Dearest Family,

          It was soo good to hear from you guys this week!  It sounds like everything is just going fantastic!  It also sounds like you are gearing right up to go back to school :) I'm sure that is very exciting and stressful, probably more of that second one.  It's crazy that school is already starting back up!  This summer has just flown right on by!!  It's nuts!! Time never stops!! 

          

         It sounds like there are some pretty crazy things are happening back home!  I still can't believe that Kaycie got married!!! That just blows my mind!! and I can't wait to here where MaKenna is going!! I'm so happy that she decided to serve a mission!! she's going to be an awesome missionary! Definitely keep me posted on all of that stuff!!  Everyone is just serving the Lord!!

         That is awesome that you got to chat with Maggie!  I was wondering how everything was going.  I was thinking that I should write a letter to Dylan!! and now I know that I should!! Man her sister is having another kid! Julia is going to be a double Aunt!! if that is even a thing!! Speaking of Julia.. holy cow! Is getting your Gall Bladder out a terrible thing or what? I'm not even sure I know exactly what a Gall Bladder is but it sounds kinda awful!! I hope that she is alright, and I hope she is ready to go back to school!!  I will have to send her a get well card. 

          Well another week in good old Woodbridge, VA!! and things are just going great!! Had some pretty crazy things happen this week!! but there is too much, so I have to sum up.  This week we met with a lot of people, testified of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Invited EVERYONE to be baptized!! literally everyone, even if we have just met them, we testify of the priesthood power that we hold and invite them to come unto Christ by being baptized by someone holding that priesthood authority!! and it is just the greatest thing in the world!!! I just talk to everyone I see and then I extend the invitation, and if they deny it, I BOLDLY testify and leave them with a card with my number so they can call me when they change their mind.  If they accept then great!! We tize em.  Being a missionary is just the greatest thing and it has made me more bold and more full of faith then I have ever been in my life!!  I love being a missionary!!  It's hard.... no doubt about that.  but it is worth every second!!

Mom- I hope that teaching two curriculum goes well!  It sounds like a pretty crazy thing!  but I know that you can to it! because you raised 4 kids at 4 different curriculum levels!! :) I will keep you in my prayers love you most :)

Dad- Sounds like a pretty painful injury that you went through, I hope that you can recover quickly and that your foot injury will not hinder you school classroom preparations. sure love ya! :)

Tyler- Hope your excited for High School :) say hello to everyone for me, especially Maestra Duncan, and any other teacher who remember me there :)  and hey remember growing up is gradual, you don't have to do it all at once, so don't sweat it :) Love ya lots buddy

Jessica- I saw a little girl, playing with some Barbie dolls, and it made me remember when you were that little.. Stop growing up!! just kidding, Love you muchly p.s. I always find a way to win :)

I love you all so very much and hope you have a fantastic week!! 

Love Elder Sahagun

FAMILY!!!!! 

Man wasn't that family reunion just incredible and fun!!! I thought it was, remember how I was riding on a canoe with Quinn and Braden!! yeah That was way fun...But for real now, The family reunion looked like a blast!!! and I wish I could remember more about being there cause based on the pictures I guess Heather and I were there hahaha :)  Everyone looks so big!!! all the little babies are all growing up!! David is a little toddler!! and all the triplets? How tall are they now? It's hard to judge height by just by a picture hahaha :)  

 

So this week has been really sad. :( Elder Gates and I set up a pretty good week with all of these appointments and all of these people that wanted to meet with us and they all seemed to cancel right before we were going to go :( yeah I know really sad right.  I'm going to be in shock when I get home and I set up an appointment or a date and the person  actually shows up when they said they would be there.  It's going to blow my mind.  Like Kaycie getting married!!! woa!, yeah that blew my mind!!! I'm not going to lie, I think I'm up for a big challenge.  In about 2 weeks exactly my awesome companion will be going home.. and I just got here so I will most likely be staying, so that means I will probably be taking over the area and taking over as district leader... which is not a very big deal but it's a pretty stressful thing to me! so be praying that I can learn this area fast!  Cause Virginia streets are very confusing and you can't count on mountains as barrings because there are non... but the Lord qualifies the called.... :) 

Mom- I like carrots and corn, I'm making it official.  I'm not sure if it's just the lord helping me eat gross foods I don't know... but as of right now they are both pretty good and I thought you'd be very proud of me :) I miss you tons and love you soo much

Dad- I hope that everything goes well setting up the new classroom!! love you and miss ya papa

Tyler- Stop wearing my clothes.... :) just kidding I'm over it.  you better start bulking up though if you still wanna be able to beat me up when i get back.  I've been doing 100 push-ups a night so you better watch out :) I love ya buddy and I owe you a letter :)

Jessica- I was so happy to get your letter! and those are some pretty great drawings!! keep giggling and smiling!! I will send you back a letter soon love ya!

I love you all so very much and hope you have a fantastic week!!!!

love Elder Sahagun 

Corn on the Cob!

Dear Family dear,

 

           Another week of being a missionary!!!! The work is just booming!! Elder Gates and I have found 9 new investigators in this past week alone!! We are definitely seeing the fruits of our labors!! and I am just loving every second of this transfer!!  I have been doing a lot better with home sickness and my anxiety is not bad at all!!  I know it's because I'm just losing myself in the work, and it is just sooooo great!!! 

          

         So I thought I got called to a stateside mission, but I have eaten more random foods and seen all kinds of people of different ethnicities, more that I have seen in probably my whole life!! and it blows my mind that all of these people would come to Virginia.... of all places these people come to virginia!! still haven't figured that one out yet!  There are a lot of Ghanaians, so many that my companion actually speaks "twi" the Ghanaians language!!! its kind of incredible to witness.  So I am attempting to learn so twi (pronounced chwee) as well.  and it doesn't go that well I just get laughed at by the Ghanaians,  but they are just the most humble great people and I love them and can't wait to TIZE EM!!! :)

         I'm kinda Jealous that you all get to see the entire family!! :\  I miss all those family reunions and cool things!! But I'm out serving the Lord, and that is a cool thing so it works out :) you should give Grandma one of the pictures I have sent to you and tell here to put it on the fridge :) and then send me a picture so I can know that I made it on the fridge :) 

Mom- I'm glad you got a vacation and am jealous that you got to go to the hard rock and also hope you realize how proud you would be of me right now, I'm going to tell you what I did and you are going to be like "wow, I am soo proud" I ate, wait for it.  A cob of corn!! that's right a whole cob of corn!! and the even more impressive part of that? I actually enjoyed it!!! kinda weird and freaky but It tasted kinda good :) 

Dad- You have no reason to be jealous of our Virginia storms out here!  I mean it sure does rain cats and dogs out here and we have some incredible lightning!!! but..... because of the freakish amount of trees that we have, I usually don't get to see that amazing lightning.  Ha ha it's all good though I really think you would enjoy these storms and I think about you every time it gets cloudy and it makes things a little bit brighter.

Tyler- I owe you a letter!!!  I'm sorry I haven't written you back!! I feel terrible... as I probably should.  I am teaching my companion how to play the guitar and it reminds me of how much I miss being able to jam with my little bro!!! Keep strumming and expect a letter!!! Love ya buddy! 

Jessica-  I hope you find this funny, because I didn't...  we were at a members house for dinner and the mom said, "Have you ever been told that you look like someone famous?'" I was like "Umm I don't know" and one of their daughters, probably around your age was like "He looks like Justin Beiber...." I guess some things never change.  The mom actually told me that I look like Aaron Carter... You will have to tell me if that is true cause I don't know what he looks like.  I love you muchly! and miss your giggles!! :) 

All in all a great week of preaching the gospel! I love you all so very much and hope you have a fantastic week with the whole FAM BAM!!! Tell them all Hello for me and tell them all that I miss them! 

Love you mostest!!

Elder Sahagun  

The clouds in Virginia are amazing!

This is Payson, the cutest little kid on the face of the planet!! every time we'd come over he'd ask us if we wanted to play "super mario a really really fun game that you don't want to miss out on!" I'm going to miss him!!

Dear Family dear, 

How is everyone!!! I'm SOOOO sorry that you didn't get an E-mail yesterday!! We had no time to do it, but luckily we get to do some E-Mailing :) 

I have to start off by saying "Tyler I see that you've been wearing my clothes.... not coool"  hahahaha just kidding I figured that that would probably happen.

So I'm in my new area!! I have been assigned to the Woodbridge Area to the Woodbridge 1st ward!! Exciting right?  It is... Woodbridge is up in Northern Virginia, It actually used to be in the D.C. South mission!! but with the mission split and everything it's now part of the VRM!! Which is cool :) So from what I know so far about Woodbrige, it is going to be a pretty cool area! There are a lot of people from other countries here!!! I have knocked on a lot of peoples doors that are from Ghana and a bunch of other places in Africa!! I also had some Ethiopian at the Belachews they are some LA members from Ethiopian and they are probably the most hospitable people I've ever met.  I've also been told that Woodbridge is the most humid place in the Nation, which is great news seeing how I am still on bike :) 

Elder Gates- "We are going to do work!"

My new companions name is Elder Gates, he's from Midvale, Utah, he used to be in the D.C. South Mission and he's awesome!! So incredibly like me!!  We are basically best friends already!! I am way excited to work with him this transfer!! We are going to have a lot of fun and BAPTIZE!!! I'm so pumped and sad because I know that we won't be companions for any longer seeing as this is his last transfer!! He goes home in August.... which means I will most likely be taking over the area and training next transfer!! :/ pray for me.. 

But everything is going good here I'm excited to be serving the lord in this area and can't wait to do more work!! I love you all and hope that you all have a fantastic week!! :) 

Love, Elder Sahagun 

This is me with the Buis family!! They were some members in Swift Creek that I will never forget!! We Skyped from their house, and they have helped us in so many ways!! I absolutely love them!!  

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