Called to Serve in Mormon Mecca

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

This past week a few people asked about when I'll be coming home. 

I will be released as a missionary on December 31st but will be staying out here in Utah to start at BYU a few days later.  The weekend of January 17-19 I'll be heading back to Georgia, which is also when I'll be speaking at my church on Sunday (the 19th) but I'm not sure at what time yet. 

These past twenty-some-odd months have been indescribable.  More than two years ago I headed up to Rock Canyon at BYU and opened up a little letter that changed everything for me.  I still remember the first people I told in person: my roommate Jared and his family.  Not one of them knew how to react when I told them I was going an hour up the road to Salt Lake City.  (Although I can't blame them at all for that).  I had called a lot of my immediate family members right after I opened the letter and if I remember correctly, every single one laughed but still was genuinely excited (with a lot of tears mixed in). When I texted my high school lacrosse team to tell them, they were perhaps the most honest of everyone.  Mike Rettker had always made jokes about visiting me in Tahiti or Africa or someplace cool while I was on my mission.  His response to my call to Utah was something to the effect of "I'm sorry."  Most of them asked if I had done something wrong to get sent to Mormon Mecca :) 

Once, at BYU, my friends and I all piled in our cars to head to another part of Utah to be with a friend as he opened his call.  His mom asked us while we were waiting if any of us had calls yet.  Two of us did.  The other person said some place in Mexico, followed by a chorus of "wows" and "oohhs."  Then..."Salt Lake City, Utah."  No one said anything for a few seconds until his mom asked "are you even excited?"  Priceless.

Coming here has been, like I said before, indescribable.   It feels like everything has changed for me.  Its been the best experience of my entire life and has meant everything for me.  The last five weeks will be the best five weeks.

People keep asking how I feel about going home and I don't know how to respond.  Maybe I'll figure that out sometime in the next year or two.

Love ya'll,

-Elder Colton

Casually Meetings with Apostles

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

This past weekend was awesome.  On Friday morning we had a mission seminar with Elder Bednar (Of the Quorum of the Twelves Apostles) for three and a half hours.  It was a most remarkable experience to hear him bear his witness of Christ.  It greatly increased my testimony. 

Then on Saturday, Sister Stauffer was baptized.  She shared her feelings right after her baptism and put the entire room in tears.  During the luncheon after her baptism we had a surprise visitor: Elder Anderson (Of the Quorum of the Twelves Apostles).  He talked with Sister Stauffer and her two children for a few minutes and took a picture with them.  He was there to reorganize our stake presidency and was able to stop by the baptism for a brief chat.  During the Saturday Evening session of conference, he and another of the speakers talk about her story.  Then in the Sunday morning session, he asked her to stand up (in front of about 2,000 people) and introduced her to all of them.  Both he and Elder Laing (Of the Seventy) talked with her for a few minutes.  There aren't too many things that get a missionary more excited than watching one of the people he has taught be introduced to an Apostle. 

Overall, a very great weekend.  Its been very special to serve in Salt Lake and be around men and women with such faith and testimonies of Christ.  I know that the men we call Apostles truly are special witnesses of Christ.  They witness carries with it a special power and authenticity.  I know that to be true.

Love ya'll,

-Elder Colton

A Tired Missionary

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

Lots of fun this past week.  Apparently my photos haven't gone through so I will work on changing that. 

The Prior girls were baptized this past week which was amazing.  They are such an awesome family and now they are all active in the Church.

 

I'm not going to write too much this week because I am just tired and looking at this screen hurts my head.

Have a great week.

Love ya'll,

-Elder Colton

The Ice Cream Bet

Note from the editor ... I'll have to check with Brandon about the pictures that are not coming through.

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

 This past week was great.  Most of the people I taught in the spanish program were adults who wanted to learn more about the Gospel.  But in English its about 50/50 adults vs. children.  Most of the children come from parents who were once actively living the Gospel but fell away.  We help them come back and at the same time, help their children be baptized.  The first picture is Hailey and Dave.  They are legit.  Dave was able to baptize his daughter Hailey this past Saturday. A very special day for them.  The other picture is Camden and Brooklyn.  They are as cool as they look.  Camden was baptized and Brooklyn will be one she turns 8.  Check out that bow tie. 

Halloween night we weren't able to go out and teach.  So we decided to use our time to make a little gift for one of our three Bishops.  We didn't know him too well, so this was out ice-breaker gift. 

We're hoping it will help him remember us.  We also made a deal with him that in 4 weeks, he could give us a test of 10 members in his ward and we could tell him the name and a little bit about those members.  (We cover three ward and about 800 members so it'll be challenge).  If we do it, he owes us ice-cream.  If not, then we owe him ice-cream.  We'll see how it goes.  

Love ya'll,

Elder Colton

 

 

College Rivalries

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

So jokes on you.  I moved again.  My new address is:

689 N Adamswood Drive

Layton, UT 84040

So this past week, I had the pleasure of seeing on of my friends from BYU who just arrived as a new missionary in our mission, Sister Lauren Holbrook.  I've been able to see her a few times and she told me something important: "You show absolutely no excitement in your letters," which was a polite way of saying "your letters are boring".  So...my goal for the next two months will be to spice them up a little.  It'll be difficult because I am me after all, but its worth the try.    

Maybe this is worth something: I'm now serving in a trio again and one of my companions is from Tahiti (how's that for excitement...eh?).  His name is Elder Souday and even though hes almost brand new (two weeks) he is one of the best missionaries I've ever been around.  Not to mention he is giant.  We were moving weights and chairs in our last house and he started curling the 50s like they were nothing.

One of the hardest things over these past few weeks has been finding new people to teach.  The entire area that we cover now is about the size of my neighborhood back home (just a few hundred houses) plus two small apartment complexes (with 50 or apartments total) and two small condo complexes (totaling 30 or so).  We only cover three wards (which is the second smallest in our mission in english), and the other area that small is in Rose Park, which is a whole lot different then Layton (think downtown Atlanta vs. Johns Creek).  We're still teaching a lot of people but its hard to find new ones.    

Sometimes we do fun things as missionaries.  One of the families who we know are University of Utah fans.  And they aren't just any U of U fans, they are extreme.  Season ticket holders, a giant U on their roof, and continuous U of U apparel.

We as missionaries help people make changes in their lives that will make them happier.  This was one of those times...

The house on the right is one family (the U of U fans).  The house on the left is another family who we are close friends with (he is the high counselor over missionary work in the stake).  A local member and we built the "B" and "Y" and put it on the high counselors home.  Now every time the "U" gets lite up, the "BY" go right with it.  Missionaries...always willing to help.

Love ya'll,

-Elder Colton