September 11, 2017
Hola Fonzfam!
*(Elder Fonnesbeck also sent a b-day email voice recording--perfect gift & day!; our b-day cards came via snail mail the next day)
Feliz Cumpleanos Mama!
I thought this card was very fitting to your personality. Though the flowers on the front aren't quite as neat as the real thing from Hawaii, I hope these flowers from Mexico make up the difference.
Being out for almost 10 weeks has pulled and stretched me in different ways. Sometimes I don't know how to feel, if I should feel happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc. But whenever I am feeling a little off I remember the 2000 Stripling Warriors in Alma. Here is Alma 56:47 where I changed a few words:
"47 Now he never had taught, yet he did not fear failure; and he did think more upon the happiness of his Father than he did upon his life; yea, he had been taught by his mother, that if he did not doubt, God would deliver him."
You have taught me to be strong, to stand up and do what is right. Before my mission I kept saying that two years wasn't a long time. I said it so I could believe for myself, so that when the day did come when I would have to leave, I wouldn't cry too hard. Mom, I love you and I hope having a missionary doesn't make you feel too old, but that it means you've raised me right. Have a Happy Birthday and enjoy all the memories!
Love your Missionary,
Elder Fonnesbeck
Hola Fonzfam!
This last week was really fun and busy. Missionary Work is great, especially when you fill your days with people to teach and people to find. I'm getting a better handle on the language I've noticed than when I first came out. I'm actually trying to reach the level that my companion is at right now by the end of this transfer. I'm not saying I'm perfect at Español yet, but that I'm staying positive and recognize the improvement. I know that a lot of times we feel we don't measure up to the standards set by friends, parents, or God. That when we try to do something and fail we may think it is all over or that we're not good enough. But that is simply not the case. When we don't meet God's standard we are blessed with Christ's Atonement to carry us the rest of the way. In 2 Nephi 25:23 we learn of His love and mercy through His Atonement, "...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." I promise that as we do our best each day to be a disciple of Christ and live His teachings, that we will be blessed abundantly and will be able to return to our Father in Heaven. This is the promise I tell my investigators, and this is the promise I make to you.
Now as I've thought about what to write in this week's letter home, I thought I would share how the fires have affected my area here in Aloha and Beaverton. It has been really smoky. So much that visibility was down to less of a mile in the middle of the day and ash would just rain from the sky. Breathing wasn't very fun, especially for the biking Elders. A lot wore masks or bandanas to help protect their lungs. Everyday the sun would rise it was a blood red. And it stayed that way all day. The light that it gave off made everything orange and red. During the peak of the fire, it was really hot too. It actually didn't get into the 100s this week because of the thickness of the smoke, but it got close. I am grateful to have a car so that we could get little breaks of AC once and a while throughout the day. Now it's cleared up and we had our first rain Saturday since mid-July. It was only a sprinkle but it cleaned the atmosphere. The rain is coming though really soon, so I'm soaking up the sun while I can and we are trying to plan P-Day activities to enjoy it as well.
Oh, haha. I wanted to share this experience too! On Monday Elder Clarke and I, with Elder Guymon and his companion, Elder Lenard, ate dinner at a member's house. He had prepared a special soup for us, and this will always go down as one of the most interesting meals I've had. So in this soup was onions, chicken, and normal type of meats. But he explained in Spanish how there was pig hooves and donkey tail in this soup as well. I was really surprised and not entirely anxious to eat anymore, but I did. The texture of the boiled hooves was interesting. The overall taste wasn't bad, but the texture was difficult to handle. The donkey tail also had an interesting texture and my piece was really long. I was able to keep everything down and I made sure to thank that member for that unique experience. You don't have to leave the US to get a foreign experience.
On Friday I received a heavy package from my family. Apparently once it arrived at the mission office it went through the hands of 3 or 4 different missionaries before I finally got it. This was because I was on an exchange with my Zone Leader, Elder Ksealer, and I wasn't at my apartment but at his. I was really excited to open it and I did while Elder Clarke was at his District Leader meeting. When I opened it, it practically "exploded" because of all the cool stuff that was inside. There were treats and food(thank you for the Clif bars) and a dozen Libros de Mormón. In each one had the testimonies of each of my family members translated via Google Translate into Espanol. On Saturday I gave mine away to this 16 year-old kid who was baptized two years ago in México. His mom and family are still there and he lives with his aunt here in Oregon. He hasn't gone to church since Mexico but really wants to as well as go to the temple. He didn't have un Libro, so I gave him the one with my testimony in it. He graciously accepted it and promised to read it. Last night I gave another one away. It was Alizabeth's Libro. We contacted a referral in our area right before returning to our apartment. She was really nice and wants us to come back this week and teach her. Her name is Rosa and she happily accepted el Libro as I explained that my sister's testimony of it was written in the front. I'm excited to see what happens with her and pray that she will be able to come to the realization that we all have of the truthfulness of this gospel.
It was exciting to hear about this last week from home and happy to hear Homecoming went well. This week school started up for the kids here and it's weird not heading back to school right now. But doing the Lord's work is even better, not easier, but full of blessings and experiences. I pray that everyone is doing well and continues to search the scriptures for answers to life's problems. When we dedicate ourselves to the Lord we are blessed with miracles.
I love you all so much and wish Mom and Dad a Feliz Cumpleanos!
Elder Fonnesbeck
"I'm not the BOM, you all are the BOM!"
"We also hit up Izzy's Pizza too for dinner #bdaycoupon"
"Enjoying the DQ Blizzard #bdaycoupon"
"The smoke covered everything"
"Another beautiful end to another week"
"Smoky Sunrise"
*(Elder Fonnesbeck also sent a b-day email voice recording--perfect gift & day!; our b-day cards came via snail mail the next day)
Feliz Cumpleanos Mama!
I thought this card was very fitting to your personality. Though the flowers on the front aren't quite as neat as the real thing from Hawaii, I hope these flowers from Mexico make up the difference.
Being out for almost 10 weeks has pulled and stretched me in different ways. Sometimes I don't know how to feel, if I should feel happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc. But whenever I am feeling a little off I remember the 2000 Stripling Warriors in Alma. Here is Alma 56:47 where I changed a few words:
"47 Now he never had taught, yet he did not fear failure; and he did think more upon the happiness of his Father than he did upon his life; yea, he had been taught by his mother, that if he did not doubt, God would deliver him."
You have taught me to be strong, to stand up and do what is right. Before my mission I kept saying that two years wasn't a long time. I said it so I could believe for myself, so that when the day did come when I would have to leave, I wouldn't cry too hard. Mom, I love you and I hope having a missionary doesn't make you feel too old, but that it means you've raised me right. Have a Happy Birthday and enjoy all the memories!
Love your Missionary,
Elder Fonnesbeck
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