Elder Duffin vers. 4.0 beta

31 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

So, this week has been lots of tracting. Found a few people, but nothing too promising yet. Looks like this week will be more tracting... maybe. We got a call today from the Zone Heads, and they said that transfers would be a day early (today instead of tomorrow) because of icy roads. They also said that our cars may be grounded tomorrow because of ice. If that happens, then we have to stay inside and cancel our appointments, because we cannot get to them. The only thing that will still allow us to go to our appointments is if we can have a member pick us up and have him take us to our appointments.

My transfer prediction was 1/2 right. I am still here, and so is my companion. I thought he was getting transferred. However, I was made District Leader, so I predicted correct there. This district only has us and one other companionship, which are Spanish missionaries. So I may not get to do any baptismal interviews, because I don't know ANY Spanish. It's taken me 9 months just to understand the English out here. And I still don't get it. When asking for directions, I was once told to go "two farsee's." Took me a while to figure out what a "farsee" was. Also, they've taken "fixin'" to a whole new level. They've gone from "fixing" to "fixin'" to, and I'm not kidding, "fi'in." This guy told me he didn't have time, because he was "fi'in' ta go ta wurk." HA! Also, when you cross the Texas border, "oil" turns into "ull." One more crazy thing I heard, was what sounded like..."I'll fie be fer a minna w'll swimma dipper." I still haven't figured that one out.

Well, that's it for me. Thanks for the emails to all of you who have sent me emails! (not Ben, Brad, Brandon, or Shelissa. Ya, ya'll got beat by Nate.)

BYE!!
-Elder Duffin 4

24 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:27:00.001-08:00

This week we mostly did tracting. Only got 2 new investigators, so that means this upcoming week will be filled with more tracting. We really need new investigators. We can't baptize if there isn't anyone to teach!

My training went well. I don't think I offended anyone, so I would say that it was a success.

Other than that, nothing really eventful happened.

Also, transfers are coming up this weekend, so just in case if you had any thoughts about sending a package, DONT! I may or may not receive it. So next week, I'll let you know if I stay or leave.

Our district consists of 2 companionships, including me. Thats only 4 missionaries. It's a small district. The district leader is going home this transfer, and his companion has been in the area for 6 months, so I believe that that area is going to be white-washed. Also, I am predicting that my companion will be transferred as well, and that I will be made the district leader for these areas, and that I will be made a trainer. AAAHHH!!

Next week I'll let you know how completely off I was on this transfer prediction.

POINTS!!
I ran out the door and did not add up points for written letters or packages. Thus, I only have e-mail totals.

EMAIL TOTALS
1. Dad........273
2. Mom......196
3. Ben........105
4. Brad........49
5. Al............35
6. Brandon...14
6. Shelissa..14
7. Nate.........7

Now, since I did not take time to add up points for written letters/packages, (my bad for being lazy) overall point totals are not given. However, I have a sure knowledge of how the ranks would look had I totalled(did I spell that right? Is that even a word?) the points for everything. Therefore, the final ranks are....

FINAL RANKS
1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Ben
4. Brandon
4. Shelissa
5. Brad
6. Al
7. Nate

WINNER'S PRIZE IS: whatever I happen to see at some store in some area and decide to send home at some time. It will go to the winner.

Thats all for me. Hope ya'll have a great week!
-Elder Duffin 4

17 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:26:00.002-08:00

So, this week I got to give a 1/2 hour training in District Meeting, and this Friday is Specialized Training and I get to give another training. Specialized Training is where the zones over a designated area meet and we get trained by the President, his wife, the Assistants, and maybe a couple others. My trainer is in one of the other surrounding zones and he will be at this meeting so I will have the opportunity to train my trainer, hehe!

Been doing some teaching. Lots of finding. There's a few of our investigators who do honestly want to come to church, but Satan tries hard not to let that happen. One of our investigators had to take their child to the hospital on Sunday morning (thankfully nothing serious happened, the kid is doing fine). It seems like when people really start to progress that Satan works harder and harder to fight against everything we do. GRRRRR!!!!!

Thanks for the care package mom! I got it last Monday just after we finished emailing. Thermal Garments = amazing!

The snow has melted. =(

Thats about all for this week. I'll let you know how the training went. And I'll maybe probably I guess kinda haveta sorta have points maybe next week.

Last year's mission baptismal goal..........950
Actual Baptisms....................................807
This year's misson baptismal goal is......1000

BYE!!!!
-ELDER DUFFIN 3

10 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:26:00.001-08:00

Almost all of our appointments bombed this week, but we were still able to teach a few people. We also had to drop a few because they weren't progressing. On the bright side, we found 2 families that seem promising, and a young couple. I am excited about the young couple because they aren't going to any church right now (they won't get anti'ed by a preacher) and they don't have very many friends in this area (they won't get anti'ed by friends). Yay!

The guy we had a baptismal date for is no longer progressing. He felt the Spirit. He recognized it. However, he wants a big sign to happen. He won't accept a spiritual witness. He said he wants to hear an audible voice or something greater to happen before he gets baptized, and he won't accept anything until that happens. So, for now, he is just ignoring the Spirit entirely. DUMB!! We're going to keep working with him and hopefully he'll begin to understand how God works.

It snowed here! It was very wet snow, and it turned to slush real quick. Also, the President said for all missionaries to park their cars from Sunday to 12:00 today. AAAAHHHH!!!! He said "I know that most of you are from Utah and know how to handle driving in the snow, but here in Texas, nobody else does." Therefore, to avoid having some crazy Texan driving into us, we were not allowed to go outside. We had to stay inside our apartments. The only exception was for getting a ride to take us to church.

The other missionaries in our district, in Greenville Ward, only had 2 hours of church. They're church ended early because of the snow. So, how much did it snow?.......barely 4 inches. And most of it has melted already. Ha!

Here's one silly anti-Mormon comment I ran into: "Mormons seal their wives within the walls of their temples." lol? anti is so dumb.

To answer the question, What is my companion like?
Remember the missionary from "The Best Two Years?" I'm talking about the missionary with the thick glasses and a chess set. Thats my companion! He's a great missionary. Very humble and very sincere.

A.D.D. MOMENT:I heard something neat from a talk I was listening to by Some Guy(I don't remember his name), but anywaySSSS here's what he said.
"If you can't answer three questions intelligently and truthfully, you have, in great measure, wasted your life." (by Some Guy, emphasis added)
Think about what the three questions might be. If I don't forget about it, then I'll let you know what the questions are next week.

Speaking of forgetting, I forgot to add up points this week. My bad. I'll try again next time.

Thats all!!!! BYEEEEE!!
-Elder Duffin 4

03 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

I feel like sending this awesome quote to you people. If you haven't been dilligently studying your scriptures, then I hope you feel bad after reading this quote. If you have been, then GREAT!! High five!!

"It is a paradox that men will gladly devote time every day for many years to learn a science or an art; yet will expect to win a knowledge of the gospel, which comprehends all sciences and arts, through perfunctory glances at books or occasional listening to sermons. The gospel should be studied more intensively than any school or college subject. They who pass opinion on the gospel without having given intimate and careful study are NOT lovers of truth, and their opinions are worthless."
-Elder Widtsoe

By the way Brandon, the word "perfunctory" means "casual." Your welcome.

03 January 2011

2011-02-01T10:24:00.002-08:00

So this last week I went on an exchange with the other missionaries in our district (they're Spanish missionaries, so I didn't understand any of their appointments) and while on the exchange I got sick. The next morning I was feeling really ill, I had a fever, so I called the mission president's wife (Sister Smith handles all the medical stuff and tells us what to do to get feeling better) and she said that I was not allowed to leave the apartment until Friday. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have ever been confined to your apartment while on a mission, then you know how antsy you get, and how absolutely boring it is. I almost got through the entire Book of Mormon. I was able to complete a Rubik's cube in 1 minute 20 seconds. I also got a headache from beating my head against the wall.

We were SOOOO glad to get out of the apartment on Friday.

We set a baptismal date with a guy for Jan. 15. We got him to quit smoking, so things are looking good.

The school mascot for the town of Bonham are the Fighting Purple Warriors. HA!

That's all. Next week I'll have all the points added for the year of 2010.

BYE!!
-Elder Duffin 4

27 December 2010

2011-02-01T10:24:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I just talked to ya'll so I don't really have much to say for this week. Our mission baptized 804 people this year. That is an average of 8 baptisms per companionship. Thats it for me. Bye!
-Elder Duffin 4

20 December 2011

2011-02-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

I BEEN EMERGENCY TRANSFERRED!!! AAAHH!!

There was a missionary that had to go home for an intense back surgery and took about 6 months for recovery. This missionary came back to the mission after he had recovered. In the middle of a transfer period. This was the reason for the emergency transfer. He took my area. So they moved me to a place called Bonham, and moved one of the Bonham missionaries to the city. That missionary is in a trio now.

The town of Bonham is dying. Between this year and last year, the town's population went from 9000 people to about 7500 people. There isn't anything for people to do here for work or anything else, so they are all leaving. Many of the houses are just empty and abandoned.

The ward here is awesome. Its a little bit bigger than the ward I last served in. Most of the members live in towns outside of Bonham (towns that are actually growing). The church is in Bonham because Bonham is in the middle of the county.

Yes, there is a Cowboy Church here in Bonham.

Bonham is in the Allen Zone. Allen is a big city that is a part of Dallas (this zone is Northwest of Dallas). There are two areas that are not in the big city part of this zone. That is Greenville, and Bonham. Bonham is in the farthest reaches of this zone, and it is very spread out. Its very much like my last area, but a little bit smaller. I am still the designated driver, and I was made senior companion.

I am still over 1/2 hour drive away from the nearest missionaries.

The nearest missionaries are Spanish speaking missionaries.

We are going to baptize a guy on January 1. He just needs to quit smoking. We went through our stop smoking workshop with him, and so far he has made it 2 days, which is more than he has ever done. All he has to do is make it through 7 days and he has beat the craving for cigarettes.

POST OFFICE INFORMATION NOTICE ATTENTION WARNING:
The post office is being lame. The mission office is NO LONGER allowed to forward letters from their office. This means that letters sent to the mission office cannot be sent to other missionaries from there. The letters they have in their posession at the moment are being physically handed down to the zone leaders and distributed by them. The mission is currently trying to work something out with the post office so that they may be able to forward letters as they have done in the past. If you want to send any letters, you must write them to my current address, and not to the mission office. As soon as they get this worked out, you will again be able to send letters to the mission office. My current address is:

Elder Bryan Duffin
1413 Silo Rd. #701
Bonham, TX 75418

Mom, thanks for sending the package. But, I have sad news. I am very far away from the mission office, so the mission office passed the package to my zone leaders in Allen. They are roughly 70 miles away. I will most likely receive the package next zone meeting, which will be sometime in mid January.

Ever since I was in my last area, I kept wanting to email everyone some cool history about it, but I kept forgetting. I just remembered, so here's something neat about my last area:
In my last area, we covered a town called Kilgore. Kilgore used to produce 80% of the world's entire oil supply. WOW!!
Kilgore also had the "World's Richest Acre" where TONS AND TONS AND TONS of oil was drilled out of the ground.

I will call for Christmas at about 2:00 your time. I am going to be at a member's house for Christmas, and they said that they don't have to pay extra for long-distance calls, and so we are free to call from their home anytime. If 2:00 your time is too early for you, I can call at around 4:00 or later your time. I will call at 2:00 your time, and if we need to push it later, just tell me. THANKS!!

I'm glad to hear that everybody is doing well. I hope Grandma and Grandpa have a safe drive to Utah.

Its very cold here, and there is no snow.

That is it for me! BYE!

-Elder Duffin 4

Massive Update!

2010-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

So just in case your following Bryan's mission, these last posts updated from the 13 September to today the 13 December 2010. I hope you enjoy, my little bro is so funny I know you will get some laughs! ENJOY!

13 December 2010

2010-12-13T09:47:00.002-08:00

WOW! Crazy stuff this week. First, the schitzophrenic. We had an appointment with her, and we taught the first lesson, but...I don't know how to explain how it went. Weird? Strange? After the appointment, me and my companion just sat in the car in complete silence for 5 minutes, just thinking and wondering what happened. We were sooooo confused. I broke the long silence by turning to my companion and saying "That was the last thing I needed to see in this area. I am getting transferred." This appointment happened on Wednesday.

On Saturday night, after an AMAZING appointment with a part-member family, we get a call from one of the Assistants. He said that because of some circumstances, they have to move some missionaries around, and I am to be transferred earlier than the normal transfer day.

So, I am going to be picked up by the Assistants in about 4 hours. YEE-HAW!!

I am sad to leave this area, but I've been here long enough and I know that it's time to go. And I am really sad that I only got to be with this companion for only 5 weeks. Not even a full transfer.

Also, Henderson's football team went to State on Friday. Over 1/2 the town (about 7000 people) went to the game. Henderson got to play in the Dallas Cowboys stadium. That was a rough day for missionary work. Texans love football, guns, and religion. In that order.

Yes, Henderson won =D

Haskell is going to be baptized on Christmas. He learns faster than anyone I have ever taught, and it's because he already knows that this is the true Church. We were able to cover 1/2 the lessons and a baptismal interview in about an hour. It's truly incredible when people are so sensitive to the Spirit that you can literally see it quicken their knowledge and understanding. Haskell is going to become an awesome member of the Church. Too bad I won't be here to see him get baptized.

That's it for this week. I'll let everyone know where I am and who I am with next Monday. BYE!!

-Elder Duffin 4

06 December 2010

2010-12-13T09:47:00.001-08:00

WOW!! So, guess what happened with that golden referral?... Well, she(her name is Christy, she's about 40 years old) was taken to the psych ward at the hospital in Tyler (Tyler is 30 minutes west of me, its in another zone). We talked to her mother, and apparently Christy is a schitzophrenic. Christy had an "episode" over Thanksgiving. Christy's mom wanted Christy to get a blessing, so we called the missionaries in Tyler and they went over to the hospital and talked to her and gave her a blessing. The Tyler missionaries told us that Christy is almost normal again, the hospital just wanted to hold her there for a couple more days. The Tyler missionaries also said the Christy really really wants to get baptized. As soon as she gets out, we can teach and baptize! And we're going to try to get the whole family swimming as well.

Remember when I told ya'll about when we got the cops called on us? ya, well, a member gave us a referral, and the guy lives in the same neighborhood where that happened. The guy we visited was really nice, and he has got to be one of the richest men I have ever met. This guy has many many guns worth 2000+ dollars. Some of his guns were worth AT LEAST 6000! He had guns lying everywhere in the house. Literally, piles and piles of them. Everywhere. He also has a Thunderbird in his garage that he will give his grandson when his grandson turns 18. His grandson is currently 7. WOW! He also goes to the Cowboy Church. Have I told ya'll about the Cowboy Church? No? Well, there's a Cowboy Church in this area.

I also found out that my companion baptized his car when he was in his first area. HAHA!

We also are going to complete a family! The dad is getting baptized on Christmas. His name is Haskel. Yes, he does have a beard.

We got to watch the Christmas Devotional on Sunday. WOW!! It was AMAZING!! If anyone didn't get to see it, then you missed out, and you should go repent for missing it because it was incredible.

Yes, I'm still sick of all the anti.

That's all for me!! Until next week, ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!

-Elder Duffin 4

29 November 2010

2010-12-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

WOH!! I feel soooo sick from thanksgiving, but it's all good. We only had 2 dinners, but I still feel pretty bloated.

Here's how Christian the bible belt is:
On Friday, the day after thanksgiving, we were tracting, and this baptist guy answers the door, and YELLS at us, and says "GET OFF MY FRONT PORCH OR I'M CALLING THE COPS!!" so me and my companion promptly got off the front porch and walked away without saying a word. However, just a few minutes later, we see a cop car coming right for us. The cop pulls up, rolls down his window, and tells us that he got a call from someone saying that they didn't want us in their neighborhood. At least the cop was a really nice guy. He just said we should probably finish up and go. That guy who called the cops on us is going to feel like a complete fool at the judgement bar.

We also had 3 amazingly golden investigators, they were reading and praying and loving the Book of Mormon, but they all dropped us abruptly. They all got anti'ed by their preachers. Other churches here preach anti-Mormon garbage from their rameumptum. GRRRRR!!

On the bright side, we got a media referral this morning for a lady who has read the Book of Mormon, prayed about it, knows that it's the word of God, and also prayed to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet! She wants to get baptized! All we have to do is go fill up the baptismal font! =D

Til' next time!

-Elder Duffin 4

22 November 2010

2010-12-13T09:45:00.002-08:00

So, to answer some questions.

Q. What's it like to be in the same area for so long?

A. I've met all 200 people on the ward list. Actives and inactives. I know who they are, who they're related to, their dogs name, and their shoe size.

Q. How is my new comp?

A. I like him. He's intense. He gets up at 6:20 every morning, and we go running, then we get back to the house, and work out some more. So I'm pretty worn out, but it's all good.

Q. What's it like to be in the same area for so long?

A. I've completely tracted all of Henderson(inside the city limits), and now I'm starting over. Oh, and the nearby city of 7000 people has been almost all tracted.

Q. How did the baptisms go?

A. Very good, but frightening. One of them had a fever of 102 the night before the baptism, and was throwing up. The day of the baptism, she was feeling better and came. She got baptized. Fever and vomiting returned the next morning, so she was not confirmed that Sunday. She got better throughout the week, but her siblings got sick and passed it back to her. Missed the next Sunday. But, she got better again, with no fever or vomiting, so she was finally confirmed yesterday! And now her mom sick. But, on the bright side, she can now enter into the celestial kingdom! yay!

Q. What am I doing for Thanksgiving?

A. Remember that investigator I just told you about that was sick in the previous paragraph? And that her family is sick? Well, we're going over there for Thanksgiving.

Q. Really, what's it like to be in the same area for so long?

A. Nobody in this entire zone has been here longer than me. I am the great-great-grandpa of this zone.

Q. So, what's the record for being in the same area? Who set it?

A. Some missionary who finished his mission recently. When he was 11 months old, he was transferred to an area inside the Dallas metroplex. He was there for the rest of his mission. 13 months, and he trained 4 or 5 missionaries while he was there.

Q. What's another fun fact for being in the same area for so long?

A. I'm on track for 7 1/2 months at the end of this transfer, and if I'm here for one more transfer, I will be here 9 months. YEE-HAW!!

Q. How's the weather?

A. Cold then hot then cold. In that order.

Q. Is football really the primary religion in Texas?

A. YES!! I don't remember if I told you this, but if I did, oh well, you can hear it again. There's a town in my area called Tatum that has a population of about 700 people. The football stadium holds about 1500, and it is packed every Friday night. The town literally doubles its population every Friday.

Well, that's it for me this week. Have a grand Thanksgiving ya'll!!

-Elder Duffin 4

15 November 2010

2010-12-13T09:45:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the e-mail Grandma & Grandpa! I'm glad to hear that things are going super. I'll now send you the weekly update as well.

Ben, your e-mail was pathetic. Really. NO POINTS FOR YOU!!

THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE BRANDON AND SHELISSA!!

Wow, so, tranfers, are a BIG headache. Here's what happens. There is a transfer meeting in Dallas that missionaries who are being transferred and their companions go to. However, for those of us who are very far from Dallas, we don't go to the meeting. We meet in a small town called Lindale and pick up our companion there. (There's alot more that goes into it but I really don't want to give myself carpal tunnel syndrome by trying to type it out and explain it)

So here's what happened to me. On Monday, we went to Lindale(1 1/2 hours away), and my companion was transferred and he went immediately to his new area. My new companion was being transferred from the metroplex(Dallas area) to here, but he was not going to get here until Tuesday. So I went into another city called Tyler(45 minutes from Lindale) with another set of missionaries and spent a day and a night and a day as though it were one day with them. On Tuesday, I get a call from the Zone Leaders, telling me that the missionary serving in Lufkin, who was also picking up his new companion in Lindale, had a church member who was going to pick them up and take them back to Lufkin(Lufkin is 1 hour south of my area). However, their ride they had set up just cancelled on them, and the Lufkin missionaries were stuck in Lindale. The Zone Leaders wanted me to find a member who could transfer them from Longview(1/2 hour North of my area) to Henderson(my area). The idea was to pass them from one area to another until they got to Lufkin. Have I lost you yet? Yes? good. I was lost too. At the same time, I was trying to manage the Longview missionaries ride, because the Longview missionaries were both going to be new to the area, and I was trying to find a ride for them. So after much calling, panicking, weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, we got to Henderson, and Lufkin missionaries got to Lufkin...but with only half of their stuff.

But no worries they got it all back a couple of days ago.

Recovered just in time for the next headache. HERE GOES!!

My new companion is the District Leader and he has a 2-day training that he has to go to, in Tyler. We thought that one of the Nacogdoches(45 minutes south of my area, pronounced: Nack-a-doe-shiss) missionaries would come to Henderson with me while I was without a companion. However, this morning we got a call informing us that the Nacogdoches missionary was going to Lufkin, and I am to go to Longview. So we got to cancel our appointments for the next 2 days because we both won't be here! And then I have to find a way to get to Gilmer(1 hour north of my area) for a meeting, meet back up with my companion, and get back to Henderson.

YEE-HAW!!!!

It's getting cold.

My new companion is a stud. He's awesome. He works really hard. I'm going to learn a lot from him.

My old companion was tranferred to a town called Athens, Greece. JUST KIDDING! But really, the town is called Athens. This mission has a town called Athens and another town called Paris. Weird.

I don't like the Walmart here. 1 gallon of milk was for 4 dollars, but a 2-liter of soda was 84 cents. No kidding, it really was 84 cents. Not on sale. I imagined myself putting a dollar bill into a pop machine, having a 2-liter come out, with 16 cents of change! I think I'm just going to pour Sprite into my cereal from now on so I can save money.

That's all for me. BYE!!!

-Elder Duffin 4

08 November 2010

2010-12-13T09:44:00.002-08:00

Well, my companion is getting transferred...today. So I don't got a whole lot of time to email because we gotta go!

Wow dad for having A LOT of companions. I've been out for 6 months and have only had one companion, and now I'm getting my second, but I'm still in the same area that I've been in since day one. That means, by the end of this transfer, I will have spent 7 1/2 months in my first area. The record is 9 months in a "greenie" area (set by my companion), and 10 1/2 months in a non-"greenie" area.

So, my companion is going into one of the Dallas areas, and thats all we know. Oh, and he's being double-transferred into his area. (That means that the area he is going to just had both of its elders transferred out, and he is filling in one of the spots, which means there will be no missionary there who knows the area, people, etc)

I hope my new companion has a name that people can pronounce. Nobody could say my last companion's name.

Ben, that pic was hilarious. High five!

We had 2 people baptized on Saturday.

I'll be sending some pics.

Thanks for everything, sorry I have to leave now, but I gotta go pack. Since my companion is going into the city, I will have to spend the night with some other missionaries in their area. YEE-HAW!!

Hey mom can you send me Grandma & Grandpa Zollinger's address? I need to write some letters to extended family, but I don't got any addresses (adressessessesesseses). THANKS!

-Elder Muffin 4

01 November 2010

2010-12-13T09:44:00.001-08:00

The coat came just in time. It is really getting cold. Supposedly a humid cold is worse that a dry cold, because the moisture in the air will penetrate through your clothing, so you're cold and wet once you step outside. But I don't really know, I think its just cold.

Right now I'm at a different library than usual, and the computers only allow you to be logged in for 30 minutes, so I only have 1/2 as much time as usual, so I gotta make this quick.

Halloween was good. We have 2 baptisms coming up this Saturday. Also, this Saturday is another transfer period, so I'll let you know by next Monday whether I'm still in my greenie area or if I'm being transferred.

Last Saturday, the priesthood holders in the ward did a blitz in a town called Carthage, and we got the missionaries from our district to come help. It went really well, and most of the members went tracting! Which is pretty awesome because most of the members are converts and have never served missions, so they were COMPLETELY out of their comfort zone when they started tracting.

Our car had a problem with its computer so we got it back the same day we turned it in to get it looked at.

Thats it!!

BYE!!

-eLDER dUFFIN 4

25 October 2010

2010-12-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

his week has been really stormy. Like, really really stormy. Texas gets tornadoes. How the storm works, is kind of strange. In Texas, if its just a bad storm, then it will pour water for a long time, flood the streets, and yadda yadda. If its a storm that has potential to turn into a tornado, then instead, you will have little to no rain at all. Its wierd. The wind will be blowing really really strong, no rain, but there is be lightning EVERYWHERE!! SOOO much lightning! I was able to video some of it on my camera, and its INSANE! Most of the lightning doesn't ever touch the ground, instead, it just bounces around in the clouds and makes loud BOOM!

So if a lightning storm does turn into a tornado, weird stuff happens. Just before the tornado shows up, everything calms. Lightning stops for a bit, wind calms, if it was raining, then that stops too...Then the tornado drops REALLY fast. One member here said that the wind speed of a tornado on its path from the clouds to when it touches the ground can be up to 500 mph. Then the spinning speed is different depending on how big it is.

So I was able to see some awesome storms this week, but no tornadoes. I'll let you know if one shows up.

Also, today we took our car in to get it looked at. It isn't shifting right, so the transmission could be ruined. If its okay, then we will have it back at about 11:00 today, that's in about one hour. If not, then we get to be without a car for 3-4 days. YEEHAW!

Well, I haven't received a package yet. But the the mail hasn't come yet today so maybe it will be here today(monday). If you sent it to the address 506 Van Buren then I should be getting it soon. If you sent it to the mission home, then it will be a few weeks before I will see it. I'm far enough away from the mission home that they will just get it to us with our next commissary order, which comes either in the first or second week of November.

That's all for me, and 10 bonus points to Dad for being the ONLY person to care about me enough to send me an email this week. BYEEEE!!

-Elder Duffin 4

18 October 2010

2010-12-13T09:42:00.002-08:00

Our car is having problems shifting. We're going to take it in to have it looked at next Monday, and if it has a problem, we could be without a car for about 4 days. We don't want that to happen, because all of our investigators live a minimum of 20 miles away. YEEHAW!! BIKE TRIP!!

Yesterday (Sunday) was awesome. The previous Sunday, we had 3 families committed to coming to church, and none showed up. However, yesterday, they all showed up! And it was even better because we had good speakers and the topics were on the Restoration and Joseph Smith. PERFECT! The teachers for Elders Quorum have been gone from health problems/moved away, so me and my companion have been teaching, which means no weird, apostate, off-topic lessons in Elders Quorum! yay!

Here's something funny. Most people in this ward are converts to the Church, very few were born and raised in it. Also, when they are taught the missionary lessons, we never talk about the 2nd coming. The 2nd coming is something that they learn about after they become members. Well, because of that, many of them never learn that the rapture is NOT going to happen. Therefore, 1/4 of this ward still believes in the rapture. HAHAHAHA! Funny, but sad. A few of these people have been members for 30+ years. I'm almost dreading the day that the rapture gets brought up in Elders Quorum.

And if you don't know what the rapture is, here is what it is. Its a baptist belief, taken from some verse in (I think) 2 Thesselonians, which they interpret to mean that at the 2nd coming, before Christ comes, people will be "caught up" to meet him. Now, their interpretation of "caught up" is that they will...*POOF*...leaving their clothes behind, and everyone who has faith in Christ will be in their birthday suits just chilling with each other and Jesus somewhere in the clouds. People will *POOF* at different times, so if an airplane pilot *POOF*s then the plane will crash and people will die. At first, only a few people will *POOF* but eventually everyone who believes in Christ will be *POOF*ed. HAHAHA!

Thats it for me, have a good week!

-Elder Duffin 4

11 October 2010

2010-12-13T09:42:00.001-08:00

Ben and Brad you can't go to Canada without me! Wait until May 2012, then we can go.

So today I saw a window sticker on the back of a truck which said

I'll keep my guns, freedom and money...

You can keep the change.

That's a political reference. Just in case someone doesn't get it.

I also saw another baptist advertisement sign, which said "Forbidden fruit make stinking jams."

what?

and for a mechanic's shop, I saw "Jesus is Lord Mechanic on duty."

This week has been a little bit more teaching and a little less tracting, which is good. I think that things are starting to pick up a bit.

And I found out that one of the towns we cover, called Tatum, has a population of about 700. Their football stadium can hold about 1500 people. And its filled every Friday. The town literally doubles its size on football night. More proof that football, NOT baptist, is the most common religion in Texas.

And mom it would be better if you sent a coat to me. All I can get here is a cheap jacket from Wal-Mart. If I want a decent coat, I have to make a 60-mile trip to get one, which is out of my area. Or I could make a 60-mile trip the other way and go out of my zone! yeehaw! So please send one to me.

Thats it for this week. Bye!

-Elder Duffin

04 October 2010

2010-12-13T09:41:00.001-08:00

Conference was awesome! I loved it!! Tell Grandpa that my favorite talk was President Uchtdorf's talk on pride. I would expound more on that but my notes are in the car...

Something funny came this week. It was a poll on how much other religions know about religion. I don't remember if it was in the newspaper here, or something else? But alot of people in this small town are talking about it. Its funny! Basically, those who know the most about religion are Atheists, Agnostics, and... Mormons! The reason why people here are losing their minds over it is because the religion that knows the least is... Southern Baptist! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! LOL!! And I met my first atheist since being on the mission. No, she didn't want to learn more.

The weather report is.... supposed to be lows in the low 40's, and highs in the upper 70's.

We've had to drop a couple investigators this week, which is sad. One guy absolutely knows that the church is true, but he doesn't want to give up his beer. We asked him "if you could be baptized and still be allowed to drink, would you do it?" and he said "yes." So he literally loves his beer more than his kids, family, and God.

But we still are shooting for 2 baptisms this month! That's it for me! bye!

-Elder Duffinspudhead 4

27 September 2010

2010-12-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the package! I'm pretty sure it ruined my companions diet. hehe... And I'm glad that ya'll got the package I sent you.

Transfers came and went. I'm still here! I have tied the record in this mission for longest time with trainer!(4 transfer periods) Which I'm totally fine with, I like my companion and this area.

Let me tell you about the weather. Saturday it was 96 degrees, Sunday it was 70 degrees, and today It was about 45 degrees. It will fluctuate up and down drastically until about April-May, and will continue to fluctuate to colder temperatures. So I will need a coat in about 2-3 weeks. A decent coat out here costs about 160 dollars (ouch!). So Mom and Dad please let me know what you want to do, either I could buy a coat out here, ,you could put money into my account and pay for the coat that I will buy out here, or if they are cheap enough in Utah you could just buy one, see if it fits Brad(especially the sleeves), and send it to Texas. So ya just lemme know what ya'll wanna do.

I now weigh 150 pounds, and yes, my pants still fit.

Does anybody have some cool card/board game ideas for me and my companion to play on p-day? The nearest missionaries are 30 minutes away so p-days are pretty much just us playing Risk over and over and over and over....

BYE!!

-Elder Duffin Number Four

20 September 2010

2010-12-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Here comes another transfer week! Me and my companion could both be transferred this time because we've been here a while, but anything could happen. Things are goin' pretty good. We were tracting and met this guy who was really nice, he let us in, we taught him the Restoration, he really liked it, and he wanted to learn more. But... he was just visiting his parents in Henderson for the week. He really lives in Arlington, where he would be returning to in 2 days. So we just gave the Fortworth Missionaries a miracle.

I promise to send pictures! They are already printed off and are sitting on my desk, so its just a matter of getting them to the post office.

But now on to more important stuff. The standings for points are...

1st Place: Dad 133 pts

2nd Place: Ben 84 pts

3rd Place: Mom 70 pts

4th Place: Brad 42 pts

5th Place: Al 28 pts

Last Place: Brandon 14 pts

Last Place: Shelissa 14 pts

Well, I had eaten something wierd this week. Its called a potato pancake. If you want to try it, just make some mashed potatoes, mix it with an egg, then fry it. YUM!!!

That's all for me! Next week I'll let ya'll know the results of the transfer, whether I stay here or go on to somewhere else. Bye!!

-Elder Duffin 444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444

13 September 2010

2010-09-13T15:38:00.002-07:00

So, here's what we had before. I had just added up all the e-mails and given each e-mail as worth 10 points. I hadn't counted letters because they were at the house and I am at the library and was thus unable to retrieve them. But here's what I will do now, and, give it a little while because I need to find the letters from the home and add it all up.

I decided that any packages, emails, letters, etc. that I received in the MTC are void. The reason for that is because the MTC was my "pre-mission" existence, and I had not been actually "born" yet.

With that said, since it is much easier to whip up an e-mail that write an actual letter, e-mails will be worth 7 points, (if I feel the e-mail lacks in quality, it will be worth 0 points) and written letters will be worth 10 points, because written letters take time and love to write. Letters with things included such as pictures, a candy bar, something, etc. will be worth 15 points.

Packages are few and far inbetween (I hadn't even been "born" yet when I got the last one) so they are worth a whopping 40 points.

If I feel that you are trying to cheat the system(*cough* Brandon *cough*), I will deduct points. Cheating may include, but not limited to: sending empty cardboard boxes, 1 word letters or emails, hate-mail, etc.

You can send letters to the Mission Home, and they will forward that letter to me wherever I happen to be serving. I don't remember it off the top of my head, but I think Mom has it. I know that the street it's on is called

(BLOCKED FOR SPAMMERS)

and I don't know the rest. So if you see an address with that street name, you got the right address.

Packages can be sent to the mission home, however, they have regulations on what type you can send (I think they won't take UPS, FedEx, and alot of others), and if you send packages to the mission home, I won't be able to get it until the end of the month, so I would not send packages to the mission home.

Rather, send packages to my current address, and I will let ya'll know when a transfer date is coming up. DO NOT send packages near a transfer day, because I could get tranferred and miss the package.

My current address is

(BLOCKED FOR SPAMMERS)

and the next transfer date is the 27th of this month, so don't send packages from the 20th until I confirm if I stay or move or whatever happens to me.

So, with that point system, I don't know the current standings. BUT, I do know that Brandon and Shelissa each have a motherload of 14 points. Congrats (sarcasm).

Well, Dad, If I were you, I'd kick those missionaries in the rear. Utah has the highest baptizing missions in the world. My mission is split on how...easy?... the work is. In East Texas, which is where I am at, Its a little more difficult, because people are spread out and alot are desensitized to religion (they like to quote John 3:16 alot, which they use to say that faith in Christ is all you need and then you can do whatever you want, you're saved. Which saddens me, I like that verse, but its sooo very much misapplied out here) or they believe that they already have found Christ and don't need to do anything more. Their preachers preach anti-Mormon literature, too. We got called "Mormonites!" lol!! Also, East Texas areas are very spread out, because there isn't much population. The town I live in has about 10,000 people in it, I cover another town 1/2 hour away which has 10,000 people, and then a bunch of tiny towns up to 45 minutes away that contain 600 people or less. So what the Mission President mostly does, is he puts experienced trainers with new missionaries in East Texas, then he transfers them to the city (Dallas) where they just start dunking people. He gets us used to rough, difficult areas, then throws us into a place thats easier and we can just tear it up.

Yes, East Texas is where the chainsaw massacre happened. Actually, quite a few psycho's have used chainsaws. One actually killed 2 missionaries. One was in Marshall, supposedly. (DONT PANIC MOM, IM NOT THERE ANYMORE!)

Me and my companion work alot and our teaching pool has anywhere between 6-8 people in it. We're teaching more than any other missionaries in our zone. We are shooting for 3 baptisms in October. One investigator has a baptismal date set for Oct. 10, and yes, that day will be 10/10/10. Unintentional, we noticed that the day after setting the baptismal date. The average missionary baptizes 8 people each year, and this year our mission goal is to get 950, and I think they got about 600 last year. We broke a record in May, we had 104 baptisms that month, which is more than this mission has ever had ever ever. YTD we almost have 600, so we're doin' ok.

Wow thats a long email I hope ya'll enjoyed it. See ya next week!
-E. Duffin 4
PS if you have any valid concerns or ideas about points, lemme know. I will have current standings next week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL AND MOM!!!

06 September 2010

2010-09-13T15:38:00.001-07:00

Tell Russel and Clayne congrats from me for their mission call!
Also tell them I said Texas is bigger!
Well, the weather is still HOT but its starting to fluctuate. It was about 60 degrees last night and 100 again in the day, but it will start to go down until FREEZING! The temperature will drop alot, but with no/maybe snow. Also, the humidity bites through your coat, so your skin gets cold cold water on it.
One of my Zone Leaders got transferred, and our new one is from Uruguay (I think I spelled that right, but its a dinky little country in South America right below Brazil and next to Argentina). And speaking of Brazil, Brandon, guess what? The Bishop in this ward served a mission in Belem Brazil. He was there about 3 years before you, so you just missed him.
There's a town that we cover called Kilgore, and we found out that 80% of the world's entire oil production came from that town many years ago. Hurrah for oil!
That's it for me, I will be sending pictures soon.
I'm excited to see some DC pictures from ya'll!
and the points so far are...
Dad 170
Mom 110
Ben 90
Brad 50
Al 40
Brandon 20
Shelissa 20
Nate 0
Til next week!
-E. Duffin 4

30 Aug 2010

2010-09-13T15:32:00.002-07:00

School has started in Texas, which means everyone is watching football on Friday and Saturday, which means they have no time to listen to missionaries on those days. By the way, the football stadiums are GIGANTINANANORMOUS!!! Schools that have only about 700 students have football stadiums bigger than any high school stadium in Utah. And their schools that have 1500+ students have stadiums that are as big, if not bigger, than any college in Utah. People have to buy season tickets for high school football here. Football is dominant religion here, not Baptist.
I like the UT Longhorns now.
Thats pretty much it for me.
Really boring week.
This is my 3rd transfer and I'm still with my trainer. yee-haw!
Til' next time...

-E. Duffin 4

PS thanks for all the emails everyone, I felt really overwhelmed by all the love(SARCASTIC COMMENT)
Dad is the only who sent anything, so 10 points for Dad! Thank you Dad!

23 August 2010

2010-09-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

This has been a really long and boring week. School has been starting, so most families were busy and so we had very few appointments. We tracted all week long. Tracting is really really hot, but its fun, because you don't know what kind of wacko will answer the next door.
I thought I might be able to get pictures to ya'll this week, but don't count on it, because it takes money to print pictures and I'm poor. So if you don't get any pictures soon, then they will be coming next month.
I have to speak in this ward again, so I'll be working on another talk. I'll type up my talks word-for-word and send them to ya'll next week (if I remember).
Oh, and last p-day I told ya'll via email that I would either go to a cattle auction or golf...we did both.
Golf is fun! Have you ever seen a left-handed person play golf with right-handed clubs? That's my companion! I think every single one of his shots went into the woods. HAHA!!
Cattle auctions are WEIRD!!!!! Try looking up a cattle auction on youtube, I'm sure you could find one.
Thats all for me. Love ya'll!
-E. Duffin 4

16 August 2010

2010-09-13T15:30:00.002-07:00

We had transfers this week. Me and my trainer are staying. This is the 3rd transfer with him. Good thing we get along GREAT! My accident prone district leader got double-transfered out of his area (he and his companion were taken out). Just about everyone in my zone got moved except for us and one other companionship.

The member we live with might take us golfing today. Or a cattle-auction. I'd rather play golf =)

The guy we're teaching said he'd like to get baptized but he doesn't want to say when. So he's procrastinating the day of his repentance. grrrr....

How do you teach a someone that can't read? lol

Shelissa, I rebuke you with Alma 60:6

Since its a new transfer, I'm gonna try to send ya'll some more pics.

Tell the cat to stop whining.

I miss snow...

and mountains...

and snowmobiling....

ya thats all I miss. =P

I have nothing else to tell ya'll about except the weather. Which is 106 degrees. The heat index is about 120. Heat index is how hot the air FEELS like, and no, I don't know how they figure that out.

BYE!!
-E. Duffin 4

09 August 2010

2010-09-13T15:30:00.001-07:00

well, not much has happened. We spent most of our week in Longview (a city thats 45 minutes away from our area) for meetings and interviews and meetings and did I mention meetings?

We got one person who's really close to baptism. He is the epitome of an eternagator (eternal investigator, in case you never used that term). His entire family is active, including him. He has been attending church every week without fail for 15 years. He actually has held a calling once. He claimed that he didn't get converted becuase he drinks beer. However, that's usually just a front for a bigger problem--he had never prayed about the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. He has never taken lessons from missionaries, and anytime people ask him to, he says "no." So we tricked him into it. MWHOHOHOHO! (devilish laugh!). So we've had a few REALLY intense lessons with this guy. I thought the couch was about to catch fire the Spirit was so strong. Or a quoir of angels. I think Father decided that he's been going to church for way too long without being baptized and its about dang time.

So when I see him on Friday we'll drop a baptismal commitment and I'll let you know how it went next week.

If he says "no" I think I'll just kick him into the font.

-E. Duffininja 4

02 August 2010

2010-08-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty uneventful week. My District Leader was playing golf, and he hit the ball out of the course, which bounced off the road and smacked through someone's windshield. Three HUGE guys got out of the car and were pretty angry. But the driver was nice and said that his insurance should cover the damage, and they drove off. HAHA!! Anything bad happening in the zone has been happening to the District Leader.

I'm a little scared to take investigators to Elder's quorum, because they ALWAYS get off topic and talk about pointless jargon that has nothing to do with the lesson, and occasionally a bit of false doctrine. (maybe I shouldnt be worried for the investigator, because I dont even understand half of what the teacher is trying to say, anyway. hehe) One guy was supposed to teach about the Atonement, and instead he talked about hell. He claimed that hell really is a place of fire and brimstone, and he had everyone read a scripture that used the word hell, because he said that we shouldn't be afraid to use the word "hell." I had a large mouth and corrected him (I quoted the bible dictionary on hell then said explained it to him because he still didnt get it). I think I scared him because he finished the rest of the lesson by reading straight from the Gospel Principles book, which is what I wanted him to do anyway, so haha, I win.

Later I was reading and came across a scripture (I think it was Jacob 4:14. nevertheless, if you take the time to look it up, its talking about Jews, so if you're reading about Jews, you probably found it). It describes exactly what is going on with some members of the church. They try to make things complicated when the gospel itself is actually really simple. It gave me a little bit of comfort. Maybe I'll use that scripture to rebuke the next teacher, mwahahahaha! jk

well, love ya'll, enjoy Washington DC (good luck)
-E. Duffin 4
PS please vent your anger at the IRS building for me

26 July 2010

2010-07-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

so, a member gave us a mini-fridge, and i was really happy. in fact, i was so happy, that i decided to call the district leader and brag about it. In the meantime, the district leader was leaving an appointment at 9:30 at night, and he was driving. The phone rang, which distracted him. He looks down, as his companion suddenly yells "OH SHOOT!!!!" then WHAM!!! they hit a recliner that was sitting in the middle of the road.
Yes, i feel like i caused an accident. Later i was talking to them about it, and they said they were really really grateful that i had called. The district leader tenses up and loses control of himself when he feels overwhelmed (like trying to do 2 things at once), and he said that if I hadnt called, he would have jerked the steering wheel really hard and potentially have flipped the car. If he had hit the recliner 5-10 feet to the left or the right, he could have done serious damage to the car and possibly been really hurt. But since he was distracted, and did not alter his course, he hit it the recliner in the most perfect spot, and did absolute minimal damage to the car--just a really big dent and a crack on the side of the bumper.
As i said, i feel like i caused an accident. but that was funny!! think of the random-ness of it. i call to brag about getting a mini-fridge, which causes my district leader to run into a recliner sitting in the middle of the road. HAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!
Well, the car is fixed, and everything is just fine and dandy.
Only in East Texas will there be furniture lying in the middle of the road.

ALSO! i almost forgot. Missions around the world are changing. The curriculum (did i spell that rite? hehe) is changing again. First was memorized discussions, then Preach My Gospel, now its the 8 Foundation Point Things Whatever. We still are using Preach My Gospel, but how we use it is being changed. I dont know how to really explain it, (because i havent been taught it yet) but its supposed to be epic. My comp had to go to a huge 3-day meeting and learn all this. We no longer look at the mission in the period of "transfers." We're supposed to focus more on monthy. There's also rumor that they will have new planners, and new movies, and new stuff. hoorah for modern revelation!

Well, thats it for me. Lemme know how ya'll are doing.
Shelissa, you fail, you said that "from now on I will email you every week without fail"
You made it one week.
HAHAAHAHAH!!
love ya'll!
-EDuffin4

19 July 2010

2010-07-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

For those who were wondering, yes, I can receive pictures through attachment via email. However, no guarantees whether it will work when I try to open it. Also, I have not had to eat anything weird, people here really know how to cook. They also cook enough food to feed an army. No, it has not helped me gain weight. =( I found out that the bishop here went on a mission to Belem Brazil. He's a very young bishop, he just turned 30. The ward here is very supportive, they give referrals and all is great. Nobody gettin close to baptism yet. Also, we got a referral from Temple Square missionaries, they contacted someone who had been reading the Book of Mormon. He lives in Carthage (Carthage is a town 45 minutes away from our house--even though our area was split, its still HUGE!!), and he's a baptist preacher..... He was nice on the phone, but he said that he was leaving town for a week and he really wants to talk to us, he likes the book, and to please call him in a week. Sounds great, but I'm a little skeptic. Preachers usually aren't that pleasant or accepting of other beliefs.

So here's somethin' funny that I noticed since being in Texas. Normally, in Utah, if somebody is giving directions, they point out landmarks, such as "drive that way until you see the 7-11, turn left, keep driving until you see the Walmart, turn right, pass Autozone..."

But, in Texas, landmarks are like this: "Go to the First Baptist Church there, turn right, go until you see the Church of Christ and another Baptist Church, then you will pass the Church of Messianic Jews, then right after that is..."
......Every landmark is a church, and yes, I really did see a Church of Messianic Jews.

That's it for me. This week was pretty slow--my companion was still in pain from the hornets. He ached all over and anytime he walked outside, he inflated like a balloon and broke out in hives, so we couldnt go outside and tract much.
Love ya'll, c ya later!
-E. Duffin 4

12 July 2010

2010-07-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

FYI we are living with a member in Henderson, and he has a ping-pong table in the middle of our room. YAYA! also, we couldnt get a hold of the Marshall bishop to tell him we were being transferred. And the new missionaries in Marshall are a senior couple, so it'll be interesting when the Bishop tries to boss them around. :) Henderson is great. Today my companion got stung 20+ times by wasps, and he's allergic. So all morning and afternoon he was in the hospital. Dont worry though, he's fine now. Just a little loopy. well, a lotta loopy. The ward here is really really really supportive, which is night/day difference from Marshall. Also, if yesterday was the day Brad gave his talk, then awesome, we gave our talks on the same day. Which is my first time giving a talk in the field. Marshall didnt want us to talk, Henderson had us talk the first Sunday there. Also, we found out that our area used to be the LARGEST area of the mission. We found a dinky little twn that is barely in one of our counties, and that town is 2.5 hours away from Marshall. Thus, our area from tip to tip, was almost 4.5 hours across. DAG YO!! now we cover almost 2 counties. Well, thats it for me, bye!
-E. Duffin 4

PS I am disowning Nate and Shelissa, I havent heard from either one.

5 July 2010

2010-07-18T09:53:00.002-07:00

Transfers were on July 4. Transfer + Holiday = bad news. Sooooo confusing. But all is well. We really didnt expect to be able to move to Henderson, but we are!! yaya!! The area is being split, so me and E. Svedin are being transferred to Henderson. 2 missionaries will be double transferred into Marshall. However, because not everything has been set up to move straight to Henderson (we'll be living with a member), we have to stay in Marshall. This means that we could have 2 companionships working in Marshall for about a week. Also, because the 4th was on Sunday, many places to email were closed on monday. Therefore, many missionaries are having their p-day on wednesday, which throws off every meeting and little detail this week. its not terrible, but it gets really confusing when trying to organize everything that is going on. Since we are so far from the mission home, we dont meet in Dallas at transfer meetings. They just tell us where to go and we go (assuming we are being transferred to another are that is in East Texas). Yes, no more scary apartement buildings, we are leaving the hood! love ya'll, hope all is great in Utah, and pray that a hurricane doesnt go up the Gulf of Mexico, I really dont want to get rained on by oil!
-E. Duffin 4

28 June 2010

2010-07-18T09:53:00.001-07:00

Well, i hope ya'll liked the pics, because im not sending anymore. =P jk. Its hot here. good news--i havent talked to that Bishop in over a week. best week so far... kinda. On Tuesday we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders, which are Spanish Missionaries. Awkward day. I went into their area and the other went to Marshall. Since I went to their area, I had to go with him to their appointments, etc. I didn't have a clue what was going on or how well the day went. All I know is that I can't understand Spanish. Then on Thursday an Assistant to the President came with us. Since we were having an exchange with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday, we packed all of our very few appointments on Tuesday, so the Zone Leader would be able to give advice, see how we were doing, etc. Thus, we had no appointments for the Assistant on Thursday. So we took him tracting. I'm sure he had a wonderful time in the hood.
The joke here is that Marshall is the armpit of Texas. If that's true, then we just found the armpit of Marshall. I guess that would make it the armpit of the armpit of Texas. We went into this apartment complex. a very scary apartment complex.... Every third door had a large gang of black guys staring you down with bloodshot eyes. In each hand was either a beer or a large knife--the kind you could cut people with. We were 2 white missionaries in the midst of a black apostate army. And we were scared. My face paled. Yes, it paled. Believe it, my face CAN get whiter. We turned the Malibu around as fast we could (which wasn't very fast, Malibu's turn like boats) and drove off. Never again to return. You couldn't pay me enough money to go back in there.
Well, thats it for me. Happy late Father's Day Dad! Love ya'll.
--Elder Duffin

21 June 2010

2010-07-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Weeeeellllll, i had an awkward experience. The Marshall bishop was giving us a ride from Tatum back to Marshall. And he called you guys along the way. AWKWARD!! If you guys still have that message, listen to it. His accent is the same accent as everyone down here. It's pretty thick. That's how all East Texans talk. So, did ya'll get the pictures that I sent? I kinda hope that they got lost in the mail. Please don't use them against me for blackmail. And everyone, harass Nate for me. He's the only brother that hasn't written/emailed me. I can email anyone on this email account. fyi. and sorry Ben and Al, i am not allowed to look at your blog. :( I've done alot of tracting this week, ran into a couple Baptist preachers. Those guys are weird. And people here don't really mind the Mormon missionaries. But they hate Jehovah's Witnesses. I'll go to a door, and the person will seem really irritated, until we say "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," then they open up and are all friendly. That's all I got. Love ya'll!

--Elder Duffin v. 4.0

14 June 2010

2010-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been long. It is really hot outside. Like, really really hot. We've done lots of tracting. That pretty much sums up my whole week. After sending this email I will go to walmart to get food and develop some pics. I will then mail the pics home so be sure to check them out.
Thanks everyone for the advice! We'll see what happens. And I'm probably not gonna move to Henderson. We have a contract with the apartment complex, and it will cost the chuch over 4k to break. So the earliest we can move is in December, which is when the contract ends.
Love ya'll! Good luck with the exploder, I won't miss it.

Love,
Elder Duffin number four

New Missionary

2010-07-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bryan Duffin is serving in TEXAS!!!

If you would like his email, comment to this post and I will give it you! That way I can monitor it! Thanks!

15 September 2008

2008-09-23T15:12:00.001-07:00

HEY, Well, weather has been realy bad!! Anyways, um actually mom if you could it would be really nice if you could send me alittle bit of money, i want to by a dictionary, but one that is in spanish, not your spanish to english, just your normal dictionary but in spanish. I really want to learn new words, and so i think the best way would to read the dictionary!! Actually, also, i want to learn proper spanish. My spanish the Dominican style and so it is very different, and i want to be speaking proper spanish for when i come home. I only have 5 months left, so i figure it would be easier just to buy one here, then having you send me one. Anyways, things are good, and very busy. I would write more but my keyboard on this computer doesnt seem to function properly,so its going to be short. It is really annoying! Anyways, good to hear all is good. LOVE YOU ALL, see you next week!!
LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

1 September 2008

2008-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,
Sorry for last week, lots of rain, lots and lots of rain. We were shut in the house for an entire day!! But other than that nothing else. We were going to come back later in the week to write but never had time. In fact i never have time anymore. Being ZL is really busy, really busy. But i guess its fun, its got its own set of challenges that are different, that make the mission alittle more interesting than what it was before. Well to tell you about my area, so di que, or supposedly the last 4 missionaries or so that have passed by this area havent goten along too well with the ward, so Pres felt it best to put two new ones in there. I guess the ward was kinda relieved because i heard it was a fairly horrible ward to work with, but with us they are nothing but go go go go go!! They are wanted to split it into a ward and a branch, and they have more than enough priesthood to do so, they just need stake approval. Actually the area is really big and a branch on the other side would really help it grow. So we are working towards that. Also my area is in the ¨mountians¨ its really hilly and we walk up or down, some are actually kinda big but its nice. Unlike my first area that was like that, its not as far north, so its not chilly, its actually quite hot, and with the tropical storms it gets really hot and muggy. But whatever. Um also mosquitos are really bad, i have never had a house this bad. I believe, actually im going to purchase a bug net because they are in swarms in my house, its horrible. But im good. Sorry i didnt write last week. I live in a house with all americans again, its different, i have been living with latins or dominicans for last 6 months, and so its really different. Im not sure if i like it. I kinda hope one comes next transfer. Anyways i have to go, i hope all fairs well for everyone, dont worry, a hurricane hasnt hit here since the temple was built. That doesnt mean tropical storms dont pass by, but a tropical storm is alot better than a hurricane. Just rain, and a chance for service!! Actually in the last storm flooded the streets pretty bad and it gave us a chance to help our neighbors bail water out of their houses, sowing the seeds!!! Anyways im doing good, though i feel wierd because i have alot of time in the mission, and because im a new ward i think i tell that to people muchas veces every day and so i constintly get reminded of it and so i just feel wierd. Anyways im doing good, im happy and hopfully ill have a couple of baptisms by transfers end. Anyways have a good week and love you all!!!!
Love Elder Duffin#3

18 August 2008

2008-08-27T21:14:00.001-07:00

Sorry i didnt write, tropical storm, you know how that goes. So Pday is now changed to mondays. Write me by monday por favor!! Also transfers is wed. and i am being transfered. I got a very unexpected call this morning, i am going to be a Zone Leader!! Ill tell you more about it next week. We had a baptism last saturday, and it was and amazing baptism!!!! ill send you pics next week, hey got to go, Love you all, Have a good week, Ben get a new truck.

Love Elder Duffin#3

6 August 2008

2008-08-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

Well, this last week was one of those hard weeks, where it seems like everything goes wrong. it wasnt that great of a week, but this week has been good so far. i have another baptism this weekend, whahoo, and i got another the week after that, and i have another the week after that whaooohoooo, and if all goes well, i will just be stacking to the amount that will be baptised those days, alot of hard work, perseverence, preparation, and patience has really paid off, the fruits are coming!! We have also found some really great investigators, and we have a new GOLDEN investigator too, we are going to challenge her to baptism tomarrow, our second time teaching her.
Her story is actually quite amazing, she was telling us how she looked for the true church for years, but everything she read in the bible didnt add up with what the churches preached. Like her really big on is Prophets, and the other really big one authority. She said when she was looking into the evagelical church, the minister one day talked about Christs authority, so after she went up and asked him, where did you get your authority, who made you preacher, why cant i be the preacher, why do you have more than me? So on her road to finding the church, she came across a member that said we believe in a ladder day prophet, she was intrigued, so she started taking institute classes, and the class she picked was the teaching of the modern day prophets!! She says the moment the class started and they started talking about prophets she new it was true. The teacher told her to pray, and she did and she recieved the answer that it is true. We talked with her she said she would pray but she already knows its true. Amazing or what!!! really she is GOLDEN!!
So anyways i got to go, this week is good unlike last week, and next week looks good too, anyways, Ben thx for the letter, i guess its quality not cuantity right? or niether or both? Anyways love you bro, thx for it, and hope everyone is good, love you all!!

LOVE Elder Duffin#3

30 July 2008

2008-08-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

So this week has been good. I had my interviews with my new missin Pres. Presidente Almonte, it was really cool, i really like him. So not realy sure what to write, oh i have 2 baptisms this weekend, and its possible that President Almonte will go, that would be really cool. We played baseball this pday, and i got burnt, toasted, roasted and red! You´ll see in the baptismal picture. Oh i did get the package finnally, thx for sending it!! The licorice is awesome!!! and so are the ties!!!! Anyways got to go, love you all!!!!

Elder Duffin#3

23 July 2008

2008-07-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well, dont have much time, at our pday activity, we played a form of baseball that dominicans made up when they are too poor to buy a regular ball, its actully quite fun!! But my we left our keys and so we had to go back and get them, kiling all of our time to write. So all is good, i got 2 baptisms coming up in a couple of weeks, its hot, im having fun, and now i have to go. Oh i will get the package friday, it came in last week, but you wrote brad duffin on it and they wouldnt give it to the office because it didnt say elder duffin, stupid, but they have to take a copy of my passport to get it, so i will get it friday. Thankyou for sending it. Mission is fun, this week was good, but i really do have to go, Ben im still awaiting a response. Love you all!!!

Love Elder Duffin#3

Brother!

2008-07-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, you can post comments at the end of each post. It's kind of a fun way to communicate your thoughts about the blog... or just to have another fun way to communicate. Also, I tried to email your fam about the blog, but if you would... send out in your next email that they can visit your blog and post comments as to what they'd like to see on the blog. They would just go to

elderduffin.blogspot.com

Hope all is well! Love ya!

16 July 2008

2008-07-21T22:00:00.002-07:00

Hey how goes it!! So first off, my comp is cool, hes a hard worker, and its nice to be working hard for a change. Also last saturday i was in a very crowded bus on my way to a zone meeting, and i recieved this call from my mission pres. telling me that i am district leader. So im DL now too, crazy.
Anyways we put 2 baptismal dates for the 2 of August, and we hope to put another tonight!!! Bout time too, though i kinda had to have a little patience with my investigators, i thought these two were going to progress faster, but im happy to say that they progressed all the way to baptism, even though it wasnt as fast as i wanted or expect, teh good thing is that they made the right descision.
So, i havent got the package yet, did you send it global priority, and did you put Jesus stickers on it? Anyways, i made yorkshire pudding again for a member, he is a cook and he took cooking classes over in the states, so he is always interested at new stuff, so i was telling him about it and he wanted to try it, so i made it for him, the pan did not fall, thankfully, and it turned out great!! Anyways, did i tell you before but im living with 3 latins again? Cause i am. Lifes fun, though different, i have a lot more to worry about now, but lifes fun.
My new mission pres. is awesome, we had zone conference monday, and it was awesome! It was a big change from what my old pres did, it was all hands on, he hardly spoke actually, it more like we did stuff, practiced, and worked on improving our abilities to work with members and contact people in the street. My new pres in really pushing hard to have us contact. It kinda fell out of priority, my old pres working with it a bit too, but my new pres is really pushing it, really really pushing it. So pretty much me and my comp went out and did like 150 contacts in like 3 days!! it was crazy. But its been nice, i have been able to set the level of obedience for us, como, when we leave the houes, makiing sure we get in on time, those kinds of things missionarys have really slacked off on, and our pres is pushing those too, and im happy to comply. anyways thats about it. Dad, thanks for the pics, Brandon your looking good, and your dating!!! One step closer to eternal life bro!!! When are you going to write me, your due, you know once every six months, got like 2 weeks or so to make the dead line!! Bryan hows the summer? Ben Al, hows the house and when are you going to answer my question?

Mom, if you really wanted you could throw in 10 bucks to the account for me to get a new pan, or else i was just going to wat till next month to buy it. Either way doesnt matter to me. Hope all is well and everyone is good, i sent out like 10 letters last week to lots of people, grandparents, ward members, ect, i hope they get them let me know, never know with pouch. Anyways love you all!! and have a good week!!!!!

LOVE ELDER DUFFIN#3

9 July 2008

2008-07-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a crazy week.
First of all, my companion went home, which i am happy for, he pretty much died this week and we got nothing done. I have my new comp, a Dominican named elder Báez, from what i have heard which isnt much, hes an obedient hard worker. Also i was finnaly made senor comp, after 17 months!! Anyways not that it really matters it just wow, long time. Anyways, we had a minature pre zone confrence with our new pres. Pres. Almonte, he went through the church news, but they got his name wrong, they wrote Gonzales, when it is really Almonte, but thats an easy mistake, latins have like 5 names, its hard for anyone to get it right! Im just excited to work, now that im senor comp i can set the standard, and its going to be high!!
So if all goes well, we will have a baptism, not this saturday, but next, and another the week after that. We have a few progressing invesitgators, though with my companion, everything just seemed to die. But i have an amazing ward (im still in the same area yahooo!) so it wont be too bad. Actually its not realy bad at all.
Anyways, ben al, i asked a couple of questions a couple of weeks ago for you, i await your response... Brandon, so there is this member in my ward that wants to attend the UofU to be a doctor, she wants to hook up with you... ... ... ... im just kidding bro, she just wants some information, im going to give her your email, i believe it is still the one at networld, if not, tell me otherwise so that you could help her, dont worry she knows almost perfect english. But i just wanted to make sure you havent changed or anything, could a family member please notify him of that, take a little initiative and tell him, i dont know if he even reads my emails, he never sends me any.
Mom!!! so guess waht i got an amazing fairy tale for you that doesnt end with happily ever after, it goes like this... So there was a missionary, who longed for a taste of his moms home cooked meals, he bought a nice glass pan, for an amazing deal, he prepared and bought the ingredients but lacked one thing, the recipe!! So he emailed his mom!! after a couple of weeks he recieves the blessed reicipe of the amazing YORKSHIRE PUDDING, the family secret!! the missionary goes home and the next morning he follows the instructions prepares all and pours it into his pan, he then commences to bake, waiting patiently the alotted 30 min. At last it was finished, he pulls it out of the oven, a masterpiece, its PERFECT!!! He smells and savours the aroma, the other elders in the house are drawn to the kitchen to see his prize!! (wish it ended there but no!!) (i guess you could make it into a shakespear play, you know a tradgedy!! Though i guess you need to know what it is) (so back to the story) SO the missionary eagerly puts forth the spactualy to withdraw his delicious perfect breakfast, but unbeknown to him, just like his mom, he has slightly burned the bottom, unbeknown to him a part of the pan is not resting on the counter but hanging over in perilous danger, and when our missionary puts forth the pressure, his joy, his master piece, HIS BREAKFAST, goes crashing to the floor, shattering his pan, and all his hopes and dreams of eating a great breakfast...

Yeah so i made yorkshire pudding, it turned out great!! except for the fact it fell!! after i cleaned up the mess i was able to salvage a bit of it and eat it. It was really good just like at home!! I bought the glass pan like a year ago in my 2nd area like last august, and now it is in pieces!! Depressing. It turned out really well, it looked just like at home and tasted just like it too. Now i dont have a pan. And i was so looking forward to cooking it alot, it is actually pretty cheap to make, and since i eat eggs anyways its a good variety, except my pan is in pieces!!! I guess its like life, things can always come to a shattering end if your not careful. i really should have been more careful. So anyways moving on...

Dad, question for you, There was an elder living in my house, he just moved out to the mission office now, his name is Elder Durfee, so we were talking one day and it turns out his dad worked for Autosoft too, did you know a Chad Durfee, when you worked there? Also, the Peck fam, that i dont remember too well, But did he work at Autosoft too? and what is his first name, because its possible that that is his uncle. Anyways just curious, oh and it turns out when we were in taylorsville, we were talking and we grew up in the same stake, and he might even have gone to the same chapel. So just curious, if you knew them at all, and about the Pecks too.
Well, i believe that about rapps it up for everything, dont have much more to say, good luck with the sprinkly system, ben, al, dad. Love you all and have a great week!!!

Love Elder Duffin#3

2 July 2008

2008-07-21T21:59:00.001-07:00

Dear Fam, Mom, thx for the recipe for yorkshire puddin, i hope it works too, eggs are cheap and i can eat something different than toast, who knows maybe i will whip it out for dinner one night too, jst like at home!!! Speaking of the forest company, is it strange that i miss mowing lawns?!!?! Thx for the money too, lots of other missionaries get the call daily that their card was canceled, hopefully i dont have to go through it again. Next week is transfers, so i will be getting a new comp, hopefully i dont get moved either, dont really want to leave my area yet, if i had it my way, i would stay in this area for another 4 months!! This area is really awesome, the members too!! Anyways i have to go, we have to go teach, i kinda got back late from buying food in the store, so i will write more next week, love you all, and Ben, Al i would like a response on my question from last week, FELICIDADES, YOUR FINNALY IN YOUR HOUSE, SEND ME PICS!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

25 June 2008

2008-07-21T21:58:00.001-07:00

Dear Fam,

So How was it this past week? Im doing great!!! Work is good. Actualy is amazing. I had this really cool expirience during this week. So we are teaching this family, and up until now they were really flaky, we were going to drop them, but i really felt that we should hang on to them. Im sure glad we did!!! So we kinda started over with them, but started to really work hard with the mother, Ramona. She really loves the gospel for how it is so focused on families and stuff. So we talked about the Book of Mormon (the most wonderful book in the univerese) adn then we watched the Testaments. Amazing movie, so at the end she was bawling crying, and my comp and i just sat there and then i said to her, how do you feel, and she said good, so i was like, what does good mean... and she explained, then i said that that is the holy Ghost, that that is how the holy ghost feels, and she should always rember it. Then i promised her that if she reads the book, it will be a work to her faith to know if this is the true church, and she would start to have miracles happen in her life!!
that was last monday, two weeks ago. then we went back and visted her again, and she described her expirience. She had an accident with er eye and has to put these eye drops in her eye, so she lost them one night. she and her children spent all day tearing the house apart tooking for them. So it was late and she was going to go to bed but she saw her Book of Mormon, and she started to read it even though the doctor said she shouldnt because it could strain her eye and damage it really bad. So she read adn read 3nefi 11 and half of twelve. Then when she finished she put her book of MOrmon back and there by her side were her eye drops. She was crying to us as she explained the miracle that had passed, and shesaid she felt the same spirit wheile she was reading as during the movie!!
Then last monday we started family home evening with her family, up until monday we had never been able to get the entire family together at the same time. So it was a miracle that they wre all there for thier first family home evening. I sat next to her and during it she turned to me and say Doofy (thats what she calls me, Duffin is just a little too hard to say) do you feel that, the HOLY GHOST is here!!! Isnt that amazing!!! She has progressed so much!!! and she is dragging her family along with her!! it was awesome!!

Okay so i get a new mission pres. on Saturday, his navme is Pres. Almonte. He is a domincan convert, from up north in the Santiago mission. He is the first Domincan Mission Pres. Im pretty excited!! Though i will miss my old pres, Pres. Bair. So mom dad said you sent me the package thank you!!! Love you!!! Anyways, i have to go, but mom could you write me and send me instructions on how to make yorkshire pudding, i want to attempt to make it. So could you please write that to me, i am in the downtown capital, so i am pretty sure i can find everything to make it. besides isnt it just eggs. Anyways, thank you love you all, and have a great week!!!! TE AMO!!

Love Elder Duffin#3

20 June 2008

2008-06-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well, today was temple day, it was nice to go to the temple again, since we only get to go every 3 months. Well, teaching this week has been alot better, we recieved some really good refrences, one is a young family that so far look as if they will progress really well. Also another family we are teaching that we were about ready to let go, has finnaly taken off! They are doing alot better. We have two baptismal dates now, one for the 5 of july and the other for the 12th. If things keep this pace, we will probally put 3 more in the next couple of weeks. Last week was just one of those slow weeks were everything seems to wrong. This week is much better.
so thanks for the money, it really saved me. I recived my new mission card the other day, and then they told us today to withdraw all money, and they are going to cancel all cards in the mission, they are going to switch banks. At least they gave us a warning this time. So now i got my new card, was able to use it for 2 days and now i have to wait for another new one in july. QUE PROBLEMA!!! So, i bought some new garments today, because myne were really warn out, and i wanted to have a couple of new pairs. Also mom, were you ever going to send some more of that acne stuff, im almost out, and so i have started to use it once a day, instead of twice, and zits are bad again. If you could send some my way, i would appreciate it!! Also those ties for little kids, just a couple, there are some really cool families down here that would love them, and more oil vials, and some more scripture markes, people love those too. They should just open a deseret book store in the DR. Anyways mom get back to me on that.
Sounds like everyones life it pretty boring, dad Happy fathers day!!! The DR´s is in 2 weeks and i was thinking it was the same for the US Too, guess iwas wrong!! Ben Al, once again congrats on the house, send me some picks, like fisical pics, so i can show them to peeps down here, my
big (litterealy) older bro, and my sis, in there house. Anyways thats about all there is. Love you all and have a great week!!!

-Love Elder Duffin#3

18 June 2008

2008-06-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, so today isnt pday, because we go to the temple on friday and that becomes pday, so i will write then. So if you havent had a chance to write yet (ben, al) you can still do so. Write then Love Ya!!!

Love, Elder Duffin#3

11 June 2008

2008-06-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Dear FAM,

Well, unlike last week, where nothing happened except me losing my card, making things difficult, this week has actually been pretty good. #1 thanks for the little bit of money, i didnt use too much of it, like 35 bucks, exchange rate was really good i guess, because my normal 1000 pesos that equals 50 bucks was only 35. Whoo hoo. Ok, so to other things. So President Johnson from my area Seventy has been speaking to my ward alot on missionary work and doing your part to split in december. Well, everyone in the ward got serious, and they are now preparing 200 refrences!!! They have a plan to prepare them, and on sunday 15 were at church!!! They are good refrences, amazing actualy, if they keep this up the will either split before december or split 3 ways or something. It was pretty exciting to walk into chruch on sunday and see the chapel jam packed full (and its a big chapel, for here anywasys) with lots of new faces. Also i live with 2 other elders that are in the nieghboring area, and they got a call that they need to find and move to a new house, so we are thinking that Pres is going to put another companionship in my area, which is good, because right about now we have a little more than we can handle. We have to do alot of exchanges with ward members to meet all of our appointments. Big difference from last week.
So lets talk weather, whats the weather like in Utah? Rain season is starting, early according to my companion, and wow, alot of rain. Normally i dont mind rain, but it always slows things down, my companion doesnt like it, and wont walk in it. Not that i care, i can get wet for the Lord. But i guess the benefit is that it isnt as hot because there is always cloud cover. Also i am sending pics from my last baptism, the first is my comp and I and the high priest group leader performed the baptism. Her name is Adelina, and she has 78 years. The other has the bishop (the guy next to me) and the ward mission leader (next to my comp) and the last has yes my mission pres, President Bair and his wife. Yeah, they came to my baptism, i guess thats the benifit of being close to their house. It was a good baptismal service too.

I was talking to a member the other day, and its funny because she was telling me that people in all the other wards call this ward the Little UTAH, because about half the members in the ward are members from since the church started here 30 years ago, they are called the pioneers of the church in the DR. And alot of the younger membes (including my bishop) come from families that were some of the first families to join. Which is really cool because they all actually do their duty. Its the first ward i have been in where they actually do home teaching and visiting teaching. They are also a huge ward. Its funny though Litte Utah. Anyways got to go, Love you lots !!!! Oh and i am supposed (di que) to get my new card from the mission this friday. TE AMO!!!!

Love Elder Duffin#3

4 June 2008

2008-06-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Fam,

So, this morning I got an interesting call from the mission office. Apparently my debit card (from the mission) or the number has been stolen and they had to cancel my card. Result they canceled it, and now i am left without, my card and money for the two weeks i have to wait for a new card. No idea how it happened but they also said that it happened with about 100 other missionaries between our mission and the east mission. Anyways if you could throw in another 50 bucks that should give me enough to survive. Luckily we already bought food for the month, so i just have other basic costs to cover.
Anyways, currently work is moving a little slow right now, lots and lots of rain. Always slows things down. So anyways, not much to report on, kinda one of those very boring weeks. Really have nothing to say. Oh and mom could you send me the reicipe for yorkshire pudding,i want to try adn make it. Anyways love you all TE AMO!!!!!

-Elder Duffin#3

28 May 2008

2008-06-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

Well, we had a baptism saturday. It was awesome, my mission pres. showed up to it too. All the ward members were like wow Elder Duffin, you got it in good with the mission pres if he came to your baptism. Not like anything like that at all actually, dont know why but it was cool to see him there. He was pretty impressed that we had taught and baptised her in 2 weeks. Not like i did anything, she was ready, it wasnt even neccisary for me to teach her.
So about transfers, didnt get transfered, still in my area, with my same comp, looks like he is going to end his mission with me. Its cool, this is an awesome area. We were talking with our Elders quorum president, and he started a plan to get refreneces from his quorum and prepare them in 1 month for us to teach them. So he showed us the list of names of people that they are preparing. There is 50!! they are preparing 50 refrences!! Even if half of them take 25 is amazing, lets say only a third of them go then thats like15 or so. That is still amazing! But 50!!! it really is a strange thing that my comp and i stayed together for 3 transfers. That never really happens in the mission. Thing is when we were talking about these refrences, i recieved a strong spiritual impresion that this is part of the reason why i am here, to help this plan come into effect, i still have a purpose here. I was actually kinda surprised to recieve it but i got it.
Also Sunday Elaine S. Dalton came to our sacrament meeting, it was mothers day for the DR and it was an awesome sacrament meeting, i think that almost every young women and mother was crying, it was really awesome. But it only gets better, tomarrow Elder Gonzales from the presidency of the Seventy is going to speak to our mission!! I am really excited, this is the second time a seventy, and general authority will speak to us. Yet it gets even better, how? Elder Quentin Cook is coming the 11 June to speak to us!! My first apostle, and once again only to our mission!! Awesome huh!!!?!!! I am so excited it is going to be awesome.
Dad, sounds like your doing good, continueing the mission legacy!! Its cool to hear that i am not the only one having mission expiriences!! By the way, what do you do on all your trips that requires you to go to so many places so often. Deantre!!
Mom, thanks for the advice, it always good to get a reminder to be obedient, it is the first law in heaven, and the best way to know is to do it!!! Not to mention when you are obedient it brings a special power when you speak from expirience, and you have a testimony that only comes from expirience. It is important and i always try my hardest. Thank your for the email, and did you get the package out yet? if not, no rush anymore, im staying for at least 1 month more and i think will be here for at least 2 more after that. So anyways got to go love you all!!! Hear from you next week, and Ben Al send me some pics of your house!!! TE AMO!!!!

Love Elder Duffin#3

21 May 2008

2008-06-23T23:08:00.002-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well, we are a go for saturday, we are going to baptise another wonderful daughter of God!!! That is 78 years old!!! Anyways, my comp and i are working harder than ever!! we decided that we really wanted to work today so we did, we worked on our pday, and its our second time, and it feels wonderful!!! But unfortunatly that has left me with no time to write what so ever, so... Ill make this fast, mom thanks for the dinero, it is really going to bless this member alot!! Dont worry about sending the package como, next day delivery, stick to the GLOBAL PRIORTIY, and because you havent sent it yet, send more of those scripture markers, i would like to give them to my baptisms when we give them thier new scriptures. That is if you havent sent it yet, if so, dont worry about it, and last time i was transfered i lost a picture that Grandma Jan gave me with the 2 missionaries getting reading, and in the mirror it shows him putting on the armor of God with God looking over his shoulder, could you send it to me again.
So me and my comp are officially work aholics, my ZL is kinda mad at us, because he plans activities for the zone and we dont come, but we are working, and we have found some really great new people to teach, this area is amazing, its sad to think that it is very possible that i will be leaving next week. I really love this area, like my last area. This ward has been amazing to work with. Either way if i leave or not i will be getting a new comp, which is sad, my comp and I work hard, its all we do, we leave at 9:30 and dont get back until 9:30 (which is alowed mom). Its great, could a missionary ask for anything more? I THINK NOT!!!
Well, mom i have a question, whats up with telling me to wear my shoes, dont think i follow that? But sure will do it, though the outside looks good, the inside is another story, its kinda intersting to see the difference. Thanks for writing me too, i know your over 50 and it can be so hard at times, with so many kids at home and everything. Just kidding mom, i shouldnt be so sarcastic, but i am very thankful for the letters you do send, because i know you send them with love!! Dad it sounds like our traveling too much, i know i havent had a pday in two weeks but maybe you should take a pday too. Ben and Al, silence dont you hate that, brandon silent too, i guess ping pong and my other older brother nate are too important. Oh well, bryan, where is bryan? Anyways i got to go, MY TIME IIIIIS UP!! So i will hopefuly hear form more of my wonderful family next week. LOVE YOU ALL, TE AMO!!!

LOVE Elder Duffin#3

14 May 2008

2008-06-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well, dont realy have anything to say, because we just talked, was great too! ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!! Anyways, my comp and i kinda skiped today as pday because the DRs elections are friday, and we have been instructed to stay in the house that day, because it could be dangerous, so we are going to make that day pday. So good news, this morning we put another date for baptism with another investigator for the 24 of may!!! whooohoooooo. and sorry i couldnt send my picks of my last baptism my camera died right as i went to download the picks, itll have to wait till next week. Anyways, love you all TE AMO!!!

-LOVE Elder Duffin#3!!

7 May 2008

2008-06-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

Hey Fam!!

RIGHT so sorry about the confusion, wasnt really sure what i was writing, though i did know in my head that this sunday is mothers day, got kinda confused with the dates or something, anyways not important, though i am calling sunday, 3 o clock your time sounds good. I am going to have 2 baptisms this week end, whooo hooo. Not going to say much because we are going to talk sunday, anyways mom i want to remind you to buy a calling card, so dad doesnt have another heart attack!!! Anyways see you later love you, good to hear all is well, TE AMO!!!

-Love elder Duffin#3

30 April 2008

2008-06-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well, im not going to write much because we are going to talk sunday!!! I will call a 3 your time. BEN, AL you better be there or i might not be related to you, just kidding, please try to be there, i know you have to talk to David too, but remember you cut me short last time to talk to him, maybe you could extend the curtisy to me this time. LOVE YOU BOTH!! Anyways, we are not going to have a baptism this week end, our investigator has run into a bunch of problems with tithing, even if she resolves them we will probably still post pone it another week, though next week we have at least 1 for sure, and very very very likely 2, and if this other investigator resolves her problem 3. Anyways talk to you sunday, love you all!!!!

-Love Elder duffiin#3

23 April 2008

2008-06-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Ya i was hoping for a new comp, my comp is getting really lazy, and we leave the house pretty late, at about 4, when we should leave at 2. He also seems to blame all of our problems on me. I think its because he sleeps too much. I liken him to a cat, our cat. Anyways, despite all that, we have been blessed, more likely my very fervent prayers and no doubt numerous prayers from everyone else are starting to kick in and give the extra help needed. So since my last letter we have put 3 baptismal dates with people!! One is an amazing lady, we have only taught her 3 times, she has already gone to church and started reading the book of Mormon, prayed and has recieved a marvelous answer with a equal marvelous expirience. We taught the truths of baptism through the book of Mormon and she had no problem accepting being baptised into the church she knows is true. Her heart was well prepared by God, im happy i just have the chance to grace her life for a couple of months to touch her heart to turn her course in the direction of eternal life.
If the Lord continues to bless us as he is now, we will soon be placing the baptismal challenge with 3 more people, one i am hoping tonight. In a lesson last night with a couple (we have a baptismal date set with their daughter, which really brought them around to listening to us) when we asked if they prayed, The husband sayed yes he had, and in some of the most beautiful words ever he described his expirience of the spirit touching his heart after he asked God if it was all true. His wife has yet to recieve an answer, but when she does they will be following their daughters example into the waters of baptism. If not her at least him, he really looks to the men of the church, and really wants to be like them, part of them. He will be a great addition to the elders quorum here, he had an amazing expirience. Our new Ward mission leader, who is only a convert of 4 months is absolutly amazing, he has a well of unlimitless faith, and just as numerous expiriences that he has brought from his own journey into the church, and from things that have only happened reciently, he has been a great addition, and an answer to my many prayers to add a stronger spirit to our lessons.

Ben you are 100 percent right, i wish missions were 3 years long, 1 year to learn the ropes and get everything down, and 2 years to rip it up, i just wish my comp would apply enduring to the end, to his mission. Actually it just makes me want to work all the hard, the less time i have i find, the harder i want to work, and the more i want to do. I really wish i had 2 years to rip it up as i am now. Actually i have really applyed the principle of alma 17:2-4, to have more power and a stronger spiritual witness, by prayer, fasting, and really, really deeply studying the scriptures.
Anyways, ben, al house looks great, and it was cool to see the good ol utah mountains! Your neighborhood looks great. Congrats on the lords many blessings to ya! Dad, run would ya, 15 pounds!! Actually your not the only one, i had to take my pants in to the tailor the other day to get them taken out, my waist is getting bigger. I just wish the rest of my body would too!!! I believe its the greasy rice, beans and chicken!!! Almost all of it fried, ya who would have guessed you could fry rice!! Anyways love you all, till next week!!

-Elder Bradley Duffin

16 April 2008

2008-06-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

Dear fam,

Well, transfers past and im still in the same area witht he same comp. I was hoping for a change of one, got niether. So Al, your worker teller guy, he is going to Santiago huh, that is in the north, im in the Santo Domingo West, there is also the east, and Santiago. So up north, actually my first area was on the border of it. Its got the best beaches, supposedly. My mission has no good beaches or turist attractions. Unlike the other too. Though tell him to buy lots of mosquito repellent and a bug net, Dengay, and Malaria, expecially Malaria area really common there. So that is just my advice, im not sure if he is geting a new pres in july, but right now he has a really good president, his mission is really obedient, really obedient. He is going to a good mission, also it is not as hot as where i am, its about 5 degrees cooler, and he doesnt have to worry about not having power, and water like me, because Santiago is just that way.
Anyways, Dad, are you running still? I dont know if it is just me, or maybe its the picture, but you look bigger, and diffrent. It was also interesting to see you in a tropical setting. You know dad you should travel with church pamplets and give them to all the drivers and people you meet, im sure it shouldnt be that hard to go to the distribution center and get them in various languages. Who knows what might happen from just passing out a pamphlet on the the Restoration, or Plan of Salvation. Could help them come out of their poverty.
Ok, good news, so we have this fam we are teaching, and if all goes well, and they keep obeying the word of wisdom, we are going to put a baptismal date with them!!! They are an awesome family. And we have expanded to aunts and uncles too, last sunday we taught a lesson and there was the Bishop, the secretary and like 4 other members present, not to mention the family members, it was like a giant family reunion for them, in there was like 20 people there, it was awesome!! And a good chunk of the family is taking to the gospel!!! Im thinking if the first part of the family gets baptised, the rest will follow.

Well, summer is starting in the DR, and unlike home, its getting hotter, and hotter. The last summer i was in my first area, which was in the ¨mountains¨ and so wasnt that hot. But wow, its getting hotter here. Not to mention im in the capital, and with all the black top it only makes it hotter, and after it rains wow!!! Its humid!! But its not really that bad, just makes me more grateful for snow, oh snow, i love snow. When i get back in the middle of it, i will being saying, oh hot humidity, i am so grateful for hot humidity. Anyways love you all and talk to you next week, hope all goes well for you!!!!!!!

-Love Elder Duffin#3

9 April 2008

2008-06-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Querido Familia,

Hey how is it going? Well wasnt conference awesome!!! I thought it was amazing, i dont know if you were watching when we did the sustaining but that was amazing!!! I have no words to describe it other than amazing!!! WOW!! It was truly an amazing expirience. Well im sorry i dont have much time i have an appointment with some investigators, we are hoping to set a baptismal date with them. Next week is transfers, i hope i get a new comp, my comp currently is really trunkie, and doesnt really want to work, so unfortunatly we arent doing that much. He is just plain lazy. But things are going to get better. Anywyays got to go Love you all, and have a good week, and Dad enjoy conference!!

2 April 2008

2008-06-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Family, @@warning to all Diet Coke drinkers, extremely long letter, go to the bathroom first, im serious@@

Well, first off i am sorry you didnt get my letter and i know exactly why... because i did write the email its the fact that a car hit a power line at the exact moment i was about to push the send button. So i never got to the send part, and it wiped out power for our whole area until like 2 in the morning. So im sorry you didnt get an email, i think satan had his hand in it. But im writing this week and i hope another car decides not to hit the pole or another again.
Dad im sorry about the migranes, i kinda got one too, not litteraly, but its rough with my comp. He is another dying missionary going home in 2 months, and pretty much hes dead. He started really well, i was surprised at how well he did, and now it all ran out. Most of the time i have to play the great motivator. Trying to get him out the door, to get his shoes on, to get out of bed at six thirty, wow dad sound familiar. I think i know what we bros put dad through all those years on saturday mornings! Well everyday feels like one of those mornings. It kinda takes the fun out of missionary work. Though i really think i pushed him too hard. He just couldnt take it, because i still havent worked my absolute hardest yet. Dont get me wrong, im working hard, but not at the top of my game yet, i really think i have only done it like once, at that was in my last area the last two weeks in it with my last comp, let me tell ya, it was awesome. But now, im hoping i get a new comp at the end of the transfer (in 2 weeks) that isnt a old one, and works alittle harder.
Anyways off of that subject, its not a very bright one. But to good things. So with my new found time that i suddenly have gained, and the fact that i use it to study extra. I would like to tell of an expirience i had monday, cant remeber exactly but somewhere around there. Right so with my new found time i have started taking time to ponder, or meditate. Right so this started, because i didnt always do it. In fact i cant ever really remeber taking time to do it, so it started back in Haina, my last area, my last two weeks there. So read one day Moroni 10, 3 and 4, and of course as you know he says read, meditate, and pray, and you will know its true, and i thought wow i should meditate, i never do that. (by the way this is only the beginning and where you think it might be going it isnt really going in that direction, so stop guessing and just pay attention to the story, this is going to be a long letter by the way) But guess what, i dint start there either, then for some random reason thought, pretty sure it was the spirit, but i decided to start the book of Mormon again. Well i got to the part where Nefi is
meditating about Lehis vision in ch 8 and he was carried away in the spirit to a high mountain top and the spirit pretty much taught him a lot of stuff. So after i read that the spirit said, DO IT. I got the message, um i dont know, maybe i should do that. So i started meditating. (guess what thats not the end there is more, and its even cooler!!!!)
Right moving on, back to monday, or wait lets back up a bit. So in my new area, i have been applying this principle of meditating, and when i first started it was hard, and nothing really happened, but what did happen i wrote down. Right, and by leaps and bounds, day by day i got more and more and more and more and more... until now i spend about an 1 and a half just thinking about like 1-10 verses, and im serious. its like an addiction, once i start i cant stop. Interesting thing is that the spirit really guides my thoughts and helps me put into place the things i need to learn, because sometimes it all starts jumbled. (guess what still not there, thats not even the cool part, though that part is pretty cool!!) Right so pretty much it was hard to start but now its easy, the lord blessed me with more as i did it more, i think Elder Eyring talked about that somewhere, but dont quote me on it. So pretty much i have been study, asking in prayer, studying, meditaing, getting little answers that are really big. Right now we can get to monday, (this is the cool part) So monday i was studying, meditated, wrote it down, and it wasnt that long. But it was like a capstone answer to all the things i have recieved in the last couple of weeks, so i turned my head to meditate more, and there it was, gloria!!! The ensign, but not just any ensign, but the ensign from confrence, and not just any confrence, but last confrence in May!!! Now what is so special about this ensign, you should ask, well ill tell ya!!! The first talke, by Richard G. Scott on prayer, yes that is what is special, whats even more special about it, is that before i left provo, he came and spoke and gave pretty much the exact same talk, so technically confrence was the second time i heard it. Even better i had notes from when i haerd it the first time, which i was happy that i had them still, so i found them and read them with the talk, and the part that was huge was the getting an answer part. Its interesting to know that i went through and am going through everything he said. The whole part where it comes in packets, well each day was a little packet. And i got them without even relizing that i got them. But when i read it, it was, as one of my seminary teachers called it, a
WOW moment, because wow, it hit me harder that bens diesel truck going 120, because i knew that was exactly what was happing and happened to me!! amazing huh, well guess what, theres more!! (if you have to take a bathroom break now is a good time) (ben you might just want to go sit on the toilet, you will be more comfortable)
Right so moving on, there is another part where he talks about how some answers wont come as a big vision, dream, or even feeling the spirit that strong, he says it will start with a little feeling, it will be hard, youll have to think about it, stuggle, work at it, exercise a great amount of faith, and then you´ll know its true, and youll recieve and answer. So monday when i read that talk and my notes it hit me, that is what happened a couple of days ago, i remebered it clearly, because i only took thought to write the answere but not the process, so in that moment the spirit called to my remeberence the expirience i had a couple of days ago, how as i was reading, i got a little prompting, i struggled with it, i read more and worked at, it kinda hard to believe and then i had to exercise faith in a way i have never had to do before, in fact i dont think i have ever excised faith that hard or much before, it was mentally and physically draining, litteraly had to do it with all my might, and it was HARD. And i remebered it, and i didnt get a strong burning feeling from the spirit, just a quiet conviction that what i was reading was true, and that was my answer, and i litterally had to exercise faith in that just to get it. It was really hard. Hardest thing i have ever done in my life. So monday i got all that, and after i read that talk it was litteraly brought to pass in like 10 secs, and it was wonderful!! I was a shocked and amazed. In that moment i not only recieved another packet answer that was a big packet, the culimnating packet (or so i think) the final piece to the puzzle, but also that Ya God answers prays, The 12 guys we call apostles really are apostles, and a whole lot more which im sure you can put together and form in your own mind, and if you cant, ponder about it, youll get it.

So, guess what, theres more!!!! (like i said you should have gone to the bathroom!!) Are you ready to hear the effects of it!! well heres one, another wow, so anyways, i think now i understand what it means to bear your testimony with faith, because after that when i do, aleluya, aleluya, wow, the spirit is amazing strong, there is deffinatly something there that wasnt there before, and its amazing, the power, the spirit, the edification in the investigators eyes as the spirit testifies that it is true, yeah, wow.
Another, the answer i got now is relitivly small to what i am getting now!! Now when i studdy and ponder, aye, momma mia!!! Lets just say i get up earlier so i can start studying earlier because now it really requires more time to study, and like i said, its an addiction. Blows nintendo, and Halo, and Warcraft out of the water, into space and disinigrates them. Bryan you should try it. Its amazing because i had no idea what i was missing out on the entire time. Litterally a treasure trove of knowlegde. I dont know why i ididnt do it earlier. I cant believe that i missed it!! Really scripture study is so much better, all from Nefi. Really you should all try pondering, just like the primary song: search, ponder, and pray are the things that i must do, the spirit will guide, and deep inside, i know the scriptures are true!! Moroni´s promise doesnt just apply to knowing if the book of Mormon is true, by the power of the spirit you may know the truth the of all things!! thats verse 5!! LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES TO YOUR LIFE! HE WHO HATH HEARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR!! In the name of Jesucristo, Amen!!
LOVE YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD WEEK, TE AMO!!!

LOVE, A VERY MUCH MORE ENLIGHTENED ELDER DUFFIN #3

19 March 2008

2008-06-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Dear my favorite, very closely related happy go lucky hard working fun loving married couple!!!!

SANTA CACA, CONCHALE, DEAÑE, Y DEANTRE!!! BEN YOUR FAT!! AND IM SERIOUS BRO, BEFORE YOU WERE BIG BUT NOW YOUR FAT, AL WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING HIM!!! No im serious ben i took a look at your blog, which is freaken sweet, and i saw a pic of you and your freaken fat, Al help him!!! And im sorry ben i think no matter how hard i try i am just doomed to be like Dan. Though after seeing your snowmobiling movies (which i really shouldnt have watched because i might be expiriencing somthing akin to homesickness, though its more of an intense desire to run and jump in the snow, which means i am expiriencing snow sickness) you guys are wimps on those jumps, actually ben i can understand why you can barely get your front ski´s off the snow (fatty) but brandan actually disappointed me, he is supposed to be the really athletic one that is supposed to only get better. Ben steal his ping pong pattle and tenis racket and nock some sense into his head. And bryan his huge. though i will say that my flaquito dinamico forma, that is my slim aerodynamic form is going to waste you guys when i get my own snowmobile. By the way you sent me a pic of Al´s but not yours ben and in the movies yours was way to covered in snow to see any detail so if you could send a pic or too my way i would appriciate it.
so congrats on the ground breaking of your house, when i get back i will gladly stay in the guest room and have a slumber party, ill even where my amazng DR pajamas that i am going to get made. It will make you all celoso. entonces, thanks for the letter from both of you at the same time, i think the last time that happened was back in my first area, 9 months ago!!!! so ben i believe you have fully cultivated the talent of procrastination, be sure not to bury it in the ground now or God might take it away.
so i was wondering if there is some way i could join the blog thingy you got, then i could put pics of my miisson and a few movies i got on there for all of you to watch. oh and by the way what in the infierno do you mean that your tv is small, its huge, and when did you get a xbox 360 and halo 3. I thought me and bryan were the nintendo freaks here, looks like the tables have turned into the oppisite direction, and i am sure bryan has only become more extreme. Anyways if you could if it is possible to join the blog thingy and post my own mahone that would be cool if not, then whatever. its not like i have that many pics anyway, not even a gig yet. and i know elders who have like 10 gigs worth of pics. Its not like there is that much to see in my area. although i am right next to the sea, there is a bunch of cliffs and i can walk right down to them, its cool.
Anways i got to go to a meeting so ill be recieving wonderful amazing emails from you next week that i will look forward too and hope for from my favorite halo playing, hard working and having too much fun without me couple. TE AMO!!!

-ELDER DUFFIN#3

19 March 2008

2008-06-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Well good news, i got the package!!! Thanks for all the stuff!! I got it exactly when i thought i would Friday!! So i am enjoying the candy, and the twizzlers, oh you have no idea how good it is to eat them, i missed them so much. Also the oil vials are awesome, when i got back for a baptism next week i am going to give it too some poeple, they are going to be really excited. Also thx for the acne stuff, yes my face did clear up a bit because i got out a very dirty city, but this stuff is amazing. I have been useing it for like 3 days. At first it seemed to make it worse, but then i woke up one morning and it was noticable better, and it has only continued to improve. so thank you very much. My acne should be gone in no time (hopefully).
So im glad you liked the pics, that spider by the way is a tarantula, they were everywhere in my last area, and there is another area that is in a desert `pretty much and they are even more common there. Anyways it was pretty big, and Al like you i hate spiders, i later found a smaller one under my bed. At first i thought it was a rat, i had a machette in my hand ready to kill it, and then it came out and let me tell you i, chills just talking about it, anyways i didnt kill it my comp smooshed it with our bat, Shiz. Oh and i didnt talke the pic, i really didnt want to get close, my comp took it. Im a wimp when it comes to spiders, though Ben unlike you im fine with snakes, but there aren´t any of those guys here really. But there are alot of lizards and gekos and stuff. They are always in your house, just sitting on the walls and they dont do anything, they are cool.
So this week was a pretty uneventful week, pretty much we did the nit and gritty, contacts or trancting as it is normal called. Not much ever happens, though i have to spend alot of my time motivating my comp to do it, and then its fun to come home and see him so tired, we work hard, and for him we work really hard, but for me, its nothing, i think i could kick it up a notch, but then i might have to get a new comp after a week. ahhahahahahaha!!! No he works hard, we work hard.

Anyways i got nothing, thats it. I got nothing more to say. so i will wish you all a happy week and TE AMO!!!

-Elder Duffin#3

12 March 2008

2008-06-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

SO HERE ARE SOME PICS. THE FIRST MY PUPI PIC, its a colmado, the things like gastations on every corner, but not a gas station, but is called pupi, i dont know i thought it kinda stunk, ba doom cha! Hahaha. The next is some Haitan doll thingy that i thought was cool in a members house so i took a foto with it, and the last is me and my comp and the other Domincanos in my house. My comp is the one on the left. Oh one more, its a view of my area, pretty much it goes all the way to the big buildings, which are the farthest right is right by the temple. Enjoy got to go love YAAAAA!!-LOVE 3LD3R DUFFIN#3

12 March 2008

2008-06-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

DEAR FAM, Hey so how is it going? Dad what do you mean a beaver ate the apple trees, are you sure its not some George Washington honesty thing and no one wants to admit that they wanted to see how sharp the axe was. Beavers dont live in the city, what is one doing at our house. I was hoping to come back and eat apples off that tree, for free! Apples are so expensive here! Well plant another one, and get it bigger so it can be ready when i get back in 11 months. So you have about a year, get on it dad. Also, so that is really cool that there was a whole ceremony thing for building. Its cool when dreams like that come true, i got a couple of my own that i dont ever expect to happen in eternity, but it would still be cool if it happened. Its a great acheivement for the Duffin Fam. Well just so you know i am happy in La Paz, my new area, i know i am supposed to be here, even though i dont want to admit it, and me and my comp are working really hard too. Thankfully that he wants to work hard. Actually my house is my best house yet in the mission, #1 because i have light and water 24-7, which is the first time in 13 months!!! and #2 im in a house with a bunch of really focused missionaries. My comp is close to going home (down to his last 3 transfers) and he really wants to work hard, which is good, because we are white washed. So let me tell you this chapel is amazing. Ill send you a pic of it next week. Its pretty much a second temple, its got air conditioning in every room, i was shivering during sacrament meeting!! and its 3 stories, a parking garage on the first and the chapel on the 3rd. Its pretty cool. I thought they had it because well its a pretty rich area, which is half true. People here arent rich, like in my 2nd area, the one i really hated, but their standard of living is higher, but not that much higher, and its nice because i speak capital spanish, which means i dont have to worrry about people not understanding me, because now i speak just like them. Not to mention they are easier to understand too.
Anyways within about a week my comp and i already have like 4 really good investigators and 8 others we are teaching, for a total of like 12 people in all. Which is really good, we have already recieved refrences and everything. This ward is amazing, they have almost 200 people in sacrament meeting, most of this ward is active, which is why they have a huge nice chapel, there arent many less actives. It has a 88% retention rate with new converts which is the best in the mission, and all because of a really amazing bishop. He´s amazing and works hard and is dedicated and in so being really moves the ward to be the same. Everyone is willing and ready to help us. We have talked with other members and they want to give us other refrences after a little prep. Its really amazing and quite a relief not haveing to worry about motivating people to do their duty, they just do it. Its awesome. Lets just say we came in here at a full sprint that we are not going to be able to let up. We were both talking and we were thinking we could have a baptism in about 4 weeks. Because the members do their part. I still miss Haina (my last area), i know i am supposed to be here and i like it, even though i still miss it. Anyways, thx for the money i got new bateries, so now i can send and take some more pics, which i dont even do that often anyway, over a year period i have only got like 100 photos, and my last comp who had 18 had like 1000, im serious. Anyways these one attached here as you can see a bad sunburn i got from playing football one p-day, and thats with fph 30, i had 50 but ran out, i wonder what would have happened without any... anyways its funny because its white and red, no shade imbetween. The next is the baptism i had, they guy in white in the pic is the member that bapstised her, and the other is a pic of as you can tell a nice big tarantula in my bathroom of my last house. Anyways no i havent got the package yet because i dont get those till friday, and i wont know if i got it until friday, but i suspect i will because then that is 2 weeks which is normal time right. So i pretty sure i got it if not... oh well... anyways got to go to a meeting love you all and im going to send some more little emails with other fotos , love you all!!! and dad plant that tree!!!
-LOVE 3LD3R DUFFIN#3

5 March 2008

2008-06-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Family, So i have good news!!!!! and bad news... So good news first right, so i HAD A BAPTISM!! YAAAAAA, AND IT WAS AN AWESOME BAPTISM, ill send the pictures next week, i forgot my camara today, ok bad news. Well Monday in the morning my comp and i left to go teach a lesson, then we came home and the phone rang, my comp answered he found out about his transfers all that jazz, nothing unexpected, then they asked for me to have the phone and i got the worst news of my life, and if you havent guessed already its that I GOT TRANSFERED!!!!!!!! Let me tell ya, i called the APs and i was like there is something wrong here, my comp and i just had a baptism we got another in 2 weeks and another the week after that, we have a ton of investigators that are progressing, how can you take me out of here. But the Lord called me to another place and let me tell you, i cried for 20 minutes on my bed. Honestly i didnt want to go, i was for sure thinking that i was staying, but no i left, and they white washed my area with 2 new Elders. I tell you i loved that area so much, for how dirty and stinky and smelly it was, i loved every bit and every person there. Sorry fam, but it was harder to say goodbye to the people there than to you when i first entered the MTC. Its not that i dont love you, but i know ill see you at the end of 2 years and i have no idea when ill be back to them, so in alot of ways it could be goodbye forever to those people, and ill tell you it was the hardest thing in my life, harder than Kings Peak. It was the last thing i wanted, and the least expected. Well, now im in my new area in La Paz, or the Peace. Its in the capital, so im in the capital again. And im white washed again too!! Just like that one time when i was in the Yuca, i guess i must be really good at it, or God has a big sense of humor, either way im still here. So i have a Dominican comp from the east side of Santo Domingo, and i live with 2 other dominicans, so in the mission we call it being 3Ded, so im 3D and the only language we truly speak is spanish. So this will be intersting. So what i have seen of my area is not really rich, but not as poor as my last area. Not has rich as La Yuca though i believe there are parts like it.
So La Paz was a sister area, but now there are not enough sisters so they gave it to us Elders, though once there are enough they are moving us back out again, so i dont think i will be here very long. But who knows, only the Lord! So my area also has the newest and nicest chapel in the DR right now, they have started rebuilding some of them and mine is the newest. Though there are more to follow. It has a password to get in instead of a key, which is pretty cool and air conditioning in every room!!!! something that no other chapel has!!!! Im looking forward to sacrament meeting for once, i might actually be able to pay a whole 100 percent to the speaker instead my mind wondering from the heat. So this will be interesting. So my Zone right now is on Fire you could say, and this ward too, the sisters in it before were doing realy well, they had a couple of baptisms this last week too, and they say this is a really good ward, that actually works with us, so this should be pretty nice. Though im still mad at leaving Haina, my last area, my comp and I worked our nalgas off, and we really earned the trust of the people, everyone was so sad to see us go, they were crying as much as me. I also found out that a few of them even called the President and asked him for me to stay, though i still have no idea how they got his number. It was touching and i feel so sad about going, i really didnt want to go. It was hard to get into that taxi and drive away from it all. I think it would have been even harder after another, so maybe it was good that i left when i did. Anyways, dont have much more too say other than now i got nothing and i get to sart over again, the only problem is the comp i have now i lived with before in my first area, and i know how he is and he isnt the hardest worker. I was hoping for someone who would work really hard, no, i guess you cant always have everything you want. But its alright, he is going to learn what hard work is and what it really means to be a missionary, he is going to learn what it means to work DUFFIN style. But that is what it is going to take too. Im going to do things a little diffrently too this time around being white washed, than last time, i learned a few things and i this time wont be so bad and is going to be alot better. It also helps to have a good ward and that one ward was horrible.
Well i have just one more request, so before i left my last area my comp and i left to take pics with as many people we could, and in the process my bateries died of course, but the thing is that they died for good. My rechargable batteries are shot and i need to get new ones. If you could stick like 50 bucks in my account so i can get new ones that would be nice. Its alot better to get rechargable ones here, and normally id ask to send them to me, but im in the capital again and i can get them. Just need a little cash to do it. Not sure how much its going to be, i think about 20 bucks will get me four AA and i need 4 AAA too, so thats like 40 bucks, i dont really want to wait for it, so if you could just stick it in my account sometime that would be nice. Then i could send you some pics of my new area!!! Even though i havent even seen that much of it. Anyways thank you for sending the stuff i expect i should have it next week, it will probally get here about monday or tuesday im betting and ill get it by then or so. I live close to the office so i can get it really easily. Well, have a good week and love you all, and Dad thanks for the pics they are exactly what i wanted, see if you could send some snowmobiling if there is any, its fun to show people here these things, its so far fetched for them. Well, love you all and have a good week!!!!Love Elder Duffin#3

27 February 2008

2008-06-23T22:49:00.002-07:00

Dear Family,

So sounds as if all is still well, and busy. First, if you cant get diprolene then get neosporin, that will suffice, and get lots of twizzlers. Also when you mail it, from what i have heard you go to the US Post office, and ask for the Global Priority envelope. They will give you a special white and blue envelope that says GLOBAL PRIORITY. From what mom said last time, she just used a box and they sent it global priority, its diffrent. The DR government watches for the GLOBAL PRIORITY envelopes and lets them through and everything else gets held up at customs forever. The Global Priority works, and only takes like 10 days. Anyway they should give you this envelope, there are two one to hold like 5 pounds another to hold 10. I think it is at 15-20 dollars now. So remember ask for the GLOBAL PRIORITY ENVELOPE. I see other missionaries get them all the time. Oh and could you throw in a 2008 Calender. It would be kinda nice to have, but if not it doesnt really matter. Just make sure you get the global priority envelope to stick it all in. All the stuff should fit in it, and dad you´ve been to kings peak, make it fit. I was also wondering Dad if you could, could you email me some more pics of Kings Peak, i have one on top of the peak, and there is one looking up to it, just some pics of it so i could show people what real mountains look like. I describe them to people and they dont believe me. Its kinda funny. But if you could email them i can just print them off. But i would like for some more pictures of the actual mountians. If you get my meaning.
So dad i have another idea, since your out of town all the time, how about you tell me when your home, you know change it up a little. So today is the Independence day for the DR, you know the equivilent of July 4th for us. Everyone is all partying and stuff. Ill send you some pics next week of the celebration, they have some pretty intersting traditions, i think Brandon would like them actually. One that has been going on for weeks is all guys dress up in these girly frilly constume thingy´s with cowbells around their waste, so everyone hears them, and then they run around skipping and pranceing (litterally) with these giant balls filled with air and beans and they try and catch someone unaware and wack im with tere giant ball thingy, im going to bring one home. Its funny because they are really noisy due to the cowbells and everyone notices them and its funny when someone doesnt because they get wacked, its funnier to watch, but that is just one of they many they got. Ill send some pics so you can visualize(is that a word) it better.

YAAAAAA, so this saturday i have a baptism!!!!! Me and my comp are really excited, and we have 4 other dates and by the end of the week possibly 5. But through all this success, satan is working really hard. There are always things that come up that i didnt think would and sometimes it gets difficult, but it always seems to work out. Its been really good. But i am really excited for this baptism, not to mention we recieved some really good refrences from members this week. Some really good ones, that could be some really strong people in the church. Which is what this ward needs. So i am really excited with the people we are teaching right now. Also by next week i will have a new comp, transfers is next week and my comps going, and im pretty sure im staying, and ill get a new comp. Im hoping i get a Dominican or at least a Latin. It´ll bring my spanish to a whole new level. My spanish is doing good, but i could have a Dominican comp to help my accent, then that would be awesome. Its kinda funny, everyones voice always changes when they speak spanish. Some Elders speak with a higher voice, there is one that sounds like he is Irish but speaking spanish. Me for some reasons i speak like i am from Spain. No idea how it got started but it just sounds like i learned spanish there. Or it sounds like am from the middle of no where places in the DR where they speak whats called COMPIE, everyone always asks, are you from Spain, (probally because im white) which is good, its better than GRINGO, or AMERICANO!! But its kinda funny. But if i could get a Dominican comp, that would be really goooooooood.
So send grandma and grandpa my love. Tell them to email me, i think it would be easier, besides doesnt grandpa email anyway? I am sending some letters out to both grandparents this week, dont know when they will get out of the country but im sending them. I got a post card from Andrew the other day, he said he has been trying to send me letters since november but they always come back to him, due to his letters violate the new pouch regulations. It sounded like he was kinda frustrated, but he finnaly got a post card to me. I got one from spencer too, im glad they have finnally written me. Ive only written them a dozen times already. Anyways according to andrew he is doing well, but he didnt say that much, hes not that big of a writer, he mostly talks about his bible bashes. I think he enjoys them.

Ben Al, your part, so your house plans look awesome. That is going to be a awesome house, i really like it. The whole loft thing is cool, also like how all the bedrooms are upstairs. Also, of course, the super huge garage is amazing. Just what you need Ben, for you and your toys!!! So Al i liked the pic, but your gun is in front of you face, what is up with that!!?? But it sounds like you had a fun time at Disney land. Sometimes i think you guys have too much fun. JUST KIDDING, so its good to hear the happiest place on earth continues to hold up to the name. Its always nice to see family too right. So its good to know you had a good time, wonder if my two other brothers could say the same? So anyways i got to go, but have fun this week, hope everyone does good and stays in good health. Ive got good health right now too, though i ive lost 5 pounds, noooooooooooooooooo. I need to fix that, im trying to gain weight!!! Ive done good at staying a consitent 145 the entire mission till the end of this transfer, 140. Pitty, anyways love you all, Dad stay safe on all your travels and stuff, TE AMO!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

20 February 2008

2008-06-23T22:49:00.001-07:00

Dear FAM, So, i guess its good to hear that Grandma is doing good. Have they recieved any of my letters? Ive sent a bunch out and i dont think anyone got them. I sent some to the Mclean Fam, Both grandparents, actually 2 now, one to the Humphrey fam, another to the Duffins next door, um i think thats it, but i got an email from Grandma Duffin and it sounded like she didnt get my letters yet, so im just wondering if anyone got my letters. Just curious. Um also if you havent sent the stuff yet, throw in some of those vials to hold consecrated oil, i want to give them away to vairous members in the ward. You can only buy these ugly plastic ones here, and it would be really cool if they could have a metal one. Not the really really nice expensive ones, just the generic plain round small metal ones, that would be really cool. If its possible to do it do it. Also, use the US Postal servie GLOBAL PRIORITY PACKAGE. Its only 10 bucks to send it that way, and it gets here in 10 days. Which i dont think is that bad. They will give you some box or envelope that says it right on the front. So use that so it doesnt bust your wallet. Which after the latest breakdowns on the Explorer, im surprised it hasnt blown up yet! I think for the past like 3 weeks dad has talked about something that has broken on the exploder, Dad, do yourself a favor and get rid of it. That would be a good goal for you, get rid of the Exploder by the time Elder Duffin #3 comes home. Its a good goal and its possible, and you could go even further by setting a goal to get yourself a nice NEW truck, like a Tundra, or Tacoma. Then give Bryan the S10. Everyones happy, and it will free up your saturdays. Wow it must be revelation!!! Also, i would like to thank my Older Brother Brandon the girlless Duffin for writing me this week. It is amazing that he took time to write me, and im saying this without sarcasm, and in all seriousness, thank you. Now why are you spending so much time going down waterslides when you should be worry about getting a girlfriend. I know your obsessed with your self but i think a girl that is just as equally obsessed in you, is just what you need. Let go of Nates hand, put down the ping pong paddle, walk away from the Wii, Bryan let go of him, walk out the door, and go ask a girl on a date. If you could talk to people and preach the gospel in a foriegn language i think you get enough courage to ask that hot girl in one of your classes on a date. Besides dont you want to show off your Subaru. Alright enough of that, to other good things. Like i wrote, or have been writing for the past couple weeks i am going to be having some baptisms soon, well its true!!!! I have one on March 1st, and we have 4 more on the 29th!!!!! We are going to baptise a family, and we have another that we are working with that will hopefully follow too. So in march it is very possible i could have like 8 - 10 baptisms!!! After alot of hard work it is all finally paying off!!!! Phew feels good. I just hope i dont get transfered now in two weeks. I dont think i will, but i really hope i dont. I really like this area, though it is really dirty. Im not sure if you want to see my pics of the mounds of garbage that they have piled in the streets. I had a little stuffy nose for a couple of days, and it was like heaven, i didnt have to smell everything. Normally i think of a stuffy nose as a curse, but i think it was more of a blessing! But lets say that some anti zit stuff and diprolene will be really nice. And send me ALOT of licorce. Chocolate preferibly, and others too. I really miss licorice, and it just doesnt exist here. Well me and my comp are pretty excited for the baptisms we have coming up, but he probally wont be there for em. It is very likely, like 99.9 % sure he is getting transfered. So i got a church news the other day and in it showed some of the new mission pres´s that they are calling, it reminded me that i am getting a new one in July too. It wiill be intersting when that happens. So anyways things are going really good. Its been kinda fun lately. I have been giving away my books i have in english away to various membes that have pretty good english speaking skills. I havent read anything in english since october november time. I gave away my Our search for happiness the other day. I just dont use them anymore. I have been slowing finding others in spanish to read. its really weird to read in english. in fact i when i write letters (like now) its hard not to do it in spanish. I was thinking the other day in sacrament meeting, what it would be like to hear everything in english again. Maybe i will go to a spanish ward when i get back. I think i will still use my spanish scriptures though. It is so wierd to see engilsh. its not normal. Anyways, thats just an observation i had this past week. I hope everyone who has good health continues to have good health, and that if dont, get good health. Its good to here that Grandma is doing good, oh and you should tell grandpa Clayne to email me. I know he emails people, tell him to add me and email me and ill email him back, becuase i dont think my letters are getting through, it might be that the Zls are losing them, we just got some new ones. Ill talk to them, it might be im not following proper pouch restrictions ill have to check again. Anyways Love You all!! and forward this to Brandon, because it wont allow me to email him at networld, dont know why but it doesnt work. Tell him to change to gmail and make my life easier. Anyways, TE AMO!!!!Love,Elder Duffin#3

13 February 2008

2008-06-23T22:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Family, So how gos the fam? From what i hear everything is good, though i fault a few emails from people, like bryan, brandon, ben. You think they could show there abounding love for their younger brother and pull away from the Wii or Xbox for 10 min and write. But i guess the lords work or his servents aren´t their highest priority right now. I guess i just need to learn a litte more patience. It is an atribute of Christ after all. Well, this week was interesting, about halfway through it i lost my voice. I never relized how important it is until i didnt have it. So for about a day i was unable to speak, and then for the rest of the week i was between sounding like a 30 year old smoker, or a really old grandpa with a really weezy voice. Either way i didnt enjoy it. My comp had to teach pretty much everything. But to some good news!! So Monday i had the most intense lesson of my mission with this really, idiotic guy. But the result afterword was that we recieved permision to baptise his daughter. So the plan so far is on March 1st we are going to baptise her. My comp and i are really excited because it is right before the end of the transfer. Hopefully if everything goes well we could also have a fecha for baptising a family. This we are really excited about also. Anyways not much else, hey Al Ben congrats on the house, from the description all gave it sounds really cool. You should send a pics of the plans, it would be cool to see it in more detail. So did you guys find the property and bought it and then put a house on it, or is one of those private developed subdivison thingys and you picked the lot and plans and batta bing batta boom you have a house. Just curious. Well, everything else is going good for me too, though i have a request to make if possible. So like i said before, my area is really really dirty, and the air is really dirty too. So i was wondering if it would be possible for you to send me some anti-zit stuff for my face because it is getting really bad, and i have tried, and worked to keep them down, which i was doing really good before, but now, its just too dirty here and i need something extra to help. Also i could use some more diprolene, that stuff is amazing and i ran out. Anyways write back tell me if possible and squeeze in some chocolate twizzlers in there too if you could please. Anyways LOVE YA!!
-ELDER DUFFIN#3

6 February 2008

2008-06-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam, So, hows it going? Im doing good. This week was really good too. Probally my best week in the mission, and this week is going to be a good follow up week. If all goes well, and we are praying and hoping it goes well, it is possible we could have 7 baptismal dates for Febuary. But that is if all goes really well, most likely it will be more like 4 or 5, but maybe 7, it depends and we will see how everything goes. So, i did get a chance to watch the prophets funeral. I saw most of it, but there was a huge storm passing by and we didnt get the best reception, so i did get all of it, and the parts i did get were kinda fuzzy. But i really did like Pres, Eyrings talk. But like i said, big storm bad reception, and i didnt get to hear it all. I guess that is what happens sometimes in a foreign country. Lately too, it has been really cold. Like 65 degrees in the morning. I have been sleeping with two sheets and long pants and socks. I think what it will be like when i get back in January, with snow. You better bring my big coat to the airport or i will have frost bite by the time i get to the car. Its wierd to say i have a year. When i began, i thought, oh, thats along time away, its going to be forever before i have a year, yet now i have one. And i think, oh i have a whole year before i go home, thats a long time, yet i know its actually really short, and it is going to go by so fast because this last year went by so fast. Its wierd too, in June im going to get a new mission Pres. it will be interesting when that happens. Actually in a way i am kinda excited to get a new pres. Well, as dad said, sounds like you guys had a fun time snowmobiling, not fair. I miss it, and it will be fun to do it when i get back. I miss snow too, but at the same time i love being in a tropical climate with the sea, its something i didnt have before at home, and its always fun to have a nice change of senery, cenery, scenery, how ever its spelled. So got to go, have a good week have fun, dont do anything stupid, oh, and does Brandon have a girlfriend yet? Anyways, love you all, till next week!!-Love Elder Duffin#3

30 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Familia, Well, i cant really think of anything to write right now. I feel kinda bad............um i am feeling alot better now, what ever i ate passed, with alot of pepto. I pretty much drank it like juice or something. Anyways, it passed and im feelling better. Oh i have a question, what do i do if i find out that there is no record of the bishop ever having been ordained a bishop, or high priest, or elder. I am going to talk to my mission President tomarrow at zone confrence tomarrow, but i can see how this can be a big problem and i dont want it to be. Man, i am really sorry i cant think of anything to write, i guess its good to know that im alive still right... Oh Ben, Al, congrats on the house, thats awesome. Where is at exactly, cant say i remember everything too well. So are you building it, or is it a private developer, and its not finished yet. Send me some pics of it being built too, with you in it of course. Anyways, im glad everyone is doing well, oh i got a letter from Spencer the other day. I guess he finnally got a letter from me, took it like a month, then he sent one to me, which took another month, so over all it was a little more than 2 months for it all. Oh well, and its been like 5 months since ive received a letter from andrew. Anyways, not much has happened, we started working with a new family this week, with 5 people baptismal age, and they are all pretty excited about the gospel. Which has helped to get some of my excitment back, i found it was kinda waning a bit there for a while, but its back and im am doing goodWell dont have anything else really, hope you all have a good week, and dad good luck with all the traveling and thanks for the thought i really liked it. Oh and tomarrow is my one year mark in the mission. One year from tomarrow i entered the MTC and like 11 o clock, i went back and read what i wrote in my journal, it was interesting to see my thoughts and stuff, and i was so wierd. Oh one more thing i remebered i wanted to talk to you about. So there are alot of people who are going to enter the mission from the ward i am in now, in like the next 7 months. There is like 5, so i was wondering what your thoughts were on sending some of those consecrated oil vials, for me to give them as a gift for going on a mission. You know the small round metal ones. You cant get ones like that here, and they are really nice, it would be nice to give them. I dont know tell me what you think, its not that pressing right now. Anyways, love you all!!!
-Love elder Duffin #3

23 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:45:00.002-07:00

Dear Fam, So first off, bryan , thx for the amazing email,i feel so HONORED to have recieved it from you. I hate to say it but dude deache, conchole, high school sucks, and i thought everyone was supposed to love it too. Sorry dude that your going to get stuck wearing purple robes for graduation, or should i say lavender. So if i may ask, if you could have chosen any other major for high school besides fine arts, what would it have been? Anyways, gracias for the huge email, it must have taken lots of your precious time from the wii, and i feel very honored to know that you spent that much time to write to your older brother, who is in the DR in the dirtiest city in the western hemisphere, and suffering from diahrea, because he decided to be nice and accept food, if you could call it food, from a very poor but huge hearted kind family who loves the gospel very much and in turn loves the lords servents because they spread the gospel. Try saying that all in one breath, ha. So i didnt have my baptism this last week, unfortunatly she didnt get her papers, and so technically by law still doesnt exist, so she cant get baptised, and we have also met alot more resistence from the family, always satan tries to stop it, but she has a strong testimony and she will get baptised, its just going to take more time. Also transfers was today, im staying in my area still and with my same comp still, this will be my second transfer with him. We did a couple of intercambios, er exchanges yesterday, and they went really well, so this week has started off pretty good. Anyways as i said before i am suffering from diahrea, and we are going to go to the store so i can buy pepto bismol, its going to cost me like 8 dollars, but it will be worth it. So i got to go but love you all and have a good week, dad travel safe, bryan good luck with your purple robe problem, Brandon, get a girl friend would ya, Ben Al, have fun with your 12 inches of snow and new snowmobiles, and am i an uncle yet? Anywyas TE AMO!!! LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

16 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:45:00.001-07:00

Dear Famiy,

Well, currently im doing alright, i have a little spout of diahrea, right now. The last couple of nights we have eaten at members and investigators houses, and to be honest, not sure what it was that i ate, but it sure aint coming out too well, or agreeing with my stomach. So if this email is all of a sudden cut short, you´ll know why.
Anyways, i am not going to have a baptism this week, our investigator didnt get her papers on time, and elections are coming up so they are not doing any work like that until after the elections, in May. Kinda a bummer, but we have some other investigators that are progressing well that we area planning on challenging later this week or beginning of next, depends on how things go. Hopefully they go good, but if not, i can handle it.
So last week on sunday i spoke in sacrament meeting, they bishopbric didnt warn me either, but later in the week i had a feeling, or should i say impression that i would be speaking, so i kinda prepared a little something. My talk went pretty well, i talked on la unidad, or unity, in families and in the ward. It went pretty well, kinda made it up as i went along, spirit helped alot with it too, the ward listened, so i guess that means it went well right. Anyways after us four missionaries sang, now i cant sing, you know that, well, actually we sing alot in the mission and i have learned how to pick on harmonizing with the person next to me, so i guess i can sing but i cant, if you get my meaning. Now that was funny.
So we sung, a hymn, cant remember what it is called in inglish, but in espanol it is brillan rayos de clemencia, it is a really cool hymn, anyways, our little group isnt the greatest but we sound alright. Well compared to the normal domincan congregation, we are amazing, domincans cant really sing, because there isnt anyone to play a piano. So anyways we started and during the first verse everyone wasnt really paying attention, kinda chatten a little, then when we hit the chorus, everyone was kinda quieting down, then when we started the second verse they were all paying active attention to us, still some chattering, the baby crying, then when we hit the third verse, they all had faces of stunned awe. Not one person was making a sound, no babies nothin. I mean we werent even that good, but i guess we were good enough to have a difference.

later we were joking around and just trying to put words to their unspoken thoughts like, oh is that what that hymn sounds like, or is that what singing is. It was kinda funny, but it was a really amazing expirience, Im sure everyone felt the spirit in that sacrament meeting.
Anyways, got to run, always running, walking, doing something. So thanks for the emails mom and dad, and enjoy all the snow for me, and could you put some in the freezer and save it for me when i get home. Love you all, and dad get better, TE AMO.

Love Elder Duffin numba 3

10 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:42:00.001-07:00

Some other pics of the beach and my area, at sunset, i dont think it turned out very well, but the beach ones did. Oh and he beach was like a 1 half hour bus ride to a town called Palanque, far away and in the middle of now where, thats why they got a good beach!! Anyways Love you lots!!!!

-Love Elder Duffin #3

10 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

10 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Fam,

Hey how is it goin this week? Well, this last week was kinda crazy, there have been some gang activity and so we have had to be really careful, though rumor is what ever they were all here for is taken care of and they are supposedly moving out again. They probally came to kill someone from a rival gang, now he´s dead and they´re leaving, but we´ll see. It all just gives us a further incentive to be home by 9! Anyways, we went to the beach for p-day, my first one in the DR, i am finnally far enough away from the capital to have one in my zone!! It was really cool, i got burnt too. Ben made the comment that i look really white, well now im super brown with a red tint, kinda crazy. Anyways i got a few pics, that ill send, some on the beach, and one of a sand DR temple with my plack on it, and the other of my current zone. It was pretty cool, it was nice to go relax alittle, now im all fired up to go back to work again, but im always fired up, now im just 100 degress hotter!!! If you get my analogy.
Well, if all goes well, we will have a baptism next saturday. We area just waiten for our investigators papers to come in. Her mom is a prostitue (unfortunatly) so when she was born, she wasnt declared, so accordingly, techinically she doesnt exist, which means she cant hold a job, and she cant get baptised, pretty much the only thing she can do is be a prostitute herself, but she doesnt want that. Anyways, by divine direction we found this lady who said she can get it done in like 2 weeks. Normally it takes alot of money and bribing and around 3 months. But we found this lady and so hopefully all will go well, and our investigator will be declared, have an ID and can get a job and be baptised!! Yaaa, kinda a complicated matter, all just because people dont obey a few basic laws, of God and man, that makes life so much easier.
Anyways thats what we are hopeing and praying for, hope all goes well! Also i took out some money, i wasnt sure what to really get myself for Christmas, kinda spent most of it on others in the ward, and community, so i decided i could use a couple of new pants, so i went had had some made. They turne out really well too, this sastre, er tailor is the best i have been too by far, the pants he made look almost exactly like ones as if i had bought them at mens warehouse or something, except that they are perfectly, and i mean
perfectly fit. I also had him do a few things to help them endure to after the mission. I dont think i am going to change anymore, i think i am finnally done growing. Well thats about all, love you all lots and thanks for the emails, TE AMO!!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

2 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

DEAR FAM, Well, it was awesome to talk to you all over Christmas. Ben HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! Well not much to say, pretty much nothing has really happened, everyone has been celebrating the New Years and it is twice as big as Christmas. Pretty much we really couldnt talk to people because they were all drunk. We pretty much just tried to keep our investigators from doing the same. Lots of loud music, and drunks yelling, very diffrent from home. Well, like i said before, i took out a bunch of money to help give them a better Christmas, bought like rice, and beans and other stuff for em. Also the other day i took out some more money to help build supplies to repair a members house and rebuild anothers fence. I bought lumber and its kinda expensive here. But the house looks great (wish i had a picture of it) and we are going to finish the fence this week. So dont have much else to write other than, thanks Ben and Al for the Books, and thanks fam for the cereal!! and everything else. Anyways love you all, but i got to go!!! -Love Elder Duffin Numba 3

2 January 2008

2008-06-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

DEAR FAMILY, Hey, so the new area is great i really like it. Lots of garbage too, and pollution everywhere. It is right next to a sea port, and there are various things along the coast (dont really know what they do yet) but they pump out alot of pollution, black skies around em. Anyways, it is alot better area than my last, i dont really care that it is dirty, just so long as the people want to hear the gospel. It has a really great ward too. Ya so wanna know what i did for my birthday, ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!!!!! Well, i preached the gospel, how about that, we never were big on b-days anyway. So im not really gonna say much because ill just talk to everyone on Christmas!! ya so the plan is still around 9 your time. That means i will call you at 9 in the morning, utah time. Once again 9 in the morning utah time, not my time in the DR, no 9 in the morning utah time, no one emailed me and raised objections so i will assume all will be there to talk, Ben and Al included. So i am also assuming you didnt send me anything because i haven´t gotten anything, but i am going to ask that you put some money in my account, i want to buy some presents for the elders in my house. So we can have our own little christmas speal, we´re planning on having our own dinner and gift exchange, and the mission doesnt give us money for that. So Please please please please please please please put some money in my account like tomarrow, becaues in 2 days my comp and i are going to the store to buy gifts. So do it fast, soon. Remember im ahead of you in time. So please put a little dinero, moneda, or otherwise known as money in my account soon, fast asap, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrapido, antes de mis ojos son cerada, y abierta otra vez, antes de viernes, or in other words before friday please. Can i stress this anymore. I am trying to have a spirit of giving, id like a little money to do it with. Anyways, LOVE YA ALL and talk to you all at 9 am on Christmas day!!!!!!!
LOVE, Elder Duffin NUMBA 3ps here is a nice feliz navidad photo of me and my comp!!!!

12 December 2007

2008-06-23T22:33:00.002-07:00

Dear Family,

So i got transfered!! Which i am actually happy for. I really didnt like my last area, its not that the area was bad, i mean it was really rich and a little difficult, but what i hated was that the ward, didnt like us and refused to work with us. It was bad, there was no trust, and no matter how hard we tried nothing every happened with them. Its all because a missionary a while back did bad things, it totally killed the work there. So that is really the only reason i didnt like it. Anyways, i am glad to be out of there.
Anyways, i have been transfered to the zone of San Cristobal, and the area Haina. Well let me tell you about Haina.
FACT 1- it is the dirtiest city in the western hemisphere
FACT 2- its citizens have the highest level of led contaminiation in the world, and the entire population carries evidences of led poisoning
FACT 3- the only cities that are dirtier and have more pollution have extensive amounts of radiation and are uninhabited.
FACT 4- it is the 3rd dirtiest city in the world.
and guess what, I LOVE IT!!! it is actually a really good area, and i am really excited to be here. I have never heard one bad thing about Haina. I have another American comp, i was kinda hoping for a domincian but i guess there just arent enough of them to go around. Anyways, he is from Utah, and went to Hilcrest high school. Also another elder in my house my house was my comp in the MTC. So i am in a four man house again.
So for Christmas because i changed areas, plans are going to be a little different. Im thinking ill be calling around 9 am your time. My comp has some meal appointments we are going to and so i need to call earlier. I hope that isnt bad, i will have a more definate plan next week. But so far right now, thats about the way it is. Also if i dont talk to Ben and Al this time, they are going to be cursed, or something, because they didnt talk to me last time. If they cant talk at that time, tell me! And i will try to work around accordingly. Is it too much to ask to want to talk to my WHOLE family.

Also, my p-day has been changed again, it is now wedsay, or wenesday, or i dont now how to spell it, the day after tuesday. So just so you know. Well, i got to go, i have a ward correlation meeting that i got to run too, so i will talk to you next week, love you lots!!!

-LOVE Elder Duffin Numba 3!!!

6 November 2007

2008-06-23T22:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Family!!

So its good to hear that all is well this past week. Well just so you know, im fine, the big storm did a work on the DR. It looks even worse and is in worse condition than before. But im in the capital so not much really happened, its further out where it is really bad. But other than the 5-days of rain that is about it. Well, this week has been pretty good. The new transfer just started and last transfer was hard but me and my comp worked hard to get it going and now it is starting to take off a little bit. We are currently teaching 3 families and a few other less active members trying to reactivate them. The really hard thing is that the ward im with isnt very friendly to new members, and the few we are working with dont go to church, because they cant believe such unfriendly people could exist and function in a gospel as perfect and great as this. Anyways we got one to go to church, and me and my comp worked really hard to make it somewhat enjoyable and another new member who was feeling the same disfellowshipment from the ward went over and talked alot with her and was her friend. So she really enjoyed it and wants to go back, thankfully.
Anyways we took some others with us to a couple of lessons and had them bear their testimonies to the families we are teaching and they were amazing lessons. It really showed our families what it means to have a testimony and what it is like to get and answer and do something about it. Anyways, ive heard rumors that another tropical storm is coming, but i never hear any weather reports, could you look into it a little on the internet and kind of give me a forecast of whats coming. Because of the last one food prices jumped way up. Luckily the elders and i in my house buy food for the month, but some basic things that we buy day to day have become really expensive to buy. Alot of other missionaries are struggling. The pres is thinking of giving a little extra money to us because our fund is getting really low. Everything is so scarce now, because it all got destroyed with the wind and rain. But luckily in my house we have bought food for the month so we got our own little storage. Its kind of funny but now it is cheaper to eat more american like meals than to eat a domincan meal. Even though the american like meal is still expensive. But anyways see if you could give a little forecast of whats happening so i can kinda of prepare a little better, its night like i have a tv to hear the daily weather forecast. I just get surprised and have to deal with it. It would be kinda of nice to know what to prepare for if you get what im saying. Anyways, got to go but have a good week and as always TE AMO!!!

-Love ELDER DUFFIN#3

-PS- of you got this already i sent it again because it kept telling me it wouldnt send, so i sent it again, but if you already got it good!!love you all!!

6 November 2007

2008-06-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

23 October 2007

2008-06-23T22:31:00.002-07:00

Hey my favorite older bro and my only sis that is amazing also!! YOUR SNOWMOBILE IS FREAKEN AWESOME!!! AND THAT SEXY TRUCK TO PULL IT!! OH OHOH HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MAAAAAAAAAN!!!! I WISH I COULD BE HOME RIGHT NOW!! ( sort of) but let me tell you i am freaken jelous. I just broke the whole thou shalt not covet commandment, becuase im coveting a ton!! You snowmobile is awesome. The color is so cool. In some pictures it was red and in others it was orange, is that some kind of effect it is supposed to have? Also the 154 horse power, nothin is gonna stop you all, whoooo weeeeee. Well, not to mention your truck, it looks so much better now!! It looks like a real truck now. I hope to have a truck as dead sexy as yours when i get home, but that is a little farther ahead in the future, so i wont worry about it too much now.
So i hope all has been well for you this week, aside from all my thoughts about wanting to snowmobile we had alot of rain, and i mean alot. and i wished it could have all been snow! But it wasnt, but hey its all good. Needless it is to say i went out and i came home as if i had jumped in a pool, soaked through the bone, and it wasnt just me, you should see my scriptures, its sad to say they didnt survive. The pages that i can actually pull apart are just one giant messy black blob. So got to go buy new ones. Luckily im going to the temple on thursday and i can buy new ones there, so i wont be too long without scriptures. But man it sure was alot of rain.
So how is the weather back in utah, snowy, cold, rainy, doesnt look like it will be a good year for snowmobiling? Well i hope it is good, and i expect you guys to send me a movie of all your awesome adventures!! Anyways i got to go so have a good week and as always LOVE YA!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

16 October 2007

2008-06-23T22:31:00.001-07:00

Hey Fam!!

So how has this week been for ya all? Im been doing good, just doin the same old thing, MISSIONARY WORK!! So how about everyone else, nothin to much happen this week i take it? Well same for me, just did alot, and i mean alot of tracting this week, and not whole alot came of it. Just door after door after door, and no really promising investigators. I feel as if i have contacted my whole area, even though that isnt true, but at the rate me and my comp are goin we just might do it.
Well, im doing better this week, i finnally got rid of the flu that had been plauging me for the last week and a half. It feels good to be finnaly rid of it. So you know what one of the most depressing things is, its to go and look at your emails and to only have one, ONE! Now i dont know but that just says all the wrong messages to me. I mean dad is the only one who writes me and i guarantee he is the busiest out of all of you. I mean its like i work hard all week long and its like yes, i get to read my emails this week, and im done in 15 minutes because only dad writes me. It kinda makes email time kinda boring, i mean maybe one week i might not write home, just cause i dont want to spend the time to type to one person.
I mean sometimes in lessons i feel like im talking to a board, and you know its kinda like that i send emails and what i do i get, one email from a loving father and the rest are recieved what seems to be boards. Maybe i need a Chipper... Well just so you all know im a live, and doing good. I hope its all the same for you but you know, i dont really know, but hey you tell me. Well hope to hear from you next week, but maybe i shouldnt do that either... TE AMO!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN#3

9 October 2007

2008-06-23T22:25:00.002-07:00

Dear Mi Familia,

Hey, so how is everyone. It was good to hear from Mom and Dad this week, and a little speal from bryan. So i have one thing to say, WHAT!!!!!QUE!!!!WHAT!!!!!Bryan you have a ipod, phone, Wii, and your driving, and working, what has this world come to. Mom, dad are you crazy!!!! Just kidding. wow though, that is alot of stuff bryan, now why did you not write me and tell me. So how is the Wii, i bet it is a blast. Well just remember what Elder Oaks talked about, there are some good things to do, yet some are better, and still others are best. So why playing it isnt necissarily bad, you need to study the scriptures. That is one thing i wished i could have done a little more, was read the scriptures. But hey, have fun while your at it all anyways, and dont forget to tell me about it.
So im doing good this week. I got over strep throat, and was fine for 2 days and then i got the flu. ya wasnt fun at all. I hate being sick. escpecially for conference, which i didnt get to watch saturday because the satilite had bad reception. But sunday was Good. I just want you all to know that between me and my companions in my house, i called the next councilor. I knew it was going to be Eyring. He is an incredible speaker. He gave some really good talks. Wow, and Elder Cooks was really good too. I cant wait for the ensign to come. So im doing good, me and my comp are hoping to commit one of our investigators to baptism this week, if all goes well. Im also sending a picutre of my new area!!! Hope you like it.
Oh and also heres a little attachment thingy considering pouch- To the North Americans and others regarding the pouch. Please read carefully: The Church has announced that beginning November 1, unfortunately there will be new restrictions regarding pouch mail that we receive. The following are the requirements ~ a. One single sheet of paper, written on one side only. b. There will be no envelope. c. The sheet is to be folded in equal thirds and taped in two places. d. Think of the middle third as the front of the envelope, which should be prepared as follows: postage stamp in upper right corner; address of sender in upper left corner; your name, mission, POBox number, SLC, etc. in the center.
We have not been told if there will be changes in what we send from here. This is a Church-wide policy. We know it will be difficult, but we can be grateful to still have the Pouch. It is being discontinued in some countries because of country-specific requirements.

So it isnt very good, just tell everyone like grandma Jan and Joy, and sister humphrey, and the clawsons, to just email me becuase of pouch.(they are the only people that write write me.) So ya.

Um not much else, hope this week is good for you, oh and mom i did get your email from you and bryan, it was cool, its about time you write me, if you would have died i wouldnt have known any better. Well as always LOVE YA!!

-Elder Duffin#3

2 October 2007

2008-06-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

Hey,

So how is everyone this week? Well i had the worst week ever. I somehow, unfortunatly had strep throat this last week. It was HORRIBLE. Did i mention i hate being sick. Becuase i really hate being sick. I was doing good so far but man, i really hate being sick. So anyways, i went to the mission doc and he tested me out and then gave me some penicilin and said get better. Tough love right, well i wasnt complaining and so im better now. But it was horrible. I had forgotten how much i hated it.
So not much happened this week, though im excited for conference this week. Im hoping i can get my invettigators to go. That would be great!!! Anyways it really snuck around the corner, i cant believe it is October already. Wow it sure did come up fast. Well i dont really know what to write, everything else is going good, except for i havent had power or water at my house for like 24 hours. But other than that all is good. Anyways have a good and TE AMO!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN#3

25 September 2007

2008-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Familia,

So how was your week, good i hope, though BEN, your trailer broke, i thought that thing was indistructable? I mean that was a pretty beefy trailer dude. So anyways my new area is pretty cool. I got a new comp, new house, and no investigators. My area is on the outskirts of the capital. So it is pretty nice, except for the fact that my area is all the rich people. So pretty much the only people we talk to are the maids in the houses. Who always send us away so it has been a challenge lets say. though i got a good comp, he is a hard worker, which is good becuase it is going to take a lot of hard work to start a area from scratch. It turns out that my area was closed originally becuase there werent enough missionaires in the mission, but now there are so it is opened again. I live in a four man house but they got another area, or a much poorer area. But its all good, nothing i cant handle. Actually me and my comp are running off pure inspiration for our contacts , and we have been led to some really good families, that have been pretty receptive so far. so we will see how it goes.

Anyways, the other day i took out some money, and the machine was our of money (thats the DR for ya) so i didnt get my money. Other bad thing is that it is the end of the month so what i tried to take out was the rest of my money. Anyways good news, the banks know when that happens and they put the money back in your account like 2-3 weks later.(or i as i have been told, you might want to correct me on that Al) So i could have gone to the office gotten an advance on the next month, but me and my comp didnt really want to travel there, becuase it is on the oppisite side of the capital. So i just took out money from the home account. but i also did get a cd player for like 20 bucks, and it is a pretty nice one. Anyways, got to go my time is up But love ya all and good luck next week, oh and it is good to know you got my letter Al, did Brandon get his?And mom are you alive, sick, almost dead, in process of dying, or just too lazy to write, becuase its been like 4 weeks since last letter, and so im calling you to repentence, and expecting an email next week. Anyways Te Amo!!

-Love Elder Duffin #3

18 September 2007

2008-06-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hey,

¿So guess what? I got transfered, out of my first area and into my second!! Crazy huh, i was in my first area for 6 months. So my new area is called La Yuca, yeah like the vegitable. Anyways, i have not seen much of it yet since this is my first day in the area. I also got white washed. Which means both me and my comp are new to the area and we get to start from scratch. Actually what happened was it used to be a 2 man house, but this transfer we had a lot of new missionaries come in so alot of the 2 man houses are now 4 man, which means for my area there are 2 companionships for this one area. Luckily it is a pretty big area. Bigger than my last one i was in. Also, it is in the caipital, so alot more other things are more convienently at hand. Its a good thing you sent me all that deet because this houses bugs are really, really bad. Even worse than my last house, but i got plent of deet so im good!!
Anyways, so my time is up, i didnt have much time to write today because i got to my area a little late. Actually my new area is about an hour away from my old area. My new comp is an american, and im in a house will all americans. So far ive always had atleast 2 Spanish Speakers in my house. so this will be different. So i didnt buy a backpack last week, there werent any good ones, i think im just gonna live with what i got and make some new pants out of tuffer material. Also my CD player broke, it was really old so i wasnt surprised. Im gonna go see if i can find one in my new area. I think i will be able to find good one for pretty cheap since im in the capital now. Im thinking i can find one for about 20-30 dollars but ill see, i want to go to some place where ill be able to talk the guy down. Well good luck and have fun this week and Te Amo mucho!!!!

-Elder Duffin

11 September 2007

2008-06-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

a couple other pics of the amazing weekend!!! TE AMO!!!

-love Elder DUFFIN#3

11 September 2007

2008-06-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

HEY, Hola, saldudos, wepa, que lo que, que pasó, and WAZ UP,

Wow, so you sold your new snowmobile, and you MADE MONEY!!!! Wow dont you love that!! i mean everyone loves money. But you know that is kinda of a memorable snowmobile, you should have like taken the seat cover or something, you know so you could have a piece of the original for memories. But you know the only thing i ever really got attatched to was my woobie (blanket) and my escrituras (oops scriptures). But hey, lots of food huh, why dont you send me some of that good home cooked love (¿was it burned?) to me!!!! En mis suenos!!(in my dreams), but im glad your eating, its an important fundamental part of the day, its good to know your not anorexic!! Just kidding!!
Well, ya i have grown, im 6-1 actually, i kept telling my comp i was 5-11, and he kept saying no dude your taller, and i said i doubt i´ve grown, i mean i already had my growth spurt, so we got a twelve in ruler and we measured, and i was 6-1. So i have grown, but not just up, but sideways too!! i got this belly and it hangs over my belt, and i was like WHY!! thats not supposed to happen for another 10 years, at the least, but then i remember what i hate for lunch, FRIED CHICKEN, and then i realized, everything here is FRIED. and that is why im gaining wieght. I hardly ever ate fried foods before, besides french fries. You see, the difference here in the DR is they fry everything, or boil it, which is horrible, and in the states we bake everything. And im working out a ton and im still gaining fat, i hate to think what would happen, if i didnt work out.
But ya, anyways, yesterday, i had this really cool charla (discussion, man i keep doing that, my brain is fried too), so it was a reference, and we taught her the first lesson, and then she said she already knows it is true, and we said well share your testimony to us, and she said she didnt know how because she had never done it before, and she asked how do you start, and i said, with what you know is true. She then commenced to bear her testimony and by the time it was over, everyone was in tears, it was amazing!!! We only have one problem now, her mom!! Because she is only 17 she needs permision to be baptized from mom and pres, but the biggest obstacle is her mom. But Nothing i cant handle, yah!!!

So dad said he didn´t get my email last week, i see that you did, but did you also get my pics i sent? If so Show them to the rest of the fam, becuase it takes forever to send pics here (comps are slow here) so i dont have to resend them.
Also, this weekend was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So me and my comp decided to have a little bit of fun, and to celebrate his 21 month mark, we cooked skewers!! on a miniture barbecue grill, and he recieved A and W rootbeer, so we had ROOTBEER FLOATS, aleluya, aleluya, aleluya, aleluya, aleluya, aleluya, aaaaaaallleeeeeluuuuuyaaaaaa!!!!it was amazing, so im sending pics of that amazing meal. And so hope all is well, i hope your mom is doing well too Al, and of course, (im gonna say it in spanish this time just to change things up) TE AMO!!!!!!LOVE YA!!!(OH WE ALSO MADE SUMMORES, even better now huh!!)

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3

28 August 2007

2008-06-23T22:16:00.001-07:00

allright, my email is messed up hope you get this and forward it to mom and dad because i cant send email to them!!!

Hola, me familia,

Well, sounds like that 100 bucks was worth it, because i got the package!! sort of, ive been told i have a package, but the AP´s and the office elders are too lazy to bring it to me. Oh i havent been transfered yet, that´s in 3 more weeks, which i will be transfered. But as for now, im in the middle of no where. So yes i have been depleating my account, because of 2 reasons.

1.i had to buy contact solution and becuase i am far away from the capital it costed me about 50 bucks!! ouch that one hurt! but i got 2 bottles of it!! (which is all they had, and i had to go to 8 different places to get it, there isnt a walmart here unfortunatly)
2.i am in the middle of no where so atms dont work!!! and when they do work they wont accept my church card. So i have been having to use my home card, that is why i have been using so much money, becuase i need it to survive. I actualy have a good chunk of money in my church account, and when i go to the capital next week for pres. interview, i will be withdrawing every penny!! that way when the atms in my area dont work, ill have money!! So yes i have taken out lots of money but it isnt my fault!! I mean i got to keep getting fat, come on!!!

So Spencer Had his farewell. Could you send me his MTC address, i would like to try and get a letter to him while he is in the MTC, and send me andrews address, and email too. he sent me a letter, and i wrote back, but im not sure if he got my letter. So send me his address, and email, and spencers adress too please, next week!!!! So i can write them. And thx for the deet, but the thing is i can only buy like 30% deet here, and that doesnt work, believe me i tried. But its cool i currently have 52 mosquito bites on my left leg!! (it fell out from underneath my sheet last night)So today i went to a little farmacy (they are on every street corner, and it in no way compares to a farmacy in the states, in fact it really isnt even worth the title farmacy) and i asked for some anti itch cream, and guess what i got, vicks vapor rub!! So domincan medicine says that for what ever you have or where ever it itches or hurts put vicks vapor rub on it and all will be better!! well i decided to just endure the itching and scratch the vicks vapor rub.

So i will be happy for deet becuase i wont have to worry about mosquito bits again. Because when i had it, i only got 4 mosquito bites!! so i looking forward to the relief. But dont worry, its nothing i cant handle!!!

Anyways, when, if, you go to put money back in my account only put like 40-50 dollars in it (about 1000 pesos, which if it is about 30-34 pesos per dollar...ill let you do the math), becuase, even though my area, isn´t that dangerous, as you get closer to the capital it gets really dangerous with gangesters and stuff. So if my card does get stolen, they wont have much to mess with. But if i get transfered to another area in the middle of no-where, its not gonna matter. But my comp, just came from one of the most dangerous areas in the mission, and he´s told me stories and wow!!! lets just say i´m prayin i wont go there becuase its bad!! But it doesnt really matter where i go, just so long as a stay out of a couple of the dangerous areas, and another one, which is the dirtiest city in the world, i´d like to avoid that one too, but thats it!! Anyways i got to go, hope you have a good week and please, please, please, send me Andrews emial, and written address, and spencers MTC mail address!! and as always LOVE YA!!!

-Love Elder Duffin #3

21 August 2007

2008-06-23T21:45:00.002-07:00

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL o,

Well how are my favorite 2 older siblings who aren´t dead that filled my mailbox this week. Sounds like almost everyting is aiet. Sorry your mom has cancer AL, that isn´t a good thing(stating the obvious, just wait for the good part) but im glad she is doing better!!! Ya so as you have already read or have yet to read or may not know the hurricane didnt hit the DR, but it almost and let me tell you, the country is in quite a mess and the hurrican didnt even hit(refer to letter DONT PANIC!!! for more details) but im all aiet down here, just chillin, preachen the gospel and stuff, sitten tight chiilen relaxen all cool, playin b-ball out side of school, when a couple of guys, who were up to no good, started maken trouble in my neighborhood, i got in one little fight and my mom got scared and she said, your moving to your auntie and uncle in Belare... oops... YA SO IM GOOD, oops caps lock... anyways COMO ESTA!! QUE TAL, QUE LO QUE, QUE PASO(A) HOLA, SALUDOS... sorry i got none left, school starten huh. BUMMER!! but hey snowmobiling is coming up, hey could you send me some snow for Christmas!!!! that would be TOTALLY WICKED!!! Actually i saw some slush the other day(it was that cold!!!) So Ben thx for the emails, you are the best bro, in fact your so good, that i feel like a dork, because i never wrote really and you write me alot!! so ya your the best. Well as for Michelle, no you wont be getting a sister in law becuase she´s enganged!! seriously, like all my friends wrote and told me including her, so ya forget that one, but its alright i didnt and dont and never will really care all that much about it, girls never were my priority, unless now they want to hear the gospel then im there!!!

So i thought you were gonna send me a DVD? whatever happened to that? So i hope you have a good snowmobiling season this year, actually i talk about it alot with my comp, he does moto cross, and he was at the point where he either would go pro or go on a mission, and luckily he chose mission, but ya he is that good, and he did alot of snowmobiling too, so we talk about it, its pretty cool!!

Well, with the apostle paul, and what he means by circumsion(did i spell that write) here is my thoughts and knowledge of circumsision or whatever...

1. Circumsision(whatever) seperated children of Israel form everyone else, so often times it is used as a distinction between the lords covented people, and the gentiles. It could be that

2.it is used to mean that someone has come unto chirst ect. (look at mosiah 5) or they havent and they have an uncircumsised heart. So it means a spiritual transformation.

3.along with the first, it was a commandment under the law of moses, signifying the Abrahamic covenent, which after Christ came was no longer needed, not sure but i think it talks about this in DyC, and Mormon talks about it and how when Christ came it was no longer needed or required, as Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses.

4.no one in the DR is circumsised, i have seen my fair share of them to last a life time and alas im yet to see more for 18 more months!! (another thing im not gonna miss in the DR naked boys)

5.Cant think of anything move on to 6

6.If you wanted to give me a specific reference i could study it see what the new testiment manual says, discuss it with my comp and give you another hypothises next week. or 5 page report you pick.

Well that is my immediat thoughts on circumsision. Anyways got to go, tiem is running out and i still got to write pres. so have a good week and as always LOVE YAAAA!! and GOOD LUCK IN SCHOOL!!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN NUMBA 3

21 August 2007

2008-06-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

Well, hmmm i dont really know how to start, maybe ummm... Hi My name is Elder Doffin(that is how they say it here) and im a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of the saints of the last days, do you want to be baptised?

Hows that as a pick up line for ya, your sure to get a door slammed in your face!! ahahahha

HOLA Me FAMILIA,

Well it good to know your all alive and so am I. Well just as a FYI, no hurricane hit the DR!!! and actually one hasn´t hit here for 10 years or 11 cant seem to remember. But it almost hit and wow, talk about the storm of the century. I see the damage and if it would have hit here, the whole island would have been in trouble. The hurricane was about twice as big as the entire island (that includes the DR and Hiati) but fewwwwwwwwwwww!! it sure was close, mostly everyone headed for the capital and other safer locations with cinderbock buildings and stuff so they would be protected. Well heres is the damage report, the DR was in shambles already but wow, its a mess (did you know it is the dirtiest and messiest place on earth)(hows that for another FYI for you) so now its even worse. I walked down the street and on one side was all cinderblack houses (missing roofs) and the other side was what used to be wooden houses but had all blown over in the same direction. trees were uprooted, and throne who knows how many feet, and wow RAIN FOR 3 DAYS STRAIGHT NON STOP!! our house almost flooded, and hmm anything else. OH telphone poles, no power. oh i dont know if you remeber but my comp has what is called a inversor(inverter) or this thing that is hooked up to, for us it is 2 batteries, but you can have more, and then your house runs off the batteries. So while the rest of the country was without power, and all that jazz, we were sitten in the house with all the conforts, well not all the conforts, actually i got really cold. I wish i had a sweat shirt. I never thought i would be cold, but we went out to proselyte adn i got wet, and cold, and i got dry, but i never got warm. It was like that for 3 days, then the hurricane passed right between the DR and mexico and rammed right into cancuun head on!!! But you know why a Hurricane hasnt hit here, well this is just my theory(did i spell that right) but well, it cause there is a temple here, and there has been one here for 10 years, hmm a coinkadink(coincidence, i give up trying to spell inglesh words!!!), i think not!!!!! I think the lord is protecting the dirtiest place on earth becuase the only clean and the cleanest part is the TEMPLE!! i dont know thats just my theroy, thoery, theory(whatever you get the point), so dont take it as doctrine but ya!!

The deet stuff is at WALMART DAD!!! becuase that is where i bought it. It is called REPEL 100, go back to there hunting, fishing, rec section and ask for REPEL 100, i can get 35% OFF here, that doesnt work, come on im new to the DR still i got SANGRE DULCE!!(SWEET BLOOD) the skeeters love me, they look at me and its like THANKSGIVING dinner at Grandma Joys. and the entire mosquito population is invited. Im sure if they could talk they´d say FIESTA EN LA PIERNA IZQUIRDA DE ELDER DOFFIN!!!(party on the left leg of elder duffin!!) and then they´d say FIESTA EN LA PIERNA DERECHA DE ELDER DOFFIN!! (i think you can figure that one out) So send the REPEL 100 becuase i dont like fiestas, but i do like siestas!!!! and no i dont need a bug net becuase i have a sheet and i cover myself with it, besides mosquitos at night dont carry dengue, its the ones during the day when your out prosylting.

Well enough of mosquitos, how about food, i ate at this members house last night and wow, the aweful taste from it is still in my mouth!!! Hey Grandpa i know you like liver, but have you ever had pig ear? Becuase last night i ate pig ear, and boiled platinos. its like eating a leather belt and chalk!! and when i got home no matter how much i brushed my teath, the taste still hasnt left my mouth. Bleh Bleh bleh, but try it!!! Im sure you´ll love it!! hahahaha, that is one thing i wont miss about the DR pig ear. Not to mention it smells really bad, and i mean really really bad!! But other food here isnt so bad. Well infact ive gained more weight!!! and my pants are getting tight again NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I think it is becuase of 2 things, one they fry everything here, chicken, bannanas, ham, you name they fry it. and two well i forgot two so we´ll just let that one go. You would think with all the exercises i do i wouldnt get fatter, but well whatever. Hey mom so you know my ribs that poke out, lets just say there are a little less pokey, i mean there still there, but less there.

So i mailed a couple of letters, one to Bryan, and one to Michael. Did they get them?yet? not at all? never in a million years?got them but to lazy to write back? currently writing back? or already written and en-route to the DR? who knows maybe i never wrote them? whatever, anyways you just found out Faust died!! i knew 2 weeks ago, week and ahalf, something like that. Ya its sad, all the apostles that ive grown up with are dying or dead. Im gonna forever say i know that Gordan B. Hinckley, i mean so and so is a prophet. or yo se que Gordón B. Hinckléy es un profeta, comó, un otro persona quién es un profeta ahora!! But oh well. Hmm this transfer is almost over! and i am for sure getting transfered becuase i havent been transfered yet!! (you know that right) im sitll in my first area, and have been so for 4 transfers, so i am for sure staying here becuase the most someone ever stays in a area is for 4 transfers and the fourth is almost over!!! So in 3 weeks im outa my area, and into somewhere hotter, possibly more populated or way out in the middle of tobbacco fields, and orange orchards!!! one or the other but ya.

Well grandpa, its good to hear from you, and yes i got your email, i´ve only been asking my mom for 6 months to give it to me, and now you finnaly write me. IT was really exciting to get one from you!!! I hope all is well, and im sure your flowers look great!! So your not in the paper yet huh, well you cant go there yet becuase im not home, and so you just keep putting on them overalls everyday and reading the paper, checking to make sure your not in it, and all will be fine!! So how is Grandma, doing good i hope?

Well i dont have much more to say, i dont have any pictures of the damage becuase, it was raining a ton and i didnt want my camera to get destroyed along with everything else, but maybe the next hurricane!!! JUST KIDDING!! Actually all missionaries are required to have a 72 hour kit, which i have, so if a hurricane did hit i could keep on getting fat for 72 more hours, and then you should start prayin really hard for me!!! JUST KIDDING AGAIN!! DONT PANIC, ill be fine!! How is Brandon anyway, he hasnt written me yet and he said he would, so if your in contact with him, tell him to write me or he is going to regret it for the rest of his life!! Anyways, as always i LOVE YOU!!

LOVE ELDER DUFFIN NUMBER 3

14 August 2007

2008-06-23T21:44:00.001-07:00

HMMMMM,

Are you alive or dead, or something, because its been awhile, i mean que lo que (what goin on!!)!!! Is everything alright, have i been disowned as a Little bro here, i mean talk to me!!!!!!! or at least write to meee!!! Help me out here!!!! and have a good week while your at it!!! LOVE YAAAA!!! (this is a call you to repentence letter, and to remind you that i still exist and love you)(and if you love me fill my mailbox!!!)LOVE YAAA

-Love Elder Duffin#3

31 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

HOLA,

So I´m glad to hear that the trip to cancuun was good!! So how is everything else, im sorry about the truck, but im happy it was free to fix. Al congrats on the job improvement, im glad your enjoying it, bu ti dont think you are enjoying it as much as i am enjoying my mission!!hahahaha, anyways i got to go p-day was over 10 min ago just wanted to say hi and of course LOVE YA!!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN#3

31 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:41:00.001-07:00

Hola,

Well how is it goin, hope all is well. sorry i dont have much time my p-day ended about 5 min ago. so i just wanted to let you know that IM ALIVE STILL!! But anyways, you sent that package yet? if not remeber send me STAMPS so i can write some letters to people, some jello pudding, a watch, nothing fancy just like your 10 dollar walmart one, not big either and put a velcroe band on it por favor. Also send me a marvelous work and a wonder, it was in my headboard and it is blue. and some more deet insect repellent stuff, IM OUT and im BEING EATEN ALIVE AND REALLY DONT WANT SOME WIERD DISEASE. actually i would really like it soon, its the rainy season so twice as many mosquitos and lately alot of missionaries have been getting sick, like last transfer there were 14 sick with sickness contracted from mosquitos so SEND SOME MORE!!!!! I dont want to be a sick missionary. Also throw in some of those sticky notes, the square ones would be nice. Um not much more. I didnt have a baptism this week, the young man we were gonna baptise decided he wanted to wait a couple of weeks more. Also i dont know if it worth it to send but if it is possible to fit it in the package send me my CAMEL BAK, my comp has one and it would be really nice. i dont know if it is possible or worth it but, you make the call. Anyways got to go LOVE YOU LOTS!!!

-Love Elder Duffin#3

24 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

forgot to attach the pictures, here they are!! Love ya

-Love Elder Duffin#3

24 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:36:00.002-07:00

Hola my Familia,

So how is everything? Ben i´m sorry about the truck but i hope you have a fun time in Cancuun. Hey brandon when you get into Brazil send me an email!! That would be so cool. Well for future reference i email you about noon your time, and also when is daylight savings time for you? Well i dont know what much to say. I had interviews with the pres yesterday, im still at 145 pounds, i have a way awesome heart rate and blood pressure, thanks too all my running and other exercises. Well all is going good, this week i have a baptism, and it is a good one. It is a young man about 18 almost 19. I have been working with him for almost 3 transfers, but i was patient and now he is getting baptised. Also what makes it even better is that he has choses a friend in the ward to baptise him which is even better. So ill send you those pics next week.
Well mom i dont know if you knew this already, but i found it out yesterday, but because postage went up there is no more global priority. so you cant send anything that way now. From what my mission pres. wife told me the next best is FedEx or UPS, although from what i hear from other elders i think UPS is the better. Anyways it doesnt matter, just see that you can send me that stuff. Anyways also make sure there is stamps in there, people are writing me and i am unable to write back becuase i dont have stamps. So send me a ton of stamps, and that 100% deet stuff, i am out and i am getting bitten aton and i dont want to contract some disease. Also send me A Marvelous work and a Wonder, it should be in my head board. You dont have to worry about the camera cable anymore, my comp has the same camera as me and he has 2 cables so he gave me one of his. Send me pudding too, it is so good.
Also mom i need you to put in more money in my acount, for some stupid reason i dont know why but all the ATMs in my area wont accept the card the mission gave us for money, so if you havent noticed ive been using alot of money out of my home acount just so i can live. The mission is sending me a new one and i should get it next week, but until then i have had to use my home acount and there isnt much in there anymore. So i thought i would just tell you what was up. Anyway that is all. oh mom you should have michael send me a letter. When i was in the CCM i sent him a postcard, but have him write me and bryan too. WEll that is all for now.

Also here are some of my latest pictures, the first is a giant pot of RICE AND BEANS AND CHICKEN!!!!!! For a zone p-day we cooked and the pot is huge!! also i was walking into the house and (bryan you´ll like this one) is a tiny little lizard on my tie, it almost lookes like a tie tack but it realy is a real lizard. and the last, is a FERARI, the pres´s house is in a really really really really really really really rich neighborhood. So parked was this FERARI so i thought why not take a picture!! And as always LOVE YOU!!!

-Love Elder Duffin #3

17 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:36:00.001-07:00

Wow, i got nothing to say!! NO ONE WROTE ME THIS WEEK!!! You all got alot of repenten to do and hope that the world doesnt come to and end. Love ya!! (oh by the way i got a letter from andrew this week, mom thanks for sending me his address so i could right him)

-Elder Duffin#3

10 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

OH ALSO, IN MY LAST EMAIL I SENT SOME PICTURES, IN CASE THEY DIDNT GET SENT IM SENDING THEM AGAIN, THE FIRST IS A PICTURE OF ME AND MY NEW COMP, THE SECOND IS THIS AMAZING SUNSET FROM MY BACK PORCH IN MY AREA AND THE THIRD IS MY LAST DISTRICT, LAST TRANSFER( THE ELDER WITH THE GLASSES WAS ALSO MY COMP IN THE MTC IN PROVO)!! LOVE YAAA!!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN#3 AGAIN!!!

10 July 2007

2008-06-23T21:30:00.002-07:00

Alrighty then, hola me familia

So i guess the fourth was pretty fun, so Brandon how did you manage to convince dad to rent ATV´s, you know though dad, now the next step is buying ATV´s. So in 1 year and 6 months i expect to come home to 3 beautiful shiny used(of course) ATV´s... or maybe not... but its a possiblity right... Naaa maybe i shouldnt take it that far. hahahahahaha well everything is pretty good. Me and my comp got a baptismal date. You know when you actually go out and work the lord blesses you with success, this investigator me and my last comp worked on for 2 transfers, and now my new comp comes along and we put just a little more work into it and bam we got a fecha!!!(date)
Also i spoke in sacrament meeting which went pretty well. It was just like teaching except to a big crowd and not a couple of individual people. I enjoyed it and i wouldnt mind doing it again. Well mom did you send me that package of stuff yet?i would like to know so i can try and estimate when to expect it if not... when... becuase my comp is sick and it might be dengay... which you get from mosquitos and which you can prevent if i had more deet repelent stuff which i asked you to send and would be very helpful in keeping a me healthy and 30 pounds heavier... so if you havent sent it yet please...soon, becuase i really dont want to get sick, i really really really really really really realy really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really dont want to get sick!!!
Well mom, pretty much you and the rest of the fam are the only ones that write. I guess everyone else is too lazy. Every once in a while i get one from sister clawson and sister humphrey. Which is really disappointing becuase i email spencer like every other week and he neglects to write me. By the way when does he leave on his mission and could you send me his address. Also you still havent sent me stamps so i am unable to write to people like Rhonda, who sends me packages like every other month, would you thank her for that for me too. So when you do send me a package send me stamps too...please...please...please
...please...please...please with a cherry on top. So also send me Andrews email address too, and Grandpa Claynes, i have been asking for... hmmmm, let me think... SIX MONTHS... could you help me out a little in keeping contact with people please. And maybe Carolyns too, if i had extra time one week i think i would write her but guess what, no email address. Also you cant send the stamps in a regular letter through pouch because i wont get them, you have to send it in a package. In fact only letters make it through pouch, so you have to send a package for me to recieve them.
Hmmm, that is about all, so have a great week and dont have too much fun without me... And as always LOVE YAAA!!!

-LOVE ELDER DUFFIN #3