10-24-11

Hey Everyone!
So they sent me to the Centerville Branch. It covers Centerville, Washington Park, and guess.... East St. Louis. Yes we are in East St. Louis. They sent me to the most dangerous place in the mission. Well except for one area that is supposed to be just as bad in STL or worse. The day we left the MTC we woke up at 5 and left at 6 in the morning. It was a great feeling getting out of there. Tuesday around 2 when we landed we went straight to go over the Missouri RIiver because it was close to where we were at. Then we went to the temple and we were told a couple stories and stuff. Then we went to the mission home. It is in a super nice area and the house is huge. When we got there they fed us. Then we watched the boring saftey video. Then The president starting doing interviews. He did not finish all of them so before it was time to go out to dinner. He took us to this Mongolian Grill. It was so good. We ate a lot there. I sat next to the presidents wife. She is so funny. And we started talking about BYU and said That she would txt us all the game updates for all the byu games. So I got the score of the game already:) But I love the President and his wife so much. They made us feel just like we were at home. In my mission we have 4 assistants. 2 in the office and 2 normal ones. They were all really awesome guys. I talked a lot to a couple of them. One of them were driving us around everywhere for the two days. But after dinner that night we went back to the home and had a testimony meeting. It was amazing. Then after that he finished the interviews and we had cake and ice cream. I had no clue the Cards were in the World Series... Well until we got here. I was excited for that. Hopefully they win it all just because We are in St. Louis. We have 6 missionaries in our mission who are supposed to go to the Netherlands but are held up because Visas. SO they are here until they get them. So I am one of the ones who has two comps. Our trainer is Elder Horlacher. He is from Vegas. He is a very good cook. Oh by the way because the area we are in is so poor we never get fed by members... I think for the whole month of Nov. we have one dinner for sure that a member will be feeding us. The Branch President fed us lunch the day we got here after transfer meeting. It was way nice of him. But my area is all bus and walking. We are not supposed to ride bikes here. Im sure you all know the answer of why we can not... hahahahah. But my other comp. Is Elder Maughn. He is going to the Netherlands. It sounds like he may be flying out tomorrow. He is from Logan Utah. It is kinda chilly here. Not to cold though. First day here was awesome because we got on the bus all these people started talking to us saying hey Jesus Boys! Go save some lifes! There are a lot of people who loves us here and love talking to us. It is nice. Our first lesson we taught to investigators and was asked by my comp. to challenge them to Baptism. So I did and now we have 3 people in a family who all have a date:) Nov. 6 I hope it does not fall through. Because they were to be baptized before but it fell through. Oh and Also we White washed this area. But our trainer has served in the area before so thank goodness to that or else we would not be having a fun time. There are maybe 30 members in the branch. And of those 30 about half of the people are imports and do not even live within Branch boundaries. But the branch could not survive without these people. It is nice because we have a senior couple in the branch too. They spend most of there time at the bishops storehouse though. So because the area is so dangerous we do not even live within our area. We live up in the west part of Belville. So we have to ride the bus 30 mins. everyday to our area. Our area is huge though. It goes all the way from the edge of Fairview Heights to the River. So I see the arch everyday. That is cool though. It is so sad to see how people live here and that they hardly have anything. It just makes me way grateful for all that I have. It is really humbling. So Usually when it is after 8 we try to get a ride back to our appartment to avoid the bus and it is just so much quicker to get back. But contacting is best on the bus. Somtimes we ride it just to find people on it. There is a sister in our ward. Sister Lehr who is the only single lady who is allowed to give rides the misisonaries by herself. She got special permission from President Clark. So she has a badge and everything. She is very old but she is so nice. She took us to walmart and other places we have to go to. But I am in total culture shock here though. But I am already starting to love the people:) One big goal is for us to try to get the members going to the temple. That is something that both me and my comps have felt very strongly on. In my mission we are allowed to go to the temple once every transfer so we will be taking a trip with them all I believe! But I got to get going though. I hope to hear from you all soon! I sent a few letters out and I do not if they ever got to anyone. I hope they did... But have a great week!!!
Love, Elder Derek Turner
Serving in Zion

10-18-11

Family and Friends,

I got this email yesterday. Elder Turner was able to call this morning for a few minutes from the airport. He sounded great and very excited to get to St. Louis. He loved the MTC but is happy to leave. I’m hoping to get an email or phone call from the mission office letting us know that he arrived safely. It would be nice if they let us know where he is going at that time.

Hope you all have a great week,

Doreena Turner

Hey everyone!!!

Today is my last day here in the MTC. I am very excited to get out to the field and out of here. It has been great here but at the same time I want to get to the field and Be in the real life situations of a missionary, not just all the lessons we teach to fake investigators. Last night our Branch President came and said goodbye for the last time and we all knelt down in prayer with him. Many of us were getting a little emotional. He is such a great man and has made a big impact on me here in the MTC. Everyday I keep seeing more and more people I know. The number has gotten up to 40 people that I know here in the MTC. Not including all the people I know who work here. Which it is awesome to see them too. They made us switch buildings for the last week that we live in and instead of just having 4 to a room we had to stick another bunk in the room and had 6. They are doing a ton of renovations so they did that. I do not know why they could not just wait untill we were out of the MTC to do it. It would of been much easier for us and for them. But tomorrow I fly our of SLC Airport at 9:48 I believe. It will be a 3 hour flight to STL. I am so excited to get there. I seriously am so excited to see it and serve there. We have 16 of us going to our mission tomorrow so it will be exciting to meet all the others we have not met yet. By the way I have sent many of you letters. Sam I sent a letter off before I got yours... I want to know if you have gotten them yet. And Alex I sent you one like over a week ago to. I hope you got that one also. In filed orientation was awesome Friday. Everyone who is going out to the field this week were there. It was my favorite day yet. I have a few friends from school heading out also the same day as me. Thank you everyone for your support. I can feel the blessings coming from your prayers. And know that I am praying for a lot of you also. I hope I can go to the STL. temple soon after I get there. That has always been the highlight of my week here at the MTC. And plus its one of the few times we are allowed to go outside of the MTC. I feel like I have been trapped in here for the last 3 weeks. But now I will be able to get out into the world! I feel kind of lame because I do not have to many interesting things to tell. But when I get out tomorrow to the field I will defianlty have some stories to tell and people to talk about. I feel bad for all my friends who I am leaving here who have been here since august and do not leave for another few weeks still... That is the great part about going State Side:) Missionary work is so awesome. I wish I toke more advantage of it before the mission... Anyways you are all the best!

Love

Elder Derek Turner

Serving in Zion

10-11-11

Hey everyone!!!

Well this week has gone by fast! The first week just felt like it took forever!!! But now things are going fast and it seems just like yesterday that I was writing an email last week. So I have been seeing more and more people that I know from school and random other places. I think the new total is 32 people that I know here that are going on missions not including all the people from my stake back home that work here and that I see almost everyday. So I have 11 guys in my district and we have 3 districts in our zone. The oldest district left yesterday which makes my district the oldest now. It is so weird. But I really can not wait to get out of this place. I feel like I am in a prison but I still love it a lot. Half the people in the district that just left are going to the San Bernadino Mission so I have been giving them a lot of advice for how the area is and stuff. But it is really cool because 4 guys from my district are actually going to the Carlsbad Mission!!! That is the mission I live in! So I hope at least one of them serves in my home ward I think it would be really cool. But I have been giving them names of people to look up when they get there and have been telling them how it is there. I am very jealous of them... That mission is like the best. This week we found out that we have not just the University of Missouri in my mission but the University of Illinois also. I can embrace those two teams but I do not know about the Cardinals... Sorry Murph haha. But my companion has made a huge improvement. He is actually talking more and speaking up during lessons. Because for the first week and a half I was basically teaching it all by myself. But he has such a strong testimony when shares it. I admit I have cried a few times when he has shared it. But I have to say I have made a huge improvement with teaching. We will set somewhat of a lesson plan and then start teaching it then the spirit will direct us a whole different way and always works out for the best. It is kind of fun to figure out our investigators and who they really are and why they are afraid of baptism. But it is awesome. For you who are in Provo yo should come volenteer here at the trc. Those people are awesome. It is funny one of our fake investigators is actually in the MOTAB choir. We saw him on tv during conference. But we havent mentioned it yet. One of the less actives we taught who is now active was also in the choir years ago. It killed friday night and saturday. We could see the Y lite up then all day saturday we could here the parade and game and everything else. I am Glad Reilly is not the QB. He is way better then Heaps. Anyways I have very little time left so everyone have an awesome week. Oh yeah last thing. I fly out to St. Louis a week from today so If you mail anything you might want to send it to my mission home. Because sometimes mail takes forever to get here and to leave here. I sent out a few letters so I hope you all get them soon!!!

Love Elder Derek Turner

Serving in Zion

10-2-11

Hey everyone,

First week has been crazy! I have seen so many people in here that I know. I have made a list of them and it has come out to me over 25 people I know here. Many of them are from school which some of them were good friends. Some are kids from back at home in our stake and others just from random events. It has been awesome seeing them. It makes me feel more comfrotable here. Funny thing yesterday I saw Sister Heid who was my english teacher my senior year in high school! Her and her husband are going to serve in Ghana. When I saw her, I ran up to her and she was like Derek I know I am not supposed to do this but I have to hug you anyways, so we hugged in the middle of the cafeteria. It felt good hugging someone besides a guy even though I have only been in here for a week... She just said if anyone asked why we hugged to say she was like my mother. So Missy and Tiana our former teacher is in the MTC. The mtc has been a lot of hard but fun work. Teaching is harder then I thought but I enjoy it. It is such a blessing to be in here. Funny thing is that I am already sick of the MTC and just want to get out to the field! Some times people acting as fake investigators are not very good at it... Oh well though. but hey we have success with a lot of them. Suprisingly I have already gotten use to the schedule and It feels good getting to bed early and waking up early. I might think about keeping a schedule like this when I get home, or maybe not... haha But First day did not even feel real. Untill yesterday it felt like everything was going super slow... But conference was awesome! I really enjoyed it! Sister Daltons talk was awesome and probably my favorite out of them all! But it kinda stinks hearing a talk like that which makes you want to get married and have kids while you are a mission. I see how obedience is a very big blessing here. The spirit is always with me and I just always feel good! I already see how this is the best two years. So I sent a few of you letters. Let me know if they have gotten to you yet! Thank you everyone for the letters you have written me. It has helped me out a lot to get them so I have something to look forward to to read that night. The food is ok... I am starting to get used to it. But I made a promise to myself that I would not eat to much here and get fat... Friday night I had gym right as the BYU games was starting. we were out on the fields in front of the temple and we could hear everything from the band, to the annoucer, to the crowd. I admit we listened to the game for a while as like most of the other missionaries did who were out there. you can see the stadium from the fields and even some people in the stands. So every tuesday we go to the temple at 2:30. I can not wait to go to the temple today! It will be cool to go inside the Provo temple! Speaking of temples, isn't so cool that they are turning the burned down Provo tabernacle into a temple?!?!?!?! I can not wait to go in that one when I get home! Oh yes and our fireside Sunday night was Chad Lewis and his Wife. It was an awesome fireside! It was cool because he talked a lot about football and stuff. Also another cool fact Roby Bosco the national winning qb for byu has a daughter in the mtc right now also. Chad lewis annouced that to everyone and had her stand up. Then they next day I saw her and said hi in french to her. everyone says Hi to everyone in here in random languages so me and my district who all speak english make up words and act like it is a greeting and say it to everyone else to throw them off. Well again thank you everyone for your support. I hope I get to hear from you all soon!!!

Thanks Alex for the box of doughnuts! Me and my district really enjoyed them:) I hope you got my letter. I wrote before I got the doughnuts because I got them the day after I got your letter haha.

 

Love, Elder Derek Turner

Serving in Zion

10-1-11

Family and Friends of Elder Derek Turner,

 

Elder Turner is now in the Missionary Training Center (MTC). He will be there for 3 weeks.

We were notified two days ago that Elder Turner has a new mission address once he leaves the MTC. The new address is

 

Elder Derek Turner

1850 Craigshire Rd.

St. Louis, MO 63146

 

Please use this address because anything sent to the old address will not be forwarded.

Elder Turner will be leaving the MTC on October 18th. There is another address for any mail for the time he is in the MTC. That address is

Elder Derek James Turner

MTC Mailbox # 225

MO-STL 1018

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

 

 

Anything mailed after October 10th should be mailed to the St. Louis address.

 

The easiest way to mail him during the time he is in the MTC is through DearElder.com. You can type an email and they will print it and deliver it to his mailbox.  It is super easy. His mailbox number is 225 and departure date of Oct. 18th.

 

Derek is beginning a unique time in his life where he will be completely devoted to sharing what he believes with others. Why would he want to spend two years doing that? Some of you may have asked him that question. I can tell you that in a world that can be confusing, sometimes harsh, and faithless, Derek knows that the gospel will bring joy and understanding to Gods children. I promise each of you that Elder Turner will grow in ways that will help him for the rest of his life. There are many blessings that will come with his full time service of the Lord. Along with the blessings will also come the hard times of missing family and friends and the difficulties of missionary life. Please remember him in your prayers. Pray that the people in the areas that he will serve will be humble enough to listen to a 19 year boy share his beliefs of a wonderful gospel that can change their lives. I appreciate your friendship to my son and am grateful for all you. I know that Elder Turner would love to hear from all of you and keep up on what is going on in your lives. Your letter may come on a day that he needs a little boost and may make his load lighter.

 

I am anxiously awaiting his first letter and email.

 

Derek’s loving mother,

Doreena Turner