8-27-12

Hello, hello, hello, how is everyone? This was another great week with Two Baptisms which were for Kathy and her daughter Candace. So many great things happening here in Hazelwood 2.

      Monday we decided to hit up the Union Station shopping place and just walk around with the two other sets of missionaries. That place got boring then we went the the Basilica here in St. Louis. It has like one of the largest mosiacs in the world or something of that sort. The place us huge. It was a lot of fun to check out and everything and see some cultural things here in the City of St. Louis. I almost have done everything there is do to here it seems like sometimes. But we all found something we have not done yet! That night we had a big dinner thing at the church with our a few of our investigators and with a family in the ward. It was a lot of fun!

     Tuesday was a good day. We had a few appointments to get to after we had district meeting. One was with Linda which went well. The other was with Emonie and Anieyha who are sisters. They brother used to be an investigator. It was awesome because Olivia our recent convert is thinking about going on a mission now which is pretty cool. She is also doing good missionary work by bring her brother to church and by giving us referals. It is so sweet!!!

        Wednesday was supposed to be a great day but it ended up not being all that great... oh well. haha That tends to happen a lot on ocasion. Not everyday is perfect. We had a couple appointments we had fall though with some potentials. But we wer eable to reschedule though which is nice.

       Thursday we had exchanges. I was with the DL in his area. We found a couple a good potentials and we had a new investiagotor for them found. While we were tracting there was a AT&T install guy sitting in his truck parked in the street. We caught him taking pictures of us knocking on a door near his truck. We then went up to him and asked him why is took a picture of us. He just said it is because he never sees missionarys like us. It was funny. That night we switched back. We had a lesson with Kathy and Candace. It was good then they were interviewed for baptism. Which went well because they passed!!! Then we had a lesson with Scotti. That went great also.

          Friday we had weekly planning which went ok. It is one of the hardest times of the week beause we have to sit down and plan and go over so many different things. We then had another lesson with Linda that day and with the Aneiya and Emonie. They went well again. Linda has some concerns but they are easily resolved. They have been pretty cool to see how she is changing.

        Saturday was the big day. It was awesome because that is when Kathy and Candace were baptized!!! Linda came to the Baptism to see it also! We did not get as many people to show up as hoped. I performed a musical number on the Uke singing when I am baptized. I have done that song at another baptism but I changed it up a little from the video you may have seen me sing on youtube that a member put up. It went well. To be able to invite the spirit through song is a great blessing. The song of the righteous is a prayer unto God. After the Baptism was a ward activity which was fun. Because we had investigators there we were allowed to be there. That is our Presidents policy. It was fun. They did a game show night. I got to go up and play a minute to win it game.

        Sunday was Kathys and Candaces confirmation during Sacrament meeting. We had a few investigators there who were able to witness it and see how it is and to be able to feel the spirit. It was a very speical moment during the confirmations being a part of the circle and feel the person being confirmed recieving the Spirit.  It is very speical. Very Sacred. That night we picked up a new investigator Orlando. He was a way cool guy.

         This week will be interesting because we will be moving out of the members place we live in right now to move to an appartmetn that is actually in our area! yes! no more hour long bus rides to our area. Hope your week is going well!

Love,

Elder Derek Turner

*Serving in Zion*

8-20-12

What another week it has been full of teaching, finding new investigators and a Baptism!!! Yeah!!! It was way awesome! This place is one of the most interesting places I have served in. We have a lot of lower class places and a lot of the Ghetto of the city of St. Louis. And the Airport. They call it the trunky area. I does not make me trunky it just gets annoying constantly hearing the planes fly over head. OH well. We are going to be moving into an appartment that we had to go and pick out In a week and a half. That will be exciting just in the fact we will not have to bus for an hour to are area everyday. So this is how the week went!

    Monday we hung out with the other missionaries in the ward. It was fun. That night we had dinner with the Rices one of the coolest families in the ward. We had three investigators that we had come to dinner too. After we played a game then we had a lesson. It was awesome. That is the classic Monday night thing here I guess.

    Tuesday we had district meeting. The Aps came to it. And after they blitzed our area with Elder Winkler and I. I had E. Winkler go to all of our appointments with E. Christen and I took E. Marshall with me. We to go contact a couple potentials and referals that were given to us. We found a coulpe new investigators that day and taught a couple of lessons. E. Winkler and the other assistant taught a few lessons in that time. We set a couple more dates that day for baptisms that day also. That night we taught Scotti. It went well. She will be getting baptized in a couple of weeks.

    Wednesday we were hoping it to be a full day but didnot turn out as well. It was nice that we had the Truck this week so we could get to everywhere quicker instead of the bus... We got three referals from these girls from Taiwan who are going to UMSL which is in our area. They took a bus tour to Salt Lake and saw Temple Square so now we will be teaching them! It will be intersting. They are not amazing at speaking english. haha We got to teach Antoine that day. That went decent. We committed him to coming to church. But he did not go to church... oh well.

    Thursday we were on exchanges. Elder Melton was with me. We had a couple appointments to go and teach at. We then had to do a little switch so that The DL could interview Olivia. It went good she passed! That night my Friend  Samantha Gilbert from school and her dad came picked up E. WInkler and I and took us out to eat at Wei Pei. It was good Asian food. It was cool to see a friend from BYUI. This is the second time I have been taken out by them on my mission. They are actually in the same stake that I am serving in. Just a couple wards over do about 30 mins away. They are awesome. After that we had an appointmetn with Cathy and Candace. They are being baptized this upcoming Saturday. It is a mother and daugther. The daugther is 9. 

     Friday was good. We had weekly planning like always. We had to finish the last min details on Olivias Baptism and then get Cathy and Candaces baptism worked out. Cathy has another daugther that we are teaching. But she never came to church so she can not get batpized yet. We finally figured out why she did not want to come to church. Someone at her school told her that the men have multiple wives there. She was afraid someone would pick her up for a wife. Good thing we finally addressed that concern... We finallized the paper work for the appartment with the mission office people. Then we had a lesson wtih Cynthia that night.

     Saturday was awesome. That morning we had the Baptism!!! It was awesome! We got to have dinner with one of my other favorite families the Gonzalezs. They rock. After that we picked up a new investigator Tori. He is 17 and plays Bball. He loves that we go play basketball every Saturday night with other members and investigators.

     Sunday Olivia was confirmed. It is amazing standing in the circle is confirmed. Especially because they receive the Holy Ghost. You can really feel it especially when they say Recieve the Holy Ghost. It was a very sacred moment. I know she made the right choice and she will be blessed for making this step but it is just the beginning for her. There is much more things to do of course like going to the Temple!

        Today we are still not sure of what we are gonna do. Maybe go downtown. Who knows! haha Well everyone have a great week:) The Church is True, The Book is Blue, and Jesus Loves you!

Love,

Elder Derek Turner

*Serving in ZIon*

8-13-12

Well This was my first week in Hazelwood. It is an interesting place. Half the ward is north of the Airport which is the Hazelwood one area. I am in the Hazelwood 2 area so I am down in south of the Airport. So in my area I see the arch everyday because we are in the city. It is weird being back in the city again. I did not think I would go back. It is weird. It is not nearly as Ghetto as ESTL though. It is fun though. I really was sad to leave Springfield. I did not think I would like it out there but that was my favorite area by far.

      Monday my last pday here we went to the Abe Lincoln Presidental Museum and Library. It was cool going through that and seeing it. I got to go teach some Kelly and Shannon for the last time. It was fun to do that. The lesson went very well I have to say.

        Tuesday was a super busy day. Full of seeing investigators and saying goodbye to them and such. We got to finally meet our recent converts non member wife. That night we had a dinner appointment with my Distant cousins here. I got to meet some more that I have out here. It was really cool to be there with all of them and be able to share a bit about the Gospel. I wish I could stay in Springfield to teach them...

       Wednesday was transfer meeting day. We had to leave early that morning to get down to St. Louis for it. We took the 15 minute ride to my new area. We live with a member here in Hazelwood 2. It is just temporary. We have to find a appartment down in the city. We have to bus to our area everyday. Well every other week we get the Truck. We have the Truck this week to travel. We do not even live in out area right now...  That day we had an appointment with one of our investigators who is getting baptized this saturday. It went well. I got meet more investigators that day.

       Thursday we had many different appointments which was nice. The first one with Annieya. Then we had our appointment with Linda and Anthony. We are hoping to get them all dates to be baptized on this week. We had to take a 2 hour bus ride back up to the Church to teach Cathy and her daugthers. We have awesome members who come to all these appointments. Then we had an appointment with Scottie at the church right after that.

           Friday we had weekly planning. Then we had to go search for an appartment because the Mission office is getting on us to find one. We found one. We will have to see what happens. It is just about the only one that is decent that we found in our area. We then went and tried to go see other people and had another appointment with an investigator.

         Saturday we had to contact a referal. We learned that they moved to somewhere else... That happens a lot in city ares. At least it did when I was in ESTL. We had an appointment with the Taylors and picked up two new investigators there. Then we had another appointment with Anieya. Then that night we played basketball at the church with some invesitigators and members. It is a normal think we do here I guess.

          Sunday was cool meeting people. I got to know a couple families already in the ward because my trainer served here and we came here and hung out with families on pday. It was funny when those families saw me. They said they knew I would come serve here. They got there wish. Os it is nice already having a few connections. We had dinner with one fo those families last night.

        Today I am still unsure of what we are going to do. You will find out next week I guess! have a great week everyone. The Church is True, The book is Blue, and Jesus Loves all of you.

Love,

Elder Derek Turner

*Serving in Zion*

8-6-12

So This last Saturday was transfer calls. Stay tuned to hear where I am going. Because It will be exciting!!! This week we have gained 3 new investigators and we dropped 3. So we are still over 20 people in our teaching pool. It was crazy because when I first got here we only had 3 investigators. I have really put my heart and soul into this place and worked so hard, and have had so much fun while doing it. We are so close to getting people into the waters of Baptism. Many people will be baptized here in the next couple few months. It was awesome being able to teach so may appointments this week. I have never had so many in my mission before.
         Monday we played basketball with a bunch of kids in the ward and with an investigator and with other missionaries. It was fun. Then we had dinner with a less active in the ward at Texas Road House. yummmmm. Then we had an appointment that night with Richard that went very well where we were able to teach his Nephew who was there too. We took a member who really connected with the both of them. we started exchanges that night so Our district leader came down to be with Elder Banks and I. It was good.
         Tuesday was awesome. We went to Shannon and Kellys with a member to go help them paint there home. They fed us a great lunch let me tell you. Then we went and contacted ward referals for the rest of the day mostly. We had a good visit with a part member family that we have not had the chance to see yet.
         Wednesday Was jammed packed full of stuff. We had a couple of appoinments fall though which I was not too happy about though. But it was still an awesome day. We started by driving out to Waverly for an appointment with a part member family. The member just had surgery and ended up not being able to meet with us because he had been not feeling great but we got to meet the wife and talk with her for a bit on the doorstep. Then we had to go out to taylorville for another appointment then back to Springfield for another appointment then back out to Chatham for dinner and to go see the Walsh's who are my distant relatives. It was a great day. 
          Thursday we had District meeting that morning. Elder Hall who was my companion two Companions ago who is in my district is going home this week so we did a mission funeral service for him. So after the meeting we shot him with Nerf Guns and we put him on the table as if he were dead and gave a eulogy and did a musical number and then carried him out to the car and put him in the trunk. It was fun to do. Carrying dead weight is hard though. haha After ghat we got a mini missionary who stayed with us till Sunday. We had an awesome lesson with Kelly and Shannon that night. Things are going very well for them.
           Friday we spent the whole day on splits. The mini was with one of us and then the two other missionaries together. It was awesome because we were able to split for appointments and kill two birds with one stone. It worked very well. We had a great lesson that night with a part member family that night after dinner. It was cool to have the mini there for that lesson. He actually got to teach lessons instead of going tracting all day. We took him tracting just go take him tracting though for a bit. But it went really well. 
           Saturday We went around getting contact with a bunch of our investigators who we havent had contact with for a little while. We went and taught the collins family which went so well. They are truely elect. I got to take the Mini with me to that lesson. He was really able to teach and bare testmimony. We had dinner with the Hines that night. After that we went and layed basketball with the Collins and with some members. This member in the other ward showed up. She looked familiar so I went up and starting talking to her and finally recognized her. We did Intermural Track together at BYUI. It was really funny. So another person I found on my mission who I knew from before. I had no clue she was from Springfield. After that we had Transfer calls. Elder Banks is staying. Elder Hacking is going to Hillsboro Missouri. And I am going to Hazelwood Missouri. There are two sets of missionaries in that ward and I will be in the second set. My compaion is Elder Winkler. I know him pretty well already from when I was in ESTL. He has been out a little longer then I have. I am excited because from what I remember My area is half bus and Half Car. And the car we have is a new Chevy Colorado. And since I am Senior I get to drive. yes. haha. My trainer served in Hazelwood for a way long time and I have gotten to know a couple families in that ward because we went there a couple times for Pday when I was with him. The members there that I met all said I would serve there one day. They were right. We have the St. Louis Airport in my new area. And we got some Ghetto in there too. So That will be fun.
             Sunday was awesome. Our assistant Ward mission leaders wife came to church who is a non member. We were stoked at that. And we are meeting with her Tuesday. We had said our goodbyes at church to mostly everyone. We had our Mini missionary left us. He was great. 
     I will be missing being here in Springfield. It is my favorite area so far and Elder Hacking and Banks have been way awesome. I am grateful to have been able to serve here. It will be hard leaving it because of all the success we have been having here. But It is my time to go to Hazelwood. I am excited to get back to Missouri especially back in St. Louis where I have been around my whole mission except for this last transfer. I am also excited because Hazelwood is near where my friends from BYUI are from. Just about a little bit away. I can not wait. have a great week everyone, Keep being awesome. AND write me, Please!
Love,
Elder Derek Turner
*Serving in Zion*