HAPPY EASTER

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I sent you and Ty and Jess and also the Smiths a easter card, so if you could deliver that to the Smiths that would be awesome.

We made that card and it was my idea. yeah thats right, i like taking pictures now too. don't judge me. Easter is going to be super legit. We have Elder Perry coming and talking to the stake for stake conference. I'm way excited to be able to see him speak, i think the topic will be on missionary work. haha so hopefully he condemns people and tells them to give us some member referrals! Thats cool that you had a speaker come and talk about it in the ward. So yeah we had our 40 day fast, ad it seems like some people were making efforts to share the gospel, but all the people that they were sharing it with was their coworkers, which is good but not good for us because they don't live in our area. So hopefully an apostle can tell them to start doing it, if missionaries and the bishopric cant. Yeah i'm gonna be honest, i am getting pretty trunky from this ward. I'm not going disobedient or anything but it seems like every day is the same thing. We knock on doors and they aren't home, and our investigators listen, seem like they feel the spirit super strong when we teach them, but they don't keep their commitments. Its really starting to make me mad. So yeah we will see, transfers are on may 9 so yeah when i talk to you on mothers day i will know where i am going by then.

For easter we are going to a familys house to eat. They feed us for every holiday. I think that we are going to go there for a while, make a stop at the olsons, and probably our ward mission leaders house too. I don't think that we have any easter egg hunts or anything like that planned. It would be pretty cool if we did, but i don't think our ward is even doing an easter activity. As far as pictures go, i just want immediate family pictures. maybe some more tennis pictures or something, i dont know, whatever you can find, the more the better. Also, do you think that you could send me some more shirts in my easter package. Some nicer t shirts that i could wear on p day. maybe just two. just look in my room and pick some good ones, i trust you. maybe an ezekial or element or volcom one.

SO i'm getting 315 bucks back! is that good? haha i don't know if that is a lot to get back for how much i have or not. But cool, i am going on a shopping spree. haha i have been definately making an effort this month to save my money, i have only gone out to eat once and that was at wendys and i got a small frost and a 99 cent chipotle chicken sandwhich. which is bomb by the way.

That is exciting that Derek is done with weber state. You'll have to email some pictures of the graduation. I bet he is excited, and he has a job too! thats way cool, it sounds like he is definately being blessed right now.

So yeah i did play some tennis this morning, us and the zone leaders are going to start playing tennis in the mornings for our excersize, so we are going to start waking up early at 6:00 and play tennis before studies. its supposed to rain a lot this next week for us to from what i hear. Yeah i'm not excited for it either cause i wanna play tennis bad. I played this morning, and i definately am a little rusty, but i'll just blame it on a bad racket.

So anyways, we helped teach primary again this sunday. We were narrators while the kids stood up in the front and held up the pictures. The story was a lot about the death of christ and the ressurrection, and him coming and visiting the americas. and as we were reading, the spirit was the strongest that i've ever felt in sunday school. It was more strong then i've felt it in gospel principles. ALl the women in the room starting bawling, because that is just what girls do. and even i was like on the verge of tears because the spirit was testifying of what we were saying was true. It was a really sweet spiritual experience. and it just goes to show that even the spirit can be in the primary room too.

Well anyways, i gotta get running. have a great easter! i love you guys, be safe, do good, give you ward referrals. LOVE YA! ELDer gnEHM

PICTURES

THE DISTRICT

JUST CHILLIN

SUNNY WEATHER IN COLORADO

wazzzup

haha suckers in utah. It has been mid 60's sunny all week. We are playing volleyball and tennis outside today. It hasn't snowed for a little bit. We were watching conference and we saw the snow there and we were laughing and then the next day it was snowing hard here. dang mountains, stop that snow!!

Hey while you are sending an easter package, do you want to send me some more pics of the family again, that would be super cool, because I need more pics of before the mission so i can look at them and share it with peeople. I'm pretty excited for easter!

We have stake conference on easter sunday and elder Perry is coming to our conference and talking. I'm way excited, i'm gonna ask if he remembers me from the jazz game when i asked him about the colorado denver north mission. I guarantee he remembers me, we're basically best friends. haha.

Thats super good that ty didn't have anything too bad. So do you remember my crazy back aches that would just happen randomly? yeah i got that the other day while i was at the olsons, and i tried jumping through a moving hoola hoop, not a good idea by the way. haha my back was killing me for a little bit, but now its not too bad.

So to answer your questions about if its going fast or slow. . It feels like its going by slow and fast at the same time, weeks go by so slow but then i think of it being april and being out for 9 months already and that is just crazy. Time is going a little slow right now though and i am getting a little bit tired of this ward, not gonna lie. I feel like i've visited everyone soo much that they are probably all sick of me. 6 months in one ward is a little bit long. We have district meeting every week, did i tell you that President Ely walked into one of my district meetings and he listened to my whole training. haha when he walked in i was like craaaaap. haha but it went really well, i wasn't all that nervous because i've trained in front of him so many times now that it doesn't really phase me. Our district is a pretty hard district, this ward and thornton ward are super hard, but brighton ward which is where elder goesch went after, had a ton of work and they have a baptism next week so i have a baptism interview that i have coming up this week. Elder aamodt got transferred to arvada so i don't see him anymore. But i still talk to him every once and a while.

I am glad that you sent some pics of hunter and bode cause i was just thinking last night that i havent seen a picture in them in a while and i was wondering how big they were getting. So does bode have brown hair or is it a little bit red? Haha that is hilarious that Hunter is doing swim lessons right now. That just seems so young to do it. But he looks like a stud in the water.

Um steves address? haha i still don't have his mexico address, i will definately get it by next week!

So spiritual experiences... hmm. I can't think of any that are mind blowing right now. except for the reality of the spirit and the feelings. Last week we were having a really bad day and it was just getting ridiculous and so i decided that i would read the Book of Mormon and as i started reading it, almost immediately i felt completely different, i didn't feel discouraged, i felt warm and i could feel the spirit strong. It was just awesome the spirit that i immediately felt as i read the book of mormon, and it amazes me that some people can't feel that as they read the BOM.

SO anyways i gotta run, so if you could send me some pics in the easter package that would be great, don't give me any of those marshmellow ducks peeps are disgusting. Cadburry eggs are good though. So i love you, be safe and I will talk to you all next week. Oh and the reason that i need more money in my card is because i need to take basically all of my pants and suits to the dry cleaners because they smell absolutely awful. So if i could get a little that would be much appreciated. Thanks. Well talk to ya lata. peace

LOVE ELDER GNEHM!

GENERAL CONFERENCE

Hey There

ok first of all i want to defend myself with jess' letter. So that took me at least the entire P'day or more to read that letter, and there was no way that i had the time to write back after that! Her letter was ginormous, I'll try to get to it someday. haha just playing i will do if ater i write you. I'm trying to write you first so that i actually get time. But yeah i thought you didn't write me and that you were just gonna give up on writing every week. It just sounds like something you would do..NOT!

haha yep i am still with my greenie for at least another 5 weeks. haha so get this i was at the Olsons house (that is where we watched General COnference on Saturday) and they were asking him about his family and everything. And Sis olson asked about his brother and Elder shepard said, oh we are nothing alike, i am way more outgoing and more talkitive then my brother. She's like wait...Your the talkative one in the family..haha i busted out laughing. She's like don't feel intimidated by your companion, you don't have to be afraid. haha. i love that family.. But my companion is getting a little bit better at talking to other people. He doesn't like to talk on the phone though! He yelled at me because i told him to make some phone calls. He says he hates talking on it. I told him that he's going to have to get used to talking to people on the phone because thats what he will be doing for the next 20 months. But when he talks on the phone you can just tell that he is so nervous and he is like walking around and tries to get off of it as fast as possible. So yeah he definately still needs some work. But oh well, i will keep helping him. ..Reasons like that is why Utah isn't the greatest. Some people are WAAAY to sheltered.

Anyways, General Conference was bomb. it was way cool to watch it, we watched the first day with the olsons like i said and the second day we watched with the powers. We have some investigators that are going to try to listen to if this week because they couldn't do it on sunday. i sure hope that this gets people to be more missionary minded. haha i don't know what else we can do if they don't listen to an apostle. But we have definately seen some good come out of this 40 day fast that the ward has been doing. This week we got two new investigators. One we were walking and this lady told us to come over here and talk about the mormon church, we thought she was going to bible bash but suprisingly she didn't and she was pretty interested because she does a lot of work with people in Utah. We got another investigator by a headquarter church referral, and this guy is pretty legit. He met with missionaries before, and he stopped and realized the blessings that came from meeting with the missionaries. The only thing we are struggling with him right now is he needs to receive his answer, and he needs to stop drinking. He says that he is an alcoholic. He also is meeting with us behind his wifes back because she is very against the church. So yeah all that good jazz. Our other investigators are ...one is 15 and she likes church but when we try to teach her, her mom is absolutely crazzzzzy, and she interrupts and screws everything up so we are going to start meeting her at another place. Another investigator is someone that missionaries have taught for 5 years and she really hasn't progressed that much.. I am sick of it and i just want to quit going over there because it is pretty much a waste of our time because she never reads or prays. Another investigator just got divorced and turned to God with all of it and it was around the time that we came over, he is super legit and he just needs to receive his answer and i think that he will defiantely get bapt. So yep thats our investigators. We work a ton with going over to less actives house as well.

As far as GC went, my favorite talk was probably elder oaks on desire, and the story that he gave of the guy that was

trapped by the rock for 5 days and was ready to give up then he had that vision of him picking up a kid with his left hand

so he broke both of his bones in his arms and he cut off his arm. haha i just like that because thats not a normal story

that you would get out of conference. that is legit! haha and the desire he had to want to have a family and everything.

That was a way good talk. I also like the talked with the 70 that talked about the difference of to be and to do. That was way

cool because its a testimony builder of becoming more like christ and having his attributes and that faith is nothing without works.

SO yeah I loved general conference. I like it a lotttt more than i did before my mission that is for sure. haha.

Anways i gotta get running, I hope that you are having a good week and that everything is going well. Maybe if you want to send a little money this way for dry cleaning that would be fantastic. All my clothes are super filthy. and its gonna be pretty dang expensive. Anyways, i love ya and pray for you. LOVE ELDER GNEHM

MUSICAL FIRESIDE

RIBA!

Yo yo yo what is crackalackin?

When is our family going to catch a break? haha wow how did grandma break her foot? no more soccer for her. and she has to have surgery, no bueno. I just got done reading jess' letter, so I really don't have a ton of time to write today because it took me probably a half hour to read. It was a freaking novel, it was soo long. but that is ok. there were some really cool stories and shtuff in it. Tell her that i will write her next week cause i don't have enough time today.

Anyways, no i haven't gotten in a fist fight with my companion or anything. He just doesn't talk at all. Like not only with appointments. He doesn't talk to me, he doesn't talk to other missionaries. He is always just awkward and silent. It is killing me. And then when he does talk in an appointment, he is talking so fast and he is like shaking and looking at me to like help him the whole time. I don't know if it just from being a greenie or if he was living under a rock before his mission. Or maybe a little bit of both. Transfers are next monday and I will find out this saturday what is happening so i will definately keep you posted.

Also you might be getting a visit from the olsons in my ward. They are coming to utah and I asked them if they could take some stuff over to the house so they might be coming over but i'm not sure yet.

So just yesterday we had a musical fireside as a stake. With all the missionaries in the denver north zone. It was super legit. We have been practicing for a while and the missionary that put it on will be famous when he goes home because he is the best singer and he is amazing at all instruments. So yeah it was super good. I know what you are thinking and no i didn't do any solos. I know that i've grown on a mission but singing is one thing that i still can't do worth jack. I can kind of play the piano though, when i get home i'm going to learn how to play piano. Get all the honeys when i get home haha. just kidding. But I did have to give a 2 minute speech about how the gospel blesses families, our mission president and his wife were there, I was a little nervous cause of that but i did good i think. People in my district and zone keep telling me that i am going to be AP some day, i hope not. haha. And when we were done I was talking to president ely and he told me i did a great job and he shook my hand and winked at me haha. I know that a week isn't much but haha i hope that he isn't saying hey transfers are in a week, wanna be a zone leader. haha. That would be wayy to fast!! oh well

But get this. So the musical fireside was so good. That an investigator from the brighton ward was there. And after it was over, he came up to elder goesch, (he's in brighton now) with tears in his eyes, and said I want my kids to be up there one day doing the same thing that you guys were doing. I want to be baptized and be an active member of the church. haha. How awesome is that. Unfortunately we didn't have any of our investigators show up. lame. But that is way cool for Goesch.

No tyler davis hasn't written me yet. That is funny that you want to write steve, steve wrote me today and said that his mom wants my address to write me haha. so yeah I wil get it for you next week cause i don't have it on me. Charlie is doing pretty good from what i hear. I never really hear from anyone else though.

Tennis was way fun last week. We live right next to tennis courts and i always see people playing and a lot of them are pretty good. but then i play with other missionaries that aren't very good and it isn't as fun haha. But oh well its stll good to play. I wasn't doing the best either though i guess. That is good that you and dad have been losing some weight, haha yes i've been gaining a little bit, I have spurts where i work out really well and then i dont do it very well. I'm just waiting for summer when i can go running in the morning. that will help a ton. But yeah its a good thing i wasn't fat before the mission.

That game we were playing was with the olsons. It is called headbands. I bought that for them for their birthdays. I bought all 3 of them toys because they are such a good family to us. Also i asked for money for it last week and you didn't say anything about it. haha i have 14 dollars for the rest of the month and we have to go shopping today so maybe if you could give me a little bit that would be awesome. Being a dl isn't that much more responsibility. It is fun to go on exchanges and be with other missionaries and see their areas and stuff and district meetings aren't too bad. I actually like being a dl, but i'll be good staying that way no ZL!

That is a way cool spiritual thought that you gave me, i've never thought about it like that! Definately i do believe that grandpas are helping me,

Well anyways i need to run, i hope that you have a great week, IF the olsons come over be nice to them and just talk me up like i'm the greatest person ever. and that i played professional hockey and golf at home haha. just kidding, just don't do anything embarassing. haha. Anyways, have a good week! I LOVE YOU! LOVE ELDER GNEHM

TWO GRANDPAS GONE IN TWO AND HALF WEEKS

From Denver Colorado, Elder gnehm

Yeah i'm going to be honest, that is preddy ridiculous that both of them passed away in the last 2 and a half weeks.

When I got the phone call from President Ely, i did not expect that at all. I thought for sure that he was calling about coming to one of my district meetings or something, and then when i said hello president, he just sighed and said I have more bad news for you. I was like oh my goodness are you kidding me. Then he told me and I was completely shocked. We always talked about how Grandpa Bill would probably pass away before I got home but we never really talked about Grandpa ray. It doesn't come with much of a surprise though, because he hasn't done too well for a long time. But still I didn't expect that. And i definately did not expect that they would both pass away within 2 and a half weeks of each other!!

How are you and dad doing? I am doing fine. But i was really worried about you two when i got the phone call. i was going to call president again and ask for permission to call home to see how you guys were doing. I went to a members house after it happened and he pulled out his phone and said give me your phone number because you are calling your parents right now. I didn't think you would much like it though if i called you without permission from my mission president. So i didn't. At least I get to talk to you guys in 2 more months. MOthers Day is coming up at the end of the next transfer.

That is awesome that you had a prompting though and you listened and heeded to it. That is such a cool experience to have him be able to say your name and to talk to you for a little bit and then after that he didn't say much. He definately was appreciative of your phone call and for you to be able to let him know your love for him before he passed is amazing. That is good though that most of dad's side of the family all have the knowledge of the gospel, so hopefully they all aren't having too hard of a time with this. But that is awesome that alicia and gordon have been going to church and now Cindy is going to go with grandma sometimes.That is definately a great thing. Unfortuantely it takes some people to be humbled and to find their faith through a death or through struggles but this is definately the perfect opporutnity for them to come back and to rebuld their testimonies. I was just thinking about Grandma Pauline, and how she really needs to be going to church right now. Especially if all this is true and if families really can be together forever, i'm sure that grandpa right now wants nothing more than for grandma to be going to church!

Anyways, on a more brighter subject. Those pictures of the tennis players were awesome. So you actually got to see Federer and Nadal and Blake play? They all went to this tiny california tournament? We are playing tennis today actually and I haven't played in a long time so i am pretty darn excited. I showed the pictures to some other missionaries and we all called who of those people in the pictures we are going to be today. I called the guy with the huge dreadlocks because he looks like a boss and another missionary called to be blake because well he is african american. haha. Anywhosers yeah I should probably get going. I hope that everyone in the family is doing well, I will definately continue to pray for all of them that they can be strengthened in their testimonies and open their eyes to the blessings of the gospel. Don't ask about my companion. HOpefully their will only be two more weeks. Anyways, I love you and i will send you some pictures on another email!

LOVE ELDER GNEHM

PRETTY GOOD WEEK

SUZIE Q

Yo what are you doing in Cali! I am 95 percent jealous that you are watching tennis right now. We live right next to 6 tennis courts and it has been warm lately, and there are always people playing. I want to go over there and make a deal with them. If I beat them in tennis then they have to listen to my message. I think missionary work is supposed to be like that. right? Oh well, we can't play today because its 20 degrees outside. But hopefully next week i can play with my ward mission leader. Do let me know who is at the tournament. If federer or roddick or nadal are there i am going to lose it.

As far as my companion goes, he is getting a little bit better, especially with members he is actually starting to talk now. But he is still a little bit green and getting over being extremely sheltered. I learned that he has never had salmon, pasta salad or Elk. We went to a less actives house just yesterday and he had the best habanero elk jerky, dad would have been craving that stuff. It was the best thing i've had in a while. And the coolest fam in the ward bought me some beef jerky because they know that i love it, and they also let me use their golf clubs when i went golfing last week. So here is what i am thinking. Their little daughters all have their birthday within a month of each other. So i was going to buy them like a cake or some kind of presents. Do you think that you could send me like 15 to 20 bucks so i can do that? please. I think they would really appreciate it and after all that they have done for me i think that it is the least that i can do. So please let me know.

This has been a really good week actually. The baptism did go through and it was way awesome! Brandi's parents that are non members came to the bapt and they were listening so intently to what was being said, and when me and elder shepard were teaching the restoration, they ate it up. They don't live in our ward but they live in elder aamodt's ward so i will definately tell him to go over there and set up an appointment because when I asked them what they thought about the baptism, they said they loved it and they were touched by it and their was a great feeling and peace there. BOOOYAH!! haha. It really was a good baptismal service though, her husband aaron was so nervous to do it because they are both really nervous people but when he said the prayer you could just feel the spirit so strong. One thing that we screwed up on thuogh, we forgot to tell them to bring towels, haha so we had to wait a little bit and we filled in the time by sharing a message while someone ran home and grabbed a couple of towels. woops. I wish i would have got to confirm, but aarons uncle did it.

Yesterday at church it was pretty cool, We were studying at the church and i had a feeling like I should invite an investigator to church that day. SO i just asked her (shes a 15 year old and her mom is a member but she is CRAZZZYYY and has lots of medical problems) but we asked her if she was going to church with her dad or if she could come with us and she said she would come. Which i really didn't expect because she had been to church before and she had a terrible experience because she said that all the girls were texting and she just didn't feel like it was church and everyone was disrespectful. But she said that she would come. So i set up a ride to go get her and she did come. After church i saw her and asked her how it was and she said that it was way better than the time before and she liked it a lot. So hopefully we will be able to teach her and she can progress because all of our other investigators right now are really stagnant and are not progressing at all. That is why i hope that we have encouraged te members and they give us more people to teach.

As far as the talks go and the 40 day fast that we are working on, we really have seen a lot of blessings from it already. We had The investigator at church. We had contact and shared a message with a less active that we have knocked on a hundred times and never answered before but he answered yesterday and he said that he wants to come back to church. We had our relief society president make good progress with a less active lady and she actually set up an appointment for us. WHICH IS HOW iT SHOULD BE!!!!! Things in the ward are definatley turning around and i like it. i like it a lot. So i guess my spiritual message could be on the importance of fasting and prayer. And how it truly does work through our faith. Remember to fast for a purpose and not go hungry. Someone in my last ward had a quote that said. "fasting without prayer or purpose, is like having a letter all ready to go but you don't put the stamp on it." and it is true, its like we are doing something good, but without a prayer or purpose, their is no reason for fasting, we are just going hungry.

Anyways, I hope you have a great time in Cali. I'm jealous, please do send me some pictures, send me more from home too :) Also don't forget to think about the 20 dollars, it would mean a lot to me. BY the way, next time you see a homeless guy taking a dump on the side of the road stop and ask him if he would like some help wiping, What would jesus do? haha i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that but that is absoletely gross and hilarious. let me know what you guys do in California! I love you and hope that you have a great week! PEACE. LOVE ELDER GNEHM