Transfers!

Dear Family, 

      Sooooo..... Transfers came yesterday and there are some big changes in Swift Creek.  Before I tell you what happened, I have to explain something about how transfers used to be with President Perry (may he rest in peace) and how transfers work now with President Wilson.  So before with President Perry (may he rest in peace) when you got a transfer call you would be told if you were leaving, where you would be going, and who your new companion would be who was senior companion and all that good stuff and you would go to transfer meeting the following Thursday.  President Wilson is doing it a little differently.  You get a transfer call and are told if you are leaving.  Then the next Thursday you show up to transfer meeting with your bags packed and President announces where you will be going, and who your companion will be.  So right now all I can tell you guys right now is that I'm leaving Colonial Heights.  I'll let you know where I'm at, my address, and all of that great stuff.  

   Honestly, It's going to be really hard to leave Colonial Heights and the Swift Creek ward.  I have come to love the ward and have come to love the three other Elders I've been living with. They are my family away from home and have helped me through the darkest times and my toughest trials.  They have helped me look at my mission in a new light.  I don't think they will ever understand how much that has meant to me.  So it's going to be very hard to leave.  I know that the Lord put me with these outstanding missionaries for a reason, but I also know that I am leaving now because the Lord needs me somewhere else. 

    It's also going to be very hard to leave because of the miracles Elder Kay and I have seen here the last couple of days.  Every Wednesday we have open gym to try and find brothas who are interested in hearing the gospel.  This Wednesday me and Elder Kay decided to take some time off our dinner and go a little early.  We got there and started to warm up and the telephone rang.  Elder Kay answered it and talked to a man (we'll call him Brother Mckay) who needed help he told us he had been to the church before and was looking for help.  So we got his address and went to his house the next day.  We knocked on the door and no one was there so we left a little note on a mormon.org card and left it in the door and decided to go back the next day.  Well we went to the house and our card was still there.  We were pretty confused and decided to see if they would answer their back door.  We knocked, nothing.  We decided to just leave and hope they got our card.  While we were leaving we saw a suburban?  pull into the house across the street and heard a bunch of kids fighting.  We thought "Hey big car, bunch of kids, why not?"  We went over and said, "Hey can we give you a card?" and they said, "Sure!"  We walked up and gave them the card and when they looked at the card they said, "Oh! We love the mormons!!" (Something I haven't heard in about 4 months and 17 days) we said, "Really?" and then they said, "We are the Mckay family" me and Elder Kay were both in shock!! We had the wrong address all along!!  We talked to them and found out that they have 5 kids 2 sets of twins all over the age of 8.  We also found out that they were Christians just looking for a church and they had been wanting to come to ours!!  We asked them if they would be baptized  if they came to know that the church is true.  They just looked at each other and said, "Well yeah"..... Can you say family of 7 just itching to be baptized!?!?!?!  It was incredible to see the Lord's hand in that.  Guys the church is sooo true!!  I know that with ALL the sincerity of my heart!!! and I hope that I can help people gain that same knowledge for themselves!! because that's what this is all about!!! I love you all soo very much and hope you have a fantastic week!! 

Love, Elder Sahagun 

Dearest Familia!!! 

AHHHHH!! Can I tell you something very scary! Transfer Calls are Sunday and I have been in the same area with the same companion for 4 months!!  So chances are I'm probably getting transferred or getting a trainee!! which is a very scary thought for me!! I still feel like a greenie in so many ways.  I can still remember when I first came out here the reactions I would get when I told people that I had been out 4 days, 1 and a half weeks all the way up to a month.  It would just blow their minds!! Now when I say I've been out four months they are just like "oh, you still have a while then".   and I just think to myself "Really??". But I know that whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies!!  So if I do get called to train then the Lord will prepare a way for me to do it!! 

So I've attached three pictures, (Dad are you sooo proud of me for figuring that out or what?) so I'll tell a little about each one.

So in Virginia, the streets are a little different, not organized like streets in Utah,  Just random and curvy and long and non-connecting!! So one day me and Elder Kay walked all the way down this long road and tracted all of it out and when we got to the end we realized that we were going to have to walk all the way back out to get back to any other street!! So we were looking for any easier way, and we found this sweet bridge that took us to another street!! 

We are teaching a Part member family ( the Frederoffs) they are a way cool family they have two little boys Asher and Adrick.  Adrick has some form of aggressive down-syndrome but he is the sweetest cutest little kid in the world!! We are hoping to reactivate Brother Frederoff and baptize his wife and kids!! They are a way sweet family and would literally do ANYTHING for the missionaries!! 

The last one is one of me and my fearless Zone Leaders and my best friends!!! I love them to death!!! Elder Eyring in the middle (yes he is distantly related) and Elder Collie on the right.  They have helped me so much through these first tough months so you should befriend their mothers on facebook or something.

So when It comes down to it I am doing better every day. It is a struggle to find peace, but every time I do find it, it is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ!! and through the everlasting Atonement of our loving Lord and Savior!!  and I'm grateful to be out here in Virginia bringing the people of Colonial Heights that same peace that I have found through the restored church!!! I love you all (notice I didn't say y'all ;) ) so very much and I miss you every day and hope you have a incredible week!!! 

Love, Elder Sahagun 

It's Already July!

Dear Family Dear, 

     Another week as a missionary has come and gone, it's crazy I can't believe that it is July!!  Time is  the weirdest thing out here! The days drag on forever, the weeks fly by, and you can never get these two years back! it's incredible.  This has probably been one of the most inspiring weeks of my mission, and it wasn't because of the work or anything crazy miracles,  it was because of the three awesome missionaries I live with.  I know that I've been called to this mission, and to this area, to serve with these Elders so that they could help me through these rough beginning months. I really am grateful for them.

      So we are still teaching Robert and it is very hard because of his mentalness.  He forgets things a lot,  we have to explain the apostasy and the restoration of the priesthood through Joseph Smith probably two times every time we go over there.  He said this week that he prayed and asked Heavenly Father if he should go to our church or if he should just keep going where he's going and he said that he felt like he needs to keep learning about our church.  Which is really a cool thing for good ol Robert!

      We met this lady Sarah a while back when we were riding home one day and talked to her about the Book of Mormon and the restoration and we've stopped by her house multiple times in the past couple of weeks and just barley got back in touch with her yesterday.  She said that she doesn't think that she could change what she has believed her whole life to become a Mormon.  It's really sad to see how closed people are to reading the Book of Mormon.  Out here A LOT of people I have met base all of there beliefs in god from the bible and if there is any other word out there it must be false.  So it's hard to get people to read the Book of Mormon out here. 

Dad you would absolutely love the thunderstorms we get out here!!  Me and Elder Kay got caught in one riding back home for dinner.  We were only in it for about 3 minutes and we looked like we had just jumped in a pond, we were completely soaked!! We always get a bunch of storm warning texts from the mission office,  We get flash flood warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, and tornado warnings!!! but we have yet to have a tornado!! I have here the tornado sirens out here thought and that is a pretty scary sound! 

Mom I can totally appreciate the feeling of wanting to give up when I wake up in the morning, and it's so hard to drag myself out of bed! But I do it!! because i can do hard things! I've probably been more tired out here on my mission then I have ever been in my entire life. When I get home at 9:00 all I can think about is how extremely exhausted I am.  I don't think the heat helps either.. I'm bound to get heat exhaustion one of these days.  You should probably start praying that I won't have a heat stroke!! :) but seriously..I probably shouldn't joke about that cause it would probably end up happening. 

 

We had a baptism this week! Well the other elders in our house did, but we've helped them teach a lot so it's still a cool thing for us.  The closing Hymn was Families Can Be Together Forever,  I can't hardly sing that song without crying, especially the part that says " I always want to be with my own family" because that is all I want right now, but I know that if I fully submit myself to the will of the lord he will make all of the anxiety, all of the homesickness, and all of the hard times worth it!!!

Tyler-  Today i'm going fishing..... so i will have a lot of time to write you a letter if you remember how much I love fishing!!! love ya buddy keep strummin' :)

Jessica- you should be getting a letter to!! and you should also be prepared to lose again because for me it is not an option!! ;) 

That is crazy that Ethan will be coming to the mission right next to me!! I've heard that that is a great mission!! I can't wait to hear where everyone else is going!!! It's crazy everyone is going on missions!! sooo awesome!! It's crazy to be a part in this work!! and i'm grateful for this opportunity!! I love you all soo very much!! and I hope you have an Incredible week!!! 

Love, Elder Sahagun 

Dear Family, 

     I can't tell you how great it was to get all of your cards and little treats throughout the week!  It really has helped me stay more positive and it brightened my day every time I got one.  I really think this would of been another rough week if it wasn't for all of your support.  So thank you so much!

    So Saturday... or Friday, I forget, But one of those days I got back to our little house and saw a heap load of packages just sitting on the couch.  I walked over and looked at the first one and it said Elder Sahagun, after I looked  at all of them I found out they were all for me!  when I finally had the sense to read what it said on the box I was just blown away.  In complete shock.  I didn't know what to say or do.  I was like a little kid, who just had a candy store delivered to his house.  I was so happy :) then the next day I went to throw all of the boxes and garbage away, but before I threw away all of the papers I decided to read them.  Which is very un-nick like I know.  I sat on the couch for a good 10 minutes just reading those little phrases over and over and just cried.  I can't express how much the guitar has already helped me, and I know it is something that will continually help me throughout my mission.  I'm so lucky to have a Mother and Father who love and care about me so much and I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you!!

I got a letter from Heather!! and I really want to write her back... I'm a little intimidated when I see the Thai and the elephant stamp though and realize that I have no Idea how many stamps to put on how to write in Thai.  If i should just try and trace those little character things.  So any instruction will be great :) 

So Virginia is still hot.  Like really it's unbelievable.  Let me explain.  It was in the 70's this morning, pretty nice right? you would think... Wrong! Humidity changes that and makes it HOT! but it's okay, I'm not mad, it's all right. It really is beautiful and super green here and I want to send you pictures.  Dad you should tell me what i need to get to be able to just email pictures instead of having to go to wall mart and print them. 

I Love you all so very much and I Hope you have a great week!!

Love, 

Elder Sahagun 

Hello Family!! 

Well everything is good in Virginia!! Except for the fact that every time I step outside,    I bake like a toasted cheeser!!  Other than that things are going well!!

So my cool missionary expirience for this week.. hmmm okay so me and Elder Kay were walking (yes our bikes are broken) from checking on one of our investigators and out of no where this guy in this huge truck stops in the middle of the road and asks,  do Y'all take donations,  we told him that we didn't and explained to him a little about missionary work and all that jazz.  We talked for a little bit and then shook his hand when Elder Kay took his hand back there was a twenty dollar bill in it.  We said sir we really can't and aren't suppose to accept this.  He looked at us and said "won't take it back, I'm having a good day, and I want you to have a good day to" we thanked him and he drove away.  It's nice to see that there is good in the world and it was a great reminder that everyone no matter who they are have the light of Christ.

Jessica- You won?  might want to check that letter again... :) just kidding.  I think Elder Kay wrote you a letter so be looking for that and i can't wait to hear back from you :)

Tyler-  I will try really hard to get you a letter written today, I am only allowed to write letters on P-Day so if  I don't get one written then I will have to wait another week.  I will try hard to get one out to you today though. I love you buddy :)

Dad-  I really appreciated your e-mail.  I find myself saying things to investigators that you use to tell me as a kid.  I am so grateful for the gospel foundation that you laid in my life and I love and miss you so much

Mom- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! LOVE YOU MOST!!!!! :) :) 

      Well another week gone by!! it's crazzy!!! So I didn't get transferred, So all of your letters can keep coming to good ol' Brevard Court :) there have been some changes in our house though,  After this transfer Elder Kay and I will be the Veterans of the Swift Creek ward.  Meaning that we will have been there the longest.  So it is Official!! I will be staying on the Richmond side of the Virginia missions!! Which means I will never see the coast :( but oh well that's not why I'm out here.
       So I have learned a hymn on the piano.... kind of, it's not actually a hymn anymore, but it should be!  I came up with my own arrangement of "come thou fount" and it's pretty cool!  I think I'm going to play that in church instead of playing the guitar.  I played it for last Zone meeting and it was just a really cool experience.  I really wish that you could just here it! cause it would probably make you cry :) 

       I'm so glad to be a missionary at this time, but I will not lie to you and say that I love missionary work or that I am loving my mission.  What I can say in all honesty right now is that I am grateful for this trial, this opportunity that my Heavenly Father has given me to grow.  It has really been a trail of my faith, believing that all of the hardship and suffering and homesickness I am dealing with will "be for my good" (D&C 122:7), but I know that if I keep moving forward with faith that the blessings will come forth,  so come thou fount of every blessing.                     

      I love and miss you sooo unbelievably much and hope that all is well,  the church is true

I hope you all have a good week :)

Love,

         Elder Sahagun

Dear Familia,

 

How does it feel to be out of school?? Man what are you all (notice that I didn't say y'all) going to do this summer??

 

Let me just say that the past week has been a little insane!!  We've had some very scary experiences (that I will write to you later mom and dad, because there are preschool toys present) and some awesome uplifting spiritual experiences too!!  One very exciting experience was giving my first verbal blessing!  Remember cute old sister Worthen?  Well that poor old lady is just running herself ragged trying to take care of her husband, she has had some struggles with health has lost way to much weight and has back problems and is just a mess.  She asked if we could come over and give her a blessing.  We got over there and I was super nervous, but it went very well, I didn't even have to be told what to say, besides the blessing part, then the spirit was telling me what to say.  It was way nerve wracking but I was so grateful for that opportunity!!

 

We also have been working with one of our Investigators a lot with smoking so she will be able to be baptized this next month.  Dad your story of how you helped that man overcome inspired me, and I really just wanted to do everything I could to help her.  So near the end of our lesson with her,  I shared with her my struggle with homesickness and how the only way I have been able to find true peace and solace was by reading The Book of Mormon and praying every day she thanked me for not giving up on her.  She actually came to sacrament this week with both of her adorable kids!!! which was super great!! She saw my CTR ring and asked me where I got it,  I told her that my dad gave it to me before I left. She smiled and said,  I'm glad God sent you here to us Sahagun.   It really meant a lot to hear that, and it helped me realize how much I was changing her life,  it is a feeling that I will try to remember when things get rough.  I really am grateful for this opportunity to serve as a missionary and to be able to help the people in Virginia come closer to Christ and it's experiences like that, that help remind me of that.

 

I also was able to get a guitar.  We went to the Shelton's for dinner and they had invited both of their neighbors over for a little backyard barbecue.  Somehow it came up that I played guitar... (Elder Kay threw me under the bus)  so Brother Shelton went in got his guitar and I played and sang barefoot blue jean night for everyone.  It made me miss home a little, but we had a solid restoration lesson afterwards and   Brother Shelton asked if I would like to borrow his guitar till the end of the transfer, so I have that taken care of for now. 

 

Speaking of transfers, they are this next week, and there is a pretty good chance that I will be getting transferred out... so I will keep you updated on that.

 

Heather!!!! I got your letter!!! and I really want to write you back, but I saw the stamp with the elephant and all of that Thai writing and realized I have no idea how to send internationally... soo maybe you or dad could help me out and explain that to me :)

 

Tyler- I got your letter and bro it might take me a while to write back since you gave me a whole novel to respond to!! haha :) just kidding it was so good to hear from you! Stay out of trouble! love you so much!!

 

Jessica-  I got your letter and so did Elder Kay! so be looking out for some letters :) 

 

Mom & Dad-  So great news, I got another flat tire.  that's three tires I've gone through in 2 weeks.  It turns out that my problem might be that my tires have no tred... so I think I might have to buy some new tires and inner tubes :( biking is rough.  I love you guys so much and will try to write you a letter this week.

 

Thank you all for your love and support and your prayers! I hope you all have a amazing first week of summer!!!

 

Love,

Elder Sahagun  

Dear Mother Dear,

Well I'm gonna be honest this week has probably been one of the toughest so far.  It is really frustrating, One week I'll feel like I'm making a lot of up hill progress and then in an instant I hit a wall and feel like I roll all the way back down to where I started.  Not to say that things were bad this week, there were actually some pretty cool mission story creating moments.

       Elder Kay's tooth has been bothering him ever since he came out.  The Zone Leaders councled us that it might be a good idea to stop by the dentist.  So with that brilliant advice we called a dentist that we knew was a member.  We went in and Elder Kay went back to get his mouth worked on and I just sat in the waiting room watching to make sure our bikes wouldn't get stolen.  Within ten minutes of boredom, the dentist came out and looked at me kinda weird and said,  "have you ever sucked spit before?".  He then explain that all of his assistants were out for lunch handed me a mask a pair of gloves and that little sucker thing that always flaps your cheeks and we went to work.  I can honestly say that I never thought that morning when I woke up that I would have my hands in my companions mouth.  It was the coolest though.  I got to take x-rays and harden some fillings and I learned a whole lot about dentistry and I would like to let you know that a little part of me wants to be a dentist now.  Just thought I'd share that.

      We have been working with a guy named Robert for a little over seven weeks now,  he has severe disabilities but is totally accountable.  We have been trying and trying to get him to church and just two days ago we did one better.  We got him to commit to a baptismal date! He is set for the 22nd of June!!  He has A LOT of things to overcome and things to change before that time comes but I'm excited to help him progress to that goal we've set!

      It rained this week.  I can't even explain riding a bike in monsoon like conditions, but I will say that it is one of the most exhilarating and intense things I've done so far.  I went through 3 pair of pants and probably ruined two ties one day cause they were all just soaked beyond all belief!!  I'm not complaining though, I LOVE the rain here! It makes everything soo green and beautiful!!

     That little girls letter was probably one of the most hysterical and sweet things I've ever read!!  It's crazy to think that school is almost out!!! It feels like not to long ago that I was stressing out about not graduating!! It's crazy how time flies!!  I love you soo very much and I can't wait to get that package!! Love you most!!

Dad-  I'm super jealous right now, and every fiber of my natural man wants to ask how Iron man 3 was, but I'll refrain.  Can you help me understand why people are so ignorant and hard headed.  It makes me sad when I try and share the love and hope that the gospel brings and get it thrown right back in my face.  I don't understand how people can be content with dwindling in unbelief.  I just realized how cool that just sounded... just saying.  Anyways, that you for your words of wisdom it really does help to read those e-mails every week so thank you for that! and just know that I love you.

Tyler-  I hope there is a letter for me in that package :) just kidding bud can't wait to hear from you!! Love you bro!!

Jessica- You should tell me about life!! Just about alll of your sillyness!!! love you much and miss you

I love and miss you all very much and can't wait to hear from you next week!!

Love Elder Sahagun