mis-sion-ary (noun): someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others may live with their families for Eternity.

Monday, July 26, 2010

I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW

HEEELLLLOOOO la la la. I'm dang excited that Bode isn't a red head! That makes my day so much better. But why is he such a shrimp? I thought this kid was going to be a basketball player too. Man, biking is kind of kicking my butt. I'm going to have some massive thigh muscles by the end of this transfer. And it is sooo hot here right now, that i come home and as soon as I sit on the bed, I am out. At least i'm not going to get too fat while i am here cuz i am getting fed very well. They say that on average missionaries here gain anywhere from 15 to 50 lbs. The address that you send me stuff is Colorado Denver North Mission 11172 N. Huron St. Ste 21 Northglenn, CO 80234. So like I said I got a bike but it was free from the mission office so i actually didn't have to trunk out the 300 dollars from my savings. And don't worry. I got authorization from the mission president to do it.. Yes i am being obedient :) My companion is one of the most obedient missionaries here. People make fun of him because he is so obedient to all the rules. A lot of missionaries in this mission are a lil apostate. So its good that i have him to keep me doing what i need to be doing. He says he has never once in his entire life taken a dump in a public restroom. haha. Also for P day he wanted to play monopoly with a member. Ummm..no. haha. So i convinced him to play basketball with the other Elders in our district. But that is good that dad had fun on his trip. 32 miles is pretty far. That is even further than we went on the trek. So yeah missionary life is going pretty well so far. Its still a little weird that i need to talk to like everyone that i see about the gospel but when i get in the house to teach the lesson, i think i do really well. My comp said that I am the best at teaching so far out of all the people that he has trained. And this is his last transfer so I think that is pretty cool. We had our first baptism the other day with a boy named tyler. But as far as getting new people to listen to us, a lot of people just dont want anything to do with us. We taught a less active guy yesterday named Roy who hasn't been to church in 15 years. And we taught him about the Restoration and stuff and he received everything really well and he said he might come to church on Sunday. OOH he will be there... I went to church yesterday and met the people in my ward. There are some people from kaysville there and kept asking me if i knew the matthias' and someone else that starts with a P. I didn't know who they were talking about. I definately like being in the field more than the MTC being its more like real life and i get to teach actual people but i did like the MTC because the people that I were with in my zone were way tight. I am doing good though and i hope you all are doing well. I love you guys. Elder Gnehm.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I'M IN DENVER

HEEY! so its really real now.. i'm in denver. My pday is going to be mondays but my
companion didn't have the chance to email yesterday so we are just doing it for today.
My new companions name is Elder Daniel. He is a little bit shy but he is on his last transfer and he has already been to the area that i am in. I'm in arvada Colorado. It was pretty crazy yesterday when i woke up from the MTC, and said bye to the people that were going to florida like elder Nielson. Then we got on the plane to Denver and we stayed at the mission
presidents home. President and sister ely are good people. Then I woke up this morning and we went to a church where we met our new companions. I had to say goodbye to the other missionarys in the MTC that were going to denver like Elder AAmodt. It is so weird to be in the real world now and it is hilarious to see people look at us and then turn the other way and start walking. IM A MISSIONARY NOW! haha. I'm staying in a members home and i have my first teaching appointment tonight at 8:30. yikes. I'm a little bit nervous. I cant screw up here like I could at the MTC. I am excited to start the work but right now a little bit nervous. after my first teaching appointment, I think it will be a lot better. We actually have a baptism on saturday for a teenager. So already I am about to have my first baptism. Even though I had nothing to do with it, i'll take credit. I gotta go now cause i get timed in the field also. Love you guys. Love Elder Gnehm.

Friday, July 16, 2010

LAST MTC LETTER

Sup motha? Yeah i am way pumped to get out of here. I am going to be sad to leave my district cause I am way close with a lot of em but i gotta get out and give people heaven in denver
There are a bunch of elders going to denver north mission and a few sisters. There are 18 going on our flight to Denver. Mish life is going well. It still feels like i'm the same old carson until i get into the classroom and i just completely change and get down to business. I have learned a butt load. and teaching people now is like a piece of crum cake. sometimes... My companion still has the little bit of irratating moments but it is definately a lot better. I hope that i get a good first companion when i get to the field. I was able to play basketball except for the last two days they have closed the gym so i have to play volleyball or soccer now. lame.. but when i was on the court i was tearin everybody up. ahh yeah. So i think i might call you from the airport around 630 to like 730 but i am not exactly sure. SO you might have to wake up early if you want to hear me talk nonsense. I cant wait to talk to you guys but i gotta write more emails and my time is almost up so i will talk to you on monday. k love you. love elder gnehm.

Friday, July 9, 2010

MTC LETTER #2

Ello madre. Wow thats a lot of questions you just asked me. I hope i remember to answer them all. The mission life is still coming along really well, Its incredible how much i have learned in just the past week. I cant believe I have already been here for a week and a half. Time is just flying by. It is still going a little iffy with my compannion because he and I are just so different. When he starts talking he talks about everything in his life. He could talk to a wall for an hour straight. But its all good. The first week we had to write our branch president and i told him that it was a little difficult to be his companion and he wrote me back and told me that I am his companion for a reason. So thats good to know that they think i'm strong enough for that. The cookies that you sent me were the bomb.com. I shared it with my district and everyone keeps asking me for more haha. For the third of July we had a devotional and after it we were able to see the fireworks that were at the stadium of fire from outside of our apartments. We heard Carrie Underwood singing a little and it made me remember how much i hate country. Especially when i couldn't even see HER singing haha.. So i got a story to share. One of the elders in our district was feeling sick so we were supposed to give him a priesthood blessing and he asked one of the Elders in our district to do it. So when he was giving the blessing he did not mention anything about being sick but mention about Christ leaving his father when he came to this earth and stuff like that. After the prayer the branch president said that was inspired blessing because apparently the sick elder and the branch president were talking about being homesick and there was much more to it than just being sick. I saw the power of the priesthood in front of my eyes, the spirit told the Elder what to say and I think that it's really neat. Good luck on your surgery next week! I will be praying for you and derek. everything will go fine and you will be out playing tennis in no time flat. I miss you guys so much but i know that I am doing the right thing on the lords errand. I love you all so much. Love elder gnehm

Saturday, July 3, 2010

MTC LETTER #1

Dear familia... Hows it going! yeah its pretty crazy that i'm here huh. Today is my first P day but next week and the week after it will be on fridays. Alright so let me just go down what has been going down here. Alright so right after i said bye to you all i got my nametag and went to the room to drop off my bags. From there we had no time really to stay cause we had to go meet our district. Yes Elder Aamodt is in my district but he is not my companion ha ha. It was a huge relief to have him in there with me so that i knew someone in my district and i could feel more comfortable. Now my companion is named Elder Hunt and he is from idaho. he actually knew my bald roomate from Utah State because he graduated the same time as him. Elder Hunt has Cycstic Fibrosis. I call it CF because i dont know how to say it or spell it. He has so many diseases and sad stories about his life and it really makes me appreciate him for being out here on his mission. My district is awesome. I have already gotten way close with all the kids in my district, especially Elder Nielsen who is from California. He played a little tennis back there and apparently his dad does some thing with the pros so he has met a ton of professional tennis players like nadal and williams sisters. Elder Velez is from detroit and is kind of a bigger kid, he is one of the funniest kids i have ever met in my life. So pretty much what I am getting at is that i love the people here in my district. The first couple of days we have just been in the classroom learning about how to begin teaching, how to ask people to get baptized and all that good jazz. Anyways, yesterday for the first time we went to teach lesson 1 to some missionaries and to say the least we need to practice a LOT more. I know that through time and practice we will get a lot better at teaching the lessons because everyone that has been here for a couple weeks seem leaps and bounds ahead of all of us noobs. I've seen Matt smith, and Trent and Marcus cooper here along with a bunch of other people from school and its cool to see them and they are all doing good. I have to admit that i got one of those companions that Dad and Mom always told me that i was going to get. One that i wouldn't get along with. I feel really bad for this kid and I respect the heck out of him for being here with all that he has gone through but its just hard to be with him 24/7 because he is so different. Everyone in my district tells me that I am doing good putting up with him and I know that I need to just keep loving him and be his friend. Its hard because he has a speech disorder and is so different because when i start to talk and teach the lesson, he cuts me off when I try to speak because he really doesnt know any better. I will push through it though, its only 3 weeks that i am here. I leave the MTC on July 19th and I can't wait to go to Denver. I am so glad that I decided to come on a mission because when I am around this stuff it gets so much easier to gain a better testimony and to know how to study and teach better. I only have 30 minutes to write while i'm emailing so i better make an end. I just want to say that I love you guys so much and I am glad to be out here. Love Elder Gnehm.