Ya I really don't know what to write

We are balling up in here at Estrella west side! I got sick on
Wednesday and was throwing my guts out! 

We have had a wonderful week! It went by so fast I literally feel like yesterday was last Pday! We hit SOE (standards of excellence) and it is really awesome! 

I am to the point where I am tired of Mexican food but it still tastes wonderful! We had an amazing full blown American breakfast! I ate 4 pancakes that were each the size of one plate plus a ton more! Love all of you! Please email me!

The door on the left is Abril's door and on the right is Mauricio's door and it is so stereo typical it's not funny! 
Contact list and me with Elder Dill. He reminds me of my bestie, Dakota!

Hola amigos y amigas! Especialmente las chicas!

So we had an alright week! We get fed so much! But I did eat yesterday a FULL rack of ribs and 3 potatoes because the member said he couldeat more than me but I total won! It was because I ate one more potato than he did!! Las hermanas could barely finish what they had in the first place!

Aaron and Maurico are still on date and progressing really well! Their sister Abril or April in English is reading and praying and doing everything we ask her to do but she just doesn't want to be baptized and we don't really know what to do with her haha! Their mom just got baptized like a month ago and their dad doesn't really want anything to do with the church but he's not opposed to them getting baptized!

A less active white man just came back from Peru and got married down there and so we are teaching his wife! She is totally down to getting baptized on the 17th of April! We are having our second lesson with her on Tuesday and we are just going to answer questions! She really wants to know the truth and she wants to make sure she is doing it for herself not her husband which is so awesome! I don't think we have anymore exciting things but it's whatever's !


OH LOOK OUT AT CONFERENCE FOR A MAN NAMED ELDER ARNOLD (I can't spell) He came and talked to us and he is going to give a talk in conference!!

Hermana Flores wanted to kill us!!!!!

My Missionary Duty

This week!

So I finally found out what my mission president's vision is for me! I still don't know if it's a good thing or not, haha! My purpose and I quote "Elder Studyvin, I will be putting you with companions that are depressed. And I want you to love them out of it." -President Griffin

So I've been working with my current companion for a while now and he has very awesome highs but he also has very bad lows. I have been given a job and it is hard! I have no idea why I have been given this "job" and I don't know how long I will have but what I do know is that it is of the Lord and I will do it my best! President Griffin also said, "I didn't tell you your assignment with your first couple of companions because I wanted to see if you could handle it and you did very well."  I just don't know why he thinks I'm strong enough to do that. I just get so sad because I can't help them as much as I would like to... It is the most frustrating thing in the world to know that someone needs help and it's your job to help them but you can't help them to the best abilities they need. It is the saddest thing in the world when they have been sitting on the ground for who knows how long and they look right into your eyes and say, with tears in their eyes, "Why am I always so sad?" And sometimes the best thing you can do is hug them. And it has been an on going thing. I guess one of my talents in life is I can listen to people and not judge them. Or I can listen and love them, or I just have a big brother personality so people trust me with things like this. Because the first time they show me they are depressed they always start it with "You are my first companion that I am telling this to" or something along those lines.
With Elder Benson I found his "trigger" (something that makes him happy) and that is to turn on the camera and put him in the shot and he goes crazy. I love seeing him that happy.

We have two on date and we are working hard with them. It is a 13 and a 10 year old. We are working really hard with their older sister who is 14. And she is so close to being ready to accept the gospel it's crazy.

Hola como estais?

Hey how is everyone doing? My new companion, who I've been with for a week or two, we are consecrating our house! But I spend less money when I am not consecrating but it's okay! We have been having a lot of fun and speaking a lot of Spanish too!  So Elder Benson is basically the exact same as an elder I am really good friends with! This elder's
name is Elder Ourth! Hahaha it is so true. They are basically identical. It is so insane! But I love it so much too! 

We have one person on date with 2 really close on date! We are working really hard with a 14 year old who is a lot like someone who is a part of this email!

I am in the Estrella ward and the 2nd councilor to the bishop is the brother of a member in my old ward so I already knew him and I already knew a lot of other members so this transition has been very nice!


Elder Benson is the zone leader and I am just his companion. It's called spilt zone leaders. Our president does it so we can see that zone leaders aren't perfect missionaries. I have a feeling I am going
to send Elder Benson home, he leaves in four months, and I've heard some rumors that I will become the zone leader after him and I really hope that is not true! One of the missionaries we live with says to me everyday, "How's it going zone leader?" I really hope it's wrong! And I do want to serve the other missionaries but I am sure I can do it
without being a zone leader!

Some pictures from transfer day:

Story Time

Before the story I would like to say I am doing fine. I am in West Maricopa in the Estrella ward which means star in English. I am doing really good. Elder Bensen, my new companion reminds me a lot of one of my bromigos Elder Ourth! He is the best!

 He found the Ark of the Covenant

Elder Bensen--4th companion

This is the story! 

Story of missionary work
The following event took place in a ward in Salt Lake City in 1974. It occurred during a sacrament meeting and was told to me by a Regional Representative of the Twelve who was in the meeting. A young man, just before leaving on his mission stood in sacrament meeting and bore in essence the following testimony:
Brothers and Sisters, as you know, the past two weeks I've been waiting for my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream. I knew it was not an ordinary dream. I dreamed I was in the pre-existence and awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same anticipation and excitement that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream I was talking to a friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter. I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born into the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will be born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America."

My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call, and while we were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties - which will hinder the work of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica."

We wept, my friend and I, as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, please come and find me."

The young missionary, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica."

There is a sequel to the story. About a year after the sacrament meeting, the bishop received a letter from the missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it and on that sheet written in capital letters were four words:

I FOUND MY FRIEND.

See I did email you on the 15th you just some how didn't get it!

We had stake conference this past weekend and it was really good! William H. Stoddard of the 70 came and gave a talk in the leadership meeting, the adult session, and the Sunday session. He is a very good speaker! And he did the best thing. He told the members they weren't doing enough missionary work! He brought all of us full time missionaries up front and said that we shouldn't be doing the finding that you the members need to be doing the finding and I know that is so true! We don't know the area but you the members do know the area and the people! Help the missionaries! 

Transfer P-days are the worst! So right now it is 7:42am when I am writing this and we still have no idea who is getting transferred. 

Our day goes as followed: (note this is a Spanish missionaries day here in Phoenix) 

6:30am Wake up and go running

7:15 am Take a shower and eat breakfast 

8:15 am - 9am Personal study (still no news about transfers normally) 

9am - 10 am Companion study 

10am - 10:30 Language study (somewhere in here is normally when we receive transfer news) 

10:30 am- 6pm (if not getting transferred ) Email, clean room, lay around the house and read scriptures 

10:30 am - 6pm (if getting transferred) Pack up room as fast as you can while emailing and getting distracted from other missionaries. 

6pm - 9-9:30pm Teach lessons and find people (It's frowned upon but say goodbye to the members) 

9-9:30 -10pm Plan for the next day (Hardest thing to do if you are getting transferred) 

Whenever we get done planning - 10:30 Finish packing if needed. Write in Books and things like that and then pray and go to bed. 

6:30am (next day) If someone in the companionship is getting transferred, they finish packing bed and bathroom stuff and eat breakfast and wait for member to give us a ride.

10ish Member gives ride to transfer building, then new member takes you to new area. 

Arrive in new area around 2pm. If missionaries have lessons they teach them if not new missionary unpacks and then they go shopping until 5pm

5-6pm Eat dinner with members 

6-9-9:30pm Work on finding and teaching 

Then plan, then bed 

Sup Sup Sup

During church a couple gave talks about how they just got sealed and how wonderful it was to know that they are going to be together forever! The husband really focused on how husbands really need to love their wives more and better. And how as priesthood holders we need to be there for their wives. And it doesn't matter how we show
our love, just as long as we are showing it! And if you are bad with dates write them down somewhere! I know this is very true that husbands
needs to love their wives and I just hope that if I get to that point I can be that husband that through the love I have for Jesus Christ I will also be able to share that love with my future wife!  That was Sunday hahaha.

So my week was good! We haven't been having like any success on finding or teaching... The members love us but they don't want to help us work. They just think that oh missionary work is only for the
missionaries but that's not true! We as missionaries are here to help the members do missionary work! We are the tools and you are the laborers in the vineyard! I would like to tell a story.

So imagine that you are in a stadium before we came to this earth. And it is a stadium big enough to fit all of Heavenly Father's children in it. Now imagine you are sitting next to your current best friend who is not a member and Heavenly Father calls a few people and has them come down to the field and you are picked but your friend isn't. And
Heavenly Father says these people will have the blessing of being born into the church or find it early in their lives. And then he tells you to go sit down. And when you find your seat next to your best friend
he or she says to you with tears in your eyes can you please do everything you can to find me. I know I can be stubborn but don't give up on me. I want to be with my family again.