Brayden totally exhausted! :)

It's hot hot hot!

Hello all!

Things went pretty well this week until yesterday! haha ;) It was an extremely trying day yesterday. But we got through it and we are on to a better week. We weren't able to contact one of our investigators with a date, Juan, at all this week. The our other with a date, Lisa, texted us last night and said that she read and prayed and realized it is not for her! So basically we are a little troubled ;) But I'm sure all will be well!

The new branch was pretty crazy yesterday trying to figure everything out and getting everybody where they needed to be going. It was pretty cool though because there were about 75ish people there, which is almost how many came to the ward! There are many blessings with the change, especially for those who just plain couldn't come because of lack of transportation. We will be a ward again very soon.

It was so hot this week. Over 100 consistently over the weekend. I am pretty sure I got a cold from dehydration and the heat, if that even makes sense.

I heard last week about Daulton. That is super sad and was very shocking. It was hard to think about this past week. His family and loved ones have been in my prayers. It is also sad to hear about Uncle Darrell, but it is good that he has found rest and peace now.

It is crazy that Danny is headed off! That is super cool though. I hope all goes well for him. Thank you for forwarding Elder Free's email. He will do great. This goes by way too fast.

I got the recordings but we honestly have been so busy I haven't had any time to listen to them. I will make sure to do that this week. Sorry guys!

Glad to hear all is going well at work mom :) Sounds like fun :)

That is good you all got to go to the barbeque and enjoy that time together!! Looks like Scott is doing some awesome work. The pictures of Emmy had me crackin up! Haha :) She is hilarious :)

Well I love you all. Thank you for everything. I miss you! Have a blessed week, ok? :) Love,

Elder Stone

July pics!

New Area!!

Hello family!!!

Things are going very well. I feel very grateful to be in this area. So the area is a little confusing. We cover Sacramento instead of Elk Grove, including downtown! Although there is no Spanish work there right now really so we don't go up north very much. But I will send you a picture of the map! The majority of the area we are mostly in is pretty ghetto, which makes it sad and interesting. But it is an awesome place! I saw more black people and Asians on Thursday than I have seen in my entire life combined ;) haha

Elder Harris and I are getting along great. We are unified on our desire to be obedient and the best we can, and so I know we will see wonderful blessings come.

So we were in the Sac 10th Spanish Ward, but this sunday they just split it into the Sac 10th branch and the La Riviera branch! So now we will be in the La Riviera branch. We might also be changing zones from Elk Grove to Rancho Cordova. So basically we are just really confused right now ;) But it is cool. It will open up a ton of opportunities, especially for the Rancho Spanish elders.

But yeah! We live just south of Sac State University, on the corner of Redding and San Juaquin, if you want to find us on the map!

There is a lot of good things happening in this area. We have a couple really great investigators and 2 on date so far in August. We are really going to  be focusing this week on the members and strengthening them and less actives. We need the branch to be strong so we can see success. Exciting week coming up.

It is great to hear about the trek fireside and all! That is awesome that Bri and Eric locked the keys in the car! I've definitely never done that before ;) Glad you could get it out eventually haha :)

I hope Brook has a good time at camp!!!  That is exciting :)

Thanks always for the pictures and all! I love you! I miss you guys so much! I hope you have a wonderful week :)

Love,

Elder Stone

Transfers!!

Hello family!! 

Well! The transfer is over! We received the report last night! I will be leaving and going to the Elk Grove West area! I will be serving with Elder Harris, who I have never met, but I am excited! I will be on bike full time still which is torture during the summer but awesome :) So that is exciting. I am really pumped to work up there in Sacramento! I've heard South Sac is pretty ghetto too which is awesome!

The crazy thing is that Elder Fernandez is coming back to Lodi! The Elder might serve half his mission in one area! Blows my mind. But he is amazing and it will be good for Elder Farnsworth.

Sister Quigley is the best! Tell her I miss her and that she is the greatest!!

I can't believe Elder Free is out of here. Blows my mind! He is a good man. Excited for him to serve.

I am glad all went well with Trek and Scout camp and all! Can't believe you did the Polar bear and the swim check. It is brutal. During the mile it wasn't too bad because everything just goes numb :P

Well this week we saw some incredible blessings. We were able to talk to a man named Jose outside of his apartment while we were there to try another door, and he came to 2 activities, church, and lunch with a member family all in one weekend. He loves it, knows our WML and someone in the branch presidency, and his kids all love church too. A whole family! It is amazing. But now I have to leave haha :P I hope I will be back here for the baptism. 

Well the heat has been bad! Yesterday was absolutely brutal. Wow. But you definitely feel like you are doing work when it is really hot :) Keeps the weight off ;)

Thank you for everything. I love you all! There will be definitely a ton of pictures next week with all the members and people and such. Miss you guys! Have a blessed week :) Love,

Elder Stone

Hot hot hot!!!!

Hey family!

Well this week was interesting! The 4th went well. A member family from the English ward had us over to eat and did some fireworks that we got to watch. I guess San Joaquin county is lame and doesn't let you do much. But of course they do anyways. In the evening we went to the stake center and the whole zone just played sports for a while then had root beer floats. It was pretty fun. 

I was going to burn one of my old shirts for the year mark...totally forgot. Maybe I will do it and just pretend it was on the Hump Day ;) We made some smores this last week in the grill behind our house, which was fun.  

We had a pretty rough week again. We found some people that are really exciting though! One is Jose (probably literally the 500th Jose I have met) and he is super cool. We are going to see him again Tuesday. I am excited for him!! 

We met the new mission president and his wife this week! Pres. and Sis. Jardine (Jar - dine not deen) are awesome! I am excited to have them here. I feel just a little Pres. Lewis-Sick, but that happens. They are really awesome. We will have interviews in a couple weeks so that will be fantastic.

Sounds like the 4th was fun for you guys :) I am glad the operation went well Mom! They look great :) The deck also looks amazing! Good work! I loved all the pictures!!!!

It was really hot this week. So that is something :) A Pentecostal preacher tried to bash us last night which was interesting. There are a lot of people who think they "know what your church is about". Just got to laugh at it :)

Well I love you all. Thank you for everything you do for me. You are amazing. I miss you and I love you so much! Have a wonderful week. :)

Elder Stone

New mission president coming!

Hello family! 

We had an ok week! District meeting went well! Things have been alright! As we near the last two weeks of training, Elder Farnsworth will be taking lead in everything possible this week. It will be great and a real learning and growing experience. I am excited for this upcoming week. I don't know why things have been so tough recently, but we are fighting through it.

We saw President and Sis. Lewis for the last time this week. It was very sad and I will miss them a ton. I love them and they have been amazing. I hope to see them again very soon. President and Sis. Jardine will be coming in this week. We are excited to get to know them! Feel free to keep them in your prayers, as I can imagine it would be extremely difficult to try to do something like that. 

Yeah Bro. and Sis. Grimm were my ma and pa! That is awesome! They are amazing. Love those guys. I hope they have an awesome time. I wish I could do it again! 

The camping adventure looked awesome! I have such a desire to go fishing haha. It looks like everyone had an awesome time.Thanks for sending all the pictures. They always make me smile :) 

Yeah yesterday was super hot. Good thing today is preparation day and we won't be outside all day! It gets pretty brutal sometimes :) But it is fun. Keeps me from getting too fat ;) 

Well I will officially complete a year this week. That is insane to me. It goes by way too fast. But I hope to make this last year the best year of my life. I am learning so much. I have a long way to go but I am trying the best I know how. Hopefully I can keep improving and become better. 

Not much to report on this week. It was pretty slow unfortunately. But next week will be awesome. And hot. 

If it comforts you guys at all to know, I have been taking really good care of my teeth while out on the mission haha :P 

I love you all! You are the best. I hope you have a blessed week and that all is well. Love and miss you,

Elder Stone

p.s. I’ll make sure and get some pictures next week!