Wyoming News

Well Things are going good in Wyoming. It hasn't snowed for like a week now. I think Its done snowing for a little while. Which is really good because we can bike everywhere. When it rains or snows we have to call everyone for rides. But everything is going really good. We are having about 6 investigators come to church each week. But they are always different investigators. We are trying to work with all of them to come each Sunday. But i think they all get together and plan out when to switch off or something. No but its going really good.  We are trying to teach around 20 lessons per week. And really trying to take members with us. because we have so few that speak Spanish its hard. But tonight we are having a big Family Home Evening with our whole Spanish group and Alot of our investigators are coming. 

Yep things are going good here. Just waiting for my visa. 

Love you,

Elder Tomlinson

Letter 5/12/2014

Hello Everybody,

Everything is going really good here in Casper. This week has been pretty good. We put two people on date to be be baptized for the 24 of May so we are super excited about that. They are really good people. they came to church on Sunday and they are really trying their best and are really excited for baptism. If everything goes good that would be my first baptism. 

All week we have been biking everywhere. Which is no fun because of all the hills but saves or miles for p-day. Going to bed is nice because our legs are tired and from being out in the sun all day we just crash. But we don't mind biking at all. We get all the work that we need to done. Whats funny is I have the same bike that Jake has back home. But the most exciting day this week was yesterday, Sunday. Saturday night we received a call from our Spanish group leader asking us if we would give the talks in Sacrament meeting tomorrow on Mothers day....in Spanish. I freaked out. I started putting together my talk in English and then I translated it to Spanish. Elder Juarez made many corrections to my Spanish. But I was so nervous up until I gave my talk. While I was giving my talk my face got super hot. I was trying my best not to look at my notes and just talk but I was so scared I was going to say something wrong. Elder Juarez said I did good. But when he gave his talk he didn't have notes or didn't really prepare. He made it look so easy. Then after church we were able to Skype our families for Mothers day It was super amazing. I miss my family so much. its hard to not be able to talk to them. Its almost been 4 months and I feel like everything has change already.  So it has been a really good week. Can't wait til this week. I love you all and at the end of this letter is my talk that I gave on Sunday. Hope I spell it all right.

-Elder Tomlinson

Hola hermanos y hermanas. Feliz dia las madres. Me an pedido que pueda hablar hoy acerca de la inportancia de las madres. Estoy tratando de hacerlo en Espanol, entonces espero que no serian. En el capitulo 56 de Alma, Habla acerca de los des mil Jobenes Lamanitas. Los dos mil Jovenes Hijos de Helaman peliabon con un maravilloso poder, y ninguno de ellos fue muerto. En Alma 56:47-48 dice... La rason por su sabiduria, fuerza, y poder fue por lo que sus madres les ensenaron. Nuestras madres nos an ensenado muchisimas cosas. Como misioneros, nosotros somos soldados del Senor. Nosotros dependemos en todo lo que nuestras madres nos an ensenado. Yo estoy exremadamente agradecido por mi mama. Les contare que: Mi padre esta en las fuerzas armadas. Cuando era mas pequeno, mi padre fue reclutado muchisimas veces. Y tenia que viajar mucho por muchos anos. A un punto mi madre tenia 3 ninos, todos a la edad de menos de 5 anos. Ella es una de las personas mas fuertes que conosco. Pero una de las cosas mas importantes es que ella le enseno a mi hermano y a mi, cual importante la oracion es en la vida, y como obtener un testimonio del evangelio.

En Mosiah 13:20 dice... Dios nos manda a honrar a nuestros padres y nuestras madres. Mi meta en esta vida es que ellos esten orgullosos de mi. Me gustaria agradecer a todoa las mamas, usteded an sido llamadas por dios a ser madres. Hacegurensen que sus hijos les agradescan. Hay 2 videos en lds.org acerca de las madres. Les invito a todos a verlos hoy en la tarde.

Then I bared my testimony in english.

Digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo amen.

Pictures of New Apartment

New Apartment

I moved into a new apartment last night. We moved because some other missionaries were not in their area and they didn't have a car so they had to walk really far just to get in their area then walk to the appointment. Since our area covers all of Casper cause we are the Spanish Elders so they moved us. We are not complaining at all the new apartment is super nice and our old one was well old. If you look on google maps at the street view you will know what I'm talking about. We felt really bad for the missionaries moving into our apartment so we cleaned it for 5 hours yesterday.

Anyways the new apartment address is:

1470 Trojan Dr. #4

Casper, Wyoming 82609

On monday I will try to send pictures of the inside :)

Please send letters :)

-Elder Tomlinson

Letter to Hannah this week

DEAR HANNAH,

Its crazy to hear about the Easter bunny. He came to my apartment too! You need to send pictures next time. Have you played with the sidewalk chalk yet? Dont forget to draw me :) Do you like your scooter? How is all of the family? How is all the grandparents? Do you still fart on Riley and Jakes heads? Be sure to write back soon :) I will attach a picture so know what I look like to draw me with the chalk.

Love, 

Devon

Wyoming News 4/21/2014

Hey Everyone,

How is everyone doing?????? 

This week has been pretty crazy. 

So last Monday all of the missionaries in our zone got together and we had a big barbecue and soccer game. Elder Holman supplied all the food which was really nice. Plus all of us love to play soccer so it was twice as awesome. It was tons of fun. Plus last week me and Elder Juarez went bowling. Because a member owns the bowling ally games are only 2 dollars for missionaries. He won the first game so we played best two out of three. I won the second game and he finished the match. I told him that loser would buy him lunch so I did. I got him Little Ceasers(which missionaries get free because a member owns them). So that was tons of fun. 

Then on Wednesday we received a call from someone in our ward telling us that there was someone in the hospital that needed a blessing. Once we got there we found out that they were not members and  so we taught them a lesson about the priesthood and then gave the father a blessing. He was having heart surgery that week and the family is from Utah so they knew about missionaries so they called us up. But the crazy thing is when we were leaving the hospital we saw Sister Sauque in the waiting room and we asked what was going on and her husband (Brother Sauque) had had a seizure while he was driving. They both were okay which is really lucky cause he  accelerated when it happened and clinched up so she couldn't move the steering wheel. He wasn't able to breathe afterward and was passed out and Sister Sauque was just is shock. We gave both of them a blessing that night and got in a little bit of trouble from out district leader because we return to our apartment late.

Thursday night we got to go to one of our investigators children's birthday parties. I love Mexican birthday parties. Everyone was dancing and there was a panyata and i got a video of Elder Bell hitting it and some pictures of Elder Dudley Hitting it. Elder Juarez and I didnt want to. But it was tons of fun :)

Friday night the missionaries hosted a international night and had people bring tons of food from all over the world. Elder Juarez and I made two dishes for it. He made Munuelos from Guatemala. and i made Brinckaderas from Brazil. They were amazing :) Plus it was a great turn out. We had tons of investigators come. We showed the "Because of Him" video. Which is the best video ever. :)

On Saturday we had Dinner at Brother and Sister McIntoch's House. We had one of our invetigator families come with us and it was so much fun. The McIntochs are from Brazil and only speak Portuguese and English and the Valdez family only speak Spanish so it was fun. They made tons of dishes from Brazil and it was so good. I cant wait to go.

On Sunday we had a fun Easter. The Easter Bunny still came to our apartment. :) 

Juarez still hasnt found the green egg. :)

No word on the visa.

Well I cant wait to hear from all of you :) I have to go :)

Love you all

-Elder Tomlinson

News From Casper on 4/7/2014

HEY EVERYONE!

 

HOWS EVERYONE DOING? I DONT HAVE VERY MUCH GOING ON HERE. JUST THE SAME OLD EVERY DAY STUFF. I WOULD LOVE TO HERE FROM ALL OF YOU. MY ADRESS IS:

 

146 S. WASHINGTON #15

CASPER, WYOMING 82601

 

SORRY ITS IN ALL CAPS. THE COMPUTER IM ON THE CAPS LOCKS BUTTON IS BROKEN....

SO EVERYTHING IS GOING GOOD. HAVING TONS OF PEOPLE TO TEACH IS NICE AND WE ARE PLANNING FOR A COUPLE BAPTISMS THIS MONTH SO THAT IS AWESOME. BUT NOTHING EXCITING HAS HAPPENED. MY LANGUAGE IS DOING OK BUT I HAVE GIVEN UP ON DOING MY PORTUGUESE BECAUSE IT IS CONFUSING ME LIKE CRAZY.

 I WILL SAY A WORD IN PORTUGUESE BECAUSE I DONT KNOW IT IN SPANISH AND THEY WILL ALL LOOK AT ME LIKE IN NUTS. WHATS NICE IS WE HAVE AROUND 50 INVESTIGATORS AND OUT OF THOSE WE HAVE AROUND 25 PROGRESSING INVESTIGATORS AND ABOUT 2 OF THEM SPEAK ALITTLE ENGLISH. I FEEL SO BAD FOR ELDER JUAREZ BECAUSE WE WILL GO AND TEACH AN HOUR LESSON AND I WILL SAY A COUPLE WORDS THAT I KNOW AND THE CLOSING PRAYER ( WHICH IS SO SHORT) AND THATS IT. IM TRYING SO HARD TO JUST LEARN MY TESTIMONY. BECAUSE OF WHAT I KNOW IN PORTUGUESE I CAN SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHAT EVERY ONE IS SAYING BUT I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SAY ANYTHING BACK. IT TAKES ME THE WHOLE TIME THAT WE ARE AT AN APPOINTMENT TO COME UP WITH A SENTANCE AND SOME OF IT IS IN PORTUGUESE. THE LORD IS REALLY TESTING ME. IM UP FOR THE CHALLENGE BUT IT IS JUST HARD RIGHT NOW. TUESDAY (TOMORROW) I GET TO GO ON EXCHANGES WITH OUR DISTRICT LEADER AND HIS COMPANION SO I GET TO TRY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN ENGLISH. IM FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE ITS MY FIRST TIME TO DO SO AND I DONT KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO SAY IN ENGLISH. THEY WANT US TO HAVE A "PREACH MY GOSPEL" VOCABULARY AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON JUST SAYING SIMPLE WORDS IN TWO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. SO I HAVE BEEN READING AND MEMORIZING AS MUCH AS I CAN FOR TOMMORROW IN ENGLISH. ITS GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT EXPERIANCE.

THE BEGINNING OF MAY, ONE OF THE MEMBERS IS STARTING A SPANISH CLASS FOR ME BASICLY. SO HOPEFULLY AFTER THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO HELP ELDER JUAREZ AT LEAST ANSWER THE PHONE. BECAUSE I CANT DRIVE YET WE HAVE TO PULL OVER SO THAT ELDER JUAREZ CAN TALK ON THE PHONE. I WISH I COULD HELP.

ONE EXCITING THING THAT HAPPENED IS THAT YESTERDAY AFTER CONFERENCE WE DONT HAVE TO WEAR SUIT JACKETS ANYMORE. SINCE LAST OCTOBER CONFERENCE THE MISSIONARIES IN THIS MISSION HAD TO WEAR ONLY SUITS TIL THE APIRL CONFERENCE. IT DIDNT EFFECT ME AS MUCH CAUSE I ONLY HAD TO WEAR MY SUIT FOR A COUPLE WEEKS BUT IS NICE TO JUST WEAR A WHITE SHIRT AND SLACKS. SO THATS PRETTY NICE.

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING. WE GOT TO WATCH IT IN ENGLISH WHICH WAS NICE. WE WERE ABOUT TO HAVE TO WATCH IT IN SPANISH WHICH WOULD BE SO SCARY. SOME OF THE BEST TALKS WERE IN THE SATURDAY SESSION. I TOOK SO MANY NOTES. PLUS I DID MY NOTES WERE I WOULD DRAW THINGS THAT I LIKE OR STORIES AND SOME OF THE MISSIONARIES THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY COOL.

I CANT WAIT TO GET THE LIAHONA (ENSIGN IN SPANISH) AND READ ALL MY FAVORITE TALKS IN SPANISH.

TODAY IS GOING TO BE TONS OF FUN BECAUSE ME AND ELDER JUAREZ FINNALLY CONFENCED ALL THE MISSIONARIES IN  OUR ZONE TO PLAY SOCCER (FUTBOL) INSTEAD OF BASKETBALL.  SO ITS GOING TO BE A BLAST. AND THEN TONIGHT WE ARE HAVING A FAMILY HOME EVENING WITH OUR SPANISH BRANCH AND MOST OF OUR INVESTIGATORS SO TODAY IS GOING TO BE THE BEST.

I LOVE YOU ALL.

BELOW IS JUST A COUPLE PICTURES OF ME AND ELDER JUAREZ

-ELDER TOMLINSON