Daniel vs The Sun

Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:49:31 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

We've had a rough week, but all is well. Its been extremely hot! Our arms are way darker, and for the first time in my life, I had a sunglasses tan! But I got rid of it the next day. Gross. But we've been scrambling to find someone to teach out here! This week we didn't find anyone, and got dropped, after 3 months of trying to get an appointment, by 16 year old Tori. Its almost a relief, but she's on "her our religious journey, and has her Mormon friend to help her out." Whatever. Honestly, its more of a relief. We're turning her over to the missionaries who cover her friends ward.

Elder Howard, one of the missionaries we live with, hurt some ligament and fractured his foot. It happened a month ago, but he just went in and they gave him a cast. So he's crutchin' all around the house now. Its pretty funny. But at least he has a car...

We've visited Bro. Powell the last 3 night, helping fix up bikes and talking with him and his family. He invited us back on Sunday for dinner, but we already had a dinner planned with the Elders Quorum President and his family, and they're awesome, so we couldn't cancel on them so we had to try and double dinner... Only because he was planning on making his famous pulled pork. First of all, you have to understand that Bro. Powell, even though he's not a member, is famous in the ward for cooking for youth firesides and scout trips. He cooks good. Pulled pork is his specialty. He made BBQ sauce, with a vinegar base (whatever that means...), a month and a half ago, and let it sit, so it would taste perfect. And he planned on smoking the pork all day and coming to church. Unfortunately, Satan broke his smoker so he couldn't get to church OR make the pork! So they made carne asada burritos and gave us all the left overs... But he fixed the smoker and we're going back tonight for dinner and Family Home Evening! Awesome.

Love,

Elder Feller

Daniel vs 1 Year

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:59:35 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

This week has been pretty fun. I got a new companion, Elder Darrington (Dear-bear) from Declo Idaho (380 people). I don't remember if I told you about a missionary who put a huge deep whole in his knee mountain biking but he's my companion now. But his knee is getting better so we don't get a car. But we're having fun in queen creek.

The dust storm was crazy last week! I'm sure you heard about it and wondered if I got any of it... Queen Creek is right on the south-east edge of the phoenix valley, so we got it first! I was inside when it rolled in, but I saw pictures. But we biked around in the dust for a few hours. We walked out of a lesson to look at someones giant swing set in the back yard and it was crazy outside! All dark and dusty and windy .. at like 7. which is weird here, the sun comes up at 4:30 and down at  8:30. It was nuts.

Oh, so my old companion, Who was a big guy from Idaho, and was dieing in the heat, got sent to the mountains! In Eager, the little town with the closest stop light to Saint Johns. He's going to love it!

And, I don't know if you're aware, but I hit one year this Thursday!! The time has flown by, I can hardly believe it. I don't ever want to go home.

Oh so we also had a sweet lesson with brother Powell this week. Its been hard to bring up his feeling on the gospel  recently. Almost like he's avoiding it. But we got him alone and I went for it! We found out some of his concerns and then had a really good discussion on commitments and living up to the blessings. I think that's what he fears right now. But it was really good. I almost cried telling him about Brandon and Zach, the first two baptisms me and Elder Lesh had in Chandler, and what a blessing it was. We know more about whats up with him and are better prepared to teach him now. It was awesome.

Pray I have more to talk about!

Love,

Elder Feller

Video of the dust storm

Elder Baird



Dear-Bear and I trying to get some pictures in The Pecans.  Our richest neighborhood.

More of The Pecans



My free new shoes!

Daniel vs Africa

Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:49:41 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

Transfer week! I'm staying and my companion is leaving.

The Mongane's baptism went AMAZING. It lasted an hour and a half. In the talk on baptism, she included a little bit of the family's story, about their journy fleeing from Africa, to here. I dont konw how much I've written already, but Roy Mongane fled The DR Congo after being arrested at a peace rally. He escaped from prison, got a visa to America, and ended up being found by a man here and joining the Church. Meanwhile, his family was moving to different countries, waiting until he could get them to America. For 6 years, the lived in different countries. They started going to Church over there. When they finally made it here, there was so many problems and delays getting to the airport. They got held up in Customs in Dubai, and his youngest son, Joseph, (named after the Prophet) screamed about getting to America to see his dad, because he had never seen him before. Then again in LAX. The next flight wasnt for a while, so the members here in Queen Creek got ahold of a Bishop in LA. He took them in for the night and sent them on a plane to Pheonix the next day. After getting settled for a month or so, we were able to teach them. Last saturday they were baptized. Roy was able to baptize them. He got into the baptismial font, and started moving and splashing arround. Then he started singing "Count your Manny blessings" in french or Swahili. His wife, Rachel, came down into the water and started singing with him. Everyone was silent, and the spirit was so strong. He then baptized her and his two daughters, Ansi and Alice. Then in the talk on the Holy Ghost, the man to took him in and introduced him to the Church in Virginia spoke on the Holy Ghost. He talked about how the Holy Ghost had prepared these people to come to America. And, since Roy is a decentant of Ephraim, how a literal dicendant of the House of Joseph was brought to the promised land.
The next day in Sacrament meeting, during the confirmations, there were so many people in the circle I could hardly get my hand in there. But it was amazing as well. Roy did an awesome job giving some wonderful blessings to his family. His wife cried, and one of his daughters hugged him and said "thank you daddy!"

It was really amazing. Nothing Else that happened this week matters.

Love,
Elder Feller

July 4th - No Title (Probably should be Called Daniel vs. the Jungle or the Gauntlet

Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2011 11:58:27 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net
To: natfeller@hotmail.com; efeller@byu.net

Hello family! This past week was pretty much the same as usual. It was really hot. Most people in Queen Creek seem to dissapear when it gets hot.
Lots of fun stuff!
First things first! We taught the Mongane family! More like, just got them ready for the Baptism this saturday! We were doing to program and stuff. We had to bike outside of our area, like 3 miles, and it was 118 degrees outside. But they're all excited for the baptism!
Also, we stoped by this family's house and they werent home. But they have a jungle built in their yard! Pictures below.
So there were all these signs up for a missing turtle in one of our neighbor hoods this week. They were pretty funny signs. And we were biking in the day and it was really hot and no one was out... and we found the turtle! My companion saw it so I went over to the sign to get the phone number. and I was messing with my companion and reading him the description, making sure it was the right turtle. And these members we know pull up and ask us whats going on. We tell them we found the turtle! Then she gets out of the car, and takes the turtle away back to her house! We thought we were goign to be the heroes. But they did give the reward to us. 15 bucks at cold stone! But our glory and hopefully a teaching moment got stolen!
Also, one of our really good potential investigators, who is the girlfriend of this member, (They're like 50) came up to us at church and told us she got baptized. We thought they were joking... I kind of assumed she wanted to get baptized, but no. She really got baptized without us last weekend. They went up to Utah to go to his daughters wedding. She was talking to their friend up there about some gospel question she had, resolved her concern, and then asked when she wanted to get baptized. She said "how about friday in your pool?" So they called the utah missionaries up there, got her interviewed and baptized... with out us, her actual missionaries... So that was pretty funny. There goes one of our awesome potentials for this month... 
One more weird lame thing, pictured below is the Guantlet. We caught some scorpions and some other missionaries gave us a black widow and we had them fight. They just kinda sat there for a few days. But this morning! The scorpion is huge and black inside.... and the black widow is gone! Scoprion 1... black widow 0. Pretty awesome.
We're still working on finding. I've met with all the bishops and ward mission leaders and am still trying to implement all the stuff they're supposed to be doing. Thats what I feel like God has been telling me to do. So I'm trying. So far its going good. But nothing much to report this week.
LOVE,
Daniel

Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2011 12:03:05 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

The rest of the pictures..

 

PS I forgot to mention the huge statue of Moroni! Its at this excommunicated guys house who's trying to come back. Its pretty sweet.