12/29/2008

Hey fam!!! I'm doing fantastic!! Just finishing off a great first week of the transfer!! Elder Howell and I are doing well. It was a different week because of Christmas, and we still didn't get to tract too much.
Monday we got to teach a lesson to this crazy guy who is a snake breeder. He had like 10 HUGE pythons and boas. One of his boas was 17 feet long, and it was pregnant so it was huge. He is crazy. But he says it makes good money, but it still didn't convince me.
On Christmas Eve we had district meeting in State College which was very good!! Then that night we went to Sister Culp's and got stuck on the ice, and had a pretty good little snack feast there. Christmas was very good. Vinnie's present was good!! Tell him thanks. It was especially good to call home and talk. It was different than I thought cuz it felt like I had just talked to you guys yesterday. After Christmas dinner we went exploring in the woods with Bro. Morrison!! That was fun, he showed us all the trails he created and all the deer and other animal tracks. So my first mission Christmas was good.
New Years eve we don't work but New Years day is just normal, so I might possibly get into a door and see some football. But who knows it won't kill me if I don't see it.
Thats it for me this week. We might be in State College next week cuz I wanna play basketball sooo bad, I haven't played for 3 months.
Sweet is the work and Great is the glory!!
Elder Black

12/22/08

We had to go to Harrisburg this morning cuz Elder Raymond got transferred, and my new companions name is Elder Howell and this his third transfer out, so I'm the Senior Companion!! He is a really cool guy and is really easy to talk to!! I am excited to learn from this experience.
James Allen is getting baptized this sunday the 28th!! So I'm excited about that. They cried when Elder Raymond left because they were grateful for all the things we have done for them. I feel so blessed to know them!! They are my family here in Clearfield!! It's been snowy and COLD!! It was 2 degrees this morning!! Holy Cow!! I love you all!! Merry Christmas!!
Elder Black

12/16/08

Hey everyone!!! my week was very busy!! We did lots of service!! Elder Raymond rebuilt a bed at the Allens house, and that took up lots of our day wednesday. He is crafty and I was like I have no idea whats going on cuz I'm not crafty at all. But oh well, that's why we are in companionships. We found 3 new investigators that we are gonna keep working with that have lots of questions and are showing lots of interest. We have been really busy working alot with the members with a program called the "set a date" program that the church has in the northeast. We help the members set goals to share the gospel and follow up with them about it.
We found out that James Allen chose to get baptized on Dec. 28th. So I hope I'll still be here, but there is a possibility I won't be here cuz transfers are this coming monday.
Zone conference was very good yesterday!! We drove to State College early in the morning and started about 9:30. After lunch we had a Christmas Program with a bunch of musical numbers and stuff and it was super good. Then we got to decorate gingerbread houses, and it was super fun!! I love you family and friends!! Keep working hard and have a good week!!
Love Elder Black

Hey everybody!! I'm doing great- it's cold though. It snowed all weekend and it's like 20 degrees now. And yes, the baptism happened on saturday. It was so good!! And Elder Raymond and I sang too!! I was nervous even though there were only 8 people there haha, but it went well and it was fun!! Misty loved the baptism. So thank you for your prayers for her. Mary has to have back surgery, so that might push her baptism back.
Tuesday we went tracting and the bad thing was no one was home cuz hunting season started this week!! So that was pretty lame, but that's PA for you.
Thursday we had a dinner appointment with Tammie who is an investigator and she cooked us some super good chicken alfredo!! She is going to feed us every week!! And this week she is making me mexican food!! FINALLY I GET MEXICAN FOOD! First time on my mission.
Sunday Misty was confirmed!! We had a very good testimony meeting and I got to bear my testimony!!
SWEET IS THE WORK!!
Elder Black

12/1/08

We had a very good week this week! We were able to teach Mary and Misty twice!! Misty is so ready for baptism and it is still Dec. 6. It is the first one in this area in over a year!! Mary's lesson went very well an on saturday we set her with a baptismal goal of Jan 3. We are also working with James Allen. He is asking his doctors this week if he is healthy enough to be baptized. So we could have 3 baptisms within the next month. Hope, the lady we had thankgiving dinner with, is also expressing lots of interest to be baptized!! She just says that she wants to gain lots of knowledge before she is baptized.
Thanksgiving was really good though. We had lots of food and lots of leftovers!! The only thing that wasn't good that I tried was the pickled egg. DISGUSTING!!
Elder Raymond and I are singing "Lead Kindly Light" at Misty's baptism. So wish me luck
Elder Black

11/24/08

We put up our Christmas tree today!! But we don't have any lights or ornaments :( . So this week we found 3 new investigators. One of them is named Tammie. She said she was LDS for a short time, but then "Found the truth" and was trying to get us to do so as well. Then this week we were walking down the street, and out comes Tammie and she set up an appointment with us. Of course, I was a little apprehensive cuz of the way she freaked out at us before and how contentious it got. So we decided to fast and pray about it, and it definetly helped us out. Once we got there, she was super nice and calm. She asked us for a Book of Mormon, which was a great start considering she wanted no part of the Book of Mormon the first time we saw her. Then we had a short lesson about grace and works and it turned out to be really good. We meet with her again tomorrow.

11/24/2008

Hey everyone!! Snow is officially on the ground. We worked with some of our investigators and they are progressing!! Misty found her own ride to church yesterday and her baptism is still scheduled for the 6th!! James started chemo this week and he is feeling good so thats awesome. We got a recliner for the chapel so he can come to church now!! Hopefully he can keep getting stronger so he can get baptized!!
I am excited for Thanksgiving this week!! We are going to Hope and Allens house!! So that shoudl be good!! Lots of nonmembers to talk to!! and they ordered a whole extra turkey!! just keep praying for me and i'll keep working hard fa sho!!

Mission life in Penn.

Misty's Baptism
Decorating their Christmas Tree
Elder Raymond and Elder Black
Elder Black in Susquehanna at Zone Conference

Their apartment in Clearfield

P-Day fun

Elder Black on top of Beaver Mtn in State College, PA

Beaver Stadium

Elder Black's District

P-day fun- check out the fish

President and Sister Pugh and the Zone

More Fun

11/17/08

Things are good, but cold!!! It's supposed to snow for real this week, so pray that I stay warm! Everyone here seems to disregard Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas. Small town living is fun. There are decorations all over the town and it's cool.
Things with Misty are still good!! She got sick and couldn't come to stake conference, but she is still progressing greatly.
It was wierd at interviews on friday, Sister Pugh pointed out to me that my suit coat is big now, and she says I have gotten skinnier. But, I haven't lost weight, so I guess I am building muscle. I guess that's the life of a missionary. I started running everyday even though it's freezing, and we are starting out slow cuz Elder Raymond isn't quite ready to run yet.

11/17/08

Tuesday we rode bikes all day!! And it was cold!!! It was just kinda one of those blah days but I guess you gotta have one every once in a while or your mission would be to easy!! Monday night we had a good lesson with Misty...and she is soo progressing. So I am happy about that.
We are going to some investigators for Thanksgiving named Hope and Allen. They are a nice couple that love us and love to feed us!! They are deemed "eternal investigators" cuz they love their church but they love to learn from us as well. But they have made some progress as of late and we meet with them tonight again.

11/3/08

Greetings from State College, PA again. We are up here for a district fun day.
Halloween is like a week long holiday here and trick or treating is different days for different towns.
Wednesday morning we had our first SNOW of the winter. It just flurried for like 30 minutes and didn't stick...but it was still cool!!!
Our appt for wednesday night fell through so then we decided to stop by this guy they had tracted into earlier, and he said that as soon as he heard a door shut outside he knew it was us.
...we went on to have the greatest lesson ever!!! the Spirit was so strong!!! At the end I committed him to be baptized Dec. 6!! I just felt it was right and I felt he knew it was true. And he said of course he would!! So that is awesome. It was a bummer that it wasn't in my area though, but I was still so happy and so blessed for it!!

10/27/2008

I'm doing absolutely fantastic!! I am absolutely craving a rollies burrito!! I miss mexican food. There isn't an in Clearfield.
Tuesday night we went and worked in State College and I went tracting with Elder Sandberg and we tracted into a Penn State football player!!and he let us teach him!!! His is a linebacker but he is out for the season with a torn acl. It was the coolest lesson ever!! We got to talk football for a bit and then I left a Book of Mormon with him.
Wednesday was amazing!! We saw Joseph and Emma's property where there old home was, along with Emma's parent's property. We saw the restoration monument, and then we went down to the actual priesthood restoration site. It was sooo spiritual and so peaceful!!
Good things are happening in Clearfield!!

"Today we are going to State College to hike Nittany Mountain! It's so funny how just living here makes you love Penn St. I have exciting news. This transfer's Zone Conference is at the Priesthood Restoration site up in Susquehanna.
There hasn't been a baptism in a year and a half in this area. That's why the nearest church building is in Philipsburg which is 20 miles away. But, I'm gonna work my hardest to change that. "

"Everything is goin very well here in good old Clearfield, PA. We had a good week. And guess what!! We set an investigator with a baptismal date!! and I DID IT!! my first time doing it! my heart was beating so fast. but she said yes and she is getting baptized on Nov 15. her name is Misty and she is a cool lady!! she has looked into all religions (even wickinism, which is like being a witch, and ya i've run into a few of those haha) you know PA the good old religion capital of the world. "
"Tomorrow afternoon we go to State College and are working there for the day and are staying the night there. Then we leave from there at 6:00am to go to Susquehanna for Zone Conference! I can't wait I'm so excited.: