We are moving soon, tell the Brothers 3-31-2014

Hey! So yea they kinda killed Siri on our iPads. It's kinda sad. We can't use it to ask questions and stuff. Like yesterday, I tried to ask it when James E. Talmage died, and she said she can't do that for me it made me sad. But then today I asked when Thomas S Monson was born, and she told me! (he's 31634 days old) so I'm not sure what her deal is. Maybe it's because I yelled at Siri the other day... She might hold a grudge. Anyway!

In other news we are moving out of the flower house! The mission is sick of how it has cockroaches and a pool that is really gross and dirty. So we are gone! We will be moving out after transfers or right at them. Not sure yet to where... Or when we are moving... Just that we are moving. So don't send anything more to this house (but yes I got the package, thanks for the hi chew and the gum. I LOVE IT, I forgot how good hi chew were, but I will say that I like Mexican candy now.... Like the spicy candy, it's good.)

On Monday we had a good day. We went over to Patricia, the lady who got baptized while I was here, and talked to her. The only major down side is that she likes to talk... A lot. So we got home a bit later than normal. I don't like being home late, because then it gets hard to get to bed on time! Which stinks, because I need my sleep.

On Tuesday we had a legit lesson with a new family. We went out with our newly called elders quorum president, president Corona, and that was awesome. He's super cool. So then in the lesson, which was a first lesson so we taught the restoration, and Hno Corona bore a great testimony about Joseph Smith and about how the first vision really happened. It was amazing. I'm really hoping this family continues to have the desire to learn more about the restored gospel.

And the other crazy thing that happened this week was that we got new sisters in the zone! They are from some mission in chile (not Concepción sur, but some other... I don't remember) I don't know why they got reassigned here... But they're really cool! One is from Springville Utah, which is close to Mapleton right? So maybe the Vorkinks know her! Her name is Sister Thompson... I think. I don't really remember too well. But her and her sister sang in some song on the For the Strength of Youth soundtrack or something... Anyway they seem like really cool sisters, and a great addition to the zone!

I think that is pretty much all that happened. Hope you all are doing well! I love you all so much and am so pumped to be serving here in Arizona! It's so awesome. I know this church is true and that I am so blessed to be here. Oh I actually have a compromiso for you all, and I do these in Spanish so here we go.

¿Leerán los tres parábolas de James E Talmage de el ensign en febrero 2003?

Wonder Bread 3/24/2014

This week had it's ups and downs to be honest. It was one of those weeks where by Saturday and Sunday (because in the mission life, Monday is the first day of the week, and Sunday is the last), I was ready to start a new week. If that makes sense. But anyways, on Monday we went to the Bishops house and had an FHE with his family, and our recent convert, Patricia and her family. It was really cool, because we want the kids to get baptized, so we are working really hard to make sure they have friends in the church.

Then on Tuesday we had a really good lesson with one of our investigators. He recently had a cousin die who he was really close to. He said when he was at the funeral service, all he could think about was the plan of salvation we had taught him just a few days earlier. (We hadn't planned on teaching it, but Elder Zoolakis and I both felt impressed to teach him that, so we did, and he broke down in tears and told us about his cousin) so that was a pretty good experience.

On Thursday we came home from doing some work in the morning, and our house smelled a bit like natural gas... So we just opened up some windows and let it all vent out and it was fine. Then we came back at night, and it smells like it again, so we call President and he sends over the housing coordinators who go in, and realize the pilot light is off (I hate stoves with a pilot light) and so yea. But President had us drive over to the ZLs apartment and spend the night there to let the gas all leave the house. I'm so glad we are moving out of here.

Oh other crazy story on Thursday. We were biking down a street towards an appointment, and then we see this guy biking the other way on the other side of the street. We wave and he just goes "WONDER BREAD". So yea. That's a thing.

Then on Friday I was on exchanges with the zone leaders in my area. Elder Murphy (one of our zone leaders) is so crazy, but I love him. He's so cool. He knew a good friend of mine in college who is serving her mission in Italy! Small world. We decided we are going to backpack in South America together with our wives. It'll happen.

On Saturday we did service for a lady, cleaning her yard. It was boring, but fun at the same time. And then Saturday night we were biking down the street and we saw this truck that was stalled. We asked if we could help and they said they ran out of gas, so we helped push it a little over a mile to the nearest circle K. That felt good, but man I got sweaty doing that.

I think that's all! Love you all so much!!

Elder Allen.

Happy St. Patty's Day 3-17-2014

Woooo Saint Patrick's day!! I am wearing my green polka dot tie of course :) 

Us trying to clean our really gross pool

This week was a pretty slow week, nothing super out of the ordinary happened... We went about doing good and stuff. Not a ton happened this week. We taught some people, and did all that good stuff. We did have one guy that we started teaching this week accept the invitation to be baptized! He is on date for April 12th, we we will be working towards that date. 

Then we had Zone Conference this week! Which is normally really good, but this time.... Well it was good, but it was just different. President Toone threw down on all of us for not having clean enough apartments. So that was pretty interesting. That is why I am on a bit later today than normal, he said that we need to have our place spotless before we go and do anything. So that was kind of a drag. So that was what happened on Thursday. And not a whole lot has happened since then... We just had some lessons with some people and yea. 

I don't know if there is anything else that really happened this week to be honest. We had a good week. 

Love you all!!

Elder Allen

#MagicalMarch March 10, 2014

Baptism

That's our theme for this month, Magical March, because miracles are going to happen this month! It's going to be amazing. We started the month off pretty good if you ask me. WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! It was super amazing. This lady named Patricia got baptized, and she's one of the coolest recent converts I've ever had, and I've only known her for like 2 weeks!

We had some really good lessons this week too. We started teaching this lady named Elma, and that was awesome. She was a referral from a member and she is super ready to listen to the gospel. She just seems ready for it all, and it's so cool to be a part of that, it's super cool because we got her as a referral on Wednesday, the day after we had a zone meeting all about finding through members! Blessings for sureeeee.

Elder Zoolakis and I are getting along really well. We work really well together and I feel like he could totally be a good friend of mine after the mission. He's got about a year on me in the mission though, so that will be sad when he goes home.

But yea! Back to the baptism. So the zone leaders had a baptism at 6:30 so we planned on having ours at 7:15, basically right after. But! The bishop showed up at 6:55 for the first baptism! I'm not sure what he was doing but he postponed the baptism a lot. It ended up being okay though because Patricia got off work later than she had expected, so she didn't get to the church till 8ish. So the baptism started a bit later than we had planned, but she got baptized, so that's all that matters, right? Then she was late to her confirmation! That was scary, I was stressing because I was the one confirming her! That is always freaky... But I did it, and it was a lot better than my last one.

I've decided my Spanish isn't where I want it, so I'm going to focus a lot these upcoming weeks on making my Spanish a lot better. It's not bad, but it could really improve. So I'll be doing that.

That's about all that happened this week! Love you!!

Elder Allen

My Sweet Zone

March 3, 2014 Viva la Phoenix

So sad to say goodbye to Elder Baker

Rainbow after a heavy storm

This week has been pretty crazy awesome. I had to say goodbye to some people before I left, and that was sad. I said bye to Gicela and her family, and Gicela started crying a little bit :( so sad. Then we went and said bye to Anselmo and he began to tear up too! I didn't think I had made that big of an impact on these people... But I'm going to stay in contact with them via Facebook.

Then on Wednesday I got transferred! Pretty crazy. I'm now in the Phoenix Zone (I was in the South Phoenix Zone) but I am in the same stake! Pretty cool actually. I'm excited. I'm serving in a ward called Cielito (which means little heaven) and my companion is Elder Zoolakis. He's really cool, and he was Elder Sylvester's trainer, and then Elder Mabey's companion, then mine! So he's just moving right through my MTC district.

Not a whole lot has happened in the new ward I'm in. We have a lot of solid people that we are teaching, and if all goes well, we should have a baptism this Saturday! Which would be an awesome way to start off this transfer. It should be a good one for sure.

Oh yea! I just remembered something. We got to watch the Gilbert Temple Dedication! That was so awesome. We watched a broadcast of it at the stake center, and so that was really cool. That's my first temple dedication I have participated in. Pretty legit. President Toone also authorized us to watch the cultural celebration that was Saturday night, and that was cool, kinda cheesy at times, and it was outdoors and POURING rain. Like crazy. The first time it has rained in 6 months. Very different than Oregon. Oh and Elder Zoolakis and I combined our names....... Ready?

Elder Zooallender

Boom.

LOVE YOU ALL!

February 24, 2014 Time to say goodbye to Montana Del Sur

Well transfer calls were last night, and I am out! After 5 transfers it seems that the members in Montana got sick of me so they kicked me out ;) hahaha just kidding. But I am getting transferred  That will be sad, I mean this is my first area, so I will miss all of the members and converts that I was able to participate in their conversion. So I will be at transfer meeting this Wednesday and then I will be off to somewhere with a new companion! Should be interesting (I hope he is cool).

But other than that, not a whole lot happened this week.... I honestly can't remember what we did. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. But we did missionary work like always! We actually found 3 new families this week. One is a family of 10, the other a family of 3 and the other has 5. So that was amazing. I am going to have to keep in contact with Elder Aranibar to make sure all is well with them. 

We went to the temple this week, which was amazing as always, and we were able to attend the Mission President's fireside, which is always a good experience. 

AND WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Equation: How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could.........

Woo!!! We hadn't had one in a while but we had one on Saturday! It was amazing. This older man, was baptized by his nephew-in-law.

So that was really cool. I'll send a picture home for sure.

That's about all that happened this week! I will send you my address as soon as I can!! 

Love you all so much!

Elder Allen

February 17, 2014 New Suit

Me and the Zone Leaders in our H and M suits

Well it's been one of those weeks. We went to H&M on P-Day and I got a suit, it's pretty good looking to be honest. I like it a lot. I'll send some pictures of me wearing it, and some glasses I got.... :) Then, on Tuesday we got our fridge fixed! So that was good. I decided to make fresh fruit smoothies every morning for breakfast. I love it so far! And salads for lunch. I figure that no matter what I have for dinner, it'll be relatively unhealthy so I am going to make every other meal as healthy as I can! Then on Thursdays we had interviews with president Toone, which was amazing, but I had one of the shortest interviews of all time. Like really. It was maybe 5 minutes. At the end he goes "Thank you Elder Allen, you make my job easy". I guess other missionaries are not as easy going and relaxed as me? I don't know. It just seems like it's not worth getting in conflicts with people. Just love who you're with no matter what, and work through any issues you can. Okay I'll get off my soap box now.

We taught Cruz's little brother a few times and he really gets everything that we talk about. He might have some issues with some of the commandments, but we committed him to living the word of wisdom early because we thought that he might have a struggle with that, but he's been clean for a few weeks now. We're excited for him, he'll get baptized by the end of this month.

Then valentines day was good! I got a package from Sister Hill, which was cool. She sent me a cat, which is good. It's really adorable to be honest. Then we had dinner with Hna Jones and that good, her son got home from the mission just the other day, so he's super ready to like go out with us and stuff. Should be good.

Love you all so much! I love this gospel and the blessings that it brings to families--that's something that I have noticed a lot this week. how much this gospel truly blesses families. Super cool stuff.

Elder Allen.


Sent from my iPad 

February 10, 2014 Good week

The cutest puppy ever

Elder Baker and I being thugs

Welp it's been a pretty legit week. We have seen a lot of miracles this week, and so it has been really fun to be a missionary lately. I mean it always is fun, but especially when your area is doing well. On Tuesday we had district meeting, which was fun, and we did this cool thing where the zone leaders gave everyone in the zone a little shout out, and it was adorable. It's because this month we are focusing on showing our love for our investigators. Fitting because it's February right? I think it's funny. Then on Tuesday we decided to call up one of our really cool members. He is almost always willing to go out with us, and so we decided to see how his little brother is doing. He is 16 and when we taught the restoration, he understood everything! It was really good, especially because he then accepted a baptismal invitation and a date! So we're really excited for him.

That's pretty much all that happened this week. We had a lot of smaller things that happened, members not showing up when they are supposed to come out with us, people falling off date, people not keeping their commitments, it was a pretty standard week for missionary work! I love it. I'm thinking I'll be getting transferred at the end of this transfer, which is going to be sad. I'm going to miss South Phoenix, and Montaña del Sur a lot.

I love you all so much! I am so happy to be serving a mission here in Arizona (especially when the weather is so crummy in Oregon right now!) but I know that I need to be here where I am right now. It is such an amazing perspective to have, and I am so grateful that I have it! Love you all!

Elder Allen