General conference was AWESOME. I love hearing the Apostles speak to us.
Two wonderful points I gathered from conference:
1) Families are important. Society is putting less and less emphasis on the family and it is our job to keep families together. The best way to keep our families together is through- telling others we love them; having family home evenings; having kneeling family prayer; reading scriptures as a family; turning off electronics and spending real, meaningful time with eachother; being honest and transparent with others-we need to trust one another!; smiling and helping out; asking others how we can serve them. When we do these things in our families, there are three results. Blessings, blessings, blessings.
2) The Atonement enables us, and it enables us NOW. We don't have to wait to enjoy the peace and hope which comes from Christ. It is because of His Atonement, His pains, His death that we can improve the quality of our lives. We can have forgiveness now. The Bible shares the story of the Palsy man whose friends carried him on a stretcher and bought him to Christ. Christ, who was surrounded by lawyers and Pharisees, reacts initially by telling the Palsy man that he is forgiven. The lawyers and pharisees question in their minds Christ's ability to forgive. Christ, the Son of Man, interprets their thoughts and asks, "is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, arise and walk," at which point the man stands up and walks. This instance shows us two of Christ's roles. Christ 1) forgives us and 2) heals. We can be forgiven now, today. We should not wait and expect to be forgiven after it is too late.
We had a tremendous week this week. We taught a lesson to some of our English class students. They have a pretty big family, something like 9 people. They fed us dinner, which was whole shrimp (we had to peel them), salad with fish sauce, some sort of clam or oyster thing (in the picture), and fried squash. I didn't know I could eat shrimp, especially when it looked back at me and when I had to pull the head and legs off before I ate it. And when I had to wipe the poop out of it with my fingers before I ate it.
Everything this week was great, though! Love you all!
Elder Steele
April 1, 2013
The title is just to throw you off. Happy April Fool's day. Tell Kate Hulet Happy Birthday for me! :)
We had a great week this last week. The Branch had a social on Friday, which the missionaries set up like always. The little children did an Easter Egg hunt in the church. The picture is of me at the social with one of the most adorable little Vietnamese girls ever. She's 5. She kept trying to play tag with all the elders. She loved the easter egg hunt, too. The social was a success.
March 25, 2013
This last week was really great. I'm having a blast down here! I hope and pray everything is great in New York and Utah. :)
In other news, I can now e-mail friends. Everything is great here. We are staying safe on our bikes. We cleaned out our apartment this morning, so now it's really clean. Mostly I cleaned it and my companion fumbled around trying to figure out the Rubik's cube. I'm in the process of teaching him how to solve it. Things are great, though.
Love you all!
Elder Steele
Elder Steele
Happy Easter!
Monday- we played Uno at the church and then went to Rubio's, an over-priced Mexican restaurant. It was pretty tasty. Still overpriced.
Tuesday- We had some meetings and then biked around Westminster all day. We went in for dinner and just about died because we were SO tired! Thank goodness for granola/protein bars. They're good for energy. It was a lot of fun. My watch tan line is coming in great haha. It's so sunny and bright here. I can't complain, though. No snow.
Wednesday- Citizenship class. We taught some less-active members. At one apartment place, we locked our bikes outside and went in to talk to some members. An old Viet guy advised us that (in Viet) "the Mexicans are gonna steal your bikes".
Thursday- District meeting, English class. A typical thursday. One of the vocab words was "Leap", so we showed the students how to play Leapfrog, by hopping over each other. It was a blast. Four of "the teachers" (the Elders), myself included, bought very cheap clear frame glasses which we wear only for English class. It's a blast. Mostly I've found that class is a time to talk to students (hopefully about the gospel) and also to make jokes and help the students see how happy we are.
We had a great weekend, too. We found some new investigators. Things are really great. The Lord is hastening His work. Love you all!
Elder Steele
2500 N. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706
P.S. I had some crazy dreams this week.
They included: 0 Me talking to kids backstage at Pageant... In Vietnamese.
0 A Korean man handing me a baby the size of a quarter. I baby sat it for a while and then dropped it. It slithered away like a lizard.
There were some other ones, but I don't remember now. Sorry. Anyway, love you! Happy Easter!
:)
March 18, 2013
Hey family!
It's been a great week. We have been really busy all weekend. We had an Asian Zone Meeting on Friday with President at the mission home. We discussed some of the things we do to find and things we can do to improve. We're getting a new elder in May, by the way! That will put the Viet district up to 7, and another Elder will probably go English. Saturday was cleaning the church, setting up translation headsets, teaching english class and it was also Ryan's baptism in my last area. Elder Leonard and I got to go back for that. Getting the baptism set up was a bit of a wreck, but eventually worked out. Ryan and his grandpa thought we would have the baptism at a different building... so we started half an hour late. The Viet program had a baptism yesterday, too. Yesterday morning was stake conference. They focused on strengthening the family and how it would strengthen the Stake. There was a General authority there (Brad Foster) and President Bowen spoke, too. We set up the translation headsets on Saturday, and found out on sunday that we didn't have enough. I was allowed the "privilege" of sitting in the back of the gym behind any Viets that didn't have a headset to translate the meeting for them. Myself and Elder Truong translated for about an hour of the meeting. Elder Truong said I translated too loud, so he let me do most of it. It was pretty challenging, but it was a good opportunity for me to do some Vietnamese self-evaluation. It was hard for me to describe President Bowen's description of linking horses together. He talked about how one horse can pull 8.000 lbs. Two horses yoked together can pull 24.000 lbs. When the two horses yoked together are trained together, they can pull 30.000 lbs. I didn't know a few words in there, for example describing how two horses are yoked together. And I don't know the word for "pound"... I told them it was Kilo's, because Kilogram in Vietnamese is "Ki Lo" . You don't have to translate exactly, just summarize the important details. Nghia's baptism went really well. 4 investigators from the Viet program showed up. President has been stressing inviting as many people as we can to attend baptisms, because they can feel the spirit so strong.
Top to bottom.
Nghia's baptism. The member is Sean. He's awesome.
After Nghia's baptism. Most of the Viet's there are investigators.
Ryan after his baptism.
Viets have trouble saying "Thank" haha. That's Elder Leonard.
Viets have trouble saying "Thank" haha. That's Elder Leonard.
March 11, 2013
So, I got transferred last week, a week early. We woke up at 5:00 and
drove to the mission home to meet president there at 7:00 am. Elder
Hoch had to go home to get surgery done on his knee. He had been in a
brace and crutches for a few weeks. Turns out he tore his ACL and his
meniscus in two different areas. We have a new area in the Vietnamese
program now, Vietnamese West. I am serving there with Elder Truong,
the native vietnamese elder. We are on Bicycles! No more car for me
for a little while! I think part of the reason I went English was to
get me acquainted with biking around. When you're on a bike you feel
more healthy and awake. It makes you synchronize with the work. We
will talk to everyone we see. It will be a great blessing.
In my reading, I have NOT yet finished the Book of Mormon, but I did
move on to the New Testament. I'm focusing on the Savior's life. As
I learn about Him, my faith in Him increases. Studying the life of
the Savior makes me want to be a better person. I love it.
The mission will be changing. We are losing the Chinese Elders, who
will be in the new mission. They are a bunch of great missionaries,
and I will miss them. We will still see them, probably, because we
are still supposed to be able to go into the Irvine Mission. I can't
complain.
Everything has been great here. The weather is BEAUTIFUL, but I wake
up freezing every morning. Every apartment is equipped with a few
small in-wall heaters, though, so I do my exercises next to them every
morning.
Congrats to Savannah! Hopefully everything goes well for you! I can
send you a list of Vietnamese names if you are thinking of naming
him/her a Vietnamese name.
Love you all! You're so great and I love hearing from you!
drove to the mission home to meet president there at 7:00 am. Elder
Hoch had to go home to get surgery done on his knee. He had been in a
brace and crutches for a few weeks. Turns out he tore his ACL and his
meniscus in two different areas. We have a new area in the Vietnamese
program now, Vietnamese West. I am serving there with Elder Truong,
the native vietnamese elder. We are on Bicycles! No more car for me
for a little while! I think part of the reason I went English was to
get me acquainted with biking around. When you're on a bike you feel
more healthy and awake. It makes you synchronize with the work. We
will talk to everyone we see. It will be a great blessing.
In my reading, I have NOT yet finished the Book of Mormon, but I did
move on to the New Testament. I'm focusing on the Savior's life. As
I learn about Him, my faith in Him increases. Studying the life of
the Savior makes me want to be a better person. I love it.
The mission will be changing. We are losing the Chinese Elders, who
will be in the new mission. They are a bunch of great missionaries,
and I will miss them. We will still see them, probably, because we
are still supposed to be able to go into the Irvine Mission. I can't
complain.
Everything has been great here. The weather is BEAUTIFUL, but I wake
up freezing every morning. Every apartment is equipped with a few
small in-wall heaters, though, so I do my exercises next to them every
morning.
Congrats to Savannah! Hopefully everything goes well for you! I can
send you a list of Vietnamese names if you are thinking of naming
him/her a Vietnamese name.
Love you all! You're so great and I love hearing from you!
Elder Steele
February 25, 2013
On wednesday I ran over some small thorns in the grass. I got two
flat tires. We were given a ride home and, being the eagle scouts we
are, had a backup backup bike because the backup was already in use.
The next day we went to the bike store and bought tubes. I switched
out one of the tubes and used an old tube for the rear tire. We went
to the gas station to fill the tires up, where the rear tire filled up
and then popped. Inner tubes make a very loud noise when they pop. We
were pretty surprised when this happened. I replaced the popped tube
with the new tube and we continued. We only spent a few hours making
sure the bikes were in good shape and running smooth. On friday
night, though, I got another flat tire. I rode through an
intersection and stopped on the other side so I could walk the bike.
Elder Hoch didn't see that I stopped and ran right into the back of
me. He jumped off of his bike to avoid a bigger collision, but as he
landed, his right leg planted and his body shifted. He couldn't get
up. We called the Zone Leaders and they helped us get home. We went
to the urgent care center on saturday, and spent about 5 hours trying
to get things figured out. When we left, Elder Hoch had had an x-ray
and was given a brace and some crutches. We still need to arrange an
MRI for him during this week. The doctors think he injured his MCL or
ACL. While in the waiting room, Toy Story (the first one) was on, and
it was a "tender mercy" to be able to hear it playing in the
background. It was pretty fun. A lot of the jokes in Toy Story
seemed funnier now that I've been away from movies for so long. Our
bikes are out of commission for a while because we were just given a
temporary car earlier this morning. We were a little upset with all
of the bike problems and we're glad we now have a car.
They made an announcement a few days ago about 58 new missions being
created in the world... 3 of those missions are in southern
California, and one of them will steal a lot of the Anaheim mission.
We will be shrunk down to an even smaller size. I don't think it
matters for the Viet elders, though, because we have different
boundaries. It is exciting that the Cooks will be mission presidents.
Spencer should touch up on his Spanish.
Other than that, we did some service this last week. We moved a young
family into the ward, unexpectedly. They live in our apartment
complex and we were going to offer help, but they asked us first. We
didn't know they were members. We also planted a lemon tree and
transplanted an orange tree for a member. They were grateful and took
us out to a delicious burger joint.
I read all of Matthew this last week. It's a pretty great book. I
like the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Those who started
work at 1 o'clock were promised a penny pay. Those who started at 11
were also promised a penny pay, but worked much less. Those that began
at 1 were upset and chastised the vineyard owner. He gave them what
he promised. It is never too late for us to get to work and start
doing what's right. Heavenly Father, because he loves us, will bless
us all just the same.
Love you all!
Elder Steele
flat tires. We were given a ride home and, being the eagle scouts we
are, had a backup backup bike because the backup was already in use.
The next day we went to the bike store and bought tubes. I switched
out one of the tubes and used an old tube for the rear tire. We went
to the gas station to fill the tires up, where the rear tire filled up
and then popped. Inner tubes make a very loud noise when they pop. We
were pretty surprised when this happened. I replaced the popped tube
with the new tube and we continued. We only spent a few hours making
sure the bikes were in good shape and running smooth. On friday
night, though, I got another flat tire. I rode through an
intersection and stopped on the other side so I could walk the bike.
Elder Hoch didn't see that I stopped and ran right into the back of
me. He jumped off of his bike to avoid a bigger collision, but as he
landed, his right leg planted and his body shifted. He couldn't get
up. We called the Zone Leaders and they helped us get home. We went
to the urgent care center on saturday, and spent about 5 hours trying
to get things figured out. When we left, Elder Hoch had had an x-ray
and was given a brace and some crutches. We still need to arrange an
MRI for him during this week. The doctors think he injured his MCL or
ACL. While in the waiting room, Toy Story (the first one) was on, and
it was a "tender mercy" to be able to hear it playing in the
background. It was pretty fun. A lot of the jokes in Toy Story
seemed funnier now that I've been away from movies for so long. Our
bikes are out of commission for a while because we were just given a
temporary car earlier this morning. We were a little upset with all
of the bike problems and we're glad we now have a car.
They made an announcement a few days ago about 58 new missions being
created in the world... 3 of those missions are in southern
California, and one of them will steal a lot of the Anaheim mission.
We will be shrunk down to an even smaller size. I don't think it
matters for the Viet elders, though, because we have different
boundaries. It is exciting that the Cooks will be mission presidents.
Spencer should touch up on his Spanish.
Other than that, we did some service this last week. We moved a young
family into the ward, unexpectedly. They live in our apartment
complex and we were going to offer help, but they asked us first. We
didn't know they were members. We also planted a lemon tree and
transplanted an orange tree for a member. They were grateful and took
us out to a delicious burger joint.
I read all of Matthew this last week. It's a pretty great book. I
like the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Those who started
work at 1 o'clock were promised a penny pay. Those who started at 11
were also promised a penny pay, but worked much less. Those that began
at 1 were upset and chastised the vineyard owner. He gave them what
he promised. It is never too late for us to get to work and start
doing what's right. Heavenly Father, because he loves us, will bless
us all just the same.
Love you all!
Elder Steele
February 20, 2013
The weather here is beautiful. It is a little chilly, but it could
totally be worse. I can't complain. The mountains in the north are
covered in snow, and they are absolutely gorgeous. I will send you
some pictures of what we did this last p-day, including a drive
through the zone... Two areas over in our zone is the Newport Beach
area. Everyone and their mother owns an eight-figure priced home.
I'm in the library right now overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I will
send some pictures shortly, but man, this is really gorgeous.
Happy Belated birthday to grandma! I love you, Grandma!
First things first. A pair of elders out here had a teaching
appointment cancelled because their neighbor Kobe Bryant (pro
Basketball player) was visiting. Another companionship is teaching a
former Green Bay Packers player. His fellowshippers include two
former BYU players Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta.
Last week was the week of the broken bikes. Both tires on my
companion's bikes went flat on two separate days. We replaced the
first flat with a new tube. On our way to fill the tire up with air,
we noticed the rear tire was flat, also. Being the eagle scouts we
are... we had a spare bike handy. We rode to the local bike shop and
picked up a new bike tube and a patch kit. The nut which held on the
rear tire stripped entirely and would not come off. Bummer. On the
way back from the bike shop, though, we stopped at Cafe Rio for
lunch. There are two Cafe Rio locations in the mission. I was very
much reminded of being at school in Provo while eating a Barbacoa
Salad and overhearing Coldplay's "Paradise" on the radio. It really
took me back. Don't worry, though. We're on focus.
Valentine's day was our zone conference. The AP's and President
focused on finding. We have a real problem talking to people here and
finding those who will listen to us. Everyone seems to have an
agenda. They all have something to do, someone to see, somewhere to
be. The Zone conference was very motivating, though, and we're still
determined to keep finding.
This last monday was p-day. We went to a driving range. Dad wouldn't
be too happy with me because I am terrible at golf. I blame my
height. Almost every time I swung at a ball, the club missed the ball
short by a few inches. Put plainly, golf isn't for me. We played a
little basketball. I still can't dunk a full-sized basketball, but I
can dunk a mini ball on a regular hoop. I jammed my left index
finger, and it's still very blue and brown. It is not broken. We
also played a two-hour dodgeball game. No one won, but it was still
very fun.
I saw a van with attached trailer, both with stickers which said
"Yuuup!" I think it may have been the storage wars guys. They do
some stuff in Orange County, right?
Monday night we went to dinner with a member. His wife wasn't feeling
well, so he himself took us out to eat. We went to a place called
Burrissimo's. It's like Chipotle (like Moe's) but they stuff their
burrito's with Italian food. The 29-year-old member who took us out
has his own business. He is pretty successful. Our discussion
wrapped in and out of missionary work, talking about his mission
experiences, his friend's mission experiences, and both of their
after-mission lives. His friend, a professional skateboarder, on
several occasions decided to hitchhike across the U.S. "just for the
experiences". He set a world record by skateboarding almost non-stop
across the U.S. with his friend. The business and the "just for the
experiences" got me thinking about how much life there is to live and
how much we are capable of doing. I think I'm going to learn to play
the piano when I get back, and maybe bike across a few states or
something a little radical like that. People in California live
differently, and while there's a LOT not to take from here, there
still is a little that I can learn. I was reminded on the bike ride
home how we need to keep our lives in check still. I was
contemplating the different things I'd one day like to do (travel,
etc.). I really was pretty lost in thought, and I didn't realize
where I was going, but I stopped at a corner to make sure we were
heading the right way. The big white-and-red "Yield" sign on the
corner caught me off guard. I might be better off doing what I'm
doing right now as a missionary and "yield to the enticings of the
Holy Spirit" and wait to do those other fun things.
Love you all! Have a great week. I hope my e-mails aren't TOO boring
for you all to read! Enjoy where you are and what you're doing.
totally be worse. I can't complain. The mountains in the north are
covered in snow, and they are absolutely gorgeous. I will send you
some pictures of what we did this last p-day, including a drive
through the zone... Two areas over in our zone is the Newport Beach
area. Everyone and their mother owns an eight-figure priced home.
I'm in the library right now overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I will
send some pictures shortly, but man, this is really gorgeous.
Happy Belated birthday to grandma! I love you, Grandma!
First things first. A pair of elders out here had a teaching
appointment cancelled because their neighbor Kobe Bryant (pro
Basketball player) was visiting. Another companionship is teaching a
former Green Bay Packers player. His fellowshippers include two
former BYU players Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta.
Last week was the week of the broken bikes. Both tires on my
companion's bikes went flat on two separate days. We replaced the
first flat with a new tube. On our way to fill the tire up with air,
we noticed the rear tire was flat, also. Being the eagle scouts we
are... we had a spare bike handy. We rode to the local bike shop and
picked up a new bike tube and a patch kit. The nut which held on the
rear tire stripped entirely and would not come off. Bummer. On the
way back from the bike shop, though, we stopped at Cafe Rio for
lunch. There are two Cafe Rio locations in the mission. I was very
much reminded of being at school in Provo while eating a Barbacoa
Salad and overhearing Coldplay's "Paradise" on the radio. It really
took me back. Don't worry, though. We're on focus.
Valentine's day was our zone conference. The AP's and President
focused on finding. We have a real problem talking to people here and
finding those who will listen to us. Everyone seems to have an
agenda. They all have something to do, someone to see, somewhere to
be. The Zone conference was very motivating, though, and we're still
determined to keep finding.
This last monday was p-day. We went to a driving range. Dad wouldn't
be too happy with me because I am terrible at golf. I blame my
height. Almost every time I swung at a ball, the club missed the ball
short by a few inches. Put plainly, golf isn't for me. We played a
little basketball. I still can't dunk a full-sized basketball, but I
can dunk a mini ball on a regular hoop. I jammed my left index
finger, and it's still very blue and brown. It is not broken. We
also played a two-hour dodgeball game. No one won, but it was still
very fun.
I saw a van with attached trailer, both with stickers which said
"Yuuup!" I think it may have been the storage wars guys. They do
some stuff in Orange County, right?
Monday night we went to dinner with a member. His wife wasn't feeling
well, so he himself took us out to eat. We went to a place called
Burrissimo's. It's like Chipotle (like Moe's) but they stuff their
burrito's with Italian food. The 29-year-old member who took us out
has his own business. He is pretty successful. Our discussion
wrapped in and out of missionary work, talking about his mission
experiences, his friend's mission experiences, and both of their
after-mission lives. His friend, a professional skateboarder, on
several occasions decided to hitchhike across the U.S. "just for the
experiences". He set a world record by skateboarding almost non-stop
across the U.S. with his friend. The business and the "just for the
experiences" got me thinking about how much life there is to live and
how much we are capable of doing. I think I'm going to learn to play
the piano when I get back, and maybe bike across a few states or
something a little radical like that. People in California live
differently, and while there's a LOT not to take from here, there
still is a little that I can learn. I was reminded on the bike ride
home how we need to keep our lives in check still. I was
contemplating the different things I'd one day like to do (travel,
etc.). I really was pretty lost in thought, and I didn't realize
where I was going, but I stopped at a corner to make sure we were
heading the right way. The big white-and-red "Yield" sign on the
corner caught me off guard. I might be better off doing what I'm
doing right now as a missionary and "yield to the enticings of the
Holy Spirit" and wait to do those other fun things.
Love you all! Have a great week. I hope my e-mails aren't TOO boring
for you all to read! Enjoy where you are and what you're doing.
Elder Steele
February 11, 2013
There was supposed to be a big storm in the North East this last week.
If it hasn't hit yet, keep your eyes peeled. Don't let Hunter drive
in the snow...
Last Monday we had a dinner appointment at a member's home. He and
his son had served in Brasil. The son was called to Brasilia, but the
mission split, and he was one of two elders to go to the other
mission. I don't remember the name of the new mission, but he was
there from 03-05 I think. His last name was Powers. Maybe Matt knows
him. I didn't ask him about an Elder Forrest/Steele.
Both last tuesday and wednesday were very full days. On Tuesday we
did some additional weekly planning to get myself situated with the
people and boundaries in this area. We met some members, tried to
visit some less-actives, and tried to visit some potential
investigators, all but the members to no avail. We had a delicious
Orange Chicken dinner prepared by some members. The zone leaders
stopped in to check on my companion because he torqued his knee, and
we chatted for a few minutes. They were asking about me being in the
program and we decided that if there ever was a time for all of us to
focus on the work more or to find more, teach more, and baptize more,
this was the transfer and time to do that. Our Zone Leaders were
really excited about that and we now remind each other whenever we
meet that, "This is the transfer!". This is the time to do work!
The weather here has been a little chilly lately. If we leave the
apartment in the morning, we can see our breath. Biking after 6 PM is
always a task done bundled up in sweaters and wind-breakers. I'm glad
we have jackets!
The ward mission leader is probably the ward member that the
missionaries work with the most. Ours is hilarious. He has a
moustache. He's got two little boys and a third on the way. His
enthusiasm for the work is the best. I think he's is a combination of
Z. Hulet, C. Schaefer and J. Paige. He's way funny.
We've been biking around everywhere. Nothing has been stolen. We are
all staying safe. :) One of the other elders in our zone described
his companionship as "rickety, y'know like one of those bridges across
a huge chasm." I'm glad I don't have to say that. Elder Hoch is
awesome. He's obedient and a hard worker, and that's what every
missionary should be.
Love you all--
If it hasn't hit yet, keep your eyes peeled. Don't let Hunter drive
in the snow...
Last Monday we had a dinner appointment at a member's home. He and
his son had served in Brasil. The son was called to Brasilia, but the
mission split, and he was one of two elders to go to the other
mission. I don't remember the name of the new mission, but he was
there from 03-05 I think. His last name was Powers. Maybe Matt knows
him. I didn't ask him about an Elder Forrest/Steele.
Both last tuesday and wednesday were very full days. On Tuesday we
did some additional weekly planning to get myself situated with the
people and boundaries in this area. We met some members, tried to
visit some less-actives, and tried to visit some potential
investigators, all but the members to no avail. We had a delicious
Orange Chicken dinner prepared by some members. The zone leaders
stopped in to check on my companion because he torqued his knee, and
we chatted for a few minutes. They were asking about me being in the
program and we decided that if there ever was a time for all of us to
focus on the work more or to find more, teach more, and baptize more,
this was the transfer and time to do that. Our Zone Leaders were
really excited about that and we now remind each other whenever we
meet that, "This is the transfer!". This is the time to do work!
The weather here has been a little chilly lately. If we leave the
apartment in the morning, we can see our breath. Biking after 6 PM is
always a task done bundled up in sweaters and wind-breakers. I'm glad
we have jackets!
The ward mission leader is probably the ward member that the
missionaries work with the most. Ours is hilarious. He has a
moustache. He's got two little boys and a third on the way. His
enthusiasm for the work is the best. I think he's is a combination of
Z. Hulet, C. Schaefer and J. Paige. He's way funny.
We've been biking around everywhere. Nothing has been stolen. We are
all staying safe. :) One of the other elders in our zone described
his companionship as "rickety, y'know like one of those bridges across
a huge chasm." I'm glad I don't have to say that. Elder Hoch is
awesome. He's obedient and a hard worker, and that's what every
missionary should be.
Love you all--
Elder Steele
February 5, 2013
A brand new... area! I have been transferred. I'm not in the
Vietnamese program any longer. This is a big change for me, and it
came as a huge surprise on Saturday night. I am now serving in the
College Park area in Costa Mesa, CA. I have an American, English
speaking companion. He has been out in the field longer than me by a
few weeks, but entered the MTC after me. Transfers were crazy
yesterday, so we are e-mailing today. I will not have to buy a
bicycle because they have one for me to borrow. The helmet fits well,
and I am already accomodated. The members even fed us dinner last
night. Things are looking up for this transfer.
All of the Vietnamese elders were full of anticipation last week
because the two elders who had gone english speaking were preparing to
come back into the program all trained and ready to go. To our
surprise, President Bowen still had different intentions with the
program. I am the only elder who left, and the other two elders which
had left returned to the program. This is a five-week program and it
is anticipated that I will only speak English for these five weeks. I
am both excited and nervous. I have forgotten a lot of English
already, and now I will forget a lot of my Vietnamese. Oh well. I
believe the Lord has something in store for the people in this area
and I will be a tool in His hand to find those whom He has prepared.
Some of the Vietnamese Elders see this as a detriment to the program
and to the missionary work. As long as they are working their hardest
and as long as I'm trying my hardest, the work will go on independent
of the number of Elders in either program.
The mission is preparing to receive around 90 new missionaries in the
next 17 weeks. Each English ward will be equipped with two sets of
missionaries. The growth will be tremendous.
I enjoyed everyone's account of Alex and Leila's wedding. We are
blessed to have his example in our family. I am really proud of them.
I can imagine how beatiful it was to witness their wedding. Thank
you for sharing that with me.
We heard about the Super Bowl. I guess English Elders care about that
stuff. It is a completely different world out here. Member work will
be so much different. Contacting and finding will also be so much
different. I am excited for the challenges to come. I realize how
blessed I have been in the Vietnamese program to come into a program
which supports and maintains exact obedience. I'm glad I learned how
to work hard and work effectively from the start of my mission. This
will make biking from appointment to appointment so much easier. I
will probably burn so of the fat on me and maybe even gain a little
muscle weight.
My new companion is from Utah. He attended Snow college, but I don't
think he knows Nelsen, Colin or Brian (from Pittsford). He has spoken
English all his mission. We get along well, and will have an awesome
companionship.
Love you all!
Elder Steele
Vietnamese program any longer. This is a big change for me, and it
came as a huge surprise on Saturday night. I am now serving in the
College Park area in Costa Mesa, CA. I have an American, English
speaking companion. He has been out in the field longer than me by a
few weeks, but entered the MTC after me. Transfers were crazy
yesterday, so we are e-mailing today. I will not have to buy a
bicycle because they have one for me to borrow. The helmet fits well,
and I am already accomodated. The members even fed us dinner last
night. Things are looking up for this transfer.
All of the Vietnamese elders were full of anticipation last week
because the two elders who had gone english speaking were preparing to
come back into the program all trained and ready to go. To our
surprise, President Bowen still had different intentions with the
program. I am the only elder who left, and the other two elders which
had left returned to the program. This is a five-week program and it
is anticipated that I will only speak English for these five weeks. I
am both excited and nervous. I have forgotten a lot of English
already, and now I will forget a lot of my Vietnamese. Oh well. I
believe the Lord has something in store for the people in this area
and I will be a tool in His hand to find those whom He has prepared.
Some of the Vietnamese Elders see this as a detriment to the program
and to the missionary work. As long as they are working their hardest
and as long as I'm trying my hardest, the work will go on independent
of the number of Elders in either program.
The mission is preparing to receive around 90 new missionaries in the
next 17 weeks. Each English ward will be equipped with two sets of
missionaries. The growth will be tremendous.
I enjoyed everyone's account of Alex and Leila's wedding. We are
blessed to have his example in our family. I am really proud of them.
I can imagine how beatiful it was to witness their wedding. Thank
you for sharing that with me.
We heard about the Super Bowl. I guess English Elders care about that
stuff. It is a completely different world out here. Member work will
be so much different. Contacting and finding will also be so much
different. I am excited for the challenges to come. I realize how
blessed I have been in the Vietnamese program to come into a program
which supports and maintains exact obedience. I'm glad I learned how
to work hard and work effectively from the start of my mission. This
will make biking from appointment to appointment so much easier. I
will probably burn so of the fat on me and maybe even gain a little
muscle weight.
My new companion is from Utah. He attended Snow college, but I don't
think he knows Nelsen, Colin or Brian (from Pittsford). He has spoken
English all his mission. We get along well, and will have an awesome
companionship.
Love you all!
Elder Steele
January 28, 2013
We had a pretty great week last week. Things went well. I think the
most success I had was on Friday when I turned 20. I'm THAT much
closer to being older than Rosie. Like Hunter used to say, "When I'm
older than you, I'm gonna be bigger than you!" (He still hasn't made
it yet.)
The weather is improving. I think the bulk of "winter" here is over.
We had a few days that were overcast and rainy, but today it is once
again nice and clear. It was a little nippy this morning (45 degrees
Fahrenheit), but it's now in the 60's. It doesn't get too much
colder.
Our investigators are great! We have two right now, but they are sooo
awesome. Tri is a twin. He has been meeting with us for about a
month already. We have "class" with him every week and in the past
week he attended our monday p-day activities with his twin. He speaks
English very well. Our other investigator is Linh. She is 27. She
lived in Vietnam until she came here 2 months ago. Her story is
something like, "life got too repetitive and boring, so I started
learning English and moved to America." It's pretty crazy. But,
there must be some sort of rationalization to it, so if I ever decide
to just up and move to Vietnam for a few months I'll feel completely
justified. It would never be a permanent stay, though. We taught her
a lesson with one of the white members of the branch. Like with most
people we meet, we shared the simple message of the Restoration. God
loves us; he blesses us when we obey him; God gave people direction in
old times through prophets; God took His Gospel off the earth when
people were wicked and it has happened several times; Jesus Christ
came down and taught the Gospel; He and His 12 Apostles were killed;
people tried to find the truth, but couldn't; Joseph Smith read in
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to
all men liberally and upbraideth not"; Joseph asked in Faith and was
visited by God the Father and His Son; Christ's church was restored
to the earth. K. So it's not that simple and it's not that short,
but it was great. At the end of the lesson, she said (in Vietnamese),
"I have one more concern. Do Mormon men have many wives?" We got to
explain to her all about polygamy and clear up all concerns that she
had. The member added, "One wife is more than enough." haha.
The Comp is great. We are pretty much best friends now. We always
joke with each other and he is really funny. It's good because even
though we're pretty different, we've learned to get along.
Thursday was Elder Trương's birthday (Anh Cả Ninh). The two Viet
elders who are now Zone Leaders came up to celebrate with us for our
dinner hour. We surprised him with a little party. He had never had
a birthday party before! It was so fun. We had balloons all around
our office, and he found an x-acto knife and popped all the balloons
in a very asian-ninja-like fashion. It was a blast. We treated him
to some boba and then had class. On Friday, a member took us out to
dinner to a crazy fun boba place in town. I plan on bringing my
friends there if I ever make it back here.
Well, things are great here. Thanks for the love and support from
back home! Remember to feel free to send pictures through e-mail, or
even short videos of the family. Jon likes to send me some every week
of his snow-shoeing and mechanical bull-riding adventures.
most success I had was on Friday when I turned 20. I'm THAT much
closer to being older than Rosie. Like Hunter used to say, "When I'm
older than you, I'm gonna be bigger than you!" (He still hasn't made
it yet.)
The weather is improving. I think the bulk of "winter" here is over.
We had a few days that were overcast and rainy, but today it is once
again nice and clear. It was a little nippy this morning (45 degrees
Fahrenheit), but it's now in the 60's. It doesn't get too much
colder.
Our investigators are great! We have two right now, but they are sooo
awesome. Tri is a twin. He has been meeting with us for about a
month already. We have "class" with him every week and in the past
week he attended our monday p-day activities with his twin. He speaks
English very well. Our other investigator is Linh. She is 27. She
lived in Vietnam until she came here 2 months ago. Her story is
something like, "life got too repetitive and boring, so I started
learning English and moved to America." It's pretty crazy. But,
there must be some sort of rationalization to it, so if I ever decide
to just up and move to Vietnam for a few months I'll feel completely
justified. It would never be a permanent stay, though. We taught her
a lesson with one of the white members of the branch. Like with most
people we meet, we shared the simple message of the Restoration. God
loves us; he blesses us when we obey him; God gave people direction in
old times through prophets; God took His Gospel off the earth when
people were wicked and it has happened several times; Jesus Christ
came down and taught the Gospel; He and His 12 Apostles were killed;
people tried to find the truth, but couldn't; Joseph Smith read in
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to
all men liberally and upbraideth not"; Joseph asked in Faith and was
visited by God the Father and His Son; Christ's church was restored
to the earth. K. So it's not that simple and it's not that short,
but it was great. At the end of the lesson, she said (in Vietnamese),
"I have one more concern. Do Mormon men have many wives?" We got to
explain to her all about polygamy and clear up all concerns that she
had. The member added, "One wife is more than enough." haha.
The Comp is great. We are pretty much best friends now. We always
joke with each other and he is really funny. It's good because even
though we're pretty different, we've learned to get along.
Thursday was Elder Trương's birthday (Anh Cả Ninh). The two Viet
elders who are now Zone Leaders came up to celebrate with us for our
dinner hour. We surprised him with a little party. He had never had
a birthday party before! It was so fun. We had balloons all around
our office, and he found an x-acto knife and popped all the balloons
in a very asian-ninja-like fashion. It was a blast. We treated him
to some boba and then had class. On Friday, a member took us out to
dinner to a crazy fun boba place in town. I plan on bringing my
friends there if I ever make it back here.
Well, things are great here. Thanks for the love and support from
back home! Remember to feel free to send pictures through e-mail, or
even short videos of the family. Jon likes to send me some every week
of his snow-shoeing and mechanical bull-riding adventures.
They made me a cake. On top, written in sprinkles is my Vietnamese
name, Hải. In case you were wondering, the cake was delicious.
Chocolate with chocolate frosting.
name, Hải. In case you were wondering, the cake was delicious.
Chocolate with chocolate frosting.
Love you!
Elder Steele
January 14, 2013
Hey family! Things are pretty great here. There is a man at
McDonald's with a BYU sweatshirt on! Go Cougars!
Jonathan sent me some pictures and it looks like he is having a blast
at school. Liz sent me some pictures and it looks like everything
went smooth with Harrison.
I hope Sarah had a great birthday.
Last week included a lot of preparation. I feel like the Vietnamese
mission focuses so much on preparing for others' (later missionaries')
success with our English class. We spent time preparing a flyer to
hand out at the Chinese new year. We made something simple and
creative. It looks like a Vietnamese Ly Xi, which is a small envelope
containing money that is handed out for good luck at the Lunar New
Year festival. It should draw attention. A lot of the things I have
learned here so far are simple skills relating to owning and running a
business. This ranges from tracking finances, learning how to market
a "product" using little to no money, constantly working, etc. The
work here is different than I had imagine,but, we are still sharing
about the Gospel at any chance we get. The business aspects of the
work here need to get done, and the other Elders don't have experience
so we are often working logistics and little administrative tasks.
On Wednesday we set up an appointment with our investigator Tri. When
we got there, he asked us why we were dressed up, and he thought we
were "just gonna hang out" because we intended to go grab pizza with
him after. We ended up getting pizza and got to talk to him and get
to know him better. He is so awesome. We drove around for forever
looking for the Little Caesar's and ended up in crazy Mexico-town
Santa Ana. It was an adventure. Man. There are some crazy people
out here! We crossed paths of a few homeless people, one of which was
very old and wheeled around a stroller full of booze. Scary. We saw a
mexican drag queen. Also scary. It was an adventure finding the store
and then getting out of there as fast as we could while making sure
our two very innocent, very asian friends didn't get lost or mangled.
I'm having a blast! The two Elders who went English should return in
three weeks. I am looking forward to things changing up around here
and hopefully having more opportunities to serve and bless the lives
of the Viet people here!
It sounds like everything is awesome at home. It makes me miss it a
little bit, but it's great to know I don't need to worry about
anything. You guys are awesome!
Love you!
McDonald's with a BYU sweatshirt on! Go Cougars!
Jonathan sent me some pictures and it looks like he is having a blast
at school. Liz sent me some pictures and it looks like everything
went smooth with Harrison.
I hope Sarah had a great birthday.
Last week included a lot of preparation. I feel like the Vietnamese
mission focuses so much on preparing for others' (later missionaries')
success with our English class. We spent time preparing a flyer to
hand out at the Chinese new year. We made something simple and
creative. It looks like a Vietnamese Ly Xi, which is a small envelope
containing money that is handed out for good luck at the Lunar New
Year festival. It should draw attention. A lot of the things I have
learned here so far are simple skills relating to owning and running a
business. This ranges from tracking finances, learning how to market
a "product" using little to no money, constantly working, etc. The
work here is different than I had imagine,but, we are still sharing
about the Gospel at any chance we get. The business aspects of the
work here need to get done, and the other Elders don't have experience
so we are often working logistics and little administrative tasks.
On Wednesday we set up an appointment with our investigator Tri. When
we got there, he asked us why we were dressed up, and he thought we
were "just gonna hang out" because we intended to go grab pizza with
him after. We ended up getting pizza and got to talk to him and get
to know him better. He is so awesome. We drove around for forever
looking for the Little Caesar's and ended up in crazy Mexico-town
Santa Ana. It was an adventure. Man. There are some crazy people
out here! We crossed paths of a few homeless people, one of which was
very old and wheeled around a stroller full of booze. Scary. We saw a
mexican drag queen. Also scary. It was an adventure finding the store
and then getting out of there as fast as we could while making sure
our two very innocent, very asian friends didn't get lost or mangled.
I'm having a blast! The two Elders who went English should return in
three weeks. I am looking forward to things changing up around here
and hopefully having more opportunities to serve and bless the lives
of the Viet people here!
It sounds like everything is awesome at home. It makes me miss it a
little bit, but it's great to know I don't need to worry about
anything. You guys are awesome!
Love you!
Two pictures from our morning exercise. We run to a park and meet up
as a district. We can play basketball and run, do pushups, etc. It
has been very cold lately. We have what are called the "Santa Ana
Winds". It's a cold wind from the SW ocean. It has been in the 40's
lately. We were freezing this morning so we were all bundled up. It
was a lot darker than I remember it being.
The other picture is of me being goofy. I made the sweatshirt and
thought I'd send a picture home. That's me last night!
as a district. We can play basketball and run, do pushups, etc. It
has been very cold lately. We have what are called the "Santa Ana
Winds". It's a cold wind from the SW ocean. It has been in the 40's
lately. We were freezing this morning so we were all bundled up. It
was a lot darker than I remember it being.
The other picture is of me being goofy. I made the sweatshirt and
thought I'd send a picture home. That's me last night!
Elder Steele
P.S. Don't forget, Rosemary's birthday is on the 25th of this month.
Don't forget to wish her a happy birthday!
