Mormon Missionary Attends A Baptist Church

I bear my witness that God the Father lives 
and that 

He gave us the gift of His Beloved Son 
out of love for us. 

I know as surely as I live 
that the resurrected Savior lives. 

He atoned for our sins.

 And I testify 
that He is the Light of the World and 

the sure source of 
comfort, hope, peace, and joy. 

I pray with all my heart 
that we all will draw closer to Him, 

to feel the warmth of His light and love. 

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, 

whom we worship and serve, amen.

--Pres. Henry B. Eyring, First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Dec. 2014

Monday, December 8, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday.

I did not watch the church's Christmas Devotional, because I was at the choir performance. Besides, they had the added stipulation that in order to watch the devotional, we needed a recent convert, less active, or an investigator in order to watch it. However, I may listen to it soon. It was an hour and seventeen minutes.

It sounds like you had a good week by keeping busy. And it sounds like California is still warm as ever.

As regards to personal funds and taking my companion out to a restaurant, I do agree with the idea. However, we have also obtained funds through members who know the rules, but find ways to go around them. I talk of not being allowed to receive money in reward for doing service. Members know that and I know that. What they do is say, "Here's some money; go out to lunch." We refuse and say, "No, it is alright. We cannot take it." Then, they refuse our refusal and eventually, we are stuck with the money.  We have obtained enough funds through this unfortunate trade to go out to dinner. My companion has chosen the place already and is dying to go.

Monday, we sailed across the river, hiked over hills, dashed through the forest, (fought creatures along the way) and came to the Enchanted Forest. Or rather, without such excitement, crossed the bridge to Warsaw and snaked our way to a piece of property that is so deemed the Enchanted Forest. Some person owns this piece of property. The reason it is called such, is that the person carves carvings into some of the trees and paints them. He carved simple things, such as horses, spiders, and flowers; and then, more complicated subjects, such as Dora the Explorer, Minnie Mouse, and other subjects. It is pretty awesome. After such an adventure, we retired to the basement, where we spent the rest of P-Day. We tried different people that night, one of them being our single mother investigator who has been investigating for the past year. She missed out on Fast Sunday and the awesome testimony meeting, so we wanted to make sure things were well. She had little gas, so she could not come. I will return to her later.

Tuesday, we spent part of the day tracting. We prayed to find somebody and we did. It, of course, happened to be the last house we knocked on one side of the street. We taught the Restoration and liked it. He was not interested in baptism, but knew we were definitely sent by God and there was a reason why we were there. Later that day, we went to the less active who wants us to just open our scriptures to see where God takes us. Out of a suggestion by the branch president, we put a marker on a place where we wanted to turn and so happened to open to the place. It was a good lesson. We saw our investigator who I worried about mental capacity. We gave him an enlarged portion of Mosiah 16, so that he can read. He enjoyed that. When we returned on Thursday, we discovered that he had read indeed and gave him another assignment. When we teach him, we blend in some previous lessons to help him understand principles. It works, so far.

Wednesday, we helped a member with cleaning the gutters of a elderly lady. I swept pine needles off the roof. It was not a bad thing to do with my back. If anything, it made my abdomen muscles sore the next day. It looked a lot nicer. And I did what I could do. It was funny, when I first started sweeping, the head of the broom flew off. During the day, we visited another elderly couple and read the scriptures. The man of the couple has dementia and we discuss the scriptures to help him understand. Later that night, we had dinner with a member at a Mexican restaurant. It was a really nice thing. Then, we saw an investigator, whose aunt had passed a few week ago. He told us that he is no longer going to his church (he even told his church that), because he realizes we can answer his questions, especially about the afterlife. He wants to know more in order to be ready for baptism. He is on date, which is exciting.

Thursday, other than planning, we had another member dinner. I was a small family with some crazy kids. The kids were obsessed with saying some weird word of some concoction of theirs. It was funny though. One kid bopped their little sister (who is about three) and she said it in response to the offense. Not much else happened on Thursday. Friday, we finally saw an investigator who we have not seen in a couple weeks, because she was cancelling her appointments. Her eyesight is bad, but she manages. We taught what was needed to be taught and it went well.

That night, we served at the Relief Society and Young Women Dinner. The Relief Society President had decorated the place and it was finely decorated. It was a night in Bethlehem indeed. In fact, I could consider myself a publican at that moment for I had to collect taxes, in order for people to attain their food. (The women were furnished with burlap bags with pennies in them to pay their taxes for the food. For example, ham was two cents.) It was excellent. My companion discovered that the new sister missionary (we have a set of sister missionaries in addition to the senior couple in the Branch) and him have a best friend in common. The words were well said, whoever said them, "Small world for Mormons."







Saturday, my companion did the progress record while I did family history. I have looking at the siblings of people who we are related to and look at their spouses (who some may or may not be Mormons). Sometimes, I can see where there is work to do, which makes me excited. I look at it to make sure that their work is done and if it is not, then I am excited, because there is great potential there. All the more reason to go to the temple on a consistent basis when I return home. If I do not do their work, then who will? Much excitement in that area of life.

We saw the single mother investigator. Her kids were there for opening prayer and quickly trickled out. . .  AND SHE FINALLY PRAYED! It was much needed one step forward with an additional three steps back, but it allowed us to see what was holding her back from committing to baptism. It was a true heart to heart. So, she prayed and her two friends were, of sorts, her answer. They both brought up a concern that related to the idea of truth and tolerance. (It is amazing to see how God prepares us for certain situations.) One of them is an ex-Mormon (I am sure he is less active) who did not have a great experience as a child growing up in the faith. There was a lack of tolerance towards others. The other mentioned a different issue, but it related back to the idea of truth and tolerance. I love Elder Dallin H. Oaks' CES Devotional (found on lds.org or speeches.byu.edu) called "Truth and Tolerance." There is a need to be tolerant and there is a way to hold to the truth while being tolerant. It is upsetting to see a lack of tolerance, because there is really good people in other faiths'. As Elder Oaks points out in his devotional, Jesus taught kindness in our communications (and I add our actions) while having firmness in the truth. That is some of the things I brought up. I do understand that there is a fear to bring up our religion, because of criticism. I mean, for quite a while I did not mention that I was a Mormon. In fifth grade, I did not mention where I went to church. I have no idea why. I was even afraid to say the name Christ. All of these things I helped her to understand, which she understands. Then, she mentioned the principle of the Word of Wisdom. She has no issues or problems with breaking the Word of Wisdom. She has an occasional drink of wine (her last drink was a year and a half), but she believes it is healthy. We began to realize that her saying that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith is true is merely a head testimony. The idea that it is true makes sense to her, but there is no spiritual basis behind her claim of knowing it is true. We again invited her to read and pray. We finally have a concern we can work with.


I will combine Sunday with the rest of Saturday, because it involves stake conference. Stake conference was great. There were really good talks that I enjoyed. I really cannot speak much of it, because there are things I need to do beforehand. People remembered my birthday and people wished me a happy birthday. It was great. We did not do much on Sunday. Thanks for the shirt and tie. It was very much appreciated. I had a good birthday. It was simple.

And also
on Sunday, I went to a Baptist church. 
That was where the choir recital was. After a long choir practice, we headed off to the Baptist church. The church had a main floor and a balcony. We were sitting at the balcony. Many of the choirs sang to a track. There was a lot of pomp and cheer. It was quite interesting, because it is not the normal thing that I am used to. I am more of a traditional person, probably in part of the LDS culture that has been part of me. It was nice and rather loud. It was interesting to see the different music each church has. There were seven Baptist churches there, two Methodist churches, and us. Some of the music was quite nice. I mean, I am slightly interested in different church's music, because it is my curiosity in understanding different faiths.  This was to raise money for an Emergency Ministry, which goes about helping families in this one county that are in need. So, for the first time in my life, I put a dollar on the plate as it went around. The LDS choir members also did likewise. I was not alone in this different kind of offering.

So, we were not the worst choir there, but we were no means the best. That is being honest, because we did mess up during Gloria Patri. In the middle of the song, the different voices split. I am listening to each person to understand where we are at. Incidentally, we messed up that part. Other than that, our other song went well. We left with our ride after our song. It was close to curfew.

A bit of humor. Kind of how "they just can't get my nose right," they just can't get our name right. We were, according to the program, "The Church of Jesus Christ & Latter Day Saints." One choir member jokingly said, "It sounds like a band name: Jesus Christ & The Latter Day Saints." Talking to someone else later that night, "It makes us sound like we are Catholic."

It was a busy, busy week. And it went fast. I am actually quite surprised it has gone by. And a new transfer has officially begun.

Oh and we have a Christmas tree that is real. It is a humble Christmas tree, but it is a Christmas tree nonetheless.

All is well!

Shalom and Love,

Elder S. Todd

Delivering Mail Iraqi Style: Read to the End

Define normal? What is a normal young man and young woman like? There are roughly 88,000 missionaries mostly young adults just emerging from their teen years who face daily rejection, sometimes pain, sorrow, illness preach of  God and His Son Jesus Christ and the restoration of the fullness of His good news. They do this at their own expense. Their joy is in the faces of those who come to understand and know Christ. Their joy is in their service. Some because of illnesses or accidents must come home early and they do so reluctantly because they know who their Master is and who they really serve.

November 10, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Well, it has been a slow week over here as well. We worked hard, but not much came as a result. I like Tappahannock; I always like my country areas more than my city areas. I like having the open space and the fresh air that comes from the open space. Cities are condensed and I feel crowded. Or they might be dangerous like Petersburg. Other than that, I love the members everywhere and I have great joy when serving with them. I am enjoying the people here. I am slowly getting to know the people. Our members upstairs usually feed us on Sunday and as my companion says half the branch is there, only due to the fact that half the branch is related somehow to the members upstairs. (Of course, it may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but it is somewhat true.)

My back is doing a lot better. I generally have good days with my back. I do wake up sore around my back area, but as soon as I get moving, I feel better. Only once have I felt in pain, but generally taking Aleve helps. I know I need to work on my core strength and strengthen those muscles there. I am trying to figure out the best way to do that. I know I do not want to do sit-ups, because it might hurt my back.

I did receive the Halloween package. It was going to be a Thanksgiving package instead, but I was spared. More on that in a bit.

Monday, after our normal P-day tasks, we had dinner and we contacted a referral that we received from the sisters. We had a member come out with us, but the referral changed our time to meet with them to an hour later than planned. We met with them and talked. It is a man and woman; at this point, we are unsure if they are married or not. We taught them the Restoration and the man asked many questions, some of them off the wall. It was a good first lesson and we gave them a goal for baptism to help them think about it. After the lesson, we tried to see another person without much success.

Tuesday, we cleaned our apartment a bit. After lunch, we tried to contact people, but there was not much success in that. We had dinner and aided a member in their home teaching (members are assigned to visit families with a spiritual message and see if they have any needs). That was the success we had that day. 

Wednesday, we had a zone conference with the two zones that consist of the Richmond Stake, the two zones that consist of the Midlothian Stake, and the zone that consists of the Chesterfield Stake. It was a positive meeting that I got a lot out of listening to what was shared. I asked about mail afterwards, seeing as I knew I had a package, but nobody brought the mail with them. Luckily, one of the office missionaries came by to deliver mail. After the conference, we had to wait a bit and did not get home until about 5:30 or so. We went to the church after dinner and talked with a recent convert about family history and other things. Then, we joined the branch choir. Not many people were there. The men only consisted of us missionaries and the recent convert. To make matters worse, my companion and the recent convert are tenors. I was the only bass. It was really odd for me and I felt a bit anxious about it. We are doing a medley of Primary songs and a hymn out of the hymnal. We are also doing a song in Latin. So I am learning Latin, or at least the phrase, "Gloria patri et fillio et spiritui sancto. Amen." (Meaning, "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Thursday morning, my companion stacked wood. I was not allowed to help and I am not liking it. I have been trying to find ways to do service. Afterwards, it was a day of trying to see people with not much success. 

Friday, we planned. Our appointment for the day cancelled. My companion did the progress record (we switch every week) while I did family history. Recently, I have been adding information to people. I am really fascinated by it. We did see one person, but it was not a good time. We saw a less active that night and they were talking about past missionaries. They had some good things to say. 

Saturday. This day was designated a social media day which I forgot to tell you about. The idea was for members to come out with the missionaries for a while and to take pictures of us, post things, etc. This was to show that we are normal, we try to help the community, and we believe in Jesus Christ. (This is due to the Book of Mormon musical that came into Richmond recently. Missionaries, as authorized by President, were standing outside the theater, so that people could ask them questions about the real deal. Originally, they were to pass things out, but the theater was not happy about that.) Well, we had nobody to come out with us, because they cancelled. It turned out for our benefit though. Saturday was a really off day. We did nothing. Why? Well, at 6:19 AM, I was peacefully dreaming when I heard in the midst of my sleep, somebody throwing up. Lo and behold, it was my companion who was sick. He was not going anywhere. He needed to rest and I made sure he rested. Meanwhile, throughout the day, I studied. It was a long day of nothing. 

Sunday, my companion was doing a lot better. We went to church; our new investigators showed up. We tried to see more people, but failed. Then we had dinner. The landlady received a call that day, saying she needed to go to work tomorrow (she works for the postal system). Well, here they drive normal cars that have something to identify them as mail carriers. Her car needed new brakes and her spare needed a starter. While we were having dinner, it was being fixed. It was a really nice dinner and quite enjoyable. We went downstairs afterwards, but went back up for something. We were talking to the landlady about something. Then, there was a loud boom, the house shook (mainly in the laundry room). We went outside. So, the car that was fixed with the brakes somehow failed (not sure exactly what happened). The car ended up rolling down the small hill it is on where it is normally parked and ended up hitting the house. The house was protected by a bench that was in shambles after the incident. (Kind of like how Bria hit the icebox freezer, but the icebox freezer and the car survived.) The car was pushed back and parked. Well, the radiator was crushed from the incident. That night, everybody was trying to fix the car, but nothing seemed to be resolved. She was able to find a way to do her job, but it was crazy with all that excitement and stress. When it happened, we had a person who has been and still is in the military. She said, somewhat jokingly, "I thought I was in Iraq again. I almost had a PTSD moment." (Delivering mail Iraqi style!)

Slow week, not much happened until the weekend.

All is well!

Love,

Elder S. Todd

From the Mouth of Babes

Hosanna! Hosanna!

December 16. 2013

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Well, congratulations on making it to school board president, even though it was not your intentions, Dad! That is quite odd, how it all worked out. I know it is a lot on your plate and that seems crazy of how much you have to do. Why is it always this season particular that life pushes everything at you? It makes it hard to remember the spirit of Christmas, sometimes. All I can say is to put God first and miraculously, for God is a God of miracles, things will work out.

So for Skyping, I gave my ward mission leader the telephone number of home and your cells. Hopefully, soon, you will get a call. I should let you know my schedule for that day, so if you want to do another time, it does not get hectic on my schedule and your schedule, thus causing even more frustration. So, Christmas, at 10 to 12, I will be at a recent convert's house. 12 to 3, I will be at the ward mission leader's house, the Hairs. (Which reminds me, I forgot to tell my ward mission leader, your names. Haha, oops.) 3 to 5, I will be at another recent convert family. 5 to 7:30, I will be a member's house. 7:30 until 9, I will be with Santa, also known as my landlord, having dessert. If you get a call from him, my ward mission leader, please ask about calling Grandma and Bria as well, because I forgot to mention that as well, more particularly Grandma, seeing as I knew I was going to be calling her. I did not know about Bria until now. And thanks for getting me a card to use to pay for calls.

I am excited to get the Christmas package, though I will wait until Christmas to open it. I am working really hard to get something out to people for this Christmas holiday. I am not getting anything, but I am writing something and then, hopefully, I will type it all up, or just kill my hand and write it out tenfold. Just like those of old. And yes, I did share with my companion goodies of the last package.

And with the ice storm, yeah, we did lose power, but only for a few hours. Our landlord woke us up to inform us of that, but I was fine, despite not having an electric blanket warming me up. I had bought another blanket, so that it can go on top of the electric blanket and keep the heat by, in theory, pushing it back. I was warm for the last three hours of sleep I had. 

I am seriously losing the time. Things are going by way too fast. We had some great lessons and a lot happened this week. We helped move a lady out of the ward, in the cold. I had no idea how expensive moving trucks were until now. Sheesh. Plus, moving is a lot like a game of Tetris and it is insane. I felt bad, because you could tell how stressed she was. 

One investigator, who we might be going over to Christmas, who is a husband of a recent convert, just opened up to us completely. We also have been asked a lot of questions lately, but, gratefully, the Spirit is on our side. I talked to the part member family, where the husband is deployed and the wife is Jewish, as in we were talking to the daughter about heroes from the Book of Mormon. The reason why is that the parents made an agreement to have their children exposed to both religions. 

We had the ward Christmas party, which was fun. I sat with an investigator and talked to him and other members. All they served was ham, though (Seth does not like ham). They did have other side dishes, thankfully. There was no Santa, because that is the way the bishop wanted it. 

The Primary children sang, but most of them did not sing. So, you heard hardly anything, but it was great. They had a great performance on Sunday, because one kid was extremely excited. Part of their song they had to loudly say, Hosanna, so that kid took it to heart and shouted loudly, "HOSANNA! HOSANNA!" I love little children. I remember knocking on a door and there was a mother and a kid. The mother said, "Oh, we are not interested." The kid piped up, "Why are we not interested?" And most recently, someone told us, "Oh, we are Protestants." Their kid piped up, "But, we haven't been to church in a while." 

But, back to the ward Christmas party. There were other performances and they were all good. There was even a sing along where people could also come up. Not many people in the crowd wanted to sing along. I joined and it was fun.

In our district meeting, I gave a training on goal setting and accountability. I talked and then the time came to do the role play, which involved my district in building marshmallow towers and accounting "why" for their success or failure, in not reaching the goal of how tall they wanted the tower they had set.

It has been a great week. I am particularly loving my studies at this time. I am reading "Jesus the Christ" and, soon, I will start the New Testament. I am realizing a lot. I even been watching the Bible Videos that recently came out. (I wish they would make more, but that is just me). But, also, I felt as though I should do a topical guide study on law, order, justice, and mercy. I had been thinking about law, order, justice, and mercy for quite some time, because that is something I realized I really love; which is considerably odd, having a creative mindset as well, which is free flowing. But, that is besides the point (there is a balance to it). In this study of which will take a lot of time, I have subtopics, which may or may not have sub-subtopics as well. It is quite fascinating, because this study encompasses a lot more that I also wanted to learn, which surprised me. I am really, really excited. A lot more growth is coming, which is considerably good, despite all the storms that may also encompass.

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd 

Give me Donuts and I'll Sing

Monday, November 11, 2013

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

I am glad to hear everything is going well. I am glad to hear that the work is moving along in Lemoore. It is definitely going to get colder here, though I suffice with my electric blanker. Plus, I sleep next to a portable heater. I did get the jacket during interviews and I like it. It is warm, especially how windy it has been lately. Apparently, we are supposed to get snow soon. I am excited! Who knows how long the snow will last, because it is still sunny here. Still, very cold. And I have been doing a lot of leaf removal. They still keep on falling.

I am glad to hear that you have received the images and the card is safe. I am happy about that. Now, you understand as to why I had to baptize him four times. He was bigger than I was. I try my best with the camera, sometimes I think it looks good, but you never know.

Interviews went well. Now, I have to explain something. So, the bag that I am using to carry my scriptures, I also use to carry around family history (pedigree charts, etc.), pamphlets, and an extra Book of Mormon. I prefer this, because I feel like a mobile library and prepared. So, the mission president looks at my bag and says, "Oh, you know by the next year we will be getting iPads and everything will be electronic. Plus, you might even now mention the fact to people that they can read the Book of Mormon on lds.org and even listen to it on their phones. Pretty soon, there will be little need for that bag." Of course, I roughly paraphrase his words. I thought about it, "I like my physical, hard copies." I understand the use of electronics and such and it is great. I will not give up on the physical, turn the pages scriptures. Especially with all the work, I have put in mine. But, I will definitely tell people that they can listen to the Book of Mormon and read online.  He told me to switch wrists with my watch from the right arm to the left. I told him my goals and he said that they were good goals. I told him at this current point I am working on faith and charity, which he said that I should work on the three: faith, hope, and charity. So, that is what I am working on faith (in self, in Christ), hope (with self), and charity (for others).

What an interesting week. So, Tuesday. That is the day of our district meetings. The sister missionaries that are in my ward come in with donuts and hand them to me. They did this before and it was quite nice. That is until they said, "Oh, by the way, that is payment." I am confused by this point, wondering what payment they are talking about. Then, one of them explained, "The bishop texted us, asking for my companion to sing during sacrament meeting. I figured that I would play the piano and I volunteered you and your companion to sing as well. By accepting the donuts, you have to do it." Needless to say, I sang with my companion and a sister missionary, yesterday in front of the ward. That was nerve wracking. I did practice and my companion and the sisters were teaching me how to sing bass. I sing bass, because when I sing, I sing low. So, I learned a little bit more about singing. It was confusing, because the bottom part of the sheet with the notes and such are the bass parts. So, you are singing without the tune. Luckily, we chose "Because I Have Been Given Much," so I could sing bass to the tune. Plus, I got the chance to start it off. I started the song that we sang in sacrament meeting. People commented on our performance and a few complimented my voice. One person told me, "I did not know that your voice could go that low."

I have been doing a lot of leaf removal. The sister missionaries helped us with this one house. Big yard with a lot of trees, which equals a lot of leaves. But, it was fun. There is still more work to do, because there are many leaves still on trees. 

My companion went on missionary exchanges for a day. He went at the best time, because on Friday, the missionary that was with me had to go to seminary. Me, I love the mornings. I woke up 5:00, got ready in fifteen minutes. If I was alone, I probably would have left by the time I got ready. This missionary does not believe in the mornings and even says that the day should not begin until noon. He did not move until 20 minutes after 5 and then took 20 minutes to get ready. And seminary starts at 5:50 in the morning. So, we were moderately early. I should have said seminary started at 5:30, but oh well. We went to seminary for, not only a free breakfast, but to bear our testimonies on the Book of Mormon. I loved it and I think I was extremely excited as I bore testimony.

Yesterday, it was interesting besides sacrament meeting. We contacted a referral and there were two people outside the house, who were not the referral. They smoked cannabis in front of us. They even offered. I got asked if I was a virgin. They tried to confound us, but they did not have luck. It was a quite interesting visit to say the least. Well, there is always a first for everything.

I also talked to a Jewish woman who is married to a Mormon and who is not searching and not wanting to convert. Even her daughter is leaning towards Judaism. So, I talked to her about her faith and religion. I also talked about the history of Israel with her and she mentioned the Talmud. I would love to read the Talmud and I understand there are volumes upon volumes. The reason why I would love to read it, is because of what the Bible Dictionary says. I also like to understand about my Judaeo-Christian heritage that I have.

I have done a lot of thinking, a lot of praying, a lot of learning. This Tuesday, Elder Sitati is coming to visit the mission and it will be great to hear from him. It will be great.

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

P.S. Transfers are November 21st. I will know on Sunday if I or my companion is moving. Tuesday, of that week I will know which place

Elder Seth Todd's first baptism. Elder Todd is the short guy in white. The man he baptized is the giant of a man in white on the right site. Baptism is done by complete immersion in the water and bringing the person out of the water.

Monday, August 12, 2013 - the Sun still Shines - Understanding People

Dear Parents (Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom),

Well, this week was okay, but that is just all right. All is well! Even when it is raining, the sun is still shining on the other side of the clouds. Lessons went okay and investigators are somewhat progressing. One of our investigators wants time away from us, but I understand, seeing as that he is dealing with the possibility of losing one of his last living relatives. You know, I have come to see that I put a lot of emphasis on understanding people, which I believe is a good thing. By understanding people, you come to find their needs and where they are at in life, which is when you teach people and not lessons. That there, is a big key, because people are so different. I talked to this man who came from Trinidad, who saw Hitler when he was little, and was a soldier and I see that he is a very spiritual man. His needs are totally different from another investigator who has doubts about certain things. With that article portion you shared, (http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2013/06/01/time_for_some_mormon_myth_busting.html) I do tolerate a lot of people. I have been blessed by the Lord with humility and optimism. Truly, there is hope for everybody.

Well, I talked to President Wilson, the mission president and had a nice interview with him. I did not have any questions or concerns this time around, but maybe next time. I looked at the blog and I figured I should mention the name of the mission president, seeing as his name is President Wilson, not President Bradley. Maybe his first name is Bradley, I do not know. When I saw that I thought I had the name of my mission president wrong and then I went to check. It is alright. I am glad to know that I am loved and missed. I miss a lot of people, especially my family. I think back on some things, at times, but I press forward. 

I miss you Mom and Dad, but the months are already going by. It is insane as to how fast time is flying by. I heard that you two are counting down the months already from a little birdy (23 months). All will go by as it should. I am glad to hear both of you, Mom and Dad, are doing fine. I am glad to hear that Mom enjoyed babysitting and that Dad is getting ready for what looks like his last year.

My companion, Elder Meibos (My-bus), is good. We are getting along fine and I have no quarrels with him. Yes, he is a bit odd, such as stating that it is okay to double dip and that it is okay to drink out of the milk jug (which if I ever need milk, I buy my own). But, he is a good person. He is a studious person and loves to make jokes. We support each other so that we can do the best that we can. If anything, we are united as companions and know what might be best for the people. When I upload pictures, which I am assuming to use the account that you sent, you will actually see him in a tie dye shirt with my zone leaders, Elder Braithewaite (who will be in the middle of one of the pictures) and Elder Felt. (We went to see the Chancellor Battlefield)(Missionaries have the morning and afternoon to shop, do laundry, and to sightsee. Virginia has a lot of historical places of interest to Seth.). And I know my pictures are not the best; I will do my best to make them look good.

I have plenty to eat. I do not eat much at the apartment, except maybe for lunch. Lunch, sometimes the members provide and most of the time the members provide dinners. There is good food here and fish(We still can't believe he eats fish since he wouldn't at home.). I do not complain or murmur for I have enough. The members are so kind. We talk to them to set up appointments and they offer dinner sometimes. Or sometimes, we talk to them and they bring up dinner and it is a free meal. Yesterday, the bishop's wife of the ward (local congregation, more than one congregation may utilize the same building) that I am in, gave us free food. She had wanted to give it away, because she had enough. She had a lot of food because one of their daughters got married and there was a lot of food and cake left over from the reception.

Sorry to hear about Chloe (his sister Bria's dog). I am glad that she is doing okay, but, wow, a foxtail up her nose. I wonder how that got there. Well, I am glad that it was not Carly (Seth's Boxer), but I am so glad that Chloe is doing okay after that. Hope the dogs are doing well and continue doing well. 

I helped with an interfaith service event where at one of the church buildings, they were giving school supplies and clothes to children in need (this was on Saturday). I helped direct traffic as cars were coming in, which was fun. It was not too busy. Most of the time I was singing hymns (specifically, Welcome, Welcome Sabbath Morning, Now Let Us Rejoice, Master, The Tempest is Raging) and some songs from Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables (which is quite sad, because I do not remember most of the lines from the songs and I do miss the songs a bit). I waved to a lot of cars, because I felt great and a lot of people honked their horns or waved back. Then, it rained, or poured down on us.

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

One's only rival is one's own potentialities. One's only failure is failing to live up to one's own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king, and must therefore be treated like a king.
Abraham Maslow