Today is Sunday. It's one of my most favorite days of the week and this morning it was made even sweeter. My alarm went off and I rolled over in my bed to look at my phone and noticed there was a text message from an unknown number. I opened the text and this was the picture that was sent. The text included this message..."From left to right - Elders Orton, Garver, Hunter & Palmer. We had these wonderful and amazing young men in our home tonight and we love them. They are true examples of obedient servants of The Lord. Your sons are doing well and working hard. When they left our home tonight our daughter who just returned home from her mission said "those 4 elders are legit missionaries". We thought you would enjoy seeing a snap shot of what they are doing. Bishop & Sister Bigelow, Pioneer Peak Ward, Palmer Alaska" Thank you Bishop and Sister Bigelow...you have NO idea how much this simple text meant to me. My heart is full and my eyes are leaking. I love that Elder of mine and I LOVE that his is thriving and fully immersed in his missionary work.
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6am this morning I woke to a random text on my phone. This is what it said: "Here is your wonderful son. He is safe and sound. He has a great companion. They helped me move furniture and then your son did an amazing job teaching a lesson. He is requesting granola." This made my mother heart SMILE! I miss him and crave any kind of communication from him. I'm grateful this church member from Wasilla was kind enough to send me an update. I got a surprise email today from Elder Orton's mission. There were a few pictures and a couple of details that I was wanting to know. Elder Orton has been assigned to Wasilla, Alaska for his first area. I was told that it's a lovely area just an hour north of Anchorage. His P-days are Monday so I will expect to hear from him on that day. In the meantime, here are the latest pictures that were sent today.... Hey mom, I made it to Alaska safely, its awesome here and the elders are cool. The plane ride was really cool and seeing the mountains was amazing! I love you guys a lot and miss you guys. The MTC was awesome, we got to teach an investigator and he was really into what we had to say.
Well, I love you and miss you. Elder Orton Hello Family and Friends! The MTC is great and we as a zone have so much fun. My companion and I have an investigator named Andrew. He is a die hard Denver Broncos fan. We have had 4 discussions with him and he loves it!!! The spiritual high of the week was the devotional that we attended. I would like to introduce you to my Zone of Elders. First there is Elder Kaibetoney. He is my companion, he LOVES Star Wars and helping me to tone it down a bit but he is always a great guy. My other roommate is Elder Christensen. He only says one thing, "Ok". So every time you ask him, "Hey...how are you?" He says, "Ok." Elder Lewis is fun and has an addictive laugh. He is the jolly fellow of the group! Elder Gentry is tall and the lisp speaker of the crew. He hides in his room at night and rumor has it that he will snatch elders at night if they come too close to his door. Elder Carlsen is funny and will eat your candy stash when no one is looking. Meet Elder Hicks. When he speaks, he sings one song that leaves you thinking about life. "The Misty Mountain" by the Hobbit. He will also beat you in a debate. Elder Moody is the "Uncle Aaron" of the group. If you let him, he will tell you great stories that leave you wondering if he was actually there. He spares no detail. He also speaks in monotone. Meet Elder Warren. NEVER sing or speak of "Ghost-Busters". Elder Johnson is the classic Elder that has that "will you wait for me?" girl back home. He is also a leader of people. This is Elder Shaat. He is a country boy who would wear cowboy boots 24/7 if he could. He also eats just like me. Elder Checketts loves to crack jokes left and right. He also often asks, "Hey...do you need extra toilet paper?" and then proceeds to roll it to you. Elder Johnson is our Zone Leader. He tells you he wants only one thing, EXACT obedience. And then he will read you a scripture about obedience. Last but not least is Elder Shaw. He is the Narnia hole guy, he wants to leave as many gifts as he can in every hole in our dorm rooms. We also question his ability to read social cues and has no filter. This is our Branch President and his wife with my district. I was made District Leader when I arrived at the MTC. This is our Zone in front of the Provo, Utah Temple. Can you spot me? I'm the one in the WAY back towards the left. I also ran into THIS random guy who wanted my picture. I love you Elder Morrison. Good luck on your mission!!! I love and miss you all. Please be good! Kayla, know that I pray for you every night along with my other siblings and cousins. Our Zone prays together at night and I specifically ask them to pray for my family. Sending love to everyone, including Ben Beaudet! Love, Elder Orton
PS: I leave Monday the 9th for Alaska. I depart at 3:30am for a 6:00am flight. I have a layover in Seattle. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Hello brothers and sisters!!! I am so grateful for your letters and prayers. I just wanted to extend a thankful heart to the Whitcomb's for that small bit of cheerio and Roger Jr, for your letter as well. Don't worry, I will write back soon, I'm waiting for stamps. I am blessed to do the lords work and hope that one day the youth of the church will feel the same love and joy that I feel. I was appointed district leader the second day in the MTC and so I watch over, protect and serve the 7 elders and sisters in my district with all my heart. My companion has struggled these last days with homesickness and I was able to pray and comfort him enough to wanna stay. Later that day I was able to give a blessing to him and let me just say that I have never felt the Spirit so strong before in my life. I am so grateful for my companion and his willingness to endure to the end. But don't worry, I'm ok, so please send your prayers to my companion and to a sister in my district, Sister Devlin, because she is sick. I want to make sure they are ok and well. I send my love to my family, Mimi and Grampy, Uncle Aaron and company, Uncle Roger and the Whitcombs, Uncle Rich and Aunt Kelly with the army of children, also to the Texas folk, Uncle Jarrod and Aunt Amy and children. A big HELLO to my favorite state family, Uncle Zach and family, and to Uncle Ben and Aunt Joy for putting up with me the last day before the MTC. Hello to Aunt Tina and thank you for coming up to see me before I left. To Aunt Laura Beth, I love you. Sending love to my cousins in Provo, Roger, Kristine, Tanner, Annemarie, Derek, Greg and Naomi. To the northern college cousins, Sara and Hannah, HELLO from the MTC! Please keep Hunter and Sarah in your prayers as they are out doing the lords work as well. Last but not least, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Suzanne who let me ride around and spend what was an amazing time with them. I miss you all and love you. Oh... I forgot I want challenge everyone to a missionary moment, SHARE THE GOSPEL! Sending love to Ben Beaudet. Stay strong buddy, I love you because you are forever my brother. Love your Alaskan mountain man, Elder Orton. PS: Mother could you by chance send me a disc of my talk? I would love to hear it. |
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