WEEK 16: BUSY TEACHING ALOT OF PEOPLE NOW!

So this week has been pretty good.  Elder Olsen and I hit Standard again, so we are off for a perfect transfer so far.  We have a pretty deep teaching pool of about 17 or 18 but only half are really progressing, so we need to get that moving along. We are doing good though, just need to continue to be diligent.

Everything is going well, my comp works hard so that's awesome.  We do really well at teaching with each other, and he is a genius!  He was valedictorian for his school!

Anyways, we have several investigators who we have been working on for a while to come to church.  They were finally able to come to church this past Sunday.  We had ward conference.  It was awesome. One main problem that we have out here is people working on Sundays.  Almost 3/4 of our investigators all have jobs where they are either iffy about Sundays, or they can barely get off work so that has been troublesome.

I have been addicted to Elder Holland talks lately so I think the bishop at home needs to assign some talks off of Holland’s because they are just straight money team.  He hits it hard every time.  “Safety For The Soul” and “We Are All Enlisted” are just amazing.  I can't wait till conference!!!  Well I hope everyone has a good rest of their week!

Love,

Elder Pennington

WEEK 15: MY NEW COMPANION IS ELDER OLSEN




My new companion, Elder Olsen from Idaho. Money Team!!

It was the first week of the new transfer and Elder Olsen and I worked are butts off to hit standard.  I think I’m doing a good job at remembering where everything is at since we are still on bike, but it's good.

I have come to really enjoy sleep on my mission haha!  Coming in from being out all day and laying down is just the best feeling.  Elder Olsen is a pretty cool guy.  He is from Idaho, of course.  You can't have one companion not be from either Utah or Idaho, that's just unheard of lol..  Anyways we have picked up a ton of new people that we are teaching.  It has just been rough because everyone in this area works all the time and are hard to find time to teach them at home, but the people are great.

Street tacos are so good. I have also come to learn that our neighbors have parties for like everything, and they all play like every single instrument. Last party there was a guy with a tuba and my whole wall next to my bed because I am closest to them was just vibrating with the beat of the music haha!  It was just great, but I ended up falling asleep so it is all good.  Getting up at 6:30 is getting pretty easy to get use too.  It just stinks that we don’t have a car because we would usually go to the gym every morning.

The ward members in this area are awesome and really do help with missionary work most the time haha.  I have never realized how important it was to get the ward involved and have that fellowship. This el Nino hasn't come yet, instead we have been cruising in the 90's and high 80's so it has been pretty hot.  Can't wait for the summer time heat (sarcasm).  Other than that, I am doing good.

Lumpia and pancit...  Mmmmm!

I had filipino food for the first time in three weeks.  I am so glad I had it.  I was having withdrawals!  It is girl scout cookie season out here, and now that I don't have a mom that tells me to stop eating I have a new mom that we live with and her granddaughter is a girl scout so I have probably been through four boxes of thin mints :) Good thing we are on bike haha!  We are super busy, and it is really good, but can be tiring.  I love being out here, and I love being able to help people make a difference in life.

Okay so time for the funny experience I had this week.  Elder Olsen is from a small town in Idaho where there are more cows than people, well anyways we were in the park and there was a guy that was just on cloud 9.  Elder Olsen has never talked to someone who was high so as missionaries, we walk and talk to everyone so we get to talking to this guy and he is hilarious.  He randomly asks if I love the Goonies, and I was like, “The movie? of course!”  Then he lifts up his shirt and has every person in the Goonies tatted on his chest hahaha!!!  Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Elder Pennington

Meditation is so relaxing

Front cover of my mission planner.

Back cover of my mission planner.

Trying on Elder Zeng's trendy jackets.

Being my goofy self.

 

WEEK 14: SAYING GOOD-BYE TO MY TRAINER

This week was pretty good, Elder Heelis and I picked up like 10 new people to teach and half of them are pretty solid.  The other half will just need constant nurturing. 

Bitter sweet week as I had to say goodbye to my mission Daddy, Elder Heelis and meet my step-daddy Elder Olsen.  I havent met him yet, but I'm looking forward to working with him for these next six weeks. 

The computer I am on is super dumb so I can't get any pics on my camera to work, but I have some pretty good ones on there.  I'll get them sent next week. 

I hope all is well in the 901, and I hope everyone is doing great.  Your love and prayers are really appreciated.  Thank you for the continual support.  This is a weird p-day because of transfers so I don't have time to write a lot.  Shout out to JD!  I bet he is stoked that the Broncos won! (My mom told me they won) 

Love,

Elder Pennington

Our fun little zone of missionaries.

Having fun with our zone.

After our zone meeting.

WEEK 13: SPEAKING IN CHURCH & STRAY DOGS!

So this week wasn't very good at all.  I was sick for three days, but on the bright side I had the best hibernation ever. 

This week was pretty anti-climactic, but Elder Heelis and myself spoke in church this past Sunday and everyone came up to us afterwards and wanted copies of our talks.  It was cool. We spoke at a young man's farewell talk.  It was funny that I was in his shoes like three months ago. 

The work is moving slow out here.  So we went out walking and talking and we were biking to where we wanted to go and then all of a sudden a swarm of dogs just surrounded Elder Heelis.  It was hilarious haha!!! There was literally 15 stray dogs everywhere.  I was crying! 

That's pretty much it for this week. Oh we did pick up a new investigator named Richard. He lives quite a distance away, but we'll go where the Lord sends us.  No matter the distance.

Love,

Elder Pennington

Elder Pennington with one of the AP's (Elder Fischer)

Elder Fischer again.  Love this East Coast Boy (NC)

My friend Braden who taught Chad's girlfriend Maria
while he was on his mission in Knoxville.

WEEK 12: SALVATION IS NOT A CHEAP EXPERIENCE

Elder Zeng riding a bike for the 1st
time since he was 5 years old.

Elder Zeng getting his ears lowered.

So this week I had my first exchanges and I took over the area.  The person who I exchanged with was Elder Zeng from China.  That was quite the adventure.  He hasn't biked since he was 5, and he was on my companion’s  bike  (Elder Heelis), and Elder Heelis's bike is a tank and Elder Zeng is not haha.  So that was a fun filled day.

Our son... the barber?!

I also cut Elder Zeng and Elder Heelis’ hair, and I think I did a great job!   I went on exchanges with an ASL Elder named Elder Lenniger that knows Brooklyn!!!  That was fun. I think I picked up some sign language so that was cool! 

ASL Elder who knows
Nathan's cousin Brooklyn

So today for P-day we hiked to Pumpkin Rock or something. I think it should be called Halloween Town but yeah so that was fun.  We did this absolutely horrid game at the top where we had to spin something and it landed on a jelly bean, and we had to eat it except it was nasty flavors.  Oh my gosh it was so gross.  I ate one that was stinky socks, rotten eggs, dog food, and skunk - Ughhhhh that was so nasty.


Having some fun on "P-Day"

Pumpkin Rock

The nasty jelly bean game

Scenic look from Pumpkin Rock

Scenic view from Pumpkin Rock

Dani, who got baptized the week before, was also confirmed and it was awesome.  She was so happy. You can tell in her face.  She has such a sweet spirit.  The work is going slow.  We have people that we are teaching and they really enjoy meeting with us and they do recognize the spirit, they just aren't making it to church whether it is because of rides or because they are sick, but oh well I am not gonna let it get to me.  I am just going to do my very best because one thing that I have realized while I'm out here is that if Heavenly Father doesn't want something to happen, it isn't gonna happen.  I am not gonna be able to convert these people.  It is going to be the Spirit and Heavenly Father working through me.

I am almost done with my training, and my dad (trainer) has been in this area for 7 months now so he will probably be leaving and I will probably be getting a new companion, who will be referred to as my step father most likely.  The mission family is weird haha.

Things are still going good, and I'm alive – that is what matters.  I love being out here.  I love these people out here, and I love the work that is going on.  I am so glad that it is tough because if it was easy then that wouldn't make sense...
"Salvation is not a cheap experience" – Elder Holland.

I love you all and thank you for your love and your prayers.

Love,

Elder Pennington

Elder Pennington with some of his compadres on the mission

WEEK 11: FIRST BAPTISM

My fellow Americans...

I heard Obama gave his presidential "schpeel" so I thought that the subject would fit :)  So this week was pretty great.  Riding on bike everywhere is still awesome, we have the steepest hills in our area well it feels like it, but it is up hill both ways, so that is just so great :)

Elder Heelis and myself being the teenagers we are, are pretty forgetful, and we have forgotten that we left our bikes at the Stake Center because we usually have people pick us up from there because we are out and about, and so there have been three mornings this week we have had to make the 20 minute journey to our bikes so that has been fun haha.  But, I think one of those times was because God needed us to walk in that direction because if we would have had our bikes we would have gone the opposite direction.  So as we are walking, there is a recent convert who is woman of about the age of fifty who is super sweet and she locked herself out of the house.  So she asked us to break into her house so who on earth would say no to that?  Elder Heelis and Kathy worked on the back sliding door, while I walked around.  I popped off the screen of a window and saw that it was only closed because of this small metal object and a pole.  So I went and squeezed my arm through with a rake haha ...popped the metal off and moved the pole and hopped in the house just as I hear Elder Heelis and Kathy yell “We got it” and were walking through the back door and we all met in the living room.  It was definitely a funny experience.

Elder Pennington's first baptism!

I also had my first baptism which was sweet.  This girl Dani is a trooper.  She had two seizures the day before her baptism and didn’t get released until that night and then she still got baptized the next day.

I would like to first give a shout-out to my boy Justin and his wife!!!  I am sad that I missed the wedding, but I think I have an okay excuse!  I love you both and can’t wait to make some awesome memories at the reunions!  Also, shout-out to my awesome cousin Brooklyn for Returning With Honor and being an awesome example to all of us on her serving her mission in New York!  Love you so much Brooklyn, I'll see you in 22 months but who’s counting? (Momma Lisa is) Oh my gosh, shout-out again, to my cousin Hallie for getting engaged!  I'm so happy for you!!!

We all had our doubts but man Justin she is only three months away from you but I knew you would get married no matter what Brandon and Amber said! :)  And Jace you owe me 20 bucks.  I told you Hallie would find someone as special as her! Haha!!  Just kidding future cousin.  I can’t wait to meet you!

Well I would like to thank all the people above for waiting till I'm gone so I get to miss all of this and I apologize for what I did to make y’all hate me.....just kidding I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else.  I love you all and miss y’all a ton,  I can’t wait to be able to sit around as an RM with all my RM family and share stories.  Stay in touch and thank you all for the continuous support.

Elder Pennington

WEEK 10: NOAH NATE AND THE ARK BIKE

So this past week was awesome.  Being on bike has actually been a lot of fun.  It rained quite a bit this week, actually so much that I can describe myself as Noah and my bike as the ark HaHa! 

So we have four investigators, Dani, Robert, Gini, and Andrew.  Dani, is a miracle baptism that we are receiving.  She was approached by some other elders who have been teaching her, but she's on our side of the ward boundaries so we will be baptizing her this Sunday!  Unfortunately our two other investigators Robert and Gini (no relation between the two) have been really sick, and we haven't been able to meet with them and they haven't been able to come to church, but we are gonna meet with them this week. 

Then Andrew, who just got married to his wife Chayo who is a member, we are meeting with him Tuesday, and scheduling his baptism! 

My bike has lasted all this week without any more problems.  In Old Mira Loma the roads are bad and I have had to patch up the bike tube like three or four times, but everything has been great! 

Well at least Kevin Hart wants to hear our message :)

So usually when we go out contacting (walking and talking with people for 90 minutes) we just walk around neighborhoods and a bunch of people are all outside, but with the rain we have to go door to door and that has been a great experience (sarcasm).

I can now say I have experienced doors being slammed in my face and people just being plain rude.  One lady was so rude that I was just so upset.  We asked her if there was anyone she knew that needed a message of hope and/or help, and she said well I know some Catholics that need help blah blah and started making fun of religions.  I just walked off while my companion was still talking and then she stopped and apologized.  I think I may need to work on that, but it was just a really long day, cold and was pouring down rain, but I love it :) 

 Well that is all for this week, I hope everyone is doing great and I always love the emails, letters, and packages so thank y’all for having me in mind.

Love, 

Elder Pennington

This sweet lady made us beanie's so our heads would stay warm while riding our bikes!

Double selfie of our new beanie hats