Untitled 07/30/2012

Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:59:01 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

This week was kinda crazy. Lots of good and bad.

Monday I went to the departing dinner at the mission home with all the people I came out with going home. Because its just going to be 4 of us going home on the 14th, they let us come to this dinner. It was weird... I was there, and everyone else was headed home, and I just went back to my area the next day for district meeting. We ate dinner, and half way through I just started feeling nervous... Then afterwards we watched the slide show with everyone's pictures. Then we did departing testimonies. I was the very last one, and no one really cried a lot, but because I was last and it just kept building, when I got up there, I lost it. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was all good. haha. I was choking up the whole time, and when I sat down I started crying a more. It was tough. Then that night we all spent the night  at the AP's house. I went on a tour of ASU campus with Elder Gibby on our way back to their house. The next morning I got up with them, and went to the office, and they all got in the action-van to go to the airport, and I sat in the mission home with Elder Lindquist and talked with President until our ride came... It was weird. But I get to do it again in two weeks.

Tuesday I was wiped out all day. As soon as I got back to my area we went to Circle K to get some Mountain Dew so I could stay awake for District Meeting. Then we watched 17 Miracles because it was Pioneer day. It was good.  That night I taught Gibson again. He tried to drop me! (I was on splits with our WML, Matt Parisek) I wasn't having it. So we tried to get him back, and we did a pretty good job. Its all up to him now. We talked about how he was going to come to know God. He is really against it. That makes it tough. So we'll see how things go in the future with him. 

The rest of the week is so hard to remember!  Wednesday we snuck into transfer meeting even though we're not getting transferred. I was supposed to have a temple recommend interview, so they let us come. It was my last one! It was a good time though. Our zone kind of got rocked again. Two areas whitewashed... but one of them was for a good reason. Our problem DL and Elder Parrott are gone. Which is sad. But they're both doing well now. We got Elder Krueger back in his old area! He's a new senior comp! and his companion is kind of struggling. But he'll do a good job. Its weird that he's back, but whatever. Its cool. 

Thursday was ZLC again. It was actually a good meeting. We talked about a lot of good stuff. Including the "new P-day policies" they're making. There was a pretty big discussion about it, and no one really got anywhere, so they asked us to fax in the next day what our version of the pday policy would be. So Elder Schick and I photocopied the white handbook and faxed it in. I hope they get the message. Its funny, because there's always big dumb discussions (I wont say arguments) in that meeting, and people are always just trying to sound a little bit better. But Elder Schick and I just sit there and when they're talking we turn to the answer in PMG. Its not hard, people just need to do what they're supposed to.

Alex also fell off date again this week! His mom left us a message saying he wasn't ready, and wasn't committed enough. I think she's trying to avoid us a little bit because she didn't get back to us. We're still trying!

Saturday was a rough day but it ended well. It was awkward all day because everyone was busy doing their own thing and no one really wanted to talk to us. But that evening we taught a new guy. His name is Hunter, and he plays football for ASU. He visits the Penrod family every weekend because he has no other friends from Arizona. He just graduated from High School, and he's from the Bay Area somewhere. He's awesome. We watched the Joseph Smith movie, and he seemed pretty touched. They told us after we left he started reading the Book of Mormon right away. Which is awesome. He's going to football camp for the next few weeks, so I wont teach him again before I go.

Sunday we taught Lance again. He is doing so good! We're getting ready for his baptism this week. His girlfriend's mom called the Bishop kind of freaking out, and so he talked to us about making everything perfect. I guess she's just "like that" which isn't a problem. But its funny. Bishop said he even pulled the "Zone Leaders" card to get her off his back. We went over to talk to the mom to calm her fears about the baptism a little bit. It worked.  But the mom told us that Lance said, "Even if we break up, I'm still getting baptized." So that's always good to hear. He's awesome, and fits in the ward really well. Everything is good. AJ is still looking good for the 11th too. He even brought his little sister to church this week, and were meeting with her next week. 

Love,

Daniel

Elder Jackson and I 

The Temple 

San Tan Zone 

Schick and I messing around in the car

Daniel vs 2 Years

Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 10:48:25 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net

I hit two years last Saturday!! Its crazy. I'm supposed to be flying home tomorrow, but I'm not! Its kind of a weird feeling. I have my departing dinner tonight with all the guys I came out with. Then they leave and I stay.

This week was crazy. We had a ton of lessons so it was really good.

On Monday we taught a new guy. His name is Gibson, he's from New Jersey but his family came from Haiti, but he works at a prison here. He came to the singles ward with a girl. It was a tough lesson because he told us he didn't believe in God... So we tried our best. We're meeting with him again soon.

Tuesday we taught Alex again. We finally pinned him down to a baptism date! August 11th. And I told his mom I was going home after that to guilt her into keeping it on that day... Was that bad? I thought it worked really well...

Wednesday we taught AJ in the morning. He is seriously doing amazing. I cant even believe it. We talked about the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, and he just gets it! He's super excited about being baptized on the 11th. We talked alot about repentance, and then we could tell he was thinking, and then he told us, "I think I've started my repentance process without knowing it." And we were blown away. The next day we went to the visitors center with him in the morning as well. He was pretty touched by it. It was good for him to visualize everything that happened.

Wednesday night we also taught Mason, the guy who was excommunicated. The lesson went really well. We tried teaching one thing and then ended up teaching another... We just talked a lot about the Atonement. Then we gave him a blessing after. It was a super spiritual lesson.

Thursday we had another incident with that same district leader I talked about before. He was accusing his companion of not having a testimony that Joesph Smith was a prophet, because he was writing in his journal at 10:30 at night, when he was supposed to be sleeping. Its ridiculous, I know. This guy is a tool. That's the only way to describe him. We went over at 8:30 in the morning, and ... corrected him... Sharply. I had had it. I was done dealing with him. So I just let him know exactly how I felt about everything he's done. It was not nice.

On Sunday, we taught Lance again. He's doing great. Still on track for the 4th. We taught him all the commandments, and he's all good. We settled some things about the baptism as well. I guess his girl friends mom was freaking out because she wanted the program to be perfect, and I guess she thinks we've never done this before or something. haha. That's ok. We'll try extra hard. 

That was all the highlights from the week! 

Love,

Elder Feller

Daniel's Mission Address

For those who would like to write to Elder Feller please do so now!!!


He will be returning home August 14th so do not send anything past the 7th.  His address is:

Elder Eric Daniel Feller
Arizona Tempe Mission
1871 E. Del Rio Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85282-2882

Email:eric.feller@myldsmail.net

We are so proud of all the wonderful work he has done in Arizona and can't wait for him to return home!!!

We love you Daniel!!!

Daniel vs Week 6

Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:49:30 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net


Today is the start of Week 6 of what would be the last transfer of my mission.

According to my D&C countdown I only have 29 Days left.

Woah.

This week was great.

We taught AJ again, and had a really powerful lesson on the Plan of Salvation. We also checked all the commandments off, so he knew what was coming. And then we extended the date of August 11th, and after a moment, he accepted. He said, "lets do it." And then looked at his phone and said, "That's when my mom will be in town." And Elder Schick and I were stoked. He's doing great. I don't know how it all happened, but he just attached himself to the church after the first time he came. He drives in from Ahwatukee for every lesson, and for church. On Sunday, he just fit right in. He makes comments and everything. In priesthood meeting, he told everyone how to use the Gospel Library App, and in Sunday school, he thanked everyone for baring their testimony a few weeks ago, and said it really helped him. We're going to double up on lessons from now on until he's baptized, because he asked to so he could be ready.

On Wednesday we taught a guy who has been excommunicated, and wants to get back into the church, who's name is Mason. I was on exchanges with and Elder who has been out 7 months. He's a stud. He gives me hope for the future. Haha. The lesson was really good. We didn't know what to expect, but we just talked about our relationship with God. He has been praying, and we committed him to keep doing that and read the scriptures. It was a really good lesson.

On Sunday, we also taught Lance again. He started the lesson by putting himself on date. We had set august 11th before. But he told us he for sure wanted to be baptized and asked if he could move his date to the 18th because something was going on on the 11th. I was so excited I didn't even care that that was after I left. I've taught a lot of girl's boyfriends, but no one as awesome as Lance. And this lesson went really good because his girlfriend didn't make it again. Not that she's bad at all, she's great. But he's a lot more open without her. He fasted on fast Sunday to feel the spirit, and told us that he really did. He said, "I felt something I've never felt before." Later on at church he asked me if I was leaving in August. I told him I was, and then he said he might move the date up to the 4th so I could be there. That would be awesome! I'm hopeful, but its all up to him.

The ward has asked us to start meeting with these two semi-less-active teenage girls. We had a really good lesson with them on Sunday night. They know the church, but just never stuck to it. The lesson went good. We talked about our relation ship with God, the atonement, and the Restoration, and why it all mattered. It was a powerful lesson.

love,

Elder Feller

Daniel vs the 4th

Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2012 10:31:25 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net


This week was kind of slow. It seems like everyone in Arionza leaves in the summer at one point. So there's always a good chunk of people missing. Elder Schick and I are "having a good time" just like President instructed us. Sis. Howes loosened the music policy a little bit, (now were allowed to listen to everything that used to be approved when I came out, and the new rule of thumb is anything that can be reasonably played at a baptism) So Elder Schick and I have been jamming out to Christmas music, under our new tag-line, "I'll be home for Christmas"


The 4th of July was a good day. We went outside in the morning and it was actually cool outside. There was a ton of cloud cover and it was about to rain. So we went out in the morning to try and talk to people, and ended up getting soaked in the only rain storm all year. And it only rained for like an hour or so. The streets were so gross, because they never get washed off, so you could see and smell the dirt and oil and stuff going into the drains. Gross.

We also taught a new investigator, AJ, that day. We met him on sunday in the singles ward, when he was there with his ex-girlfriend, and no one has ever seen her before, and she didnt come this week. But he did, by himself. AJ is awesome. He told us he grew up Catholic, but wasnt happy with it, and his girl-friend talked to him a lot about the church. He didnt really know anything about it, and when we were talking about the restoration, and how we have a prophet today, I seemed to really hit him, and he said, "I did not know that." It was a good lesson. And like I said, he was at church this week. He came by himself, and sat down before we could get a seat. We talked to some guys in the ward and they went and talked to him. He was really made a part of the group right away. One of them is coming to our lesson this week.

We met with the Boccella's again on friday. They are back from vacation, and doing great. We had to eat two dinners that day becase we had lessons at both of them. But we lived... We talked to them about the Priesthood, mostly towards Al. He told us he's going with the flow right now untill he gets used to everything in the church. He has in own  hymn book now so he can sing the songs in "Elder's Corner" with everyone else. Haha.

On sunday we taught Lance the plan of salvation. He is making progress. He says he starting to believe the things he learns more, which is good. He struggles with praying, and receiving answers to prayers. He has never really prayed before this time in his life and things are moving quick for him. He agreed to be baptized on the 11th of August if he's ready by then.

I'll be home for Christmas,

Love,

Elder Feller

Daniel vs Time

Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2012 10:55:06 -0700
From: eric.feller@myldsmail.net


This week was crazy.


My travel plans have just changed again, and so I'll be coming home on August 14th. A lot of crazy things have happened with this extension and I'll have to wait and see how everything will work out. President mentioned in my interview letting a few of us who are going home in the middle of the transfer go out and do something fun and special. I don't know what that means. We'll have to find out. But I would prefer to stay here in my little zone and work here. But what happens happens and I was asked to stay for a reason, so we'll see.


Tuesday we had to stop a district meeting and correct the district leader. I don't want to get too much into the story of everything, but our new district leader is causing a ton of problems. And we had to stop his district meeting and set him straight. He definitely got a talking to, it was not pretty. He was using the meeting as a way to correct his companion for something that was not even wrong. And we had been feeling like there was something going on in their companionship that was not right. He's treating him like a problem child, which he isn't, even though he has a lot of time on him and is only in his  current situation because of a small mistake that someone blew out of proportion. The district leader is crazy. He is very prideful, and full of how "good he is", but he's really not that good. Yeah, he's probably never broken a mission rule, but he also has never lived up to the commandment to love his neighbor. Which is a much bigger issue than "law of Moses" mission rule obedience. There's a powerful lesson to learn here. But I'm going on exchanges with him tonight, so we'll see. 


On Tuesday we also taught a guy named Patrick. He had been taught by Elder Howard before, but had recently returned to being interested in church. He's a typical collage aged person. Very logical. But he's getting it. His faith has increased alot. One huge deal breaker last time was that he did not want to live the law of chastity... So we'll see how everything goes this time. But he's very sincere so it will go good. 


Also, Tuesday night we tie-dyed shirts with the singles ward. I now have a tie-dye dress shirt. It was an old one anyways. It had a whole in it. Like most of them do. I'm losing shirts fast! I lost another one after interviews, and got a ton of ink on another one! I'm holding on tight until the end. 


Wednesday we had a weird day preparing for interviews the next day, getting our car clean, and making a training and stuff. Our house was super clean from the P-day before, but a little lived in. We got a 65% on our cleaning inspection from the new housing coordinators. The whole zone failed. Except the Sisters (duh). Needless to say, everyone was pretty mad. She wrote "No Cleaning Done" on the form! It was ridiculous.


Thursday was interviews. Elder Schick made Pancakes for lunch for everyone. And we trained the zone on planning and stuff.


Sunday we taught Lance again before church. It went really well. We had a lesson on faith, and Alma 32, and how to build our faith. He struggles with a basic belief so we felt this would be a good topic to discuss. Then at church there was another guy we met who was not a member but agreed to meet with us. That's 1 new investigator a week from the singles ward! We have high hopes for that ward.  

Love,
Elder Feller