.

Today we were supposed to go to Santa Cruz but we left the Spanish elders in charge and well ya that's expected haha underline Spanish.... hahaha but i love em too just fun to poke fun at.

So the weather here is fantastic! the mornings can be a little chilly but its mostly high 70s all the way til 1-2 in the morning.

OHHHH FORGOT TO TELL YA!!!!!
Felt my first earthquake the other day. it was a 4. somthin outta Salinas. I thought it was noisy neighbors upstairs but nope it was a quake.

So we taught this girl end of Sept. and she totally wants to be baptized and is solid.... really great girl and then she like fell off the face of the earth for a month and now we are teaching her again and she still has that desire and still kept her commitments! One of the stumbling blocks was she had to wait til she was 18 but that happened last month so we just need to keep helping her progress! The work here in Hollister is still booming! The ward is the most missionary minded and most hard working and helping ward I've ever met. Everyone helps and knows everyone..... its fantastic everyone's so close, which makes it way easy to find people to teach mostly.  The youth as well just invite invite invite all their friends to activities and to hear the missionary discussions.... its way cool.

So the whole age change for missionaries means San Jose Mission gets 60 new  ones in the next 6 months. Most of the surge stays state side because of the difficulty in getting visas so the work in the US will progress rapidly. Plus they are thinkin about making 3 new missions in California so I might be sent elsewhere... which is no bueno I like Hollister way too much.

The other day I got Coke spilled all over me by a little one... haha... it was hilarious and the parents were so embarassed but I didn't care haha. Then this morning this guy frank (Frankies' dad) took us out to breakfast and I hadn't gotten in yet and they took off... haha.... I sat on a rock for like 5 min waiting for them to come back haha.

Oh so real big news! My comp had to go to San Jose for a leadership meeting and so I was left in charge of the area and I got paired up with another DL's comp who had been out a week and a half.   So I was "training" for a day. It was amazing we got along so well and we had a strong day..... course my comp stomped all over it but I thought it went real well.

Exchanges might be this week so it ll be another breather for me from the dreaded comp haha looks like I'll be going over to the Spanish branch again which will be so fun! This transfer is flying by.... I tell ya just yesterday it was October...ish haha

Well I'm glad ya'll are doing well. I've noticed I run out of steam about Saturday and am just dying for a nap on pday haha so the end of the weeks can be real tough but other than that its going good here.

I definitely wish I knew my doctrine and scriptures more. I didn't prepare as intensely as I should have and now am really struggling in teaching..... plus it's hard to teach with someone you don't like but all in all I am trying to learn the lessons and its real hard, but I'm expecting myself to teach like a missionary that's been out 19 months instead of a missionary who's been out 1ish... so I need to lower my expectations I guess..

Spiritual thought for the week.....

Alma 37..... the whole thing is great but really verses 8-9 talking about how small and simple things make great things come as long as we all are doing the small things, keeping the commandments, setting the example, following the example of Christ, reading our scriptures, going to church, praying, then the big blessings that our Heavenly Father promises us will come to pass.

Another little one I heard in sacrament meeting today which was fantastic.   I was really able to feel a strong spirit as well as feel the power and cleansing of the Atonement. It was for little things but still it was so powerful and gave me the answers and blessing I needed to receive and feel at that time. Our Heavenly Father is fantastic at giving us answers in the right way and time, which normally is not our time or way.  But that's because he knows better! but the little thought I heard from over the pulpit was that our testimony today is not the same as yesterday and will not be the same tomorrow.  It will either grow and develop and strengthen if we are doing the small and simple things and it can decay if we do nothing. but it will never ever stay stagnate.

Anyway those are my thoughts for the week. hope all is well with ya'll. Hope we are staying above water, and hope ya'll are staying warm!

Love
-Elder McAllister